Chute Season

Life as a farm animal vet has a rhythm.  Although the dairy farm calendar has become pretty consistent since dairy farmers need calves and new milking cows year round, the seasons still dictate activities.  Winter is often the time to make lots of milk since the previous season's forages are stable and cows love the colder weather.  Spring is planting season and calving season on farms that depend on pasture.  Summer is the time to make hay and fall is corn harvest.  Somehow, when the fieldwork is demanding demands on veterinarians lessen.


If Mamma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.

What's going on out there?

Work with our other species definitely has a lot more seasonality. Spring is lambing season and calving season for beef herds. Summer brings parasites and flies carrying pinkeye. Fall is breeding season for our shepherds. In beef herds, fall is the time for weaning spring calves and confirming pregnancies for next springs calving season. This past week was chute week as we spent time neutering calves and checking mom's for next year's calf.  Mom wasn't happy to be separated from junior and I know how she feels - I was reminded of the day we left our oldest son at his dorm. 


 

This week I worked with a herd of Scottish Highlanders in Hinesburg and a herd of mixed beef cows in Westport, NY in the foothills of the Adirondacks.  The highlanders are interesting to walk through a chute - a real exercise in patience.  Fortunately the owners have a lot of experience and so do the cows.  The chute has to be extra wide to allow hose horns to pass which causes problems when we run calves through.  Wide enough for Momma's horns means wide enough for junior to turn around.  Still, with the owner's experience working with these animals the day went pretty well.  The moms had already been separated so they watched from the pasture and occasionally added commentary and criticism.

 

The New York farm took over an hour traveling on twisty country roads to reach.  It was a beautiful fall day so the drive seemed more like sightseeing.  The farm itself had tons of personality; old dilapidated barns and scenic pastures looking out on the Adirondack high peaks in the distance.  We walked the herd through a curved chute based on a design from Temple Grandin and it worked like a charm.  Cows were calm and moved through the facility like they had read the script.  Good news for the farmer as well as our pregnancy check was as successful as he hoped it would be.

 

I think our beautiful fall is at an end.  Today is raw with rain pouring down.  Fortunately I didn't have any outdoor chute calls scheduled during this deluge.  Fortunately I was able to get a spot worked up in my garden yesterday and plant garlic for next year's crop before the rain hit.  I like to think that this is the beginning of next year's garden and the cold winter to come is but a brief hiatus.