scratchy bulling beacons

[wagradexters]

Lost track of where I'm at with AI, tearing my hair out at all the "returns", I decided to spend more time just watching. Tonight most of them were having a nap to recover from the heat of the day. No mobs of baby bulls indicating any particular favourite, not much action at all so I just sat in the ute for a while, watching and enjoying the evening cool.

I watched Cameo's 5 month old heifer going from one recumbent cow to another. She just got to yet another cow when I caught up to see what she was doing. This latest cow was a first calved heifer who did not have a scratch on her tag when I checked 10 minutes earlier. Cameo's heifer chewed all the silver off the spine area of the back-tag, pealing it off to expose the red beacon by scraping her teeth over the tag with confidence and expertise. The pattern of the patch being exposed over the top and down one side matched all the other "returns" perfectly.

I wonder about the state of that little girl's stomach! Not that I have much pity at the moment.

[carragheendexters]

Oh too funny!!! LOL. Now you have the job of trying to work out the "real returns" She will be a horror now and probably do it all of the time.

[kansasdexters]

We don't always "know" what we think we know. Sometimes, the foolproof "test", isn't really foolproof after all! Some things look to be one thing, and then they turn out to be another possibility that was not even considered! If you haven't named that mischievous little heifer yet, how about calling her "Wagra Revelation"? Thanks for sharing your funny and enlightening story.

[zephyrhillsusan]

That's too funny! And of course, too aggravating! So will she go into exile? Darn, what a stinker!

That's a good idea, Patti, but I'm afraid I'd be tempted to come up with something much less flattering! Like "Wagra Miss Chiff" or "Wagra New Since!"  My daughter says "Wagra Silver Bullet."

[wagradexters]

All great suggestions, thank you. Susan's daughter thinks like I do, except in this case Cameo is a would-be bull-mother so the daughter is safe by default, apart from the cheeky brat being a gorgeous bundle in her own right.

Following along the topic detour, 2014 was year K in the bigger picture Au cattle world. We stick with year letters so I can quickly figure out their ages. K is actually a great year for Irish names, but we also like to use a loose kind of nomenclature so I remember relationships, usually fairly vague. 33 K-calves, mostly as yet un-named!!