We have been wanting to sell calves for several weeks, but the snow has really made that difficult. We like to sell at a Saturday auction, and it’s been the weather habit to storm heavy on Friday, making a Saturday load-out more difficult. Also, the place in our corral where we usually load-out is difficult to get in and out of if the ground isn’t solid. We got up early yesterday and tried to spot the trailer while the ground was still frozen, but just couldn’t get it and also realized, even if we could spot it right and load it, we probably couldn’t get it out even with the help of the tractor.
So, Richard said, “why don’t we load them in the lane?” And I said, “sure, that’s a great idea!” So we did.
I know, we aren’t posting video of the actual load, so you will just have to take our word for it. We spotted the trailer a ways down our lane, put a little panel on each side, opened the back swinging gate, and loaded them! These photos are taken after we shut the back gate on the 10 calves.
One key point when setting up a load like this is keeping the panels totally flat. Resist the temptation to make a “funnel” which would seem to be perfect to “force” the animals into the back of the trailer. It won’t work nearly as well as a flat back!
Ok, I just had to include one “artsy” photo of Richard heading out with the calves for their scenic tour of Polk County in the snow!
Speaking of snow, it was lovely when we started the loading, not too cold (about 28 degrees) and no wind or snow. However, during the sorting process, I noticed these BIG white things floating around. Then they got thicker and thicker, and it was almost a white-out by the end of the loading!
