WESTSIDE — Let’s see, two times two is four and if I have that right, this is the time of the year when things begin to get a little dry. Yep, we are right on time, things are getting a little dry! I have whined about that for several months now, so on to more important stuff.
My bull that I paid a small fortune for came in lame yesterday evening. Not only was he lame, he is as poor as a buffalo after a hard winter in Yellowstone. That old dude looked to be worth about enough to get someone to haul him to a sale barn, but I’d have to chip in to keep them from telling where he came from!
My close relative, tired of being cooped up in the house, had decided to come to the barn and see if she could stir up any dust rearranging my things and was right on deck to see the sight on this earth limp in. Yes, I knew he was getting lean, but I did not reckon he was poor. And I, sure as shootin,’ didn’t know he was lame. Questions firedat me were fast and not without blame, seeing as how this animal was “instead” of a fancy new front-loading washing machine. My line of defense was that washing machines do not reproduce! Sounds as lame as the bull now!
Hot feed has its place - in a feed lot to fatten steers for the slaughter. The feller that feeds a growing bull he is gonna sell to an unsuspecting buyer, the hot stuff should be hung from a tall oak tree. The bull was guaranteed to have never had a bite of hot feed pass his lips. Sure, and kids don’t eat ice cream!
Well, I fell for the beast and hauled out the checkbook without any coercion from anyone, wrote in the amount and signed my name. The offspring were so impressed, and I admired that big black bull like he was a movie star! Then things began to slide. Pounds of flesh that had looked so good slid into oblivion. That feller was not what I thought, but his genetics were good so we managed to get him backup to par with good feed and advice from our vet. I was going to turn him out with the best cows in January. That was my plan.
A lame bull will go about as far as a pickup on a blown tire. But then a tire can be replaced and a lame leg or hoof cannot be. I Ioaded the bull, with no help from my close relative, and proceeded to the vet clinic. If I’d had a siren and red flashing lights, I would have used them. This problematic animal was making me want to pull out hair, and not my own! The pain this causes a man, plus the stinging looks and remarks from his close relative, is tough to take.
It is my opinion, and everyone has one, the choice of a ton of hamburger or nothing is not a happy one. My vet, a man I admire and consider a close friend, was not full of good news and was being as gentle as possible, but there was no way to save this done-in critter. I figured it was broken bones when I first saw the problem. But not wanting to believe, it had cost me another hundred bucks to have it confirmed!
The good side, and mostly always there is a good side, is that hamburger is always good and will make a pot of chili fittin’ for a cattleman when that first cold rain comes! And it is coming, mark my words!
Opinion, Pages 6 on 08/10/2011