It’s bull sale season ’round here. And that means things get a little frantic for those in the stud cattle industry… lots of information gathering, marketing, careful selection and preparation of stud animals for the sale ring. Lots of vet inspections, testicle measurements (I kid you not), scanning of various bull muscles (other than crown jewels) and photography for more marketing!
…
. So if I have been a little, um, erratic with my posting lately, you’ll just have to understand… bear with me?
…
Anyway, yesterday I decided to try and get some up-to-date photos of our bulls – we have almost 20 two and three-year-old boys here at the house. They get supplemented feed and generally pampered as we lead up to three sales over the next five weeks. And we kinda get used to having these hulking big fellas roaming around our house paddock. They are over 800 kg each and yet as curious as kittens and treat us like we are double their size. They watch the kids on their bikes but never get nervy or show any aggression. To me, that is the litmus test. They passed.
…
Dash decided he wanted to ride his bike, and as I refused to let him ride it through the paddock (hey, the snakes are waking up in this neck of the woods!) he reluctantly agreed to ride up and down the road rather than come in the car with TLW and I. I headed through the grass and attempted to get some decent bull photos.
Well hello gorgeous! Please note the lovely polled (no horns) head and solid structure. A lovely example of a black Brangus bull…
This is Q278 – we have named him Quartz. His Genestar (genetic markers taken from tail hair samples) have come back with amazing results. We like him! He’s also a pretty good-looking red Brangus bull… and his SC (scrotal circumference) was impressive too!
(Enjoying Bull Assessment 101 so far?)
And this boy is Q094 – Quota. He is a hunk. A big black hunk. (Yes his facts and figures are great, but really, he’s fabulous bull eye-candy. And gentle as a lamb). Whoever buys this one will take a little bit of my heart home with them. Who said I’m not tough enough for this gig? Hmmm…
Here are a couple of very nice red boys… but the sun is getting low and my light is getting a bit grey. Hang on, what is that flash of blue there?? Look carefully, at the top of shot…
Quota! Don’t eat that pretty purple flower… it’s Blue Heliotrope. It’s a weed and it’s not good for bovines… Quota!! He’s not used to his new name yet… heh.
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Ah well, I’m sure he’ll work it out. He didn’t get to 850kg by eating weeds!!
Time for this tired mum/photographer/cook/bottle washer to head for home…
Hang on. Who’s that calling out?
Mum! Mum… I got somethin‘ for ya!
Dear Lord… a posy of…
Blue Heliotrope. It never looked so good!
How could anyone resist this offering?
I didn’t ever
try…
Even cross-eyed, my boy is cute as … (and it I can’t say that, as his Mum, who can?). I somehow feel a smidge sorry for the girls he courts in years to come… thinking they might not stand a chance with those big brown eyes… I know I don’t!!
Hang on.
He’s caught a glimpse of himself in the rear-view mirror…
Hello Handsome!
(Or as Dash would say: Hamp-sum)
Dear me… that’s quite a face darling. I think we’re safe from all those girls for a few years yet!
Anyone think there might be enough testosterone around these ridges?
Here are a couple of very nice red boys… but the sun is getting low and my light is getting a bit grey. Hang on, what is that flash of blue there?? Look carefully, at the top of shot…
Quota! Don’t eat that pretty purple flower… it’s Blue Heliotrope. It’s a weed and it’s not good for bovines… Quota!! He’s not used to his new name yet… heh.
8 Comments
Debby
And that’s the stuff that little boys are made of. My boy is home for the weekend. So is Cara. And it’s a long weekend. I’m very excited, me and my summer cold both. Erg.
Muddy Boot Dreams
Lovely, very handsome bulls….and what a lovely son you have. Great blog. Jen
Leslie
Beautiful!
Kate
Holy Cow!!!! (literally if we were in India) Those bulls are amazing! Um, question…How you go about measuring the scrotal circumference of a bull? I mean i know how technically…but they let you!?!?! And your boy is just darling. What sweetheart! And you mentioned a bachelor-location service when you commented on my blog…how soon could you have that going for me? 😉 Have a great Sunday! Or is that already over down there? Hmmmm.
Bush Babe (of Granite Glen)
Kate – thanks. Our bulls say thanks too. Much as I would love to say they let us get that personal in the paddock, for scrotal circumference, we put the bulls in the race, hold them in a headbale, and use a tape measure to evaluate the circumference of their testicles. As for my bachelor location scheme… I’ll keep you posted!!! (Was there a better segue there? And is that how you spell segue?)
Leslie – thanks, I know (did you mean bulls or boy?)
MBD – you’re makin’ me blush!! Thanks for dropping by!
Deb – enjoy your crew! Don’t sneeze my direction!!!
🙂
BB
Karen
Ha! I never thought I’d ever know the phrase “scrotal circumference,” yet now I do. Thanks! 🙂
Vaquerogirl
Love Quartz and Quota! Very Nice!
I haven’t raised boys- but yours looks like a keeper!
Ian
Hi there,
I DO appreciate you finding me time to drop me a line, which I managed to bang into a post about you on http://www.farmblogs.blogspot.com and which you can check out at http://farmblogs.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html#5293463869866737385
As the whole ethos of Farm Blogs from Around the World rests on bloggers recommended, such as yourself, then recommending other good farm bloggers, I very much hope to hear your recommendations when you have a spare minute.
I then make a posting about your recommendations, add your recommendations to Farm Blogs from Around the World, contact them, and invite them to send me info about their blog/farm and their recommendations. And so it goes and grows.
Thanks again for the email
Kind regards,
Ian
http://www.farmblogs.blogspot.com
http://www.aplaceintheauvergne.blogspot.com