When the cows escape...

Last Wednesday morning we brought in 20 weaned calves.  As usual, we put them in the pasture by the house, with access to water in the corral, planning to let them get a bit acclimated to the farm and then start mingling them with the rest of the herd.  After two days they had not gone into the corral for water.  We were surprised because cattle can smell water and they will always find it.

So Ken and our grandson Jon went out to try to help/herd them into the corral.  Evidently they got spooked, jumped one fence and ran through another and ended up out on the road.  From there they pretty much scattered.  One of a farmer's worst nightmares!

Occasionally cows will get out when a gate is accidentally left open or something, and Ken can usually call them and they'll follow him back in because they're used to following him to new pastures.  But these were new ones that didn't know the drill yet!

To make a long story short, this is where community comes in.  (We are SOOO thankful for our community!!)  Most of the cattle were retrieved that evening yet, but when it got dark, of course, we had to wait.  We've been searching off and on as we can, and as I write this, there are still a few out there.  We've had many neighbors pitching in to help.  There were four-wheelers, pickups, cattle trailers and other equipment, and moms in mini-vans shuttling people back and forth.  We've used trail cameras and drones.  They're currently hiding out in a neighbor's 30-acre corn field.  We spent 6 hours yesterday with a drone with a heat-seeking camera, one guy with lasso experience, one guy on a horse, a dog with herding experience and quite a few others on foot (and all of them on a conference call with the guy operating the drone)...and couldn't get them out of the corn field.  Oy vey...what to do!  I guess I'll have to let you know later how the story ends!

I wish I had some pics or videos of this fiasco...but suffice it to say, this is where the last ones are hanging out:

Update on 7/29:  we assume they're still in the cornfield.  There's grass to eat in the waterways in the cornfield, and also a pond behind that field where they can get water.  Still trying to figure out what to do to get them back in our pasture!