Sometimes life on the ranch is just plan cool, neat and a GREAT learning experience for all ages.
Recently, we got to try out an ultra sound machine on some pregnant mamas.
(see the spine? Going diagonal down the screen)
Usually ranches use vets to pregnancy check by palpating (reaching in and feeling around). If the cow is super early, sometimes the pregnancy is missed and the cow is called “open” when they are really pregnant. The ranch loses some money when that happens.
Currently, the ultrasound machines cannot be used for profit in the state of Wyoming. You cannot pay someone to come out and ultrasound your pregnant mamas. However, it is legal for a ranch to own a machine and do the scanning in house.
With an ultra sound machine, you get a really, really accurate account of if your cows are pregnant or not.
On this day, they caught 16 pregnant cows that were previously called “open”. Cha-ching!
Wooster, the old pro, has done and experienced many ultrasounds, so it was old news to him. But by the end, I could figure out approximately how many days pregnant the mama was.
(who says he can’t multitask? Pushing back a cow and holding onto our youngest.)
(Open…nothing in there)
It was a good day on the ranch ultra-sounding.
Cool!!!