One of the projects we've been working on (in addition to the regular workload of working normal jobs and keeping up with the normal farming/ranching) is rebuilding the catch pen (cattle loadout/working facility) at Jarrod's Dad's place. If you know me, you know I'd rather be out working with the boys than hanging out in the kitchen. The guys could tell you I did do some actual work on this project!
I didn't think ahead and take a "before" photo so I dug through all my old photos and found a couple that show what the crowding tub-alleyway-working chute-loadout area looked like in 2003. It was made of railroad ties and wire cattle panels and it did its job for a good long while before I started helping out I'm sure.
(these are not my best photographic works for sure)
Now, the new crowding tub, alleyway, and loadout are finished. We still want to put a different headgate on the working chute. In the last few weeks, we've done our usual spring cattle chores using the new homemade facility (now made of sturdy pipe, sheet metal and more scrap metal and designed after something you might pay big bucks for at the farm show). We've run calves, cows and heifers through it and I think Jarrod's Dad is happy with the way it turned out. Here are a couple pictures I snapped off last night before we worked the calves and heifers and sent them all off to pasture for the summer. We are relieved that this chore is finally done! Here is what she looks like in 2009:
