Moms weather snowstorms

By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

When early spring storms roll in, the Wyoming frontier becomes a proving ground for good mothers.

Amid the 10 or so inches of snow that fell earlier this week, four cows at Sandstone Ranch had calves, causing Colleen Stratton to worry. If it got too cold, the calves were at risk.

Still, each year she trusts the instincts of the mothers to take care of their young.

Born wet with low circulation, calves depend on their mothers to lick them dry and in the process, stimulate circulation.

Many cows are left on the range to give birth naturally, and sometimes this means a loss for ranchers. Other times, it simply amounts to cosmetic damage such cropped ears or shortened tails resulting from frostbite.

“(The cows) take them into the brush or into a protected spot,” she said. “In that way, they’re a lot like deer and antelope or anything else ... (they) try to get out of the weather best they can.” But, if a cow comes back without a calf in the fall, Sandstone Ranch prepares to sell.

It shows “they aren’t good mothers,” Stratton said. “It’s a process of elimination. (Bad motherhood) is a trait we don’t want in our herd.” Often, a cow is young and in good enough shape to either be sold for meat or to a rancher who wants to give her another shot at carrying young.

On the other hand, two-year-old cows — heifers — often get assistance in the mothering process. Cows, like humans, must learn how to take care of their young. They are kept in corrals or barns until they learn the motherhood ropes and can join the herd on the range.

Though some spring storms can threaten to drop a foot of snow or more, Stratton said it’s difficult to move a herd indoors each time the weather changes. Early spring temperatures generally rise quickly enough after storms to provide a livable environment for the animals outside.