Life and death on the Ranch

When we first started talking with my husband’s grandpa about having livestock of our own, he warned me, “If you’re gonna have livestock, you’re gonna have dead stock.” In his absolute wisdom he knew I wasn’t fully aware of what I was walking into – but, he was willing to share everything he knew in the time we had with him.

Deciding to bring livestock onto the ranch is as easy as buying an animal and bringing it home. But, one of the hardest things about moving from our previous life to the ranch where we live today is learning that death is always happy to grab what it can, every chance it gets.

Before we became ranchers we owned and lost dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, lizards, and so on. I have always felt I was equal parts compassionate and pragmatic about dying animals. But our past experiences of loss didn’t prepare me for death on the ranch.

In our first few years, I have walked out to the chicken coop only to find chickens I’ve raised from babies murdered by owls and raccoons and some unknown predator. We have doctored and cared for sick calves only to watch them succumb to pneumonia or other unknown illness. And out in the fields, cows have fallen and broken their backs, prolapsed after birth, or been struck by lightning. Each death has brought heavy feelings of helplessness and failure.

But this is what happens: baby animals die, aged animals die. They get sick; they get injured, they must be put out of pain. Other animals eat them, or it’s time to slaughter and butcher them. Ranching isn’t for the faint of heart, and dealing with death is one of the times it’s toughest.

It’s easy to get really bummed seeing the animals we care for, and care so much about, die. Except with every loss the universe allows new life to bloom all around us. We lost a cow but her calf was healthy and has lived and grown into a healthy heifer. New chickens have hatched and found their way to the ranch. Piglets will be born, squealing and adorable. And the next calving season is always just around the corner. Life keeps offering itself up.

Ranching is a wonderful experience. We wouldn’t change it for anything. But deciding to bring animals to the ranch means we’re signing up to deal with their death at some point in our journey. And amidst animal life and death, it seems the universe was preparing us for bigger losses. My husband and I both lost our guiding lights in the passing of our grandfathers. But, through their teachings, wisdom, and love, we know that life keeps offering itself up; life keeps coming back – as long as we continue on with our dream.