nathan arizona
Well-known member
The local cooperative extension agent offered to come out yesterday and help me vaccinate my first set of calves, give shots to two of my cows which have developed pink eye, and de-worm them all. Vet said not to vaccinate the cows since they are in with a bull and it could lower fertility. I don't have a head gate or squeeze chute, but he said he had a portable one and we'd hook it up to the (pretty dilapidated) chute that's left over from when my Dad had cows here. Long story short, his portable squeeze chute is missing and we had to wedge the calves and cows in the chute to get everything done. It was quite the ordeal and I never felt safe the entire time. So two things I learned.
1 - The NCCES guy was great. Tons of patience, stuck to it when I would have gladly thrown in the towel and gave me great advice afterwards. I'm going to get my wife to bake cookies or something and send down there.
2- There will absolutely be a handling facility on this place before the vet comes to preg check the cows in a few months. Current chute is too wide, no design to entice cows to get in, and dangerous to be in there with them. I'm thinking bud box with a corral built around it closer to where we'll be building our house in a place where my two pastures meet. I don't have a ton of budget for it, but anything I do will be less than a hospital bill - for either physical or mental health!
1 - The NCCES guy was great. Tons of patience, stuck to it when I would have gladly thrown in the towel and gave me great advice afterwards. I'm going to get my wife to bake cookies or something and send down there.
2- There will absolutely be a handling facility on this place before the vet comes to preg check the cows in a few months. Current chute is too wide, no design to entice cows to get in, and dangerous to be in there with them. I'm thinking bud box with a corral built around it closer to where we'll be building our house in a place where my two pastures meet. I don't have a ton of budget for it, but anything I do will be less than a hospital bill - for either physical or mental health!