fnfarms1
Well-known member
I have seen my Dad knife cut hundreds of calves 150-800lbs. However he passed 10yrs ago and in just dont trust myself to use a scalpel. So for the 10yrs I've owned the farm I've always used the green 'cheerio' bands and banded @ birth along with a dose of tetanus antitoxin since they aren't vaccinated yet. Also this is the vet's recommendation using antitoxin. There is a shortage on antitoxin, although I have a 50ml bottle for this year.
So I'm looking into a bigger bander, Calicrate/California etc. Thinking on giving vaccine at birth and again in spring when I band. In the past I tried banding with green cheerios at 2-3months old but it's tough with small banders. Also I had no luck banding in the chute, had to lay them down outside of chute. I've never used a different bander. Any advice on banders pros/cons?
So I'm looking into a bigger bander, Calicrate/California etc. Thinking on giving vaccine at birth and again in spring when I band. In the past I tried banding with green cheerios at 2-3months old but it's tough with small banders. Also I had no luck banding in the chute, had to lay them down outside of chute. I've never used a different bander. Any advice on banders pros/cons?