Banding Problem?

[Jafruech]

It's not a matter of being too busy. I'm willing to bet you're younger & considerably larger than me. I'm pretty scrappy but picking my battles.

I'm about 6 ft tall and 210 lbs. According to the VA I'm 100% disabled, but that's quitter talk lol. I just smile and nod when they tell me what my limitations should be and then go have a long conversation with the cows about all the reasons to not go see the doctor

 

[Brute 23]

It's not a matter of being too busy. I'm willing to bet you're younger & considerably larger than me. I'm pretty scrappy but picking my battles.

I try to make it by some places once a week. Some places are every other week. Go a little more often if I turn bulls out, calving, etc. Even when going by some cows dont show their calves for a couple weeks. I have several cows that I know have calves right now over a week old but they are hiding them in the brush. I estimate the date they calved and write it in my tally book. Then come back and put a check when I actually see the calf with my eye along with a description like sbb, rwh, etc. When they get worked I add the calves' numbers.

 

[Jafruech]

I agree with you. The ones walking funny were cheerio bands Saturday. Monday morning the ones I did with the tribander moved around like normal right out the squeeze chute. The trick bander seems to fit up in between their legs better. I checked the place with the tri bander calves this morning and all looked good so far. You could see discoloration in the sacks like the blood flow was cut off. They were all up and moving like normal and came to cubes with their mommas.

Hope to make it by the cheerio band place this evening and see how they are looking.

It's been my experience with the tri-bander that they also fall off quicker and heal better too.

If you think about it it's pretty much the same principle as applying a tourniquet. I keep ever had to practice doing those there's a reason it's always a large flat strap. Having applied a few tourniquets I can't imagine how much it would hurt to have a narrow round cord dig into you instead of the flat band.

 

[Brute 23]

It's been my experience with the tri-bander that they also fall off quicker and heal better too.

If you think about it it's pretty much the same principle as applying a tourniquet. I keep ever had to practice doing those there's a reason it's always a large flat strap. Having applied a few tourniquets I can't imagine how much it would hurt to have a narrow round cord dig into you instead of the flat band.

That makes sense.

I should have snapped a picture and then done it in a couple days again.

 

[Buck Randall]

Do you recommend Tetanus when crimping feeder bulls?

I've got no experience with crimping, so my advice probably isn't worth any more than the next guy, but I don't think it would be necessary.

 

[Jafruech]

It's been my experience with the tri-bander that they also fall off quicker and heal better too.

If you think about it it's pretty much the same principle as applying a tourniquet. I keep ever had to practice doing those there's a reason it's always a large flat strap. Having applied a few tourniquets I can't imagine how much it would hurt to have a narrow round cord dig into you instead of the flat band.

That makes sense.

I should have snapped a picture and then done it in a couple days again.

I was using the dang voice text feature as I was busy doing other things and that post didn't come out right lol

 

[Ky hills]

View attachment 3930All you folks banding calves are missing out on one of the real joys of raising cattle: bull fries!!

That is making me hungry, along with some mashed potatoes and gravy that right there is a meal fit for a king.

 

[TCRanch]

I'm about 6 ft tall and 210 lbs. According to the VA I'm 100% disabled, but that's quitter talk lol. I just smile and nod when they tell me what my limitations should be and then go have a long conversation with the cows about all the reasons to not go see the doctor

Love it! Attitude is everything (and thank you for your service!). I actually show pics of my cattle to my husbands' doctors. They're not always impressed. Da hell?? BTW, just a biscuit away from a buck 23 and 5'8".

 

[bird dog]

Doesn't matter how big you are, mama is always bigger. Some of my moms just don't want you messin with their young'uns. I will oblige their wishes. The calf can wait.

I like the safety and ease of a squeeze chute.

 

[Brute 23]

Doesn't matter how big you are, mama is always bigger. Some of my moms just don't want you messin with their young'uns. I will oblige their wishes. The calf can wait.

I like the safety and ease of a squeeze chute.

My SO4 squeeze mechanism finally wore and slipped on me. You dont want your face close to it when it does. Priefert sends a brand new one for just a few bucks shipping charge. Knowing that now I would go ahead and order new squeeze and head gate part so when it slips you can swap it out right there. Mine went in the middle of working cattle and it was like playing Russian roulette to finish up.

 

[ClinchValley86]

My SO4 squeeze mechanism finally wore and slipped on me. You dont want your face close to it when it does. Priefert sends a brand new one for just a few bucks shipping charge. Knowing that now I would go ahead and order new squeeze and head gate part so when it slips you can swap it out right there. Mine went in the middle of working cattle and it was like playing Russian roulette to finish up.

Good to know. We got our S04 used, a couple handles have seen better days.

 

[Ky hills]

We have a tri bander, xl tri bander, and a California bander. At the present time, I like the California bander. But...I don't get to them when they are babies. The small tri opens wider than the little green bands. We have a green band type, I saw how small the opening was and put it on the shelf. Doubt I ever use it.

I actually use the little green bands on calves that are sometimes a couple months old maybe a little older in some cases. I have found that the tri bander isn't capable of much more than it. Usually have to use the xl bander if the green bands are too small.

 

[Jafruech]

Doesn't matter how big you are, mama is always bigger. Some of my moms just don't want you messin with their young'uns. I will oblige their wishes. The calf can wait.

I like the safety and ease of a squeeze chute.

If I can't go out and sit on a calf in front of the cow and not have her be aggressive, she's culled without a second thought. When I go out and do calves, the cow should be concerned, looking at me and not walking off, but no sign of aggression towards me. Disposition is a non-negotiable trait for me.

 

[Ky hills]

If I can't go out and sit on a calf in front of the cow and not have her be aggressive, she's culled without a second thought. When I go out and do calves, the cow should be concerned, looking at me and not walking off, but no sign of aggression towards me. Disposition is a non-negotiable trait for me.

We cull pretty hard on disposition too, but the exception is when it comes to being protective early on of their calves. Our cows are pretty calm and easy to handle as far as getting them up to work or move, but most are not pets. It seems like the number of protective cows has grown in recent years maybe due to a lot of coyotes and buzzards around as well as an occasional black bear. I used to could tag most newborns, now after a few calves some of those cows that used to tolerate it will now flat out come after me so I just gave up trying as I'm not very fast moving anymore.

 

[Jafruech]

We cull pretty hard on disposition too, but the exception is when it comes to being protective early on of their calves. Our cows are pretty calm and easy to handle as far as getting them up to work or move, but most are not pets. It seems like the number of protective cows has grown in recent years maybe due to a lot of coyotes and buzzards around as well as an occasional black bear. I used to could tag most newborns, now after a few calves some of those cows that used to tolerate it will now flat out come after me so I just gave up trying as I'm not very fast moving anymore.

Some of that can come down to how you work your cattle in addition to the natural genetic disposition factors. Good stockmanship can change a lot in a herd. I have a LOT of coyotes. I've shot at least 20 over the winter and it hasn't made a dent.

Some of that comes down to your cows too. I want the cows to respond to predators aggressively, unknown dogs aggressively, but non-aggressively to me, the kids, etc and that's exactly what mine do.

I can go out there and sit on a calf safely with no signs of aggression. The kids can go out and sort on foot and even load with no issues. My 8 year old can load the bulls by herself without so much as a sorting stick on hand. When I have my dogs with me, they react and respect them but don't try to run them down.

Coyotes on the other hand? Much different reaction...It's pretty hilarious to see a coyote try to come near them or a calf. They have learned to stay in the pastures the cows aren't in at the time. Occasionally one tries and gets taught a tough lesson. Most of the cows have spent a good amount of time up on BLM land dealing with bears and lions. A good cow should know the difference between you / kids and predators. Some of that is genetics, some of it is stockmanship.

We've been having a big dog problem here lately. Packs of 5-15 dogs running around killing stuff. A group of 6 tried to come in after a couple cows the other day. They quickly existed the pasture shortly after, a couple were limping pretty good. One barely made it out lol.

 

[Brute 23]

Some of that can come down to how you work your cattle in addition to the natural genetic disposition factors. Good stockmanship can change a lot in a herd. I have a LOT of coyotes. I've shot at least 20 over the winter and it hasn't made a dent.

Some of that comes down to your cows too. I want the cows to respond to predators aggressively, unknown dogs aggressively, but non-aggressively to me, the kids, etc and that's exactly what mine do.

I can go out there and sit on a calf safely with no signs of aggression. The kids can go out and sort on foot and even load with no issues. My 8 year old can load the bulls by herself without so much as a sorting stick on hand. When I have my dogs with me, they react and respect them but don't try to run them down.

Coyotes on the other hand? Much different reaction...It's pretty hilarious to see a coyote try to come near them or a calf. They have learned to stay in the pastures the cows aren't in at the time. Occasionally one tries and gets taught a tough lesson. Most of the cows have spent a good amount of time up on BLM land dealing with bears and lions. A good cow should know the difference between you / kids and predators. Some of that is genetics, some of it is stockmanship.

We've been having a big dog problem here lately. Packs of 5-15 dogs running around killing stuff. A group of 6 tried to come in after a couple cows the other day. They quickly existed the pasture shortly after, a couple were limping pretty good. One barely made it out lol.

I'm more worried about other people walking off with our calves than dogs or coyotes. I hate to take that defensive streak out of them although it would be much easier.

Catlle do know who is who though. There are definitely one owner cattle. I get away with a lot of things other people walking in to our pastures won't.

 

[Ky hills]

Some of that can come down to how you work your cattle in addition to the natural genetic disposition factors. Good stockmanship can change a lot in a herd. I have a LOT of coyotes. I've shot at least 20 over the winter and it hasn't made a dent.

Some of that comes down to your cows too. I want the cows to respond to predators aggressively, unknown dogs aggressively, but non-aggressively to me, the kids, etc and that's exactly what mine do.

I can go out there and sit on a calf safely with no signs of aggression. The kids can go out and sort on foot and even load with no issues. My 8 year old can load the bulls by herself without so much as a sorting stick on hand. When I have my dogs with me, they react and respect them but don't try to run them down.

Coyotes on the other hand? Much different reaction...It's pretty hilarious to see a coyote try to come near them or a calf. They have learned to stay in the pastures the cows aren't in at the time. Occasionally one tries and gets taught a tough lesson. Most of the cows have spent a good amount of time up on BLM land dealing with bears and lions. A good cow should know the difference between you / kids and predators. Some of that is genetics, some of it is stockmanship.

We've been having a big dog problem here lately. Packs of 5-15 dogs running around killing stuff. A group of 6 tried to come in after a couple cows the other day. They quickly existed the pasture shortly after, a couple were limping pretty good. One barely made it out lol.

Yeah, ours are pretty calm and nothing we have now is likely to run away from us or after us, It's just some are pretty protective for a few days over a new calf, and I'm ok with that, as they go back to their old selves with in a few days. When it comes to our stock dog, the only cows that don't respect her are a couple older recently purchased cows one of which is actually a pet but they try to run the dog. I have found its better not to have a dog around cows with new calves, I'm sure some dogs and herds can work in that situation but we aren't that advanced. Loading, sorting and working our cattle isn't usually much problem. We try to be as easy and quiet when working around cattle as possible, and even though our cattle are pretty calm it is always important to never get to comfortable and let your guard down. Even under the best of conditions things can and do go wrong at times.

 

[TCRanch]

We have a ton of coyotes, but they steer clear of the herd. I'm assuming they learned their lesson. I hate armadillos because they tear up the yards, pastures, alfalfa/brome fields. Shoot as many as possible, but it's amazing how many I find trampled in the pasture. Certainly not a threat to the calves, but clearly, the mamas don't want them anywhere near.

Which has nothing to do with a banding problem, but as long as we've veered off topic . . . .

 

[CalumetFarms]

I have seen first hand that bull calves left in tact until 500-700 lbs out perform bulls cut or banded at birth. Better performance while nursing momma, Increased weight at weaning, increased weight at yearling. Bottom line bulls develop better than steers. When a calve is born, all I need it to worry about is keeping up with momma and nursing.
I tested this with bull calves born on the same day, banded one at birth like I used to.
Left the other in tact, like ALL my other bulls, until 9 months old. Not surprisingly when I sold them all as yearlings one was noticeably more long-legged, thin, hip-boned, shallow butt, high tail head. You guessed it the one banded at birth.
I only band at weaning, and only use a calicrate bander. Assuming you have proper equipment It is also safer.

 

[Brute 23]

I was able to get a good pic of a banded calf that was done exactly 2 weeks ago from today with the tri-band bander. This is what was remaining on most of them. Cant remember which thread was asking for pics but here it is.