Banding

[dun]

A bull gate installed inside your catch pen in a corner works almost like a Medina gate. We just run the calves into the corner, squeeze them with the gate and work on them. Way to easy on calves less than 200lbs.

We do our calves, some as young as a couple of days, in the squeeze chute. Don't squeeze them just have someone tail them. Our chute will head catch anything from a newborn up to a 2500 lb bull with no adjustment. One more advantage of a Priefert.

 

[TexasBred]

We have a squeeze chute for cows so put a 150 pound or under calf in there and it wont squeeze up enough. We'd have to rework our corrals for a calf chute and it just wouldnt work. But if your calves are trained to stand, there aint enough time in the day to do with the amount of calves we have. But yeah, if we had a calf chute and a knife, it would be easy. Its not rocket science.

Your'e trying to make something simple into a hard job. Catch the head, pull the tail up over the back and hold it down tight. Calf will seldom move a muscle. I've cut many just squatting down behind the calf.

 

[branguscowgirl]

As with Dun, I only use the tri-bander rings. Eliminates the possibility of a band breaking, which is very common with the green Cheerios, especially on bigger calves. My plan this year is to band the calves at 4 months, rather than at 1 month.

Aaron/dun I looked up the tri-bander. That is what I am looking for. A much better tool.

As far as actual banders, I prefer the XL bander, which can do bigger calves than the tri-bander can do, but uses the same rings.

I had the tri-bander and it broke with very little use. I don't know what I did differently than anyone else, but it snapped on me!

 

[cowgirl8]

I have them in a chute, i could cut them, like i said its not rocket science. I prefer to band and i wont change. To each his/her own. Been working well many years for us. Its clean, fast and efficient. Maybe if i had a few bulls to castrate a year i might would just cut, but i dont, i have over 100..I have absolutely no problem seeing rotting sacks for a short time..no problem at all.

 

[inyati13]

You need to buy new bands atleast once a year and keep them out of the sun and temp changes, some keep them in the refrigerator
Tetanus toxoid takes a couple weeks to build immunity so banding and giving toxoid at the same time is risky
As inyati does and gives both is less risky
Ideally give tetanus toxoid, two weeks later band and boost tetanus

Correct. I had this discussion involving Lucky_P. The Tet Toxoid requires two vaccinations 30 days apart to get the immunity at the level desired. The TAT (antitoxin) wears off in approximately 6 days from what I read. Thus, there is a 24 day window when a tetanus reaction might kill the banded calf.

My problem is: I don't want to wait for the 30 days before banding, thus, I am willing and knowingly taking a risk. It is (talked to Lucky in PMs on this) a low risk. But Shanghai is correct!

 

[branguscowgirl]

You need to buy new bands atleast once a year and keep them out of the sun and temp changes, some keep them in the refrigerator
Tetanus toxoid takes a couple weeks to build immunity so banding and giving toxoid at the same time is risky
As inyati does and gives both is less risky
Ideally give tetanus toxoid, two weeks later band and boost tetanus

Correct. I had this discussion involving Lucky_P. The Tet Toxoid requires two vaccinations 30 days apart to get the immunity at the level desired. The TAT (antitoxin) wears off in approximately 6 days from what I read. Thus, there is a 24 day window when a tetanus reaction might kill the banded calf.

My problem is: I don't want to wait for the 30 days before banding, thus, I am willing and knowingly taking a risk. It is (talked to Lucky in PMs on this) a low risk. But Shanghai is correct!

AND "Tetanus" DOES occur. I had a friend loose 2 in one year that he did not vaccinate before or during banding.

 

[salebarn junkie]

I've used the bander with a ratchet and a crimper for years. What about it is inhumane ? It works the same way as any other band once its on. The main reason I use a bander is I don't have to worry about fly's getting to it in warm weather.

 

[cowgirl8]

Imagine, put one of those on your finger and then put a green band on your finger...Also, occasionally the ratchet pulls in skin if there is a lot of long hair around. AND, the bands will sometimes snap back and get you in the hand when you cut them. If the calf does the 'PeeWee Herman' (my goofy name for when they pull their testicles forward and stand with their legs together). Impossible to get that ratchet bander in there, but its hard with the other in too, so we usually have to let the squeeze off and get them to move around. But if there are a lot of difficult PeeWee's, the ratchet one is more work, and, it takes longer. Oh, and we are always out of bands, the reason i figured out how to use the small one on bigger calves. We ran out of big bands and i thought, i'll see if i can use the small ones because we had a bunch of them left. I used the ratchet bander a couple months ago on my daughters 1 1/2 yr old bull calf she had thought of keeping as a bull but just didnt pan out. She wanted him cut before she hauled him to the sale. I could have gotten the small bands on him but his skin was thick on his sack and i couldnt get that first bit in to squeeze in a nut. It was not too big, just weird texture so the big bander did come in handy.

 

[highgrit]

I have never cut anything over 500 lbs. And don't plan to, so banding might be the ticket at that age. It's hard to believe that I am the only one who has had bands cause infections.

 

[cowgirl8]

Maybe its just your area. When we band, its hot and dry. I dont think i'd band them if they were slopping in mud, i dont think i'd cut them either at that size if they were slopping in mud. When we band, we also treat them for flies, so that omits that problem too while the thing shrivels up..

 

[Lazy M]

We have a squeeze chute for cows so put a 150 pound or under calf in there and it wont squeeze up enough. We'd have to rework our corrals for a calf chute and it just wouldnt work. But if your calves are trained to stand, there aint enough time in the day to do with the amount of calves we have. But yeah, if we had a calf chute and a knife, it would be easy. Its not rocket science.

Your'e trying to make something simple into a hard job. Catch the head, pull the tail up over the back and hold it down tight. Calf will seldom move a muscle. I've cut many just squatting down behind the calf.

I agree; this is how we do it too.
FYI: If you band you miss out on the tastiest cut of meat known to man!