Bands vs Knife

[norriscathy]

Real cowboys are getting harder and harder to find. Thought about switching from knife to bands. Bands take less skill and look like they'd be easier on the steer. Has anyone received a reduced price for banded steers? Any major problems with bands?

 

[Scotty]

No price reduction. I hear feed lots don't like them. Just remember to count to two. Not to sound silly but I was listeming to an Extention specialist and he stated that one teste gets left behind often. He was also the one that said yards don't like them. A weaned calf program I was participating in would check to make sure, becasue they specifically ask for knife cut calves.


Scotty

 

[mwj]

From what I see here there is a premium for knife cut steer's. The trick is to get them when they are very young if you band, before they have any chance at all to develop any ''head''. To many people remember the ones that the ''nut or nut's'' went up and the band was put on anyway!!!!!!! Good bull calves take no discount up to 5wt's and some bring a premium over steers. Knife cut steers that are done properly go back to the cow just as well as banded calves and you do not have to worry later on if the job is done. If you retain the calves and labor is a prob. you are probably money ahead to band.

 

[Scotty]

IMO I think the younger the better. I am trying some this year that I will cut as soon as i can catch them. I have done one. I cut 1/3 of the scrotum off and getally puuled until the cord snapped and came out. I saw no blood what so ever. Calve is doing fine. I just hope he grows as well.


Scotty

 

[ranchmgr]

It has been my experience tetanus is a bigger problem in banded calves than in knife cut calves. I would recommend vaccinating for tetanus if banding.

 

[la4angus]

It has been my experience tetanus is a bigger problem in banded calves than in knife cut calves. I would recommend vaccinating for tetanus if banding.

ranchmgr, how much exprerience have you had as ranch mgr.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

Real cowboys are getting harder and harder to find. Thought about switching from knife to bands. Bands take less skill and look like they'd be easier on the steer. Has anyone received a reduced price for banded steers? Any major problems with bands?

I use the California Bander on all the stocker bulls that I buy. Really like it & easy to use. Tool costs only $29 and bands are $.85. Have used it on all sizes to over 700lb bulls. Works best on those above 250lb for me. Smaller calves do not have enough room to work and large enough nuts for this fumble fingered old man to handle easily. The smaller calves can be banded. Just found it was more difficult for me. On smaller calves I just wait until they are bigger and band them when they are up for worming, etc. Banding is a lot faster for me. However, there are a few pro's that can knife cut one quicker than i can give the tetanus shot.

As Scotty said, be sure and count to 2 before tightening the band. Always give tetnus toxoid when banding. Haven't experienced any tetnus or any other problems. Calves do well with no blood loss, fly problems, infection that sometimes occur with knife cut. When I banded the 700# bull, he fidgitted for about 30 minutes after being banded. From then on he grew like a weed for about a month until he became a full fledged steer. About a week later he was sold as a steer for a nice profit. The same buyers that would not even bid on him as a bull were the ones bidding on him as a steer.

Around here it seems the sale barn buyers don't care if they are still bulls(this could change as calf #'s increase) under 500lb with no discrimination for bands vs knife cut.

For more info click on this link.
http://www.farmandlivestockdirectory.co ... l1003.html

The bander company has a website also, however it appears to be down at this time.

Good luck & have a happy New Year.

Regards

Brock

 

[ranchmgr]

Why la4? You wanting some help?

 

[glover36]

just wondering does no one here pinch there calves i no my boss does it barely hurts them at all no blood just wodnering if anyone else does it

 

[CattleAnnie]

Glover,

Would you tell more about the 'pinching'? Is this akin to using a Burdizzo?


Thanks and take care.

 

[Scotty]

just wondering does no one here pinch there calves i no my boss does it barely hurts them at all no blood just wodnering if anyone else does it

Lost of room for error using a burdizzo.


Scotty

 

[Susie David]

We haven't had any problem with banding. Use the four fingured bander with the green cheerios. Make sure that you have both in the bottom of the scrotum and leave alot of sack.
Calves destined to be production steers are banded at two/three weeks, the smaller ones we wait a few more weeks but at two months they get put over the bail. DMc

 

[glover36]

well its basically like a bike pair of pliers u pinch both vas deferens and it crushes them

 

[milkmaid]

We haven't had any problem with banding. Use the four fingured bander with the green cheerios.

Same here. I haven't ever been asked by anyone if they were cut or banded when selling private treaty, and no one asked one way or the other when I ran a few light-weight calves through the auction this past fall. No problems, no price dock...works good for me. And of course, I always count to two. ;-) My steers are steers, not stags.

 

[stocky]

Glover, we have used a pair of clamps for 40 years. We clamp the calves at around 450-500 lbs so they get the growth. It takes 60 days for the testicle swelling to go down and they can be sold as steers. We "clamp" close to 200 per year and I dont ever remember missing one. It is very simple to find the cord and clamp one side, hold 2 seconds and release and find the other cord and clamp it. There is no blood at all, however it takes longer than either the knife or banding before they sell as steers. If I am going to sell within 60 days, I band them. I only knife them if I just have one or two in a big pasture and dart them to tranquilize them and then knife them---no bleeding if done when they are asleep

 

[flaboy+]

When and if I castrate, I band. I will be banding almost everything this year just to see if I can see any differences in the market for them. Plus I get a lot of calls for steers for FFA and such so I might as well have some ready.