basics

[Anonymous]

Hate to ask a few simple question. But how do you guys do guys catch your cattle for heats an such when they are on pasture. I know we caught our dairy cows with a headlock feeder wagon does this work for beef cattle as well I would assume so. Also when calving how do you id your calves out in the open. Sorry for these simple questions but most of my knowledge is with dairy animals. Thanks.

 

[cherokeeruby]

Good questions. As for AIing a beef cow on pasture we just get them into the corral with a bucket of range cubes. Have to have gentle cows for this but then again why would you want to AI a crazy cow.

IDing calves in pasture, now that can get tricky. Lot depends on the cow. Several methods work.

1. Wait until they are a month or two old, separate the cows and calves overnight, eartag the calf, let it out, see who it sucks. Write down the tag number in the cow's records.

2. If you just have to tag it as a newborn you can roll a hay ring out to where the calf is, drop it over the calf, crawl in the ring, tag quickly and hope the cow doesn't try to come in the ring with you.

3. Have someone ride in the back of the pickup, swoop in between the calf and cow, grab it and jump in the back of the truck, tag it. Get some distance between you and the cow and set the calf back down.

 

[dun]

We either trick them into a catch pen with a small amount of grain and sort off whichever ones need to be bred and run them through the chute, or we also have a headlock feed wagon that we use sometimes. If you use the wagon, make sure they are used to being caught in it before you try to breed them in it. The only problem we've had with the wagon is needing to be pretty fast on your feet when you have your arm up there but and they can shift around a couple of steps either left or right.
For tagging, we either get a tag in them at birth, sometimes very easy, sometimes pretty hard. If the cow just doesn't want you near the calf and starts out over the hill with the calf on her heels, we've found it's better to just let them go. Inthat case we tag them when we bring them in for spring workup and tag them all and see who sucks who. That can get pretty tricky if you have calves and heifers (cows usually don't do it) that share calves.

dun

 

[farminfirefighter]

Thanks for the advice guys.

 

[certherfbeef]

We are only running 60 pairs. But I don't handle losing calves very well. I have the tags already made out. Little tags for the calves that match mamma's #. They get thoes tags the day they hit the ground. I pretty much live with the cattle during calving and breeding season. Not too often do I miss seeing a calf born. I keep the tagger and all the tags in my saddle bags so they are easy to get to. They get their own # when we wean.

 

[sidney411]

I usually tag and cut/implant bull calves as soon after they are born as I can. Sometimes I have a few that slip by and get to big or the cow wont let us near the calf to wressle in the pasture. Those get tagged and cut when I can get them all in the pens. It usually works out pretty good.

What is a headlock feed wagon? I have never heard of that before.

 

[dun]

I usually tag and cut/implant bull calves as soon after they are born as I can. Sometimes I have a few that slip by and get to big or the cow wont let us near the calf to wressle in the pasture. Those get tagged and cut when I can get them all in the pens. It usually works out pretty good.

What is a headlock feed wagon? I have never heard of that before.

It's a wagon for the cows to eat out of that has headlocks on it.

dun

 

[certherfbeef]

That was a pretty obvious answer. I would think that if someone tried to catch cattle in a wagon like that they better be used to being caught. I can see a group of beef cattle running off with the wagon or almost flopping the thing, hooked to a tractor or not.

 

[dun]

That was a pretty obvious answer. I would think that if someone tried to catch cattle in a wagon like that they better be used to being caught. I can see a group of beef cattle running off with the wagon or almost flopping the thing, hooked to a tractor or not.

That's why I mentioned having them being used to being caught. The first time the get caught they'll usually pull back a couple of times then just give up.

Ours is a smaller one and only catches/feeds 17 head at one time. They're pretty pricey but wish I could afford a couple more.

dun

 

[certherfbeef]

That is a pretty slick unit there Dun. Have never seen one quite like that. If you get them used to it when they are yearlings I can see how that would work good. Thanks for the picture Dun.

 

[sidney411]

That is neat. Do you do everything like shots, palpate and all with them it that? How do you let them out? How do you keep them from kicking you? So you let the 1st 17 out then others come in? I think our cows would throw a hissy fit if I rolled one of those into our pasture, or they would get stuck once then run the next time they saw it. :lol:

 

[dun]

That is neat. Do you do everything like shots, palpate and all with them it that? How do you let them out? How do you keep them from kicking you? So you let the 1st 17 out then others come in? I think our cows would throw a hissy fit if I rolled one of those into our pasture, or they would get stuck once then run the next time they saw it. :lol:

We only use it for once in a while things now. The rest of the time we run them through the chute. Calves won't work in it because it's too high for them. To get them used to it we started out just dumpin grain in it and letting them get used to it. You can set it up to either catch none, catch a side, or the end or any combination.
When we turn them into the pasture that it's sitting in now they're constantly going over and sticking their heads in to see if there is anything to eat. We fed round bales in it one winter but the solid bottom held the loose stuff and got really nasty after a rain or two and it had to be shoveled out.
At the other farm we used it all the time for everything, shots included. Kicking has never been a problem other then one particular cow.
The main thing now is that it's handy if they're in an pasture too way from the regular working facilities.
It's called a TEEZ cow catcher, made in KS.

dun

 

[jcarkie]

i have a small pasture cut off right by the road and feed in it right before calving season Feb. - April, they stay until they calve. i have a pen to catch them in and band and tag at 1-3 days (depends on mom). heifers i bring to my house and keep them in sight. i only have 5 acres at my house.