Branding as it’s done here nowadays

[Silver]

Had the family out to give us a hand. Since we no longer brand our calves we brand our replacement heifers before bull turn out. This gives us a chance to knock off any horns and replace missing ear tags. We also give a metal bangs style tag to hopefully ensure that the never goes incognito.

 

[SmokinM]

My god the cruelty, you are carrying a hot shot! Do you not know how to work cattle?

I am kidding of course but am always amazed at the people who will wale on them with a fiberglass stick like they are chopping wood but lose their S if you take out a hot shot and bump one. Looks like you got some good help and are getting it done. I always enjoy seeing yours and Gcreek pics.

 

[greybeard]

I always enjoy seeing yours and Gcreek pics.

Same here!!

And the pics sure look a lot easier than the way we used to do it back in the 60s. Ropes and trees and running oh my!

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Had the family out to give us a hand. Since we no longer brand our calves we brand our replacement heifers before bull turn out. This gives us a chance to knock off any horns and replace missing ear tags. We also give a metal bangs style tag to hopefully ensure that the never goes incognito.

How do you keep the heifers from bouncing up and down and back and forth while you are putting the brand on?

 

[TCRanch]

How do you keep the heifers from bouncing up and down and back and forth while you are putting the brand on?

That's what the squeeze is for. And relatively chill cattle. That said, I did see a pic recently where a guy placed a tire in between the cow or calf on one side of the chute to keep them from moving. If you can't work your cattle in your current setup, you either need a new chute, different cattle or think outside the box.

 

[Ouachita]

That's what the squeeze is for. And relatively chill cattle. That said, I did see a pic recently where a guy placed a tire in between the cow or calf on one side of the chute to keep them from moving. If you can't work your cattle in your current setup, you either need a new chute, different cattle or think outside the box.

Or play the Pink Panther theme tune softly for some background noise. My cattle really chill to that.

 

[Travlr]

That's what the squeeze is for. And relatively chill cattle. That said, I did see a pic recently where a guy placed a tire in between the cow or calf on one side of the chute to keep them from moving. If you can't work your cattle in your current setup, you either need a new chute, different cattle or think outside the box.

Never seen a hot brand used on any bovine where "chill/different" cattle would be a factor. That heated iron tends to take the chill right out of them.

 

[Ouachita]

Never seen a hot brand used on any bovine where "chill/different" cattle would be a factor. That heated iron tends to take the chill right out of them.

Yea of little faith. Don't knock it till you try it

 

[gcreekrch]

The neighbors shouldn't miss that……..

 

[Dave]

We have to brand everything here before turn out. Slick calves have a habit of not returning. I lost one last fall to this problem. People know where the problem is but proving it is another thing. I heard someone say well this person might not realize it is not their calf. A reply came back saying they know exactly what they are doing. Learned it from their dad.

 

[gcreekrch]

We have to brand everything here before turn out. Slick calves have a habit of not returning. I lost one last fall to this problem. People know where the problem is but proving it is another thing. I heard someone say well this person might not realize it is not their calf. A reply came back saying they know exactly what they are doing. Learned it from their dad.

Sounds like someone needs things explain to them. " Read from the Book" as the Sacketts said in L'amour's books.

 

[Dave]

As the saying goes, trust your neighbors but brand your calves.

A dry cows goes out to the hills. She calves out there. At some point during the summer she is seen once or twice with a calf tagging along behind. Fall comes and she arrives with no calf. Where did the calf go? Get sick and died? Predators ate it? It fell off a cliff? It is in someone else's pen with their brand and ear tag? Heck, it could be in their pen still slick but without a bawling cow and/or calf good luck proving who that calf belongs to. Knowing it and proving it are two different things. Things can be pretty old west around here but not entirely like it was in the 1800's.

 

[Silver]

Around here the threat to calves is people butchering them on the range (rare but it happens) or predators. In neither of these scenarios will a brand provide any deterrent.
Calves are tagged when they go out on the range so if they come in with someone else's cattle we sort it out at that time.

 

[sunnyblueskies]

Around here the threat to calves is people butchering them on the range (rare but it happens) or predators. In neither of these scenarios will a brand provide any deterrent.
Calves are tagged when they go out on the range so if they come in with someone else's cattle we sort it out at that time.

....or be accused of trying to steal the calf. Ugh It's always a dicey situation when cattle end up where they are not suppose to be.

 

[Dave]

When we gather the place where the old BM cows go we will always have cattle belonging to 3 or 4 other people. I had half a dozen that came in with other peoples gather. I had 2 that got out while still dry. One of those came in with a neighbors. He not only sorted the pair out, he delivered them to my corral. The other pair was seen several times during the summer. When the snow started to fly the pair was seen fairly close to home. Two weeks later the cow appeared in one of B's pastures without the calf. That pasture is next door to the suspect..... cow isn't bawling and the calf wasn't branded. No way to prove anything.

 

[Silver]

....or be accused of trying to steal the calf. Ugh It's always a dicey situation when cattle end up where they are not suppose to be.

We are fortunate to have good neighbours that we work well with. It's never a dicey situation here when they end up on another spread. We all work together at weaning time so just sort them off then. We always take a stock trailer to each others place when we work cattle for that reason. Now, if we were to have a change in neighbours that might change things. We are very fortunate in our community.

 

[Travlr]

We are fortunate to have good neighbours that we work well with. It's never a dicey situation here when they end up on another spread. We all work together at weaning time so just sort them off then. We always take a stock trailer to each others place when we work cattle for that reason. Now, if we were to have a change in neighbours that might change things. We are very fortunate in our community.

The easiest way to create a bad neighbor is to have a situation where people begin to doubt each other. Trust is valuable and hard to get back.

 

[Allenw]

We have to brand everything here before turn out. Slick calves have a habit of not returning. I lost one last fall to this problem. People know where the problem is but proving it is another thing. I heard someone say well this person might not realize it is not their calf. A reply came back saying they know exactly what they are doing. Learned it from their dad.

Sucks worse when it's family

 

[CowboyRam]

My uncle once had a call that someone had one of his cows. He went to pick her up, and when he got there they said they didn't have her. A few years later she came up open and they called to have him pick her up.

 

[Dave]

We are fortunate to have good neighbours that we work well with. It's never a dicey situation here when they end up on another spread. We all work together at weaning time so just sort them off then. We always take a stock trailer to each others place when we work cattle for that reason. Now, if we were to have a change in neighbours that might change things. We are very fortunate in our community.

We are that way with one exception. And if they have a brand that neighbor is good...... As the saying goes. Trust your neighbors but brand your cattle.