Cattle prove I am a beginner(again)

[mitch2]

:shock:

My last remaining heifer to calve, is of course one that I have been looking forward to the most.

See this link:
http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... ght=heifer

For some reason, I just loved this girl (please notice past tense). Anyway...

So, build temp fence (again - don't ask) to get ladies up into corrals. The plan was to put this girl, and the one-sided bag heifer that calved with her calf into the corral. Wait for the grey to calve then kick her out with the herd, and keep lopsided bag w/calf and start feeding her out.

1st problem, calves don't know what goodies are in a bucket yet, and would not follow the rest into the corral, besides the fact there was 2 babysitters standing guard to make sure they didn't follow. :mad:

Plan B - will keep grey heifer in corral by herself. Put her in the alley. Let bull out of corral 2, to mingle with the ladies in corral 1. Open corral 1 and send them out to greener pastures. Close corral 1 gate.

Grey heifer's plan B. Jump the alley gate and perform a bovine ballet and amazing feats of acrobatics and land gracefully on 4 hooves.

Please applaud here while I am picking my jaw off the ground. Did you know a VERY pregnant heifer has an unbelievable center of gravity as it walks on it's front legs.....ONLY?

Gate from corral 1 to pasture is securely locked, I run to open gate from corral 1 to corral 2 and she is fooled into thinking this is an opening to freedom. :banana:

Plan B is a success. I go out to the pasture that ladies and bull are now in and lead them through to MUCH greener pastures, that they did not know even existed. Or, their memories are short and they don't remember last year. ...and show them yes, it is safe to go through HERE! ;-)

All are where they should be, I take a last look around, and get in my car with my daughter to leave, turn my car around and look out to the steers and see...

the grey heifer.

Corral 2 has been the home for many bovines over the years, and it has securely held all who entered.

Until now. :shock: and :mad:

Did I mention it happens to be 96 degrees and about 98% humidity yet at 7pm. Not to mention the death looks from my 13 year old daughter who wanted nothing more than to be able to take a dip in the pool before supper after helping ol' mom all day.

Grey heifer has found the steer stuffers.... I finally get her to move, and she takes all the steers with her for a lap around the pasture... the steers head directly for the corral as they have their tongues hanging out and need a drink of water. I run and lock all the steers in corral 1.

Not the pregnant grey heifer, she shows the boys that a 9 month pregnant girl doesn't need water, in fact - she'll take another lap around the pasture just to show those pansy boys up and she doesn't need to follow a bucket for some feed, she has these great big wood boxes just FULL of feed!

I holler to daughter to shut the electric off, and in impressive speed I am able to drop 2 electric fences with 2 strands each that are 8 feet apart that keep the steers and ladies separate down the length of the pasture and scoot the grey heifer through.

My body has ceased to sweat, and my daughter asks if it is healthy for my face to be that exact shade of red.

What is she talking about? Kids say the darndest things... :roll:

I can care less if grey heifer finds the herd, as I am restringing the electric.

as of yet, she has not calved... granny watches everyday for them when they come up for their water.

Moral of the story.... the corral fence is not high enough....

Oh wait, that isn't it...

A bovine is a herd animal, and a herd animal does NOT like to be by themselves.....especially when the corral fence is NOT high enough!

Michele

 

[backhoeboogie]

Michele, I'd let those animals be. If they need help, jump in and give it. Otherwise, le them be.

On the corral fence. Cows can cross 6 foot fences. I've seen some bulls darn near cross 8 foot pipe corrals at the sale barns. A corral should be 6 foot - and that is a matter of self preservation for us folks.

Perimiter fence should be 5 foot tall. Not just for your cows but to keep out other cows. Cross fences can be 4 foot but those are at risk.

Anything less than this, cows will do what cows do.

 

[mitch2]

jeez - lighten up a bit... thought I would share a bit of humor at the heifer outsmarting the human - (that would be me!)

they jump, they go through fences, they have calves, etc etc

BTW - I'm not a worry wart - well not REAL bad - I am someone who cannot live on the farm and was trying to make it easy for granny who checks on the heifers for me everyday.

Yes, I guess it is "people like me" who try to make things easier for others. It's not like I was being cruel....

#216 - Human interference - please explain - maybe a better choice of words would of been - excessive human interference - because your absolute term of "human interference" would mean just about everything you do as a cattleman, wouldn't it? Like putting out mineral, putting up fences, taking care of pastures, heck I would even think bull selection would qualify under your term of "human interference"....

Michele

 

[Lammie]

I thought it was a funny story as I have been chasing escapees for two days now. I can't see how they are getting but I suspect jumping. Everyone gets outsmarted from time to time.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I thought it was a funny story

It is a funny story so long as the heifer is not jumping into traffic and getting herself run into by a car etc. Or she is not getting herself injured. (didn't we read about a heifer getting her stomach gouged open a couple of weeks ago?)

My guess is that little gal (she is a nice looking heifer) will have that calf all on her own. Trying to pen her has put both she and the calf at risk.

Things happen. We have all made mistakes. Lord knows I have learned some lessons and the 20/20 hindsight is not always pretty.

 

[Victoria]

:lol2: You aren't the first or the last to have a cow jump out of a corral that you once thought was escape proof. Had a weanling heifer calf jump out a 6' corral by doing a few bounces on her back feet and springing over. This was most impressive to see. Thankfully her dam is one of our smartest cows and weaned the calf herself that day.

I would watch that cow closely. Heifers often go a little nuts about leaving the herd when they are close to calving.
For the record we bring our heifers in to watch them calve too. Mom doesn't want to go bouncing around the fields at -30 3:00 in the morning if she can just run out and shine a flashlight. Sure wish I could say that there was no reason we have done that.

If you can get a friend to keep her company she would probably stay in well, of course you know that and have also learnt the joy of calf chasing. :lol: Not laughing at you, lauging with you.

 

[Bez>]

jeez - lighten up a bit... thought I would share a bit of humor at the heifer outsmarting the human - (that would be me!)

Michele

I feel your pain - but wait!

Lighten up? Nope.

You nibbled on the hook and there was not even any bait there.

So listen you - you get your butt back out there and find that worthless piece of trash and chase her some more.

Calories lost chasing cattle on a hot day equal at least one extra large milk shake and certainly one additional banana split.

Have fun.

Bez>

 

[6M Ranch]

Funny story! If you haven't chased escaping cows, you haven't been raising them very long! I've seen otherwise extremely tame show animals escape at the fair, and be chased all over town. That's a show. Try catching a steer that's totally on the loose. I've had a cow run through, (not over) 4 strands of barbed wire, without slowing down. I've seen another show steer run through, (not over), a corral made out of 2 x 12's. The longer you raise cattle, the more "funny" stories you have to tell. At least they're funny now. I've also got "funny" pig and goat stories, but that's another forum.

 

[mitch2]

Bez - you sound like my husband...

Hubby- "people who pay $ to join fitness clubs - should start paying me - I'd have positive labor dollars and they'd lose weight! It's a win-win situation!!"

Me - "I am not paying you"

Hubby - "But you should! Just look at you
- you have pipes that put most men to shame
- you eat what ever you want
- you look so good....we should have another kid"

Me - "What is the color of the sky in your world?"


And Bez it wasn't a milkshake...it was Strawberry shortcake....YUM! (Twice - but don't tell nobody!)

Michele