Chores Today (pics)

[randiliana]

Well, pics I took during chores anyways. We got another 6" of snow yesterday, makes getting around kinda interesting. But I never quite got stuck thank goodness. They were are work out today, snow was deep, strings froze down, ice was thick. Cow's feedbunk was pretty empty so I had to do a bit of forking, calve's feedbunk was full.... of snow so I had to do a lot of shovelling. Waterer was frozen, but I did get it going. And it was cold, cold, cold, around -20 C. My toes were the coldest I've ever had them, my one big toe just about made me cry when I finally got in and could warm them up!!

Well, here's the photos

This bunch is bulls, horses, late and/or dry cows and a few cows we bought right at the end of December.
Feel quite free to critique whatever you want.

Snow was deep getting to them, but they are sharing well.

A Black bull, born in 2007

A Hereford bull, born in 2005

Some of the cow's we bought. 4 of the 6 are purebred Shorthorn, sold as commercials, but I looked their pedigrees and such up on the internet. They should be some pretty good cows. Some were originally sold through the Shorthorn sale at Agribition. We know the people who sold them.

Mama cow, turns out that 2 of the 5 others we bought are her daughters. She is a purebred Shorthrn

Daughter, also purebred Shorthorn.

Together

Hereford x Shorthorn cow

 

[tncattle]

Thanks for the pics, always like to see pics of the great white north. I don't think I could get used to it the way y'all have to deal with it though. Although it has been around 10F every night here for about 7-8 days, pretty cold for here. How many months on avg. do you have below freezing temps?

 

[hillsdown]

Nice pics Randi. I like really your bulls ,even the blk one.

Cold here today too high of -19. I had another baby born around noon and just got her out to mom (1st calver) after a stay in the shop getting dry. It was a heifer just what I wanted so I guess I got an early BDay present . It would have been better if I didn't have to dig out the pullers to get her out. She weighs close to 100 lbs, so much for calving ease. :help:

 

[townfarmer]

Brrrrrrrrrrr !!! I feel cold just looking at those pics. Reminds me of when we lived in Alberta. I used to love seeing cattle with snow and ice piled up on their head and backs. Your cattle look in great shape. beautiful photos !!!

Andrew

 

[randiliana]

Thanks for the pics, always like to see pics of the great white north. I don't think I could get used to it the way y'all have to deal with it though. Although it has been around 10F every night here for about 7-8 days, pretty cold for here. How many months on avg. do you have below freezing temps?

Well, from last frost to first frost is usually end of May to mid Sept, although we've been known to freeze in June and August. But for actual below freezing avg temps, probably Oct through March. Really cold, -15 C and below, probably Dec, Jan and Feb.

 

[randiliana]

Nice pics Randi. I like really your bulls ,even the blk one.

Cold here today too high of -19. I had another baby born around noon and just got her out to mom (1st calver) after a stay in the shop getting dry. It was a heifer just what I wanted so I guess I got an early BDay present . It would have been better if I didn't have to dig out the pullers to get her out. She weighs close to 100 lbs, so much for calving ease. :help:

TY, we are really happy with that Hereford bull, although the last year or so he's been having lameness problems. Had an abcess last year in his one hind leg, and this year I don't know if that's still bothering him or if it's something different. He's not really lame per se, but sometimes when he walks he really lifts that one hind leg high. Kina like an old swing bag cow will do. But he's walking normal right now, and he bred all his cows last summer, so he can stick around.

Sounds like the same weather as here, the highest I saw it was -19 too. Congrats on your baby. I know all about this cold weather stuff, although we usually just blanket them good and leave them with mom, unless they are weak or something. Hope we don't have to do that this year. Last March was brutal.

Too bad you had to pull her, hopefully it's just her, and the rest click right and you don't have to mess with them too much!! Sometimes that's the way it is, just a bad nick and you end up with one big calf and the rest are average sized.

Good luck with your calving, it sounds like it should warm up by the end of the week here. Talking above freezing temps for the weekend.

 

[LazyARanch]

Thanks for the pics Randiliana! I really like your stock.... :tiphat:

gotta say that cold barren area looks much like ours but fewer trees there! :nod:

By the way, How you been feelin' girl?? have you heard anything from the Docs?

 

[Kingfisher]

Those are good looking cows! Thanks for the pics!

 

[grubbie]

Great lookin bulls. Appreciate the pics, but, could you Canadians keep your friggin cold weather up there where it belongs?? You're ticking off the entire U.S. by sending it down here. Let's try and be a little better neighbors in the future, shall we?

 

[KNERSIE]

I've got a question for you Randi...

Often in the past I've thought that if only your cattle had a bit more condition on them going into the winter it should make life easier for you. Now looking at these pics they are in pretty good condition and certainly in better condition than about 2 or 3 months ago. Have you changed the feeding regime, or what other factors could have contributed to this? Why do they get behind as much in late summer?

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Randi - nice! You can tell from the "distance" pic that the cattle are in good condition because they have snow on their back and it's not snowing. That's always a good sign of condition.

 

[randiliana]

Thanks for the pics Randiliana! I really like your stock.... :tiphat:

gotta say that cold barren area looks much like ours but fewer trees there! :nod:

By the way, How you been feelin' girl?? have you heard anything from the Docs?

Yep, not many trees here. Only at yardsites, and sometimes along the creeks.

I am feeling good, not sick at all. My first appointment is on Monday, then I should know lots more.

 

[randiliana]

Great lookin bulls. Appreciate the pics, but, could you Canadians keep your friggin cold weather up there where it belongs?? You're ticking off the entire U.S. by sending it down here. Let's try and be a little better neighbors in the future, shall we?

No, share and share alike :banana: . If I've gotta suffer it I don't see why everyone else can't too. After all sharing makes for good neighbours and friends doesn't it??

 

[randiliana]

I've got a question for you Randi...

Often in the past I've thought that if only your cattle had a bit more condition on them going into the winter it should make life easier for you. Now looking at these pics they are in pretty good condition and certainly in better condition than about 2 or 3 months ago. Have you changed the feeding regime, or what other factors could have contributed to this? Why do they get behind as much in late summer?

Well, it would depend some on what cows you are looking at. The more mature cows 5+ usually are in pretty decent condition. The younger ones, and most especially the first calvers rarely are in super condition.

They go down quite a bit in late summer, because of our grass and climate, and I wouldn't say that it is much different than anyone else's cattle around the area either. Most of our grass is crested wheat, which while it is a great grass in the spring, just doesn't stand up well to the summer heat. Especially since July and August tend to be pretty dry as well. If we get rain in late Aug or Sept, it will green up again though. So, you've got cows that are raising big calves, right about when the grass is starting to dry off, and nutrient levels are dropping. And the cows stay on this til late September. Our calves overall avg about 575 lbs. Heifer's calves probably in the 525-550 range.

Now, as to why they are putting weight on, there's several reasons. First off, we've been pulling all the replacement heifer calves off around the 20th of Sept to the first of Oct. Takes quite a burden off those cows. Then, they go onto fall grazing about the same time, this year some of our fall grazing was swathed CPS wheat, and all the cows that still had calves on them went onto this. And grain puts weight on them. The cows that were weaned went to a different pasture, which was pea stubble and native grass. So, combined with the fact that they are no longer nursing, they are getting some peas and native grass, which holds its nutrient value much more than tame grasses do. Once we weaned the steer calves, all the cows went over to the pasture which had the swath grazing. Which they grazed for about another month. Then we tubground for them which included about a 2:2:1 ration of Hay:CPS wheat/Kochia:straw. So they have been getting a bit of grain ever since.

Here's what our year looks like:

Mar 1 - start calving
Apr 15-20 - grass is starting to get long enough to graze
Apr 30 - done calving
May 1-10 done feeding, cows are vaccinated, calves are vaccinated, ivomeced and branded
May 1-10 - cows go to pasture 2 hours away(crested wheat) or we put them on the hay fields(Alfalfa)
May 25 - June 1 - Cows go out to rented pasture, (native grass)
May 28 - Bulls go out
May and June are when we get most of our rain - 6-8" if we're lucky
July/Aug rain comes as Thunderstorms, so pretty hit and miss. Grass is starting to brown off pretty good.
Sept might get enough rain to green the pasures up again.
Sept 20- Oct 1 - Weigh calves and wean heifers
Sept 20-Oct 1 - cows from first pasture come home. Go on to either swath grazing on cleaning up pea field.
Oct 10 - rest of cows come home, weigh/wean remaining heifers.
Oct 25ish - steers are weaned and sold, all cows are put together to clean up swath grazing
Late Oct/Early Nov - cows are pregchecked and Ivomeced
Nov - finish fall grazing
Dec 1 - tub grind
Late Jan - tubground feed finished and we will start rolling hay out til the cows come home
Feb 20 - cows home for calving again. Tubgrind at home for the cows sorted into the maternity pasture. Continue roling bales out for the 'not so close' calves. Now most of the feed that is fed will be straight Alfalfa.

 

[xbred]

thanks for the photos i always like them...

 

[Aaron]

That Diamond Hereford son is looking real good Randi. Like your new Shorthorn cows too. :cowboy:

 

[P.A.L]

Well, from last frost to first frost is usually end of May to mid Sept, although we've been known to freeze in June and August. But for actual below freezing avg temps, probably Oct through March. Really cold, -15 C and below, probably Dec, Jan and Feb.

How cold it gets at your area? we have had -20-30C for a month soon, only a few days warmer than -15C. Do you shelter cattle in any temperatures?

thanks,
P.A.L

 

[Mare]

loved the pics, Thanks for sharing!!! :cboy:

 

[randiliana]

Aaron, he has grown out well, that's for sure.

PAL, our temps vary, Mid Dec-Med Feb are usually pretty cold, -20 or below for the most part. But we usually get a couple of warm breaks in there. If you go a North and East they usually stay colder than us.

The cows have something for windbreak, and that is all. The only time they get to be indoors is if it is cold when they have their calf. Once the calf is dried off and getting around they go back outside. The calves will have access to calf shelters though.