Confessions of a would-be AI tech

Help Support CattleToday:

A

Anonymous

***** I have a question in here. Bottom line, I couldn't get my cows bred this summer since the weather turned unusually hot and I came up with a better plan. I decided to ship my cows down to my Dad's bull and let him do my job for this year. My question is: When can I plan on bringing my cows back home. We are talking about a 325 mile trip one way. I figure if he catches them in September, the calves will be coming in June -- I will worry about the heat next year... lol ... anyway, I traded my three cows to winter with Dad for six heifers that I am wintering for him. They have to be back home to the bull by the end of April and that is when I wanted to bring my pregnant cows back home. Is that going to be a problem, or will they be okay? Forty five years ago, the folks transported a pregnant cow the month before she calved and things were great. But that was then, and them... and this is now and ME! Know what I mean??? lol

[email protected]
 
I've been pondering this for a couple of days, so here goes. The March April time frame may be the generally best time to transport cattle over long distances. Unless you are trailing them. If transporting them in some form of conveyence, i.e. trailer or truck the stress should be minimal. No severe heat, your worst cold/icey weather should be over, unless you are hauling them over the pass from the wesy side, and even then the roads will be clear. Draught free environment, good but not over fat BCS, a full load but not crowded, vaccinated, a minimum of pre and loading stress. This applies to the cattle going both ways but may be even more important for the younger ones. When they arrive at their destination, have plenty of fresh water, salt, minerals on preferably a reltively confined fresh pasture, or barring pasture a top quality hay available free choice. When you unload them, don't ptocess them or herd them around, just kick them out and let them rest and recuperate for a day or so. Keep a close on them for a week or so for any signs of illness. We have transported and had transported cows in the third stage with very little problem as long as they were healthy to start and in good condition with little stress. The hardest part will probably be trying to keep the draught away and still get adequate air circulation.

dunmovin farms

> ***** I have a question in here.
> Bottom line, I couldn't get my
> cows bred this summer since the
> weather turned unusually hot and I
> came up with a better plan. I
> decided to ship my cows down to my
> Dad's bull and let him do my job
> for this year. My question is:
> When can I plan on bringing my
> cows back home. We are talking
> about a 325 mile trip one way. I
> figure if he catches them in
> September, the calves will be
> coming in June -- I will worry
> about the heat next year... lol
> ... anyway, I traded my three cows
> to winter with Dad for six heifers
> that I am wintering for him. They
> have to be back home to the bull
> by the end of April and that is
> when I wanted to bring my pregnant
> cows back home. Is that going to
> be a problem, or will they be
> okay? Forty five years ago, the
> folks transported a pregnant cow
> the month before she calved and
> things were great. But that was
> then, and them... and this is now
> and ME! Know what I mean??? lol
 
I am trailering them in a five-horse trailer. When we took them down, all three animals fit in the wheel section and probably could have gotten two more in, just to keep them from moving around a whole lot. That I-5 freeway, middle lane really drove them nuts. They would shift and since they had more than enough room, the trailer was a real headache for my foreman to handle. The one thing I hadn't figured on, coming back in March/April was the chill factor of being in the back of that trailer, coming from the west to the east. We will NOT consider transporting them if the roads aren't clear, but you are correct: For the most part, the pass is kept pretty clear. We will be considering how to cut the chill factor a bit. Thank you for your input.

[email protected]
 
The chill factor isn't as important as the draught. They can stand pretty cold conditions if they're out of the wind. We've used good quality duct tape to tape up the opening in the sides of trailers at times, it's an idea anyway. You might consider figuring out some way to fasten a gate or something in there to keep them closer together.

dunmovin farms

> I am trailering them in a
> five-horse trailer. When we took
> them down, all three animals fit
> in the wheel section and probably
> could have gotten two more in,
> just to keep them from moving
> around a whole lot. That I-5
> freeway, middle lane really drove
> them nuts. They would shift and
> since they had more than enough
> room, the trailer was a real
> headache for my foreman to handle.
> The one thing I hadn't figured on,
> coming back in March/April was the
> chill factor of being in the back
> of that trailer, coming from the
> west to the east. We will NOT
> consider transporting them if the
> roads aren't clear, but you are
> correct: For the most part, the
> pass is kept pretty clear. We will
> be considering how to cut the
> chill factor a bit. Thank you for
> your input.
 
If you can bed the trailer really deeply with straw, that will make a big difference. I've transported cattle over a 500 mile distance in the dead of winter in a snowstorm and they did fine. If they can lie down in lots of straw it makes a big difference. I think partly because they're more willing to lie down if they're comfy, and because the straw does insulate them from the cold floor and the wind. Remember, cows in a blowing storm in the dead of winter usually do ok if they have a windbreak and some bedding. Don't crowd them to the point where they don't have room to lie down and get up comfortably. Take along some extra bales of straw so you can add dry bedding part way through the trip.

Good luck to you - I think they'll do fine.

> The chill factor isn't as
> important as the draught. They can
> stand pretty cold conditions if
> they're out of the wind. We've
> used good quality duct tape to
> tape up the opening in the sides
> of trailers at times, it's an idea
> anyway. You might consider
> figuring out some way to fasten a
> gate or something in there to keep
> them closer together.

> dunmovin farms
 

Latest posts

Top