Herding heifers with a drone

[Lucky]

I'm no expert on horses or dogs.

On horses I would definitely buy a good seasoned ranch horse. A good one will do the work for you if you are inexperienced on horses and cattle. My first horse was just a horse and I learned really quick that life is too short to ride a crappy horse.

To work cattle you really need 2 dogs. Tame cattle I would use border collies anything else and I'd use any other breed that just knows get on and get off.

A BB gun and a side x side works good too. Lol

 

[Bright Raven]

Branded,

You need a horse like you need a bad case of flu!

 

[jschoolcraft86]

My cows react about the same to my Phantom. I tried to use it to buzz a cow out of some brush once but it didn't work out like I had hoped. My horses really hate it, they move as far away as they can from the buzzing in a hurry.

The video was fun to watch, those trees do get a little nervewracking

 

[76 Bar]

Branded,
You need a horse like you need a bad case of flu!

I don't care who you are...that was damned funny.

 

[Dave]

Branded,

You need a horse like you need a bad case of flu!

The pictures I have seen of your place you don't need a horse. Here where every rancher has 10-12 horses in the pasture and they get used. When the cattle are down out of the hills they use quads. It is starting to green up here. The fall calves are really pushing the fences to get a mouth fall of green. Yesterday afternoon I had 4 calves out. With the quad and my dog we took those 4 calves about a quarter mile to the gate and put them back in the field in less than 10 minutes. The dog rides on the back of the quad most of the time. Dog gets off when needed, pushes the calves when needed, and hops back on the quad waiting to be told what to do next. A good dog is worth its weight in gold.

 

[CattleMan1920]

Branded,

You need a horse like you need a bad case of flu!

The pictures I have seen of your place you don't need a horse. Here where every rancher has 10-12 horses in the pasture and they get used. When the cattle are down out of the hills they use quads. It is starting to green up here. The fall calves are really pushing the fences to get a mouth fall of green. Yesterday afternoon I had 4 calves out. With the quad and my dog we took those 4 calves about a quarter mile to the gate and put them back in the field in less than 10 minutes. The dog rides on the back of the quad most of the time. Dog gets off when needed, pushes the calves when needed, and hops back on the quad waiting to be told what to do next. A good dog is worth its weight in gold.

That's a great story. I do use a 4 wheeler to move the cattle. I know the horse is impractical, but lots of things in life are impractical when you really think about it.

I would not have wanted to get a horse out in the mud we had this year. Heck, I thought I might need a blue mule at times this past winter, even the Gator was getting stuck.

I'm a sucker for seeing those horses work the cattle, that is the REAL DEAL in my book, something really special about watching a lot of cattle being driven in with horses.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I tell my kids, there's a big between want and need. I would like to have a drone, looks like it would work great for limit grazing cattle. My cows refuse to get off the oats and clover this time of year, and chasing them around with 4 wheelers is counter productive to conserving pasture. IMO

 

[76 Bar]

I'm a sucker for seeing those horses work the cattle, that is the REAL DEAL in my book, something really special about watching a lot of cattle being driven in with horses.

Your naiveté is showing. If all you need is gathering/driving cattle horse back, any trust worthy nag will suffice. Nothing awe inspiring about it. Different deal if you require a horse(s) capable of handily sorting in the corral and or skilled at roping.

 

[T & B farms]

This has my wheels turning. Could a guy check cows pretty decently with one of these? I have a pasture that is 1 mile from the house as the crow flys, but I have to drive 4 miles around to get to the gate.
Also would you be able to read some heat patches?

 

[CattleMan1920]

This has my wheels turning. Could a guy check cows pretty decently with one of these? I have a pasture that is 1 mile from the house as the crow flys, but I have to drive 4 miles around to get to the gate.
Also would you be able to read some heat patches?

Absolutely! Practice a little each day and it becomes second nature. It's a lot easier than using farm equipment.

I'm moving my herd soon to an area that is much farther back, and it's a pain to drive back there to check on them constantly. I bought this to keep a close eye on calves and to see if anyone got out of the fence anywhere.

I bought the DJI Mavic with the zoom feature, I'm pretty sure that if you practiced, that you could get close enough to see the patches. I can see ear tags with mine, but freeze brands are much better.

I think the range on these can be up to 7-10 miles with a 25-30 minute flight time. I haven't pushed mine that far. Usually, I'm up for 10 minutes and within a couple of miles.

 

[Bovine breeder]

That is awesome. You need some fence, buddy! Looks like there is nothing left of the water gap. A fence crosses the creek on the back 40, the neighbor and I went in together and had Kevin Burton put in a water gap. He put down 10 foot posts out of old electric poles. A cattle panel pivots on a cable run between the posts. Despite the storms we have had in the last year, it is still there.

Would you mind to post a picture of that Ron? Much like invyour county, water gaps are very challenging here

 

[Bright Raven]

That is awesome. You need some fence, buddy! Looks like there is nothing left of the water gap. A fence crosses the creek on the back 40, the neighbor and I went in together and had Kevin Burton put in a water gap. He put down 10 foot posts out of old electric poles. A cattle panel pivots on a cable run between the posts. Despite the storms we have had in the last year, it is still there.

Would you mind to post a picture of that Ron? Much like invyour county, water gaps are very challenging here

I will get some pictures.