how do you catch and weigh your calves

[redandwhite]

We go out in the pasture in an atv deal one person drives and one person snatches the calf and holds it down in the back. Usually if we are fast enough the cow doesn't realize what happened. We drive the calf in to our chute that has a scale on it and weigh and tag it there then take it back to momma. This usually works pretty well but takes two people. We used to use a truck which we fitted a metal vertical bar onto the bed that we could hang a scale and sling on. That way we just drove out to where the calf was and put it up on the truck and weighed and tagged it up there on the truck in the pasture. It's relatively safe up there on the truck and only takes one person if that person is strong enough to pick that calf up and get it up on top of the truck. Good Luck!!

 

[Nesikep]

I use the bathroom scale... i'm 150 lbs when I'm geared up, and have gotten that scale up to 290 a couple times... usually I'm only concerned to a 10 lb increment, and I just pick them up and give an estimate... I recalibrate myself once in a while and take one over the scale. I only have a couple momma's that I worry about, and with those I take the calf into another corral, or just estimate... I usually tag and band at the same time.

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

I always just use the bathroom scale, pretty simple when you only have two or three. In the first week we can always walk right up and grab the calf. Last time I weighed a heifer the scale said "ERROR"!! I had to hand her over to the skinny neighbor kid, she weighed 68 #.

 

[dbrews1954]

Well thanks for all your replies, just bought a hanging scale with a sling, most of my cows seem pretty docile but i know animals can change pretty fast when there young are involved, my first one is due in a couple of days, so i guess i will find out soon if shes going to let me pick up her calf or not , if not i guess i will have to drop it and run like hell

 

[snake67]

First off I agree with Robert, if I have a cow I have to worry about running me over it grows wheels, goodbye, too many good mannered cattle to own. Second I have a small operation, so I use a iron pipe about 10 to 12 ft long. I drilled a hole about a ft or two from one end and bolted In a eye loop. Within 24 hrs of birth I tie the calves legs like a calf roper with no roping experience. Give the shots, ear tag and weigh. I stab the end of the 10 to 12 ft rode in the ground, hang a scale from the eye loop and hook the other end to the calf's leg ties. Then just use the leverage to lift the pole and calf off the ground to get the weight. Easy and only minimal hard breathing.

Alan,

Just curious as to what shots you are giving to a newborn calf?

Brian

None.

That is what colostrum is for.

Bez

 

[Galloways1]

First off I agree with Robert, if I have a cow I have to worry about running me over it grows wheels, goodbye, too many good mannered cattle to own. Second I have a small operation, so I use a iron pipe about 10 to 12 ft long. I drilled a hole about a ft or two from one end and bolted In a eye loop. Within 24 hrs of birth I tie the calves legs like a calf roper with no roping experience. Give the shots, ear tag and weigh. I stab the end of the 10 to 12 ft rode in the ground, hang a scale from the eye loop and hook the other end to the calf's leg ties. Then just use the leverage to lift the pole and calf off the ground to get the weight. Easy and only minimal hard breathing.

Alan,

Just curious as to what shots you are giving to a newborn calf?

Brian

None.

That is what colostrum is for.

Bez

X2

 

[TN Cattle Man]

First off I agree with Robert, if I have a cow I have to worry about running me over it grows wheels, goodbye, too many good mannered cattle to own. Second I have a small operation, so I use a iron pipe about 10 to 12 ft long. I drilled a hole about a ft or two from one end and bolted In a eye loop. Within 24 hrs of birth I tie the calves legs like a calf roper with no roping experience. Give the shots, ear tag and weigh. I stab the end of the 10 to 12 ft rode in the ground, hang a scale from the eye loop and hook the other end to the calf's leg ties. Then just use the leverage to lift the pole and calf off the ground to get the weight. Easy and only minimal hard breathing.

Alan,

Just curious as to what shots you are giving to a newborn calf?

Brian

None.

That is what colostrum is for.

Bez

Totallay agree with you Bez. I was just curious as to what Alan was giving to his newborn calves within 24 hours of birth as he stated.

Brian

 

[robert]

my bet would be BoSe, that's what we give everyone of ours born, counteracts white muscle disease.