how often do you check your cattle (non-calving season)?

[pdubdo]

Most people I speak with live on their farm and check their cattle daily (at least). I can't imagine big ranches with thousands of cattle (or acres) check their cattle daily...but what is "normal"? I'm asking because I'm getting my property in shape for cattle but live about an hour away. Will be out there 1-2 times weekly and trying to see if I need to budget on paying someone to swing by every day and check on them. Thoughts?

 

[Kingfisher]

If your fences are good 1-2 times a week will be ok. If you have a bull and neighbors with cows all bets are off!

 

[bigbull338]

we are on the farm.so we check the cows 3 or 4 times a week or as needed.but during calving we check daily or more if needed.since you live off farm it would help if you had some1 that could check your cows as needed.

 

[pdubdo]

good point on neighboring bulls-thanks!-empty hayfields on all sides at this point

 

[coachg]

I live a mile from our farm/ cattle. I check once a day on average and 2-3 times when cows are calving. Seems like if I don't go every day something happens; calf wanders through the fence, gets in the hay ring, bull gets out, etc. Just part of my daily routine ; get up, check and feed our laying hens, go to the pasture. I still teach at the local community college 2 days a week so my day starts around 5:30-6 am. Thought retirement would have a lot more sleeping late days but I love it !

 

[greybeard]

Lay eyes on and count them every day. It's not like I have surrounding farms or ranches where the neighbor will call and tell me my cows are over at his place. Surrounded by National Forest and if one of their trees falls on my fence and cows get out, my cows are suddenly "somewhere in 160,000 acres" of forest.

 

[slick4591]

It's about 7 miles out to the farm and I see them at least three times a week. It's also helpful that my brother lives out there when it's not deer season.

 

[Supa Dexta]

With the lay of the land I can see the herd at home most of the time. Rental pasture I can go a week or 2 without seeing them, But there is a guy out there that half keeps an eye on them from his place.

 

[Bigfoot]

I live on my place, with the goal of checking them every day. I missed two days in a row this week. It happens. A fall calving heifer had her calf on one of those. Unassisted thankfully. I'd say your going to have to assume a higher death loss by leaving them unattended.

 

[1982vett]

I have one pasture I try to check at least once a week. The others are on the place where I live so I sort of keep an eye out for the unusual but don't actually check them EVERY day. Calving heifers are in the pasture I drive through to leave the place so catching a problem isn't all that hard.

Now saying all that. I haven't brought a new animal on the place since 2012. These cattle know where home is and for the most part, the pasture across the fence isn't really greener anyway.

 

[A.J.]

I try to check on mine every day. I know some people check on theirs once or twice a week and do just fine, but usually the day I don't check on them is the day they get into some sort of trouble. Peace of mind for me.

 

[Alan]

I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. This time of year I check my cattle every morning from my living room window with a cup of coffee in my hand.

 

[TCRanch]

Every day, even when we're not calving. And when we're calving we're out 2 - 3 times a day, depending on which cow is calving, weather, etc. When we calve out heifers we bring them to the barn & I get up every couple hours to check. But aside from calving I want to observe my herd: Is anyone limping? Anything out of the ordinary? One of them just not acting right? There have been a couple thefts around here and last year 5 fresh carcasses were either dumped or slid off the back of a flatbed or trailer on the road next to our central pasture, same thing happened in another county that week (who does that?!?!). That said, we live on the ranch & the other 2 pastures are less than a mile from the house.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Carcases of what? Cows?

 

[TexasBred]

Most people I speak with live on their farm and check their cattle daily (at least). I can't imagine big ranches with thousands of cattle (or acres) check their cattle daily...but what is "normal"? I'm asking because I'm getting my property in shape for cattle but live about an hour away. Will be out there 1-2 times weekly and trying to see if I need to budget on paying someone to swing by every day and check on them. Thoughts?

Those probably have hired hands that check on everything pretty regular.

 

[Brute 23]

Once a week at the most. If they are in pastures with water wells then more often depending on how much water is on hand.

At an hour drive it will be money saved to find a neighbor kid or retiree to dip in every now and then.

... and I don't change for calving or any thing. It's sink or swim around here. Surprisingly we have very, very few problems.

 

[Nesikep]

I went a week without checking on my cows.. its rare that happens, but I could still see them from the front porch. It's true that the day you don't check is the day they do something stupid (and they always find a NEW way to do something stupid too!)
The more often you're with them, the better they'll know you, and that can mean a lot if you ever have to do something... bring some sweet feed or some other goodies with you, they'll start to know your truck and you, and if they ever get out, just go clang the bucket a few times.. even if they don't come running, there might be a moo here or there to tell you where they went.

At an hour away, I'd hire someone as close as possible to the pasture to at least give a look around and see if anything is amiss.

Calving time I check at least a half dozen times a day.. it's a lot more than many people, but I have had a 0% death loss over 150 calves (birth to weaning), so it does pay off (though I'm not sure if it pays). Now that I said that I'll have a miserable calving season next year!

 

[TCRanch]

Carcases of what? Cows?

3 cow hides & looked like 2 weanlings. An oil field worker saw them & called me & the Sheriff. No brands and never found out what happened/who owned them. There were probably 15 carcasses in the McPherson county case.

 

[TCRanch]

Carcases of what? Cows?

3 cow hides & looked like 2 weanlings. An oil field worker saw them & called me & the Sheriff. No brands and never found out what happened/who owned them. There were probably 15 carcasses in the McPherson county case.

Found the news link:

http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/cow ... y/28272014

 

[fnfarms1]

When calving 2-3times a day and couple through the night if I know ones close. I check everyday until calves are 90+days old. Then every other day. During summer with work and baling hay, often I miss a few here and there, but typically calves are old enough to not get sick and die in a day like when their younger. Nov-Jan I'm feeding hay every other day anyway, cows are dry and no calves.

Keep in mind, my cows I feel are a month or less from calving get put in the lot by the house with hay and an auto water tank. So I can step out on check them with spotlight from porch. And their easy to catch is having trouble and tag/band the calf. Cows and calves go to the pasture after a few days to make sure all is good, first calves may stay a week or 10days.