I've got this itch...

[SRBeef]

Watching a few calves in a fresh patch grazing corn I opened yesterday, I noticed one full steer stopped for a last ear before heading to the waterer but then decided to use one of my frozen-in pigtail posts for a good scratch.

He was fun to watch as he worked back and forth. Nothing like a good scratch after grazing for breakfast I guess!

Jim

 

[cowgirl_jenna]

Wow, nice steer! Its funny how cattle find things to "get that itch right there" resourceful I guess. How big of a area do you give them each time you move the wire. I guess a better way would be how many acres of corn per head will you use this winter to keep them in this condition? hopefully that ? makes sense, Sorry I'm having wording issues today I guess :roll:
Jenna

 

[SRBeef]

Wow, nice steer! Its funny how cattle find things to "get that itch right there" resourceful I guess. How big of a area do you give them each time you move the wire. I guess a better way would be how many acres of corn per head will you use this winter to keep them in this condition? hopefully that ? makes sense, Sorry I'm having wording issues today I guess :roll:
Jenna

There is no one answer to that as my acres/head to finished has varied so much from year to year. Depends on your grain yield, corn variety, palatability, etc.

I move the cross wires about once a week when they have eaten the ears, husks, leaves and upper stalk on the previous area. As I am trying to "finish" these calves I don't push them to clean up much stalk at all.

Where in WI (general region) are you located?

Jim

 

[regolith]

You'll be finding that pigtail tangled up in your mower blades next summer
I'll bet that guy's got enough muscle to haul it out and leave it lying on the ground.

However did you get it into the ground in the first place? I nearly have to admit defeat by them if we haven't had enough rain to keep the ground soft.

My cows like the snibs on the gates at the front of the milking row. And various other bits of pipe work, but that gate latch is *the best* for cleaning out an itchy nostril.

 

[SRBeef]

The pigtails were put in before freeze up In November. I can't get them out now. It they are in a line across the corn strip and I'll pull them when we get a thaw.

Now I use rebar posts and a big hammer. The rebar goes right thru frozen ground - if you use a big enough hammer! Dare makes some nice yellow screw type insulators for rebar posts. But I can't get those rebar posts out either until a thaw!

Jim