Moved Cows Yesterday

[Dylan Biggs]

Moved the mature cows to fresh pasture, 5 and 1/2 miles to the North. This past growing season provided ample winter pasture, if conditions stay favorable should be able to graze well into February. They are being supplemented a bit over 4 lbs a day of a 17% pellet (cake). I led them with the tractor and bale processor and Zeke made sure all of them came.

My help for the move.

They had worked this pasture over well enough.

Ready to leave.

Just inside the gate of the pasture we had to cross after the first mile and they wanted to stop and eat already even though that pasture had been grazed later in the fall by our yearlings.

A 3 yr old purebred cow in good sahpe for a young cow IMO.

At about the 3 1/2 mile mark.

At the 4 1/2 mile mark, the Sun was down and it had clouded over, the cows were starting to frost up a bit.

Our destination.

Shelter if needed at an old homestead.

Just inside the gate and heads are down.

They must be Happy.

Zeke made it also and left nothing behind.

 

[Tea]

good dog

nice photos

 

[Isomade]

Dylan, your cows look good and fat. I like Zeke, is he an Aus. Shepherd?

 

[SRBeef]

Great pictures. Nice to have a helper dog like that. It would also be nice to have some idea where you and these pictures are located. Thanks for documenting the day and move. Very interesting. Jim

 

[3waycross]

Dylan Great pictures. Your cows look good and sure enuf look like the right kind to me. I like the dog too. :clap:

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Isomade, Zeke is a Border Collie for the most part. He was bred in Wyoming, Kevin Meyer, Mantz Creek Ranch, Douglas, out of his good grade bitch Maggie and by a registered male Weasel that belonged to Juan Reyes. Weasel died from accidental poisoning shortly after returning home from the the 2007 National Western Stock Dog show as Grand Champion out of 45 other dogs.

I am pleased with the condition on the cows, they definitely benefited from having the calves weaned earlier then normal.

Jim, you are welcome. We are located in eastern Alberta about 250 miles as the crow flies due North of Havre, Montana.

3waycross, thanks for your kind remarks, I sure hope conditions stay favorable for our winter grazing plans as it is only costing me 35 cents/head/day for the supplemental feed.

Way less than normal. :tiphat:

 

[cowboy43]

You are saying that the cows have not and will not receive hay in those conditions. Here in Tx. we put out extra hay if it gets in the 30's. Cows look in good shape. What do you do for water? Is the snow they eat while grazing sufficient for their water requirements?

 

[Hereford76]

why don't you just put out a lick supplement - would save you feeding cake every day.

i like to see cows ruffed like that... my cows are wintered about the same just a pretty low protein(8%)/mineral lick supplement and lick snow all winter.

 

[P.A.L]

Nice cattle and cheap management! They get water from snow? And cows dig up the hay under snow?

Here we need to have 2 warmed drinking bowls for every 20 animals...animals need to sheltered etc. If i would keep my cows like that i would end up in the jail. Peta people are doing there work well. The best is, that in England there is a big cry about reindeer meat. Reindeers are FORCED to live in snow and ice :lol2:

 

[Australian]

Boy your cattle do it tough through winter. We have nothing to whinge about here, we have grass all winter allbeit a bit brown and lacking in nutrition, but seldom any snow. We feed out lick supplements and some hay at times but not regularly.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

You are saying that the cows have not and will not receive hay in those conditions. Here in Tx. we put out extra hay if it gets in the 30's. Cows look in good shape. What do you do for water? Is the snow they eat while grazing sufficient for their water requirements?

cowboy43, the cows have had no hay yet and as long as conditions stay favorable they won't need any. We have a good bank of grass in front of us so should be good well into February or maybe even March. The snow pack is the thing that can make things difficult for winter grazing. Right now the snow is still loos and east for the cows to walk through and sweep with their muzzles so no problem. Hopefully conditions stay favorable. If they don't we have lots of hay on hand.

Regarding water we cut ice daily to let them drink out of a dugout (man made pond). They could do fine on snow but I like to spoil them.

Hereford76, I will have to price the lick tubs again, it has been a few years since I did. The last time the pellets were the cheapest. It would be nice not to have to feed pellets every day.

P.A.L, that is humorous regarding the Reindeer. :lol:

Australian, our cows are acclimated and so far we have not had any prolonged severe cold/wind, keeping my fingers crossed. The coldest it has been here was -29 C in Nov, it didn't last for long though. :cboy:

 

[ANAZAZI]

Nice cattle and cheap management! They get water from snow? And cows dig up the hay under snow?

Here we need to have 2 warmed drinking bowls for every 20 animals...animals need to sheltered etc. If i would keep my cows like that i would end up in the jail. Peta people are doing there work well. The best is, that in England there is a big cry about reindeer meat. Reindeers are FORCED to live in snow and ice :lol2:

The law requirements are the same in sweden. City folks think that frost equals suffering for animals and have no clue what weather a cow can endure without even being bothered. I am part of a conservation project for our native wild horses/ponys and it gets more difficult every year to get people to realize that before our grandfathers saved the last wild horses 80 years ago, they fed themselves troughout winter on poor forage only. And we are facing difficulties to be allowed to keep them outdoors in the winter, even though the always made it in previous millennia.

Nice cows BTW!