Moved the cows

[Dave]

Sunday I moved the cows to the other side of the river. They should start calving real soon and there are too many hiding holes where they were. I don't mind checking on cows regular but I hate having to walk back into this hiding hole and then another to see if there is a cow hiding back there calving. Where they are now a quick tour on the quad and a person can see everything. So 80 cows marched across the river just fine. Two didn't. So I went down there with the quad. Herded then to the crossing. I should mention that I could walk across and barely get my knees wet. One walked right across. The other sniffed the water and said I am not stepping in that. I quickly closed the gate. She was trapped between the fence and the river. I have fed right across from where she is. I figured the sight of all the other cows eating would get her motivated to cross. It hasn't so far. Tomorrow morning will make two days of her being there.... oh well she has plenty to drink.

 

[C-Ranch]

I have a few younger cows do that as well as I have a creek running through my place. After a few days of not crossing I had to herd them up the main road and push them across the bridge. To this day, they still won't cross, something spooks them about getting in the water and it's only ankle deep.

 

[C-Ranch]

Bye the way, looks like a nice place you have up there.

 

[farmerjan]

Have a couple of cows that will not cross the asphalt driveway where we have had them to rotate to the next pasture. Had to spread some hay on the driveway to get them to cross.... don't think spreading hay on the river would work..... Sometimes they can be so dumb....

 

[Stocker Steve]

Sometimes you have to give them swimming lessons. I had one stocker that just would not cross. After a couple disappointing attempts, I pushed him into the creek with my pickup.

 

[Dave]

Tried to push her across the river. It was me and the wife. One attempt that failed. I opened the gate and let her back into the wrong field rather than start a family fight. Tomorrow or the next day I will get her into the corral, load her into the trailer, and haul her a couple hundred feet to the other side of the river. Simpler and easier than fighting with her. She is a one and done. She won't leave the field until grass comes on and then it will be to get herded down the road along with the other cows and their calves.

 

[Warren Allison]

Tried to push her across the river. It was me and the wife. One attempt that failed. I opened the gate and let her back into the wrong field rather than start a family fight. Tomorrow or the next day I will get her into the corral, load her into the trailer, and haul her a couple hundred feet to the other side of the river. Simpler and easier than fighting with her. She is a one and done. She won't leave the field until grass comes on and then it will be to get herded down the road along with the other cows and their calves.

You don't have horses and/or dogs?

 

[Dave]

You don't have horses and/or dogs?

No shortage of horses, dogs and cowboys around here. This is an old one and done cow that was preg checked to be 8 months when I bought here 2 weeks ago. We could run her, rope her, drag her, put the dogs on her, etc. That would teach the old biddy to cross the river. Of course all that could cause her to lose the calf. Or rather gently get her into the corral. She has drank water in there when she first came here and there isn't much water where she is now. Once in the corral it is easy to put her in the trailer. The trailer gets parked at the loading chute so it is already there. Zip zap she is across the bridge and backed up to the gate. Open the trailer gate and she is out there with the rest of the herd. Some times it is quicker to just do it the easy way.

 

[Warren Allison]

I see your point. That makes sense. While I will never be caught dead around a cow on foot, I don't like to use dogs unless it is the last resort.. like trying to catch wild cattle in heavily wooded areas. But, if I am in a pen, corral or pasture with cows in it, I am gonna be horseback. With good horses and people to help that know what they are doing, I can settle them rather than get them excited, and move them at a walk or trot. What a beautiful place in your pic. How cold was it that day? I assumed that up there, you'd be under several feet of snow in February!

 

[Dave]

I wont say we never get 2 feet of snow but it is not at all common. We only get 10 inches of precipitation a year so that much snow would be a good percentage of our annual water from the sky. I don't remember what it was that day. Yesterday the low was about 25 degrees at sunrise. The high was around 41 in the afternoon. That has been our weather pattern most of this winter.

 

[Warren Allison]

I wont say we never get 2 feet of snow but it is not at all common. We only get 10 inches of precipitation a year so that much snow would be a good percentage of our annual water from the sky. I don't remember what it was that day. Yesterday the low was about 25 degrees at sunrise. The high was around 41 in the afternoon. That has been our weather pattern most of this winter.

Wow. That is about identical to our highs and lows this week down here in north Ga. this week! We average rainfall from 110 to 130 days per year, and 50 to 55 inches a year. The more hilly, the more days and inches.

 

[Dave]

It has been low of 20 and high of 40 for months. With the longer days it is beginning to get a touch warmer. The coldest we have been at the house was 14. The last time it hit 50 was back in October. The good thing is I haven't seen a mosquito or a rattle snake in months. The most snow we have had was about 3 inches. The snows have all only lasted a day. The house and hay fields sit at about 2,700 feet. Get above about 3,500 feet and there is probably 8-10 inches of snow. I was up there earlier in the week on the quad looking for lion tracks. Got to the point that the quad wasn't wanting to go so I turned around. The top of the hill behind the house is 4,700 feet. Up there you would find 18 inches to 2 feet.

 

[Mrcopier]

Sunday I moved the cows to the other side of the river. They should start calving real soon and there are too many hiding holes where they were. I don't mind checking on cows regular but I hate having to walk back into this hiding hole and then another to see if there is a cow hiding back there calving. Where they are now a quick tour on the quad and a person can see everything. So 80 cows marched across the river just fine. Two didn't. So I went down there with the quad. Herded then to the crossing. I should mention that I could walk across and barely get my knees wet. One walked right across. The other sniffed the water and said I am not stepping in that. I quickly closed the gate. She was trapped between the fence and the river. I have fed right across from where she is. I figured the sight of all the other cows eating would get her motivated to cross. It hasn't so far. Tomorrow morning will make two days of her being there.... oh well she has plenty to drink.

Beautiful country for sure

 

[Dave]

I walked her to the corral with the quad. Every now and then she would walk up on to the ditch bank. Can't get up there on the quad so I would get off and walk up there. Follow along behind her for 100 feet or so and she would go back down to the field. Back and get the quad and walk her along. We did that routine half a dozen times. She walked into the corral. I already had the trailer hooked up as I had been to the sale the day before and was going to the Thursday sale right about then. Hopped her into the trailer. Drove across the bridge, opened the field gate, swung the trailer gate, she jumped out and trotted out to see her buddies. Easy as pie. Winner winner chicken dinner....... Well I had a hamburger at the sale. I don't think they serve chicken.

 

[kenny thomas]

I walked her to the corral with the quad. Every now and then she would walk up on to the ditch bank. Can't get up there on the quad so I would get off and walk up there. Follow along behind her for 100 feet or so and she would go back down to the field. Back and get the quad and walk her along. We did that routine half a dozen times. She walked into the corral. I already had the trailer hooked up as I had been to the sale the day before and was going to the Thursday sale right about then. Hopped her into the trailer. Drove across the bridge, opened the field gate, swung the trailer gate, she jumped out and trotted out to see her buddies. Easy as pie. Winner winner chicken dinner....... Well I had a hamburger at the sale. I don't think they serve chicken.

How mad would you have been if she had came back across the river while you were gone? Hahaha

 

[Dave]

How mad would you have been if she had came back across the river while you were gone? Hahaha

She would be on her own. There is a 5 strand barb wire fence about 20 feet from the river on that side. The gate is closed. While she was over there I saw other cows cross, stand around, and then cross back.

 

[gcreekrch]

I walked her to the corral with the quad. Every now and then she would walk up on to the ditch bank. Can't get up there on the quad so I would get off and walk up there. Follow along behind her for 100 feet or so and she would go back down to the field. Back and get the quad and walk her along. We did that routine half a dozen times. She walked into the corral. I already had the trailer hooked up as I had been to the sale the day before and was going to the Thursday sale right about then. Hopped her into the trailer. Drove across the bridge, opened the field gate, swung the trailer gate, she jumped out and trotted out to see her buddies. Easy as pie. Winner winner chicken dinner....... Well I had a hamburger at the sale. I don't think they serve chicken.

You likely did what some "real cowboys" could have turned into a three ring circus.
A guy does have to pat themselves on the back when a no fuss task like that is completed.

 

[Dave]

You likely did what some "real cowboys" could have turned into a three ring circus.
A guy does have to pat themselves on the back when a no fuss task like that is completed.

I told the wife that I could give lessons to the son of one of the neighbors. Every time I see him moving cows with a quad it is at full throttle. This cow never broke out of a walk. I just eased along behind her at a comfortable for her distance. She would stop. I would ease up just enough to get her walking again.

 

[gcreekrch]

I told the wife that I could give lessons to the son of one of the neighbors. Every time I see him moving cows with a quad it is at full throttle. This cow never broke out of a walk. I just eased along behind her at a comfortable for her distance. She would stop. I would ease up just enough to get her walking again.

You could offer to buy him a choke chain!

 

[Dave]

You could offer to buy him a choke chain!

I have made a few comments to his dad. Took it just about as far as I could without insulting dad. Unfortunately the dad has lost some good hired men over the years because of this kid. I see what looks like dad slowly weaning him off over time. It is obviously hard on dad because he does see what the kid does but he is still his son.