new calves

[dkt99]

Bought four calves yesterday at the sale barn. Two 400 pound heifers, a 500 pound bull and a 200 pound bull calve. My first question is how long do I have before the the bull calves start to try to get at the heifers. Second, do I new to do anything special for the young bull that I will not have to do for the larger one.

 

[dun]

What are your plans for the bulls?

 

[dkt99]

Well I WAS going castrate them but after posting this morning I went out to the pasture and both bulls were gone. I looked teo pastures over on both sides pf my place and nothing. The only place they could have got out was where my fence crosses a creek. They would have both had to duck there heads under water to get out. Other than that I see no other place they could have gotten out.

 

[dun]

They may have jumped the fence or if it's barbed, pushed their way through.
When/if you get them back, band them as soon as you can, that will take care of the concern about the heifers. It's darn hard to single out one calf to get better feed to, but the smaller one should get some sort of protein supplement for a while. Maybe a tub and let both of them have at it.

 

[Angus Cowman]

Well I WAS going castrate them but after posting this morning I went out to the pasture and both bulls were gone. I looked teo pastures over on both sides pf my place and nothing. The only place they could have got out was where my fence crosses a creek. They would have both had to duck there heads under water to get out. Other than that I see no other place they could have gotten out.

That is a good reason for putting new purchases in a corral for a few days
I would venture a guess those calves were weaned with wheels under them and they were wanting to go home wherever that might be

 

[hillbillycwo]

I Feel your pain it is definitely a terrible feeling. Had ten run off like that with in two hours of turn out. Full grown cows though. Luchily for me it was rainy and I could track them. Found them in my neighbors field and they came back to the feed bucket iwthout much trouble. Good luck I hope that you find them.

 

[BILL CLAYLAND]

Sorry to hear that.
My first bull calf (510lbs)walked right out of a gate i left open,(DUH) He'd only been on the place about a week.
I chased him acrossed a soybean field and thru the corn and with help of 3 others a halter and a rope I was able to get him home after about 3 hours, he was a mile or so away. good thing we had the truck to pull him home. :cowboy:
He did survive and hell be the first one to go to the locker.

 

[dkt99]

Well monday I found the 500lb. calf. He was a few pastures over. I tried to get him in a pen so that i could load him up and bring him back home but that proved to be a bit troublesome. He was in the back coner of the pasture, which is 200 acres, so I singled him out from the owners cattle and started to drive him up to front where the pins are. I got about 3/4 of the way to the pin and he turned back and took off towards the heard. This happened twice. The man that runs the cattle on the property is up there in age, lives in town and is really not interested in giving me a hand. Not that I blame him because it is my mess. Short of more hands on the ground to prevent him from turning back, does anybody got any suggestions on getting one calf out of 75+ head into a pen in a 200acre pasture?

 

[Kingfisher]

Well monday I found the 500lb. calf. He was a few pastures over. I tried to get him in a pen so that i could load him up and bring him back home but that proved to be a bit troublesome. He was in the back coner of the pasture, which is 200 acres, so I singled him out from the owners cattle and started to drive him up to front where the pins are. I got about 3/4 of the way to the pin and he turned back and took off towards the heard. This happened twice. The man that runs the cattle on the property is up there in age, lives in town and is really not interested in giving me a hand. Not that I blame him because it is my mess. Short of more hands on the ground to prevent him from turning back, does anybody got any suggestions on getting one calf out of 75+ head into a pen in a 200acre pasture?

What are you " driving " him with? You need a rope around his neck.........I suppose you knew that already. I would come help...but
.......its not duck season.

 

[dkt99]

I separated him, don't laugh, with my truck. I thought I had a better chance at that than getting a rope around his neck. If I get a rope on him would i be able to slowly pull him up to the pin? I know this is all funny to most, would to me if itwas someone else, but i'm getting a little frustrated. I guess this will be big learning experience if I can ever get through it.

 

[Keren]

run him up to the pens in a group with the other guys cattle. beats the hill out of roping him and dragging him up there. he will go up there quite happily in the herd. Once you have them penned up, separate him out into another pen. Drive your truck/trailer up there, and bob's your uncle load him and take him home.

I'm not laughing at you driving him with your truck. I've shifted a bunch of cows down three paddocks in a Nissan Pulsar hatchback (bubble car) when the pump died and they had no water, and I had no bike, truck or horse.

 

[hillbillycwo]

We use a four wheeler to drive them. But that is what they are use to. Ours are also trained to a feed bucket and a little feed. Bribing them works wonders. Try the feed bucket trick. Just a little bit on the ground while calling them and that will be less stressful to get the herd into the pen. If that don't work you can have the calf shot with a tranquillizer dart (vets have 'em) then you can tie him to your truck and "lead" him where you want.

 

[cowperson]

I agree with Keren. Run him up with the other cattle. Separate 2 or 3 cows or calves out with him. Get your truck and trailer and than separate him out of the 2 or 3 and load him. By leaving 2 or 3 others with him he should stay calmer. When you get him home put some others in with him in a secure pen. After a couple of weeks he will calm down. Hope everything works out.

 

[TXBobcat]

The way I see it, there are bascially to good ways to handle this.

#1 - Saddle horse, load in trailer and drive out to pasture with another person. Unload horse, tell other person to stay back until you get the animal caught, and then bring trailer to you once you have it roped. Then ride to the herd, single the animal out and rope it. Hold it until the trailer gets there, then use horse power to drag animal into trailer. Take animal back home, and put in secure corral for a while until it gets used to your place before you turn out again.

#2 - You and another person go to pasture and call the herd up to the pens. When your animal has went into the pens, probably with many others, shut the gate. Then you go into the pen to sort, while the other person mans the gate. Let most of the cattle out, keeping yours in, until you have him and maybe a couple more in there. Back up to the loading chute (or wherever you can load from) and load your animal. Take animal back home, and put in secure corral for a while until it gets used to your place before you turn out again.

 

[dkt99]

Well, yesterday afternoon I got him. Got all the most of the cows in the pen, got mine to stay in. I loaded him on the trailer and brought him home. It took about an hour and I was done. Glad to have that fixed.

 

[LazyARanch]

Did you ever find your other missing bull calf??

 

[dkt99]

NO i did not. I have looked in any pasture around me that would make sense and nothing. I have told all the neighbors and the gor eyes open as well. Maybe there is still hope but I don't have good feeling about it.