Ole Timey Cattle

[talldog]

How, or did ole timers deal with all the things we do for parasites, worms etc. ??

 

[dun]

Depends on how ald timey you're talking about. 40 -50 years ago we jsut ignored them. If a cow got real bad skinny looking, a dose of kerosene usually set them right.

 

[alacattleman]

there's a tick dip still on my place, ive heard of using tobacco as a wormer, salt for pink eye like dun said kerosene for all types of stuff

 

[TexasBred]

there's a tick dip still on my place, ive heard of using tobacco as a wormer, salt for pink eye like dun said kerosene for all types of stuff

kerosene/coal oil was used on little boys too.....for everything. That and a little "monkey blood" and you were ready to go back to playing.

 

[Jogeephus]

Around here the stocking rate was one cow per 21 acres. There was no such thing as improved pastures so high stocking and high worm loads were not an issue. At best, the cows were walked through a tank once a year.

 

[Brute 23]

Don't overstock is the key to just about every thing.

 

[Jogeephus]

Here is a picture of what cattle in our area used to graze before improved pastures became the norm. I think there is pure profit in the understory and it warms my heart when I see a cow scarfing up these weeds and getting slick in the process. Some of the understory plants have a higher protein content than anything I can grow but timing is very important. Successful grazing of this is an art which I have yet to get a handle on but I'm working on it. Biggest problem is fencing then checking the fences as this can be quite a job.

 

[alacattleman]

do yall have any of those piney wood cattle running around down there?

 

[Jogeephus]

do yall have any of those piney wood cattle running around down there?

I don't know of anyone in my area that does this but I did read in the paper where some guy was being paid to keep them on his place to preserve the gene pool. I do know some people who run longhorns in these conditions as they seem to like this type food. The largest woods herd I know of is owned by a friend of mine and it consists of brafords. These animals see a human about once a year and are quite energetic and agile. :nod:

 

[backhoeboogie]

Cedar oil was a good use too but it was used sparingly.

People burned off pastures and yards a lot - a whole lot - way back when.

You also have to bear in mind what the dust bowl did. There is a lot of vegetation growing here (in Texas) that did not grow here prior to the dust bowl. A case in point is the armadillo. It did not live in Texas then. It migrated in with the vegetation that migrated north out of Mexico. There are a lot of old stories about people seeing them for the first time in this part of Texas.

There weren't as many sale barns, transit situations etc. Less exposure. Dairies were not run mechanically. There were less dairy cows on a single dairy and more of them. Most of the cattle folks had a milk cow.

There were not vets in every town. Animals sounded as if they had more resistance and were more hardy. The were climatized.

 

[Ryder]

According to some of the old timers, any problem was either hollow horn or hollow tail.
For hollow horn just bore a hole in the horn.
For hollow tail, cut a split in the tail, put in salt and wrap it up.
Animal was then sure to get better. If not, then it would stay about the same or get worse. Sort of like modern medicine of today.

 

[alacattleman]

here hollow tail meant,, about illness ..they would just call em hollor assed :lol:

 

[kenny thomas]

My grandpa always said when they split the tail and put the salt in it they then kept the cow up for a week or two and fed her good until she got better. Could have been hollow belly instead.

 

[Ryder]

My grandpa always said when they split the tail and put the salt in it they then kept the cow up for a week or two and fed her good until she got better. Could have been hollow belly instead.

No doubt. :nod:

 

[hillrancher]

Backhoe the armadillo has not been here many years. I remember the old neighbor was telling what he had seen checking his cattle. His grandsons said he was old and senile. In about a year after a snow one came out of a old cement culvert and froze to death I took it into town was a big deal. Now they are as plentiful as welfare patrons.

I remember when the stocking rates here were cow calf per 12 acres they lived in the woods. When spring came they were not seen until the acorns were gone then they came out for hay or cotton seed hulls. I have a few acres of woods I only seen them go into the woods when the acorns fall and come out needing worming. Years ago everyone wormed with phenozine(not spelled correct) the green stuff, that burned your skin if you got it on you. There is still a truck load of old gallon jugs in one of our old barn.

 

[talldog]

Here is a picture of what cattle in our area used to graze before improved pastures became the norm. I think there is pure profit in the understory and it warms my heart when I see a cow scarfing up these weeds and getting slick in the process. Some of the understory plants have a higher protein content than anything I can grow but timing is very important. Successful grazing of this is an art which I have yet to get a handle on but I'm working on it. Biggest problem is fencing then checking the fences as this can be quite a job.

Longhorns would love that environment, if fact, I've got about 30 acres just like that !!

 

[Rustler9]

Yep, my cattle will clean up a place like that. I got em running in places like that all over the county. We used to let our cows chew on the tobacco stalks in the fall and winter as we stripped the tobacco. Was just the trick to give em a good worming. And Kerosene, sugar and raw eggs cured everything. I've had a few doses of kerosene and sugar myself as a kid.

 

[dun]

And Kerosene, sugar and raw eggs cured everything. I've had a few doese of kerosene and sugar myself as a kid.

For serious wounds (if we happened to see them) and castrating we slapped a handfull of pine tar on it.

 

[talldog]

Rustler--- You got me thinkin about some of that stuff my Nana used to pour down my throat----Brings back memories !! :tiphat:

 

[Rustler9]

I guess if you drank any kerosene nowadays it'd kill you-probably got so much junk in it.