Out of curiosity - branding

[Keren]

What percentage of branding in America is done the way BRG showed in his recent photos (with horses and by roping the calves), versus branding the calves in a set of yards/race/table/cradle?

 

[Northern Rancher]

I'd say in my area about 50/50-both methods are effective and pretty easy on the calves if done right. We use horses at our branding and it goes pretty smooth.

 

[TexasBred]

Around here 90% or more is done in chutes with electric branders. They're often vaccinated, wormed and the bulls cut at the same time. Cattle are rounded up on foot or with four wheelers. Not a lot of that huge op;en country around here anymore like up there in ND....father out west it's probably done much more the "old way".

 

[3waycross]

What percentage of branding in America is done the way BRG showed in his recent photos (with horses and by roping the calves), versus branding the calves in a set of yards/race/table/cradle?

I doubt you will find anyone keeping perchentages on that but I will give you some insight. Back East,(that's EVERYTHING east of the line from the KansasMissouri border from Canada to Mexico, they run mostly on smaller pastures and have more fixed working facilities. So they use chutes and calf tables most of the time.

In the West the ranches tend to be much larger with much lower stocking rates so folks would have to move their cattle further to a fixed pen to work them. Even if they have pens most of them will still rope and work calves on the ground as that is the "Cowboy Way" and that lifestyle still exists in a lot of places.Thanks God.

To be honest if I have a choice and have a lot of calves to work I would rather use a calf table, but I sure respect those who do it the old way, and I really like that rig that BRG uses.

 

[Northern Rancher]

We usually just take the pen to the cattle and set up a portable pen-you can see branding 'rings' in the pasture where the grass id greener for quite a few years after that. Brandings aren't really work-you get together with your friends-get a chore accomplished then eat too much lol.

 

[JH_cattle_co]

We only do it the old way. And I would say 75% of the ranches around us do it the same

 

[Kingfisher]

We only do it the old way. And I would say 75% of the ranches around us do it the same

Does everybody get a new hat that day?

 

[farmwriter]

I'd say 3way hit the nail on the head.
And Kingfisher - good call! :lol2:

 

[alacattleman]

whats wrong with the feed scoop brim :cowboy:

 

[alacattleman]

i use a electric iron in the chute,, i only brand my weaned replacement heifers

 

[JH_cattle_co]

We only do it the old way. And I would say 75% of the ranches around us do it the same

Does everybody get a new hat that day?

????????
What new hats?

 

[TexasBred]

I'd say 3way hit the nail on the head.
And Kingfisher - good call! :lol2:

Well I wasn't going to say anything about the hats but looks like everybody wore their "sunday best"...dam a hat that big would get in your way. At least they don't have the sides rolled up like a taco...... Where is that operation located?

 

[alacattleman]

I'd say 3way hit the nail on the head.
And Kingfisher - good call! :lol2:

Well I wasn't going to say anything about the hats but looks like everybody wore their "sunday best"...dam a hat that big would get in your way. At least they don't have the sides rolled up like a taco...... Where is that operation located?

like so http://www.stephentalkhouse.com/images/ ... rbrown.jpg

 

[JH_cattle_co]

I'd say 3way hit the nail on the head.
And Kingfisher - good call! :lol2:

Well I wasn't going to say anything about the hats but looks like everybody wore their "sunday best"...dam a hat that big would get in your way. At least they don't have the sides rolled up like a taco...... Where is that operation located?

It takes a lot of hat to keep the sun off you in this country, were not blessed with much shade. Ranch is in Culberson county, about 50 miles northwest of Pecos.

 

[AudieWyoming]

I have always run them thru a calf table with 7 way. Bovashield, Ralgrow to any cut bulls, and an electric brand. Used to swap help with a friend who worked the same way.

Never worked at a true rope and drag branding, closest I came was helped an old neighbor about 50 some head. He just sorted the calves into a square pen about the right size, then me and about 6 or 7 high school type kids would walk into the calves find one W/O a brand, drag him by a back leg to an open spot, flank it and get one of the kids to sit on the head while you dropped down and streched him out.

The calves were small so it was E Z enough, but there was no organization. We had enough kids to have 2 or 3 calves down at a time. Two of his girls would wander by and give a shot, he had a pretty good hand doing the cutting, but if you and three bulls down you just had to sit and wait. Which wasn't a problem because the owner was wandering around applying a two iron hot brand in two or three trips per calf. I always made sure my calf was done before I released him but we had to recatch a couple half branded calves and I always wondered how many bulls he got.

I thought it was a joke but they had done it that way for years, and they must have been just as impressed with me because I never got invited back!! @

 

[AudieWyoming]

I ran out of room on the above post but I did want to add that a friend who I believe knows the difference told me he went to a 300 plus, Rope and Drag branding with GOOD ropers and he thought it was WAY faster than a table. He didn't say how big the crew was, but I think he said just 2 horseback at a time. I have to believe him though, because I know my 4 man crew couldn't run 300 across one calf table in a big day. @

Well I wasn't going to say anything about the hats but looks like everybody wore their "sunday best"...dam a hat that big would get in your way. At least they don't have the sides rolled up like a taco...... Where is that operation located?

The hats look pretty standard to me. Maybe one fairly new one. @