shed cleaning day, our juveniles

[glacierridge]

A weanling steer we banded the horns on and graduated up to the steer shed.
Pardon them all being dirty.
We do clean the sheds every couple weeks, but as you all know, doesn't take long to make a good pile of manure in a shed lol.
The menu these youngsters get is corn silage, 2nd/3rd crop hay, the steers get about a four quart scoop of feed per head per day, the girls about a third.



The boys.
Six of the younger ones got tagged up for my nephews market projects.





The girls.
The black one on the right in this top photo was the scrapiest little thing you've ever seen when she was a calf. She's starting to look like a nice young heifer. Just a little over a year.

 

[Nesikep]

They look in good shape... I'm glad I don't have the only dirty cows! I haven't had a decent break in the weather to clean the corrals out, it's been right around freezing for a while, but never thaws enough to scrape anything up... I'm hoping for that perfect day when the ground is frozen and the muck isn't

 

[Taurus]

Is the red one a purebred limo?

 

[Nesikep]

I've never seen PB limos with white blazes, if that's the one you're talking about... I would guess Simmi first.. also for the length of the ears!

 

[Williamsv]

They all look good. I really like that solid red one!

 

[Taurus]

I've never seen PB limos with white blazes, if that's the one you're talking about... I would guess Simmi first.. also for the length of the ears!

Its not red baldy one. Red one in fourth pic

 

[glacierridge]

Thank you.
We do try to keep everyone fed.

The red heifer is mostly Simmental and Gelbvieh.
My brother really likes her a lot, one of his favorites.

And yes, the blaze face is a Simmental sired girl.
They are related tho.
The red is a sister to the blaze's dam

 

[Bez__]

Quite frankly they look like crap.

Tagged all the way to the back bone? Nope - not good.

Those animals are not dirty - they are tagged to a point that I would be doing some major work to change their living conditions or sell them - they have not been in those conditions for a few days - they have been in those conditions a long time - too long.

Period.

And I for damm sure would not have posted the second and third pics of them in that condition thinking they were in good shape and looked good.

Time to spend some money and change the way they live

I have owned cows for more than 45 years - I would never let them get like that - fix it or sell them.

Gives us all a bad name - now hang me for saying what about 140 people were thinking at my time of reading but lacked the balls to say.

Bez__

 

[Taurus]

Quite frankly they look like crap.

Tagged all the way to the back bone? Nope - not good.

Those animals are not dirty - they are tagged to a point that I would be doing some major work to change their living conditions or sell them - they have not been in those conditions for a few days - they have been in those conditions a long time - too long.

Period.

And I for damm sure would not have posted the second and third pics of them in that condition thinking they were in good shape and looked good.

Time to spend some money and change the way they live

I have owned cows for more than 45 years - I would never let them get like that - fix it or sell them.

Gives us all a bad name - now hang me for saying what about 140 people were thinking at my time of reading but lacked the balls to say.

Bez__

wow Bez.....I don't think her animals are that dirty. In fact only one or two animals are dirty, the rest looks clean and normal to me. Our cows are dirty too because of the warm weather we are having here but obviously you don't know her background and what she does around the farm. In fact all of her animala are take care of very good, perhaps better than most folks on here. Nobody is perfect cattlemen but I guess you are perfect cattleman.

 

[inyati13]

I appreciate what Bez is saying. I know Anne and her family love their cattle and maybe have a difficult time providing the best facilities. I have spent a lot of money that I doubt that I will get back for several years. I have good feed areas and my cows stay clean. Where I put down hay, I have a bed of #2 crushed stone choked off with limestone "mine waste run". The bed sets up much like concrete. Several times a winter, I use my FEL to push off the waste. Then I roll out a roll of hay for them to eat and bed on. There is always the odd cow that will find a nasty spot to lie in. That is going to happen. But I just took a picture yesterday after I pushed off the area where I put out my hay roles. The pics are below. There are only a couple cows at the ring. There are a total of about 13 cows who are due in the spring in this herd. There is another herd that is in the breeding paddock away from the bull. I keep them a clean area to bed down.

 

[Taurus]

I wondered if the cattle at feedlots are dirty or clean....perhaps the feedlots should sell their animals?

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

I wondered if the cattle at feedlots are dirty or clean....perhaps the feedlots should sell their animals?

Ditto here! I worked on a dairy for years, these cows were on what we called a dry lot. They all had the mud/crap caked on their sides like that in the winter. Cattle raised in confinement get dirty like that. Not everyone has pastures to keep their cattle in. The winter hair cattle are carrying right now compounds the issue, because there is more to get stuck on.

 

[inyati13]

I wondered if the cattle at feedlots are dirty or clean....perhaps the feedlots should sell their animals?

Ditto here! I worked on a dairy for years, these cows were on what we called a dry lot. They all had the mud/crap caked on their sides like that in the winter. Cattle raised in confinement get dirty like that. Not everyone has pastures to keep their cattle in. The winter hair cattle are carrying right now compounds the issue, because there is more to get stuck on.

If I were to take pictures of the cows I see wading in mud to their knees, now and then one that cannot get up, and the body condition, I would get disbanded from this forum as a trouble maker. It would also bring a tear to your eye. I drive past a couple farms everyday and some days "as the gods of the Universe are my witness", I shed a tear as I relate what I see to the thought that some of my cattle would ever have to endure the winters as some cows I see do. I could not make or lose money on animals and know that they are not treated as every living thing should be.

 

[ChrisB]

I have to admit the cattle in my lot are probably worse than those posted. I give them plenty of clean space and a dry area to lay in but for some reason they prefer laying around the hay rings. This year there have been a couple of warm spells that thaw things out and it makes a mess. I've opened up a bedded barn and a small hay field for them but they seem to fight over who gets to lay in the dirtiest spot. Not proud of it and I say to myself I won't let them get that bad again, but that's what I said last time we had a warm winter too.

Cows out on corn stalks are clean though.

 

[glacierridge]

Kris nailed it.
Some of that winter hair is pretty coarse and holds soil a lot easier than a summer coat.
The cattle are fed and warm.
If they were in truly harsh conditions I don't think they would be in as near good of flesh.
They are in a shed over winter, they are bedded and cleaned it every couple weeks.
Even the younger calves that are in pens that are mucked out and bedded daily get filthy with the coarse winter coats this time of year.
Being in the sheds and pens this time of year is tough, but it's nice to keep them sheltered, adding flesh and adding pounds without wasting calories against the elements.

 

[inyati13]

Kris nailed it.
Some of that winter hair is pretty coarse and holds soil a lot easier than a summer coat.
The cattle are fed and warm.
If they were in truly harsh conditions I don't think they would be in as near good of flesh.
They are in a shed over winter, they are bedded and cleaned it every couple weeks.
Even the younger calves that are in pens that are mucked out and bedded daily get filthy with the coarse winter coats this time of year.
Being in the sheds and pens this time of year is tough, but it's nice to keep them sheltered, adding flesh and adding pounds without wasting calories against the elements.

Anne, in my opinion, the most important issue in winter is that they can recline in a dry environment and find shelter. Especially where you are. I remember seeing cows in coulees in Montana. Amazing what they can survive if they can get shelter.

 

[Chuckie]

Anne, it's wintertime, and cows look awful when we take pictures of them. You have your cows up in the barn out of the weather, and I don't see any that appear to be suffering from anything. Looking at the snow on the ground and not on their backs must be a relief for them. They may be laying on a manure pile, but that is much warmer than snow. I don't feel that you let your bedding get soggy, and manure always sticks to their sides. Mine are out in the open, no shelter, and they still will find a manure pile to lay on when there are many spots that are clean, high and dry. Mine get the rain and snow and sleet on their backs but we are warmer. I am sure the cows appreciate the warmth, and it keeps you from feeding twice the grain to keep them warm in your area. I know that you feed your beef cows alfalfa, which is only a dream to me as I wish it would grow well here.
As long as you know your cows are not cold and are getting fed well, as they appear to be in great health, just let the comments roll off your back. Play like a duck....... :nod:

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Anne, it's wintertime, and cows look awful when we take pictures of them. You have your cows up in the barn out of the weather, and I don't see any that appear to be suffering from anything. Looking at the snow on the ground and not on their backs must be a relief for them. They may be laying on a manure pile, but that is much warmer than snow. I don't feel that you let your bedding get soggy, and manure always sticks to their sides. Mine are out in the open, no shelter, and they still will find a manure pile to lay on when there are many spots that are clean, high and dry. Mine get the rain and snow and sleet on their backs but we are warmer. I am sure the cows appreciate the warmth, and it keeps you from feeding twice the grain to keep them warm in your area. I know that you feed your beef cows alfalfa, which is only a dream to me as I wish it would grow well here.
As long as you know your cows are not cold and are getting fed well, as they appear to be in great health, just let the comments roll off your back. Play like a duck....... :nod:

Hi Chuckie! Welcome back, you've been missed!

TT