Snorty Heifer

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hurleyjd said:
Also four animals in 1/4 acre is pretty crowded.
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Size matters, the 4 are a beef heifer, a jersey and 2 calves.
43,560 sq ft in an acre = 10,890 sq ft in a 1/4 acre
A pen 50' x 200' = 10,000 sq ft and plenty of room for those 4.

How big are your pens that each animal has more than 2,500 sq ft?
 
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Son of Butch said:
Size matters, the 4 are a beef heifer, a jersey and 2 calves.
43,560 sq ft in an acre = 10,890 sq ft in a 1/4 acre
A pen 50' x 200' = 10,000 sq ft and plenty of room for those 4.
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4 critters that don't know each other and are aggravated would think the Biltmore mansion was too small.
 
Son of Butch said:
Quit giving the guy a hard time.
usda midwest planning services*
square foot space requirement per head
paved lot 75-100 sq ft
unpaved lot with a mound 250-500 sq ft
unpaved lot without a mound 400-800 sq ft

His 2,500 sq ft per head is fine and no need to cause him worries.
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Who am I giving a hard time to? I'm just shooting the breeze until I run out of ammunition.
 
Welcome to the board. Don't let us chase you away! We bicker a little, but we have fun.
Calfhood vaccinations vary from state to state. In NY, we have to vaccinate between 4 and 8 months of age. I am the ONLY farm in my vets service that vaccinates. I sell cattle all over the US, and there are lots of different requirements. I never have to worry about that one.
You got some good comments about your heifer. She "may" not see well - or as you said, you may have startled her.
But, the most important advice is - be extremely careful when she calves. ALL momma cows can change personalities in a heartbeat when they calve. Never get in a situation you can't get to safety. This is true for ANY beef animal whether it's a cow or a heifer. Generally, they will act the same year after year.
 
Pnw Farmer said:
Thanks for the replies. TC, I should of clarified she's not registered, I meant by commercial that they can't walk through their herds and get close enough for most of their animals to sniff their hands and enjoy a chin scratch. We're going for mellow, well handled animals since we aren't working with the best facilities just starting out. She doesn't do it every time I go out there, I've just noticed it 3 or 4 times since getting her home. Would you still be heavy handed with her if she snaps out of it as soon as she recognizes me? Honestly I haven't noticed if the dogs were right behind me when I get to her. She's on about a 1/4 of an acre, once she calves she'll go out with the other girls on about 8 acres. We kept her back because she's not bangs vaccinated, we figured calve her out, then take her by the vet on the way to the other pasture. She's a nice looking heifer so I didn't want to pass on her just because of the bangs.
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Gotcha. Except I suspect what you mean by commercial is an extremely large herd.

I had a cow that behaved similar to yours but she was born & raised on this ranch (got her BANGS at 11 months BTW). No problem with her vision from IBR, vitamin deficiency, etc. & never treated her for pinkeye, which can leave a scar/partially obscured vision. Girlfriend started giving me the low head snort, quite often sideways, when she was probably 2. And yes, right around when she calved as a first calf heifer. But was actually pretty chill when she calved and would practically maul me for cubes, loved getting petted/scratched. I just learned that coming up on her - from any direction - I had to talk to her and make my presence known. But otherwise a good cow? That's subjective. Finally sold her when she was 4 because I didn't want to always have to be on high alert & 100% aware of my surroundings. Oh, and NO dogs have ever been allowed in the pastures or anywhere near the cattle (because they're Labs and cattle don't get the whole "will you be my friend?!" thing).

Trust your gut!!! I'm just saying, you initially posted because you felt something wasn't right. And hopefully, time and acclimation to her new surroundings will eliminate her sometimes snorty behavior. But seriously, trust your gut and be aware.
 
Thank you everyone for responding, I'll just keep a close eye on her until she calves and note any change in her disposition if there is any.

Farmer
 
Pnw Farmer said:
Thanks Jan, my understanding was that they could be vaccinated after a year but it can only be done after a blood panel has been done. I believe Washington and Idaho require it for an animal to be sold as breeding stock, not as a slaughter animal. (Hopefully somebody who knows this topic could pitch in) Our vet has never shown much concern for having that vaccination either, he doesn't administer it to his heifers. His animals always get buried on the place though from old age. Can checking her eyesight be done with just a simple hand by the eyes blinking reaction? I know it wouldn't gauge poor sight but it'd definitely rule out blindness correct?

Lee, I'm not afraid to cull an animal out if given a reason, I didn't know if a couple snorts for a split second was considered reason enough. The animals don't have line of sight to where we approach them at, It's an old farm with several pieces of dead machinery that we come around to the animals. Its always happened on first approach and as soon as she hears me talk she relaxes. When we looked at her before buying her she was in the middle of a 5-6 acre pasture and we walked within a couple feet of her. She didn't mind us at all. I just want to be sure I'm not causing her to react that way by surprise or something, not just blame the heifer. As I mentioned originally, I'm a farmer, not a rancher so this is new to me. I move slow, speak calmly and try to make sure I'm aware of the animal's behavior.

Thanks again everyone.
Farmer
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This is just part of the information concerning vaccinating for brucellosis in Oregon. I have always vaccinated
heifers I planned to keep. When we were running dairy cows not all were vaccinated, but the milk is tested for
brucellosis at intervals. I know of one rancher in the area that had brucellosis in his herd of beef cows more than
once. I always viewed it as an inexpensive precaution. I was not familiar with the "mature vaccination" or the
"adult vaccination".

OFFICIAL CALFHOOD VACCINATION PROCEDURE
Official calfhood vaccination may only be performed by an accredited veterinarian on female cattle and
bison when more than 4 months of age and less than 12 months of age.

OREGON MATURE VACCINATION PROCEDURE
Oregon regulations allow healthy females of breeding age, which were not vaccinated as calves, to be
vaccinated for brucellosis after twelve months of age. The USDA does not recognize Mature Vaccination
as "official vaccination", and many states will not accept mature vaccinated cattle. Before sending
mature vaccinated cattle interstate, check with the state of destination to determine their policy on
mature vaccinates.
Note: Adult vaccination is an official USDA term and refers to vaccination of a brucellosis infected or
exposed herd. It is important to use the term "Mature Vaccination" when dealing with normal vaccination
of cattle over twelve months of age.
 
Son of Butch said:
What's her 1st strike?
All she did was snort when he approached and then, after he started talking to her, came over and allowed him to scratch her chin.
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Snorting at the owner . Strike one for me may be ball four for you . Different umpires have different strike zones . I'm too old and can't move like I use to , to climb a fence .
 
Glad to see the "rules" for Bangs vacc. If I am not mistaken, a "mature Vacc" animal will always show up as a positive... and I know that both Conn., and Va do not allow mature Vacc. I worked with dairies in both CT when I was living there, and as a milk tester here in Va for over 30 years. Each state has their "age limits" like @Jeanne - Simme Valley in NY and if I can remember back that far I think CT was also 4-8 months or something. Anyone showing cattle here has the calves done at 4-12 months... most do it at 4-6 months for ease of handling... I just think it is good practice... and then my calves can go anywhere in the US if it came to that. Not that they are anything other than "mutts".... but the tattoo has saved us with identification several different times over the years... and having the vacc papers has been able to prove our ownership when heifers have "mysteriously" wound up in other fields with an adjoining neighbors cattle... yep... stopped some from being "sold by mistake" because we could prove they were ours with the papers and that we had not sold them previously... I keep good records...works good with unscrupulous adjoining neighbor farmers.... because they can cut the tags out but they cannot take the tattoos out... and a couple were too stupid to realize that a tag was indication of more ID inside the ear....
Don't get me wrong, not all our calves get bangs... sometimes the age gets away from us, especially the last 2-3 years with my ankle then knee replacements, elder family problems and not keeping up with some things as other things became more pressing. Hoping to get back to more normal routines this year. And by calves I am referring to the heifers....
 
I think you explained her "snortyness" with the fact that she is in surroundings that do not allow her to see who/what is coming up on her... If she responds to your voice and is fine, she will probably be fine... just give a whistle or something when you come around the pieces of "junk" equipment... next time scrap metal is up, might be the time to cash in on them anyways....
 
I'd also like to welcome you to the forum. You mentioned scratching the heifer under the chin. I wanted to offer a word of caution. Be careful with making pets out of your cattle. They're much larger than you are, so it's pretty easy for them to hurt you without meaning to.

Cows aren't as bad as bulls, but I still want them to move away when I walk toward them. I don't want them to throw up their tail and run, just calmly move out of the way.
 
coachg said:
Snorting at the owner . Strike one for me may be ball four for you . Different umpires have different strike zones . I'm too old and can't move like I use to , to climb a fence .
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He wasn't in the pen and she calmed down when she recognized him.
I think you might be imaging a different scenario, even though he stated she has never given him any reason for concern the times he has been in the pen with her.

I'd save my 1st strike for a serious offense, like if she crapped on my shoe when behind her in the chute. :)
 

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