Some random pics from today

[jilleroo]

Don't forget it's winter here Downunder, hence the woolly coats. Our cows are all commercial cows and the calves are multi-sired by charolais and charbray bulls. We do not control mate. Some calves are ready to wean, as you can see. I've tried to get the pics the right size, but if not, someone cleverer may help me out please....

This little crossbred cow has a super calf!

Will do a round of weaning next month

Some girls with smaller calves relaxing

 

[KNERSIE]

very good calves!

 

[wbvs58]

Great looking cattle Jilleroo, some of those calves are spectacular and the cows are holding up in condition pretty good too. How far west are you?
I was tossing up between Angus and Charolais cattle when I first stocked this place, but because I would be away a lot at first and sometimes they would have to calve unsupervised I went with Angus and am very happy with my cattle. However good looking Charolais like yours always get my attention and admiration.
Ken

 

[3waycross]

Jilleroo
Do you leave all your bull calves intact until they are weaned. Also at what age do you try to wean. Some of those boys look to be close to 9 or 10 months old.

 

[hillsdown]

Great looking group ,your calves look fantastic !

 

[slick4591]

Very nice!

 

[texast]

Hey, really great looking cattle!! Those are some big calves you have there. Do you ever have issues with brown snakes and tiger snakes?

 

[Australian]

Cattle look great. Cool and wet at our place. Can you do with a drop of rain?

 

[Suzie Q]

The grass could also be brown from frosts at this time of year. Rain won't help until the temps warm up a bit.

The land also looks very flat there Jillaroo!!!!

 

[cow pollinater]

Glad to see those white cows performing for you under those conditions! Over here we look at chars as a terminal cross only but it looks like your cows get it done on their side as well.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[jilleroo]

I don't know how I got two threads on here, must try and nuke one of them if I can.
Ken, we are Longreach/Winton area. Suzi, we don't really get much frost here at all, maybe one or two a year. This is our dry season - we're green in the wet season and hayed-off from about May through to whenever it decides to drop a decent shower or two on us in spring (or sometimes not at all!) Unless its two or three inches, we don't want rain now. Our feed is actually pretty good for the time of year, especially as we didnt have the big rainfall that many places did.
We have to be flexible with our weaning - it all depends on the season. We did a branding late January and most of those calves need weaning pronto. Some cattle need to be shuffled around to make room before we can start, plus we're doing water infrastructure work at present. I'm all fidgety and impatient but we need to get a week clear so that we can keep going once we begin. Doing officework today, supposedly, which is why I'm on here!!
None of our cattle go live export but the recent ban has thrown a spanner in the works for all producers. Any agistment we had our eye on needs to be tied up before the wave of cattle hits from up north. Feedlotters are being barraged with phonecalls offering big mobs, no doubt at reduced prices. It's going to affect everyone in some way or another.
Jeanne, the red calf in the photo would've been born since Jan - that's why he's a cleanskin. We cut the bull calves at branding.
Because we don't control mate, the weaned calves would have a spread in ages from 7 to sometimes even 12 months (which means they can have a sibling.) Luckily though they seem to be born in batches and most get taken off around 8-9 months old.
If the cows are going off, we wean down to 5-6 months.
Texast, there are plenty of snakes around but they're not an issue. I guess we lose the odd beast to them. Calves will follow a big snake around. Last year, I shot a big fella some were following and they camped around him the rest of the day, sillibillies! Our cattle are our sole source of income and we think having charolais has helped make us viable - although when they're shedding their coats and covered in lice later in winter, we really might wonder why we have them!

 

[wbvs58]

Jilleroo, I worked the summer of 73/74 jackerooing on Lorraine Station between Winton and Longreach, I loved every minute of it. There was not a cow on the place at the time. A Collins St farmer had just bought the place, he immediately employed a fencer to start replacing some fallen down fences with ringlok and the first barb wire on the place on the top. A carpenter from town to extend the wool shed so the wool clip could be stored and my mate and I and the overseer to run the place and get things going again.
We started shearing in January, all wool was held over from that and subsequent shearings until wool price rose. I believe he sold that wool for what he paid for the station.
Fantastic property, fantastic country.
Ken

 

[jilleroo]

Ken, Lorraine was sold again in 79 and run as a sheep property for approximately 15 years. They also set it up as a tourist destination. Then it was bought by a big turnout who run angus cattle. There's never any spare grass on it and those cows have to work for a living. When you were at Lorraine, my husband wouldve been a jackeroo at Baratria just down the road.

 

[wbvs58]

Thanks for the info Jilleroo. I was only at Lorraine for 3 months then back to Uni. Rob Duncomber was the overseer there living in the homestead. We used to eat with Rob and his wife in the huge dining room. I can remember going to a couple of adjacent properties, Vindex and Drumlion and could possibly have gone to Baratria. I can remember having to go to a property accross the road to help fight a grass fire. Even though it was dry when we were there, the Mitchel grass was pretty good.
If it wasn't for having committed to a career, I think I would have been back out to that country, I just loved it.
Ken

 

[jilleroo]

Ken, I remember Rob Duncombe, a name from the past! Drumlion and Vindex have also changed ownership and are cattle places now. This country is all best suited to sheep to be honest, but we seem to turn off some fairly handy cattle most years. We used to have sheep too, usually running 12,000 but had over 20,000 only ten years ago. How times have changed, it's like a lifetime ago now. I do miss shearing time, the hustle and bustle, the smell of the wool, dipping the sheep etc. Still had our charolais though! Running sheep has become so expensive, cost of shearing, crutching etc. At least with only cattle we don't need to employ any outside labour at all!

 

[regenwether]

Great post! Love hearing stories from people. Just wonder what happen to the sheep herds? Was it the price of wool? I know here the meat is worth good money. Is there still a lot of people with sheep herds or have they all gone to cattle? Thank You.

Ron

 

[jilleroo]

Ron, there's not near as many sheep around now, hence the price of wool has improved greatly. Having said that, there are still some folk who stuck with sheep all the way and are now reaping the rewards. The burgeoning population of dingoes and wild dogs has forced a lot of people out of sheep, together with the escalating costs of shearing and crutching. Also, there's not many young people have come back home to the land in recent years, there's a lot less labour around. The mines in Central Queensland have attracted most of them and who can blame them. We're lucky to have one son who is running our northern country while the other is financially much better off in the mines! Cattle are much easier for the "old folk" to manage than sheep. You're not running around chasing flyblown sheep in the wet season or pulling them out of boggy ground. Mustering our quiet charolais cattle is a breeze compared to racing flat-tack through long grass trying to wheel the lead of 3,000 wethers intent on escape....and its hard to keep good sheepdogs alive because you're continually having to aerial bait for dingoes and pigs. Having said that, our eyes still light up at the sight and smell of a nice even mob of young woolly wethers!

 

[3waycross]

Ron, there's not near as many sheep around now, hence the price of wool has improved greatly. Having said that, there are still some folk who stuck with sheep all the way and are now reaping the rewards. The burgeoning population of dingoes and wild dogs has forced a lot of people out of sheep, together with the escalating costs of shearing and crutching. Also, there's not many young people have come back home to the land in recent years, there's a lot less labour around. The mines in Central Queensland have attracted most of them and who can blame them. We're lucky to have one son who is running our northern country while the other is financially much better off in the mines! Cattle are much easier for the "old folk" to manage than sheep. You're not running around chasing flyblown sheep in the wet season or pulling them out of boggy ground. Mustering our quiet charolais cattle is a breeze compared to racing flat-tack through long grass trying to wheel the lead of 3,000 wethers intent on escape....and its hard to keep good sheepdogs alive because you're continually having to aerial bait for dingoes and pigs. Having said that, our eyes still light up at the sight and smell of a nice even mob of young woolly wethers!

Wow! What a difference a Continent makes. There are a lot of sights and smells that make my eyes light up but (no offense) the smell of sheep is not one of them. On the other hand your cows do make me blink a bit :cowboy: