tagging babies

[msscamp]

Just keep the calf between you and her.

Works real good in theory, but isn't worth a flip in reality. I've seen cows go over the calf to get to the person holding it, as well as head butt over the calf. A gate works a helluva lot better! Even then, there is no guarantee.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Anybody would have tried to tag one of kids and my wife would have charged them. should i have culled her? Alot of times it is not as much trouble to tag on day two as day one. If she ain't happy today let her alone till later.

 

[angus9259]

I drop a hay feeder over the calf and work in safety right after birth. Everyone (even the cow) seems to prefer it.

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

2 things to consider:

- yes, working with your cows/heifers daily so that they know that you are regularly in the pasture will help

- the other, think beefmasters (gentler disposition)

I tag all of ours - usually solo - within the first 24 hours of birth and all it takes is a flake of hay about 20 feet from the calf that the cow/heifer tends to while I take my 45 seconds to iodine (betadine) the navel cord, TSV-2 shot in the nose, Bo-Se shot sub-q, and tag in the ear.

 

[rockridgecattle]

most times we separate the cow and the calf when tagging. We tag withing 24 hours after birth as well. If we can not separate the two, then there are two people tagging. One with a stick as a guard and one doing the tagging. I've been beaten by cow this past season to the point of black and blue from head to toe and a hoof print on my butt. I will never take the chance again with a cow and calf. Not worth the risk I believe the cow entered the food chain back in August.

 

[rockridgecattle]

We take the iodine spray bottle and spray the cow in the nose with some. They get busy licking their nose. If we get one that goes completely nuts and doesn't bluff nor stops after a couple of shots of iodine we ship them.
You might have had some dogs or coyotes go through and stirred up the momma cows. Not sure just a guess.

If I were you I would run the cow giving birth into a barn with pens. Put her in and let her have the calf in there. After she has mothered up, turn her out to water and shut the door with you inside with the calf. Tag the calf then let mom back in to collect the calf and watch them walk away.

Good way to get you some navel ill in the calves there.

We calve early spring and pen the animals for mothering up. We have no problems with navel ill. The key is clean dry bedding at all times. Pair are in the barn for less than 24 hours, prefer 6-12 hours. Pens are cleaned with each pair moving out.
We did have a year where navel ill was prevelant. That was because we did not increase our calving area when we increased the cow herd. There was not enough room for them all and the only clean place was the barn. It was a wet cold spring that year.

 

[nap]

I have gone through this with over protective moms many times. My wife has driven a pickup or utility vehicle with me in the passenger seat trying to get between mom and calf. I would grab the calf and pull into it in the front seat with us. Usually this is a last resort measure for a calf that isn't nursing. I have also picked up a calf parked near an electric fence and thrown the calf over the fence. Sometime stops mom sometimes doesn't. Finally, I have taken a cattle prod with me when trying to separate a calf from mom. Make sure you have good batteries! There is a lot to be said for breeding for temperment.

 

[luckefarm]

the absolute safest way i have worked on calves in a pasture or field is like angus9259 said drop a sturdy round bale feeder over the calf with the tractor. crawl in and do your work calmly and safely. i wear an old army jacket with a lot of pockets and keep everything i ever need in there.

 

[cypressfarms]

I like the idea of putting a hay ring around the calf.

I always tag at birth or close to it. I've culled very good cows (one last year that broke my heart) because they wouldn't let me tag the calf. There is no cow on earth worth me getting trampled over.

Having said that, I have been known to wait until the calf is a day or two old and sleeping in the sun, while mama is grazing. I walk up with a bander in one pocket and a tagger in the other. Before the moma can come running to the baby, it's all over. For the record, half of my herd is brangus, the other half is beefmaster. I've NEVER had a problem with a beefmaster cow getting huffy on me.

 

[dun]

I like the idea of putting a hay ring around the calf.

I can;t figure out what the cow would be doing while you're manuevering the balering close enough to the calf to put it over it.

 

[cypressfarms]

I like the idea of putting a hay ring around the calf.

I can;t figure out what the cow would be doing while you're manuevering the balering close enough to the calf to put it over it.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Running away with the calf at full speed.

This would probably be something that you'd do with a newborn that hasn't got it's wits yet. Although the way the bulls, and some cows, push the bale rings around - I can't say i'd want to be in one. Kind of like the fool who goes into the shark tank underwater to feed great whites.

 

[CattleHand]

I agree with most Id do it in the chute and you dont have a problem. If you cant do that Ive seen people use their truck door and pull the calf in beween their legs. I dont know if the cow will come at you or not but the one time i saw it it worked. The cow stayed close and sniffed put wouldnt hit because the calf was in the way. And i suppose if she got aggressive you could jump into the truck. We dont tag the calves though so thats just my suggestion.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

I was tagging them when I saw them new on the ground. Stopped doing that 2 years ago when the momma,bull and the rest of the herd put me on top of a burn pile. Having said that I caught a new heifer calf alone born this morning and momma was far off so I tagged her. Momma never even saw me do it.

 

[msscamp]

Anybody would have tried to tag one of kids and my wife would have charged them. should i have culled her? Alot of times it is not as much trouble to tag on day two as day one. If she ain't happy today let her alone till later.

I'm not sure if this post is in response to mine or not, but where did I say she should be culled? I also fully agree with the practice of leaving her alone for a day or two as you have stated in your post.

 

[pdfangus]

I read all this with interest.

Not too many mentioned getting a birth weight.

I been tagging registered angus calves for thirty years.

In my youth I have been the tough guy would would back em down. I also been knocked on my keister and stomped on.

I tag every calf roughly 12 hours after it is born. Usually every afternoon after work. I do this riding thru the field on the tractor. I tag and weigh. I do not fool with newborn and wet calves. High stress time for cow. Young cows need a few hours to figure out what they are supposed to be doing.

Tag a calf from a heifer and drive her off in the process and have her not look back and you are raising a bottle calf. Give her twelve hours and she will not walk off.

I have put some emphasis on disposition on our cow herd for years. Our cows are very protective of the calves and will chase critters. but they know me and allow me to work the calves as long as I don't get everybody all riled up. slow and easy and don't give the calf a reason to bawl a lot and everything is okay. a bawling calf will get me surrounded by inquisitve mamas.

Now i am sixty. Needing surgery on my hand and can't catch calves. I bought one of those kalf catch hooks and really like it. Easy to catch the calf and when you have it caught it is still ten feet away and mama has a chance to assess the situation. I take a cow stick for self defense, but if you go to fighting a new mama you best be ready to win or lose cause one or the other is going to happen. I use the cow stick as a spacer. She is supposed to stay on one end of the stick and me on the other. five feet.

having caught, I walk up and throw calf and tie up feet. I usually want mama to give me five feet of room in this process. then I Let mama sniff while I go get tags and scales. when i walk back up I want my five feet of space again. tag and do what ever is needed and end up by weighing. I have two four foot pieces of pipe that plug together to make an eight foot pole and I hang the scale on one end and lift the calf to weigh. I might get killed by the first mama next year but I got thru this year tagging calves basically one handed.

a really tough cow wil get a check mark next to her name. We operate on a two strike policy. Two strikes and you are out.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

We calve everything in pens. Cows are REMOVED prior to handling the calf. Even the absolute sweethearts are removed.
I always thought the hayfeeder ring was a great idea for out in the pasture. Haven't used one, but I agree that it would have to be a newborn. We move our bale rings with the spear of the tractor, but I wouldn't want to be chasing one!!
I occasionally have a slip up, and have one born outside. I usually get a roll of polywire & tie it off & use it to push mom so calf is on one side & dam is on other. Than I can safely handle the calf. (well, sort of safely - I do keep a close eye on her because I don't usually have the fence hot!)

 

[3waycross]

Well I hate to even say this but I know it works and when the chips are down it may be the only option.

POKE HER IN THE EYE. You won't have to do it twice.

Most of ours will just get in yer back pocket and blow some snot in yer ear, but when all else fails and they start shoving or worse it works REAL WELL.

Whoever said cows hate a coward was right they also don't respect one. Partner has an old cow who will go as soon as we wean, FINALLY. She laid him out cold last winter while feeding cuz he was near her calf from the year before. She got snorty like that with me once and got beat over the head with an axe handle. Guess who she leaves completely alone, and who she would still like to kill.

Bottom line is if they ain't there they can't kill you.

 

[novatech]

I agree with most Id do it in the chute and you dont have a problem. If you cant do that Ive seen people use their truck door and pull the calf in beween their legs. I dont know if the cow will come at you or not but the one time i saw it it worked. The cow stayed close and sniffed put wouldnt hit because the calf was in the way. And i suppose if she got aggressive you could jump into the truck. We dont tag the calves though so thats just my suggestion.

This is the same way I do it, more so than not. I take a helper, and get between them, pull the calf inside the cab and drive off. We then weigh and tag. With Brahmans I never take the risk as I may only get one chance to be wrong. A stick, club, or hotshot only means you have a fight that they would usually win.

 

[BeefmasterB]

My Brangus cows would get pretty mean when anyone got close to their newborn calves. That's why it didn't make much sense to attempt tagging them out in the field. I just ran the whole herd into the pens and controlled them with gates, separating the calves and tagging them all at one time. If your fast enough, and momma is off grazing - leaving the calf alone, you could get the job done in the field.