Tagging the babies

[HybridMike]

Howdy Folks,

Not new here but I usually just lurk. I'm 65 now with a bad back. Wife and son don't want me doing stupid stuff. This would include trying to rope a calf and tagging in open pasture. I've been looking into getting a calf catcher of some sort. Only know of two brands. Don't like the price on one and the other doesn't look as durable. What are the thoughts out there on these contraptions? I'd be using with a Gator.

 

[Warren Allison]

Howdy Folks,

Not new here but I usually just lurk. I'm 65 now with a bad back. Wife and son don't want me doing stupid stuff. This would include trying to rope a calf and tagging in open pasture. I've been looking into getting a calf catcher of some sort. Only know of two brands. Don't like the price on one and the other doesn't look as durable. What are the thoughts out there on these contraptions? I'd be using with a Gator.

Can wife or son tag him after you rope him?

 

[kenny thomas]

Catch them when they are born. No roping or calf catcher needed.

 

[gcreekrch]

Catch them when they are born. No roping or calf catcher needed.

Yes, still wet or barely dried off is best time. I don't leave the quad for rank ones, just set the calf on his butt on the foot rest. 25 to 40 a day for first two weeks and trickles off after that.

 

[kenny thomas]

Yes, still wet or barely dried off is best time. I don't leave the quad for rank ones, just set the calf on his butt on the foot rest. 25 to 40 a day for first two weeks and trickles off after that.

Be brave.

 

[gcreekrch]

Be brave.

I are, as long as my quad within reach!

 

[Brute 23]

Do the calves have to be tagged early or can it be done at a later date when the cattle are gathered?

Quite a few of us on here are gathering cows when the calves are in the 3 month range and working the calves through working pens. They can be matched up at that point also.

 

[kenny thomas]

I are, as long as my quad within reach!

I can still remember a cow from 15 years ago. I checked them at night after work so most times it was dark. She was a Brahama cross cow i had owned for years . I caught her calf to band it and she went nuts. She would get so close i could feel her hot breath on my face as she bellowed. I was tougher then so just kept working. Since then a couple have made me wait. They got sold.

 

[gcreekrch]

Do the calves have to be tagged early or can it be done at a later date when the cattle are gathered?

Quite a few of us on here are gathering cows when the calves are in the 3 month range and working the calves through working pens. They can be matched up at that point also.

When there are 6 people checking cows at calving time it is simpler to have tagged calves. 'That black one" looked sick in a bunch of black calves is not specific enough for me. Most of them leave for grass within a day or three of branding and no time to match all the numbers. Also, at weaning there is no checking books to see who raised a good heifer you might keep or who raised a dink when they are going down the alley.
So far it is the most efficient way for us.

 

[GoWyo]

Howdy Folks,

Not new here but I usually just lurk. I'm 65 now with a bad back. Wife and son don't want me doing stupid stuff. This would include trying to rope a calf and tagging in open pasture. I've been looking into getting a calf catcher of some sort. Only know of two brands. Don't like the price on one and the other doesn't look as durable. What are the thoughts out there on these contraptions? I'd be using with a Gator.

Get a calf hook and tag within a day or two of calving if possible. Wait til they are taking a nap and put the sneak on them. I had a bunch with puffy ears from frost bite last spring so didn't tag them because it just makes the frostbite injury worse. Finally got them when they were about a month old and their ears healed up. Was a pain in the rear because they were getting big and strong and hard to handle.

 

[Brute 23]

When there are 6 people checking cows at calving time it is simpler to have tagged calves. 'That black one" looked sick in a bunch of black calves is not specific enough for me. Most of them leave for grass within a day or three of branding and no time to match all the numbers. Also, at weaning there is no checking books to see who raised a good heifer you might keep or who raised a dink when they are going down the alley.
So far it is the most efficient way for us.

Not every one has to operate like that.

If the OP has rhe option to work them when they avg 350ish there is no wondering who raised what at weaning. You know who is who's in how ever long it takes you to work them. They match up pretty quick.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

We used to wait and tag them at weaning but I had trouble figuring out who belonged to who so a couple weeks before they would wean I would color code them by putting spray paint on their butt so I can tell whose was who.
That was a p i t a, so now we do them at birth or soon as we can catch them.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I've never had any luck matching cows and calves up as they get older. Only way for me to knows who's who's is at birth.

 

[TCRanch]

I tag, give Inforce 3 and a First Defense bolus (or sometimes gel) day 1. By myself. But I also have docile cows and they know the routine.

As far as a calf catcher, I know a few people around here that had them but eventually sold them (or they're sitting in a workshop gathering dust) because our terrain is just too rocky & hilly. From videos I've seen, they would work great in a flat, open space.

I do have a calf catch pole that I have used to catch an older calf but requires 2 people (in my world).

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[Dave]

We tag them at as soon as we can. They all get hauled over to the summer range in mid April. Some of the calves are pretty young. There is no corral over there to hold them so pairs have to go over at the same time. It takes multiple trips with a small fleet of stock trailer. We open all the trailer doors at the same time so cows and calves can find each other as they head for the hills.

 

[CowboyRam]

I try to tag mine not long after they hit the ground. That's if the mama will let me near them; I try to take a mental note of those that I can't tag and hope I get get them later. Last spring very few got tagged until they got branded; we just had to much snow and I can't run very fast in the 8" of snow.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I understand what you are asking/needing. I've seen those calf catchers and they do look handy. Another option I have seen is take a round bale feeder on the front end of a tractor and set it down over the calf. Cow can't get to you and calf can't get away.
But, like many said, you need to do it as soon as possible after birth or you won't catch the calf!! LOL
Most all my cows calve in pens in the barn, so calf is processed shortly after birth. Generally, put cow OUT of the pen to process calf. So, I'm not much help on processing them out in the open.

 

[Travlr]

We used to wait and tag them at weaning but I had trouble figuring out who belonged to who so a couple weeks before they would wean I would color code them by putting spray paint on their butt so I can tell whose was who.
That was a p i t a, so now we do them at birth or soon as we can catch them.

I used a paint ball gun one year. It was fun but ultimately more work and took too much time... and because the color wore off too quickly.

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Well that beats the heck out of seeing them on their mama and then trying to run them down with a spray can.

 

[puzzled in oregon]

I try to tag mine not long after they hit the ground. That's if the mama will let me near them; I try to take a mental note of those that I can't tag and hope I get get them later. Last spring very few got tagged until they got branded; we just had to much snow and I can't run very fast in the 8" of snow.

Have you tried snow shoes