A good day to run black cattle

[Soapweed]

With our six inches of snow yesterday and another couple
inches during the night, the ground was sure white this morning.
We didn't have much wind, so the snow was level with no bare
ground showing. The sun came out bright and warm, and the
temperature got up to at least 47 degrees. I was thankful to be
running black cattle with black udders, because sunburned teats
could sure have been a problem otherwise.

My dad always insisted that we spread the hay in pretty small
piles most of the time, and if a big glob fell off the haysled,
we always stopped and scattered it out with our pitchforks.
This rule always applied, except for bright melting days with
snow on the ground such as today. On this type of day, we
were to feed the hay in as big of piles as possible so the
Hereford cows with their white udders could stand on hay
and possibly avoid getting sunburned. When their teats
were sore, cracked and hurting, those cows would not let
the calves suck. Then we had to catch the problem cows,
tie one foot back, grease their teats, and make sure the
calf sucked. The calves would be timid and hard to
convince, because they had been kicked so many times.
I really don't miss those days. :roll:

Black cattle enjoying hay

No bare ground, but no bears around :wink:

Black calf and white snow

Time on my hands and not much on my mind

Brady and one of his broncs

Giving the evil eye

Cowpoke portrait

Brady in blue

Water going out the overflow--a good sign

Ducks on the pond

Snow and open water--a rarity

Goose on the loose

 

[Shortgrass]

I'm happy for ya. All that moisture & No sunburned bags~! win win

 

[gcreekrch]

My My aren't we feeling chipper today. :lol: :lol:

Those calf kickin' cows are remedied with a piece of 1/2 inch poly rope, two bowlines around the ankles and about 8 inches between the knots.

Leave on til the bag heals up or the legs fall off.

 

[Soapweed]

My My aren't we feeling chipper today. :lol: :lol:

Those calf kickin' cows are remedied with a piece of 1/2 inch poly rope, two bowlines around the ankles and about 8 inches between the knots.

Leave on til the bag heals up or the legs fall off.

Yes, but you have to catch them to administer the rope, and there lies the time-consuming unfun problem. :wink:

 

[leanin' H]

On my little outfit i have a stout cedar snubbin' post in the center of my "problem pen". When i have to work on an old sister solo, i dab a loop on and take a couple of wraps. If she is a real bonehead she gets choked down a little, but most cows give up when they get snubbed up close to the post. Then i install a good halter and tie her hard and remove the lariat. Then said lasso is used to catch a hind leg and i can install hobbles as needed. As a one man show with out any friends (wo is me, boo hoo) a guts gotta do what a guys gotta do! :wink: The above is a bit tougher when done a horseback in the middle of a winter range, but most of the time i can bribe stupid people into helpin'. Anyway Soap, nice pics of nice black cattle and congrats or condolences on the snow?

 

[gcreekrch]

My My aren't we feeling chipper today. :lol: :lol:

Those calf kickin' cows are remedied with a piece of 1/2 inch poly rope, two bowlines around the ankles and about 8 inches between the knots.

Leave on til the bag heals up or the legs fall off.

Yes, but you have to catch them to administer the rope, and there lies the time-consuming unfun problem. :wink:

You only have to do it once, next year somebody else can. 8) :wink:

 

[Northern Rancher]

Tut,Tut, Tut blaming a whole breed because your silly enough to calve in the snow-I'll breed a couple hundred EXT's to calve in March and watch the fun start when there's help needed. We both know a black baldie cow is a better cow than purebred individuals of her parent breeds. Good tight well attached Hereford udders don't sunburn. If your poor old Daddy would of been running some of them EXT cattle he might not of lived long enough to sire you. Just be thankful he had some Hereford cattle around to pay the bills as you grew up lol.

 

[SMN Herf]

NR I agree, We had a foot of snow here last Thursday, I have a lot of pairs out in the snow and I haven't had 1 cow that has a sunburnt udder. Properly attached udderes do make a BIG difference.

 

[Soapweed]

Tut,Tut, Tut blaming a whole breed because your silly enough to calve in the snow-I'll breed a couple hundred EXT's to calve in March and watch the fun start when there's help needed. We both know a black baldie cow is a better cow than purebred individuals of her parent breeds. Good tight well attached Hereford udders don't sunburn. If your poor old Daddy would of been running some of them EXT cattle he might not of lived long enough to sire you. Just be thankful he had some Hereford cattle around to pay the bills as you grew up lol.

Heck, I've seen it snow in this country in June and I've seen it snow in September. I'll be darned if I am going to calve in July and August to get away from calving in the snow.

Some of us have had bad experiences with EXT Angus, and some of us have had bad experiences with Herefords. Our past trials and tribulations tend to form us into the "authorities" that we become in our older age. :wink:

 

[Triangle Bar]

Soapweed I'm glad to see your getting a good dose of moisture. That'll green up your pastures.

Better get you & Brady some sunglasses or you might go snow blind. :wink:

 

[Northern Rancher]

Awww laddie but it always snows in february and march-if your going to preach from the Angus pulpit don't be surprised if a Hereford man gives it a kick once in awhile. The converted are always the most zealous lol.

 

[Soapweed]

Awww laddie but it always snows in february and march-if your going to preach from the Angus pulpit don't be surprised if a Hereford man gives it a kick once in awhile. The converted are always the most zealous lol.

In all honesty, I was glad our big runs were over when this past storm was on its way. It didn't turn out as bad as they predicted, and we only got a few calves the past couple days. Now it is muddy. At least when we were calving hard, the ground was frozen. Sometimes that is easier to cope with.

So far, in this country, summer pasture rates are not based on the size of the cow or her calf. Since I put out quite a few pairs for summer pasture, it is to my advantage to have a pretty big calf at the cow's side, to help her eat the grass for which I am paying. :wink:

 

[Northern Rancher]

Yes mud is the worst-I see we have an early arrival out there with no cow near-we'll see if he got picked up in the nite-he's licked off.

 

[Silver]

Funny... I've never seen this sunburned udder problem.... 90% of our cows have white haired udders too. I'da thought if it were a problem, I'd see it here in the great white north. Maybe herefords are just more prone than other fair skinned animals? Interesting stuff.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Funny... I've never seen this sunburned udder problem.... 90% of our cows have white haired udders too. I'da thought if it were a problem, I'd see it here in the great white north. Maybe herefords are just more prone than other fair skinned animals? Interesting stuff.

ITts the angle of the sun. :cowboy:

 

[Silver]

Funny... I've never seen this sunburned udder problem.... 90% of our cows have white haired udders too. I'da thought if it were a problem, I'd see it here in the great white north. Maybe herefords are just more prone than other fair skinned animals? Interesting stuff.

ITts the angle of the sun. :cowboy:

I was thinking maybe herefords spend more time on their backs :shock:

 

[Soapweed]

On prom night of my senior year in 1970, there were about a dozen couples that were invited to supper before the dance. This event was hosted by one of the senior's parents, and the other parents were also invited to attend. I thought my parents were "cool" 8) because they didn't come to check up on their wayward son, but my uncle and his wife were there. Some of the parents were talking ranch talk.

In those days, probable 90 percent of the Sandhills cattle population was still Hereford, but cross-breeding was fast coming into play. There had been a spring storm a month or so previous, and a lot of Herefords had the usual sunburned udders. My uncle was lamenting that fact and mentioned to one of the other ranchers that as a result he had several bum calves. This other rancher ran a lot more cattle than my uncle or my dad did, and they were all Herefords. This rancher's wife looked over at him and said, "We don't have any bum calves do we, George?" George replied with a wry grin, "Not anymore." :roll: :wink:

 

[WyomingRancher]

I select for pigmented udders, and most of my cattle are black. Sunburned bags can be a problem, but windburn can affect all bags.

 

[Northern Rancher]

You know Silver we have Herefords, snow and sun here too-never heard many complaints about this problem up in our neck of the woods. Maybe we just selected for better udders-problem solved!!!

 

[Shelly]

I don't know what a sunburned bag looks like, and we ran Simmentals and Herefords for many, many years. Most of them were not pigmented.