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Bad Branding Pictures

leanin' H

Well-known member
We worked our little bunch today. Weather has been a typical spring and every time we though about it the sky would change our mind. But today was a fine day. So with perfect weather and both of our parents out to help us we put some iron on some calves. We spent all evening last night looking for our camera. Still havent found the son of a gun. :???: So mom brought hers and every picture out of 58 looks like we were branding on the sun. :mad: Managed to screw around in editing and find 4 pictures to show ya'll. Dragging a beef to Soapweed inspired branding apparatus.
DSCN09801.jpg


This year we penned the calves in a panel corral making the drag longer. Next year there will be a completed working corral around our gizmo making life easier. Today we learned a lot and have a couple alterations to do. My duckbill vicegrips need to be 6 inches lower so they dont wear my rope out. And my roping skills were pretty rusty thanks to shoulder surgery and being unable to rope for the last 6 months. But we got them all worked. :D Left our two best bull calves bulls. Just didnt have the heart to cut them. We've had quite a few neighbors express interest in buying a bull or two. Guess ya gotta start somewhere eh? :D My Mother-in-law had her camera and hopefully her pictures turn out better.
DSCN09811.jpg


We had the biggest calf escape early on. He hung around the perimeter a while till he got where we could trap him. Somebody thought it would be a good idea to just dab a loop on him while a foot, snub him to a tie and work him right where we trapped him! :shock: Next time I have a great idea like that, would one of ya'll slap me up side the noggin? He is a tank and like to knocked the stuffin out of me. But we managed to work him. Thanks Dad and Dad-in-law and wife! :D
DSCN0986.jpg


After the calves were marked and vaccinated, we ran the cows through the chute for pour on, shots and tagging. Had a couple I had to re-ink and a couple to replace. Sorry for the horrible pictures. I hope we find our camera soon. Thanks again Soap for the gizmo idea! Sure made some belivers out of us after using it today. The one calf we didnt use it was tougher than all the rest combined. And it's our first try with it. Hope to get better as we go.
DSCN0992.jpg
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
You had me sweating blood when I read your title, Leanin' H. I thought the "bad branding pictures" were of a bad branding, made bad because you used our gizmo idea. Whew,........now I can breathe normally again. :oops: :wink:

A little suggestion, if you redo the gizmo, use C-clamp vice-grips and make bigger plates to go with the rubber belting. Our plates are 4" x 5". With good thick belting bolted on (with carriage bolts), it isn't hard on our ropes at all.
 

burnt

Well-known member
Gee leanin'H, why do all your pictures look like you were branding on the sun? :wink: :)

So you left a couple of bulls. Well, I might wish I had left a couple too. But I put bands on everything so far. And a couple of them were mighty square, well set little rascals too. And you can always cut them later if you change your mind but I can't do much to make mine into whole boys again . . . :?
 

Dylan Biggs

Well-known member
Leanin H, thanks for the pics.

Calves that size make you work a bit harder that's for sure. My Grandpa calved in April and used Charolais bulls and would wait till August to brand. He used a table the teenage grandsons got to push those calves up. We would get all suited up with shin pads and cans cause we were in for a real thrashing when those calves got upset. After pushing 140 of them up to the table you knew you had done a days work. It helped us learn how to keep the calves calm though. You didn't want to pick a fight just for the fun of it.

Glad to see your clamp got the job done.
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
Thanks ya'll! I am glad ya arent saying "My those are tiny calves"! :wink: We like to think we know what we are doing but it's always nice when someone else reaffirms our thinking. On a side note, we sold our goats yesterday too! :D :D :D :D :D The Leanin' H Outfit is offically goat free as of 5-8-2010!!!! :D The kids decided, with Dad's approval, that a couple of rabbits are needed on our place. Pretty great trade.....2 goats for two rabbits!!! :wink: We made a lot of money on the goats. Paid $45 each as youngsters, kept them a year and got $50 each when they left. :D (I would'a paid $50 each to get someone to take them. Good thing the kids did the ne"goat"ciating with the buyer)
 

Justin

Well-known member
leanin' H said:
Thanks ya'll! I am glad ya arent saying "My those are tiny calves"! :wink: We like to think we know what we are doing but it's always nice when someone else reaffirms our thinking. On a side note, we sold our goats yesterday too! :D :D :D :D :D The Leanin' H Outfit is offically goat free as of 5-8-2010!!!! :D The kids decided, with Dad's approval, that a couple of rabbits are needed on our place. Pretty great trade.....2 goats for two rabbits!!! :wink: We made a lot of money on the goats. Paid $45 each as youngsters, kept them a year and got $50 each when they left. :D (I would'a paid $50 each to get someone to take them. Good thing the kids did the ne"goat"ciating with the buyer)

before gcreek, BMR, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:
 

per

Well-known member
Justin said:
leanin' H said:
Thanks ya'll! I am glad ya arent saying "My those are tiny calves"! :wink: We like to think we know what we are doing but it's always nice when someone else reaffirms our thinking. On a side note, we sold our goats yesterday too! :D :D :D :D :D The Leanin' H Outfit is offically goat free as of 5-8-2010!!!! :D The kids decided, with Dad's approval, that a couple of rabbits are needed on our place. Pretty great trade.....2 goats for two rabbits!!! :wink: We made a lot of money on the goats. Paid $45 each as youngsters, kept them a year and got $50 each when they left. :D (I would'a paid $50 each to get someone to take them. Good thing the kids did the ne"goat"ciating with the buyer)

before gcreek, BMR, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:
This does make you the goat king doesn't it. :???: :shock: :wink:
 

Justin

Well-known member
per said:
Justin said:
leanin' H said:
Thanks ya'll! I am glad ya arent saying "My those are tiny calves"! :wink: We like to think we know what we are doing but it's always nice when someone else reaffirms our thinking. On a side note, we sold our goats yesterday too! :D :D :D :D :D The Leanin' H Outfit is offically goat free as of 5-8-2010!!!! :D The kids decided, with Dad's approval, that a couple of rabbits are needed on our place. Pretty great trade.....2 goats for two rabbits!!! :wink: We made a lot of money on the goats. Paid $45 each as youngsters, kept them a year and got $50 each when they left. :D (I would'a paid $50 each to get someone to take them. Good thing the kids did the ne"goat"ciating with the buyer)

before gcreek, BMR, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:
This does make you the goat king doesn't it. :???: :shock: :wink:

EDITED: before gcreek, BMR, PER, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:

i knew that was comin', thanks per :x :wink:
 

per

Well-known member
Justin said:
per said:
Justin said:
before gcreek, BMR, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:
This does make you the goat king doesn't it. :???: :shock: :wink:

EDITED: before gcreek, BMR, PER, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:

i knew that was comin', thanks per :x :wink:
BMR is up to his ears in mud calving and such, gcreek is recovering from 2 days in town after a long winter so I had to step up to the plate. It's the least I could do for them. :roll:
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
per said:
Justin said:
per said:
This does make you the goat king doesn't it. :???: :shock: :wink:

EDITED: before gcreek, BMR, PER, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:

i knew that was comin', thanks per :x :wink:
BMR is up to his ears in mud calving and such, gcreek is recovering from 2 days in town after a long winter so I had to step up to the plate. It's the least I could do for them. :roll:

Gcreek and I knew we could count on you to pull your weight. :wink: :lol: :lol:
 

hillsdown

Well-known member
Big Muddy rancher said:
per said:
Justin said:
EDITED: before gcreek, BMR, PER, or some other smart ass asks.........NO, i didn't buy H's goats. :lol:

i knew that was comin', thanks per :x :wink:
BMR is up to his ears in mud calving and such, gcreek is recovering from 2 days in town after a long winter so I had to step up to the plate. It's the least I could do for them. :roll:

Gcreek and I knew we could count on you to pull your weight. :wink: :lol: :lol:

:lol: :lol: :p

H that sound like my sheep adventure a few years ago, I paid 125 each for ewes with two lambs on them. Sold them in the fall after running out of pasture for them and feeding them expensive hay, for 50 dollars each .After counting my expenses and the loss of a lamb due to it ending up head first in a hole, I was only out about 75 dollars. Thus the end of having sheep here, ever again.
 

hillsdown

Well-known member
FH I am sure I would find a way to lose my shirt on them and kill a few by accident as well. :???:

Although miniature longhorns cannot possibly be as stupid as sheep, can they.. :roll:
 

leanin' H

Well-known member
I am very proud of PER for pointing out that Justin is the Goat King of south western central South Dakota and indeed, all of rancherdom! :D :D I hate to kick a guy when he's down but it's so handy as he's right there by my foot! :D
 
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