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Branding 2010

gcreekrch

Well-known member
WyomingRancher said:
Silver said:
Things are looking up down your way. Snow appears to be about gone, and the herd is looking great.
No shots of the branding itself, I assume you were pretty busy. What method do you use?

We used the table again this year. I'm starting to become a fan since I figured out to set the table in front of the chute, and use the chute to hold the waiting calves :wink: .

Using the table I could give the vaccines, and oversee the whole process...and for someone with a Type A personality, who prefers to manage cattle...not people, this was a BIG bonus :wink: :lol: . We averaged 50 head/hour.

In the past we've used Nordforks, and they've worked good as well. I just think the table is less stressful on calves, and takes fewer helpers. Either way works, just as long as it gets done right! :D


You're learning girl, you're learning. :wink:
 

Silver

Well-known member
gcreekrch said:
WyomingRancher said:
Silver said:
Things are looking up down your way. Snow appears to be about gone, and the herd is looking great.
No shots of the branding itself, I assume you were pretty busy. What method do you use?

We used the table again this year. I'm starting to become a fan since I figured out to set the table in front of the chute, and use the chute to hold the waiting calves :wink: .

Using the table I could give the vaccines, and oversee the whole process...and for someone with a Type A personality, who prefers to manage cattle...not people, this was a BIG bonus :wink: :lol: . We averaged 50 head/hour.

In the past we've used Nordforks, and they've worked good as well. I just think the table is less stressful on calves, and takes fewer helpers. Either way works, just as long as it gets done right! :D


You're learning girl, you're learning. :wink:

Ya, but I bet she didn't do it in gum boots and a scotch cap! :lol:
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Silver said:
gcreekrch said:
WyomingRancher said:
We used the table again this year. I'm starting to become a fan since I figured out to set the table in front of the chute, and use the chute to hold the waiting calves :wink: .

Using the table I could give the vaccines, and oversee the whole process...and for someone with a Type A personality, who prefers to manage cattle...not people, this was a BIG bonus :wink: :lol: . We averaged 50 head/hour.

In the past we've used Nordforks, and they've worked good as well. I just think the table is less stressful on calves, and takes fewer helpers. Either way works, just as long as it gets done right! :D


You're learning girl, you're learning. :wink:

Ya, but I bet she didn't do it in gum boots and a scotch cap! :lol:


Fashion's not important as long as it gets done right. :wink: :lol: :lol:
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
gcreekrch said:
Big Muddy rancher said:
Silver said:
Ya, but I bet she didn't do it in gum boots and a scotch cap! :lol:


Fashion's not important as long as it gets done right. :wink: :lol: :lol:

I thought that was fashion. :? :lol:

Actually I'm proud to say I threw out my old raggy sweatshirts last week, and replaced them with $5 ones from Walmart :wink: :D.

Yes, I am learning :D . We used to use the table, but I consistently got the crap kicked out of me, and it was a wrestling match UNTIL I accidentally figured out the squeeze chute trick when branding late calves one time. The calves don't seem to kick when you take four of them together at a time, and feed easily into the table.

If we had to brand a large amount of calves in a day, I would go with roping. With this herd though, this worked just fine. The best part is the small amount of help needed :wink: :D .

In a perfect situation, I would put 50 pairs/pasture as they calve and brand them by myself in groups...but I can't figure out a way to fence smaller pastures out so they all had good shelter, water, and adequate room. I just hate having to have help!
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
The only table I like a branding is a picnic table-I own half a share in one of those fancy schmancy calf roper tipping tables but it hasn't been in the yard for years. You keep the blue heelers and team ropers away from your branding it's usually a pretty low stress deal. On branding day that's all were doing-not in a hurry to get done and hook onto a cultivator. There's a group of us have branded together for years-it goes pretty smooth-we just set up panels on clean grass and have at it.
 

RSL

Well-known member
http://www.for-most.com/calf.html
This is our first capital purchase for handling facilities in a few years. Lack of neighbours to help have made it a necessity for us. The last one worked for 35 years or so, but was too dangerous and worn out to keep in operation. The nice thing is that it is self catch, so one guy can brand alone if they have to. That is a sad statement on the state of our rural neighbourhood, but it is the way things are. :cry: :cry:
 

High Plains

Well-known member
Heck, I'd come help you rope and drag, RSL, if you'll just feed me and pay the freight to get me there. That last part might be a deal-breaker. :shock:
 

RSL

Well-known member
There's lots of people who want to chase cows, but not many who want to handle them properly. I have been to a few of the other kind of branding and I think the chute works out cheaper than the beer for some of the outfits . :lol: :lol: :lol:
 

gcreekrch

Well-known member
RSL said:
There's lots of people who want to chase cows, but not many who want to handle them properly. I have been to a few of the other kind of branding and I think the chute works out cheaper than the beer for some of the outfits . :lol: :lol: :lol:

Agreed. The good help that I would accept help from is as busy as I am and all the other kind do is get p!$$ed up on free beer and make a mess of things.

I guess we can't all live in a perfect world where good help is at our beck and call and would even bring their own refreshments if you asked them to. :roll:
I try to managed this outfit as a business and not a playground. :wink:
 

Dylan Biggs

Well-known member
gcreekrch said:
RSL said:
There's lots of people who want to chase cows, but not many who want to handle them properly. I have been to a few of the other kind of branding and I think the chute works out cheaper than the beer for some of the outfits . :lol: :lol: :lol:

Agreed. The good help that I would accept help from is as busy as I am and all the other kind do is get p!$$ed up on free beer and make a mess of things.

I guess we can't all live in a perfect world where good help is at our beck and call and would even bring their own refreshments if you asked them to. :roll:
I try to managed this outfit as a business and not a playground. :wink:

Gcreekrch, on the creepy crawlies topic your reasoning was" I don't and I don't expect my livestock to either", do I assume correctly that this reasoning applies to branding also. Or is branding an exception?
If you can't accept creepy crawlies on your cows, it would surprise me to learn that you burn the hides of your calves with a red hot iron. :wink :) :)
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
RSL said:
There's lots of people who want to chase cows, but not many who want to handle them properly. I have been to a few of the other kind of branding and I think the chute works out cheaper than the beer for some of the outfits . :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm very lucky to have great help, I just hate having to ask for it and prefer to work alone when possible :wink: :D . I used to be uncomfortable being assertive, but anymore I just say what I think. They respect how I want the cattle handled, and I'm the first to ask for suggestions to improve on what we're doing. Inefficiency drives me nuts! People's intentions are usually good :D.
 

Dylan Biggs

Well-known member
I am sure it's not all luck, probably has a lot to do with you positive personality.

I could probably be accused of having a type A personality with regards to my cattle as I also use a table.
 

Silver

Well-known member
When I was fresh out of high school I went to work for the neighbouring ranch and we branded in a rather novel way. We'd go out each morning on 4 wheelers and tag calves. One of the bikes had a generator on it and an electric iron plugged in. The iron was always hot, and as we captured the calves we would tag, band, and brand them. It worked pretty slick, and by the time we were done calving the branding was all done too. There were only two of us and about 1800 head, calving on about 1/2 section lots so I guess the system worked.
 

katrina

Well-known member
We use a calf table, simply because we don't know for sure when we will brand and we can do it with a drop of the hat with the boys..... It's really no big deal now days....
 

gcreekrch

Well-known member
Dylan Biggs said:
gcreekrch said:
RSL said:
There's lots of people who want to chase cows, but not many who want to handle them properly. I have been to a few of the other kind of branding and I think the chute works out cheaper than the beer for some of the outfits . :lol: :lol: :lol:

Agreed. The good help that I would accept help from is as busy as I am and all the other kind do is get p!$$ed up on free beer and make a mess of things.

I guess we can't all live in a perfect world where good help is at our beck and call and would even bring their own refreshments if you asked them to. :roll:
I try to managed this outfit as a business and not a playground. :wink:

Gcreekrch, on the creepy crawlies topic your reasoning was" I don't and I don't expect my livestock to either", do I assume correctly that this reasoning applies to branding also. Or is branding an exception?
If you can't accept creepy crawlies on your cows, it would surprise me to learn that you burn the hides of your calves with a red hot iron. :wink :) :)

I meant exactly what I said.

If not controling parasites, having a big branding and dragging calves to the fire, AIing, or being paid to tell people how to handle their cattle turns your crank and works for you, fine.

On some management decisions, I bin dar dun dat. Others have no appeal to me. I do what after 30 years of trial and error works for our particular operation and personel and I know of very few others who are capable of matching what my wife and I have accomplished. Several good cattlemen from over in your country who have visited here have told us that if one could ranch successfully in this area one could ranch successfully anywhere.

To sum things up I take exception to folks coming across that just because we own cattle we must be buckaroos, cowboys, whatever one would like to call oneself. I gave up wanting to be a cowboy and aspired to be a cowman at a very young age. If I want to acchieve that by handling my cattle with a 4 wheeler, horse, squeeze or rope, or by walking on my hands I guess that's what I will do. Same as you will. :wink:

And yes, I do burn their little hides as it is the best way of local identification so far. I figure that over the years the cattle get even with the odd bit of damage they hand out when I happen to be in the wrong place at the right time. :wink: :)
 

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