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Branding methods.

Today, the wind blew out of the north at a fairly high rate of speed. We decided it was too windy to do anything else so we could just as well brand another bunch of calves. We talked our sophomore son into playing hooky from school and getting in on the action, and I've hired another young man to fence for us so he got in on the branding also.

Being a small crew we had "flexibility" on our side. A good shelterbelt of cedar trees was adjacent to the pasture where the cattle were, so we set up a corral made from portable panels right behind the trees. There was hardly any breeze there, and consequently it was a beautiful day to do our job. Mrs. Soapweed packed a lunch for us, so we didn't kill too much time at noon. Five of us ended up branding 195 calves in about five hours. We had two ropers, two "calf contraptions", and three people doing the ground work of branding (a one-iron brand on the left hip), vaccinating (2 shots), implanting and castrating.

This bunch of calves was our second oldest, and there were some pretty husky buggers that would have tuckered out calf wrestlers. One major advantage of the "calf contraptions" is that they don't get tired, and they hold a big calf just as easily as a smaller one. We made better time today, having a bigger catching corral and two full-time ropers. Our oldest son had made another new contraption, so this certainly expedited the process. Anyway, the more we use these things the better we like them. Brandings maybe aren't as much "fun" as with a big crew, but they are certainly less of a hassle and we all get all the roping we want. :)

Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures today. Thanks, sw, for posting your nice ranch photos. It is always interesting checking out other operations by seeing how things are accomplished, and one picture is worth a thousand words. Keeping putting them on for the rest of us to see.
 
Soapweed,
I still think your contraptions are worth having, just like the other day, we have 6 spring calving cows so the daughter has a 4-H steer, and it is only the two of us that needs to do something with these calves. You cannot call in the neighbors to help you with 6 calves, and you sure can get your ash beat trying to rope, wrestle, brand, vaccinate and castrate at the same time. Even using a tube, you need three people to git her done, if two people don't know what to do and how to do it. With your thing, I could rope the calf, get off and help the Mrs. sw with the work. I will trade pictures with you anytime,
have a good one
 
Reading all these good branding methods makes me jealous,all I have had the last few years for help was two mexican boys and a four wheeler.Course I only brand replacement heifers,and I try to do it when we band bull calves,work em in the squeeze chute,guess there are as many ways to band and brand as there are cattle men...............good luck
 
Jinglebob said:
Silver;

Hot iron from a fire wood and propane heated.

Rope and stretch calves between to horses and riders.

Knife cut bull calves.

7 way and whatever else they claim you need for shots! :lol:

Drink beer if any, only after the work is all done.
Click to expand...

Pretty much how we do it. We do use a nordfork and some wrestlers, depending on how many show up. Think we may scoop some horns if any are found. I lose track of changes from one year to the next. Takes me a while to realize what they are doing, since I'm no cowgirl and stick with the cooking.

MRJ
 
Some people around here only brand their replacement heifers in the fall, as yearlings, after preg testing. They do it in the chute when they're giving Ivomec, 8-way, or whatever their programme. And some don't brand at all. :?
 
Cal,

Have to agree 100% on the alley thing. We get our calves done fast, narrow the alley to the Squeeze Chute and have the calf table in front. Never climb in the alley, never get kicked. Too manty guys have these wide alleys and blame the table, lol.

On the brand of calf table, Powder River is all we ever used. I have seen the style you talk about and have talked to guys that like them and guys that don't. I have found guys tend to like one style or the other, few like both. I have seen a few guys fight headgates not adjusted correctly on the Powder Rivers.

Shelly, on the votes, saying you like a calf tabl on this site is like having your freinds know you ride a moped, lol. Seems like we are the silent majority. I like rope brandings, but dealing with fiinding good help and getting them there is the issue.

Either way, Branding day always seems like a day hen you feel very satisfied,

Just got everything out on grass this week, another good feeling,

PPRM
 
My daughter and I branded 400 calves last spring and are set to do it again. Help is the big issue. We are set up inside a pole barn can run the cows thru a Hi Hog pens and tub and S alley thru a Stampede chute. The calves go in the tub and out a door at the back of the S alley into a one calf sized hold behind the Roper calf table. When we are clicking we do a calf in less then a minute. Thats tags ,2 vaccinations, brand, band. and a squirt of Cydecton. We gather in smaller groups have some PB that take pairing to move to other pastures and not as many problems getting everything paired as doing all in one day.. in most cases everybody doesn't put 25 combines in the same feild or gang up to do their haying in a day . We go about our work and GIT R DONE.

PS .it also means this big old boy doesn't have to work on the ground. I can still bend over but my knees wouldn't take climbing off the ground that much.
 
Big Muddy rancher said:
My daughter and I branded 400 calves last spring and are set to do it again. Help is the big issue. We are set up inside a pole barn can run the cows thru a Hi Hog pens and tub and S alley thru a Stampede chute. The calves go in the tub and out a door at the back of the S alley into a one calf sized hold behind the Roper calf table. When we are clicking we do a calf in less then a minute. Thats tags ,2 vaccinations, brand, band. and a squirt of Cydecton. We gather in smaller groups have some PB that take pairing to move to other pastures and not as many problems getting everything paired as doing all in one day.. in most cases everybody doesn't put 25 combines in the same feild or gang up to do their haying in a day . We go about our work and GIT R DONE.

PS .it also means this big old boy doesn't have to work on the ground. I can still bend over but my knees wouldn't take climbing off the ground that much.
Click to expand...
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Where is big muddy valley? Have a lot of em' around here with all the spring rain.
 
Preston ,the Big Muddy Valley starts in Saskatchewan and runs into the very North east corner of Montana. We live on the south side of Big Muddy lake a large Alkali lake that right now has white dust blowing off it. In fact it is not very muddy around here at all right now. Alot of the soil is very thin top soil clay exposed in the forms of buttes Sallinity is close to the surface in alot of places as well. Most of this area is best suited to ranching but becaiuse of Government policy such as the Homestead act, Crow rate, and other pro farming programs to much of this area is farmed. Farming is tough up here and even with the depressed cattle prices from the BSE problems more grass is being seeded down .
 

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