Branding with "calf traps" on the Soapweed Outfit
- Thread starter Soapweed
- Start date
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Soapweed
Well-known member
Denny said:
We sure like the new ones that are rigged up to fit on the end of a Hydra-bed arm. This saves having to dig post holes.
Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Soapweed do the ropers prefer one side of the Hydra bed to the other for dragging calves to?
Soapweed
Well-known member
Big Muddy rancher said:
We are all right-handed, so our side of preference is the left side of the Hydra-bed. Usually, the timing was about right so that a new calf was ready to be dragged into place right when the preceding calf was turned loose. We used the left one probably 80 percent of the time, and only used the right side if the roper was having too good of luck. :wink:
ranchwife
Well-known member
Denny said:
hope the branding you are heading to on saturday is OURS!!!! :lol: :lol: Could always use a good hand around!!
ranchwife said:Denny said:
hope the branding you are heading to on saturday is OURS!!!! :lol: :lol: Could always use a good hand around!!
If I wer'nt busy I would'nt mind running out there but this one's only 15 miles away.
Skrewk
Active member
FYI for those who may consider using freeze branding with your registered brand be sure to check your state brand laws before going through all the time to freeze brand because not all states recognize freeze brands as a legal form of identification Montana is one that does not. We freeze brand the tag number onto our replacements but still hot brand everything. Herefords require a bit more freeze time but this year we used liquid nitrogen and about one minute (if I remember right) :???: so we'll see how that turned out.
Ranchy
Well-known member
Great Gizmo!!!!!!!!!!! It looks like it's more stress-free for the calves than other methods, too.
Ya really should patent that design, might as well make some moola from your good idea!
On the subject of freeze branding, we found out that it doesn't work that great on ribs, unless the critter is pretty fat......you get splotchy brands, where it shows up better over the bone, and less over the spaces. Just a thought. On hips and shoulders, though, it worked great!
Another trick we learned is to use Everclear instead of the expensive alcohol. Works great, and ya save some more moola!
And about putting the numbered brands on......my dad tried that once, and the brand inspector about had a kineption fit. He said that those numbers could be someone else's brand, and that it wasn't a very good idea.........dad thought a permanent solution would work better than eartags, that tended to get caught in the brush and ripped out.....we found so many over the years, just lying in the brush and you had no idea which cow it actually belonged to.
Just some things to think over............
Have a good one!
Ya really should patent that design, might as well make some moola from your good idea!
On the subject of freeze branding, we found out that it doesn't work that great on ribs, unless the critter is pretty fat......you get splotchy brands, where it shows up better over the bone, and less over the spaces. Just a thought. On hips and shoulders, though, it worked great!
Another trick we learned is to use Everclear instead of the expensive alcohol. Works great, and ya save some more moola!
And about putting the numbered brands on......my dad tried that once, and the brand inspector about had a kineption fit. He said that those numbers could be someone else's brand, and that it wasn't a very good idea.........dad thought a permanent solution would work better than eartags, that tended to get caught in the brush and ripped out.....we found so many over the years, just lying in the brush and you had no idea which cow it actually belonged to.
Just some things to think over............
Have a good one!
rustynail
Well-known member
Ranchy said:
what is the everclear.........never heard of it :???: :???:
thanks
G3
IL Rancher
Well-known member
Everclear is grain alcohol... What the younguns used to mix with stuff back in my youth to get absolutely hammerd... Real high proof, would find in a liquor store.
rustynail
Well-known member
we called it pure grain when we were kids (dumb kids)
G3
G3
IL Rancher
Well-known member
Never touched the stuff personally... Everytime I see it at a store I have a little chuckle about the stories I used to hear.. Personally, Tequila, Whiskey and Vodka were all plentty hard enough for me..
Ranchy
Well-known member
Yea, what IL Rancher said! :wink: