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Dropped a wad at the local supply store

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Shelly

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Went and picked up everything I would need for calving season, and just about fell over dead at the bill. $1090 to calve out 60 cows! And it all fit in one medium sized box!!! Sure wouldn't want any more cows, a third of the bill alone was for those new RFID buttons, which I had to buy a new tag plier for because my old one won't accomodate the thickness of the damn things.
 
Nothing is cheap anymore,unless of course you are selling it.I have to buy mine soon,not looking forward to it.Now that i know,what it cost you.It won't be such a shock,when he totals up my bill.Another bill,YAHOO!! NOT.
 
Shelly said:
Went and picked up everything I would need for calving season, and just about fell over dead at the bill. $1090 to calve out 60 cows! And it all fit in one medium sized box!!! Sure wouldn't want any more cows, a third of the bill alone was for those new RFID buttons, which I had to buy a new tag plier for because my old one won't accomodate the thickness of the damn things.
Click to expand...

What do you need to calve 60 cows?

RFID at $3 a pop is only $180. $30 for new pliers.

Nut rings 30 at ?

Maybe a vitamin shot. A box of plastic gloves.

What else?
 
Shelly said:
Went and picked up everything I would need for calving season, and just about fell over dead at the bill. $1090 to calve out 60 cows! And it all fit in one medium sized box!!! Sure wouldn't want any more cows, a third of the bill alone was for those new RFID buttons, which I had to buy a new tag plier for because my old one won't accomodate the thickness of the damn things.
Click to expand...

If it wasn't for the tags you could have got by with about $10-20 cost--Old days all you'd have is a couple old nylon lariats for tree and fence post snubbing while pulling calves or collecting colostrum or milk--maybe an obstetrical chain, but usually just some baling twine- an old whiskey bottle and nipple- couple needles and some heavy thread for prolapses (altho twine works there too)....If somebody at the camp was handy at cesearians, the boss might give you a couple bottles of Everclear for spinals (altho someone usually drank most before you needed it).... Another handful of twine for hobbles for those mommas that did't want to take their babies and you were set up to calve...

Shelly just think of all the money you wasted :wink: :lol: :lol:
 
Faster horses said:
Maybe she considers it an investment, OT.

Maybe 'wasted' is what you fellers got when drinking the everclear.
:wink: :shock: :lol: :nod: :lol2: :gag:
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I had to give her a bad time--I too am getting to enjoy many of the un-neccesaries of modern calving.....But I'm having a hard time thinking about calving with this weather...-16 already tonite...I am thankful I have several months to go before we start.....

Today as I went to town to get grain and it was still -13 and the wheels on the truck felt and sounded like blocks of wood, I was thinking about what would have happened if the Gov. had got his wish and they would have sent 500 of those New Orleans "refugees" to the Montana air bases......Be more than just culture shock with these temps and snow :lol: :lol:
 
Oldtimer said:
Shelly said:
Went and picked up everything I would need for calving season, and just about fell over dead at the bill. $1090 to calve out 60 cows! And it all fit in one medium sized box!!! Sure wouldn't want any more cows, a third of the bill alone was for those new RFID buttons, which I had to buy a new tag plier for because my old one won't accomodate the thickness of the damn things.
Click to expand...

If it wasn't for the tags you could have got by with about $10-20 cost--Old days all you'd have is a couple old nylon lariats for tree and fence post snubbing while pulling calves or collecting colostrum or milk--maybe an obstetrical chain, but usually just some baling twine- an old whiskey bottle and nipple- couple needles and some heavy thread for prolapses (altho twine works there too)....If somebody at the camp was handy at cesearians, the boss might give you a couple bottles of Everclear for spinals (altho someone usually drank most before you needed it).... Another handful of twine for hobbles for those mommas that did't want to take their babies and you were set up to calve...

Shelly just think of all the money you wasted :wink: :lol: :lol:
Click to expand...

"Old time"?????????? Man I guess I gotta get modern. I don't have the needles or the Everclear!! Guess my cows are just too efficient! :wink:

And I agree with Soap about the "nut rings". A sharp knife worked for years. 'Course, I'm kind of a "low cost" operator! :wink: :lol:
 
Shelley: You must have your cows on a good vaccination program ........ or perhaps you stocked the liquor cabinet with lots of antifreeze for those cold nights!! :wink: :twisted:
 
We very seldom ever hafta use any penn, or anything on calves durin calvin season. I do however keep some milk replacer on hand, just in case, cuz it never fails if you need it...it's saturday night, and the feedstore won't be open again till monday.
Kinda like kids that end up hurtin themselves and need stitches, always happens after 5 pm on friday and you hafta make a trip to the emergency room. But since I told mine I was gonna start sewin em up myself, they perdy much quit hurtin themselves!!! :lol: :shock: :lol:
 
My boy got the bright idea of becoming a colostrum tycoon-if anything lost a calf he saddled up and brought her in-milked her out and froze it in those plastic pop bottles(way nicer to thaw it out in them). He seems to think the old man should give him an advance against future sales-that apple didn't fall far from the tree now did it. So if anybody in the greater Sask. region needs colostrum you know who to call lol.
 
I bought a bunch of bottles of colostrum one time from a dairy. The worst thing about this is that they can't be thawed in a microwave. By the the time it gets thawed out in hot water a person is almost out of the mood to administer it to the calf. We have since gone to using the powdered stuff because it is much more convenient.
 
This is what I got for my money...

Echostar RC scour vaccine, vitamin ADE, and tags for the cows (I see quite a few of the girls have lost their tags)
Calfguard, RFID buttons, and herd tags for the calves
Liquimyacin LA for whatever will need it (because you know something will eventually need a shot for whatever reason)
Couple of bags of powdered colosrum (ya, ya, I know! Cow stuff is better but who wants to be milking a cow or thawing out frozen colostrum at 3:00 in the morning?)
Package of needles, castrating rings (no jack knife here!)
And like I said before, new tag pliers. Oh, and since the tags and RFID buttons only come in bags of 25, I had to buy 75 to get the 60 I needed.
+ applicable taxes!
 
It works opposite here by the time it thaws out-those poip bottles don't take much time to thaw-I'm not quite as p'o'ed about having to bottlefeed a calf.
 
I didn't realize how much the mineralized salt I feed was saving me.

It costs $11 a bag and I have no scours. No vaccines, no worries.

One year when we were fighting those dang scours we did the vaccine, worst year of losses ever.

I'm trying to think what I need to buy for calving... just tags I guess.
 
We DO feed salt and minerals. What time of year do you calve? Makes a big difference if you calve in the dead of winter or on grass in the spring. We don't have the luxury of that option, come spring time field work comes first so we're calving in January and February. Since I started with the vaccination program, our scour problem is basically all but disappeared. You know, Jason, each to their own. What works for some may not work for others. Good luck with your calving season.
 

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