Maine Grazing (pics)

[Ben H]

Here are some of my first Red Baldies. Hereford herd, Red Angus Bull, Reg # 1042394 Feel free to comment on his pedigree. I don't know who's good and who's not in the breed yet.

Pasture Water source, dug it out as best I could last year with my JD 6305 without getting stuck. Waiting for approval from NRCS/EQIP to help with making that spot into a pond. I have two foot valves in there going to pasture/nose pumps.

Mixed group, some heifers and stockers plus an old open cow, the oldest in the herd who I chose to keep as a lead cow.

The steer on the left has a fly mask, he has an eyeball that sticks out due to not reponding to the treatment for pinkeye last year.

There's a coyote den in the bank on the outside of one of our pastures that I'm currently not using. Caught a glimpse of the mom and saw the pup. No pictures of them. Bunch of dead birds including a turkey, crow and the neighbors chickens. Some feathers pulled down into holes.

That's the wife, hard to see the hole under the stump.

Can anyone ID this skull?

 

[Jinglebob]

Looks like a deer skull to me but hard to say without something beside it to tewll the size.

What do you think of ther nose pumps and how in hell do they work? :?:

Thanks for the view from Maine. :clap:

 

[SHAWN]

Thanks for the pics, young deer skull would be my guess. But what would have happened to it? cuz coyotes do not bother deer at all. :shock: :!: thanks for posting shawn

 

[Ben H]

they could have dragged a dead one. I had a calf I put down once and tried composting. Didn't bury it enough and they dug it out and dragged parts away. A Deer could be just as big.

The nose pumps work great, they have their limitations with distance both horizontal and especially vertical. Kinda heavy but still portable. Use a truck or ATV if it has to be moved any distance. Great for fencing off and keep animals out of a pond or spring. I've left them out a little late a few times, and all year a time or two. Even after freezing up they worked fine. Never had to fix anything. The only problems have been with the pipe if a cow steps on it or moves it, crimping it.

BTW, all these were taken with my cell phone. I have a Motrola Razr V3m (Verizon)

 

[Jinglebob]

they could have dragged a dead one. I had a calf I put down once and tried composting. Didn't bury it enough and they dug it out and dragged parts away. A Deer could be just as big.

The nose pumps work great, they have their limitations with distance both horizontal and especially vertical. Kinda heavy but still portable. Use a truck or ATV if it has to be moved any distance. Great for fencing off and keep animals out of a pond or spring. I've left them out a little late a few times, and all year a time or two. Even after freezing up they worked fine. Never had to fix anything. The only problems have been with the pipe if a cow steps on it or moves it, crimping it.

BTW, all these were taken with my cell phone. I have a Motrola Razr V3m (Verizon)

So Ben, how many cows could use one and get enough water, at the same time? How many cows per pump, maybe is a better way to put it and how do they work?

 

[Ben H]

http://www.riferam.com/pasture/index.htm
this isn't the brand I have but it's the same idea. They recomend 30 horses or dry cows per unit. As long as animals don't have to walk too far to water you can get more animals per water since they are less likely to go as a group.

Only one animal uses it at a time. The way it works is there is a tray of water that they attempt to drink out of, it only holds about 1.5 gallons I'd guess. As they try to drink where the tray gets deeper they have to push the Ram with their nose. As they take the last sip of water and release the Ram, the Ram goes back to it's resting plate and refills the tray. The animals quickly see that they can move the ram with their nose to quickly fill the tray. They pick it up very quickly, especially if you have some cattle who used it the year before.

 

[Jinglebob]

http://www.riferam.com/pasture/index.htm
this isn't the brand I have but it's the same idea. They recomend 30 horses or dry cows per unit. As long as animals don't have to walk too far to water you can get more animals per water since they are less likely to go as a group.

Only one animal uses it at a time. The way it works is there is a tray of water that they attempt to drink out of, it only holds about 1.5 gallons I'd guess. As they try to drink where the tray gets deeper they have to push the Ram with their nose. As they take the last sip of water and release the Ram, the Ram goes back to it's resting plate and refills the tray. The animals quickly see that they can move the ram with their nose to quickly fill the tray. They pick it up very quickly, especially if you have some cattle who used it the year before.

Thanks for the info. I don't believe i could afford to have enough, close enough, for the yearlings I run.

 

[Ben H]

take a look at the other products at Rife Hydraulics, I may try out their Solar pump and/or Ram Pump

 

[Radar]

I haven't seen a pump like that for the pasture, but it does look similar to the drink cups that are used in some tie-stall dairy barns.

Great pictures!

 

[Ben H]

The big difference is that it doesn't work off pressurized water, you just need a water source such a stream, well, spring etc. The pump takes about 5 pounds of force to push in and moves about 10 inches forward. On the spring loaded draw back it fills with a pretty good charge of water

 

[Radar]

If it seems brighter, it is because the light bulb above my head just came on. That is an interesting pump.

 

[Ben H]

Here's some close ups of my pasture pump. I was hoping to get a picture of the cows using it but I just moved them to the next paddock and they were more concerned with the grass.