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Noisy outside tonight.

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jodywy

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Cabin Creek, Carlile,Wyoming
Noisy out side tonight, we weaned and shipped while preg checking. Neighbors across the river weaned and ship today to.
Just got back with the family from Baxter Black... His stuff wouldn't be so funny if we hadn't done it one time or other. Well never used my noggin to put in prolepses.
Like how he explained the different between cowboy from Texas, NM, to Ca on into NV and ID up into MT and how they start to look like farmers in SD.: lol:
 
We weaned yesterday and the calves are singing that mournful old tune again, although they quit for a few minutes during the night - like to give us heart attacks!! One time they got quiet like that after they were weaned was several years ago when they busted out through corral, ran through two fences, and wound up miles away on the highway where a trucker smacked into two of them. Killed the calves and we don't know yet how the trucker managed to live through the wreck.
That steady bawling will lull you to sleep, but the sudden silence is the fastest waker-upper I know of!! And there is nothing like having the sheriff come knocking on your door in the middle of the night to get your blood to circulating.
 
Many years ago, an old rancher neighbor had weaned his calves. He did things right, and sorted the cows away from the calves about three miles from the home corrals. The calves stayed there on fresh pasture, and the cows were trailed home and dry lotted. They bawled and carried on all evening.

During the middle of the night, ol' John woke up to silence. This immediately started his worries a workin', so he pulled on his boots over his pj's and grabbed a flashlight to go see what had happened. Well, nothing had happened, as the cows were quietly laying down sleeping. But when they saw John ambling out with his flashlight, they came to in a hurry and things did happen. They all arose at once, hit the far side of the corrals, broke through, and ran hurriedly back through several fences to where the calves were.

The next day of weaning was not nearly so easy.
 
Liberty Belle said:
That steady bawling will lull you to sleep, but the sudden silence is the fastest waker-upper I know of!!
Click to expand...

This is comparable to camping in the mountains with horses. The gentle jingling of the horses' bells as they graze near camp is a lullaby that puts you to sleep. When the noise stops, it's time to get up and go check the stock. They might be miles away.

On the other side of the coin, when you are wrangling horses in the wee hours of the morning, "imagined bells" can often be heard. It is easy to ride long distances out of your way because you think you hear horses' bells. And more than once on a foggy dark morning, I've detoured greatly only to discover that what looked like a mule down along the willows was actually a moose instead.

Then you must always watch our for bogs. What looks like an innocent crossing on a creek can sure make a person wonder if their horse will be able to get through the muck and make it out on the other side.
 
Soapweed said:
Liberty Belle said:
That steady bawling will lull you to sleep, but the sudden silence is the fastest waker-upper I know of!!
Click to expand...

This is comparable to camping in the mountains with horses. The gentle jingling of the horses' bells as they graze near camp is a lullaby that puts you to sleep. When the noise stops, it's time to get up and go check the stock. They might be miles away.

On the other side of the coin, when you are wrangling horses in the wee hours of the morning, "imagined bells" can often be heard. It is easy to ride long distances out of your way because you think you hear horses' bells. And more than once on a foggy dark morning, I've detoured greatly only to discover that what looked like a mule down along the willows was actually a moose instead.

Then you must always watch our for bogs. What looks like an innocent crossing on a creek can sure make a person wonder if their horse will be able to get through the muck and make it out on the other side.
Click to expand...

You want REALLY dangerous? Just start hearing voices :!:
 
This is comparable to camping in the mountains with horses. The gentle jingling of the horses' bells as they graze near camp is a lullaby that puts you to sleep. When the noise stops, it's time to get up and go check the stock. They might be miles away.

On the other side of the coin, when you are wrangling horses in the wee hours of the morning, "imagined bells" can often be heard. It is easy to ride long distances out of your way because you think you hear horses' bells. And more than once on a foggy dark morning, I've detoured greatly only to discover that what looked like a mule down along the willows was actually a moose instead.
Click to expand...

got a story to go with that , lost some horses while up hing in the Gros Ventre big horn sheep hunting.... seems my horses took off with thier hobbles and bell. the only horses that stayed were some my FIL had barrowed and they didn't know how to get around in the hobbles.My wife and I rode those 2 horses till we knew the upper Gros Ventre rather well. She and her Dad rode out and then flew the area. Dropped me a map said the horses were over in the next creek at the cow herders cabin. He brought them by the next day. We rode by his cavy about 3 times and never looked close :oops: :oops: :oops: . FIL never got a sheep that year, but got one 5 years later on his next draw.
 
Liberty Belle said:
We weaned yesterday and the calves are singing that mournful old tune again, although they quit for a few minutes during the night - like to give us heart attacks!! One time they got quiet like that after they were weaned was several years ago when they busted out through corral, ran through two fences, and wound up miles away on the highway where a trucker smacked into two of them. Killed the calves and we don't know yet how the trucker managed to live through the wreck.
That steady bawling will lull you to sleep, but the sudden silence is the fastest waker-upper I know of!! And there is nothing like having the sheriff come knocking on your door in the middle of the night to get your blood to circulating.
Click to expand...

LB,
It sure is nice to know we're not the only ones who've had wrecks like that. That is sooooo true, the bawling stops and you're up getting dressed as fast as you can so you can go see what's going on. Another story, we had just weaned the day before and 2 helicopters chose to fly low over the dry lot where we had the calves, man talk about a stampede, had a couple broken legs and a broken neck I think. :mad: Wish we could have held them accountable :mad: !! Never had a helicopter over here since, and its been 7 years or so ago. :evil:
 
How many are doing the "kinder, gentler" weaning thing?

A few years ago, we re-inforced some fence so we could do that in two locations. We are getting that done first part of the week. Hope the "moon signs" are right for weaning! With the cows and calves sharing a fence line, and in fresh pastures with water in the fence line, they seem to wean really fast, bawl very little, and don't act stressed or nervous. In a few days we will move the cows farther away, and then put the calves into the backgrounding lot fairly soon. Sure beats the alternatives for us, and for the cattle.

MRJ
 
chased some tresspassinf duck hunters and thier dog off this morning , kind of said cows are upset tight bags and they spooke them they go right tru the fences up by my corrals. was up early chasing cows and fixing that fence..... plus I told them the cows on the other side of the river had thier calves wean too yeaterday.
to top it off I told them the Gov trapper had some snares and traps out so for them and thier dog to ask next time and wait at leat till next week.
 
MRJ said:
How many are doing the "kinder, gentler" weaning thing?

A few years ago, we re-inforced some fence so we could do that in two locations. We are getting that done first part of the week. Hope the "moon signs" are right for weaning! With the cows and calves sharing a fence line, and in fresh pastures with water in the fence line, they seem to wean really fast, bawl very little, and don't act stressed or nervous. In a few days we will move the cows farther away, and then put the calves into the backgrounding lot fairly soon. Sure beats the alternatives for us, and for the cattle.

MRJ
Click to expand...

MRJ,

Since we've been fall calving (last 8 yrs) we used to lock the calves up in the top lot, their mothers can "noozle" them through the fence. We've found no difference in length of bawling, etc. compared to keeping a large distance between the cows and calves. Maybe the first year we noticed a change, but not since then. We now keep the calves in very tight quarters for a week, the mothers run around and trash all the fence they can, we still have a couple calves who end up trying to break a leg, etc. Weaning just isn't easy on anyone, no matter what you do to make it easier :!: We just make sure to triple wire gates shut, etc, etc, and heaven help ya if ya forgot something because they will find it and find their mothers!
 
We wean this thursday the steer's go to Southern Mn the heifers come home will be 12 miles between them.
 
Best way I know to wean is to put the calves on a truck and send them to someone else, and when we do wean our replacements we hold them in the corrals for a couple weeks and then out to a small pasture after we have run all the cows off serveral times.
 
We leave our replacements in a 4 acre (fenced with net wire and barbedwire on top) for a couple weeks. Lots of bawlin takes place the first day or two, from both sides of the fence, but then the mama's quit comin up to the lot after about 2 days. I don't get to listen to the bawlin at night, sometimes wish I did tho. I love the sound of em when they are all in the pens when we work. Mr Lilly laffs at me cuz when I go out to check cows, if I park and sit, toot the horn a time or two.....they'll talk to me. He laffs, cuz alot of the time, if there's one off in the distance makin noise, I can tell who it is. They all have their own special moo.
 
Could be several people in this area with noisy corrals and pastures that didn't expect it--having to wean and hold calves even tho they didn't want to--- Lot of cattle have to come off the BLM pastures Nov 1 and many of those ship calves before moving cows--Problem is their is a huge shortage in trucks..Lot of people with contracts and video sales that were supposed to ship between last week and Nov 1 are having to keep calves- buyers can't get enough trucks even tho they had them lined up for some time....
 
Thats interesting :???: Is that a typical problem up there? My aunt at Wilsall is supposed to ship this week.
 
O.T.- We've got a big calf run this week and we are starting to see truck shortages big time........ a lot of guys left the business during the BSE wreck and just have not been replaced. Is your shortage just regional and a normal part of the fall sale season or is it worse this year?
The effects of SKYHIGH diesel pricing are just starting to sink in!!
 
Ranch up the road a bit trucks his cattle home from his forest permit summer range about 40 miles. He has a couple guys help sort and fill trucks, At his ranch They run the calves thru the chute as they unload then sort the calves out the chute the steers go down the field with the cows the hiefer calves a big pen at the back of the corrals. Vaccinates about 400 calves this way as the trucks each make a couple trips. The next day they take the tight bagged cows that are up to the corrals with thier hiefer calves and cross the road to thier new pasture... work smarter not harder.....
 
Oldtimer said:
Could be several people in this area with noisy corrals and pastures that didn't expect it--having to wean and hold calves even tho they didn't want to--- Lot of cattle have to come off the BLM pastures Nov 1 and many of those ship calves before moving cows--Problem is their is a huge shortage in trucks..Lot of people with contracts and video sales that were supposed to ship between last week and Nov 1 are having to keep calves- buyers can't get enough trucks even tho they had them lined up for some time....
Click to expand...


Sure hope they got the weights off the calves before they had to keep them longer. Storm we had a few weeks ago caused a few to get backed up. We speak for trucks a month before we need them this time of year.
 

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