The night calver

[Denny]

That a boy!!!

In the past 10 years when the cows go to grass so does anything that has'nt calved.I check them once a week, I have had about a 100 calves over the 10 years I lost 1 cow and the calf I think never did find her but she was in the woods.All the rest brought home a calf in the fall.I don't pull my bulls a later lite calf is better than no calf.

People think I'm nuts for calveing this way but every cow that has calved so far has a calf except one and that calf got stepped on in the corral when it was a week old.

I met an old Rancher one time he said he ranches by denial.If you don't see it there's no problem..

Mother nature sort's the problem cattle.(if you let her)

 

[Tap]

There is a sheep and cattle rancher that lives south of us a ways, who runs his stock out on range near year round. He does feed some hay when things get bad, but not a lot. Because of drought, he is running mostly sheep right now, as sheep can get by on poorer range. Anyway, he has some of the finest Targhee sheep on the planet. This is partly because he has had good sheep from the beginning, but also because mother nature has done his culling for him. These sheep range on some of the sparsest country you could imagine. Short grass, poor water, etc. Not bad mangement, just droughty conditions. The sheep all range lamb starting in late May, and he flies on them just enough to make sure the predators are not eating him alive, but that is all that is done with them till docking. He sells bucks over the western US to large sheep outfits, and there is probably a lesson here somewhere. :wink: :lol:

 

[Faster horses]

We have never had a night calver and never checked cattle at night until we moved here and we don't have the greatest protection. So if the weather is bad, we check them. Otherwise it is only the heifers that get checked. We have very few problems...I think that is why we are so lucky as to have our night calver. I could count on one hand any problems we have had and this is the 9th year he has been here. If it was a big problem bunch of cows, you can bet your boots he'd be history and I wouldn't blame him.

 

[Jinglebob]

Mom was at a Stockgrowers meeting quite a few years ago, about this time of the year. Most folks were calving. There was a neighbor there the one night. Mom stayed in town as there was an early meeting the next day and she saw this neighbor. She said, "You must have got up pretty early to get here this morning." He told her he had stayed in town the night before. When she asked him if he wasn't calving, he told her he was. She then asked him, if he wasn't worried about the cows at home. He said,"Why Dorothy! I think them ol' cows know more about having calves than I do, don't you?"

He did have a big ol' canyon with lots of protection for them.

As another old cowman down in the Badlands was quoted as saying, "I didn't buy them cows to make a living for them, I got them to make a living for me!" I guess I agree with him! :wink:

 

[mn]

Friend of mine asked this elderly man if he was calving yet, had alot of cows. Ya we have alot in. We, my friend said do you have help this year? Ya me and the Lord and he's doing most of the work!!

 

[Rowdy Ranch]

Isn't that the truth! Still believe that we have to do our share by checking on His cows and if need be assist the cow as the GOOD LORD gave us that ability. But for sure-he does more than his share and I try to be mindful of this and be thankful.

 

[Northern Rancher]

The good lord gave us common sense too and he hopes we use it. The common sense to breed our cows to bulls that will calve-the common sense to calves when the weather is warm-I'm sure you get my drift. I'm sure there are worse sins in Gods eyes then letting your cows calve at night by themselves.

 

[greg]

The good lord gave us common sense too and he hopes we use it. The common sense to breed our cows to bulls that will calve-the common sense to calves when the weather is warm-I'm sure you get my drift. I'm sure there are worse sins in Gods eyes then letting your cows calve at night by themselves.

Right you are NR..we really haven't done a night check for years now.So far two babys from hiefers calved at night on thier own!