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win some lose some

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Last night while giving the cows a bit of hay we saw a hfr in trouble. we came home saddled up two horses and brought her in. She came along pretty good and we put her in the maternity pen and pulled her calf. Altho it's feet and tongue were swollen he came around fine and was ready to travel with mama this morning.

While doing morning check this morn I cheated a bit and took the quad. Found a Hfr in about the same condition as the one last night. I brought her in and pulled her calf. i had trouble getting the chains one one foot as it was back a little and that i think was her problem. No swelling of tongue or feet but when half way out a bunch of fluid drained out of the calf. It was born dead.

Between the two I would have thought the first was the goner long before the second but guess you just have to do your best with them all.

I am calving hfrs bred to two different sires. I'm not real happy with the odd big one that they both have been throwing every once in awhile.
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
Big Muddy rancher said:
Last night while giving the cows a bit of hay we saw a hfr in trouble. we came home saddled up two horses and brought her in. She came along pretty good and we put her in the maternity pen and pulled her calf. Altho it's feet and tongue were swollen he came around fine and was ready to travel with mama this morning.

While doing morning check this morn I cheated a bit and took the quad. Found a Hfr in about the same condition as the one last night. I brought her in and pulled her calf. i had trouble getting the chains one one foot as it was back a little and that i think was her problem. No swelling of tongue or feet but when half way out a bunch of fluid drained out of the calf. It was born dead.

Between the two I would have thought the first was the goner long before the second but guess you just have to do your best with them all.

I am calving hfrs bred to two different sires. I'm not real happy with the odd big one that they both have been throwing every once in awhile.

I really think it's the year, Big Muddy. Nearly everyone I've visited with this spring has similar tales to tell about inconsistency in the size of their first calf heifers' calves.

We had a nice big heifer calf turn up dead yesterday. It had already been branded last week, and in theory should have been "out of the woods" by now. Win some, lose some, like you say.

The dead calf was a couple miles west of our house, so I hauled Goose over in the 24' gooseneck trailer. The object was to load the dead calf and its mother, so that the calf could be skinned out and the hide put on a bucket calf that we'd been feeding for the past week. Its mother didn't seem to have much milk, so a graft deal was in order.

I planned to drag the dead calf onto the trailer, and then go park in a fence corner to load the cow. She came up snooping around while I loaded the calf, so a challenge presented itself. The dead calf was lying along a straight fence next to a grove of cedar trees. I repositioned the trailer so it was in a little dip, allowing the back of the trailer to be close to the ground so that it would not be much of a step up for the cow. The left side of the trailer was next to the fence. The gate hinged on the right side, so I propped it open with a shovel. I put the dead calf in the middle compartment of the trailer. Then I used Goose to drive the cow up next to the back of the trailer. She sniffed around and knew that the calf was in there, but she had no intention of getting in there herself. Everytime she left I would get around her and bring her back. I put no pressure on her when she did what I wanted. After about five of these maneuvers, she jumped into the trailer and I rode quickly into place to shut the gate. It was rather fun after it all turned out as I planned. Now the bucket calf has a new mommy, and already they think highly of each other. :wink: :)
 

tlakota

Well-known member
interesting...last nite i just walked into my house from getting done with chores and things and looked out the window and noticed a cow laying on her side in the pasture....went out and checked her...well she was calving one foot was out and looked like a back foot...took about 30 minutes to get her in cause she was so stupid...she would just run into the four wheeler and didnt even care...1500 pound cow, purebred simi....well i finally got her up in the chute and luckily the old man was out there to help me...but we pulled the calf...thinkin it was dead already because he was like that for a good hour....like i said...just one back lag was out so it was a bugger....it was a tough pull and that calf was 130 pounds im guessing...after having a few simi cows there is no way to go but angus cows...i really appreciate my purebred angus cows after having to mess with some of these simi cows...i bought a few black cows that were bred charlaois and i love the calves...once i get a good base herd built up i mite stick a good char bull on some cows
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
Hey Soapweed,

Is that the technique you use to load bulls too when you want to get them out of the cows? I learned how to do that a few years ago and it does work great. I can't imagine roping and trying to load a bull by myself (I can't rope, and I am usually alone), but have found that method to work well for me. Of course if a bull wants to get on the fight or brush up, I'm done until I catch him with cows again :)

I try to teach my yearling bulls how to load before trying it out in a large pasture. It sure saves time when you don't have corrals near by. A few of my older bulls anticipate what I'm doing and load right up when it's late in the season and they're ready to go home. I also have loaded a pair that way once. That was a trick, but an absolute blast to do!

I wish I was better at relieving pressure at the exact right time. I think when they initially look at the trailer I need to release. That is where I have trouble. However, each year it is fun to try and improve my skills.

Sorry I went off the subject!
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
I have only done it in a arena but I have loaded yearlings in my trailer in the middle of a arena with my dog while i stood by the back gate. that was a rush when it all came together.
 

tlakota

Well-known member
jinglebob
Well last nite i drenched the calf and tonite i found him laying in about 6 inches of water....didnt look to good, carried him up to the momma and we started sucking on her....first time hes sucked and hes 3 days old....thats a good feeling finally....if i can actually get her loaded she will be to town
 

Jinglebob

Well-known member
tlakota said:
jinglebob
Well last nite i drenched the calf and tonite i found him laying in about 6 inches of water....didnt look to good, carried him up to the momma and we started sucking on her....first time hes sucked and hes 3 days old....thats a good feeling finally....if i can actually get her loaded she will be to town

Good luck. :)
 

Soapweed

Well-known member
WyomingRancher said:
Hey Soapweed,

Is that the technique you use to load bulls too when you want to get them out of the cows?

Usually when we load bulls out of the cows, I park the trailer in a fence corner. We drive the bulls between the trailer and the fence, and when they reach the fence corner, they have to turn left. The trailer door funnels them right into the trailer. Usually (but not always :wink: ), it works like a charm.
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
Yep, fence corners work great when you can get to them. Unfortunately I run on a forest permit, and getting to the corners, or even up to a fenceline isn't possible, or "legal" to do. The forest service frowns on driving more than 100' off of any road.

They raise hell over stuff like that, but let the public shoot up stands of trees, dump televisions and furniture, cook meth, etc...! I guess the rancher is the only one they can monitor and so they do.

Here at home though, I definately use a corner when I can get to one!
 

Jinglebob

Well-known member
There was a great story about Joel Nelson, years back, in the Western Horseman. He had a small bunch of cows on leased pasture. He was riding colts so when he went to gather, he just put pressure on the bulls to head them towards the trailer and let off when they went that way. Said he figured it out from working colts at a Ray Hunt clinic. He never used a fence, just parked and loaded.

I've done this also, but it is a little quicker and handier when you have a fence line. Don't need a corner, just back up to the fence and open the gate to hit the fence. You have a 90 degree wing. Hardest part is not hurrying up to shut the gate. :wink:

Another neighbor always puts his tralier in his arena and then pens all his young bulls in it, using his horse and dog, so they will learn. I suppose if you fed them some hay or grain when they got in it might be a good idea also.

Pretty amazine what you can get a horse or cow critter to do when you go about it the right way. :wink:
 
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