Werkin calves Part 2

So here is a calf cradle.  It is actually one my parents had and we bought for our calves.  Since these were a little older we did not throw them.

That's Tall Paul our hired man who is also Orrin's Father's first cousin...true family farm ;)

The calves are pushed one at a time into the cradle until their neck is secured by the head gate(same we use on bigger cattle only....bigger). Then Paul releases the catch and it swings the calf up horizontal.  Then we can band or brand while the calf is immobilized and somewhat still.

See the bars we can release to access the side of the calf.  Pretty handy if I do say so myself.  My job was a pusher.  Getting a calf out of the squeeze pen(a pen that can smaller as more calves leave so there is not room to run and hurt is or the calves.  Down side of a pusher is you will be the dirtiest one with calf poop all down the front of your legs and bruises from the kicks and your feet will hurt from being stepped on.  I love it.

As always we have extra help from Crash and Scooter, even Cuddle and Wally were trying to get in the way as much as possible, that's how farm kids learn though.

Thank you Lord for letting me grow up on a farm and blessing my kids the same way.

Werkin' calves

Around this time of year things really get hopping on the farm.  Today after feeding our (at the time) FIVE bottle calves, we went to the calving pen.  My husband had already got thirty pairs(that's a momma cow and her baby) in the pens by the little barn. 

 We needed to do several things to them.  Bull calves that were not purebred were banned.  We basically take a very strong, very little rubber band and place it around their testicles.  In a few weeks those will fall off with no pain to the calf.  We have also been known to do this to our barn cats, yes I just said that.  Saves us from taking a barn cat ,that any night might become coyote food, from an expensive trip to the vet. Back to the calves.... The now future steer calves get branded with our brand so we can always identify them if they lose an eartag (cattle rustling DOES still happen). We then inject a ralgrow implant in their ear that will help them grow without their testosterone.  We also notch their ears as another way of identification.  The heifers mainly got branded and ear notched. 

Getting those little balls... Notice my husband holding the calf down with his body weight.  This is only possible to do within the first week or two of a calf's life.  After that they are way too big to hold down without injury to us peeps.  My family did not throw calves(what this method is called since you physically pick up the calf and throw it on its side).  We worked calves just before taking them to grass with a calf cradle.

After working thirty calves we loaded them up in the trailer, I loaded my kids that are not in school yet....and then loaded up their concerned momma cows and headed to a pasture very close to our house.  This opens up our calving pen and relieves conjestion that would hamper Orrin's ability to get cows in that need assistance.  It really does make a huge difference when checking.  The cattle will continue to be fed corn silage and distillers with some feed cane in bunks (feed holders).  The ones in this pasture just happen to be recycled tractor tires that have been modified.

Just a picture of a cute black white faced calf.  We call these calves baldies and I have a fondness for them! Cute!