Rodeo at Pleasant Valley Farm

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

I have two bulls, an eight-year old Gelbvieh and a 2-3 years old Angus. When we worked the herd in the spring the Gelbvieh was the second last one in the corral. He decided rather than going down the chute to the headgate, he would nose under a gate, completely destroying it.

Yesterday I found him in with my heifers. Strike two. Managed to get him and all of them in the corral and sorted out all of the heifers, including the one in heat. My mistake as he became spooky. Got the bull isolated in a holding area and went hunting chains to secure the gates. Didn't think to leave the gate to the chute open so he might go down it and be caught. My mistake #2. He first found a small hole in the chainlink fencing and tried his best to nose through it, but couldn't quite get under. I ran for the truck and nosed it into the hole. Before I could get back he nosed under a heavy-duty metal gate, destroying it, and got out. Strike #3. Tried to keep him in a paddock between the heifers and the herd. At this point the only reason he didn't meet a .223 head on was he wouldn't let me get near him. Would I have just shot him? At this point, pardon my French, HELL YES! The county only charges $20 to send out a backhoe to bury livestock.

This morning found he had gone through a fence back to the herd. On the advice of the local vet I found two guys who would bring horses and guarantee to put him and the cow which climbed over the 6' high chainlink fence the last time she was in the corral (the one left after my bull got out) into my livestock trailer. Cost was $100 per head.

They were very casual about it. They found the Gelbvieh and ran him until he was tired. Two ropes around this neck, then one on his back leg and pulled both directions until he went down. (And we're talking about a 1,650 to 1,850 pound bull here.) After that the fight seemed to go out of him and he loaded fairly easy by putting ropes inside the trailer and using the horses to pull him in.

Cow (Brahman-cross) was another story. They tried to run her tired also. My neighbor, a guy who was with the horsemen and I were standing in a shaded small grove of trees. Here she came full gallop. Believe me, we all found trees to get behind as even a 6" diameter tree can be a lifesaver. They eventually roped and downed her, but each time they got her back on her feet to load, she would go down again. Eventually hit the right combination to get her in the trailer also.

She was not a happy camper. Offered my neighbor and their helper $100 to climb in the trailer with her and stay for two minutes, but neither seem very interested in taking me up on it.

Hauled both to the livestock sales barn this evening. The bull will probably go to work for Oscar Meyers and the cow probably for McDonalds or a supermarket chain. Admitted their employment will be brief.

Now I only have to do a couple of hundred dollars of repair work on my corral. May call it the Mr. Bull/Brahman Bitch Memorial Corral.

Renee: We all have our off days!

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 02, 2000

Answers

Ken, do you use a lot of chainlink fence on your place? I have tried it around here and have not had much luck with it, I guess it would be OK for pastures when used with electric fence, but that could get pretty costly. My catch pen is constructed with 8" x 8" timbers, cattle pannels and 4 2" x 8" boards on the inside, I use some steel 16' pipe pannels to funnel them to the catch pen.

If I was loaded with cash I would love to fence my whole place in cattle panels. For right now I guess Barb wire and field fence will have to work.

I don't mess with cattle much anymore, they sure can be a handful when you are trying to do most of the work by yourself. I do buy a few when the price is right, the grass is good and I feel I can make a profit with a little good managment. I usally have a few around here.

-- Mark (deadgoatman@webtv.net), October 02, 2000.


next time sell tickets!!!{ha,ha} i learned to that when said cow or hog does not want to go it does not go,at least the way you want them to!

-- renee oneill (oneillsr@home.com), October 03, 2000.

I know the feeling all to well .I am going to meet an 18 month old border collie who has done some farm work .

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), October 03, 2000.

Mark:

I used chainlink because most of it came from a fence on the farm I took down since I didn't need it there. If I started from scratch I'd pretty well copy what you did using cattle panels.

By the way, when the Gelbvieh was in the trailer and they were chasing the cow, my Angus came up to the trailer. I swear I heard him chuckling as he is now boss bull.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), October 03, 2000.


Around here I have seen farmers use Metal Guard Rails that came off the highways used. They put it on the inside of the corral, 2 sections high, on massive posts. Just a thought. With your jumping cows, you would need 3 or 4 sections high! What are you feeding those cattle anyway, rabbit food?

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), October 04, 2000.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ