Calving time on the farm

[bordercollie]

Thanks Kanook. On the RTV,I gotta have my duct tape alright... and my pliers and my tools of all sorts ... haha and this is really true.. I went by an old tenant house on this place( that had been empty for over 30 years ) today and got the kitchen sink out and had it on the RTV all afternoon- turned upside down -across the toolbox and sprayer- till I got home. I really did have a kitchen sink on the RTV> true story! I'll be using that sink after I make a frame, to wash my greens outside. It has a porcelain drain area on each side. If you haven't guessed, I am also a pack rat... in a good way....... bordercollie

 

[TWO GUNS]

Oh yes, you have to have a place to wash up the greens.
I could eat greens 24 hours a day. Give me cornbread and greens. And I am good to go.

We have a elderly veteran, lives a little piece down the road. He lost his leg during the war. That don't slow him down none. He has a special "leg"
he calls it his working tool. ( He can get it dirty, scratched up, banged up, don't matter, it's a old artificial leg he uses when in the gardens.)
Makes the best garden in the south. He always brings us garden raised
veggies. And every year, he has the most abundant crop of greens.
Just the other day, Mrs. Two Guns and myself, stripped and clean greens.
Then got out the big crawfish cookers. And cooked greeens outside most of the evening. We have enough gallon size greens to last a very long time in these freezers. Greens is as important to us at Thanksgiving as the
Turkey and dressing itself !!!!

........ two guns

 

[bordercollie]

Seat Time

Yes indeed Two Guns- any southerner worth his salt should like greens- at least how I cook 'em - gotta have a little smoked by me meat in it for seasoning and -- a little sugar brag brag.. haha
Here is a picture of a calf getting some seat time when we move her to a safe area. The bil is holding her- she is not happy with her first ride on the RTV . The poop side is always outward!
Another picture of the scale in use. The mamas are getting more agressive as the weather gets colder and that is why I am holding the calf by the mouth- so he won't call his mama and get her all upset with us tagging/weighing /iodining it. Usually the mama will just make mama noises - like grunts- but when she gets upset- she will bop that head of hers and make rodeo type noises.and puts that head down- then be careful and park the RTV real close for back protection. Just a mama protecting her baby though otherwise the cows are fine to be around. .... bordercollie

 

[TWO GUNS]

Ya'll got cotton also ? See 'em in cotton fields >>>>>

 

[bordercollie]

Hey Two Guns, My bil leases his crop land to our neighbor and he either plants soybeans, cotton or corn, This year, he planted cotton on that piece(pictures on this post dated 10-29 and others) and soybeans(picture from 11-03 this thread) . We graze it after it's been picked or after the beans have been cut. We used to graze the stalks without clipping but the calves are too hard to find that way. Also the gov wants it clipped by a certain time to help control the bugs. The year of the drought, all we had was dirt because the grass didn't come back and it was terrible- nothing but dirt after the beans were cut. We rotate the cows on these patches when it's winter and keep them in the permanent pastures in the warm months.(That's our neighbor's 80,000 bushel dryer in the background. He plans to build several more. They are nice folks. bordercollie

 

[Heatwave]

BC: Have you experienced RTV tire punctures from corn stalks? A friend of mine has a Honda ATV 4-wheeler . His grandkids are notorious about running it across the cotton fields after the plants have been harvested and cut ... and driving cotton stalks into the tires. They'll ruin an ATV tire quickly.

 

[bordercollie]

BC: Have you experienced RTV tire punctures from corn stalks? A friend of mine has a Honda ATV 4-wheeler . His grandkids are notorious about running it across the cotton fields after the plants have been harvested and cut ... and driving cotton stalks into the tires. They'll ruin an ATV tire quickly.

No Heatwave that has never happened to me on my tires but the stalks do get hung all under the frame. It is good to have Peanut's stick stoppers on though. I am sure the stalks would be rough on boots as well.
I wonder what ply tires those were? The neighbor that leases this land alternates his crops so about every year it is different depending on prices.
I have pulled the stalks from all around my oil pan and transmission in the years he planted corn on us- and I rode the fields looking for calves( after it was harvested). One thing though, after the corn is harvested, we don't turn out the cows till the fallen corn has sprouted and is a decent height for them to eat- the old stalks could be more rotten by then. The cotton fields have never been a problem for me - but due to the nature of the RTV. I go down the rows parallel with em or if in a real hurry diagonal otherwise going directly across will toss everything out of the machine . bordercollie

 

[TWO GUNS]

Cotton Stalks will ruin a tire !!!!

After harvest, the stalks get like nails.
Also, depends on how low the cotton stalks are cut. Best to leave 'em a little high, for then they will roll mostly over as you go.

But let them be cut low, and your tire will get on top and yes, you have a
nice big 'ole hole. Many holes.

I can say, the OEM tires on four wheelers are NOT near as tuff as the tires on UTILTIY vehicles.

Seems like the four wheeler tires are really softer rubber.

 

[bordercollie]

Cotton Stalks will ruin a tire !!!!

After harvest, the stalks get like nails.
Also, depends on how low the cotton stalks are cut. Best to leave 'em a little high, for then they will roll mostly over as you go.

But let them be cut low, and your tire will get on top and yes, you have a
nice big 'ole hole. Many holes.

I can say, the OEM tires on four wheelers are NOT near as tuff as the tires on UTILTIY vehicles.

Seems like the four wheeler tires are really softer rubber.

That sounds absolutely right. The short stalks can also cause plenty of foot problems on cows . Those short stalks will stab their feet in the tender parts like between the hooves. and then it is intense treatment or it can get infected- especially when the weather is wet . These stalks we have left, lay over when run over or stepped on. bordercollie

 

[bordercollie]

I went to se Ark yesterday after feeding the cows to check on things and took Bordercollie belle with me and she kept her head in my lap most of the way there. (2 1/2 hrs ) . She likes the RTV more than the little old Toyota but I was glad to have the company. I came back this afternoon after working on the house a bit. No sooner than I got back here than Sis and I had to deliver a calf. First one needing help out of more than a 120 births so far but at least it was daylight. .... I need to eat more wheaties I guess because it was a hard pull and for a while was concerned . Since I have lost some weight, things seem either heavier are harder to do and not much was happening so I asked Him for some extra strength and soon we had good results. Here are a couple of pictures of the booger. bordercollie

 

[TWO GUNS]

Great Pictures >>>>>>>


That is stressful, that is work !!!!

 

[pepr]

Can we assume out of a first calf heifer? Looks like you ladies did a great job! How much did the calf weigh. Hope all are well!

 

[bordercollie]

I was glad to have it over with and that it was successful.It is always a chance the cow will back over you although we have a board across the end of the chute panel. The board has to be so you can move it in case the cow goes down. That could get into a situation if she is too close to the board and in the process of delivery and she drops. Nancy and I often delivered about 10 per year. Thankfully now it is like one percent. I agree Two Guns it is stressful many times. Pepr, ,Yes it was a first calf heifer and the calf weighed about 75 lbs but was in a tight place if you know what I mean. We still keep a "to go" box with all the stuff necessary to deliver a calf. Back in the old days, before RTVs , we would heard the cow having problems through the field on foot or by truck to a falling down catch pen and proceed with what we had to work with. I remember back when the nieces and nephew were real young , they helped me deliver a calf when everyone else was gone. Good kids then and still are now.
This is a picture I took today of the calf. (my phone camera got a paint smudge on it so I apologize for the blurry bottom edge.)
bordercollie

 

[squerly]

That was awesome BC! Your the real deal bud...

 

[pepr]

Now that's a calming picture after the stressful delivery! You guy's have Ritchie drinkers everywhere. I hope they please you as mine do.

We have a cow currently down due to an estrus related injury. She began walking very slow and favoring her hips after being in heat. Now she's down, pulls herself around, and is now eating and drinking very well. I should have sold her two months ago, dang-it!

I remember as a teenager lifting a paralyzed (from calf delivery) milk cow twice a day for six weeks. Dad fabricated a wide belt assembly that we had to place under her twice a day and lift using the front end loader. I remember the hot six weeks well since it was in June and July. Dad helped for about one week, then gave up on her. Mom and I just couldn't give up on ole Mabel. At exactly six weeks, she walked out of the belt assembly. Oh, what joy! The 120 lbs calf at birth was so tall it had to get on it's knees to nurse.

These days I don't have these kind of problems (knock on wood) as the result of using low birthweight sires and controlling the calving season. Back in the old days, we just didn't know.

 

[bordercollie]

Pepr, those Ritchies are great waters for sure.We were able to buy 8 used ones and I am grateful. No trouble with them yet. I put a water cut off right under the lid so they can be cut off if needed. There are a few brands I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy with well water. One uses the black ball as a float. Terrible... and always breaking in the winter it seems. More than a few times I put on the arm length AI gloves to keep my coat and winter gloves dry and tried to fix the broken piece at the bottom of the "W" brand float.
I also remember in the old days having to lift a downer cow with the front end loader.We had this apparatus that supported them by the hips . Sometimes a pinched nerve can be dealt with if a person just feeds and waters them. I bet Mabel was glad you kept trying.
Selective siring has saved a lot of problems for the animals as well as us and I am sure glad that things have improved.This a picture from last year showing Millie and Belle taking the cows to the barn. Those orange patches on the cows hold transmitters that send a signal to the computer and tells the best time to AI.

 

[bordercollie]

Back in December, When I was riding the RTV and checking on the cows, I noticed a calf hopping around. On closer inspection found out his leg was broken.. Long story short, we got him and his mama to the barn and had a good look. The break was clean and the skin wasn't damaged so we decided to do a cast. It turned out well and after 4 weeks of confinement inside the stalls to keep him dry, he is as good as new. A good ending for sure.. Sorry about the blurry yellow picture but that is the only one of the cast pre prep that I have...yellow wrap is a buffer for the cast to prevent rubbing wrapped on over gauze and before the cast, white- the cast, blue vet wrap the over cast- The vet wrap also covers large split and edge softened pvc to add strength . He is back with the herd after it came off. bordercollie

 

[TWO GUNS]

bordercollie,
I've always said you were heaven sent. God has blessed the world with
you being in it.

We have always been impressed at the responsibilities that you have upon you in your daily runs.

I tip my hat to you.

GOD BLESS YOU BORDERCOLLIE !!!!!

 

[bordercollie]

I was just holding the leg Two Guns but thank you . Sometimes, we aren't so lucky. If there is no break in the skin then you have a decent chance when casting. Way last year, we had a grown cow break her front leg and it fused back together and she had a beautiful calf this Fall. We just left her alone and it healed on it's own . Sometimes it works well and sometimes not...... We gotta try in all aspects of what we do- I keep on trying to earn my wings and place whatever I get into . I want to hear "well done j well done" when my name is called. bordercollie

 

[muleman RIP]

Did a similar repair on a goat kid that was kicked by a horse years ago. Two paint stirrers and lots of vet wrap but a few months later he was jumping around with the rest of them. Yes, Bordercollie is a friend to the animals. I think most folks on here are. I always say if you can't care for them proper, then you should not have them.