Tails From the Barn
- Thread starter nobull1
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nobull1
New member
I will give some in site to how we run our farm so you might appreciate what can and does happen.
We run about 30 head of cattle, cow calf and finish/market and a few thousand free-range chickens through the summer. In the winter we keep our cattle which are mostly 6 month calves, cows and a bull or three in tie stalls. This is the most inefficient way to raise cattle but it is how this farm always worked for the last 140 years and I am just too stupid to make life easier. So for six months of the year I shovel sh*t and work on a raised wooden floor and wonder every morning what will I encounter.
One story is about our two year old bull who was probably about 1200-1300 lbs and just learning an attitude. He decided that coming up along side of him was OK just so long as you dropped the feed and did not try to get past his front shoulder. If you wanted to get past his shoulder he would use his head and/or front legs to do as much damage as possible. This was an OK situation as I would only have to unhook him from the wall in the spring and that would be his last time tied in the barn.
On one particular morning I came into the barn and there was a strange sort of noise coming from the bull. I couldn't figure out what it was until I went in the adjoining stall and had a look. You have to visualize how we tie our animals to get the real picture. In this case we have a solid wall in front of the bull with a chain that goes through the wall with a clip to adjust it from the safe side. On the bull end of the chain it has an add a link with a 3/8 swivel attached with a tear drop snap that hooks to the chain that goes around his around his neck. When i looked into his stall he had the immovable part of the tear drop clip, once opened, hooked in over his lip, which meant his head was inches from the wall with little to no sideways movement. My employee that was with me said what are we going to do with this clip hooked in his lip and pissed to say the least?
I thought for what seemed like an hour but in reality was probably about 15 seconds. I said you loosen the chain from the wall so he can back up a bit and I am jumping in right in front of him. My employee says are you crazy to which I said what else are we going to do. So he gave the bull about 18 inches and I jumped in right in front of him. If you can imagine me trying to turn his head so I can get a grip on this now slimy clip and try to unhook it from his lip. Lucky for me at that moment the pain in his lip was more important than trying to kill me. So I pull on the clip and figure I would dive over the wall when it came unhooked. Guess what? The clip is buried in his lip and won't come out
Now I am really starting to worry what to do. My first thought which seemed crazy in the end was the only one I could think of. I stuck my two fingers in the top of the hook and put my knee against his head and pulled as hard as I could
The noise from the bull was not good and I had no idea what was going to happen. At the last second I was pulling it broke loose and came out. I jumped out of the way exhausted as was the bull thankfully. The only thing I could compare it to is trying to pull a tooth out of the bull with nothing for pain.
It was just luck I didn't get hurt and probably one of the stupider things I have done with the animals.
We run about 30 head of cattle, cow calf and finish/market and a few thousand free-range chickens through the summer. In the winter we keep our cattle which are mostly 6 month calves, cows and a bull or three in tie stalls. This is the most inefficient way to raise cattle but it is how this farm always worked for the last 140 years and I am just too stupid to make life easier. So for six months of the year I shovel sh*t and work on a raised wooden floor and wonder every morning what will I encounter.
One story is about our two year old bull who was probably about 1200-1300 lbs and just learning an attitude. He decided that coming up along side of him was OK just so long as you dropped the feed and did not try to get past his front shoulder. If you wanted to get past his shoulder he would use his head and/or front legs to do as much damage as possible. This was an OK situation as I would only have to unhook him from the wall in the spring and that would be his last time tied in the barn.
On one particular morning I came into the barn and there was a strange sort of noise coming from the bull. I couldn't figure out what it was until I went in the adjoining stall and had a look. You have to visualize how we tie our animals to get the real picture. In this case we have a solid wall in front of the bull with a chain that goes through the wall with a clip to adjust it from the safe side. On the bull end of the chain it has an add a link with a 3/8 swivel attached with a tear drop snap that hooks to the chain that goes around his around his neck. When i looked into his stall he had the immovable part of the tear drop clip, once opened, hooked in over his lip, which meant his head was inches from the wall with little to no sideways movement. My employee that was with me said what are we going to do with this clip hooked in his lip and pissed to say the least?
I thought for what seemed like an hour but in reality was probably about 15 seconds. I said you loosen the chain from the wall so he can back up a bit and I am jumping in right in front of him. My employee says are you crazy to which I said what else are we going to do. So he gave the bull about 18 inches and I jumped in right in front of him. If you can imagine me trying to turn his head so I can get a grip on this now slimy clip and try to unhook it from his lip. Lucky for me at that moment the pain in his lip was more important than trying to kill me. So I pull on the clip and figure I would dive over the wall when it came unhooked. Guess what? The clip is buried in his lip and won't come out
Now I am really starting to worry what to do. My first thought which seemed crazy in the end was the only one I could think of. I stuck my two fingers in the top of the hook and put my knee against his head and pulled as hard as I couldThe noise from the bull was not good and I had no idea what was going to happen. At the last second I was pulling it broke loose and came out. I jumped out of the way exhausted as was the bull thankfully. The only thing I could compare it to is trying to pull a tooth out of the bull with nothing for pain. It was just luck I didn't get hurt and probably one of the stupider things I have done with the animals.
Great idea on the post nobull. I have never seen cattle raised that way so you taught me something new.
Our cows are divided by ages into many different pastures and rotated around. We check on them daily and supplement their grass by feeding them daily in the cold months. With the ongoing drought we have had to feed in the summer some also. (the price of feed has gone up $100 a ton this year( from 160 a ton for DDG to 260). bordercollie
Our cows are divided by ages into many different pastures and rotated around. We check on them daily and supplement their grass by feeding them daily in the cold months. With the ongoing drought we have had to feed in the summer some also. (the price of feed has gone up $100 a ton this year( from 160 a ton for DDG to 260). bordercollie
nobull1
New member
In western Canada almost all cattle are raised somewhat as you do. In the east we have barns to keep them in for the winter, or at least that was the way many years ago. Now most farms in our part of the country try to keep them out all year. What i do is small scale farming and when I smarten up I will be like Paul Bunyan and Babe and will just disappear. I feed pasture in the summer, supplemented with haylage. On our good pasture of about 20 acres we can support about 30 head of cattle with a little supplement in the fall. One thing we can grow in Nova Scotia is grass. We feed no grain as our cattle are considered grass fed and receive a premium price. We also have a larger scale farmer who raises beef for us as well.
The price of feed for us is just haylage which we purchase locally delivered for about $45 per 4x4 1100 lb? bale. We make no feed and use all land for pasture, forest or recreational.
The price of feed for us is just haylage which we purchase locally delivered for about $45 per 4x4 1100 lb? bale. We make no feed and use all land for pasture, forest or recreational.
Kanook
Active member
NOBULL1.....Fishing is a major source of income for many in Nova Scotia...I would have thought that unhooking a catch would be pure instinct for an 'east coaster'...You may want to consider limiting your 'jigging' to chickens until you;ve polished your angling skills. 
Great story btw.
Great story btw.