Livestock/General Farming photo thread TAKE #2 ::::RULES IN 1st POST::::

furandfeather

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I find a rope around the cow's abdomen just in front of the udder and the hook bones has a similar effect. Pass it around the body and tightened adequately it takes the power out of any beast, I'd imagine it work off the same principle as putting up the tail for squeezing. I'm yet to see it to fail, they might lift the feet but there's no power to kick.

Never heard of that. Does the rope have to be real tight?

Anto_Meath

Ye have done the rope around the ribs alright it takes the power out of most of them alright but I remember 1a few years ago was bouncing around like a kangaroo with the rope on her. Another one I find hands is the lift the front foot with a rope that general stops any kicking.

Hard Knocks

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Handy tip for milking sucklers. Heard of this at the suckler demo at Ennis Mart. This cow would break your hand if you went near her.
Killed two birds with one stone today and paired one of her feet too. She's just calved a few days and too much milk for the calf. Teats were too full for him to drink, so milked her out. She didn't budge with the leg hoisted up.

If the seal wasn’t broke would you not leave them be?

Albert Johnson

furandfeather wrote: »

Never heard of that. Does the rope have to be real tight?

Yes as tight as you can get it within reason. I'd imagine it's compressing the nerves in the spine which cause a sort of temporary paralysis, it sounds very brutal but has no lasting effects that I've ever witnessed. When your on your own trying to milk a cow or put a calf sucking it really comes into its own, there's usually a rope of some sort available when nothing else is to hand. A loop in one end of the rope and feed the loose end through it and pull tight is the easiest way, a simple bow knot to hold the tension and your good to go.

patsy_mccabe

Hard Knocks wrote: »

If the seal wasn’t broke would you not leave them be?

With a younger calf I would, but this one is 8 days old now. I was watching him drink this morning and he had one teat completely dry and looked like he couldn't brake the seal on the other 2 (I spin gone). With big bottle teats, the seal can be hard to break.
Neighbour warned me about it before. He couldn't understand what was wrong with his calf, poor devil was sucking but getting no milk.

High bike

Albert Johnson wrote: »

Yes as tight as you can get it within reason. I'd imagine it's compressing the nerves in the spine which cause a sort of temporary paralysis, it sounds very brutal but has no lasting effects that I've ever witnessed. When your on your own trying to milk a cow or put a calf sucking it really comes into its own, there's usually a rope of some sort available when nothing else is to hand. A loop in one end of the rope and feed the loose end through it and pull tight is the easiest way, a simple bow knot to hold the tension and your good to go.

saw the out fella do it many a time it definitely works, if you tighten it enough no way will they kick and no lasting effect after

sonnybill

High bike wrote: »

saw the out fella do it many a time it definitely works, if you tighten it enough no way will they kick and no lasting effect after

I do that when squeezing on my own

TITANIUM.

maybe I'm stateing the obvious lads but why not just use a kicking bar!

Albert Johnson

TITANIUM. wrote: »

maybe I'm stateing the obvious lads but why not just use a kicking bar!

I find kick bars to be hit and miss tbh, on some cows they work grand but it only seems to antagonize others. The rope is 100% effective in my experience and not much more difficult to apply. A rope is also easier sourced at times compared to a kick bar especially if on an out farm ect.

TITANIUM.

Albert Johnson wrote: »

I find kick bars to be hit and miss tbh, on some cows they work grand but it only seems to antagonize others. The rope is 100% effective in my experience and not much more difficult to apply. A rope is also easier sourced at times compared to a kick bar especially if on an out farm ect.

I have 2 of um hanging right above my calving pens and another hanging above the crush on the out farm. 2 seconds to put um on. the only cows that will give any trouble with a kicking bar are the very square muscled types that don't have a very pronounced ridge. I'd use them allot if a cow wasn't letting a calf suck. eventually all you'll need to do is hang the bar off her and she won't even contemplate kicking. tbh i thought the days of doing um up with ropes was long gone.

Albert Johnson

TITANIUM. wrote: »

I have 2 of um hanging right above my calving pens and another hanging above the crush on the out farm. 2 seconds to put um on. the only cows that will give any trouble with a kicking bar are the very square muscled types that don't have a very pronounced ridge. I'd use them allot if a cow wasn't letting a calf suck. eventually all you'll need to do is hang the bar off her and she won't even contemplate kicking. tbh i thought the days of doing um up with ropes was long gone.

We have one hanging off the wall plate in an old shed for as long as I can remember, it doesn't get used as the rope does a similar job and is nearly as convenient in my experience. If your happy using the kick bar then use it by all means however there's usually more than one way to accomplish everything.

As for the days of trussing them up with ropes I think it's become less common in recent years. I'm by far the youngest farmer in the locality, there's 7 other men still farming on our road and if I'm excluded the average age must be near 70. Only one of them has family and it's like a step back in time to observe some of what goes on daily. There's only one 4wd tractor and two slatted sheds, the rest have 35's or similar and either out winter the stock or tie them in the byre for the winter.

I helped one character with a herd test a few weeks ago, his crush fell apart a few years back and he hasn't got round to repairing it yet. The 10 cattle were either tied in a stall or corralled behind a gate for the vet, it's like something out of a James Herriot book. Conversely a lad about my age arrived at the mart lately with a few dry cow's, most of them had only one tag but he had replacement's in his pocket to put in. Having put the cows in the chute he remarked that we couldn't tag them as there was no skulling gate, obviously he came from a more privileged farming background than myself. He was amazed when I caught the first cow by the nose and told him to stick a tag in her asap, I informed him after that a chute was considered a luxury in our area. I don't think he'd get too far if given a halter or any other rope to do something with a beast if necessary.

Bullocks

Albert Johnson wrote: »

We have one hanging off the wall plate in an old shed for as long as I can remember, it doesn't get used as the rope does a similar job and is nearly as convenient in my experience. If your happy using the kick bar then use it by all means however there's usually more than one way to accomplish everything.

As for the days of trussing them up with ropes I think it's become less common in recent years. I'm by far the youngest farmer in the locality, there's 7 other men still farming on our road and if I'm excluded the average age must be near 70. Only one of them has family and it's like a step back in time to observe some of what goes on daily. There's only one 4wd tractor and two slatted sheds, the rest have 35's or similar and either out winter the stock or tie them in the byre for the winter.

I helped one character with a herd test a few weeks ago, his crush fell apart a few years back and he hasn't got round to repairing it yet. The 10 cattle were either tied in a stall or corralled behind a gate for the vet, it's like something out of a James Herriot book. Conversely a lad about my age arrived at the mart lately with a few dry cow's, most of them had only one tag but he had replacement's in his pocket to put in. Having put the cows in the chute he remarked that we couldn't tag them as there was no skulling gate, obviously he came from a more privileged farming background than myself. He was amazed when I caught the first cow by the nose and told him to stick a tag in her asap, I informed him after that a chute was considered a luxury in our area. I don't think he'd get too far if given a halter or any other rope to do something with a beast if necessary.

My own rope skills are abysmal. A neighbour is deadly at setting up ropes to hold up a leg or make a halter or anything, the best part is that his knots can be undone in a jiffy. If myself or the old boy have to tie a cow any way we will have a knife ready first!
Should be part of the green cert

Albert Johnson

Bullocks wrote: »

My own rope skills are abysmal. A neighbour is deadly at setting up ropes to hold up a leg or make a halter or anything, the best part is that his knots can be undone in a jiffy. If myself or the old boy have to tie a cow any way we will have a knife ready first!
Should be part of the green cert

My rope skill's are fairly average too tbh but I'm improving all the time, like that there's a few lads locally who would rival any cowboy as regards lassoing stock. You have a point about such skills being included in the green cert and other such training, usually Teagasc and the like have top notch facilities compared to the average yard. It never ceases to amaze me how many people are incapable of tying a simple knot. My own better half is an example of such a person, she can tie her laces but will just wrap the rope around something and be amazed when it fails under pressure. I always tie a beast with a bow knot or something similar that can be released almost immediately if needed, having said that I'm still rarely without a pen knife for similar reasons.

Lady Haywire

Had my eye on this little roan heifer last year, belonging to a neighbour.



Tagged her again today, ooch she's a beauty!

High bike

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Had my eye on this little roan heifer last year, belonging to a neighbour.



Tagged her again today, ooch she's a beauty!

the one that got away:D

Lady Haywire

High bike wrote: »

the one that got away:D

Not away yet, yet to decide if he'll keep her or sell. Will definitely throw in an offer if she's for sale, but if not, as least I can look at her!

High bike

Lady Haywire wrote: »

Not away yet, yet to decide if he'll keep her or sell. Will definitely throw in an offer if she's for sale, but if not, as least I can look at her!

shes something to look at all right, what’s the breeding?

Lady Haywire

High bike wrote: »

shes something to look at all right, what’s the breeding?

Gamin off that CPW (BB) cow in the top pic. The orangey one behind her is her first daughter, who she had at 16 or 17 months of age after a winter of feeding :pac: Not had to lay a hand on her for calving yet so I'd be hopeful of that red lass having the same habit!

patsy_mccabe

Gamin (ZGM) is surprisingly good for daughter's calving, given the shape of him.

High bike

Have they milk??

charolais0153

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Gamin (ZGM) is surprisingly good for daughter's calving, given the shape of him.

Have a gawk at TVR, .5% dau calving difficulty.

patsy_mccabe

charolais0153 wrote: »

Have a gawk at TVR, .5% dau calving difficulty.

Feck. At that rate they'd calf coming sideways.

patsy_mccabe

You gotta love the Amish.

Lady Haywire

charolais0153 wrote: »

Have a gawk at TVR, .5% dau calving difficulty.

Another reason I'm hoping for a tvr heifer from my blonde, she's due in 3 weeks & not looking too heavy so could be in luck....time will tell.

Buford T. Justice XIX

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

You gotta love the Amish.

They can use a tractor to pump the slurry but can't use a tractor to spread it?

Mac Taylor

Rear end view of my two bulls, one on the left is by Raffertys Emmanuel and was born in May, one on right is by zag and born in November. Not pushed and out wintered.

charolais0153

Mac Taylor wrote: »

Rear end view of my two bulls, one on the left is by Raffertys Emmanuel and was born in May, one on right is by zag and born in November. Not pushed and out wintered.

Trim the tails. Makes a big differenec

Limestone Cowboy

Yesterday's arrival.

patsy_mccabe

Some horse. Would be handy at calving time.

Base price

A pic of the two shorthorn heifers during the week.