When we decided to raise cattle we really didn’t know what to expect; I recall many times being told how difficult cattle are to work with and what dumb animals they tend to be, among other things. Luckily, we ignored all the negatives and concentrated on the positives. Cattle have their quirks, just like any other animals, but this is not indicative of being dumb, nor are they especially difficult to work with, as long as you use patience and common sense.
There is, like most things, a learning curve in raising cattle; the following are some mistakes commonly made by first-time cattle owners, along with some advice for avoiding or at least minimizing their impact:
1) Failure to identify your goals – there are many reasons why people purchase cattle from simply to keeping the grass down on a few acres of land around their home, to maintaining a property tax exemption, to seeking to build a business for profit with the sale of livestock capable of supporting one or more people. There is an old saying to the tune – if you don’t know where you are going, how can you plan to get there and how will you know when you are there? Cattle raising – ranching – is a business, and businesses should have goals and a plan to reach those goals.
2) Failure to seek education - cattle ranching is no different than any other business - knowledge, time and startup funds, are all necessary for success. Like any new business, there is a big learning curve unless you have someone with experience in raising cattle as a business partner or mentor. The more effort you make to learn about raising cattle before making your first purchase, the quicker your learning curve can be reduced. Reducing the learning curve can mean the difference between success and failure in a for-profit endeavor. There are a multitude of books about cattle on the market – from managing their health to managing their pastures. Read, read, and read! Contact your local agricultural extension agent to find out about courses involving livestock or pasture management available either through the extension, junior colleges, or private parties; ask the agents advice as to which courses would be most beneficial to a startup operation. Take the recommended courses as soon as possible. You may decide after taking steps to educate yourself that the “cattle business” is not for you and thereby, save time and money that can be put towards some other business venture more in line with your goals. Raising cattle is not for everyone.
3) Failure to prepare for receipt of and on-going support for the cattle – fences, fences, fences; make sure you have the correct fencing and it is in good repair before the cattle are unloaded on your property! The land selected to hold the cattle must be able to provide an on-going supply of clean drinking water and the nutritional needs of the cattle, if not, you will have to provide supplemental water and food. In many areas of the country grazing is not possible 12 months a year; you must have a plan to provide for the months it is not available. Relocation to a new place puts a lot of stress on cattle, both emotionally and physiologically, to the point young and other predisposed animals can become very ill. Do not turn the animals out into a large pasture for the first few days after delivery; the first thing the animals will do after exiting a trailer into a large pasture unknown to them is rush around the perimeter fencing – they will look for any weakness in the fence, some may even jump the fence, to escape because their stress level is at a peak. Unload them into a large pen or corral for a minimum of 3 – 5 days with plenty of fresh water, good hay, and some cover from the weather. Note: if you have bought cattle from other than a reputable dealer with proven cattle health records, you should consider getting them vaccinated by a veterinarian and keeping the new cattle segregated from your existing herd for 3 weeks, either in a pasture after the initial 3-5 day calm down period, or moving them through a series of small paddocks or pens to avoid too much manure buildup in the corral. This is both a time for observation to ensure none of the animals are ill or injured, to engage a veterinarian if necessary, and time for the cattle to calm down before release into the larger pasture. Not allowing cattle time to calm down before release is one of the biggest mistakes new cattle owners make! Check the fences – again - and make any repairs before you release the cattle from the pen!!
4) Failure to purchase cattle from a reputable breeder – first-time cattle owners should seek to purchase cattle only from reputable cattle ranches or farms within the areas around their property location. This helps, among other things, to reduce health problems caused by different parasites and drastic climate changes, such as going from predominantly cold winters and cool, dry summers to climates with exceedingly humid and hot summers or vice versa. Additionally, the ranch owner can provide advice in the selection of animals suitable to meet your goals. A serious ranch owner will have a management plan for the health of his or her herd that documents the steps taken to ensure the health of the animals. Check with local veterinarians about local breeders; they can serve as a valuable resource in finding quality breeders in the area. If possible take someone knowledgeable in cattle with you to view the animals. Do not buy more stock than the land that will hold the cattle can support unless you plan to supplement their food and water.
5) Failure to develop workable operational schedules – age, breed and nutritional state have a lot to do with when heifers reach puberty and begin to experience estrus cycles; educate yourself about your particular breed of cattle and develop a workable breeding program. A workable breeding program takes into account not only the age of the heifers, but bull management, annual breeding for all your cattle, calf weaning, and marketing schedules. Additional tasks may need to be scheduled, including but not limited to, vaccinations, acquisition of hay, baling your own hay, fertilization of pastures, fencing tasks, and maintenance of equipment. Folks, how well you plan operations will go a long way to allowing you to take a vacation or to go out of town for an educational seminar, now and then, without worrying about things “blowing up” on the ranch. Keep in mind – Mother Nature waits for no one – and that includes ranchers!
6) Failure to understand the “herd mentality” - cattle are “herd” animals by nature; the company of other cattle is important to both their overall sense of well-being and ultimately, their health. Cattle do best within in a herd; they can touch other cattle and a “pecking” order is established so each animal knows its place in the herd – the herd equates to safety; the sense of safety goes a long way to keeping an animal calm. To join or remain part of a herd, a separated animal may panic and try to run through or jump fences, thus risking injury, sometimes severe injury. Now, this may seem a little strange, but be aware cattle establish friendships – BFFs – so to speak. If you must separate and pen an animal away from the herd, unless the animal is suffering from possible contagion, always place at least one other animal, preferably its BFF, in or next to the penned animal to help keep it calm. As long as they can see and especially, touch noses with the other animal, they do not tend to panic. When purchasing two or more animals, ask if the owner has knowledge of BFF relationships in the herd; if so, consider purchasing the BFFs together. This will go a long way in helping reduce the stress of relocation.
7) Failure to establish a working relationship with the cattle – to work with cattle effectively, they must come to know and trust you. Never use or allow anyone else to use an electric prod or a whip on your cattle – period! Cattle are extremely curious, as well as cautious, and have very good memories. Cattle respond to slow deliberate movements - they love treats - they recognize, remember and respond well to quietly spoken words. They remember if someone has mistreated them and this will sometimes make handling of them in similar situations difficult. Cattle can be trained; with some patience and understanding, they are very easy for anyone, including children, to work with.
There is, like most things, a learning curve in raising cattle; the following are some mistakes commonly made by first-time cattle owners, along with some advice for avoiding or at least minimizing their impact:
1) Failure to identify your goals – there are many reasons why people purchase cattle from simply to keeping the grass down on a few acres of land around their home, to maintaining a property tax exemption, to seeking to build a business for profit with the sale of livestock capable of supporting one or more people. There is an old saying to the tune – if you don’t know where you are going, how can you plan to get there and how will you know when you are there? Cattle raising – ranching – is a business, and businesses should have goals and a plan to reach those goals.
2) Failure to seek education - cattle ranching is no different than any other business - knowledge, time and startup funds, are all necessary for success. Like any new business, there is a big learning curve unless you have someone with experience in raising cattle as a business partner or mentor. The more effort you make to learn about raising cattle before making your first purchase, the quicker your learning curve can be reduced. Reducing the learning curve can mean the difference between success and failure in a for-profit endeavor. There are a multitude of books about cattle on the market – from managing their health to managing their pastures. Read, read, and read! Contact your local agricultural extension agent to find out about courses involving livestock or pasture management available either through the extension, junior colleges, or private parties; ask the agents advice as to which courses would be most beneficial to a startup operation. Take the recommended courses as soon as possible. You may decide after taking steps to educate yourself that the “cattle business” is not for you and thereby, save time and money that can be put towards some other business venture more in line with your goals. Raising cattle is not for everyone.
3) Failure to prepare for receipt of and on-going support for the cattle – fences, fences, fences; make sure you have the correct fencing and it is in good repair before the cattle are unloaded on your property! The land selected to hold the cattle must be able to provide an on-going supply of clean drinking water and the nutritional needs of the cattle, if not, you will have to provide supplemental water and food. In many areas of the country grazing is not possible 12 months a year; you must have a plan to provide for the months it is not available. Relocation to a new place puts a lot of stress on cattle, both emotionally and physiologically, to the point young and other predisposed animals can become very ill. Do not turn the animals out into a large pasture for the first few days after delivery; the first thing the animals will do after exiting a trailer into a large pasture unknown to them is rush around the perimeter fencing – they will look for any weakness in the fence, some may even jump the fence, to escape because their stress level is at a peak. Unload them into a large pen or corral for a minimum of 3 – 5 days with plenty of fresh water, good hay, and some cover from the weather. Note: if you have bought cattle from other than a reputable dealer with proven cattle health records, you should consider getting them vaccinated by a veterinarian and keeping the new cattle segregated from your existing herd for 3 weeks, either in a pasture after the initial 3-5 day calm down period, or moving them through a series of small paddocks or pens to avoid too much manure buildup in the corral. This is both a time for observation to ensure none of the animals are ill or injured, to engage a veterinarian if necessary, and time for the cattle to calm down before release into the larger pasture. Not allowing cattle time to calm down before release is one of the biggest mistakes new cattle owners make! Check the fences – again - and make any repairs before you release the cattle from the pen!!
4) Failure to purchase cattle from a reputable breeder – first-time cattle owners should seek to purchase cattle only from reputable cattle ranches or farms within the areas around their property location. This helps, among other things, to reduce health problems caused by different parasites and drastic climate changes, such as going from predominantly cold winters and cool, dry summers to climates with exceedingly humid and hot summers or vice versa. Additionally, the ranch owner can provide advice in the selection of animals suitable to meet your goals. A serious ranch owner will have a management plan for the health of his or her herd that documents the steps taken to ensure the health of the animals. Check with local veterinarians about local breeders; they can serve as a valuable resource in finding quality breeders in the area. If possible take someone knowledgeable in cattle with you to view the animals. Do not buy more stock than the land that will hold the cattle can support unless you plan to supplement their food and water.
5) Failure to develop workable operational schedules – age, breed and nutritional state have a lot to do with when heifers reach puberty and begin to experience estrus cycles; educate yourself about your particular breed of cattle and develop a workable breeding program. A workable breeding program takes into account not only the age of the heifers, but bull management, annual breeding for all your cattle, calf weaning, and marketing schedules. Additional tasks may need to be scheduled, including but not limited to, vaccinations, acquisition of hay, baling your own hay, fertilization of pastures, fencing tasks, and maintenance of equipment. Folks, how well you plan operations will go a long way to allowing you to take a vacation or to go out of town for an educational seminar, now and then, without worrying about things “blowing up” on the ranch. Keep in mind – Mother Nature waits for no one – and that includes ranchers!
6) Failure to understand the “herd mentality” - cattle are “herd” animals by nature; the company of other cattle is important to both their overall sense of well-being and ultimately, their health. Cattle do best within in a herd; they can touch other cattle and a “pecking” order is established so each animal knows its place in the herd – the herd equates to safety; the sense of safety goes a long way to keeping an animal calm. To join or remain part of a herd, a separated animal may panic and try to run through or jump fences, thus risking injury, sometimes severe injury. Now, this may seem a little strange, but be aware cattle establish friendships – BFFs – so to speak. If you must separate and pen an animal away from the herd, unless the animal is suffering from possible contagion, always place at least one other animal, preferably its BFF, in or next to the penned animal to help keep it calm. As long as they can see and especially, touch noses with the other animal, they do not tend to panic. When purchasing two or more animals, ask if the owner has knowledge of BFF relationships in the herd; if so, consider purchasing the BFFs together. This will go a long way in helping reduce the stress of relocation.
7) Failure to establish a working relationship with the cattle – to work with cattle effectively, they must come to know and trust you. Never use or allow anyone else to use an electric prod or a whip on your cattle – period! Cattle are extremely curious, as well as cautious, and have very good memories. Cattle respond to slow deliberate movements - they love treats - they recognize, remember and respond well to quietly spoken words. They remember if someone has mistreated them and this will sometimes make handling of them in similar situations difficult. Cattle can be trained; with some patience and understanding, they are very easy for anyone, including children, to work with.
Folks, never, ever underestimate the value of planning and scheduling operations on the ranch or training and developing a relationship with your animals!
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