I have learned many, many more
things than just eight working with cattle; it seems as if I learn something
new every day; however, these eight are some of the things I learned early on
that have been proven valuable on an on-going basis.
1) Cattle can open gates –
many of the livestock gates on the market nowadays have a small, slanted slot
about half way up the gate on one side. For deployment in a gateway, the gate
has prongs that allow the gate to be mounted on one fence post while a length
of chain is used to secure the gate to a solid post on the other side of the
gateway. One link of the chain is fitted into the slot and is intended to serve
as the “locking” mechanism for the gate. Calves are attracted to things with
color or that make tinkling noises as the chains do when wind is rocking the
gates or the cattle are brushing against them. After watching a calf stand and
play with one of the chains until it became dislodged from the slot allowing
the gate to swing open, we began using snap hooks with the chains to prevent
the cattle from opening the gates.
2) There is a right and a wrong
way to open gates – by nature cattle are nomadic grazers, much like the
buffalo herds of old. Humans domesticated cattle and placed them in controlled
grazing areas, but the nomadic instinct is still there. So, it is prudent to
assume cattle view an open gate as an invitation to access fresh grazing areas;
they get excited and sometimes try to rush through an open gate creating a situation
in which you may be injured; keep this in mind when entering or leaving areas
that contain cattle. When opening gates in areas containing cattle, always pull
the gate away from the direction of the cattle. By opening the
gate in this manner, you are in effect creating a barrier between you and the
cattle; when you move to close the gate it presents a much bigger barrier than
your body alone, as well as eliminating the need to step into an open gateway
to grab the gate to pull it closed. In
my experience, the slightest movement of the gate towards the cattle
is the same as putting up a “red” traffic signal – they understand it means
stop now!
3) Cattle love to scratch on
things – just like humans, cattle get “itches”; to relieve itches, they
scratch on objects. If you want a good laugh watch a cow scratching her rear
end or her neck on a downed tree branch. Not so funny is when you catch her
scratching on the rear view mirrors of your truck, your baling equipment, barn
doors, etc. Bulls are very prone to scratching on objects. They can all be
quite destructive trying to quell an itch! We tack barb wire to the barn doors
and posts we do not want the cattle scratching on and do not leave equipment
where they can access it. We do, however, leave a high stump or two in the
pastures so they can relieve those itches!
4) Flowing water is not a
barrier to cattle - we have a small creek that flows from our property
under one of the perimeter fences onto our neighbor’s property. Because of the
geography of the creek, when we pulled the new fences there was a small opening
less than 18 inches between the lowest wire and the flowing water. We assumed due to
the movement of the water, this would not present a problem – wrong! Our 1600
lb. bull discovered this and used it as an escape route; he took 6 cows with
him - real bummer of a day for us! I wish I had had a camera on that spot and
watched how he managed to wriggle through that space! After retrieving the
escapees, we drove multiple metal posts in the creek spanning the opening, hung
cinder blocks from the top of key posts to produce downward thrust and keep the
water from pushing the posts out of alignment; then we put barb wire between
the posts. That escape route was cut off! J
5) Calves can be goofy –
it never fails if there is even a tiny opening in or under the fence, at least
one calf will find it and escape. When the Mother realizes her calf is not
around to nurse or the calf gets hungry and starts bawling for its Mother is
when things get interesting. Both Mother and calf will be bawling and frantically
march up and down the fence line. Unless the calf has managed to get out into
area where injury is imminent, like a public roadway – I discovered it is best
to just note where the calf got through the fence and back off, then come back
in about an hour or so after the bawling starts. You will usually find the
calf back on your side of the fence happily nursing. The calf will find and come
back through the same hole, if not pressured by humans. Plug the hole up so you
don’t have a repeat of this – at least not with that particular hole! Calves run
and jump playing tag with each other; when you are trying to herd the cattle,
they run in every direction except the one you want them to go. It is amazing
the amount of trouble they can get into – I found one upside down in a feed
trough struggling to get out, luckily she was small enough that I could up-end
the trough and literally pour her out of it. They can be very curious and I am
never surprised to turn around and find a group of them standing behind me watching
what I am doing and then run away when they realize I have seen them.
6) Some cows hide their calves
– like deer hide their newly-born fawns while they go off to graze, some cows
will do the same with their newborns. They may hide them in tall grass, under
bushes or trees. Never drive a vehicle, or any equipment through the pasture
where these new Mothers are located unless you know exactly where all the
calves are, else you run the risk of running over the calf and killing it.
Additionally, when rotating cattle between pastures, take a head count and make
sure all
the calves get moved with the Mothers.
7) Cattle establish a social
order – in any given herd the cattle will establish a social order. The
cows can be seen pushing each other around in the pasture and sometimes get
really aggressive with each other until one cow emerges as the dominant female;
I call her the “Queen of the Pasture”. She will usually be the first through
the gate, the first to the water or feed trough and if not, she pushes the
others out of the way. Train the “Queen” and the others will follow her lead.
If two mature bulls end up in the same pasture, whether they are purposely
placed together or one breaks through a fence, it may initiate a struggle for
dominance much more aggressive than that of the females. One or both of the
bulls may be injured, sometimes to the point the animal(s) injuries prevent
them from being used for breeding. It is best to keep mature bulls separated,
especially during breeding time. There are few things that make your heart sink
faster than watching your registered bull in a fight for dominance with the
neighbor’s commercial grade bull that has broken through the perimeter fence!
8) Cattle have a routine –
under normal circumstances, cattle develop a routine – time to drink, time to graze,
and favorite places to lay in the shade and ruminate. For example, if your cattle
typically arrive at a water source to drink twice a day take note of the
average time when this is taking place. I can see the pond from my kitchen
window, I know approximately what time they come down from the pastures to
drink and watch for them; I take a “head-count”. If all are not there or I do
not see them within 30 minutes to an hour of their normal time to drink, this
is a signal that something has happened - I go out to look for the missing
animals. They may have escaped the pasture, predators may be bothering the
herd, a gate may have swung closed preventing their reaching the water source
(this can be deadly to cattle during times of extreme heat), one of them may
have been injured, etc. Being aware of the cattle’s routine can alert you to
possible problems, so they can be dealt with expeditiously.
Folks, there is always something
new to learn when working with livestock – they can be great teachers if you
open your eyes, your mind, and your heart to them!
No comments:
Post a Comment