330 Head of Wyoming Heifers Today

[Dee]

This  morning helped a neighboring ranch gather and process 330 head of bred red Angus heifers today. Friend took this picture  of me and my horse heading off some bunch quiters. Later in the morning, while  branding, tagging, and vaccinating. I ended up in the hospital ER 40 miles away getting stitches in my left index finger. Never get your hand caught in a squeeze chute gate when a 1,000 heifer is trying to get out.

[gypsyman]

 Hope you heal up quickly. I'll bet the heifer didn't feel a thing!!

[Dee]

Yeah, 2 different brands, an ear tag, a vaccination. She wasn't happy. 

[Ranger99]

If they weren't filled with beef, they'd be useless

[Dee]

If they weren't filled with beef, they'd be useless

Flat tires are the same way.

[Tommyt]

I thought the new age cowboys road Hondas 
Heal up young man

[Dee]

I thought the new age cowboys road Hondas 
Heal up young man

Boss got me a 4-wheeler some time back. Perfectly useless chasing cows. I'm gonna put it on a trailer, and take it back to hiim. If they won't come in to a cake truck, your only have 2 other choices. Leave'em out there, or get on a horse and go get'em.

[ironglow]

Say Dee...does prickly pear raise havoc with ATV tires?

[Dee]

Say Dee...does prickly pear raise havoc with ATV tires?

Not if the tires are full of slime. Out here its  cactus, mesquite thorns, and goat heads. Just about everything sticks. Its rough country.

[ironglow]

Say Dee...does prickly pear raise havoc with ATV tires?

Not if the tires are full of slime. Out here its  cactus, mesquite thorns, and goat heads. Just about everything sticks. Its rough country.

    You're working a job/area that I am totallyunfamiliar with..so I am curious to learn.. 
   How do you protect you horse's lower extremities.  Itwould seem that some of the tougher spines could upon occasion, even puncture the
   sole or white line of their hooves....And a "brush by" on any cactus could bring misery.
   
  Enlighten me, please..

[nw_hunter]

Say Dee...does prickly pear raise havoc with ATV tires?

Not if the tires are full of slime. Out here its  cactus, mesquite thorns, and goat heads. Just about everything sticks. Its rough country.

I've had my share of battles with Goat heads and Prickly pears. I never won a one! I think the Army planted goat heads at Ft. Hood, just to make life miserable for us fools doing basic there.

[Dee]

You just have to watch where you're going, but horses are far more durable than most people think.
Wednesday morning as it was coming daylight we left the corrals in single file through mesquite, down through draws, coolies,  and washes. There were 10 of us and the herd boss was leading the way, because he knew the area.
I was next to last in line, and I hope I never forget the look in front of me. We were traveling at a fast trot and it looked like something out of a movie. Even at 73 I still like the company of those kinda folks. They all know horses, and cattle, and we all knew what we were doing.
A country music film crew was filming us with drones at that point, and then with their big shoulder carried cameras around the corrals.
When we got all 330 head penned we tied our horses to the corral fence. They were all soaked in sweat and steam was coming off of'em as it was  still  pretty chilli, and the video crew filmed that to.
If I find out what music video we were in I'll post it.
But back to your question. Sure the horses get stickers, and thorns occasionally, but you just have to keep checking em. Horses hide is pretty thick, and tuff.

[Ranger99]

The slick hair on animals turn a good bit of
briars and cockleburrs. You'll find a good many
burrs and such when you curry and brush your
horse/mule down after a ride

All that stuff doesn't bother an animal the way
it does us humans.

[Dee]

The slick hair on animals turn a good bit of
briars and cockleburrs. You'll find a good many
burrs and such when you curry and brush your
horse/mule down after a ride

All that stuff doesn't bother an animal the way
it does us humans.

True. When I'm checking feet I occasionally see cactus thorns in their fetlocks, or cannons. I pull'em out, but the horse doesn't seem to ever fèel'em.

[ironglow]

Thanks for the info guys...some informative answers.

  When my son was a teenager, he worked with a taxidermist for some months. It was quite common tho see lower deer legs skinned, having what looks like pepper through them.
   since always let somebody else process my deer, so I had not noticed this until my son pointed it out.  What looked like a well peppered leg , was actually thorn tips broken off under the hide.

  If deer live where there are thorns...they have the "well peppered' legs.  Funny how that works..hundreds of thorn tip broke off, but apparently
    no infections.

[Graybeard]

Since you are in Texas why are the cattle called Wyoming heifers? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Ranger99]

Just guessing here

Probably a herd trucked in from the
cold windy state 
There's times when it's expedient to
sell off your herd when prices are low
instead of continuing to go in more
debt for a big feed bill
They have to eat every day regardless
of the economy and problems of the world.
A ton or two of bales and cubes and cake
every day will wear out an already lean
bank account
A now late neighbor bought a small herd
some years ago just right before one of the
droughts we had,  and ended up having to
buy bales because nobody had any growing
locally, and there's no irrigated hay in this
region.  The only hay he could find was crap
and ended up bringing grassburrs to all the
adjacent properties.

It's a game of luck of the draw when you
deal with the big numbers

[Dee]

Since you are in Texas why are the cattle called Wyoming heifers? Inquiring minds want to know.

LOL, they're called Wyoming heifers because I failed to mention that they were bought in, and shipped from, Wyoming. They, all but one, are red Angus heifers, I'm used to talking to cow men, and didn't think to explain. 
The rancher here that bought'em obviously knows his cattle, these are as good as it gets. All pregnancy tested, and shipped pregnant. In the spring his cowboys are gonna be busy. Really busy.

[Dee]

Just guessing here

Probably a herd trucked in from the
cold windy state 
There's times when it's expedient to
sell off your herd when prices are low
instead of continuing to go in more
debt for a big feed bill
They have to eat every day regardless
of the economy and problems of the world.
A ton or two of bales and cubes and cake
every day will wear out an already lean
bank account
A now late neighbor bought a small herd
some years ago just right before one of the
droughts we had,  and ended up having to
buy bales because nobody had any growing
locally, and there's no irrigated hay in this
region.  The only hay he could find was crap
and ended up bringing grassburrs to all the
adjacent properties.

It's a game of luck of the draw when you
deal with the big numbers

Well, this was the opposite. My steers brought a little over $3.00 this year. Shannon sold his entire herd while prices are still up, and got rid of some cows with age on'em.
This new herd is 2 year old 1st year heifers and better breeding, going to calve in the spring.  If you can afford it, it was a smart move.

[Ranger99]

That's a good price
Haven't been to a barn in a while, but things
were borderline grim there 
Not many blooded animals ran through the
gates. Some goats and the "pet" type animals
and miniatures brought a premium.
No donkeys. Lots of ads in the east Texas papers
for free donkeys if you come get em.

Haven't followed any of it lately, but blooded
animals have mostly always held their value 
Beef masters and reds and blooded charolais
and braman always do well
The old herefords and bastard herefords aren't
trendy anymore

[Dee]

LOL, there's not much in the way of "trendy" out here. Its beef, and some dairy cattle that go through the sale barns, and weekend horse sales.

[ironglow]

  Unless I am misinformed, beef cattle coming off the range, need to be "finish fed"..to promote beef "marbelling' etc.

   If so, where are they finished off?

[Dee]

I feed 2 or 3 steers out a year in 1 of my pens. The rest are sold.

[Graybeard]

You mentioned "cake" and had a comment about the cake truck. What is this cake?

Nope I'm not a cowboy tho I pretended to be one when I was a boy, but then I pretended to be Davy Crockett also and at times even pretended to be the Indian rather than the cowboy. I am part Cherokee and Creek so I guess that was closer to true than me being a cowboy.

Have never sat in a saddle or owned a horse. I have neighbors who do however. I've never owned a cow either but have sure eaten a lot of them in my life time.

[Dee]

You mentioned "cake" and had a comment about the cake truck. What is this cake?

Nope I'm not a cowboy tho I pretended to be one when I was a boy, but then I pretended to be Davy Crockett also and at times even pretended to be the Indian rather than the cowboy. I am part Cherokee and Creek so I guess that was closer to true than me being a cowboy.

Have never sat in a saddle or owned a horse. I have neighbors who do however. I've never owned a cow either but have sure eaten a lot of them in my life time.

Range cubes is what most Texas cattle folks call "cake". Its compressed into tubular shaped feed made out of such materials as cotton seed and other silage type feed. It usually is mixed with other proteins and minerals.

[darkgael]

This thread was/is marvelous. It opened a window showing, at least a bit, how complex raising animals....big animals.....is.
It is not just a matter of turning the animals out to graze, letting them get big, and then turning them into steaks.
I never considered the hard day to day work that you fellows put into raising what the rest of us buy in the supermarket.
And you did not even mention veterinarians and all the other elements of successful husbandry.
I am amazed. I learned a lot from reading through this thread and look forward to more. Thanks.
Take care of that finger.

[Dee]

Well, it keeps me busy. We do most of our own doctoring, vaccinations, worming, and ranchers help each other. If I've got a problem I don't have the knowledge on, somebody I know does, and vice versa. Around here its called neighboring.

Right now its making sure the cattle have water. So far I've still got water in runoff stock ponds, but when they eventually dry up, I've got to make sure the stock tanks are clear of ice, and the valves, and pumps are working in freezing weather.

[ironglow]

You mentioned "cake" and had a comment about the cake truck. What is this cake?

Nope I'm not a cowboy tho I pretended to be one when I was a boy, but then I pretended to be Davy Crockett also and at times even pretended to be the Indian rather than the cowboy. I am part Cherokee and Creek so I guess that was closer to true than me being a cowboy.

Have never sat in a saddle or owned a horse. I have neighbors who do however. I've never owned a cow either but have sure eaten a lot of them in my life time.

   
Range cubes is what most Texas cattle folks call "cake". Its compressed into tubular shaped feed made out of such materials as cotton seed and other silage type feed. It usually is mixed with other proteins and minerals.

That's new tome too..since I was raised on a dairy farm.  Maybe the beef guys around here use cake..but I doubt it, since I never heard of it, and I know a number of beef raisers/finishers.

[darkgael]

working in freezing weather.

How cold can you expect?

[Dee]

It gets below zero several times during the winter. About 30 years ago whenever when we lived here it stayed below zero 3 weeks straight.
When its 15 below with a 30 mph wind its pretty miserable. When its blizzard conditions cattle will drift with the wind, and stack up on a fence line.