The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. This time of year, the cows definitely concur with that! They are pushing the fences and raring to get out on that fresh, new green grass.
We calf three times a year, but the cycle is the same just at different times. Our cows have a calving cycle of about 60-80 days. After most, if not all, the babies are born, we get the cows in. We work them before taking them to grass or turning them back out on grass. If any of these terms confuse you or you don’t quite know what I’m referring to, this blog will help iron it out for you. If you’re still confused, send me a message!
What medicine do cows get?
What do I mean by working the cattle? The cows get their annual vaccinations. They also get some dewormer. Cows can get internal worms by eating grass. It’s like a cleanse that humans do, kind of. The medicine cleans the cow’s guts. We also pour (we pour a liquid on to the cow’s back) to get and keep lice and ticks off them. This is just like when we put flea and tick medicine on our companion animals, we want to do that for the cows since they literally live in the grass. And we all know those nasty creatures carry awful diseases.
What vaccines do calves get?
The calves get a shot of blackleg (an awful disease that is fully preventable with this shot), pinkeye (helps prevent fly problems), they get branded with our brand, and the bulls get castrated.
Most satisfying feeling:
After this they are ready for grass season. We open the gate and let them go. The most satisfying feeling in the entire world is working a group of cattle and putting in a long, physically demanding day then opening the gate when we’re done (usually right around dusk) and letting the cows go to graze on the fresh new grass. It just makes you feel like life is all okay.
Then it’s pretty easy time. We rotate the cows about once a week, if not more. They get really used to always moving to fresh grass. I can move them on the four wheeler simply by calling them and leading them. The calves are growing, the cows are breeding back for the next season and life is good. The calves won’t wean for a while, they are simply growing. We have the least amount health issues in this stage because they are on good grass and doing good. Life is good! One of my favorite seasons!
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~Matt & Kelsey