Doing time in the limbo pen
April 21, 2011
Hey fellow seekers,
They should have been shining stars of the herd, and maybe it will still work out. For 132, an AI-sired heifer out of an AI-sired heifer out of an AI-sired heifer, everything started out fine. But when the herd raced from one paddock of fescue to another of brome a few weeks ago, young Miss 132 stepped through a wrong division fence. It was another one of those one-way fences because she just stayed there waiting for the herd to come back. And it was a hot day.
When I found her the next day she was dehydrated, so I got her on the right side of the fence near the pond waterer and summoned the herd. The next day, she still seemed a bit off, so I bull-dogged the month-old little gal into a corner where she shrugged me into a nasty barbwire cut that still shows its tracks on my hand…. But I gained the upper hand enough to get a couple of quarts of electrolytes down her with an esophageal tube feeder. The next day she looked better, but she was camped by the pond waterer and Momma 132 was into carefree grazing just over the hill.
A few days later, it was time to lead the herd into position for sorting on the weekend. Of course, I wondered if Miss 132 would make the trip,so after it looked like all in,all done, I circled back on the Yamaha and found her resting by another fence. No reason she couldn’t have followed, except there had been no engraved invitation. I encouraged her around the corner, but she headed into a rough spot of creek canyon, so I had to play wait and see. The next morning, she was with the herd, and later that day when they followed the feed sack a quarter mile across one pen and down an alley to the catch pen, I was glad to see her there in the middle.
Some pairs went to the non-AI herd that April 9th weekend and others came in from a similar sorting chore there to join the AI herd, but the 132 pair has remained in Limbo to develop a stronger bond and remain under closer observation for a couple of weeks. If they look and act as good as they should be next week, I will let them go out to graze again with the AI herd. There will be one more closeup look and final judgment when we bring them in for synchronizing in mid-May.
Until next time… let’s aim for profit, target the brand and keep building tomorrow together.
~Steve
You may also like
Progress from small steps
Every day is a chance to learn and get better. Thousands of others like my new friends in Alabama are taking steps to meet the shifts in consumer demand, and to know more. Small steps in the right direction can start now. Even if it’s just recording a snapshot of where you are today, a benchmark for tomorrow.
Not perfect, but working to get better
The CAB Cattleman Connection team heard its name called more than once in the virtual ceremonies, and each time came a sense of personal accomplishment, but even better: confirmation that we’re getting better at our craft. I hope that means we’re doing a better job for you.
Beefed up findings
Frank Mitloehner presents his findings on the animal ag sector’s impact on global warming. He explains how cattle counterbalance other fossil fuel sectors, proving that cattle are a solution and not a threat.