Convey of prime Alberta beef headed your way Burnt

[burnt]

Hutton's yard is just north of us a piece and the other I don't know.

[woodland]

Hutton's yard is just north of us a piece and the other I don't know.

Very cool.
It’s a small world when you think about it.


Today’s trucks. Three of ours and one of my cousin’s. Each got seven loads and relocated the calves without incident............ besides the kick I took in the leg. Still feeling it good but hopefully it’s better before running the cows through for ivomec tomorrow.

Beautiful weather at least. 🍀

[rumrocks]

My Dad told me the death rate on calves shipped to Ontario by train in the 50's and 60's was very high. Fresh weaned calves sitting in rail cars on sidings, it would have been brutal.
That was before feedlots in the west and dependable long haul diesel trucks pulling cattle liners.

We've come a long way in the cattle industry, who would want to feed 600 cows with small square bales, it would take most of the day with 2 guys. If you had a hired man, you would make sure you locked him up at night.
Small square bales drove a lot of farm kids into other careers.
For you guys in high rain areas round bales were a Godsend, a lot less spoilage.

Enough rambling on . . . . . Even Led Zeppilin knew when to quit.

[shtferbrains]

I remeber the little pens beside the tracks but hereabouts I think they only loaded singles or small groups that went in to the Burns plant in Prince Albert. Burns processed beef and pigs in the one plant. Freind of mine worked there while in college in early 70's.
Led Zep was popular about then.
They often only had one animal to go and had to deliver that car in the city to the plant.
Nowdays they don't want to pull less than 50 cars.
Different times for sure.

[burnt]

I can remember when I was likely still in my teens that carloads of calves came down from the West and were unloaded in the pens beside the rail lines in small towns.

The ride was just really tough on them is what I remember, Dad never having bought any for ourselves. No vaccines, no rest stop? - they may have been en-route for at least 3 days before they landed in a pen with feed, water and straw.

Could that be possible? Seems brutal today.

With the speed that they travel today, there is debate about whether the mandatory rest stop at Thunder Bay is actually beneficial for calves coming from the eastern side of the western provinces. Adds one more handling and stressor.

[Happytrails]

I just saw this thread. It looks like you’ve got a good program going woodland. I see you just weaned. Are your calves vaccinated ahead of weaning? Fall calving?

[Blaithin]

Did yours get posted to Twitter Woodland?

I seen him post a load of Char steers but they were a couple days past when I thought yours would have arrived.

[woodland]

I just saw this thread. It looks like you’ve got a good program going woodland. I see you just weaned. Are your calves vaccinated ahead of weaning? Fall calving?

I’ll start with that I love our cows .......... most of the time. 😉

Most calves are born in May. We vaccinate the calves in September when the bulls get pulled. When the grass runs out in November we start on the corn grazing. We started off with giving them 3-5 days worth at a time and now give them fields of 90-120 acres at a crack to save time. I don’t think our waste is much different unless it snows a lot.

We grass the yearlings over summer and sell them around beginning of January usually. After that we then setup portable corrals in the field to leave the cows and haul the calves to a yard for 10 days after weaning. They then run with the bred heifers to have less bunches to feed.

The corn is almost done so they will bale graze till calving. Only used 8 bales of straw so far and that was for the sick pen at home and they’re way dirtier than everyone else.

Always looking for ways to save time, money, and headaches here. The corn allows me to feed everyone in a couple hours or less depending if they need supplementing with grain or not. Actually looking forward to calving the most cows ever here in a few months. We nearly doubled the cow herd lately and didn’t change the labour situation much. I’m proud of our little cows and how they adapt to whatever we throw at them.

Always like hearing and seeing how others do things. Try to do at least one thing different every year to shake things up and break the routine. 🍀



Our little rockstars😉

[woodland]

Did yours get posted to Twitter Woodland?

I seen him post a load of Char steers but they were a couple days past when I thought yours would have arrived.

I followed him for a bit but never saw them either. No Chars here .............. only black with a few red angus to spice it up for us. I guess the critters got to see more of the country than I have in five years. And last year most of the barley went to Chiliwack. Kinda strange when you think that’s almost coast to coast.................. Doing our best to keep the trucks busy😉

[Happytrails]

I’ll start with that I love our cows .......... most of the time. 😉

Most calves are born in May. We vaccinate the calves in September when the bulls get pulled. When the grass runs out in November we start on the corn grazing. We started off with giving them 3-5 days worth at a time and now give them fields of 90-120 acres at a crack to save time. I don’t think our waste is much different unless it snows a lot.

We grass the yearlings over summer and sell them around beginning of January usually. After that we then setup portable corrals in the field to leave the cows and haul the calves to a yard for 10 days after weaning. They then run with the bred heifers to have less bunches to feed.

The corn is almost done so they will bale graze till calving. Only used 8 bales of straw so far and that was for the sick pen at home and they’re way dirtier than everyone else.

Always looking for ways to save time, money, and headaches here. The corn allows me to feed everyone in a couple hours or less depending if they need supplementing with grain or not. Actually looking forward to calving the most cows ever here in a few months. We nearly doubled the cow herd lately and didn’t change the labour situation much. I’m proud of our little cows and how they adapt to whatever we throw at them.

Always like hearing and seeing how others do things. Try to do at least one thing different every year to shake things up and break the routine. 🍀



Our little rockstars😉

I like your program. We’re not that different. Calve late April and May. Sell the yearlings in September. Steers usually about 950 lbs. Wean in November. In this open country ranging out in winter can be dangerous. The reason I asked about vaccinations is because we are real strict about vaccinating at branding and weaning. Modified live, clostridial, and, somnugen. With that program we seldom treat a calf with antibiotics. What I like about the grass yearlings is we put an extra 400 lbs on our calves and just have to do it cheaper than the feedlots which isn’t hard.