Pulling bulls

This week we are pulling our bulls. If you aren't certain what I mean by that, we are not going to physically pull them around (assuming their are no attitude issues), and what I mean by that statement is we are going to take them out of our cows.
Ranchers can manage when they start calving by when they turn their bulls out with their cows. They manage when they stop calving by when they take the bulls out of their cows. This is all assuming the neighbors bull doesn't pitch it before or after your bulls are with your cows. Artificial Insemination (AI) is another very effective way of managing calving, but we don't currently use that method and this will focus on natural breeding.
Managing your calving season is important for several reasons, one being that you want to work around the weather in your area, especially if you don't have adequate protection in case of bad weather. Another is that the closer in age all your calves are, the more uniform they will be their entire lives.Your firstborn calves will also have the competitive, size and age advantage over their younger counterparts for their entire lives. When you will market the calves is another thing to keep in mind when choosing a time to calve.
We strive to have all our calves born as close together as possible each year so they are uniform, easier to manage (think one branding instead of three because calves keep being born for several months), and more marketable (extra big or small calves may be sorted off when you sell).
But, we also want as many cows to calve as possible, and it's not economical to turn a bull out for 10 days, and only get a 50 percent or so calf crop. A cow's estrus cycle lasts 21 days, and gestation length is 280-some days, or about 9 months. So, for each cycle you leave the bulls in, you extend your calvig season by one month. With that in mind, we will typically leave our bulls in for one, two or three estrus cycles (called simply cycles), depending on the group of cows, year, and other factors.
Lots of people also put bulls with their first calf heifers sooner than they put them with their mature cows. This is because calving sooner will give the heifer more time to put on condition post-calving, and before she is turned back out with a bull to breed again. Trying to get a cow to breed back after she's had her first calf is one of the most challenging aspects of livestock reproduction, and a lot of management decisions are geared toward getting her pregnant for a second time.
To put it in perspective, since June 15, when we turned the bulls out with the cows, we have been managing what will be happening on our ranch starting next March, and on through the remainder of next year with our next calf crop. Or, you can think of it the opposite way, in that we have been managing for this year's calf crop that we're about to wean since June, 2011, and actually before when we purchased the bulls that sired them. As in many cases, this is one area of ranching that takes significant planning and investment long before you see the fruits of your labor.
This year we left the bulls in with our yearling heifers, who are those being bred for the first time, for 40 days, or two cycles. This gave every heifer two chances to get bred. If she didn't breed she will be sold, which eliminates the least fertile females from ever entering our mother cow herd. Often times we only leave the bull in with the heifers for one cycle. This ensures we are retaining the most fertile and efficient females into our herd, and makes calving heifers last one month instead of two. The less time spent calving heifers the better in most cases, plus it goes back to having a uniform calf crop and giving each heifer more time to gain condition before she's expected to breed again.
In our mature cows, the bulls are going to be pulled at roughly 60 days, or three cycles. These cows are in much larger pastures, have a calf sucking on them which uses more energy and can make it more difficult for the cow to breed back, and have already had enough money invested in them to make it worthwhile to give them three chances to get bred.
Another key consideration in putting in and pulling bulls is that gestation length in cattle varies, just as it does in humans. Different bulls and different cows will throw calves that are born early, right on time, or late. So, since we turned the bulls in on June 15, we will expect to start calving at least one week early. This is particularly important in our heifers because we use low birthweight bulls, and the way you get a lower birthweight is through a shorter gestation period. Combine that with that fact that we are continuously available to help our first-calf heifer during calving, and it becomes something to pay close attention to.
Some years the bulls aren't pulled, typically because we get so busy with other tasks. We also have cows spread out over a 200 mile area, so it's not like we just spend an hour and they're all gathered. For us, pulling bulls is a big "want to" each year, but not a "absolutely have to" management practice.
If you don't pull bulls the vast majority (over 90 percent) of mature cows will still be bred in 60 days in our place. Very few head will be bred later than that. Big deal you may be thinking, and really it's not a catrastrophe, but it is a pain in the neck. You will have to set up a second day to brand those few head, if they aren't branded they will have to sorted off when you're shipping to summer pasture (and they are always in the way during this), and throughout the entire spring you will spend extra time shuffling, sorting gathering those few head. Plus, those calves you have to spend all that extra time on will be worth less than their larger, more mature siblings for the majority of their lives.

Computers, cows and painting

Hello, hello.
How about a little update on what's been going on around here the past few days? This is in no particular order:

- My new computer has been slowly falling apart, physically. It needed a new case, so the Dell service dude came out, spent over an hour taking my computer apart, got to the last three screws and informed me he couldn't get them off without stripping them. Then he did a very mediocre job of putting my computer back together and informed me I would have to ship it off to Dell to be fixed. The entire time he was at my home (three hours total), he was mildy insulting in manner and beyond idiotic in his dealings. I was steaming mad when he left, and am now without my computer for another few days. This is not ideal as I am back to writing this week, and took my first round of wedding photos last weekend. I NEED that computer, and spent extra money when I bought it for in-field repairs because I knew how problematic it would be for me not have it for a week or two. I could wring that Dell guy's neck. On a side note, I do appreciate my mother letting me use her computer as needed until mine is back in my loving arms.

- The first wedding of the summer went wonderful. Perhaps the most beautiful day I've ever seen on Casper Mountain. Rain the night before, mid-70's in temperature, and no wind! The couple was fun, relaxed and happy. I can't wait to check out the pictures and start editing. One high note was stopping by the camera store where I bout my new camera and lens to get a couple odds and ends, and having the wonderful man there send me out with a rental lens free of charge to try out. Made my day, and it was a great lens that I used a lot! That's one of the benefits of buying equipment in a store over the internet in my opinion.

- In addition to my computer, my "ranch camera" is STILL being repaired. I was told one week, and we're on week three now. I have missed an entire spring of brandings, sorting, shipping and general cattle work. In my line of work, and personally as well, this is a very big deal.

-We just finished trailing the last bunch of cows to their summer pasture this morning. The bulls are out, cattle settled, and we're selling our steers later this week due to the dry weather. Cattle work is wrapping up for the spring. We had unusually cool weather this year, which helped us out a lot. All in all it went great and a good time, if not a lot of sleep, was had by all.

- I have decided that if you ever start a painting project, it multiplies out and never ends. I've painted my room and bathroom in the new trailer, and am moving on to the doors and closets later today. Then.....hopefully.....the paining of the walls will cease and I can move on to a couple furniture painting ideas. Perhaps trying to squeeze it in between loads of cows is part of why it seems to be taking so long : )

- From chasings cows one day to donning a suit to meet with folks in D.C. the next, all without the usual camera hanging from my shoulder, it has been a great spring! Looking forward to posting more photos in upcoming weeks, and getting back to more regular posting. Hope all is well with each of you : )

When Being Humane is Hard

Typically being humane to animals involves such activities as feeding, caring and managing them in ways that improves their well-being, and brings feel-good feelings to the person doing the actions. Ranchers are exposed to a lot of these feel-good situations since our lifestyle demands almost constant contact with animals, and we are continuously working to improve their health, performance, environment and anything else that presents itself. We thrive when our animals thrive.

But, not every instance of treating an animal humanely is a feel-good, everything's going to be great for the animal and us, situation. There are times when doing what is best for the animal is difficult, and lots of people shy away from these situations, or don't keep the animal's best interest in mind so they don't have to deal with the attached human emotions.

Ranchers are faced with these same scenarios, when what's best for the animal isn't going to be the easiest emotional choice for them as a person.

I, and later my entire family, was faced with such a situation last night. I was riding a colt, checking water and pairs, when I came upon a down (can't stand up) bull. He most likely got in a fight with another bull, and was shoved off a steep incline.

He was terribly, terribly dehydrated because of the summer heat in Wyoming. I gave him a critical once-over, and couldn't determine what was wrong. There was no swelling, visible broken bones, or other obvious visible signs of what was wrong. I jogged my colt home, grabbed a couple water buckets, and Holly and I immediately returned, and found the bull on his other side.

Can you see his back leg? Something is broken in there, and that's why he can't stand. I knew at that point he would never survive his injuries.

Now, some may rant that we should have a vet look at him, perhaps perform surgery, etc...

We didn't have a vet look at him because the diagnosis was obvious. I honestly do not know if a vet can even perform a surgery to repair a broken leg in a bull. Even if he could, he would never fully recover, and be able to survive in any sort of natural environment. Surgery would also be extremely cost-prohibited and the odds of success are very low. It's just a viable option in this scenario.

Holly and I hauled buckets of water to him by hand, until he had drank his full. Upon returning home I found out that my dad and brother would be home that night, so the responsibility of euthanizing the bull wouldn't fall on my shoulders. No rancher ever wants to put one of their animals down. We realize that we are raising livestock to be harvested for food, but we also care deeply for our animals, and do everything in our power to keep them healthy and thriving during the time we have them. It's also very sobering and sad to see any animal in pain, as this guy was.

I should also clarify that this bull was bought as a breeding animal, which means his primary purpose was not to be harvested for meat. We spent thousands of dollars to purchase him for his physical appearance, genetic potential, and several other criteria we carefully and thoroughly select for in each of our breeding animals. His injury was very expensive to our operation.

But, all emotional and economical investments aside, as the owners of this bull we had to do what was in his best interest. As I previously mentioned, he was not going to survive his injuries, and prolonging the inevitable was only to result in more pain and discomfort for him, and was unfair to him. Putting him down, as quickly and painlessly as possible, was clearly the most humane thing to do, if not the easiest.

So that's what we did. I pondered long and hard whether to share this story, because it isn't an easy one to absorb or understand. But this is the real world of ranching, and I believe people have a right to know the happy and sad aspects of my lifestyle, and the choices we make in order to always do what's in the best interest of the animals we raise, even when they're extremely hard on us.

Boys and girls

The two heifers pictured in this post made my weekend. The above heifer, number 2, is my favorite of the bunch, and she was kind enough to have a heifer calf. Little number 14 will likely be one of my favorite heifers of her generation, and there's a good chance you're looking at replacement heifer for our operation next year.
I have been hoping this heifer would have a heifer calf since we turned the bulls in last summer. I hope she has heifer calves every year of her life.



Then there's this heifer, who belongs to me. She's a big girl - I call her a steer maker, and she must have heard me because she had the biggest calf to-date, and it's a bull. I didn't really want a heifer out of her because I prefer a more moderate cow than she is. If she raises a great big steer calf, that would suit me just fine.

These aren't the only heifers that I specifically hope have either a boy or a girl. There others who are still keeping things under wraps (or hide) for the time being. This is a fun time of year, and when you see the first results of your genetic and breeding programs from the previous winter (when you bought bulls) and summer (when you selected which bulls to put where, and turned them out with the cows).

Decisions have big impacts in agriculture. These calves, and their counterparts, are the future of our operation. We already had over a years worth of work in them before they arrived, through selecting, raising, feeding and caring for their mothers and fathers. Seeing healthy newborn calves is a great reward for all that time and dedication, and it's even better when the right heifers have bull, or heifer calves.

Time for a Closeup

While home I took pictures, of course. A few hundred to be more precise. There are more to come. Beyond my dogs antics I snapped several close-ups, here are a few.
Number 86 is one of the newly purchased bulls. He has a massive Ribeye area that I'm excited about.
I have really enjoyed backgrounding our calves this year. They make great photo subjects too!
Here's my usual, newspaper taught, levels, curves, done version...
And here it is with a little PW photo actions incorporated. Yes, I am addicted too!
Of course I had to snap the dogs, Emmie wasn't overly impressed and wrinkled her nose and set her ears back at me. At least I don't think her nose is off to the side like that...
Pearl prefers to just stare in a stand-off-ish manner when she doesn't want her picture taken, or whenever anything isn't just as she would like it to be. It's part of her, ah...charm, we'll say.
I just liked this one
There's always someone who will do anything to get out of being in the picture!

Dogs and bulls and mud, oh my!

Emmie, Pearl and I went home this weekend to shear, then we got 2 1/2" of rain and that was the end of that. But, the new bulls I bought a couple months ago had been delivered, so I had to get some pictures of them, of course.


Saturday morning dawned sunny and bright. The bulls are safely locked in the corral this time of year. Well, kind of safely locked in. The calves tore out the entire side of the pen in the above picture last fall and we have the new posts set but the continuous fence isn't up. But anyway, part of having them under lock and key is feeding them.

Since I was taking pictures anyway I was given the task of moving the bulls out of the pen so dad could put the hay bale in their feeder. I used my dogs because they were already a mess and they really love the opportunity to chase anything. (That's not mud they're covered in either, and after a really good bath both still smell faintly of manure)


After getting everyone moved I started happily snapping away. Well, Pearl was obviously not happy with this guy's pose and being the tough little gal she is, she just decided to move him.


She literally has no fear.


This is my favorite!


And where, you may ask, was Emmie during this little show? She was wisely standing on the other side of the fence, thinking, "Pearl, you're gonna get stuck, I wouldn't do that if I were you."


Yep, Pearl got stuck, look at her face..."Heather, seriously, put down the camera and help me."


"I mean it, put the *#%@ camera down, this is no time to be taking pictures, help me!"

Have no fear, she survived without a scratch and was back at the harassment a couple minutes later.

It's only Tuesday

I love my job some days, and some days I grumble at the mere mention of the Roundup.

This week I love my job. I'm not sure why; it's been crazy, stressful and demanding with multiple deadlines, people that won't call back and a couple sleepless nights (I don't sleep well and am sure there will be a blog dedicated to this annoying problem someday).

But, I have written three articles on topics I am personally very interested in, and I've visited with several knowledgeable people about each topic. I got the latest low-down on the Growsafe system, which measures individual animal feed efficiency and is pretty cool. Definitely cutting edge technology, and to think they use it in a feedlot, very neat.Then there is the article on replacement heifer development. Definitely some good, practical stuff to consider. Probably not anything people didn't already know as far as options go, but some of the research findings put things in a new light. This is my sister's heifer in the photo and she loves her cows, all of which sport a yellow tag with her name on it.
The third article covers synchronizing heifers or cows then turning a bull in instead of AIing. Love this idea, planning to use it on our place this spring and now I know the guy to call with any questions. Took me forever to write and I finally finished last night at 7:00pm because I kept reading all the information instead of getting the article finished.
It's only Tuesday, who knows what I'll learn by the end of the week. If you have any article ideas or questions regarding anything ag-related, let me know. I really enjoy finding information and possible answers, and I get to write about this stuff which is usually fun too.

An update

First a note on the photo. I am not a heeler fan, but since this one didn't snarl at or bite me I rewarded it by snapping a couple shots. He was hanging out at the bull test this weekend, more on that down the page a ways.

I have been busy, and sick. Not a good combination. We are at 28 pages for this weeks paper and my articles include two very technical pieces that I wrote based on Journal of Animal Science articles. College stress flashbacks were frequent throughout researching and writing them. I'm still not that impressed with how they turned out, but hopefully people get something out of them.

This weekend I went to dinner with the guy Friday night at Firerock and again with another couple Saturday night at an amazing Mexican restaurant whose name I can neither pronounce or remember. :)

Sunday I was between Shoshoni and Riverton taking pictures of bulls for the WBCIA bull test. I looked at the bulls on test a few years ago and was so unimpressed I swore never to return. BUT, this years group is much better and I was pretty impressed with a few based on looks alone.

I should also clarify that I wasn't taking pictures, I was carrying a sorting stick with a mooing stuffed cow tied to the end...oh yeah, you read that right. My job was to stop the bulls and capture their attention with the stuffed cow so the Roundup field rep could take pictures. It was fun, for the most part. I enjoyed wandering through a feedlot full of bulls. I also interviewed the producer of the year since I was in the area.
My reward for working all day Sunday? Lunch at Taco Bell and bottle of Crown, gotta love the people I work with!

Sunday night I didn't feel well, this carried over to Monday and I left work at lunch. This morning I was too stressed to be sick since I had so much to complete by 5. But, here is it 3:30 and I am caught up...I think. I also feel better so hopefully I am done with this annoying cold.

Hope everyone's week is going well!

Spring and the first week of calving

It's that time of year. To say I have spring fever would be putting it mildly. This is my all out, hands down favorite time of year. Perhaps it's the teasing weather that shifts between cold and warm, snow and rain, heavy coat and jacket days. Or it could be the green grass just starting its appearance. But, I do believe the biggest influence is the new life that constantly surrounds someone in Wyoming in the spring.
Baby calves are my first thought of springtime new life and are just the cutest things. My family isn't calving heifers this year, but if we were we would just be finishing up the first week. My brother is at my uncles helping him and I am practically green with envy as I sit at my desk.
If you aren't aware of what calving heifers is like, here goes...
Heifers are young females pregnant with their first calf. Since they are new at having a baby and being a mother they are usually kept near the house and checked regularly. By regularly I mean they are checked on a schedule 24 hours a day and if there are any problems they receive immediate, full care. If you do not check the heifers and provide any needed care on your shift, may God be with you because you will need mercy from somewhere.
Most do fine and have a nice, little calf all by themselves. I have spent a lot of time researching genetics and buying what are called low birth weight bulls to reduce calving problems. Most ranchers buy these bulls, also called heifer bulls, who carry genetic traits that result in smaller calves at birth. This makes it easier for the first time mom.
But, just as in humans, there are complications sometimes. A calf might be backwards, the mother may not try very hard, or the calf might be a little big. This is where the full, immediate care comes into play.
Where I'm from we usually give a heifer a few hours to calve on her own. Everyone does things a little differently and we keep an eye on any giving birth and if we notice anything out of the ordinary in she comes.
This doesn't occur often on our place, it's more stressful when you have to get a heifer in and the fewer problems the better, so we and most other producers do everything we can to prevent a problem. But, as I said, sometimes there are complications.
Ranchers have facilities used to care for a heifer that has problems. It generally includes a chute or head-catch to hold the heifer in. This also keeps her from running over the rancher (remember all those "I'm going to kill you" jokes you hear about women yelling at their husbands in the delivery room, that's the stage she's at). There are also pens, usually bedded in straw, to keep the newborn warm.
After assisting with the birth the cow and calf are put into such a pen until both are deemed healthy enough to be turned out.
The mother cow and baby calf are known collectively as a pair. Most calves are given an ear tag, which is the human equivalent of getting an ear pierced. This tag has a number that is written in a little book along side its mother's tag number. You do not, under any circumstances, want to lose this book.
Again, as with humans, some cows are better mothers than others. If one decides she doesn't like her calf or is a little dumb, you can look up in your handy book who her baby is and get them back together. It doesn't go well for you if you lose the calving book and many people keep multiple copies. It will also include such information as the sex and color of the calf. Registered breeders often keep much more information in their little books.
There are few things that can compare with helping bring new life into the world or witnessing a mother and baby getting to know one another. The wobbly little legs and mooing mother as you ease a new pair out of the calving lot and the playful nature of older calves. All of which result in me taking literally thousands of photos each year. Ahh, springtime.
Photo note: Green tags belong to my dad. The pink tags are mine :)

A day full of bull

It was a beautiful 45 degree day with no wind or clouds north of Torrington yesterday. I was there for the Booth Family Bull Sale
Buying bulls is one of my favorite activities! I am fascinated by genetics and the potential to change a herd through genetic selection. Since my family doesn't AI, we do these things through selecting bulls. I spend hours each winter and spring pouring over catalogs, deciding if there are enough bulls that meet our specifications to attend a sale. I thoroughly enjoy this time spent researching producers and bloodlines, it's fun for me.
Then there is the day spent wandering through pens of bulls, looking at them, bidding on them and being outside. If my dad attends there are discussions and comparisons.
By the way my dad is awesome and I am so grateful he isn't one of those dads who was hesitant to let me do something because I'm a girl. He's actually quite the opposite and I've thrived thanks to that attitude. He's often said, "Most girls might not be able to that, but Heather isn't most girls." Every girl should be so lucky to have such a great dad who believes in them!
Anyway, my point is I had an awesome day yesterday and was fully in my element and am very thankful that my father let me take over the genetic selection side of our operation. It's what I love to do and yesterday was a blast!