3 years ago I started renting a barn off-site to put the beef for the winter. In the barn, all cattle are together and fed a mixed hay ration where I can blend hays to get the desired energy and nutritional profile.
This changed my fall process. Now I must:
1) Wean the calves from the cows before going into the barn. This means separating them with a fence or gate for 21 to 30 days until the cow "dries up."
2) Ear-tagging the calves for ID purposes.
3) Banding. Male calves - aka bull calves - need to be "steered." A large rubber band is used to cut off blood flow and create a sanitary healing process. We must constrain the 500 to 600 pound bull calves to complete this quick procedure.
The headgate, as pictured here, squeezes the cattle to constrain them, reduce stress, and make the process safe for both me and the animal. Once secure, the banding process usually takes just a couple minutes.
The hardest part of this whole process is getting the cattle sorted and into the headgate. We follow a lot of the principles that Temple Grandin writes about, including working the cattle back in a circle towards themselves. In her models though, the facilities are much more advanced and with a way bigger budget than WVF has. OSU has a great Temple Grandin facility in Applecreek that demonstrates the world-class solution.
This fall beef working days takes about 2 days. We are making the last pass across pastures now, and on Monday, Dec 2 they beef will be moved inside for 4 months.
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