Improved weights in the range of 20 to 30 pounds per head
Cattle folks know that in a perfect world calves should be castrated as soon as possible after ingesting a bellyful of colostrum, as this reduces stress and limits the sickness caused when this procedure is completed later in life. Desired results also include reduced aggression, lowered sexual activity, controlled reproduction, producer safety, higher-quality carcass grades, […] Read more
Keep the best of your own, or look to buy quality heifers
Often in late fall and early winter, many producers face the task of adding replacement heifers to their cow herd, both from their own weaned heifer crop and potentially from other breeders. This routine process often yields mediocre and mixed results, so the question might be: “What can be done to take some of the […] Read more
No more kick ’em out and forget ’em for progressive producers
Long before the time when the grass comes in thick and green and the summer winds start to blow, progressive cattlemen begin to prepare their cow-calf herds for the grazing and breeding seasons ahead. The days of rounding up the herd just before you send them to pasture, slapping on a few ear tags, chasing […] Read more
Penchecker's Diary: Don’t be afraid to believe some folklore, intangibles or observations
In this day and age we hear so much about fake news and conspiracy theories, from politics to business and even religion. They have become a part of our everyday life. And depending on what type of person we are, we often logically dismiss almost everything we hear as preposterous. I sometimes wonder if we […] Read more
Pen Checker Diary: Nicer weather comes with a whole parcel of animal health risks
Those of us in the agricultural field find ourselves continually affected by our Canadian weather. A constant of this weather is that it is continually changing, and when the bitter cold temperatures of winter begin to ease and the spring sun appears in its brilliance, Old Sonny and I tend to feel pretty good about […] Read more
Cattle behaviour may not be all that much different than how humans handle life
There are many things I have learned over the years about what makes a good pen checker in the feedlot. In my opinion, one of the most important is learning about the flight zones of cattle. Earlier in my career, I believed it was something you either understood or didn’t. There was no middle ground […] Read more
The days of a few notes in a notebook appear to be long gone
A few short years ago after I had begun working for a fairly new feedlot, as old Sonny and I were working up a sweat pulling a stubborn Hereford calf with a bad cough, I made a mental note to somehow check if I had pulled this fellow before and if so, how many times, […] Read more
A foundered steer is troublesome, but elicits some extra sympathy
During my morning pen-checking rounds I came across a yearling red and white steer with a bad case of foot rot. Now there is nothing unusual about that, being that I find many cattle with this problem every day. The difference in this case, was that this particular steer was badly foundered to start with. […] Read more
