Branding

[webfoot]

First 2 brandings of the year this week. Always a ton of people show up to the early ones. Wait a month and a half and there will only be 6 people and a person will get worked half to death. Today I counted 10 ropers in the pen and 12 horses saddled up and tied to the fence on the outside. 7 or 8 men who are good cowboys on foot, 7 women who darn sure rope on foot, and a herd of kids from baby to young teenage. I could see my assistance wasn't needed so I didn't stick around long.

 

[Faster horses]

Mr FH says, "when I was a kid, we wrestled and the old guys roped. Now that I am an old guy, the old guys wrestle while the kids rope."

10 ropers in the pen? How did that turn out? Must have been a really big pen! I can see wrecks happen with that many ropers. Probably good you left. We would have.

 

[webfoot]

Mr FH says, "when I was a kid, we wrestled and the old guys roped. Now that I am an old guy, the old guys wrestle while the kids rope."

10 ropers in the pen? How did that turn out? Must have been a really big pen! I can see wrecks happen with that many ropers. Probably good you left. We would have.

A fair sized pen. Kind of funnel shaped. Calves worked at the narrow end which has got to be 60 feet wide. Cattle standing at the other end which is about 150 feet wide. Length is around 200 feet. My guess on size. No wrecks. At times there was 3 calves lined up being worked. Ropers were paying attention to each other and the ground crew. There would have been 300 pairs in there to start with. They had already sorted some of the cows out. While I was there they stopped and sorted off 50 or 60 cows and some calves who had escaped back into the herd after being worked.
The branding on Wednesday there was 8 ropers at a time. Big rectangular shaped pen 160x100. Herd split in two so 150 pairs at a time. All the time 2 calves being work at the same time.
I left because I was just standing around visiting, A lot more help than what was needed. So I went home and got some things done.

 

[Older Whiskey]

Mr FH says, "when I was a kid, we wrestled and the old guys roped. Now that I am an old guy, the old guys wrestle while the kids rope."

10 ropers in the pen? How did that turn out? Must have been a really big pen! I can see wrecks happen with that many ropers. Probably good you left. We would have.

When I was a kid, the girls roped on foot and older boys wrestled. The adults did the branding and vaccines were done by the branders. If too many helpers, then some would be iron runners. Usually the ropers would also be the castrators if a knife was used for potential show steers. Otherwise the brander also snapped on the bands. If enough were on hand, then a couple would do the band and vaccine loading, and run the irons. That was back in the day when vaccines had to be sucked out of bottles and thumping was used to get out the air.

 

[webfoot]

There was one family there that has about 6 or 7 kids. I think it was the 4 oldest that were wrestling. Not actually wrestling because they are all too young and small to throw a calf. They would all run out and attack a calf. Sort of smother it by leaping on it. The calf would go down and they weighted it down to hold it. Not exactly the proper method but they were sure excited by their success. And the calves weren't hurt.

 

[Faster horses]

We always roped calves and wrestled them. A good crew sure makes a difference. Once some college wrestlers showed up and wanted to wrestle calves. They had no idea of the finesse of wrestling and the calves won; the wrestlers were worn out. Shoot, even I used to wrestle calves!! Timing is so important. There were teams who wrestled together every branding. And we never banded calves at branding time. They were either banded at birth or castrated with a knife at branding. There are some guys that are really good at castrating with a knife. Those were always invited to help brand. In all the years they did our castrating, we only had 1 calf swell up. Just one.

I have seen branding pens set up so well and the ropers doing such a fine job of not stirring up the calves that the calves in the center of the pen laid down. Those ropers worked the outside, never going through the middle of the calves/pen to rope a calf. I haven't seen that happen much, but it is a rare and beautiful thing to see.

Even using Nord Forks the ropers have to know what they are doing. We used them ONCE. The ropers weren't used to how they worked and they held the calves too tight on the rope (or something) and every calf got up limping. So I put a stop to that.
Edit: now I remember--the inner tubes used to hold the front legs were too heavy, didn't have enough give. Maybe it wasn't Nord Forks we used, it was inner tubes fixed on stakes that the front legs of the calves were tied to. It was hard on the calves, but I think that system was used successfully other places.

Soapweed designed a pretty neat deal to wrestle calves. I know people who used that and it worked well. I bet his post about that can be found on this forum!

Now you have to hire FFA kids from local schools to get wrestlers. Times certainly change. As a result I think more ranchers use calf tables. Not knocking that, it works better for some. I am for what causes less stress on the calves.

 

[webfoot]

I have a calf table. It seems there is 4 or 5 late calves who miss the branding. We set the calf table in front of the chute to work those late calves. B always says that is enough to remind him why we don't use calf tables anymore.
Between local ranchers and hired crew who are 25 to 45 we have plenty of help. About half will be roping. Those not roping will wrestle. They switch off about every 50 calves.
There are no rubber wrapped saddle horns at these brandings. Makes it a lot easier for the roper to slip some rope and avoid pulling too tight.

 

[Faster horses]

I have a calf table. It seems there is 4 or 5 late calves who miss the branding. We set the calf table in front of the chute to work those late calves. B always says that is enough to remind him why we don't use calf tables anymore.
Between local ranchers and hired crew who are 25 to 45 we have plenty of help. About half will be roping. Those not roping will wrestle. They switch off about every 50 calves.
There are no rubber wrapped saddle horns at these brandings. Makes it a lot easier for the roper to slip some rope and avoid pulling too tight.

Maybe the rubber wrapped horns contributed to our calves being lame when they got up because everyone had rubber wrapped saddle horns. (along with the inner tubes being too heavy.)

 

[Puzzled]

We always roped calves and wrestled them. A good crew sure makes a difference. Once some college wrestlers showed up and wanted to wrestle calves. They had no idea of the finesse of wrestling and the calves won; the wrestlers were worn out. Shoot, even I used to wrestle calves!! Timing is so important. There were teams who wrestled together every branding. And we never banded calves at branding time. They were either banded at birth or castrated with a knife at branding. There are some guys that are really good at castrating with a knife. Those were always invited to help brand. In all the years they did our castrating, we only had 1 calf swell up. Just one.

I have seen branding pens set up so well and the ropers doing such a fine job of not stirring up the calves that the calves in the center of the pen laid down. Those ropers worked the outside, never going through the middle of the calves/pen to rope a calf. I haven't seen that happen much, but it is a rare and beautiful thing to see.

Even using Nord Forks the ropers have to know what they are doing. We used them ONCE. The ropers weren't used to how they worked and they held the calves too tight on the rope (or something) and every calf got up limping. So I put a stop to that.
Edit: now I remember--the inner tubes used to hold the front legs were too heavy, didn't have enough give. Maybe it wasn't Nord Forks we used, it was inner tubes fixed on stakes that the front legs of the calves were tied to. It was hard on the calves, but I think that system was used successfully other places.

Soapweed designed a pretty neat deal to wrestle calves. I know people who used that and it worked well. I bet his post about that can be found on this forum!

Now you have to hire FFA kids from local schools to get wrestlers. Times certainly change. As a result I think more ranchers use calf tables. Not knocking that, it works better for some. I am for what causes less stress on the calves.

Maybe, not sure if this is what you were talking about that Soapweed designed. It was called the "calf trap wheel".

You can find it here: Branded calves yesterday, April 4, 2008, Part One​

 

[webfoot]

I never built one of Soapweed's design but I did use the idea. I had just 2 calves to work by myself. One at a time I ran them into a very small pen. I roped the hind legs. I dallied off to the top of a post with the calf's legs up. Tipped the calf over. Proceeded to work the calf. They weren't very big calves which was good as I was doing this by hand.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Yes Soapweed, Peach and Cosmo and his sister processed quite a few calves that way for a few years.
He used to chide some of us calf table users but eventually they started using one, he used to give us the gears for using ATV/UTV's but started using them more as well.
Cowboying isn't always about how you do the job but about getting it done. Two of us brand close to 400 calves a year over the table, don't get in a rush and do the job right,

 

[Faster horses]

We have found having a good set-up for using a calf table is very important. I can remember going places where the alley bringing the calves up was too long and some of the calves tipped over on their back. Sometimes all the calves would have to be let out of the alley in order to get those up that were upside down. When we were in SW Mt, our neighbor used a calf table with a short alley that allowed 2-3 calves at a time. So calves tipping over never happened with his set up. You just had to keep the alley filled with 2-3 calves. It went pretty smooth. He branded a lot of calves with minimum crew. One thing we noticed, he had Black Angus calves and Red Simmental calves (the colors designated 2 different owners). Your legs afterward would be pretty black and blue from the black angus calves kicking so much, not so with the red Simmentals. Those black calves seem to have more 'fight'.

 

[Faster horses]

Maybe, not sure if this is what you were talking about that Soapweed designed. It was called the "calf trap wheel".

You can find it here: Branded calves yesterday, April 4, 2008, Part One​

That didn't link to anything for me, but I'm betting that is exactly what he designed. Good you found it, I searched and didn't come up with anything.

 

[webfoot]

We have found having a good set-up for using a calf table is very important. I can remember going places where the alley bringing the calves up was too long and some of the calves tipped over on their back. Sometimes all the calves would have to be let out of the alley in order to get those up that were upside down. When we were in SW Mt, our neighbor used a calf table with a short alley that allowed 2-3 calves at a time. So calves tipping over never happened with his set up. You just had to keep the alley filled with 2-3 calves. It went pretty smooth. He branded a lot of calves with minimum crew. One thing we noticed, he had Black Angus calves and Red Simmental calves (the colors designated 2 different owners). Your legs afterward would be pretty black and blue from the black angus calves kicking so much, not so with the red Simmentals. Those black calves seem to have more 'fight'.

I always figure a person should get an old set of catchers shin guards for pushing calves to a calf table.

 

[Puzzled]

That didn't link to anything for me, but I'm betting that is exactly what he designed. Good you found it, I searched and didn't come up with anything.

Sorry, its not a "link". But if you enter this

Branded calves yesterday, April 4, 2008, Part One​

in the search box, it takes you to that thread.

I tried doing a reply to the post, to bring it forward for viewing but it doesn't seem to allow that.

 

[Puzzled]

I posted a comment on the thread, so that should bring it forward.

 

[jodywy]

Vaccinated replacement heifers and 1st calves, then branded the 1st calves, calves, Like the new Cow Country calf table and alley, takes a small crew, holds the calf square and easy to put on our rib brands. Working the big bunch tomorrow, both cows and calves.

 

[jodywy]

Vaccinated replacement heifers and 1st calves, then branded the 1st calves, calves, Like the new Cow Country calf table and alley, takes a small crew, holds the calf square and easy to put on our rib brands. Working the big bunch tomorrow, both cows and calves.

did the big bunch yesterday, we pregaurd the cows, they caught everyone. Joey and I fill the bud box, and they have the alley empty most every time. We bring 8 more and same thing, one trip the cows entered the Bud box and turned right down the ally we didn't even have to go in. The Cow Country table(Like a Johnson table but no wood all welded) Worked great, Castrating---we Cut ,count to 2 and pull , we figured a rope just above the feet and pulled back thru the back bar worked well. The two bar held calves tight and all 3 off the rib brand went on great , no blotches. The calf alley always had a calf ready.

 

[Big Muddy rancher]

Jody if your using a rope to hold the top back leg you should see if you could run the rope around a pulley and secure it in a Marine rope cleat, You just pull it through, it grabs the rope and holds it then just a flip of the tail of the rope it releases. Our Calf Roper table has it built in, very handy

 

[jodywy]

Jody if your using a rope to hold the top back leg you should see if you could run the rope around a pulley and secure it in a Marine rope cleat, You just pull it through, it grabs the rope and holds it then just a flip of the tail of the rope it releases. Our Calf Roper table has it built in, very handy

this had a rod on bottom that hold one or both feet , we used it friday and someone held the top leg. but the rope worked we could of half hitched it