Cattle Lessons Learned

On December 1st, we moved three pregnant cows to our property for our agriculture tax exemption.  We have never had cattle before and there will be plenty of lessons learned through the process.  Some will be relatively small while others will be quite major.  

Lesson 1: Quality Fencing
It is easy to think that your existing fencing will work but when new cattle are added they test the fencing.... especially in the corners.  You really need all sections of fence exposed and confirmed solid.  We had our cattle on our land less than 24 hours before one of the three managed to jump a low section of fence.  We still have some work to make the fencing ideal but there was some stressful working days trying to make sure the fence was right as you don't want to lose an expensive cow being cheap on your fence.

Lesson 2: Hay Rings 
We have an old hay ring which we used for the first bale of hay.  The cows rattled loose or bent several of the six bolts which held it together causing it to lose its shape.  When we set out the second bale, we did not use the ring expecting to fix it and then lay it over the top later

In the week it took me to make it back out to fix the hay ring, the cows had spread the hay bale almost completely out in a 20+' radius.  They stomped the hay into the ground and used the restroom on it such that they would not eat it.  From this point forward, we are always going to have a hay ring in place as it saves money from wasting hay.  

Lesson 3: Use of Feed Trough
This has proved to be important as a place the cattle know we will meet them to feed the cubes.  Sounds strange but until they knew us, we would just drive to find them.  Once they started hearing us and we regularly fed them at the trough it became a place we met up with them to check on them.  

Lesson 4: Cut Bulls Quickly
If you intend to cut young bulls the earlier you take care of it the better.  We waited a few weeks (3.5) and the bull was starting to get larger.  We still managed but it would have been much easier to do when he was younger and put up less of a fight.  

Lesson 5: Record Keeping
I've found it helpful to keep records of when we put out new hay, times we check on them, and the birth records in a single calendar with my ag exemption card.  The information is all then kept together for future reference.  It is also good to keep some business cards in there in case you lose a cow and need to hand out something so neighbors you don't know yet can easily call you.

Lesson 6: Removing Livestock
Adding livestock to your property is considerably easier than removing it from your property.  We did not have a proper fenced in area to move them into to load them onto a trailer.  You really need to have such an area available to treat your livestock, feed at points, and load from. 

On October 5th, we removed our cattle from the land.  We had them on there for the last 10 months.  It was an incredible process to remove them due to a young calf which would run off rather than cooperate.  I'd like to have cattle again as they help maintain the land but there are many things we would need to do first:

Cattle Feed Trough - Made from Extra Wood & a Plastic Barrel

We added cattle to our land three weeks ago.  Each weekend since, we have visited to check on the cattle and fencing.  Each time we visit, we ride the perimeter of the property on a four wheeler to find the cattle.  We then feed them some cattle cubes and try to get them a bit more comfortable being around us.

I'd like to be able to call the cattle up as needed rather than drive around to find them.  This is certainly going to be a bit of a process.  We have tried calling them and shaking a feed bag with cattle cubes in it but it does little good.  If we can call them up to a pin area and feed them there, we will be in a better position later to care for them by being able to easily call them up to the pin as we have done it so many times to feed them.

I decided to use a spare plastic 55 gallon barrel and some extra 2" x 8" wood to make a feed trough.  This will beat pouring the cattle cubes out on the ground and will work well as a regular place to feed so they know exactly where to go time after time.  

To build the trough, I used a reciprocating saw to cut the plastic 55 gallon barrel.  I was initially concerned I would not cut it straight enough but found a seam line on the barrel which marked exactly the center of the barrel which greatly simplified the process.   

I made the frame surrounding the top of the barrel pieces first (59" x 28").  Once it was built, I cut legs for each of the four corners.  Due to the piece of wood I had available, I cut the legs to 23" to make the best use of the wood.  I then mounted the barrel halves to the wooden surround with some screws from Lowe's. 

I imagine it would be sturdy enough with just the legs at the corners but I wanted some supports under the barrels to reduce my reliance on just the screws to hold the barrel halves in place.  This required some additional wood from Lowe's to add the center set of legs so I could put 2" x 6" supports underneath each end of the barrels.  This made the trough quite heavy and really strong.  If nothing else, this will keep the cattle from turning it over.

I finished the project up by drilling four 1/4" holes in the bottom of the barrel.  These should allow any water which gets into the trough to drain out.  

I didn't have any screws to build the trough so I had to buy those plus two 2" x 6" x 8' boards.  Considering most of the supplies I used were scrap, I have about $20 in the trough.

Hunting Review - 2018

This year I was rather excited about hunting as I finished my larger work projects early and there was not much to stop me from hunting quite often.  I setup my game camera and feeder on Labor Day (September 1st).  I then returned to check it on October 13th and found pictures of two very nice bucks.

The first of the two is a 16 point buck that I first saw last year.  Last year, he was a 12 point which looked strangely like a mule deer with the way his antlers forked.  However, in the last year, he grew numerous little points which took him from 12 to 16 points.  I saw him on my game camera at the following times:

09/02 07:14 AM – Remained at the feeder well into daylight.  Left at 07:28

09/08 06:48 AM – Remained with cattle and other bucks present until daylight.  Left at 07:04

09/13 18:21 PM – Arrived during daylight hours with other bucks but only in a few pictures.

My camera is horrible with battery use so the camera only took pictures from September 1st until the 16th.  

The next was a 10 point which I saw in only one picture standing away from the feeder.  This year, he came up to the feeder on several occasions including:

09/02 20:24 PM - Arrived after dark but remained until 21:00

09/02 22:32 PM - Only seen in one frame.  Arrived after dark.  

09/06 19:01 PM - There until 19:05 during daylight hours all alone. 

09/08 06:40 AM - Cattle present but no other bucks.  Remained until 07:08.

09/09 06:35 AM - Remained until 06:49 during daylight hours with other deer.  

09/10 18:05 PM - Remained in daylight hours until 18:14 

09/10 18:36 PM - Arrived during daylight and remained until 19:17

I replaced the batteries on October 13th which is when I found these pictures.  I was very excited at the opportunity to shoot these two large bucks.  I arrived at the beginning of hunting season and checked the camera immediately hoping for more pictures.  I was disappointed to fin there were no pictures of either buck.

I hunted November 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th without any sight of these two bucks.  There was no moon at the time and a cold front had just arrived.  However, it was quite windy one day and another day rained most of the day.  I was rather spent after hunting for 28 hours over this period of time.  I replaced the camera card and batteries and went home.

I returned on November 23rd to hunt and found no images of either buck on the camera.  I did not really have any bucks on the camera at all.  I was rather surprised they disappeared but had the same thing happen the year prior with an 8 point buck I was watching.

I ultimately shot an eight point buck on November 25th. At that point, I had hunted for a total of 44 hours and was beginning to lose hope.  While he is not very large, he is actually the largest of what I have seen on my camera once the 10 and 16 points disappeared.  In hindsight I would have been better off shooting a doe and retaining the chance to hunt the big ones again but I was getting discouraged and decided to take the shot.  

I'll be going out again before long to check the game camera.  We did not have nearly any rain for months until late September and then it seemed to rain non-stop.  I'm wondering if the lack of rain limited food options causing the bucks to come to the feeder.  Once it started raining, it seems they disappeared.  I don't know that anyone shot them as they disappeared before the season started but who knows.