# Cattle people



## Symphony (Mar 23, 2013)

Hey, hey all you knowledgeable Cattle folk out there.  I was wondering why aren't any of the big operators making journals, like JHM or Cricket with all that helpful info.  We need some Cattle blood in the journal section, I am a newbie to the game and I am NO good representation of the Cattle Ranching life.

Anyway think about it, I think many would be interested in your wise thoughts and interesting lives.


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## Cricket (Mar 24, 2013)

OMG, how flattering, KF . . . Big Operator . . me?  My certain knowledge of cows can be summed up in 2 sentences:  Don't overfeed calves.  A fat cow is a happy cow, but only for a little while.  As for my interesting life, after 25 years of working retail, I've found I have a zero tolerance for BS, so spend much of my time with animals.  So much so, that even those who love me most say I need to get out more!  Plus there seems to be one person who haunts the cattle people with a varying degree of creepiness--working with Jersey's and owning 3, I get enough drama in my life.  AND,  while I truly enjoy the goat and sheep people, they WILL post pictures of overwhelming cuteness.

Have fun with your journal and project(s)


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 24, 2013)

guess that counts me out.


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## jhm47 (Mar 24, 2013)

Big operator??? Wise thoughts???  Interesting lives???  You must have been thinking about someone else.  I'm old, fat, slow, have a bad knee from a disagreement with one of my heifers, my kids suspect that I have alzheimers, my wife is sure of it, and I sometimes wonder.  Did I mention that I sometimes wonder myself?   

I synchronized 28 cows and heifers to calve TODAY (March 24th).  Normally, I don't calve till April, but with the balmy temps and virtually no snow last year, I bumped the date up a week or 10 days.  This year, we have nearly 5 feet of snow on the ground, and it hasn't reached 32 degrees for nearly a month.  Calving so far has been less than pleasant for me, and I can only speculate how it must be for a calf that is expelled from inside a 102 degree cow into 10 degree weather with below 0 windchill (and being wet besides).  It is amazing that any of them survive.  IF it ever warms up and melts this snow, we will then have the pleasure of dealing with mud, which is even worse than the snow.  A cow with muddy teats is sure to inoculate her calves with many really bad bacteria that may cause scours.  

Wife and daughter left for the Bahamas on our 40th anniversary trip this AM.  I had to stay home and watch cattle, but I hope they have lots of fun on the beach.  They'll be gone a week.  My sex life won't change, but the dirty dishes sure will pile up.


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## Cricket (Mar 24, 2013)

Maybe the snow will stay until everyone gets a good start.  I have a Jersey calf who was born to a first calf heifer back in mid Nov when we had 2 nights of 14 degrees and he's been the easiest calf I've ever had from the farm.

Gee, I wonder if your sex life would improve if you didn't stock pile dirty dishes?  (Feel free to lambast me for that one--I deserve it!)


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## Symphony (Mar 24, 2013)

Cricket said:
			
		

> Maybe the snow will stay until everyone gets a good start.  I have a Jersey calf who was born to a first calf heifer back in mid Nov when we had 2 nights of 14 degrees and he's been the easiest calf I've ever had from the farm.
> 
> Gee, I wonder if your sex life would improve if you didn't stock pile dirty dishes?  (Feel free to lambast me for that one--I deserve it!)



I admit to doing the same though.  I'm on my own this week and the dishes are starting to pile up.  We just had a tiny bit of snow but most of it has melted away.  Its suppose to get warmer by the end of the week. So it will get muddy again with our few calves on the ground.:bun


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## brentr (Mar 25, 2013)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> guess that counts me out.


Not my thread, but please don't think that your info isn't helpful, WRB.  It is!


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 25, 2013)

brentr said:
			
		

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Sweet of you brent, thanks.


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Mar 26, 2013)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> brentr said:
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Personally, your one of the first people I think of when I think 'CATTLE INFO'
In order prob.
Redtailgal 
WRB
Cricket
JHM
(Though can vary, I always think of RTG first because I stalk her journal, LOL)


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## Cricket (Mar 26, 2013)

Yep, CBL, every forum needs someone to wring their hands, and that's me!  I was thinking the other night about Karin and education in general.  Like I'm sure she could probably diagnose Winter Dysentery and know how to treat it, but does she know what it's like to have a cow walking in front of her cough and blow it all over the front of her?  I think not.  You just can't beat experiencing the real thing.  Esp at slightly above minimum wage.

When I first joined, I didn't think I would learn so much from people from different climates.  It's really different trying to raise critters on a side hill in VT compared to all those lovely flat fields.  But at least you learn a lot about what questions you need to ask yourself--that is HUGE for me!  

I miss RTG and Royd even.  (although with Royd, it's kind of nice not being tortured with Galloway calf pictures.  Really don't understand why my husband, after 33 years of living together, still doesn't understand how close 'want one' and 'need one' are!)


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## jhm47 (Mar 26, 2013)

This is waaaaaay off topic, but I shared earlier that my wife and daughter are vacationing in the Bahamas.  Well, they are staying at the same resort/hotel that the Obama daughters are at.  Guess the security is pretty tight.


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## Symphony (Mar 26, 2013)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> This is waaaaaay off topic, but I shared earlier that my wife and daughter are vacationing in the Bahamas.  Well, they are staying at the same resort/hotel that the Obama daughters are at.  Guess the security is pretty tight.


That just shows your family know how to vacation.


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## Elm Tree acres (Mar 26, 2013)

Cricket said:
			
		

> I miss RTG and Royd even.  (although with Royd, it's kind of nice not being tortured with Galloway calf pictures.  Really don't understand why my husband, after 33 years of living together, still doesn't understand how close 'want one' and 'need one' are!)


Pics of Galloway calves can be arranged Cricket - pm me when the desire strikes and you can forward them on to Hubby's email in supersize. They are being born as I tap the keys here and I just wish it would warm up at night 

jhm - if you put a Bahamas location on here then expect an FBI visit


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## jhm47 (Mar 26, 2013)

It's already all over the internet where they are.  Besides that---I'm already being watched by the FBI, and there is a drone circling overhead at all times.


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## Cricket (Mar 26, 2013)

Elm Tree--DH . . computer . . . e mail !  I brought this home last fall for Peanut for summer.  He does have a broken belt, kind of dun, and other than being a Jersey instead of a Galloway and a bull instead of a heifer, and fuzzy rather than shaggy, it's as close as I'm getting for awhile!  Unless I get brave enough to breed Peanut to a G. by AI next time around.







Jhm, now feeling bad you missed your vacation--can't picture the beach thing, but bet you'd have had a blast seeing the security detail in action.  Drone is probably from your wife, making sure you aren't spending too much time out with the cattle in the cold!


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## Elm Tree acres (Mar 26, 2013)

jhm47 said:
			
		

> It's already all over the internet where they are.  Besides that---I'm already being watched by the FBI, and there is a drone circling overhead at all times.


   too funny

Cricket - love your beltie

EDIT     just read your comments under pic


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 26, 2013)

Cricket said:
			
		

> Yep, CBL, every forum needs someone to wring their hands, and that's me!  I was thinking the other night about Karin and education in general.  Like I'm sure she could probably diagnose Winter Dysentery and know how to treat it, but does she know what it's like to have a cow walking in front of her cough and blow it all over the front of her?  I think not.  You just can't beat experiencing the real thing.  Esp at slightly above minimum wage.


Maybe not those kind of experiences, no, but at least I'm not coming to this forum with zero experiences with cattle.  I may not have as much experience as JHM or Cricket or RTG (heck I've still got a ways to go before I'm 50  ), but it'll come with time...I just have to stick with the books for the time being until I can develop the experience of getting a cow to blow snot over me or have arms so sore I can hardly lift them from having to do preg-checking or AI. 

Not sure about the Winter Dysentery though....gonna have to hit the books (or web?) about that one.


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## Symphony (Mar 27, 2013)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

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Yeah, sometimes the books are better than snot in the face.


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## Cricket (Mar 27, 2013)

Karin, you are SO literal!  I bet we'd get along in person, 'cause then I could punch you in the arm and say, 'd'ya get it?' every time I thought I was being funny!  (My grandsons assure me that I am NOT as funny as I think I am, so don't feel bad!)

My point was that with a solid base of 'book' knowledge like you have, your opportunities are limitless.  You could opt to go into cattle big time and have a decent chance of making it.  You could do what JHM does.  You could chose to teach and have a small manageable herd.  (I think you would just excel at your provincial version of our county extension agency).  I don't have secondary education, and boy is that limiting, esp as you get older.  Okay, old.  Not a lot of call for 50-odd year old woman with arthritic thumbs to milk cows.  And I don't think I could physically milk on the big farms for 8 to 12 hours shifts, and am totally burned out in the retail sector.  I don't mean this in a poor-me way, and I love my life, but my message would be "STAY IN SCHOOL"!  

Did you end up looking up Winter Dysentery?  Did it mention that it smells really, really, really, bad?!  That may be all you need to know!


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## lovinlivinlife (Mar 27, 2013)

WildRoseBeef said:
			
		

> Maybe not those kind of experiences, no, but at least I'm not coming to this forum with zero experiences with cattle.  I may not have as much experience as JHM or Cricket or* RTG (heck I've still got a ways to go before I'm 50  )*, but it'll come with time...I just have to stick with the books for the time being until I can develop the experience of getting a cow to blow snot over me or have arms so sore I can hardly lift them from having to do preg-checking or AI.
> 
> Not sure about the Winter Dysentery though....gonna have to hit the books (or web?) about that one.


hmmmmm, interesting.  The RTG that I know also has a ways to go before reaching 50.  Jes sayin'.....


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 27, 2013)

Cricket said:
			
		

> Did it mention that it smells really, really, really, bad?!  That may be all you need to know!


No, but it did mention "explosive diarrhea!"


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## WildRoseBeef (Mar 27, 2013)

Cricket said:
			
		

> Karin, you are SO literal!  I bet we'd get along in person, 'cause then I could punch you in the arm and say, 'd'ya get it?' every time I thought I was being funny!  (My grandsons assure me that I am NOT as funny as I think I am, so don't feel bad!)
> 
> My point was that with a solid base of 'book' knowledge like you have, your opportunities are limitless.  You could opt to go into cattle big time and have a decent chance of making it.  You could do what JHM does.  You could chose to teach and have a small manageable herd.  (I think you would just excel at your provincial version of our county extension agency).  I don't have secondary education, and boy is that limiting, esp as you get older.  Okay, old.  Not a lot of call for 50-odd year old woman with arthritic thumbs to milk cows.  And I don't think I could physically milk on the big farms for 8 to 12 hours shifts, and am totally burned out in the retail sector.  I don't mean this in a poor-me way, and I love my life, but my message would be "STAY IN SCHOOL"!


As a matter of fact I'm really, really really hoping and praying that I'll be able to go back to finish up my An Sci degree this fall!  But yes, I see your point about the "book knowledge" thing, and yes, I tend to get a bit too literal too.


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## Cricket (Mar 27, 2013)

Hey, lovinlivinlife, welcome to BYH!  Do I recognize you from another forum?  The sun came out here and it's getting warmer by the day

You go ahead and tell RTG if you talk to her that Karin is hinting around that she's an old bag--maybe that'll get her back!


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