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The Brand

We branded calves this week – well, we branded where Mother Nature allowed us to.  She is messin’ with my schedule – we managed to get two days work done (three paddocks of cattle) but with two consecutive afternoon storms the yards are too wet again to do any work.  Frustrating…

Nonetheless, we did get some of our best calves marked.  A few snaps to share of the process…

First we need to assess the situation…

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Okay, so this is not STRICTLY required, but it sure is cute to watch the watchers…

(And yes, I nearly had to edit the ‘builder’s’ setup on the right!)

Then the calves need to be put into a pen and then coaxed up the race (brands heating in foreground in case you are wondering where on earth the focus is in this shot!)

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To assist this part of the process, a bar is put behind the second-to-front calf as more are allowed into the race.

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Apparently this requires some supervision (Dash is a very good overseer.)

Then the calves are caught in the branding cradle for a series of treatments – including innocuation against various diseases.

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They are also ear-tagged with two tags – one an electronic NLIS button and one a visual ID tag with our PIC number – and branded…

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… with our property brand, the calf’s individual ID number and the year digit (in this case a ‘1’).  This way, even if the eartags fall out (which they sometimes do) we can still identify an animal.  Aussie cattle are required to be totally ‘tracable’ throughout their lives and these methods ensure that we know exactly where a beast is and has been at all stages of its life.

I enter all information into a special portable computer which helps also trace the animal through it’s life.  I assess each calf for type, note it’s sex, whether it is polled (has no horns) and colour (we have both red and black Brangus).  Each has their own little personality – some feisty, some dopey, some laid-back, some ready to rumble.  I try not to fall in love with any – it’d be like choosing favourite children!

Then we let the calves back in with their Mamas, to work out who belongs to whom! (Matching Mum’s ID tag to bub’s newly-applied tag).  This is a painstaking task, which I actually love.  I get to get up close and personal with the cows and babies and they generally take little notice of me standing amongst them with my clipboard.  But you need to be quick, before the calves drink their fill and lie down for a quick kip…

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Actually, that grass looked soft enough to tempt me to lie right down amongst ’em…

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Then I spotted this darling boy…

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G13. AKA Tuffy‘s brother.  Same amazing nature, same gorgeous type, same gentle eye.

What a handsome, handsome boy…

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I don’t like to choose favourites, but I don’t think you could blame me if this one got a little asterisk beside his name, could you?

13 Comments

    • Bush Babe

      Nope… we have a great little seperate calf race which only requires us to push them into a small yard and then they lead through the race to the branding cradle. We don’t rope them to brand either…
      🙂
      BB
      Bush Babe´s last blog post ..The Brand

  • Carol/Red Dirt in My Soul

    You’re branding… we still have a month before any will be BORN! More snow today… and we plan to give Scour Guard tomorrow. Do you have much problem with scours in your babies? Do you call it scours? Diarrhea for townies. 😉
    Carol/Red Dirt in My Soul´s last blog post ..No Green

  • Pencil Writer

    Even before you mentioned it I was thinking, what BEAUTIFUL cattle! I’m always amazed at how sleek and shiny your cattle are! We have cattle all around us here, in small pastures (sometimes even in the back yard of our house–in years past when the fence behind us had been breached) but we don’t see much Brangus. That little fellow you doted on, he is especially sweet and pretty–in a male bovine way!

    Hope your schedules hold up for you and mother nature cooperates well. A splash in that sparkling pool does seem inviting, too!
    Pencil Writer´s last blog post ..Exhausted

  • debby

    Mikey had a bull named ‘Dinner’, Jenny.

    They are pretty cattle, and no, you cannot be blamed to have a favorite. My probably would be picking just one!

    How your landscape has changed since we first met. You should post some old pictures during the drought and the same shots now. I can’t get over the small glimpses that I’m seeing…
    debby´s last blog post ..On the edge of Change

  • Jane

    We are waiting for the hottest day of the year before we brand…that is what usually happens. Jimbo has been crook but is on the mend and the cattle have been brought home from the other block. 5 in 1 in the fridge so anytime now….We have missed all these recent showers.

  • Colin (HB)

    Great looking Brangus herd. They certainly are in pristine “nick”.
    An excellent report on your life on a
    cattle property and all of what it entails.
    Congratulations, BB.
    Colin (HB)

  • jeanie

    Jenny – what you really mean is “pie” – because when a bull gets very, very old, he is what is known as a “tinner” – tough as old boots, but great value for money in the processing plant.

    Although if you are looking at the old cows, they would be coming close to “supermarket steak”.

    Although not in this instance, hey BB – they all retire to a lovely little village with nurses and little television sets…
    jeanie´s last blog post ..High and dry

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