Vaccinations and Calf Handling

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This week was a [stressful] stress induced new experience, calf vaccinations. We had to vaccinate the calves for the summer months to keep them from getting sick. We got through around 390 head of calves after 4 days of waking up and starting our day at 5 am.

This next week we will get finished up and do the last 60 head of calves. To achieve the goal of vaccinating the calves we round them [up] from their pastures and bring them to the loading corrals where they get led through a chute and a squeeze.

Then they go out to the pen and, after we spray their mamas with a fly dope mix, they get reunited and sent back out into the pastures.

Another task we [completed] had done was fixing a fence and barbed wire gate. The wire is wrapped around the gate post and is tied together with a vertical twisted wire. Glad the week ended and hope our workdays at 5 am are no more!

I would challenge the process of the cattle chute, but I also understand why it’s necessary for working with calves in a way that promotes safety. I understand that the calves are fine with being squeezed and feel comforted by the pressure of the squeeze and I understand that the cage helps keep them contained and prevents harm to the rancher.

My biggest critic[ism] is the loading chute before they get into the squeeze. Being in the trenches with the calves is not ideal and having to push them forward up into the chute was a lot of physical labor.

I think an improvement could be made on how the corrals and alleyways are set up so it herds the calves into a tighter line sooner, instead of having a wide pen that leads into a tub and shrinks to a single file gate. I think there could be a skinnier wedge to push them into and a S-shaped curve of a closed-walled chute that leads them through faster, so they feel more comfortable following each other in.

One thing I learned from moving calves and load[ing]ed calves is both of us will get stressed out and, when that happens, things don’t go as planned. Getting angry with calves is a good combo [for]to getting kicked in the leg or being stepped on.

So, I had to learn how to keep my cool and get the calves to be relaxed and not pressured by me but allow them to still move in the correct direction. Shouting or pushing them too much makes the calf less responsive and more nervous to your movements, so being quiet and moving slower helps the calf.

I hope to continue my knowledge with calf and cattle behavior and understand more about their emotions when being moved.