From the wintery weather of March, branding, moving, feeding, then AI, blood testing, hauling, trailing, gathering, and trailing again… it comes down to this. These 18 month old heifers must pass this final test. If they fail to be pregnant, they will be sold. No matter their breeding or their looks, they must fit in with our program, and that means they must be pregnant now. Yes, some may have missed the AI process and be bred by a bull… that’s perfectly fine so long as the date is within a short period of time. Those that miss that window will be sold when we choose our replacements. It’s a business decision.
In this video, we have gathered them from a pasture into the corral. We move them through the pens and alleys and into the chute. The vet will palpate for the calf’s head and depending on its size, will calculate how old it is and what its due date will be. If she is pregnant, she will receive a pour on worm treatment, a booster vaccine, and will be checked that her Bangs vaccination tattoo is visible in her ear. She is then marked with a hair bleach product and released to go graze once again.
Should they not be pregnant, they will be sorted off into a small pen, and marked with two dots on her hips. They will be hauled to the sale barn the following day.
I have left the natural noise, most of which is covered up by the generator that runs the hydraulic chute. If you have questions, ask away in the comments!
So what was the final count? What percentage were pregnant and is the result typical?
I appreciate these videos that give folks a window into all that goes into raising our beef!
Thanks for the step-by-step explanation and video. It must take days!
Great video. thanks for the lesson beforehand to help understand the process.
Hang in there family ranchers and farmers! We appreciate all your hard work raising our food!