|
|
Post by 11111 on Jul 16, 2019 11:06:14 GMT -6
Have pasture ground that connects via underpass (cement culvert) that heifers had no problem crossing last year.
Our Okies pairs will not. We retained a few heifers from there last year so we hauled them out to the other side. Hoping they’d lead the way for others. They crossed to get to Okies and never crossed back.
So today, I have several cowboys coming, our entire family, 2 sheriff departments (on county line) to stop traffic on major highway, and hopefully get them moved cuz they are out of grass.
Other side has has no water source. So we have to move them now to a pasture directly across on other side from this one. This has been a nightmare. I actually got an incisional hernia from 60lbs cement bags, trying to make them a walk way in the flooded out culvert. Now I need surgery.
The state was suppose to come scrape out all the mud every year and has not upheld their agreement. They made the culvert too low so water doesn’t run away, it sits. Hence, the reason we have 3ft of mud in there.
It makes me sick, just thinking about how bad this could go. If these were our homeraised cows, we’d be in luck and could lead them across, no problem.
these cattle are the stupidest cows ever.
|
|
|
|
Post by hook on Jul 16, 2019 11:29:11 GMT -6
Dang, hope it gets better for you. Sounds like a pia
|
|
|
|
Post by okie on Jul 16, 2019 11:36:16 GMT -6
Am I reading it right that you're crossing the highway itself and not the underpass? If so lay down some plywood, carpet etc on the paint lines. We ran into that one year in California. Cattle that had been moved across the road twice a year their entire lives all of a sudden wouldn't do it because the county painted lines.
|
|
|
|
Post by 11111 on Jul 16, 2019 21:07:42 GMT -6
We got them moved. Lines were so faded, it wasn’t an issue. We had to cut our losses on roughly 10 pair but opened up a gate to the neighbors and got them caught. The rest moved, almost seamlessly once gathered. Took two tries. Cowboys were trying to keep them all grouped instead of just pushing the majority that stayed put and followed directions. . I told them that if we got 90% of them, they’d figure out how to cross underpass. We can’t lose the whole bunch because of 10 pairs. Joke is, the ones we just moved will go back thru underpass and then not know how to cross again. While the men ran them up with the horses, we got panels set up to help guide them the direction we needed them to go. I was really quite surprised that they didn’t shoot 5 directions once they left pasture. I ran south side traffic. Sheriff ran north. My MIL filled a hole on the gravel road we drove them to but I had my truck and trailer parked to block. Then ran 3 bodies on each side of cattle while they crossed highway. Again, seamless after they left pasture and that was my biggest concern. A few pics.. |
|
|
|
Post by 3LT Farms on Jul 17, 2019 4:21:35 GMT -6
Good deal, sounds like it was a smoother process than it could have been.
|
|
|
|
Post by dave on Jul 17, 2019 17:01:33 GMT -6
They get moved down the highway here all the time. Back in May I was on my way to cut a load of corral poles. Six or seven miles out of Baker City on a busy 60 mph road there was a bunch of people horseback moving about 100 pairs up the shoulder of the road. An old guy out ahead with a sign tied to his pickup grill that said cows ahead. He had a red flag out his window he was waving. They don't move them down the interstate but every other road is fair game. Lots of them go past my house.
 |
|
|
|
Post by creekdrive on Jul 17, 2019 20:20:03 GMT -6
I'm glad you got your cows moved without any major problems. New cows that don't know your 'system' can be a real pain sometimes.
When we are moving cows we try to stick to gravel roads, but we do have to move cows across a highway at least once a year in the fall. We bait them with a feed truck with grain in it and usually try and have 2 people on quads keeping everything grouped up and then at least 1 person and signs on the highway to stop traffic. The biggest problem we have found is people not stopping even when you have signs up and someone standing on the highway trying to make them stop. Our cows are quiet enough that if they would just drive slowly through them it wouldn't be a problem, but don't come blasting in and laying on the horn. We haven't resorted to getting the cops to help us but the thought has crossed our mind a time or two. Most people are good and understanding and have no problem waiting the 10 minutes or less it takes for us to get across. The only other problem we have found is if there is a thin layer of snow or ice on the highway sometimes the cows at the front will second guess whether or not they should cross.
|
|
|
|
Post by 11111 on Jul 18, 2019 19:03:28 GMT -6
I'm glad you got your cows moved without any major problems. New cows that don't know your 'system' can be a real pain sometimes. When we are moving cows we try to stick to gravel roads, but we do have to move cows across a highway at least once a year in the fall. We bait them with a feed truck with grain in it and usually try and have 2 people on quads keeping everything grouped up and then at least 1 person and signs on the highway to stop traffic. The biggest problem we have found is people not stopping even when you have signs up and someone standing on the highway trying to make them stop. Our cows are quiet enough that if they would just drive slowly through them it wouldn't be a problem, but don't come blasting in and laying on the horn. We haven't resorted to getting the cops to help us but the thought has crossed our mind a time or two. Most people are good and understanding and have no problem waiting the 10 minutes or less it takes for us to get across. The only other problem we have found is if there is a thin layer of snow or ice on the highway sometimes the cows at the front will second guess whether or not they should cross. Our home raised cows are a breeze. These Okies are nuts! Our girls would see a bag of cow crack on your shoulder and follow you down the road. |
|
|
|
Post by 3LT Farms on Jul 18, 2019 19:16:56 GMT -6
Our home raised cows are a breeze. These Okies are nuts! Our girls would see a bag of cow crack on your shoulder and follow you down the road. [/quote] About 20 years ago Dad had a bull he fed every day. The bull was real gentle. One day he got out and made it about a mile down the road. The neighbor seen him out and called Dad. When Dad got up to the bull all he did was roll down his truck window and told the bull to "go get in the pen". The bull turn around and started walking home, while Dad talked to the neighbor a bit they watched the bull walk down the road to get back home. The neighbor still talks about that to this day. |
|
|
|
Post by ufbeef on Jul 18, 2019 19:43:52 GMT -6
We used to have to take 300 head or so of pairs across one of the busiest roads in our county. We'd push everything into a big trap along the road and wait for the SO to show up. They'd stop traffic and we open the gates on the other side and send a few riders to hold them up when/if they crossed to try to keep the pairs mammied up . Thing about it is, once they start to go out of the box, they all have to go regardless of which they decide to go. Usually about 75% of them would go straight across, but there would always be a bunch that would take off down the hard road. Always fun over and wondering down a line of cars 3 miles long trying to get in front of them. Puckered my butt a time or two, but always got them across.
|
|
|
|
Post by 11111 on Jul 18, 2019 20:08:26 GMT -6
Our home raised cows are a breeze. These Okies are nuts! Our girls would see a bag of cow crack on your shoulder and follow you down the road. About 20 years ago Dad had a bull he fed every day. The bull was real gentle. One day he got out and made it about a mile down the road. The neighbor seen him out and called Dad. When Dad got up to the bull all he did was roll down his truck window and told the bull to "go get in the pen". The bull turn around and started walking home, while Dad talked to the neighbor a bit they watched the bull walk down the road to get back home. The neighbor still talks about that to this day.[/quote] I would be too! That’s hilarious! |
|
