flowerbug
Garden Master
always carry some apples/carrots for her... 
sorry to hear about the truck. always something happening...
sorry to hear about the truck. always something happening...
Canesister's 2019 farm journal
- Thread starter canesisters
- Start date
Ridgerunner
Garden Master
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2009
- Messages
- 8,229
- Reaction score
- 10,064
- Points
- 397
- Location
- Southeast Louisiana Zone 9A
Not sure how the calf is getting out. You may have said earlier and I just didn't read back that far.
Would putting a yoke on that calf help? It's more for a cow going through a barbed wire fence but maybe. You take a Y-shaped tree branch and put the Y around the neck. Tie it on across the top of the neck. Leave a short straight bit hanging down. You don't want it too long so the critter can still bend over to eat but long enough to catch the fence. Dad used this a couple of times. I can't remember how he tied the yoke on, probably just used a rope we wove from bailing twine. You don't want something that would cut the neck. Maybe use wire inside a hose? You might ask on your cattle forum for details.
Something I've never seen but read about. Not sure how much I'd trust the calf to not hurt itself. This is more for jumpers. Put a chain around the neck and attach a 4x4 to the other end to drag on the ground between the front legs. It needs to be heavy enough to stop it from jumping but light enough so it can still drag it around. The chain needs to be short enough so when it starts to jump it gets pulled back down. Supposedly after a couple of weeks the critter has learned not to try jumping.
I've never used hobbles on a cow or seen it done so I don't know details of how it is done, but they should stop it from running. Not sure if they would stop it from escaping or not.
Would putting a yoke on that calf help? It's more for a cow going through a barbed wire fence but maybe. You take a Y-shaped tree branch and put the Y around the neck. Tie it on across the top of the neck. Leave a short straight bit hanging down. You don't want it too long so the critter can still bend over to eat but long enough to catch the fence. Dad used this a couple of times. I can't remember how he tied the yoke on, probably just used a rope we wove from bailing twine. You don't want something that would cut the neck. Maybe use wire inside a hose? You might ask on your cattle forum for details.
Something I've never seen but read about. Not sure how much I'd trust the calf to not hurt itself. This is more for jumpers. Put a chain around the neck and attach a 4x4 to the other end to drag on the ground between the front legs. It needs to be heavy enough to stop it from jumping but light enough so it can still drag it around. The chain needs to be short enough so when it starts to jump it gets pulled back down. Supposedly after a couple of weeks the critter has learned not to try jumping.
I've never used hobbles on a cow or seen it done so I don't know details of how it is done, but they should stop it from running. Not sure if they would stop it from escaping or not.
thistlebloom
Garden Master
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2010
- Messages
- 16,473
- Reaction score
- 17,411
- Points
- 457
- Location
- North Idaho 48th parallel
Sorry to hear what a trial she is being to you Cane. I don't know much about cows, but I know some horses can run with hobbles.
I hope you can get her sold quickly.
One of our neighbors just bought 9 cows. These are not cattle people, and not particularly adept at livestock management. I'm waiting to see a cow that is not a moose running through the yard.
I hope you can get her sold quickly.
One of our neighbors just bought 9 cows. These are not cattle people, and not particularly adept at livestock management. I'm waiting to see a cow that is not a moose running through the yard.
- Thread starter
- #154
canesisters
Garden Master
Well - oddly enough.. the truck is not dead after all. Miracle? Resurrected? The garage couldn't find anything wrong. ![:\](/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/side.png "side :\")
They DID say not to take it on any trips and that it was very likely on it's last legs.. but it's back on the road again. 
@Ridgerunner, cows are AMAZINGLY nimble. I'm amazed at the things they will walk (or run) over/through without batting an eye. She's been happily confined in half of the paddock (except for the round bale ring issue - which is fixed now) since mid July. No more wandering the farm. No more worrying her Mom half to death. No more luring her Mom out and scaring me nearly to death by heading for the road
.
I've had some interest in the ads I've placed. … just interest But that's ok. It's not that big of a deal to let Eva in and out of the paddock. She spends the days in the pasture and comes into the paddock for the night. Rod said I can keep the panels & gates as long as I wanted so if she stays till she's big enough to make a trip to the butcher worth it - fine. I'll be sending some prime goodies over to Rod & his wife for sure!!
The garden was pretty much only canning tomatoes this year. I have no idea at the moment HOW MUCH came out of it. I've just been stuffing gallon bags and freezing. There must be way more than 50lbs by now. I made up a little salsa a few weeks ago and will make some more this Sunday while teaching my cousin how to use a pressure canner. Sometime this winter I'll be reporting totals on this year's garden as I can the rest into simple diced tomatoes.
I have decided that although BTE seems to be a GREAT method - it's just not for me. I don't have access to tons and tons of wood chips and the 'old hay' that I tried to mulch with gave me the densest, thickest, lushest crop of everything non-vegetable imaginable. So far, in my garden experiments, straw bale gardening has worked the best... but is expensive. Time, I think, to make the best of what I've got access to and give traditional gardening another chance.
… now WHERE is that old tiller?????
They DID say not to take it on any trips and that it was very likely on it's last legs.. but it's back on the road again. @Ridgerunner, cows are AMAZINGLY nimble. I'm amazed at the things they will walk (or run) over/through without batting an eye. She's been happily confined in half of the paddock (except for the round bale ring issue - which is fixed now) since mid July. No more wandering the farm. No more worrying her Mom half to death. No more luring her Mom out and scaring me nearly to death by heading for the road
.I've had some interest in the ads I've placed. … just interest But that's ok. It's not that big of a deal to let Eva in and out of the paddock. She spends the days in the pasture and comes into the paddock for the night. Rod said I can keep the panels & gates as long as I wanted so if she stays till she's big enough to make a trip to the butcher worth it - fine. I'll be sending some prime goodies over to Rod & his wife for sure!!
The garden was pretty much only canning tomatoes this year. I have no idea at the moment HOW MUCH came out of it. I've just been stuffing gallon bags and freezing. There must be way more than 50lbs by now. I made up a little salsa a few weeks ago and will make some more this Sunday while teaching my cousin how to use a pressure canner. Sometime this winter I'll be reporting totals on this year's garden as I can the rest into simple diced tomatoes.
I have decided that although BTE seems to be a GREAT method - it's just not for me. I don't have access to tons and tons of wood chips and the 'old hay' that I tried to mulch with gave me the densest, thickest, lushest crop of everything non-vegetable imaginable. So far, in my garden experiments, straw bale gardening has worked the best... but is expensive. Time, I think, to make the best of what I've got access to and give traditional gardening another chance.
… now WHERE is that old tiller?????
flowerbug
Garden Master
lucky on the truck! hope it holds up.
the stirrup hoe is the fastest way for me to get a garden weeded between plants. once a week. then i can often keep up with the finer weeding closer to the plants and as they get taller they shade so that even if there are a few weeds they don't grow as fast.
you can't let the cows loose in there?
and there is nothing wrong with fallowing a garden area and mowing it for some years as you start up another place instead. it gives the soil a chance to regenerate and diseases and weed seeds to be eaten up by the worms, fungi, etc.
in the permanent gardens i have going here that have been in place for many years i fallow small parts of them each season by planting in different row arrangements so that is a kind of garden rotation to give the soil/subsoil a chance to recover. wish i could get a good cover crop in the gardens through the winter. that's the biggest issue for me and it does help a lot in controlling weeds. even if i can't get it done on all gardens each season it would still help a lot to do it on a few each season. nope. Mom doesn't like it. i think it looks so nice in comparison to bare dirt... lol ah well...
the stirrup hoe is the fastest way for me to get a garden weeded between plants. once a week. then i can often keep up with the finer weeding closer to the plants and as they get taller they shade so that even if there are a few weeds they don't grow as fast.
you can't let the cows loose in there?
and there is nothing wrong with fallowing a garden area and mowing it for some years as you start up another place instead. it gives the soil a chance to regenerate and diseases and weed seeds to be eaten up by the worms, fungi, etc.
in the permanent gardens i have going here that have been in place for many years i fallow small parts of them each season by planting in different row arrangements so that is a kind of garden rotation to give the soil/subsoil a chance to recover. wish i could get a good cover crop in the gardens through the winter. that's the biggest issue for me and it does help a lot in controlling weeds. even if i can't get it done on all gardens each season it would still help a lot to do it on a few each season. nope. Mom doesn't like it. i think it looks so nice in comparison to bare dirt... lol ah well...
- Thread starter
- #156
canesisters
Garden Master
lucky on the truck! hope it holds up.
aaaaand the brakes went out yesterday on the way home.
No damage. Had JUST left the landfill - felt the petal 'give' turning out of the facility entrance - tested brakes on the 1/2 mile between facility and office - petal went right to the floor - coasted into the office driveway & made some calls for a tow & ride home.
It's all good though. Another 5 mins and I'd have been zipping up the highway & would've probably not discovered the problem until I tried to stop at the bottom of an exit.
I haven't had a car payment since 2004, but it's beginning to look like I might need to consider re-working the budget a bit and working one in.
Wonder if I can find someone who would trade a decent pickup for a 6mo old beef heifer
pjn
Garden Addicted
Glad you made it home safely. maybe someone does want some beef.
flowerbug
Garden Master
glad you were not hurt! eek!
i drove around on the emergency brake (very carefully!) for a while after the brake line ruptured. not recommended for the faint of heart, but i didn't need to use it much so that was good. spent way too much getting it fixed (over $500) which should have only ran me a $100 or so but the guy was just trying to get me to go someplace else, but i couldn't do that so he was stuck and made me pay for it... lol oh well.
my favorite mechanic retired last year and is selling his shop. i'm not a backyard tinkerer but if i had a place of my own to work on things i'd be tempted to do more myself. right now i have no car at all and just drive Mom's and help her pay for the upkeep on that. insurance is rediculous around here (too many deer).
some year i'll have to get one again. but not until then.
maybe riding the cow would be possible? no brake lines to fix there... and certainly no highway driving!
i drove around on the emergency brake (very carefully!) for a while after the brake line ruptured. not recommended for the faint of heart, but i didn't need to use it much so that was good.
spent way too much getting it fixed (over $500) which should have only ran me a $100 or so but the guy was just trying to get me to go someplace else, but i couldn't do that so he was stuck and made me pay for it... lol oh well.my favorite mechanic retired last year and is selling his shop. i'm not a backyard tinkerer but if i had a place of my own to work on things i'd be tempted to do more myself. right now i have no car at all and just drive Mom's and help her pay for the upkeep on that. insurance is rediculous around here (too many deer).
some year i'll have to get one again. but not until then.
maybe riding the cow would be possible?
no brake lines to fix there... and certainly no highway driving!
baymule
Garden Master
Better eat that cow, making a truck payment will cut into the grocery money! LOL
- Thread starter
- #160
canesisters
Garden Master
@baymule I was saying that exact thing last night and my friend said 'SEE!! I keep telling you to go on a keto diet - beef, eggs, cheese & chicken. You'd barely have to buy anything." 
