Thu. Mar 21st, 2024

Ranch Scenes 1 – Lithia, Florida

Political commentary is fun but it is hard to beat the serenity of the farm or ranch.  Everything here is pretty straightforward, both good and bad

 

 

 

Calf Convention
Calf Convention

Random cattle pictures:  ( Click to enlarge.  Hit browser button to return.)

 


Gallery 2


A short dehorning video:

 

Night Prowler

 






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

  A few years back (pic is dated 9/14/12) we had considerable trouble with wild hogs on the ranch. They were not here in large numbers but the few that were here actually cost the ranch financial losses.
One or more of the large boar hogs was attacking the cattle. We were seeing wounds on the legs and lower sides of the cattle.  Although we had considered a hog as the culprit, it seemed highly unlikely since anyone in agriculture knows that cattle and hogs can get along ok.  Only in the case of some sort of competition would they be in conflict. There was no such possibility in this case.              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hog in corral 1
Hog in corral Even our veterinarian, a cattleman in his own right, could not believe a hog was causing these wounds. Eventually though we saw enough puncture wounds and gouges on the legs of enough animals to realize that they were not injuring themselves on some obstacle that we could not find; and we had spotted a large boar on the trail cam.
Hogs in corral
Hogs in corral 2

The hog in this pic was a young sow who had a few baby pigs.

 

 

 

 

Cow hog injury 1
Cow hog injury

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cow hog injury 2
Cow hog injury 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bull injured by wild hog
This is a pic of the herd bull injured by the boar hog.

 

Wild hog injury to bull
Wild hog injury to bull

After our vet finished cleaning the wound of dead tissue and debris, it looked like this. The bull recovered from this but unfortunately succumbed to another problem.

 

 

 

We finally got the responsible party when he made the mistake of being caught in the open pasture one morning and we had a rifle with us. Here are a few pics of the criminal.

Wild Hog 1
Wild Hog 1 – Finally cornered and killed. Had injured a number of animals.
Wild Hog - Picture 4
Wild Hog – Picture 4
Wild Hog - Picture 5
Wild Hog – Picture 5

 

Coyote 1
Coyote 1

Here is another predator that met his demise, none other than “Wiley Coyote”.  Forty years ago we never saw a coyote in central Florida, but now they seem to be everywhere. It’s said that they adapt well even in urban areas. Some of our neighbors have complained about their missing cats.

Dead Coyote
Dead Coyote

Coyotes are capable of killing newborn calves. We lost at least two calves in 2015 to coyotes and probably more though we could not confirm that coyotes were the culprits.
The best chance a coyote has for a calf dinner is on the day the calf is born. If mama cow leaves the calf even for just a short moment to get a drink of water or to graze, then the coyote can move in. As long as the mama is with the calf the predator has little to no chance.


Tailgate calf
Tailgate calf

In the purebred cattle business, it is important to give each calf some type of identification so we know who his parents are. Since there is only one bull in the herd, the father is obvious. Initially, the baby stays close to his mother so that we know who she is. Later however, during the 6 or 7 months before we wean the calf, it would be easy to lose track of who the mother is unless we tag the calf with a number that corresponds to the mother’s brand number. At this same time we can doctor the calf by removing the navel cord and applying iodine to prevent navel ill (bacterial infection).

Enjoying the sun
Enjoying the sun

 

Hiding in grass
Hiding in grass

 

 

Siblings
Siblings


What bulls can do:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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