I Want Some Cows!

[Philadelphia Patriot]

I am in the middle of about 3000 ranches & farms that raise cattle for a living & I aint seen one fence like that for cattle. They are all 5 strand of barbed wire.

My girlfriend has 8 acres of land and 3 horses. We started replacing her old split rail fence with horse stablemesh fencing (see below for what I mean). So far no problems, and between her, I, and her Ram truck we can easily put up a hundred yards of that fencing in a day (Assuming the wooden posts are all ready mounted in the ground).

Edit to update: We also have the electric wire going around the top of the fence too.

 

[bobelk99]

It's the water. Actually the lack of water. We are in a drought out west. Just heard on the Tucson news that the cattlemen here are afraid they will be forced to sell off yet more cows.

That is the basis of the whole mess. Feed prices don't help any, and the feed isn't growing where the stock are located.

 

[DoubleAdobe]

The goats are for brush control. They have really been a low maintenance proposition. I started with eight or nine two years ago, and now I'm up to 22, with a few more on the way in the next few weeks. I have probably bought more bagged feed for them in the last two months, and given them more hay, than in all the previous time, because of the cold weather. The good thing about goats and cattle is that they don't compete for food. The goats will walk through lush bermudagrass to get to briars or brush. I've got to load up a bunch of males and take them to the sale to keep from too much inbreeding. I wish I could find a source of wethers (castrated males) to buy and put out there just to keep the weeds and brush down. I don't really care to get in the goat bidness, but they beat buying herbicide and having to apply it.

I envy you guys, not just for the feed without having to irrigate, but the coyotes would color them gone in about three nights any where I have lived. They are hungry and cruising, 24/7. Snack up a lot of little house dogs and gentle cats as well, and that's with every knucklehead shooting at 'em, calling em and all. Just terrible but it has always been thus in my memory.

 

[bobelk99]

I am in the middle of about 3000 ranches & farms that raise cattle for a living & I aint seen one fence like that for cattle. They are all 5 strand of barbed wire.

Big difference is hobby farming and ranching. One big difference is the fence. Looks counts in hobby farming, fence or whatever.

No insult intended.

 

[redlevel]

Big difference is hobby farming and ranching. One big difference is the fence. Looks counts in hobby farming, fence or whatever.

No insult intended.

No insult at all. However, in my case, looks isn't the reason I used that type of fence. First, if I were fencing thousands of acres, even hundreds, I would use "Bobwire." I have used a lot of it in the past. However, I fenced in about 70 acres, with some cross fencing. Also, a five strand barb wire fence will not contain goats, and brush control was the immediate reason for the fence. There is also a modicum of predator protection with the "field fence." This morning my wife headed out the door to go to work. She hollered that dogs were chasing the goats. By the time I got out, the dogs were running down the outside of the fence. A couple of rough looking brutes that could waste some goats in short order. I don't believe they ever got inside the fence. They eventually could, of course. I fired off a couple of rounds of 12 gauge buckshot at them, but they were well out of range. I have a couple of donkeys in the pasture, and they were braying like mad at the dogs. We have a good many 'yotes too. In fact, I just heard some music from them. Two of them howling and yipping can sound like a dozen. So far, I haven't lost any goats to them.

DoubleAdobe, your advice is well taken. I'm not a complete virgin though. For several years my brother and I ran about 80 head of mama cows. We did have an old-timer neighbor who gave us a lot of advice. I mentioned in the OP that I would like to buy a small herd. I would much rather go to a farm and load them on the trailer than to buy them at the auction, after they had traveled from who knows where and spent 18 hours with several hundred head from various sources, being exposed to who knows what.

 

[Jinglebob]

Good for you. Be careful buying at local auctions, some unscrupulous folks occasionally try to unload sick or injured animals.

Make sure there is plenty of water available. A cow will drink up to 12 gallons of water a day.

As for the number of cattle, July and August is when you can end up with more cattle than pasture. More grass and fewer cattle is the rule of thumb.

As for fencing, I just stretch barbed wire and in certain areas use hot wire. A couple strands of hot wire will contain cows.

Good luck.