Hi I’m Mike.
Today on the project list we work with the yearling cows, sorting the boys from the girls,
so our young heifers can get their Bangs vaccination.
We will give you the how and and the why all coming up on our Wyoming life.
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Behind me is the project list, an ever-growing list of things that need done around here.
Today we are going to ignore it and work with our yearling cows, we have steers and heifers
together right now and we need to sort them off because the heifers need their bangs vaccination.
We only have 6 heifers to vaccinate and we will be taking them into town to the vet for
the vaccination next week but with everything else going on we are going to get them sorted
and ready to go today, mostly because we don’t know when the vet will be able to get them
in and we are on a will call status with them.
Also, today we get to try out a new camera we have just received, it’s a body cam type
deal and we will see how it performs as we head out and get to work.
Today starts much like any other, the ranch is nothing if not repetitive.
We let out the chickens every morning and this time of year we check the cows pretty
regularly, this is calving season and calves are being born every single day on the ranch.
For us that means the project list can be pushed to the back burner sometimes as every
birth on the ranch is important and we like to be there for each one.
Making sure moms and calves are healthy and safe.
After checking cows, and no new calves so far this morning we can feed them as they
are waiting and hungry.
After feeding we are going to bring and extra bale of hay back with us, that we are going
to us as bait for the yearlings to bring them into the corral.
Which they fall for hook line and sinker.
There are 13 yearlings in here a mix of heifers and steers.
The heifers belong to the kids, each year we give the kids a new heifer to add to their
herd.
Each one will have a 5-head herd by the time they complete it and last year we rounded
out all 3 of the kids herds.
The sale of the calves from their herd go into their own bank account every year adding
to their account to be used for college or whatever they end up doing later in life.
The steers that are in here as well we be kept back by Erin and me and will be finished
and eventually sold as beef to our customers.
and after locking these guys into the corral we can get to sorting.
First though we attach the new body camera, and we are going to put the drone up in the
air to get us that birds eye view.
Flying the drone in this corral is a little treacherous as there are overhead power lines
criss crossing the corral.
In addition, a light rain has started and the wind is picking up so this might be fun.
These yearlings have not been worked with much and getting them where I want them to
go is a little tricky.
First we luck out and a couple of heifers sort themselves off into a smaller corral,
these two can be moved into the horse corral to wait for their friends.
Then its round and round until we get the rest into the sorting pen as well.
After moving the drone for a better view, I can start sorting these kids off, pushing
the heifers one way the steers the other.
It’s a slow process as we have to handle them each one at a time.
Moving them one way or the other.
The heifers are being sorted off in preparation for their Bangs vaccination.
Bangs disease is the term that was given to cattle Brucellosis, it was discovered by a
Danish veterinarian in 1897 and his last name was Bangs.
Thankfully cattle Brucellosis has been nearly eradicated from the United States because
of required test & slaughter practices and the use of the bangs vaccine on heifers.
Brucellosis is a contagious disease that causes pregnancy loss and reproductive failure in
cows, the same contagious disease makes people sick and a vaccine was developed in the 1940’s
Now days, the disease has been eradicated except in areas surrounding Yellowstone national
park where wildlife remains a reservoir for the disease.
Bangs vaccinations also give heifers an USDA official ID, they will be tattooed designating
the year they received the vaccine and they will also get an official metal ear tag with
an identification number.
The chance of a herd encountering brucellosis is super slim but protection at least in this
area is not a bad idea.
A bad idea might have been deciding to fly the drone in this weather.
As we finish up sorting the yearlings, all heck breaks loose when a large gust of wind
blows through, The drone shoots up in the air and as I run to grab the remote and get
it back under control another gust blows it over the barn and out of site.
Its at this point I realize that I am in trouble.
I cant see it and its headed straight toward the highway and power lines that run along
side it.
My best bet is to get it on the ground and land it blind.
Setting it down a little rough.
I have no idea where it landed.
I can see the video feed on the remote and as it turns out, it landed right on the shoulder
of the highway, just feet from getting run over.
With my heart still racing from that experience, at least we have the cattle sorted and the
steers can now head out of the corral.
The heifers however will stay in the corral for now, at least until the vet can give them
their inspections and vaccinations.
The last step of the day is to put our gate back
on to keep the two groups separated, this is accomplished with some plumber strap and
some screws.