That is not something I would ever admit to!
Beef Calf 2024
- Thread starter Peanut
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The growing season here is about 8 months. Add 5ft of yearly rain and brush can get out of control in a blink. In a couple years they'll cover everything.
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We all have excell at something. For me it's fencing and making hot sauce.
2 afternoons to clear the vines and brush off 180ft of fence. Have 2 big piles of brush I’ve cut and pulled out. All that brush was the only thing holding up the old wire and posts.
Now I can finally start building a new fence. Don’t know if I’ll be able tomorrow, probably have to rest a day. But it should only take another 4 hours to finish and I can get the calf back on good grass.
Now I can finally start building a new fence. Don’t know if I’ll be able tomorrow, probably have to rest a day. But it should only take another 4 hours to finish and I can get the calf back on good grass.
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Butthead will be happy to be out grazing again 
Where's Sam???
Another day on the fence. Got the double H-posts built, center post is set in QuiKrete. After it sets 24hrs the tension wires go on. I’ll trim the post heights too.
Was gonna use the same setup for the corner posts but had to change my plans. But I did get the big corner post set in QuicKrete also. The bracing will be a bit different, no problem.
I needed a couple more small posts, $10 ea at Tsc in town. There is a farm and lumber store just down the road where I could get them for $12. Turns out the store sold out to a new owner. This guy want $25 ea for small posts. He can keep them at that price! And I’m not gonna make a special trip to town for a couple of posts.
Anyway, I got all the old posts pulled up and the old barbwire rolled up. Ready to string new wire as soon as I brace the corner post in the morning.
Was gonna use the same setup for the corner posts but had to change my plans. But I did get the big corner post set in QuicKrete also. The bracing will be a bit different, no problem.
I needed a couple more small posts, $10 ea at Tsc in town. There is a farm and lumber store just down the road where I could get them for $12. Turns out the store sold out to a new owner. This guy want $25 ea for small posts. He can keep them at that price! And I’m not gonna make a special trip to town for a couple of posts.
Anyway, I got all the old posts pulled up and the old barbwire rolled up. Ready to string new wire as soon as I brace the corner post in the morning.
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My back injury is acting up today so I don't know if I'm gonna do any fencing. So, I needed a few groceries in town. I also stopped by the ag services company and got 5 small posts. $5 each! Not $25 like the guy down the road tried to charge me yesterday!
The new owner of that little farm and lumber store is in the middle of hobby farm heaven. Generally they are folks with more money than brains but I don't like seeing anyone get ripped off. I can't say I'll never shop at that store again, farm emergencies do happen. But I'll have to be desperate to buy anything from that guy.
TSC has high prices but I stop there for convenience sometimes. They charge $12ea for these same posts. I stopped and priced them this morning. (they also wanted $100 for a small gate, they can keep it at that price.)
The new owner of that little farm and lumber store is in the middle of hobby farm heaven. Generally they are folks with more money than brains but I don't like seeing anyone get ripped off. I can't say I'll never shop at that store again, farm emergencies do happen. But I'll have to be desperate to buy anything from that guy.
TSC has high prices but I stop there for convenience sometimes. They charge $12ea for these same posts. I stopped and priced them this morning. (they also wanted $100 for a small gate, they can keep it at that price.)
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That's similar to the way I do most of my corners and inline braces. On the corners where I have long runs I'll use rail road ties.
Finally got the corner posts done, bracing is up. Digging holes here was tough! They are about 28 inches deep. Seems every 3 or 4 inches I’d hit another tree root and have to cut through it with the post hole diggers.
The big sweet gum tree used to be part of the fence. That corner was always a problem when separating cows and calves. There was always one that didn’t want to go with the program. They’d invariably run to this corner of the holding pen, feel trapped because of the big tree, then run through the barbwire. You can see the wire in the second pic just to the left of the big tree.
Instead of a 90 degree corner I’m changing it into two 45 degree angles. I wish the big tree was cut but neither of my saws will reach the center.
These photos are an optical illusion. Both the horizontal braces are perfectly level. In fact I used a line level when marking the positions then used a framing level when nailing them in place. In the 1st pic the near braces looks slanted. In the second pic the far brace looks slanted.
Anyway, the hard parts are over. Just have to sink a few T-posts and string wire.
Hey @Pearl Sam says hi!
The big sweet gum tree used to be part of the fence. That corner was always a problem when separating cows and calves. There was always one that didn’t want to go with the program. They’d invariably run to this corner of the holding pen, feel trapped because of the big tree, then run through the barbwire. You can see the wire in the second pic just to the left of the big tree.
Instead of a 90 degree corner I’m changing it into two 45 degree angles. I wish the big tree was cut but neither of my saws will reach the center.
These photos are an optical illusion. Both the horizontal braces are perfectly level. In fact I used a line level when marking the positions then used a framing level when nailing them in place. In the 1st pic the near braces looks slanted. In the second pic the far brace looks slanted.
Anyway, the hard parts are over. Just have to sink a few T-posts and string wire.
Hey @Pearl Sam says hi!
Well, I’ll turn the calf out in the morning. The new fence is done, mostly, lol. I fudged on the last 24ft. 180ft of the wire is banjo tight. Those last few feet are out of tune! Tight but not stretched fully.
I want to put a small gate in there but I don’t have a gate or time to build one. Have all the materials but it’s more important to get the calf back on good grass in the morning. The wire is tight enough to hold him til I get time for a gate.
Oh, please don’t laugh at my fence. It’s been 15yrs since I built one.
Also, I bought one of these wire stretchers years ago but never used it until today. If you’re working alone this thing is great! I’m happy with the purchase. It’s simple to use and will stretch wire to the breaking point. It sort of works like an old fashioned bumper jack for a car. Just hook up the self locking clamps and crank the handle. When the wire is tight it’ll hold until released.
I want to put a small gate in there but I don’t have a gate or time to build one. Have all the materials but it’s more important to get the calf back on good grass in the morning. The wire is tight enough to hold him til I get time for a gate.
Oh, please don’t laugh at my fence. It’s been 15yrs since I built one.
Also, I bought one of these wire stretchers years ago but never used it until today. If you’re working alone this thing is great! I’m happy with the purchase. It’s simple to use and will stretch wire to the breaking point. It sort of works like an old fashioned bumper jack for a car. Just hook up the self locking clamps and crank the handle. When the wire is tight it’ll hold until released.
Fence looks good to me. Those stretchers work well
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I've got several of those wire stretchers. They are great tools to have around. Something else I use a lot of are Jake's wire tighteners. Check them out at jakeswiretightners.com or something like that. I've used hundreds of these on my fence and never once had one break a wire.Well, I’ll turn the calf out in the morning. The new fence is done, mostly, lol. I fudged on the last 24ft. 180ft of the wire is banjo tight. Those last few feet are out of tune! Tight but not stretched fully.
I want to put a small gate in there but I don’t have a gate or time to build one. Have all the materials but it’s more important to get the calf back on good grass in the morning. The wire is tight enough to hold him til I get time for a gate.
Oh, please don’t laugh at my fence. It’s been 15yrs since I built one.
Also, I bought one of these wire stretchers years ago but never used it until today. If you’re working alone this thing is great! I’m happy with the purchase. It’s simple to use and will stretch wire to the breaking point. It sort of works like an old fashioned bumper jack for a car. Just hook up the self locking clamps and crank the handle. When the wire is tight it’ll hold until released.
View attachment 164788View attachment 164789
I've built a lot of my gates around here, out of wood and barb wire.
I also use a lot of tube gates, like the one in the picture below. This is one of two electric opening gates on our driveway.
Got a problem with the calf. He's gonna hurt someone unless I correct his behavior. It stems from being raised by a bunch of kids. And the adults around him only had experience with trained milk cows, very gentle.
His actions were cute or funny when he was a little calf and weighed 100lbs. Now he weighs 550lbs and is gonna get a lot bigger. He had no fear or respect for humans. He's not trying to hurt anyone, he's not aggressive. He just thinks he's a little calf and it's just fun and games. He doesn't know he can hurt people.
He's about to get an education...
His actions were cute or funny when he was a little calf and weighed 100lbs. Now he weighs 550lbs and is gonna get a lot bigger. He had no fear or respect for humans. He's not trying to hurt anyone, he's not aggressive. He just thinks he's a little calf and it's just fun and games. He doesn't know he can hurt people.
He's about to get an education...
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A 2 foot length of pipe is a great educational tool.
Partially fixed a gate today. For those who may not know… for as long as there have been farms there have been sagging gates. Even built correctly a gate will still start to sag in 8-12yrs depending on soil type etc.
About 10 years ago I hired a kid to help dad pick peaches. They got done early one day so I had the kid set this gate post. I was cutting hay and didn’t have time for gates. I told the kid to set it 30inches deep. He barely set it 18”. I knew it’d sag within a year but told the kid to go ahead and brace it (last I heard the kid is now a structural engineer for the city, go figure
).
I was hoping I’d get time later to brace it heavily. I never got the time then we sold the herd so the gate was no longer my problem. Now it’s my problem again and I quickly grew tired of picking the end of the gate up every time I opened it.
Closed, the gate still sags but when open it no longer sags. I re-braced it on the down hill side so it’s halfway fixed. Next step is to set H posts and use a tension wire on the gate post. That will correct the lean in that direction. Then it’ll be good for the next 10yrs.
I also had to temporarily fix the fence at the end of the gate. Two strands had broken, had a pallet covering the hole. There used to be a huge persimmon tree there, part of the fence. I had it cut about 10yrs ago. It’s finally rotted enough for me to knock down whats left and rebuild that section of fence, rebuild it out to part of fence I rebuilt 2 weeks ago. 1 step at a time. I’m hoping to have the entire bull pen rebuilt by the time my cousin rebuilds the corral.
After all this work that calf better be the tastiest beef on the planet!
About 10 years ago I hired a kid to help dad pick peaches. They got done early one day so I had the kid set this gate post. I was cutting hay and didn’t have time for gates. I told the kid to set it 30inches deep. He barely set it 18”. I knew it’d sag within a year but told the kid to go ahead and brace it (last I heard the kid is now a structural engineer for the city, go figure
).I was hoping I’d get time later to brace it heavily. I never got the time then we sold the herd so the gate was no longer my problem. Now it’s my problem again and I quickly grew tired of picking the end of the gate up every time I opened it.
Closed, the gate still sags but when open it no longer sags. I re-braced it on the down hill side so it’s halfway fixed. Next step is to set H posts and use a tension wire on the gate post. That will correct the lean in that direction. Then it’ll be good for the next 10yrs.
I also had to temporarily fix the fence at the end of the gate. Two strands had broken, had a pallet covering the hole. There used to be a huge persimmon tree there, part of the fence. I had it cut about 10yrs ago. It’s finally rotted enough for me to knock down whats left and rebuild that section of fence, rebuild it out to part of fence I rebuilt 2 weeks ago. 1 step at a time. I’m hoping to have the entire bull pen rebuilt by the time my cousin rebuilds the corral.
After all this work that calf better be the tastiest beef on the planet!
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That’s a lot of work but sure will be nice to have a functional gate.
Investment for the future!!
It really didn't take that long, an hour this morning patching the hole. An hour this afternoon bracing the gate post. Easy when you know how...
That's exactly what this is... at some point I'll have to sell the farm. Dad and I have talked it through at length and want it to continue to be a working farm. Solid infrastructure will go a long way in helping that along. My cousin has been helping to that end also. We're 1yr into a 3yr plan to modernize everything.
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You're right about gates always sagging over time. Working on fences and gates are almost a full time job. At least it is for about 3 months a year for me.
Here's our middle gate on our driveway. I'm slowly replacing all of my corner posts, brace posts and gate posts with railroad ties. The post and brace on the right in this picture was replaced a couple months ago. This gate is one of two on our driveway with solar powered electric gate openers.
Here's our middle gate on our driveway. I'm slowly replacing all of my corner posts, brace posts and gate posts with railroad ties. The post and brace on the right in this picture was replaced a couple months ago. This gate is one of two on our driveway with solar powered electric gate openers.
This calf is an absolute idiot. He just wants to play but doesn't know how big he is. He almost hurt me today. Didn't have the long hot stick with me, but for the pup he would've. I've been letting the pup keep him in line, does a pretty good job.
I don't want to teach him to fear me but I see no way around it. At least he's afraid of the pup. Hope the midget hot stick arrives tomorrow. If the lady at the farm supply says its on the truck I'll be there waiting. I'm terrified dad will get in the pen with him before I get something to stop the nonsense.
Wish my cousin would go ahead and bring the herd of heifers over here too. That will help the calf's attitude a lot. They'll teach him to be a cow instead of a really big dog.
I don't want to teach him to fear me but I see no way around it. At least he's afraid of the pup. Hope the midget hot stick arrives tomorrow. If the lady at the farm supply says its on the truck I'll be there waiting. I'm terrified dad will get in the pen with him before I get something to stop the nonsense.
Wish my cousin would go ahead and bring the herd of heifers over here too. That will help the calf's attitude a lot. They'll teach him to be a cow instead of a really big dog.
The herd experience will definitely help, the hotshot will too!!
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awww but he's so cute!!
I had to knock the big buck on his horns a few times with a stick , he likes to misbehave too. The other one is much nicer ( thats why he got more girls than the bad one LOL)
I had to knock the big buck on his horns a few times with a stick , he likes to misbehave too. The other one is much nicer ( thats why he got more girls than the bad one LOL)
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The heifers will help........because cattle are not really cut out for being alone.......but even one older cow added to the herd, would improve things a lot more than several heifers.
The group temperament of a herd with several older cows is about as good as it gets. That is what we run.
The group temperament of a herd with several older cows is about as good as it gets. That is what we run.
Years ago at a local yard sale I picked up a couple of the fence wire clamps, similar to what is on your stretcher. I never thought I would use them, just bought them for nostalgic decorations. I ended up needing and using them this year to run new wire around the horse enclosure. I just used a heavy duty ratchet strap to pull the fence, anchoring to a nearby tree. Same results, just more redneck on my end.
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To add........I actually keep some older cows that have particularly good temperament, even when they get to an age where they miss getting in calf some years.
I like the calming effect they have on the herd that much.......
I like the calming effect they have on the herd that much.......
Dad and I ran Charolais for 2 decades, they were all pretty calm. I know my cousin keeps a few calm cows with his main herd because in general he tolerates a level of crazy that we didn't. But he has the facilities to deal with crazy cows.
Last bunch of heifers he brought over here were the spookiest bunch of critters I’ve ever seen. Would run at the drop of a hat if I walked through the pastures. If I were on a tractor they weren’t too bad. There worst of the bunch were the two black heifers with white faces on the far right in the pic below. Look at them, standing off to the side ready to bolt!
He and I talked about bringing an older cow over next time as calming influence. I’m thinking I should remind him. A lot of fence work has been done this past year. I don’t need another bunch of crazy heifers that'll run through fences.
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The Power mite came in today! And it works!!! There’s a little shed in the corral with a roll of hay and a plastic feed trough under it. During the day the calf plays with the empty trough, knocks it around the corral. I have to retrieve and carry it to the shed along with a bucket of feed.
As usual the calf was running over me, excited to get fed. Almost knocked me down so I put the power-mite on him. He bawled, ran about 20ft and stood there looking at me wondering what happened. He didn’t move until I stepped away from the shed, then he came to eat.
It’ll probably take one more lesson then he’ll know how to behave. Don’t run over the humans, especially if they food!!! Dad might not have to use it at all and I won't have to worry about the calf hurting him. That's a big relief!
I like the power-mite. Takes two 9-volt batteries and only weights 9oz. Simple to operate with a large button. Has a leather wrist strap so it's easy to carry if my hands are busy. The bovine version of a "get off me gun".
As usual the calf was running over me, excited to get fed. Almost knocked me down so I put the power-mite on him. He bawled, ran about 20ft and stood there looking at me wondering what happened. He didn’t move until I stepped away from the shed, then he came to eat.
It’ll probably take one more lesson then he’ll know how to behave. Don’t run over the humans, especially if they food!!! Dad might not have to use it at all and I won't have to worry about the calf hurting him. That's a big relief!
I like the power-mite. Takes two 9-volt batteries and only weights 9oz. Simple to operate with a large button. Has a leather wrist strap so it's easy to carry if my hands are busy. The bovine version of a "get off me gun".
WOW, that's a nice size!! Glad it worked!! Have it handy when feeding!
WOW, that's a nice size!! Glad it worked!! Have it handy when feeding!
It's half the size I thought it'd be, only 6" tip to tail, 1.25" thick. When the lady at the store handed it to me I had my doubts. But it definitely works!!! So money well spent!
