06/17/2026
Today we got done working cows and calves through before the bulls go out the end of the week. Vaccinations are given, new tags set, and health is double checked on a few we have concerns about.
We give vaccinations to younger calves because we have a couple of nasty pathogens that live in our soil. One is Tetanus. Most of you are familiar with that, and the paralysis it brings. Also, the anti toxin that is used to treat it is very hard to come by at the moment. We also have a thing called Black Leg. Also a very low treatment success rate, and is almost a guaranteed loss of the animal. Imagine if you will, the muscles turning into a bubble wrap of sorts.
Cows who have lost ear tags get their tattoos double checked and new tags put in. Calves who never got ear tags get their assigned numbers. Visual identification is important, because not everyone can look at a no tag cow amd know who it is like I can. Medicines and concerns can be handled by a variety of people if they can all be ID'ed easily.
The bulls know what time of the year it is, and have been hanging out by the bunks all week. They go out June 20th, weather permitting!