06/16/2026
Im no real cowboy but you hear cattle sorting stories and memes about the rough day it is sorting cattle. We decided to add two elements and remove many others at the same time. No huge facility with bull gates and sorting doors. Just some poly braid, chicken net, and stationary gates bale twine tied to post. Not only did we sort and seperate cattle for weaning/breed, we also worked the sheep at the same time separating our male sheep from the lambs and ewes. What did we leave out? Horseback, hot shots, flags, and no structure to push them into.
But really you read this far along, most of nothing happened. Our cattle laid there chewing the cud while I placed a run of poly braid between the select youngsters and sheep. See our cattle are so tame and docile they didnt care I was setting them up and putting hot rope between them. When I was ready I pulled the lines tight and worked one heifer into a pen to locate her with the young group. Once the cattle were grouped correctly. We walked the mass of sheep into a gate pen and pulled the two ram lambs. They went in with the cattle and our main ram.
Once we were done the FLERD didnt realize was happened until feeding time when we feed out two piles of green chop. Yes we stepped back to the 1900's mowed some remote pasture, pitched it onto wagons then fed it loose to the two groups. When they had to eat from two separate areas our youngsters realized their moms had a different pile of feed. They took it pretty well. Fence line weaning works well when the herd respects the fence. They can still see, smell, and talk to their mothers.
Sorry no fancy pictures.
