Calf Catcher 3000

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I come from a long line of cowboys.  The real kind not the current fake country music plastic hat hillbilly kind.I was raised on a ranch in eastern Montana, my entire family rodeo'd mostly riding bucking horses....I can't rope to save my life!I'm not terrible in a branding pen dragging calves to the fire, but it isn't my strong suit.  I also run my cattle on flat irrigated pastures that are all pretty close in to the house.  It takes longer to catch a horse, saddle and go catch a calf then it takes to walk out or run out on the the Japanese quarter horse (read 4-wheeler).I bought a handful of cows a couple years ago through the sale barn here in Billings and they were man killers.  They had never been around people on foot.  One cow hooked me pretty good a couple times as I tried to tag her calf.  I needed someway to catch, tag and move the calf safely with out getting smashed.So I saw a calf catcher that mounts on the side of the 4-wheeler on line.  I'm not sure it this is allowed, but here is the link to the outfit I borrowed the idea from - https://calfcatcher.wordpress.com/I'm not claiming this is an original idea, but here is my take on it.The dog in the calf area is a 100 pound Bernese Mountain Dog.  The calves shouldn't be bigger then she is.The front gate is spring loaded.  The handle towards the 4-wheeler lifts up to trip the gate closed.  The question will be stopping the 4-wheeler in time so you don't run over the baby calf.The cow will be able to see and smell the calf in the holding area and theoretically follow the calf into the next pen without trouble.This was a pretty quick build as calving starts at any moment.John Attached Images
Reply:This is cool.  Great for relatively flat ground.The real interesting thing will be how the front caster wheel reacts to soft or uneven ground.  If it's too small, you can always easily retrofit a larger wheel.I don't do anything with my calves.  Just let them grow, train them to cubes, then ship them when I get around to it.  K'kins (Kellykins for y'all who wonder), and I, sort them with the gate in the feed pen, leaving the shippers inside.  Then I back the trailer up to the gate, Kelly handles the trailer door, and I move the shippers towards the gate.  We close them off with a lightweight panel, scatter cubes on the trailer deck, and they feed their way onto the trailer.  Sometimes it takes a pretty fair amount of time to get them loaded, have to have patience.  Once one goes on the deck, the others follow within a few seconds.  I never push or prod them, it seems to just make matters worse, just let them follow the cubes.I'm pretty lucky, we generally don't lose calves when they're small.  The losses occur when they're up around 250-300#.  Maybe one or two every other season it seems.  I don't vaccinate, but keep a totally closed herd.We had exceptional losses (5) during the last year of the drought.  That year I was hauling hay in from Texas, all the sources in Missouri, and Illinois, had dried up.  I wound up buying about 200 bales of native rye from around Sulphur Springs TX, and it took a toll.  They bloated badly, and died.  We finally figured out that we had to feed mega protein with this crap, and made it through the rest of the Winter.  I still have some of that crap left, and it's stored where they can't get to it.  We theorized that the bacteria in the rumen didn't have enough protein to digest the stuff, and it SEEMED to work, we didn't lose any more.  Also........this hay was a radical departure from anything they'd ever been fed, and the rumen might have had a hard time developing bacteria which would break it down without foaming.  You gotta feed the rumen so it can digest the plant matter.Anyways......cool build"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Nice build.  Did you do the fabrication and welding?  Would be interesting to see videos of this equipment in action.Head down to Texas and start catching wild hogs, video tape that!  Could be a whole new sport....  Lincoln Precision TIG 185.Flex-Loc 150 torch.Super-Flex hose.Lincoln MIG 180.Victor Oxy/Act torch set.DeWalt Bandsaw with SWAG stand
Reply:Yeah this wouldn't work back home in the sagebrush!  But then again when I was a kid the cattle were out in the sage and we would only catch them when we branded.  Shots were given then and the next time the cows and calves were gathered was at shipping.  We also moved the cattle horse back as well.  Now on this little irrigated place the horse is a PIA!My calves now get tagged and banded (castrated - if necessary).  Then when all the calves are born I brand them.  Montana is a brand state, meaning the brand is used to verify ownership.  Some states don't do that of course.  Without the brand the calves are easy to steal and that happens a great deal.  I also give a vaccine for common diseases at branding.Not having many cattle and being close to town...the branding turns into a party pretty quickly.  Last year there were about 3 times as many people as there were calves to brand!This summer the calves are going up on some lease ground with some other cattle.  The brands and tags will help keep the cattle straight when it comes time for shipping.  Since it has been 70 degrees and beautiful...none of the cows have been inclined to calve.  Now that we got 4 inches of snow over night, I am sure the old biddy's will all calve today!JL
Reply:Originally Posted by WenValleyNice build.  Did you do the fabrication and welding?  Would be interesting to see videos of this equipment in action.Head down to Texas and start catching wild hogs, video tape that!  Could be a whole new sport....
Reply:Originally Posted by Double Y  The real kind not the current fake country music plastic hat hillbilly kind.
Reply:my marlin 336 in 35remington catches hogs real good..
Reply:Nice, your missing the cup holder. Millermatic 200Miller Spectrum 2050
Reply:Double-YWalking through a pasture of 'bulls in the off season' is a sneeze compared to separating 'a new calf from a range cow'.  On foot - not a good idea - Fishing for calves may be the new capture paradigm.I viewed the video - this is how you tool for the 'Ultimate Test'.Your front 'swivel-set' is junk.  I have replaced too many to count.Replace the wee/nee pneumatic tire, with a flat-proof/solid wheelbarrel tire - and build your own swivel.This modification will add speed and maneuverability - you will need it - because the 'Ultimate Test' is to corral a buffalo calf and cow.Opusps"When you rope a buffalo - you gotta be ready" - V.G.
Reply:The swivel wheel...already broke. So that is my fix today. I'm going with a heavier and wider wheel and will build my own swivel.
Reply:I don't miss pissed cows.  A mama doing her job is nothing to be trifled with. Chased by a woofy cow is no fun.  Neat idea, in the right area.  It wouldn't work where I grew up.
Reply:I had to upgrade the swivel wheel.  I have a video of the catcher in action...now I need to figure out how to post it! Attached Images
Reply:I figured the caster might pose a problem (see my previous post), but I think you have a handle on it nowHow many calves did ya hit in the azz??????????????"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v...55&pnref=storyThis may work...maybe not.  Here is a video from my Facebook
Reply:I didn't hit any in the hiney...yet but only have 3 calves on the ground!  This old cow is gentle and I could have caught the calf on foot, but I wanted to shoot a video and had my son run the phone/camera for me.