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    • Branding 2005
    • Branding 2006
    • Branding 2007
    • Branding 2008
    • Branding 2009
    • Branding 2010
    • Branding 2011
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Branding

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Branding is that one event in the spring that we look forward to, yet dread at the same time. It’s the opening to a new chapter of the year for the cowboys. The burden of calving season is nearly gone, except for those couple of stubborn cows that like to make life interesting.

Branding, in our grandfathers day, was the time of year that the branding crew would visit each camp of the ranch and the calves were branded using a hot iron to identify the owner. Vaccinations of that time period were given to aid in health and growth.  As you can imagine, things have changed over the course of 100 years.

Present day, with our rotational grazing system the herds are brought near headquarters where they await their turn to go through the branding process. The herds are worked one at a time, in one day, with typically a day in between brandings. This allows for the next herd to be moved up and for the finished cattle to be moved out. The couple hours of down time for the cowboys isn’t turned down either.  

Early in the morning, the cowboys saddle their horses and begin to gather the herd. After penning the cattle into the branding pens, the calves are sorted off of the cows in bull and heifer lots of 100. Once this is accomplished, the branding pen is assembled, irons heated, and the ground crew is assigned their jobs and given their marching orders.

Steers are typically worked first. They are given three vaccinations: Vitamin AD, Blackleg, and IBR. They receive a branded “K” to their left jaw, are given an implant, receive pour-on to fend off bugs, and are band castrated. If they have horns they are removed. They are also given an individual Radio Frequency Identification tag (RFID). This is scanned with a hand-held computer and their visual id is referenced to their RFID. Heifer calves receive the same treatment with the exception of being castrated.

With groups ranging in size from 200-450 head and with an experienced working crew, we are usually finished by 2:00. The crew is then released to eat a short lunch and then return to process the cows.

The cows are run through the working chute where RFID’s are scanned, ear hair is trimmed to allow visual ID’s to be checked and/or replaced, and are given a pour-on. As they are run through the chute, they are sorted into steer calf and heifer calf bunches. Assuming all book-keeping is in agreement, the calves are returned to their respective mothers. The sorted groups are then taken to individual pastures where they await for their steer or heifer mothers to join them.

Branding usually takes eight or nine days assuming that the weather is cooperating.

Check out the tab on the left to see some of the branding photos throughout the years.