After last weeks adventure of trailing cattle to the mountain it is now time to continuously be with the herd and watch for sickness as well as keep cattle scattered through out their pastures. Keeping cattle scattered ensures that they will not over use forage in any area of the pasture. To do so, we will be moving them every few days as well as placing salt and mineral in areas that will draw the cattle away from areas of high utilization.
Foot rot and phenomena are two common sicknesses that occur on the mountain. Typically these calves are roped and doctored; recently we have transitioned from roping calves to shooting them with a gun that shoots darts filled with medication. Using the dart gun is less stressful to the animal because they don’t have to be ran down and roped. With lower stress levels for the animal, it allows the medication being administered a better chance to show a quick response in the animal. Animals that are doctored with excessive stress levels may show a negative response to the medication.
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