The Preparation for calving season

The Preparation for calving season By Jack Carter/SAIT

Every year before the calves are born, Edge-Hughes Cattle Co. organizes and processes their 200+ female cows and prepares them to receive shots.

The shot protects against 8 common bovine diseases. They pass it along to their calves in their milk as well. This provides her & her calf immunity.

The process of inoculating all the pregnant cows starts with rounding them up to be sent through a cattle chute, where they will then be inspected and given their shots.

Cole and Peter Hughes round up the cattle to be processed through the chute for inoculation.

A lone cattle enters the chute, this cow has been pulled in alone after Peter noticed something wrong with its eye.

Alastair Spark prepares an antibiotic and inflammatory shot, one specifically for the cow with the eye infection.

Cole and his father take a closer look at the cow while they wait for the medicine to be drawn

A healthy female stares out through the gates of the chute after receiving her shot. Soon she will be released back into a pasture to be herded with the other 45 cows.

Cole prepares to administer the shots to the cows held in the chute. With the chute holding three to five cows at once, it is a tight space and the workers are prone to crushing injuries.

A cow reacts after being injected.

Cole preps a needle gun for administration.

A female cow about to receive her shot.

Cole administers a shot to a reluctant cow stuck further down the chute. While most injection go off without a hitch, the cows sometimes react aggressively which can put the limbs of the workers in danger.

After finishing the shots to all the cattle for the day, Cole and his dog Bits load up to go and coral the vaccinate cows back down into their pasture.

The remaining 44 cows from todays inoculations are corralled from the holding area to a second pasture where they will remain for the meantime.

After delivering all the cattle to the pasture, Cole secures the fence.

Cole rides back up to the barn with Bits playfully running in front of the quad.

After the inoculations and returning the cattle to the pasture, the three men gather in a small shed to debrief and update their logs.

Created By

Jack Carter

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