Bulls on Pasture

The ultimate goal of having cows is for them to eat our grass and turn it into meat and milk.

Accordingly, we want to get our bulls out on pasture as quickly as possible to take advantage of the Spring flush. (I say “bulls” and not “steers” because, despite the fact that they have been banded because it takes a few weeks for the band to complete its work and for the testosterone levels to drop).

Adam’s idea was to put them in the laneway, and to run electrified netting along the side so they could be trained to it. A few shocks should be enough for them to learn not to touch the white fence. This is important because the electrified netting is not a physical barrier. It is a psychological barrier. It keeps them in because they fear getting shocked, but if even a human sized animal really pushes against it, they can easily knock it down and walk over it.

So we set it up and tested it to verify it had a thousand volts on every strand.

Then we released the Highlanders!

And thy took to grass like a duck to water. That is, they dove right in, and started pooping on it.

They immediately walke down the lane to where the electrified netting closed it off.

There they nibbled some grass and nosed up against the wire fence…

And walked right over it.

They did not seem even to notice they were getting shocked.

Ryan sprinted down the pasture and beat them to the end of the lane, but couldn’t unlatch the gate fast enough, so they split up and ended out in the wildlife lane.

Uncle Adam headed them off at the pass, as it were and we drove them back into the pen.

They were upset about that, and very loudly registered their dissapointment at being taken off the grass, but as we tell the kids, “Actions have consequences.”

And also “This is why we can’t have nice things.”

Back to the drawing board. I think we are going to have to stop relying on a solar charger to run hundreds of feet of wire mesh. Instead we are going to have to use a plug-in charger, and run hard lines, which we will clip the temporary fences into as we move them areound the pasture.

Which means that the plug-in fence energizer needs to be upgraded from this… (0.6 joules).

To this. (6 joules).

10x the joules. Should do the trick. Especially once the castration takes effect. They won’t be so feisty without the family joules.