Years ago I learned a lesson about “Waspy Cows.” It makes me thankful for the gentle disposition bred into our PCC® herd.
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There are several traits that make PCC® cattle low-maintenance. Most ranchers would love a cow that can calve on time without help, wean a calf half her body weight, and hold body condition through winter without supplements.
However, one of the most overlooked traits to breed into your cowherd is an agreeable disposition. This shows up when tagging calves, moving pastures, working cows, or when they get loose. I’ve had more than a few negative experiences with that over the years, but one instance stands out above the rest. Years ago we had a guy haul a bunch of cows into a remote pasture near us for the summer. In the fall, they made a rodeo out of gathering them and let one get loose in a nearby subdivision, causing quite a stir. Since everyone assumed she came from our ranch, we volunteered to help. The owner warned us that she was “a little bit waspy.” That was the first time I’d heard that term, but I found out it’s a nice way of saying that she may try to kill you. That old black-white-faced cow had the wariness of a whitetail deer, the athletic skill of an Olympic high jumper, and the social skills of a mamma grizzly bear. We finally got her captured, but not without cheating death a couple times and a lot of collateral damage.
In contrast, my wife and I stopped by to check heifers yesterday morning on our way to town and found them in the neighbors back yard. With no other fence between them and a busy highway, I pictured the worst-case scenario. However, they let me walk through them and gently turn them back out the gate, and down the lane to the pasture. I was thankful for the gentle disposition that has been bred in from generations of careful selection by Pharo Cattle Company®. In our part of the world, wildlife is hard on fences and cows will get out. It’s sure nice to be able to handle them when they do. Here’s hoping your cows stay home, and I’ll see you next time on the Herd Quitter® Minute.
Could not agree more. Now aged in the 80’s my wife and I run 100 breeders. Even though I mark (castrate and earmark) by myself. I have tried buying in stockers but often have trouble with the way the purchased cattle have been handled. A neighbouring stud handles their stock badly. One of their cows was getting over the fence (a good fence 4ft high) regularly and into our property. She was difficult to handle and return, but the last time when we were collecting firewood she jumped the fence and charged my wife. I was some distance away and could only watch with my heart in my mouth, my wife stood her ground until sidestepping at the last moment. I drove down in the pickup between the cow and my wife, the cow charged the pickup. We drove back to the house and picked up a rifle, say no more. The cow was in very poor condition, not worth much. The stud was owned by one of the largest outfits in our region. It was shortly after repossessed by the bank (their loss of the one cow was not connected as they had several thousand cows). We are still in business! Consider that the nature of their cattle and their handling caused the loss of a 15 thousand high rainfall (36 inch) acre second generation empire. Would imagine that not many buyers of their bulls would be repeat buyers.
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I have consistently culled for poor disposition, fence jumpers, etc and that coupled with PCC genetics early on when building my herd has resulted in cattle that the largest cattle hauler in the area says are the gentlest cattle anywhere around. I have him move my cattle between farms and to sales and each time he comments on how calm and gentle they are. I don’t worry about my wife or daughter around our cattle and my son daily moves them alone. Culling and good genetics are a real payback.
Calm temperament also seems to be linked to feed efficiency.
Money is too hard to come by to waste on inefficient cattle, and
Life is too short to waste on nervous, defensive, or aggressive cattle.
How they are handled makes a major difference, but so does selection.
‘Waspy’ does seem like a strange term for cantankerous cattle, though, doesn’t it?