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Date Posted: 06:16:32 10/11/07 Thu
Author: ZD
Subject: Since nobody asked.

The embryo transfer babies started coming. My client finally decided that he could afford 24/7 care for them and we set up shop. I hired a 20 something cowgirl to help me with the task. When I did Ms ZD volunteered to come along and cook.

I found we needed a 'system' to make this work.
I began putting the PG's in a trap with a pond and let them out through the lot morning and evenings to graze. The rest of the time they were confined to 3 acres of really tall turf grass. It didn't take them long to adapt and they were easily moved both on and off pastures. When a cow went into labor and did not deliver in an hour we put them in a private pen and gave them a little more time and then we assisted. The cattle were not hard to handle because we had the routene and they were used to going into the pens.

The final results were that we assisted in 6 of 31 deliverys. 3 were really hard pulls and one of them was a breech presentation. We got all the calves out alive. One of the mamas did not imprint her calf. She didn't even smell of him. She just walked off and left him. I gave the baby to another mama that had calved the night before and had another calf just like it. The 'good mama' took the baby readily and is now taking them both in the trap. We will continue to feed her extra for the next several days before we decide what to do with her.

This was an extremely expensive operation for my client. It add $162.00 per head to the cost of his calves but I suspect that that amount is just a pittance compared to the cost of the embryos and transfering them to the surrogate mothers.

I have always wanted to do this with a bunch of cattle and I got my chance. It worked out well for all concerned.

I am not nearly so anxious to do it again but glad I got to do it once.



ZD Ranch
Mission Statement

"To run the ranch business with honesty and integrity, to anticipate and satisfy our customers needs to the best of our abilities and to exceed their expectations of the services and products we provide to them at every available opportunity, to treat all stakeholders in the business with the dignity and respect that they are most certainly due, and to increase the value of our assets not because we are greedy but because we are extremely good at what we do."

As we strive to accomplish our mission, we plan to do as much of it as possible from the back of a horse.

David J. Dill
Owner

We may be the only small ranch in Texas with a mission statement but that is what we do and that is how we do it. I am glad that DL (a world famous horse trainer pal of mine) was able to come and see the operation and spend a day with us.


And for my reward I bought me a new (to me) aluminum horse trailer and a 56" HD-TV for the bunk house.

Life is good on the ZD.

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