News | Brooklin Heritage Society

Brooklin Reunion 2018 – Snap’d

See the photos posted to the Snap’d Durham website, profiling our annual homecoming at the Royal Canadian Legion 152, Brooklin.

http://snapd.at/eew7b22

Next homecoming will be held Saturday June 1, 2019, 2:00 – 5:00
Royal Canadian Legion 152, 54 Baldwin St North, Whitby, Ontario
Admission free.

TRIVIA TUESDAYWho was this man and what was he known for? ... See MoreSee Less

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**Careful Around Cattle**Many people who don’t live or been to a dairy farm might not realize the dangers of being around cattle. Farmers used to being around cattle can become complacent when working with them. The one word to consider about working with cattle is respect.**Handling**If moving cattle from one place to another, plan the route they will take in advance. Consider their possible escape routes if they deviate from the planned route. Believe me, there seems to always be one or two animals who don’t like the way you want them to go.Having additional people to help with the cattle makes it safer for the cattle and people.Escape route and close gates so they don’t come back.Cattle can sense inexperienced or frightened people being around cattle.A trained farm dog is an asset when moving cattle. Over the years, we had different dogs. I found that some dogs wanted to follow behind the herd pushing them along the path or route. If you needed to turn the cows in the right direction, especially when they hadn’t pastured in fields since the previous summer you needed to direct the cows to the barnyard. Sometimes, we had a dog which would herd the cattle in the right direction as the dog stood in a spot to block the cattle’s path from going elsewhere.**Calves**When you feed pail feed milk to new born calves over the first month, you might rub their head or push their head to see if they will push back. What is considered by you as fun, it might become a bad habit when the calf grows up to become a bull or cow. The bigger they are, they can become more difficult to handle if they liked head-butting as a calf.**Bulls**The older a bull, the more dangerous they can be, especially if it is raised without other animals around.Never turn your back on a bull. Don’t trust them, even if they have been docile all their life.I pail-fed milk to the calves we had in the straw mow in the feedlot. A bull roamed the feedlot with some cows. One night I wasn’t home for chores and Dad fed the calves. The next morning, he took the pails from me and said he would feed the calves. I asked why. The bull charged him when he crossed the feedlot when he was going to feed the calves. He had to jump into the straw mow with the calves and wait for the bull to go away.The bull was picked up by a livestock transport company and shipped to the stockyards in Toronto.Never sell a bad tempered animal to another farmer. It’s not right to burden another farmer with a dangerous animal. Word of mouth can tarnish your reputation when selling cattle.**Sounds and Sight**Cattle can’t see directly behind them. If you are behind them, stay at a distance so they don’t kick you. They need to know you are there, speaking in a low calm voice. You might be surprised how fast and accurate that a large animal can kick a back leg when they are frightened by sharp noises like yelling.**Cleanliness**Cleanliness of the feedlot and barnyard might not seem to be that important to a person unfamiliar with living on a farm.Anything someone or an animal could trip or stumble over like rocks and stones in the feedlot and barnyard should be removed for safety. If the person falls, the cattle might recognize that as an escape route when frightened and possibly trample the help.The area where you are working with the animals such as the feedlot should be cleared of the buildup of manure accumulated over the winter. Footing for the cattle and people is essential when it comes to moving cattle.After being around cattle, people need to wash up. Certain germs and bacteria from livestock are transmittable to humans. The people could get sick and might have the dairy farm quarantined. This would mean the farm couldn’t ship any milk or sell any cattle.© Stephen Nelson 2023 ... See MoreSee Less

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Thank You to GM Salaried Retired Workers for their Support of Oshawa's Automotive Heritage ...Sending a letter supporting all 4 points as outlined by the Museum Board of DirectorsAs the Canadian Automotive Museum celebrates its 60th year in Oshawa ....Do you think City Council should restore funding cuts to the CAM in the 2023 budget ? Email clerks@oshawa.ca and Council@oshawa.ca supporting the CAM Oshawa's Automotive Heritage Matters ! ... See MoreSee Less

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