Winter Range Cattle Herder
Employer
38373 State Hwy 114
Saguache, CO 81149
United States
Job description
Required to be available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and spend the majority of workdays on the range. All job duties are closely and directly related to the production of livestock.
Perform any combination of the following tasks to attend to livestock on the range: administer emergency minor medical care to sick/injured pregnant cows using roping methods to gently immobilize cow without causing undue stress; apply medications to cuts and bruises; assist with supplemental feeding (when weather or quality of forage precludes use of range forage); brand, tag, clip or otherwise mark young animals for identification purposes; detect direction from which the wind or prevailing storms are coming to keep cows gathered and safe; detect through winter tracking methods where other rancher(s)' livestock has been to avoid overgrazing of forage; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; feed and water and ensure adequate provision of both; gather and trail cow-calf pairs through sorting and shipping process; gradually herd cows in specified direction using methods which move cows slowly and safely through varying terrain, avoiding deep snow; help with later stages of training horses and shoe camp horses; help with maintenance of meadow lands and repair fences; herd/trail cows to viable water sources; keep cows in small groups to allow grazing on proper mix of forage; maintain and set up supply wagon in appropriate direction to provide wind break/shelter/protection for horses & dogs; make sanded trails for the safety of cows; make sufficient water from snow for horses/dogs at camp; move cows at a pace sufficient to ensure they receive ample water/forage during daylight hours before bedding down at night; operate camp stove appropriately to provide/conserve heat in extreme cold/high winds; properly use/store food supplies for herder/horses/dogs; protect pregnant cows from harsh winter conditions; report to employer dehydration & other indicators of deterioration in animal body condition/behavioral changes indicating malnutrition or disease; report to rancher on
water/forage/weather conditions; ride unmarked perimeters of designated range area; rope, flank and dehorn calves; shoe horses with sharp shoes for better footing on frozen creeks/slopes; track and report location of sick and injured cows; trail groups of pregnant cows to designated areas using winter trailing methods to avoid undue stress on cows; trail pregnant cows across ice to water sources or to forage area by choosing safe crossing area; use ax to chop large holes in frozen creeks/reservoirs to water 20-30 cows at a time; use proper animal husbandry skill to prevent hypothermia/abortion/death. Perform any combination of the following tasks to attend to livestock at the ranch: administer emergency minor medical care to sick/injured pregnant cows using roping methods to gently immobilize cow without causing undue stress; apply medications to cuts and bruises; assist in the maintenance of tools, equipment and handling facilities necessary to production; assist with castration of livestock; assist with the vaccination of livestock by herding into corrals and/or stalls or manually restraining animals ; brand, tag, clip or otherwise mark young animals for identification purposes; examine animals to detect diseases and injuries; feed and water and ensure adequate provision of both; protect pregnant cows from harsh winter conditions; report to employer dehydration & other indicators of deterioration in animal body condition/behavioral changes indicating malnutrition or disease; use proper animal husbandry skill to prevent hypothermia/abortion/death.
Special Requirements
Required to: perform tasks capably and efficiently without close supervision. spend the majority of work days on the range. live and work singly or in small groups of workers in isolated areas for extended periods of time. to operate equipment and machinery required to perform job duties indicated in a safe and responsible manner. work outdoors in all types of weather and may experience occasional exposure to hazards such as poisonous snakes, biting insects and extreme temperature. attend animals during all hours of the day as required for their safety and well-being. maintain and manage remote housing locations in a safe and responsible manner. Work with and around farm machinery such as tractors for haying and supplemental feeding purposes and ATVs for irrigating and the movement of livestock. demonstrate commonsense and awareness of safe equine handling procedures, i.e. no running in barns, shouting, abusing animals, leaving gates/stall doors/feed rooms open or smoking in and