This morning, I walked out into my arena and noticed something that gave me pause. The roping steers had been in there the day before, and even though the ground was wide and level, the sand carried their story. Hoofprints crossed every direction, but in several spots, the same trail was pressed deeper than the rest. Twelve steers had been turned out, yet more than a few chose the exact same path, wearing it down until it stood out from all the other tracks.

Cattle are creatures of habit. Anyone who has spent time around them knows this. They like routine: the same feed, the same water trough, the same shade tree in the pasture. When they are turned loose, they rarely wander without purpose. More often than not, they move together, following the same course as the steer in front of them. There are reasons for this: efficiency, safety, instinct. Walking a beaten path conserves energy, and following the herd is their natural defense. Even in an arena with no real destination, those instincts come through. By the end of a short turnout, you will see the evidence, lines where they have chosen the easiest way to travel and stuck with it.

Out on the range, those lines last longer. Before fences and highways, cattle drives cut deep paths across the land. The Chisholm Trail, which carried herds north from Texas through Oklahoma into Kansas, was walked by millions of cattle in the late 1800s. More than a century later, faint traces of those trails remain, worn so deep by hooves and wagon wheels that the land still carries the mark. On ranches today, you can see the same effect in pastures where cattle walk the same lines between water and grazing. From the ground those trails might look like nothing more than dusty ruts, but from the air, they sometimes stand out as sharp lines winding through otherwise open fields. Cattle do not simply pass over the land; they shape it. Every step adds up.

That simple truth extends beyond livestock. We all make tracks. Our habits and routines are our trails, worn in by repetition, sometimes efficient, sometimes limiting. Like the cow paths, they can serve a purpose, keeping us steady and helping us move forward. But when repeated without thought, they risk becoming ruts, keeping us from stepping into new ground. History offers perspective here too. The old cattle trails built towns and economies, but once railroads and fences changed the landscape, those paths were no longer useful. Sticking to them would have meant going in circles. Progress required something new.

The Tracks We Leave

Standing in the arena, I thought about the kind of tracks I leave behind. Most of mine are not visible in the dirt. They are pressed into my daily life, how I work, the way I handle challenges, the example I set. Some are helpful and worth keeping. Others may have outlived their purpose. The difference comes in knowing when to stay in the track and when to step out of it.

Tomorrow I will drag the arena and smooth it all clean again. The next time the steers are turned in, they will make the same trails. That is their nature. But unlike them, I have a choice. I can decide which paths are worth walking, which ones to change, and what kind of tracks I want to leave for others who might follow.

Tracks tell a story. Sometimes they are only temporary, fading with the next rain. Other times they last for generations, reminders of where herds and people once walked. This morning, the cattle showed me again that even the smallest things on the ranch carry meaning. Their tracks in the arena were not just marks in the sand. They were a lesson: every step matters, and the paths we choose shape more than just the ground beneath our feet.

In 2015, we introduced this “Grazing North Texas” series by highlighting one of our most important forage plants, Sideoats grama.  On this 11^th  anniversary, we will take a closer look at this unique and valuable species.

Every Texan should be aware that Sideoats grama is the Texas State Grass.  It was recommended for this honor in 1971 by the Texas Council of Chapters of the Soil Conservation Society of America and the Texas Section of the American Society of Range Management, and was officially adopted by Senate Concurrent Resolution 31 in 1971.

Resolution 31 states, in part, that “Although there are many desirable forage species native to the State, one variety, Sideoats grama, occurs on a greater diversity of soils than any other grass; on rangelands of West Texas it is the backbone of the ranching industry.”

Sideoats grama is a deeply rooted summer perennial bunchgrass.  It is a mid-grass in height, reaching from 8 inches to 36 inches, depending upon variety and growing conditions. As a mid-grass, it does not produce the total pounds of forage that the tall grasses produce, but the quality of the forage is very good.

Sideoats grama produces high quality, nutritious forage that is relished by all classes of livestock.  Crude protein can reach 11 percent in spring green up, decrease to 5 to 8 percent during summer months, and maintain a very respectable 3.5 to 4.5 percent protein after frost, making it one of our most important forage species.

Sideoats has rather wide leaves that take on a characteristic color and curl as the plant matures.  The seed head is a zigzag stalk containing small spikes dangling from one side, thus the name Sideoats.   Depending upon variety, Sideoats can spread by seed and by small stout rhizomes.  It is often found in colonies.

Sideoats is most at home in the mid-grass prairie section of the Great Plains that receives 12 to 20 inches of annual rainfall, but can be found in all areas of Texas (except the far eastern counties), and is adapted to most of the central and western US.  It blends well with other native summer grasses such as Little bluestem, Indiangrass, and many mid and short species.  It is the most productive of the grama family. 

Being adapted to almost all soil types, it has the widest range of soil adaptation of almost all summer perennial grasses. But the best stands are found on medium to fine textured upland sites. It is also better adapted to calcareous and moderately alkaline soils than to neutral or acidic soils.

Sideoats grama can serve many uses, but the best use is as high quality nutritious forage for all classes of livestock.  It is also recommended as part of a planting mix for earth fill and bank stabilization, and for establishing grass on critical areas. It was noted in 1944 that it was one of the important grasses remaining in large areas that were affected by the drought of the 1930s, and played an important role in reclaiming those damaged acres.  Successful stands can be obtained on rocky and shallow soils.

Sideoats provides some forage for antelope and deer when actively growing.  Elk use it for forage throughout the year, and wild turkey consume some seed.

Several varieties have been bred and produced over the years. One of the early varieties was ‘El Reno’ Sideoats grama, bred and released in Kansas in 1944. Another variety, Haskell, was released in 1983 by the James E. (Bud) Smith Plant Materials Center in Texas.  Haskell is still widely used in plantings today.

By Landon Moore

If you keep or are interested in keeping poultry, you will have the desire to raise young birds at some point. If you order chicks, or decide to incubate and hatch eggs, it will be necessary to learn how to brood the resulting hatchlings. While this will vary in specifics between species, the basic rules remain the same. In this article, the word “chicks” will be used, but the general information following also applies to goslings, ducklings, keets, poults, etc.

Brooding poultry is caring for the chicks during the period when they are growing their first feathers. Chicks hatch with a thin coat of down that leaves them susceptible to chilling. The mother keeps them warm by continuing to sit on the young for the first weeks after hatching. If you plan to hatch your own flock’s eggs you may wonder why you should bother to do it artificially, especially if you have broody birds. The answer is that modern incubators are much more likely to result in live chicks, can incubate far more eggs and keep the extremely vulnerable hatchlings safe as they emerge, especially from ants. Of course if you are purchasing chicks, brooding is your only option.

Before your eggs hatch or the chicks arrive, you will want to have the brooder set up, and ready to go. The first issue to decide is location. You will want a covered and secured place to set up the brooder. Be sure it has plenty of air flow; as anyone who has spent any time with birds can attest, fowl of any age produce an unpleasant smell without adequate ventilation. A barn or other outbuilding could work, but be sure it is well secured. A cat, raccoon or other predator could easily kill your chicks if they get the opportunity. A garage is a great option, offering protection and close access to water and electricity. If it lacks windows you will need to open the garage door a few times per day for ventilation. Inside the house is another option (such as in a disused bathroom) especially for very small poultry. This may seem ideal, offering complete protection, easy temperature regulation, water and electrify, but there are drawbacks. Aside from smell, chicks are unbelievably messy and will require extensive and daily cleaning if the room is to remain in even slightly good condition.

The next choice is what the brooder box will be. You can purchase large metal brooders built for hundreds of chicks or expensive tiered systems on rollers. However the best option is usually a plain, heavy-duty plastic storage box. Cheap, easy to move, simple to clean and sanitize, these are the most versatile and efficient option.

The chicks will require (in addition to shelter) heat, bedding, feed and water. The heat will come in the form of a small heat lamp or even a very strong and hot light bulb suspended above one end of the brooder box. Be sure it is securely prevented from falling into bedding or you could end up with a fire. You can make a metal screen to place over the box which protects them from predators in addition to falling lamps. Place a thermometer at the surface of the bedding before adding the chicks and adjust the heat lamp until the thermometer measures 95 degrees. You will reduce this by 5 degrees each week until their feathers have grown out. Even if the weather reaches or exceeds this temperature a lamp will be needed at night.

You may be intimidated by charts showing the exact temperature requirements of various poultry species and wonder how you can possibly keep the heat exactly right during daily temperature shifts. You do not need to be overly worried about this. Why? Because the chicks will tell you if they are comfortable through their behavior. After placing them in the brooder simply watch them for a few minutes. Do they crowd underneath the heat, piling on each other to conserve heat? Lower the bulb a bit. Are they straining against the opposite wall and cheeping in stress? Move it further away. Are they fairly evenly spread out, some exploring their new environment and some sleeping under the heat? Perfect. This is why the heat should be placed over one end of the brooder. If it is over the entire box you will have no way of knowing if your chicks are over-warmed.

The next issue is bedding. When the chicks are first placed in the brooder the bedding should be a layer of paper towels or (non-slick) newspaper. This even surface provides good traction for the birds preventing splayed legs and also prevents them from getting stuck somewhere and dying or else ingesting bedding before they learn what feed is and dying. It is always good to keep in mind that chicks of all kinds are morbid little things that will jump at the first opportunity for death in their initial couple weeks of life. It is up to you to deny them the opportunity until their self-preservation instinct kicks in. Chicks mature shockingly fast and in just a couple of days the bedding may be exchanged for pine shavings. You may still want a layer of paper at the bottom to make cleaning easier. You do not want to disturb the chicks without necessity, so you can add a fresh layer of shavings a couple of times as needed before you completely clean the box.

Commercial chick feed is available that is meant to be suitable for all species. For game birds, guineas and turkeys it’s often better to just use an adult gamebird crumble feed as their protein requirements are extremely high. For waterfowl, be sure the feed has enough niacin if it isn’t specifically formulated for them. If it does not have enough, you can sprinkle some brewer’s yeast over the top. Medicated feed is usually formulated for chicks specifically and may not be safe for other species (especially for waterfowl), so be sure to check before feeding. Chicks aren’t especially bright and may not be able to figure out how to operate the feeder at first. You can help them by placing a small pile of their feed on a paper plate (or paper towel for quail) where they can see it more easily.

For waterers, their basically two main types; open waterers and bottles. The bottles can be complicated with multiple pieces and nipples to drink from or simply a two piece plastic quart jar and base that screw together. The open waterers will usually be a miniature trough with a hinged or sliding lid that allows the chicks to stick their heads in without falling into the waterer and drowning. Generally the bottle type waterers will stay cleaner and hold more, but for waterfowl open waterers are preferred so they may submerge their bills for cleaning. Quail should be given bottles with special quail bases which are very small to prevent drowning. It can be extremely beneficial to dissolve a couple tablespoons of sugar (or commercially-made chick electrolytes) into the water for the first few days, especially if the chicks came by mail. Provide chicks with warm water the first few days (use your inner wrist to determine a suitable temperature, as you would milk for a bottle) to prevent chilling them. Be sure to carefully dunk each chick’s beak into the water when they are placed in the brooder so they learn what it is.

Chicks are most fragile for the first three days and should be handled as little as possible. When shipped, they will arrive stressed and possible chilled and care during this period is the most crucial. For the first three days after hatching, chicks are still absorbing their egg yolk and will not require outside nutrition and therefore may eat sparingly. It is best practice to sanitize the feeders and waterers regularly, but be aware that all birds will leave manure in their water. Don’t let the water remain filthy, but don’t expect it to remain sterile, either. Likewise, a stinking bog will not yield thriving poultry, but it is unnecessary to fanatically clean the brooder constantly. When the chicks are fully feathered will vary by species (three weeks for quail, six weeks for chickens), but once this happens it will be time for your young feathered friends to graduate to their new pens.