Need Help Breaking

[MillwoodFarms]

well felers i screwed the pooch this time my little brother decided he wanted to start showing this up coming year and i gave in so i went and got him a nice lil october steer, hes well put together big square hip, extended, nice clean front, goose necked and suprisingly a good bit of hair but one problem hes coming on 7 months old maybe 500-650 lbs. and he is hell on wheel as far as breakin were used to start out breaking them around 3 months then leave them alone when there are being weaned and start breakin again got any advise for me take him to the sale or cowboy up and get his big ass broke.

 

[knabe]

well felers i screwed the pooch this time my little brother decided he wanted to start showing this up coming year and i gave in so i went and got him a nice lil october steer, hes well put together big square hip, extended, nice clean front, goose necked and suprisingly a good bit of hair but one problem hes coming on 7 months old maybe 500-650 lbs. and he is hell on wheel as far as breakin were used to start out breaking them around 3 months then leave them alone when there are being weaned and start breakin again got any advise for me take him to the sale or cowboy up and get his big ass broke.

i learned to halter break weaned heifers in the mud and manure.  cowboy up.  you just have to pay more attention and less man handling.

 

[jason]

Great Article by Red.

http://www.steerplanet.com/?page_id=40

 

[hardenblu2]

Did this by accident this year but will try it on perpus next year. I had a steer about 550lbs after about 7 or 8 laps around the lot he came and planted his head in my middle. The mud and crap was just deep enough I couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way and landed chest down. The calf straddled me wanted to hurt me, when he pulled away I held onto the rope and he pulled me back up. My son and I got him in the trailer and hauled him home, but by the time we got there I was stoved up and cold enough I decided to leave him in the trailer over night. The next day after taking plenty of advil and working up my courage to do battle again I went to get him out and realized that I had tide him high enough that he couldn't lay down (trailer ride and over night was about 12 to 14 hours). I got him out of the trailer and he has not even let the rope get tight since. Cowboy up (I think the long trailer ride did more for this calf than anything, then leave him stand over night and lead him to water the next morning)

 

[Hilltop]

One thing I am short of at many times is patience but sounds like you will need lots for him.
Early this winter we started working with my daughters steer again. He totally forgot all the time we had spent with him before he was weaned. I could not hold him and threatened to ship him but he was one of the best steers we have raised. After a week of fighting with him I was ready to give up when a friend told us to try a steel breaking halter.
I put it on him faithfully every day for 7 days in a row. On the third day my wife told be it was upside down ??? ??? DAA!
We turned it and by the last day I walked him through the corral.I took off the halter and he never ran and then I knew I had WON. Next day our daughter walked him and has never looked back. She uses him for showmanship as they have become real buddys!
I would really try the steel halter. We will again if we have another calf like this.

 

[ware6]

WHERE CAN I BUY A STEEL CALF BREAKIKNG HALTER?  WE'VE GOT A CALF WITH AN EXTREMELY STRONG WILL.  THIS STEER DOESN'T SEEM TO BE GETTING ANYMORE GENTLE OR RELAXED.  I COULD USE SOME HELP.

 

[rf21970]

I have an old one that we patterned after one that I think Jeffers used to sell. The only one I can find online now comes out of the UK.

http://www.allaboutlivestock.com/showtools.htm

 

[garett]

Try Sullivans.

[flash=200,200]http://www.sullivansupply.com/Iowa/detail.aspx?ID=11983[/flash]

 

[Hilltop]

After we bought ours from Sullivans, some friends told us they had different sizes made up. They are very simple. If anyone wants to make their own I can try to measure the sizes of the two tonight and let them know.

 

[kobo_ranch]

We've got a steer this year that well... just has that crazy wild eye look.  I could have lost my patience long ago, but just decided I didn't want to make him worse.  So it was hell and took a while... but finally in the small pen got the slide ring halter on him.  Let him drag it around for about a week or so.  Slowly tied him for a few short periods... rubbed what I could... and continued with that for about a week.  He's now in a larger pen with a heifer and a couple other steers that are pretty gentle and leading think that helps too.  They all get tied now for about 2 hours a day.  I have to get to the very end of the rope on the halter and tug... let go... tug a bit more and so on. He's still a bit skiddish and very on guard but has turned around quite a bit.  He's finally figuring out that back and butt scratchin' feels pretty good!  What male creature doesn't like that!!  (or female for that matter!!  LOL 
Good luck with yours!

 

[ware6]

thanks for all the information! 8)

 

[MillwoodFarms]

thanks for all the info im gona need if u dont mind i would like some measurements on one of those steel halters and make one myself

 

[Dyer Show cattle]

Best way I have found is to tie them up and carry water and feed to them for 3 days or so, work with them while they are eating. Then start leading them to water at least 2 times a day. Lead them back and feed then also. Then start washing them and blowing them off everyday. Usually a week of washing and blowing them off will get them used to you and they are usually pretty decent broke to work with then after a week.

 

[cjd]

I've always seen the steel halters, but have never known how to actually use one.  I guess I've not needed one bad enough yet to have to learn.  Can anyone explain how they work? or how to use them?

Thanks!

 

[ploughshare]

This has been posted before, but I think it is an excellent method.  Similar to the Red method.

http://www.24-7agtv.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=videodirectlink&Itemid=1&id=54

 

[farmboy]

feed in one hand, rope in the other...

 

[KCK]

Does anyone let their calves drag halters before they mess with them? Always had luck with exactly 48 hours of dragging. Not sure why 48, but hey- it worked for us. Always used an older halter, too. They wouldn't slip them as easy and the gnarled ones would stay a bit tighter on their jaw when they stepped and fought it.

 

[Hilltop]

Sorry I never got back earlier.
One of the steel halters is aprox 7.5" in diamater and the other is about 10". The home made one is round and the boughten one is a tad narrower across the side.7" wide by about 8". First pic
The boughten one was just big enough for the steer in February when he was almost 1000lbs. The smaller one would work well for 700 to 1000 lb animals inless they had an unusually large head.  They look crude but our steer never pulled hard enough to get real sore. I am guessing the chain behind the ears must hurt if they pull just a little. Just use a light chain and snap to make things easy. If they break it you will need more than this halter!
Oh yes and the rope goes to the top!  (clapping)
Good Luck!

 

[Hilltop]

And if this does not work we will sell you a Shorthorn ;D

 

[knabe]

why not just tie one's arm to the end of the lead rope.

soreness always trumps understanding.