Same principles apply?

[box6rranch]

Just came in from trying to halter break a heifer. She weighs about 500-550 pds. I only weigh about 120. She just kicked my butt!!! Are there different tactics for someone who doesn't weigh a lot to try and halter break a heifer? I stuck with her even though she pulled loose from me a few times time I got her to walk and stand but I'm not able to hang on all of the time when she starts to bolt.

 

[CJC]

Not good that she gets away from you.

 

[box6rranch]

Not good that she gets away from you.

Not to be snotty but I'm asking for help and suggestions not criticism. When she pulls loose I don't let her just get away with it. I go get her and try again. I have to figure it out, don't have a lot of options with having someone bigger around to help.

 

[GoWyo]

Use a smaller pen and a longer lead so she never gets away.  Make sure she is real gentle before trying to lead her anywhere that she can get away from you.

 

[knabe]

http://www.24-7agtv.com/Joomla/index.ph ... link&id=54

the rope should be longer than the diameter of the pen, that way you can stand in the center and there is no need to pull on the rope.

you are not a moving post.

 

[BCCC]

Not good that she gets away from you.

Not to be snotty but I'm asking for help and suggestions not criticism. When she pulls loose I don't let her just get away with it. I go get her and try again. I have to figure it out, don't have a lot of options with having someone bigger around to help.

Howd ya do in Denver? Seen your stall but no calves were around

 

[box6rranch]

Not good that she gets away from you.

Not to be snotty but I'm asking for help and suggestions not criticism. When she pulls loose I don't let her just get away with it. I go get her and try again. I have to figure it out, don't have a lot of options with having someone bigger around to help.

Howd ya do in Denver? Seen your stall but no calves were around

Did crappy in the Jr show. Placed third out of six in the open show. Happy with that, it was a hard class and the sire is our bull. Sorry I missed you. I was hoping to catch up with a few people.

 

[Titangurl]

I don't think the comment about getting away from you not being a good thing was directed at you necessarily but once a calf knows it can get away from you it's ten times harder to break a calf that knows he can win

 

[bruiser]

I'm not trying to be a smarta-- , you need to out smart her- not over power her. The last few years I've been tying calves together with pretty good luck. Pick a well broke calf about the same size, tie them together(I have acouple large snaps and a chain connector all tied together) and let them drag each other not you!!! Just don't leave them over nite. I like this better than adonkey because of no kicking or biting , me or the calf.

 

[box6rranch]

Thanks for the suggestions. Knabe, I watched the video. We have been using that technique too however maybe where we go wrong is just working and working the cow to lead instead of just walking her from one place to another.
Going to give a couple things a try today. It snowed here last night and it's pretty slick so after yesterday's escapades I'm going to take it easy today!!! Thanks everyone.

 

[CAB]

  When I start to lead one first the first couple of times, I make sure that there is a barrier/fence to my right side & I walk fairly close to that barrier. That way if the calf tries to bolt forward or to the right, I just step in front of the calf and have the barrier help me control that quick movement. If the calf tries to go left, I grab the fence to help me get the calf back under control. All of the calves are different. Some learn it quickly and some take more time. We like to have them broke pretty well b4 they get over 6oolbs. Most of ours are very comfortable with PPL b4 we start breaking them. Hope this helps you out some. Brent

 

[knabe]

maybe where we go wrong is just working and working the cow to lead instead of just walking her from one place to another.

there's no reason to pretend to be leading a calf if it doesn't understand.  a calf can be standing still and if you can just get it to give to the lead without taking steps, it is the equivalent of walking to the moon and back.

 

[knabe]

b4  PPL b4

breaking to text

 

[CAB]

We use rope halters to tie and break calves with, but a few years back we started putting a ring in the halter to allow the rope to slip much easier as the calf moves forward. We have found that this allows the calf to learn a much faster that when it takes a step forward there is reward in the fact that the rope loosens around their nose quicker.

 

[rtmcc]

We use rope halters to tie and break calves with, but a few years back we started putting a ring in the halter to allow the rope to slip much easier as the calf moves forward. We have found that this allows the calf to learn a much faster that when it takes a step forward there is reward in the fact that the rope loosens around their nose quicker.

we did this this year also and can not believe the difference it made.  The calves really get used to giving to the halter with the reward of it slacking off the pressure in a hurry.

 

[box6rranch]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Worked her for only 5-10 minutes this morning in the stall. Only place it was dry. She did ok. She has been wearing her halter for a couple of days so I took it off. I'll give her a couple of days off while we are at Prospect show and give it another go round. I'm going to try and figure out the ring in the halter thing.
LOL.....forgot to mention that I had right shoulder surgery in October and I have my L4 and 5 fused......geez, I'm a mess. Maybe I should take up knitting or something safer!!! It will never happen though :O)

 

[CAB]

The ring thing goes like this. Pull the lead rope out of the loop that it goes through and buy just a large enough ring or some type of chain link that you can split. put it on the halter where you pulled the lead out of, also run your lead back through the ring, fasten the ring/link back together and you'll have it done & all of your calves will learn quicker what it is that you are trying to teach them.

 

[Freddy]

The small pen is a very good idea, I'm an old guy an that's what I use,  . There is a man an his wife I think called McCullogh that incorporated the Ray Hunt method of breaking horses into using for calves, there is a video somewhere of this an doing it this way you will not have the ears pulled down an other blemish spots from tying hard an fast ..Ask old buddy Tony about it , he knows this family an went to one of there clinics

 

[forbes family farms]

What you need to do is make a small pen to just lead her around and tie her up, tie her up brush/ pet her for about 30 minutes, after that you need to start walking her around in the small pen when she does what is expected of her praise her you should also try to lead her to her feed and water this really helps if all else fails you need to tie her up to a tractor and slowly pull her with that she should get the hang of it.

 

[JWW]

If we got one that is a bit wild, i'll use the old pearson  chute, put them in the chute and put hte halter on and get a wrap on one of the bars before i let them out. then when they jump out of the chute i can cinch them up (sometimes requires a second person to push them up on the stubborn ones) and then leave them tied to the chute for hte day, a few days of getting used to people and not being to jump when the halter is put on they get with the program.
there was some other lead about music for calms in the barn-- i always have the radio going loud (enough to here over the fans) i think it helps those calves get used to humans voices and noice, so its not so eye opening for them at their first show.

JWW