halter training a very stubborn calf. could use advice.

[Blackhereford boy]

Next time you get a bottle baby, you should start her on the halter from day one.

When you get your bottle baby, she should wear the halter each time she is fed. She'll associate the halter with good things. Make it a practice to halter her and LEAD HER TO her bottle. She MUST be lead to it to get it, instead of you bringing it to her. In very quick time, you'll have a calf that ASKS for the halter, and is very willing to walk on the lead.

It's so much easier to train them to proper behavior when they are still smaller than you. This bottle/bucket (i put them on a bucket within a week) stage is the easiest time for them to learn, not only for you but them as well. You dont have to be as forceful because they are younger and more easily swayed, and this less forceful approach is less stressful for them, thus allowing them to learn much much faster. By the time our bottle calves are a week old, they are walking nicely on the lead, standing somewhat politely when we stop, allowing us to handle the udder and feet, ears, belly, etc. At this young age they also learn not to head butt, or rub their head on us, nor to kick at us or pull on the lead.

Treat your youngest calves with the same rules as you would have them to follow when they are grown cattle. This way, by the time they are 300 pounds, it's a habit and a way of life to behave in the appropriate manner. Expect them to behave when they are youngsters, so that they wont know any other way of behaving when they are grown and big enough to pound you.

x2

 

[dragonmorgan]

Ive had the hardest time findin a halter that fit her. I bought the smallest size i could find and had to make it smaller by addin holes and that was a couple weeks ago. I guess ill have to just order a halter specially for bottle size calves for any future bottle calves we get. I used to always pet on her all over while she was on the bottle and altho she was nervous she still let me and then she ended up weaning herself and with the bottle gone i had nothing else to get her to get close to me. I wish it had happened like it did with the older calf. I can touch her anywhere, move her around, she comes when called. I do makethem behave tho. No pushin me out of the way of the feed bucket, no leaning, etc. i train my cows like my dogs lol. Im the pack leader kind of stuff. And i expect them to act right from day one. Ill def start our calves on the halter from day one now tho.

Ive tried googling for anything in our area and i cant find anything. Imma give her a couple more months to fatten up a little more and see if i cant make some progress and if by then she isnt any better then we will be loadin her up next time we take calves to the sale. I went out today and spent some time with her. Fed her some hay from my hand and she let me touch her forehead for like 2 seconds but then she backed up until i held out more hay. Im tryin not to get my hopes up but hopefully i can take it a little slower with her than i have been and try a different approach with her to see how that works. I guess i could try and tie her to my other calf. Maybe that would help her get the idea of responding to the rope pulling. Would that be helpful or could that mess up the other calfs good behavior?

 

[Blackhereford boy]

Show her with the other one that it's ok to be led. But as far as tying her to the other maybe wait till the one you can lead gets better at walking with you.

 

[dragonmorgan]

How do i show her with the other one? Shes seen me pet on the other all the time, watches me lead the other one out to graze, and was watchin me the whole time i halter trained the other. Ill try just about anything at this point if itll help her.

 

[Blackhereford boy]

How do i show her with the other one? Shes seen me pet on the other all the time, watches me lead the other one out to graze, and was watchin me the whole time i halter trained the other. Ill try just about anything at this point if itll help her.

That's what I meant. Just put the halter on her and try to walk her and don't let go or she will think its ok run away from her if she does follow you reward her with some thing she likes.

 

[dragonmorgan]

Ill def give it a try. Thanks.

 

[Blackhereford boy]

Very welcome

 

[she-earl]

There are rope type halters that will "slide" to fit on any size calf. I am assuming that you are using a leather type one.

 

[dragonmorgan]

I actually tried the adjustable rope kind first but the only one I could find was a halter and lead rope together so I wasnt able to leave it on her full time. The thing was really hard for me to figure out how to work since I have never used one and I would stand there and get it all set up how I wanted it to go on her head and then after I finally got her pinned so I could put it on it was messed up and I had forgotten how I needed it to go on. It would either be pulling funny when I led her or cutting across one of her eyes. I only managed to get the thing on her a couple times because everytime I tried to corner her up shed figure out my strategy. At first I could just pin her in the corner of the pen, then she started just runnin around me or wouldnt go in the corner. Our cow pen is an old chain link dog kennel with a roof we had that we just ran a fence off of on 2 sides (so it sits in a corner) and it got to where I would close us up in the kennel together so she couldnt run out and then she got to the point where she wouldnt even go in the kennel anymore lol. I finally just went and bought a small nylon halter but had to make it smaller because Id look outside and shed have the part over her nose slipped off and itd just be hangin on her neck like a collar.

Heres the way its been workin since I put the nylon halter on. I usually go out first thing in the morning and both calves are layin down so I go in with my rope and tie it onto her halter. She acts nervous when I come over but usually doesnt get up or try and fight once I grab the halter. So I tie the rope on, go to the gate and let out the older calf (I dont have to keep a rope on her since she stays in the yard even tho it isnt fenced and I never have problems catching her), then go back to the other calf with the old rope halter. I loop that around her neck like a collar and then use it to drag her across the yard to wherever Im tiein her up for the day. Take off the rope halter/collar and tie the other rope to a post and leave her be. When its time to move her or put her up I lasso her with the rope halter, DRAG her back to the pen, and then untie the other rope and take off the rope halter/collar. I had rope burn from constantly pullin on the lead rope until I finally got tired of it and realized she was alot more motivated to lead when I was pullin on somethin that acted like a choke collar. Its alot of dancin around and hassle but its about the only way Ive managed to be able to get her in the yard to graze. The past couple days shes been in "time out" tho and I havent let her out. Ive been just gettin her a bucket of hay and then standin there and feedin her a few handfuls of it while pettin her on the forehead or rubbin her neck. She seems to be gettin more comfortable with that at least. She only backs away if I try and move too close of touch anywhere but her forehead or the top and sides of her neck, but she will step back up to me once I hold out the hay to her. I doubt shes anywhere near ready to be lead anywhere but Im hopin if I can get her to follow a bucket of feed or hay that I have that she will just follow me across the yard instead of me havin to drag her.

 

[greybeard]

Won't be long till you can change your username to "Draggin Morgan". That calf will be getting stronger and bigger every day. It will only take one time of her draggin you 1/2 way across your little piece of paradise and jhm47's words will come back to haunt you. Listen to him--he knows his business.

How can you tell if they are a lost cause??? Read your original post: 1. It was bottle fed---that being the case, it should be very gentle and recognize that humans are a food source. 2. Runs from you anytime you get close. 3. Fights halter and haltering. 4. Takes off running and drags you.

This is plainly genetically wild, and no manner of handling will make a difference. Sell it before it gets big enough to hurt someone. Life is too short to put up with wild cattle. Believe me---I've been through it all in my 55+ years of ranching.