question

[Grand Chaser]

My heifer had her first calf on 2/19/07. i was just wondering when should i try to halter break the calf?? the momma got real snorty and still is a bit and my dad can't help me much due to a recent knee operation. and help at all will be great because this will be my frist time halter breaking a baby calf.

 

[dun]

Interesting trying to halter break a calf 6 days before it's born. I would start working with the calf within a week or so of birth. When I messed with oxen that's when we started them. The earlier you start the easier it is. The sessions need to be kept short and pleasent for the calf. Within a week or 2 at the very most it should be standing tied, may lay down, but it won;t be fighting thr halter.

dun

 

[Grand Chaser]

that was a typo thanks for pointing it out. but this cow will not let you near this calf how should i get to it with out upsetting her of the baby??

 

[CWT Angus]

Give her a few days & let her get used to you being around her & the baby. Feeding & cleaning up around her if needed. Be careful, thoses big fat mamas can move awful quick when they want to & if she gets honky at you over her baby it will just be even longer before she will accept you near it. She's just being a good mama & after all that's what we all want.
She will calm down & get less protective & the calf will be more used to you being around it too, then the halter won't be nearly so traumatic.

 

[dun]

You need to get the cow calmed down before you start messing with the calf. If the cow iis spun up that will get the calf spun up and then anything you do is a waste of time.
We have a cow that for the first week after her calf is born you can;t get within a couple hundred yards. The cow sees you coming and starts calling the claf and runs over the next hill. After a week she's calm and doesn;t run anymore, but the calf still does because that's what it was taught to do. We've never gotten one of her calves to calm down even after they're weaned they're still spooky. She's been on my tentative cull list for 5 years since we got her as aq yearling heifer, but she raises great calves, breeds back frst service and her shenanigans don't stir up the other cows or calves. It's just that first week that she's a nut case.
Use some grain and get the cow calm. Put out the grain then just sit on the end of the feeder and don;t pay any attention (that's obvious to the cow), but keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn;t decide to get a piece of you when your back is turned. When the cow settles down the calf hopefully will too, then you can start messing with it.

dun

 

[Grand Chaser]

Thank you all for the help!! i appreciate it alot!

 

[Cowdirt]

Interesting trying to halter break a calf 6 days before it's born. I would start working with the calf within a week or so of birth. When I messed with oxen that's when we started them. The earlier you start the easier it is. The sessions need to be kept short and pleasent for the calf. Within a week or 2 at the very most it should be standing tied, may lay down, but it won;t be fighting thr halter.

dun

Grand chaser stated that the calf was born 2/19/07. It is now 3/14/07. He/she stated that the date was a typo,however, had it been correct the calf would be less than one month old. ;-)

 

[dun]

Grand chaser stated that the calf was born 2/19/07. It is now 3/14/07. He/she stated that the date was a typo,however, had it been correct the calf would be less than one month old. ;-)

The date given when I responded was 3/19/07. The typo was corrected after I posted.

dun

 

[Cowdirt]

Grand chaser stated that the calf was born 2/19/07. It is now 3/14/07. He/she stated that the date was a typo,however, had it been correct the calf would be less than one month old. ;-)

The date given when I responded was 3/19/07. The typo was corrected after I posted.

dun

Sorry Dun, I didn't view the post in time to see before the correction.