Bratty heifer

[AngusSenorita]

My heifer has been a brat ever since she went on a diet after houston. She digs foot deep holes in her pen every day,she learned how to lift the gate of its hinges and kicked at my friend while she fed for me while I was out of town.

Is there anything I can do to get her to stop tearing up her pen? that is the main problem right now, she paws holes

thanks

p.s. I get my steer this weekend, he is a black simmi with some white, i can put pics up once I have time

 

[Ryan]

is she in her pen alone? that could be one of her problems. I know that none of mine like being alone, but i've never had one tear up the pens. maybe she'll act better once she has a buddy. Even if they aren't in the same pen but are close, her attitude and behavior might improve.

That is very unusual to me. Good Luck, and lookin forward to seeing pics of your steer.

Ryan

 

[jaydill]

is she in her pen alone? that could be one of her problems. I know that none of mine like being alone, but i've never had one tear up the pens. maybe she'll act better once she has a buddy. Even if they aren't in the same pen but are close, her attitude and behavior might improve.

That is very unusual to me. Good Luck, and lookin forward to seeing pics of your steer.

Ryan

The way we've got our pens (Senorita and I are in the same barn) are side by side with single panels separating each pen. Sort of like this:
(bear with the drawing...it's all text)

[-|-|-|-|-|-]

Say the [s and |s represent panels, and the -s are the calves. See how close they are to one another?

They often lick each other through the fences. At night they are all turned out together. So they are close during the day and together at night. Senorita's problem didn't start occuring until they had to cut her diet back. That's when these moody signs she described started showing up.

 

[Ryan]

Ah... Very good drawing. I understand, its similar to how my high school barn was set up, eventhough there was no cattle in it.

Sorry, I can't really think of anything to help with the moodiness. But can definantly understand it, with the cutting back of the feed.

Ryan

 

[Grand Chaser]

That is very unusual to me. Good Luck, and lookin forward to seeing pics of your steer.

Same here i've never had one do this but we've had gates torn off by the commercial cows who then went to the market. But with her tearing off the gates sre your hinges both pointing up? if they are then twist the top one to where it is pointing down then she might figure out that she can't do that. or put a electric wire there so she can't tear any thing down. hope i could help.

Hope to see pics of your steer soon!

 

[TheBullLady]

She's bored I'm sure. Is there a small pasture or trap you could turn her out into for a few hours a day?

 

[AngusSenorita]

thanks for the replys. I will flip one hinge over so she can't do that anymore, I forgot about that part.

she is lonley, we have 2 barns and she is the only one in ours. She will be at our barn about a month longer then she will be on pasture till the start of next school year. Hopefully once she goes back on full feed she will stop

 

[holly heifer]

Are you sure she is not a horse??? :lol2:

 

[AAOK]

I just don't understand the concept of School Barns, and School Supplies. Around here, if you're going to show livestock, it's all YOYO (you're on your own). The cost is higher our way, but I think it's better to have your stock on your own place. The care and amount of time put into the project has to be greater. Also, the parents become the coach, rather than the Ag Ed instructor, leaving them the time to concentrate on teaching.

As to the feed situation and the digging: Rather than cut way back the amount of feed, thin it down with some oats, and beet pulp. You may even be able to feed a greater amount. Make sure she is getting plenty of good hay too.

I've never seen a calf able to dig holes in a good bed of wood shavings. If the base is solid, the shavings are thick, always kept moist, and a rubber is at the front, they're just not going to be able to accomplish much by pawing.

Are you turning her out to pasture for the Summer, and then going to show again in the Fall? How? You will have ruined her hair and condition! Like I said, I don't get it. :roll: :roll: :?: :shock:

 

[AngusSenorita]

we live in plano, one of the largest suburbs EVER!!! so keeping them on our own property is not possible, and we need instruction from our ag-teachers because we are still learning and most of our parents never did this.

sending her out to pasture will give her gut and her a much needed break, we slicked her about 2 weeks ago so that she is cool and once she comes back I will begin to work hair again, not that she ever grew much.

 

[jaydill]

I just don't understand the concept of School Barns, and School Supplies. Around here, if you're going to show livestock, it's all YOYO (you're on your own). The cost is higher our way, but I think it's better to have your stock on your own place. The care and amount of time put into the project has to be greater. Also, the parents become the coach, rather than the Ag Ed instructor, leaving them the time to concentrate on teaching.

As to the feed situation and the digging: Rather than cut way back the amount of feed, thin it down with some oats, and beet pulp. You may even be able to feed a greater amount. Make sure she is getting plenty of good hay too.

I've never seen a calf able to dig holes in a good bed of wood shavings. If the base is solid, the shavings are thick, always kept moist, and a rubber is at the front, they're just not going to be able to accomplish much by pawing.

Are you turning her out to pasture for the Summer, and then going to show again in the Fall? How? You will have ruined her hair and condition! Like I said, I don't get it. :roll: :roll: :?: :shock:

All of these things, you are assuming. Our animals are kept at a school barn but all funds (aside from electricity and water bills, mainly) come from us. WE pay for all supplies. There are no "school supplies." Our FFA works together to raise money to buy blowers and things that we can share. We buy our own combs and etc. The only things we share are adhesives and blowers. The animal is ALL OUR OWN. I am offended that you would claim that the time and care put forth by students who keep their animals at home is greater than students who have school barns. I beg to differ. We have to spend added time traveling to and from the barn, thus adding a gas bill to our expenses. WE can't just walk outside any time of the day to work with our animals, nor can we tie them up all day and know that someone might be by to check on them.

The ag teachers have plenty of time to teach. The problem is when parents become the coach. Typically the parent ends up doing the work. Either because the child doesn't do the work but more commonly because the parent is, so to speak "reliving their childhood through their child." Now no, I'm not going to generalize because not all parents do that. However, it is common.

As for turning out the cows to pasture for the summer (this is typically to get bred) we've done this for a number of years and been successful every time. It might sound like it, but it works. Some of our hairiest get turned out to pasture and come back just fine hair wise. Sure, we've got to get them back on feed to get some condition on them but animals taken care of the right way during the show period do fine when turned out.

I don't think I've ever gotten in a rut with you AAOK, and I don't know if your post was meant to offend, but I was offended by the assumptions you made.

 

[AAOK]

I don't think I've ever gotten in a rut with you AAOK, and I don't know if your post was meant to offend, but I was offended by the assumptions you made.

Jaydill, Settle down. WOW! :shock: Did I ever get you wound up?

Never indended to offend, I'm was just pleading my ignorance of how it worked. I've never seen a School Livestock Barn, and have not known anyone personally affilliated with one. I was what you call clueless, but not any more!!

I stated that I think it's better to have your stock at your own place, and I'll stick with that. However, I realize that's not always possible.
I also stated that I think the care and amount of time spent on the project would be greater, and I'll stick with that. The more convenient something is, the more time spent. Like you said, you have to spend time driving, and make a special trip. If your calves were at home, you could check on them anytime.

That doesn't make me think that School Barns are bad. From what you have made me aware of, I think they're GREAT!

The Supplies issue I understand, but I have heard of schools which furnish everything through the Ag program. I believe those costs should be incured by the individual or through a Booster Club, or like you said, by raising money through your FFA functions.

I'm glad to know that the School Barn works in your case, and I hope it works in most. I just needed to be informed how you made it work. From the outside looking in, I just didn't get it!

Dan

 

[jaydill]

I understand where you're coming from, Dan, and I'm sorry I blew up. I think I felt most offended by the thought that the amount of time spent with an animal project at home would be greater, only because I know a few people who kept their animals and home and matched no where near the amount of hours I spent at our barn working with my steer. In the summers, during the breaking stage, I was up at that barn three times a day, eight to ten hours a day (3-4 in the am, 2 at noon, and 3-4 in the pm. I kid you not.) getting him broke and used to me. Once he was good and broke, I went only twice a day. Spending about 6 hours a day with him, then. And when school started, I still managed to spend two and a half to three and a half hours with him a day. I can understand how it would seem like the time spent with an animal kept at home might be greater, but you'd be surprised what can be accomplished by a determined exhibitor.

I have also heard of schools which funish everything through the ag program. In fact, I know of an ag teacher who is alotted $10,000 per year for the FFA (i think it is specific to the show team, though i'm not 100% sure) to do whatever with, as long as that teacher turns in a record at the end of the year showing where all the money went.

Again, sorry I lost my temper. Just got a little riled up on that first read-through. One thing I do like about the fact that there is a school barn (although no, the school barn is not on any of our school properties) is that the parents are less likely to interfere. While we do have some that still do (and when I say interfere, I mean the parent "relives their childhood" as has been discussed previously on an older post on this board), the majority tend to leave it to the kid to get the job done.. which is where the most responsibility is learned, IMHO.

No hard feelings,
Jay