cap-chur tranquilizer gun

[cowfarmer]

Anybody use tranquilizer guns to administer medication
to your cows? I was just looking at an ad for tmen in
Valley vet. Just wondering how safe this was.

 

[Tony Jr]

Could you pass the info your looking at? I'm looking into getting one for my bison.

 

[cowfarmer]

you can get prices and a small amount
of info at http://www.valleyvet.com or call 1-800-468-0059.

I was hoping to find a web page for the manufacturer
but haven't been able to find one.

 

[Tony Jr]

Try http://www.blowgunsnorthwest.com/guns/tranqguns.htm
that's the only ones I could find.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

Cowfarmer I don't use them on the cows. Cattle tend to get a bit whacked in the haid when you go to shooting them with darts. However I use them for cattle on wheat pasture when it is not convenient to take one to the barn. We use a marlin rifle > http://www.kracik.com/me/wll_tranq.html
with 10 cc pneu darts. They are a disposable dart. You can get a 15 cc retrievable dart but the problem is catching the calf to retrieve it if it does not fall out. I use A180 for most problems 10 cc of it works extremely well. Have tried other medicines with not very good results. I do use nuflor sometimes too for foot rot. 10 cc of it has worked well if you follow it up for 3 days.
I think the problem you would have if you wanted to dart cows is they would be Very hard to handle after that and getting a big enough dart to do the job. My advice would be Not! to do it!
bif

 

[cowfarmer]

thanks for the advice!
The add makes it seem like
a no-brainer way to go, but
I suspected there was a downside!
Since my property is fairly small
I will stick to running them thru a
chute.

 

[buckaroo_bif]

thanks for the advice!
The add makes it seem like
a no-brainer way to go, but
I suspected there was a downside!
Since my property is fairly small
I will stick to running them thru a
chute.

I would reckon that is the best way unless you want to turn them into a bunch of killer cows!! :lol:

bif

 

[stocky]

dont guess my first post went through----The cap-chur gun is definitely the most important tool i have on my place. I shoot micatil in cows and calves and baytril in calves with it. you dont have to get them up or get them excited. This is especially important if they have pneumonia and you cant get them running. If it is something like a hoof to work on or a big bull calf that we missed castrating, I shoot the knockout drug into the animal and it goes down and I can do whatever is needed. My father, who is limited in mobility can doctor anything in the herd right in the pasture---just drive up within 50-60 feet and pull the trigger. I was the first in my area to get one and now everyone else has bought them and stopped borrowing mine. The brand doesnt matter, it is just that cap-chur is the brand I have----I use disposable darts

 

[stocky]

http://www.palmercap-chur.com/flash.cfm

here is the web-site of the cap-chur gun

 

[dun]

Obviously you're not a proponent of BQA. Or do you market the ones that you've had to "shoot" differently then those that you haven't?

dun

 

[cowfarmer]

Stocky

thanks for the info on the positive side
of using this gun. Just wondering, do
you have problems with the needle not
falling out or the needle not penetrating
the hide?

 

[buckaroo_bif]

dont guess my first post went through----The cap-chur gun is definitely the most important tool i have on my place. I shoot micatil in cows and calves and baytril in calves with it. you dont have to get them up or get them excited. This is especially important if they have pneumonia and you cant get them running. If it is something like a hoof to work on or a big bull calf that we missed castrating, I shoot the knockout drug into the animal and it goes down and I can do whatever is needed. My father, who is limited in mobility can doctor anything in the herd right in the pasture---just drive up within 50-60 feet and pull the trigger. I was the first in my area to get one and now everyone else has bought them and stopped borrowing mine. The brand doesnt matter, it is just that cap-chur is the brand I have----I use disposable darts

Stocky don't those cows get a little flighty after poppimg them with darts ? I know it hurts like heck when you dart one cause the way they run and kick and buck and beller.!! I had this red limousine heifer a year ago on wheat who got foot rot. I thought I'd be real slick and slip up on her and dart her. And I did, she took off running went through three fences and I was all day finding her! Then we try and take her home, not a four wheeler horse or pickup could get near her. When the feller gathered his cattle and we were able to take her home evertime you put her in a pen she would be bouncing off the gates and fences. Was sure glad to see her go.
Just something to keep in mind. Darting is Very convenient and a great time saver just don't know if I could do it to my cows.
Well in fact I Won't do it to my cows. Stockers don't bother me none to dart them.

bif

 

[D.R. Cattle]

If you can't pen 'em with horses, dogs or feed, lookup Winchester. The model 94 seems to work well in 30-30 caliber for administering tranquilizers.

 

[stocky]

Dun----I dont know the exact term that BQA refers to or what it refers to, I will have to plead ignorance until you enlighten me, sorry.

Bif, the way I do it is to drive up in a familiar vehicle and shoot from the pickup or 4wheeler, they are used to that and if they are in the group of cattle, they will kick and buck just a little and then settle down in the group of cattle---the trick is to not let them realize it is you doing something. It becomes more of a real strong bite at the time, if they see you chasing them or things are different, they associate it with you doing it and they get scared. I have never had a cow or calf run off, just buck and kick some.
The needle has never come out too early for me----i get the gel-collared needles from pnue-dart. It is important if you are using a medicine that thickens in cold weather to warm the needle and medine on the defroster so it runs quickly---the dart has a charge in it and that pushes the medicine into the animal------I always shoot them in the neck, seems to hurt less and they dont look around and see the dart sticking out and get scared.

 

[stocky]

cowfarmer----i forgot to answer you in that i have never had the problem with the needle not falling out----with the gel-collar, when the gel warms to body heat, the gel melts and releases the dart. that is with the disposables. as was mentioned in a previous post, I,also, do not like the re-usables because you have to follow the animal around until it falls out.
the only time I have had a problem with the dart not penetrating is when i let the gun get too low on gas. then there isnt enough power to sink the dart. It would also happen if you tried to shoot them in the body and hit bone---now that would really hurt and would probably bounce off---in the neck, there is alot of skin and it works real well.

 

[dun]

Dun----I dont know the exact term that BQA refers to or what it refers to, I will have to plead ignorance until you enlighten me, sorry.

Better explanation then I can give!
http://www.bqa.org/

 

[stocky]

dun---thanks for the website----very good guidelines and info.
I would have to say that I would definitely agree to everything that is possible to do in that article without breaking the farm financially.
I am not sure what in my post went against what is said in that article that made you think that I obviously dont agree with it.
I dont use herbicides or pesticides on any of my pastures. I shoot or inject in the neck area, I never market anything that hasnt passed the withdrawal time. I use according to vetenarian advice.
I wouldnt say that i am able to spend every minute that this would require in record keeping, but the feed additives restrictions and the way I handle cattle are definitely within the program. there is no comparison as to how much excitement and bruising an animal suffers when chased and ran and gotten up and corralled to doctor as opposed to simply darting the animal.
before i bought the gun, i have chased pneumonia animals until i could get them in a pen and lost some of them. I also have given up getting them into the pen because of darkness and found them dead the next morning. with the gun, this is eliminated
the cost of the darts keeps a person from doing this too much. the darts cost 3.50 each. so when it is feasible, i get them up to work them---saves money, but when it isnt, the gun is the safest and most sure way of getting them well. also, if i have to use micatil, it is far safer---self inject the micatil and you can kill yourself.
those were the only points i was making, not trying to get people to go against proper precautions and good vet practices on their cattle.
I checked out this board to try to learn how to do things better and the website you sent me is excellent. thanks for that

 

[dun]

My reference was just based on my ecperience. 99.9% of the folks I've seen use darts, bow an arrow, etc. don;t get the injections in the neck-shoulder junction area. Most just shoot them in the butt, others whatever part is handy.

dun

 

[Farmhand]

One drawback I see is you have to make sure you use intermuscular medication. Some are ment to be used subq and I can't see how you could do that with a dart gun.

 

[stocky]

farmhand,
i use 3/4 inch needles and shoot in the neck behind the shoulder where the skin is loose, this makes the shot good for subcutaneous injection. all the medicines i shoot in the dart are for subcutaneous, i dont shoot intramuscular medicines with it. seems to work real well. that is also a reason for using the loose skin in the neck as opposed to other parts of the body