Cattle Call
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Jeanne - Simme Valley
Well-known member
I never heard of a "purchased" cattle call. I just call them. If you consistantly make the same sound/words and give them a treat - new grass, bucket of grain - they will associate the sound with feed.
We used to manage a 250 head cow herd & called them & they followed us everywhere. When we left, the new people preferred to use 4-wheelers, so they broke them to a bell. That way, no matter who went out to move the cows, the bell was always the same.
Cows are creatures of habit. Just be routine & they'll learn very quickly.
We used to manage a 250 head cow herd & called them & they followed us everywhere. When we left, the new people preferred to use 4-wheelers, so they broke them to a bell. That way, no matter who went out to move the cows, the bell was always the same.
Cows are creatures of habit. Just be routine & they'll learn very quickly.
Just call them (pick whatever sound you want to use as long as it is loud) whenever you get ready to feed them anything. The neighbor always ran cows up with 4 wheelers (or motorcycles) and spent all day chasing his with a half dozen men helping him. My grandfather would just call Hoooow-wuuuhhh once and 80++ whitefaces would jump to their feet and snap their heads toward the barn and started bawling even when they were 3/4s of a mile away. By the fourth hooow-wuuuuhhh the chow hounds had already galloped into the barn with every other cow and calf trailing behind them at a fast trot. After that it was just a matter of sorting the ones he wanted. He always made sure that when called they always got something (usually hay with a oats, cracked corn, and soybean meal top dressing) and when they got turned out of the chute they got something. They also got all of their winter hay and supplement and all of their minerals out of the same barn. They generally started getting daily treats two or three weeks before the herd was worked in May/June and two or three weeks before any planned sale. Of course he had very functional (if all hand made) holding/feeding facilities where he could split the group up 5 ways all sections complete with bunks and they were routinely sorted during winter according to how much supplement each group of cows was getting. We could get up the entire herd and sort out a trailer load of 20 calves off of their mamas in 15 minutes EASY and neither cow nor calf be upset until it got time to load the trailer and noone either person or cow was ever injured and I don't remember ever NOT getting a calf or cow that he wanted that day. Of course this was a herd that really culled only on fertility and attitude too, which made it almost idiot proof. Don't be surprised if the cows don't figure out your personal "call". Just don't quit on it and they will figure it out in six months or so.
Horace Baker
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The traditional call here in the N Eastern US is "Come Boss". Even if I haven't called in a while, if there is one older cow in the group, she'll come, and the others will learn it from her.
whatever call is learned at winter feeding, i have had some skiddish ones until the first winter and then i holler and they come from everywhere. i use woooooo, sook, come on. i can lead them, better than drive them.
bullman
Member
I have a pet cow that i raised on a bottle and her name is Princess. All I have to do is call sooook princess or come here princess and they all come. They all think their name is princess now.
The vagaries of cows is always kind of surprising. Some of the dairys just go out and yell and the cows come up to the patio, others they have to go out and drive them in, some herds it's easy, others it's a challenge. One dairy, come milking time all of the cows are standing at the gate waiting to be let in. When one of the dairys want to load the parlor the lady opens the door and says "come on" and they'll start in, another they have to push them to get them in. One guy calls all of his cows by their number. He'll open the door and call a number and that cow will work her way up to the front and go in the parlor. Every once in a while he'll have one that won;t come in when she's called. He'll call her number a couple of times and usually she'll work her way around to the back of the herd. He'll say "number", "don;t make me come and get you". That cow will then work her way up and come into the parlor. Always gets a laugh out of me.
dun
dun
Caustic Burno
Well-known member
cloone":1l08xmi1 said:
You are kidding right,they can sell anything. That is damn funny I need to think up something like that for you weekend ranchers.
Crowderfarms
Well-known member
CB, I'm pretty sure Larry the Cable guy does a pretty good cattle call. I heard it on a CD. You could get him to endorse it.Just be cautious, heard it may call large 2 legged cattle too. :shock:Caustic Burno":1fli0xji said:
memanpa
Well-known member
all i have to do is yell "SERRIA" (my dogs name) let's feed em and they head my way
