cattle prods

[msscamp]

I've worked a lot of cattle over the years and have never touched a Hotshot. I have bought salebarn cattle and moved them through chutes and never touched a hotshot. I have loaded cattle on pots and never touched a hotshot. I have watched Some people use hotshots that used them right. I have also seen the Jeffrey Dahmer types use them. People would have fit right in as a guard at Auswitz.
You do not need to use a hotshot to handle cattle, you need to have well built, intelligently built facility and have some idea of cattle psychology. I found out a long time ago, that using patience gets you farther than brute force or pain. Cattle that are wild seem to move away willingly enough, so who do you really need to use a hotshot on? The tame ones? Offer them some bagged feed, that should do it.

Now, if you use a hotshot sparingly, like in an emergency, fine, but you beginners, learn how to work cattle right, don't start out shocking them.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Cow Flop.

You're entitled to your own opinion, but that doesn't mean I have to share it. How about if we just agree to disagree on this particular subject? If that makes me a 'liberal', so be it! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Caustic Burno]

I've worked a lot of cattle over the years and have never touched a Hotshot. I have bought salebarn cattle and moved them through chutes and never touched a hotshot. I have loaded cattle on pots and never touched a hotshot. I have watched Some people use hotshots that used them right. I have also seen the Jeffrey Dahmer types use them. People would have fit right in as a guard at Auswitz.
You do not need to use a hotshot to handle cattle, you need to have well built, intelligently built facility and have some idea of cattle psychology. I found out a long time ago, that using patience gets you farther than brute force or pain. Cattle that are wild seem to move away willingly enough, so who do you really need to use a hotshot on? The tame ones? Offer them some bagged feed, that should do it.

Now, if you use a hotshot sparingly, like in an emergency, fine, but you beginners, learn how to work cattle right, don't start out shocking them.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Cow Flop.

You're entitled to your own opinion, but that doesn't mean I have to share it. How about if we just agree to disagree on this particular subject? If that makes me a 'liberal', so be it! :lol: :lol: :lol:

No Ms it makes you someone that has been very sheltered around cattle. Concession stand is up, got a few Brammer girls to educate you.

 

[msscamp]

I've worked a lot of cattle over the years and have never touched a Hotshot. I have bought salebarn cattle and moved them through chutes and never touched a hotshot. I have loaded cattle on pots and never touched a hotshot. I have watched Some people use hotshots that used them right. I have also seen the Jeffrey Dahmer types use them. People would have fit right in as a guard at Auswitz.
You do not need to use a hotshot to handle cattle, you need to have well built, intelligently built facility and have some idea of cattle psychology. I found out a long time ago, that using patience gets you farther than brute force or pain. Cattle that are wild seem to move away willingly enough, so who do you really need to use a hotshot on? The tame ones? Offer them some bagged feed, that should do it.

Now, if you use a hotshot sparingly, like in an emergency, fine, but you beginners, learn how to work cattle right, don't start out shocking them.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Cow Flop.

You're entitled to your own opinion, but that doesn't mean I have to share it. How about if we just agree to disagree on this particular subject? If that makes me a 'liberal', so be it! :lol: :lol: :lol:

No Ms it makes you someone that has been very sheltered around cattle. Concession stand is up, got a few Brammer girls to educate you.

As previously stated, you're entitled to your own opinion.

 

[Ryder]

One of the sale barns in Stephenville...the guy that's responsible for unloading and loading cattle and running the cattle in and out of the ring will fire anyone caught using a cattle prod on a heifer or cow from the time they are unloaded until they are loaded...right after he whips their a$$es...

Alice

I don't know what goes on over there, but over in this part of the country you can correct an employee if he is doing his job wrong. You can fire him. But if you start beating them up you are in for some very serious trouble.

 

[memanpa]

One of the sale barns in Stephenville...the guy that's responsible for unloading and loading cattle and running the cattle in and out of the ring will fire anyone caught using a cattle prod on a heifer or cow from the time they are unloaded until they are loaded...right after he whips their a$$es...

Alice

I don't know what goes on over there, but over in this part of the country you can correct an employee if he is doing his job wrong. You can fire him. But if you start beating them up you are in for some very serious trouble.

yep!!

 

[KMacGinley]

I've worked a lot of cattle over the years and have never touched a Hotshot. I have bought salebarn cattle and moved them through chutes and never touched a hotshot. I have loaded cattle on pots and never touched a hotshot. I have watched Some people use hotshots that used them right. I have also seen the Jeffrey Dahmer types use them. People would have fit right in as a guard at Auswitz.
You do not need to use a hotshot to handle cattle, you need to have well built, intelligently built facility and have some idea of cattle psychology. I found out a long time ago, that using patience gets you farther than brute force or pain. Cattle that are wild seem to move away willingly enough, so who do you really need to use a hotshot on? The tame ones? Offer them some bagged feed, that should do it.

Now, if you use a hotshot sparingly, like in an emergency, fine, but you beginners, learn how to work cattle right, don't start out shocking them.

Well then as an expert in loading wild western calves and yearlings onto cattle pots tell me how do you get 8 head of crazy 500 pounders that have only seen people for the first time at yesterdays roundup to go down into the nose and stay down there long enough for you to get into that same pen to throw the counter balance down without using a hotshot? An even better question is how do you think you will get them into the doghouse without using one? Just how are you going to get those four calves that are standing in an 15 x 8 ft. pen to go to the far corner of the pen then jump up a foot and a half into a 4 x 8 ft. pen that ends within their sight.

I would love to drag you out to Belle Fourche or Billings sometime and watch you load a 4 or 5 loads in a row without using one. Anyone that makes the claim that hotshots are worthless and shouldn't ever be used on cattle has by their own admission never seen very many truely wild cattle. And obviously they have never loaded a single one that was crazy into the nose or doghouse of a cattle pot.

I bow to your vastly superior cattle knowledge. It is obviously impossible. I will say this though, I would rather load wild cattle than very tame ones..

 

[TheBullLady]

It always amazes me on these Boards what kind of hulla baloo a certain question will create! :cboy:

I have a hot shot. And the white sort sticks which I get routinely from Capital Farm Credit when they do a loan for me. The sort sticks are great, and we use them normally. But I'll admit, I've had one of those nasty Brammers (or two) that didn't want to load or get up in the chute, and I've had to use the shot. Like mentioned, they don't forget it. Much easier to move the next time.. assuming of course they didn't go for a one way ride.

 

[Bama]

You know, by reading all this you can tell who have loaded onery cattle and who havn't had a lot of experience with it.

edited to add.
Which is worse hiting one with a shock that they can move away from, or slapping a big ole hot brand on their side that they can't move away from. Raising cattle ain't like raising kids, their tougher than most people think. Prods have a place and time to use them.

 

[TnWI]

You know, by reading all this you can tell who have loaded onery cattle and who havn't had a lot of experience with it.

I have had cows tossing dirt at me, and snorting some pretty filthy names my way - but I still use a lunge whip, a 4' walking stick, and a dog because thats what I was brought up with. And I think a few of you have brought up that point at one time or another, if you aren't used to using that kind of thing (specifically speaking of Hotshots) then its best not to use them. I know if I did use it, I would be the one being zapped! :shock:

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Which is worse hiting one with a shock that they can move away from, or slapping a big ole hot brand on their side that they can't move away from.

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make that point. Good point.

I haven't got a dog in this fight, but I agree that a hot-shot is a tool which comes in really handy when necessary when one knows how to use it properly.

At home the sorting sticks work well for me. Where I work, sometimes the hot-shot gets put to use on the few that need a little zap, otherwise it's sorting sticks and tail twists and the occasional whack on the rump.

Just my un-aksed for 2 cents.

Katherine

 

[Roadapple]

Alice and CB hav'nt spoken to each other for 2 days now, does that mean their engagements over? Wonder if CB will get his ring back?

 

[aplusmnt]

Alice and CB hav'nt spoken to each other for 2 days now, does that mean their engagements over? Wonder if CB will get his ring back?

I think Alice has been stalking him on another thread :lol: They might make a new movie about it "Fatal Attraction Bovine edition" ;-) She even went and borrowed a couple horse to impress him :lol:

 

[msscamp]

You know, by reading all this you can tell who have loaded onery cattle and who havn't had a lot of experience with it.

I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[memanpa]

one thing for sure you can tell the ones who have pets for
livestock

 

[dun]

Back in the 80's was when we first started messing with Brahman influenced cattle. That was when I quit using a prod. Seemed that things went a lot smoother the first time without it and a whole lot smoother subsequent times.

dun

 

[Chris H]

Only one time in the last 5 years have we considered using an electric prod, if we had one. Had a rough delivery and the cow wouldn't get up but we thought she should have been able to. Vet asked if we had a prod, nope. We used a pitchfork to poke her, and yes, she was shakey but able to stand.

Prods can cause more problems than they solve if you're using them on breeding stock.

 

[msscamp]

one thing for sure you can tell the ones who have pets for
livestock

Perhaps you could explain that to me? I don't understand.

 

[msscamp]

Seemed that things went a lot smoother the first time without it and a whole lot smoother subsequent times.

dun

We've never messed with Brahman influenced cattle, but that has been our experience as well.

 

[Victoria]

It all depends on the type of cattle you have. When I was a kid we had some real nuts. They weren't calm in the chute to begin with because they were wild animals. Being calm with a cow that is out to get you does not work. Prods were kept on hand and used but even then only when necessary. Using any tool that caused even minor pain without reason was not tolerated. Of course if those are the kinds of cattle that you have CS I would say sell them all now. As a beginner you don't want to deal with them. Why someone experienced would want to deal with them is beyond me too. :roll:

Now we have a whole different kind of herd. If you want to call them pets that's fine with me. I don't need a horse to chase them around for an entire day to get them in, I just call them. I don't need a bunch of guys with whips and prods to get them down the chute while cows are charging and bellering. I can move them by myself easily. I use a cane or twist tails. The real stubborn ones I don't prod or whip. It just makes them excited and an excited cow in a closed area becomes a dangerous cow. Besides, I don't want them to have a fear of the chute, just makes them harder to get in next time. Instead I grab an oat bucket and lead them up the chute. Laugh if you want but it takes less time than it used to, less stress for both me and the cows and I don't have to worry that some snorting cow is going to get me if I let my guard down.

I've dealt with both types of herds and now any cow that I can't manage easily can go live somewhere else. So my final advise CS is if you have a cow that needs the prod, sell the cow.

 

[flaboy-]

My cows like getting shocked. :shock:

I know it for a fact because some will balk and stop in the chute leading to the squeeze and wait for me to shock them. :lol:

But once is always enough!

Dang your cows must be related to mine. I too have some that stop and wait for the hot shot.

I have read most all these pages and it looks like the Ford vs Dodge vs Chevy discussion. It comes down to what you are doing and with how many. When I work mine the hot shot is near the chute for the one that holds up the whole line. Other wise it's a sorting stick. When you work cattle with two people you need all the help you can get in my opinion.

And yes, I know what a hot shot feels like. Don't ask how I know. :lol: