Electronic restraint of cattle

[losvenados]

Hi folks,

What can you guys tell me about electric immobilizers for catle?

Are they worth the money?

Anyone use them?

What brand has proven itself?

Thank you.

 

[MrBilly]

We have a RAU immobilizer. We don't use it much, but when we really need to do something and the cow is very uncooperative the immobilizer works very well. I believe it improves our safety when working that occasional unruly cow. Is it worth the money, that will have to be your decision. Remember this is an immobilizer and not a form of anesthesia.

Billy

 

[hillbillycwo]

Any particular reason why you don't ship unruly cattle? That seems to be the advice I got awhile back when I had a crazy bwf heifer. Since then the ease of handling cattle has been great so when I get one that gets difficult she goes to the kill pen. But then again I did things bassackwards and got cows before I had the facilities. Really dumb but now I have learned and developed the facilities I need to work and safely handle my stock. That is also a learning and developing process.

 

[dun]

The other day I saw the vet giving shots in the eye to a couple of cows. He just patiently held there head with his body and mmoved when they moved. Got it done with no problems. I thought then that one of those deals would be pretty slick for that sort of stuff. Asked him about it and he looked at me like I had just spit in his coffee. I guess when you;ve done thousands of things like that you get to thinking it's the best way, or at least, as good a way as any.

 

[3waycross]

If you are big enuf and strong enuf you can do the same thing by sticking a finger up each nostril and rolling their upper lip up over their forehead.

 

[dun]

If you are big enuf and strong enuf you can do the same thing by sticking a finger up each nostril and rolling their upper lip up over their forehead.

Many years ago I did that with calves, now I use a chute and halter.

 

[3waycross]

If you are big enuf and strong enuf you can do the same thing by sticking a finger up each nostril and rolling their upper lip up over their forehead.

Many years ago I did that with calves, now I use a chute and halter.

I have a buddy who used to do it to a 800lb wild cow in the old "wild cow milking " contests. He could paralize one to the point where she would stand there and let a man milk her.

 

[dun]

If you are big enuf and strong enuf you can do the same thing by sticking a finger up each nostril and rolling their upper lip up over their forehead.

Many years ago I did that with calves, now I use a chute and halter.

I have a buddy who used to do it to a 800lb wild cow in the old "wild cow milking " contests. He could paralize one to the point where she would stand there and let a man milk her.

Every person has a unique skill

 

[Lucky_P]

I'm a vet(no longer in active practice), I have one, and I use it on occasion - probably not more than a couple of times a years. Our cattle are reasonably gently, but when trying to get less-than-cooperative cow or heifer to take a calf, or to treat some malady that I can't do(safely) by just sticking 'em in the chute, it's indispensible. I'll never try to milk out a bad quarter or graft a calf on again, without using it - takes too long for my hands/arms to heal after the cow breaks 'em kicking or stomping on 'em.
Cows that I've used the immobilizer on - and sometimes they've gotten it a couple of times a day for several days in a row - are not any crazier afterwards, or any more or less cooperative, when it comes to handling them.

I've hooked myself up to it - it's not painful - though, admittedly, I didn't put the electrodes on my own lip and anus. My wife, also a veterinarian, and a certified veterinary acupuncturist, has 'needled' me on occasion, and has used her electrostimulation unit on the needles inserted into some acupuncture points, and I'd say the sensation is similar.

 

[MrBilly]

Any particular reason why you don't ship unruly cattle? That seems to be the advice I got awhile back when I had a crazy bwf heifer. Since then the ease of handling cattle has been great so when I get one that gets difficult she goes to the kill pen. But then again I did things bassackwards and got cows before I had the facilities. Really dumb but now I have learned and developed the facilities I need to work and safely handle my stock. That is also a learning and developing process.

Unruly doesn't mean crazy -- the latter go the the sale barn. For instance, we have a beautiful 2200 lb bull that has an abscess in one claw after stepping on nails. He is so big that we can't put his neck in the head gate. If you try to give a subQ shot in the neck, I tried, he moves his neck and breaks off the hub of the syringe. With the immobilizer, he stands still, no neck movement, and we can give him the required 100 cc of antibiotic. This is what makes the thing so useful.

Billy

 

[Howdyjabo]

I have one- I use it rarely But when I do it keeps us much safer-- Both the calves and us.
I have used it on wild ones that wanted to tear up the chute and made cutting them difficult and painful . and ones I need to doctor on and our chute and headgate won't let us get to its body or legs safely.
Its much cheaper than getting a fancy squeeze chute for the few times one would be handy.

 

[Suzie Q]

We bought our cattle crush (squeeze chute) new. It was nowhere near as expensive as the ones that were home made and didn't look much good at clearance sales. It surprised us how cheap it was and of course for us the GST is included in the price, where as you have to add that on at Clearance Sales. Plus they delivered it and put it exactly where we wanted it. At a clearance sale we would have had to bring it home ourselves.

It is a hydraulic one. Hubby did not want a ratchet one. It is completely manual. There are a lot more expensive ones you can get. We did get the one with the vet doors.

The cattle crush is not just used on cattle that might be a bit unruly. Every single beast goes through there. If they kick they get the crush and not us. I have lost count at the number of times the crush has been kicked. There is not a mark on it, but if we had received that kick we would probably have been down for the count.

I am able to milk out beef cattle if needed. I am able to put calves on them that are not theirs. I can open the bottom half of the crush.

We are able to work around their heads. As we have two levers that come down above and below their heads. I have been able to put ointment in their eyes. Our cattle are not handled except when they are in the cattle crush. I do not touch them outside the crush.

A friend brought out an immobiliser and used it on a bull who was not supposed to be a bull to show hubby how it worked. Yes when money is no object we will probably buy one just to have in the shed if needed for some reason in the future.