Feed Bunk Bully

[BigBear]

I have 4 angus heifers I'm finishing out and I have 1 that just runs the rest out of the feedbunk. She is much larger than the other 3 (and was when I bought her) and is getting the majority of the feed. Just wondering if headgates would help out with this.

 

[pdfangus]

would it not be easier to pen her separately at feeding time?

I put ten self locking headgates in my barn over thirty years ago and they have been of great value to me over the years....all of my cattle were raised in them as heifers ....

cattle raised in headlocks are normally quieter when they go thru the working chute as well.

in my opinion it also contributes to better disposition as they get used to being handled daily. After a few weeks of using the headlocks without locking them.....I transition to self locking and then a few weeks later begin to manually catch most of them when they come in....and I manually turn them out one by one...the neighbors yearling bull who is cleanup on his heifers has even learned to come into the headlocks and I catch him as well whenever the heifers come to the barn....they came up last evening and wanted a handout....

 

[BigBear]

I really don't have a pen set up in the barn they're in to separate her. I do like the idea of the self locking headgates. Would be a good way to vaccinate or tag quickly. Thanks for the input

 

[pdfangus]

I don't work my cattle in the self catch.....
you get two or three of them worked up and they can pull the rack down
never had it happen as mine are pretty secure.....
but there are times I have wondered if it was going to hold.....
sometimes I will breed in the headlocks and apply chalk for heat detection and simple things
but they go thru the chute for any needed work

 

[Lucky]

Easiest way I have found around this is to have more bunks than you need and spread feed out. I have enough bunks on our yearlings that they can nearly all eat from one side. If one gets run off he just moves to other side. The other option is the to bust the bully with the red ryder a few times. I have a few cows that chase the truck trying to eat out of the feeder chute then when they don't get enough feed go back to bunks and try to bully other cows, best to break this habit young.

 

[BigBear]

Thanks Lucky. That makes a lot of sense. I should have thought of that!

 

[Nesikep]

I've had a few bullies, and I'll usually put them with the cows for a few weeks to a months.. if you're doing it with several, let the least of the bullies back in with the rest one at a time, the rest will gang up on them and teach them manners again, progressively let the bigger ones back in (a few days between each) and the pecking order will change...
Last year I had one that was really bad, she went from being top cow to 2nd from last (out of 4).. The two more dominant ones now aren't a problem, they will make their place if need be, but don't stir the pot like that one used to.