Halter Breaking

[teyes77]

Hello everyone, I just purchased a steer for my 4-H project this year and I have a few questions. First of all he is about 690 lbs and he is hereford angus cross. I got him a week ago and we brought him to the barn where he will be living and he has not calmed down at all. The other two steers that my friend got at the same time are relatively calm and you can even walk right up and grab the halter and walk one of them.
My steer on the other hand wont let me within five feet of him otherwise he freaks out and runs away. We put a halter on him the day we got him so he has been dragging it around and I have tried to grab a hold of him and tie him a few times but all he does is buck and kick like crazy when I grab the halter.
Today we had an incident where we tried to put him through the chute and put a different halter on him and he spooked so much he went in between two fences and got himself stuck.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get him to calm down???

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

You need to spend a bunch of time with him. Make a small pen, about a 10 x 10 or so, and stand in the middle. He will run in circles, because he is afraid of you. It is best if you have a show stick, and just keep touching him with it, trying to scratch him when he stops. Get him used to the fact that you are good, and pleasure comes from you. He will stop running eventually, and learn to trust you.
The biggest mistake you have made is trying to hold on to him. Each time you have the hater and he gets lose, he learns he can out power you. It only takes a time or two, and you will never be able to hold him. By having him in a small pen, you can grab the rope and give it a tug towards you, when he turns his head toward you release the pressure. Give and take. And he can not get away....

 

[Nesikep]

They do learn they can out-power you very quickly.. A longer rope (so you can get the rope before he freaks) tied to a post can help him forget that, but first he needs to stop being afraid. I've found the key to their heart is usually through their stomach! Apples, carrots, grain, cubes, etc.. It may take a few days for them to get the taste for it, but it works pretty well for me.

 

[dixiedrifter]

Totally not the way to do it, but i'd be tempted to tie his halter to the back end of the tractor and take him for a spin around the pasture a couple times.

 

[B&M Farms]

Totally not the way to do it, but i'd be tempted to tie his halter to the back end of the tractor and take him for a spin around the pasture a couple times.

It worked when I was in school. I also tied a tractor inner tube to a heavy post, tied their lead to the inner tube and let them fight it until they figured it out. I would spend a lot of time trying it a different way first though.. I even did my homework or would read in the pen with them when I first got them.

 

[bigbull338]

to tie a calf to the tractor isnt wrong.ive had to tie a heifer between the hay forks to teach her how to lead.because she was wild and crazy.but when using the tractor you better watch and know what your doing and go very slow.

 

[branguscowgirl]

to tie a calf to the tractor isnt wrong.ive had to tie a heifer between the hay forks to teach her how to lead.because she was wild and crazy.but when using the tractor you better watch and know what your doing and go very slow.

There are a lot of things that you can do before you get to this point. bigbull is correct in that you have to "know what you are doing" to use a tractor for this!
I think that Nesi and Firesweep have given you some excellent starting points. You need a stout place to dally the end of that rope around and leave him tied up.

 

[Nesikep]

I'd only use the tractor as a last resort.. It is the most dangerous! Also, have a sharp knife around whenever you're doing this, if it all goes to H#LL in a handbasket, sometimes you can't undo a knot, and you're better off just cutting the rope.

B&M, I never bothered with the inner tube or stretchy ropes, I use a 7/16th braided nylon (about $30 per 100' at Home depot) and it has a little stretch to it, but I don't mind if they hit the end of the rope and go arse over teakettle because of it. I find using non-stretchy stuff it releases faster when they give in, which I find good for training.

I used a tractor with a cow ONCE. She was a MEAN girl, and at weaning time jumped a fence or two to get back with her calf.. I managed to halter her and tie her to a tractor.. it was a very interesting 1/4 mile drive to put her back with the other cows! Never did try to halter her again.

Start with the gentlest technique, Like Firesweep said, spend lots of time with them, ply them with goodies.. I have bells on some of my calves, once he's OK with you, try putting something clattery around his neck and let him get used to the noise for a week.. Remember you also have to condition him to strange sights and sounds if you're going to be showing!

Oh, and for getting him used to pettings, start with the top of his head if he'll come up to you, then go between the shoulderblades, and scratch real good up there.. it's one of the universal soft spots! After that he might let you get under his neck. From there, the tailhead and tail is always itchy, and when he's comfortable with you, go for the belly, first in the 'armpits' and back from there.

 

[I luv herfrds]

If you have started this steer on feed pour the feed into a pan and stand right there at the pan. Daughter has stood by her steers feed pan for around 30 minutes then she walks away. Steer comes up and eats. After awhile the steer will start coming up wanting the feed while she still stands there.
We start scratching them on the top of their necks as they eat. They will move away at first but just keep it up. Pretty soon the steer will just stand there. Just steady work and patience.

 

[hillsdown]

Hello everyone, I just purchased a steer for my 4-H project this year and I have a few questions. First of all he is about 690 lbs and he is hereford angus cross. I got him a week ago and we brought him to the barn where he will be living and he has not calmed down at all. The other two steers that my friend got at the same time are relatively calm and you can even walk right up and grab the halter and walk one of them.
My steer on the other hand wont let me within five feet of him otherwise he freaks out and runs away. We put a halter on him the day we got him so he has been dragging it around and I have tried to grab a hold of him and tie him a few times but all he does is buck and kick like crazy when I grab the halter.
Today we had an incident where we tried to put him through the chute and put a different halter on him and he spooked so much he went in between two fences and got himself stuck.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get him to calm down???

Is he by himself ?

 

[bigbull338]

the heifer that we used the tractor to halter break was crazy.i could bend over at her shoulder and if i wasnt watching her id get kicked in the head.she would also mule kick if some1 was walking behind her.the show judge wouldnt walk close behind her either.because he was told she would kick his brains out.

 

[Nesikep]

Animal like that, no matter how pretty doesn't belong in a show.. it's just asking for an accident to happen

 

[Angus106]

You need to spend a bunch of time with him. Make a small pen, about a 10 x 10 or so, and stand in the middle. He will run in circles, because he is afraid of you. It is best if you have a show stick, and just keep touching him with it, trying to scratch him when he stops. Get him used to the fact that you are good, and pleasure comes from you. He will stop running eventually, and learn to trust you.

That's how I break calves also, we never drag halters. I find that once they realize they like being scratched with the stick, you've won them over. lol

 

[bigbull338]

nesi dealing with a calf that is like that teaches you respect for cattle.and what they can do to you in a split second.our show judges didnt get upset or panic if a calf got upset.because they expected the kids to handle the problem and keep showing.never once did i see a calf a kid couldnt handle.

 

[Nesikep]

I haven't seen too many kicks that came with warnings! I can see an animal that is skittish, perhaps people shy or something that needs to be reined in as a test of how someone can handle their animal when they aren't on their best behavior.

 

[I luv herfrds]

BB had a steer in the show this year that the kid could not handle. The helpers had to step in and help hold that steer. At one point the steer started shoving the kid into the panels around the ring and moving these panels!
They got the showmanship done and he only lasted 5 minutes in the ring for market before they kicked them out before someone got hurt. The Dad could handle the steer but not the kid who is much bigger then my daughter.

 

[bigbull338]

i started halter breaking my own calves when i was 7 or 8.because my dad would help me catch them the 1st time.then it was up to me to catch them.nesi i started learning how to read cattle when i was 7.i always knew when that heifer was gonna load up and kick and i always dodged her.yes ive felt her feet whiz by my head a few times.

 

[BC]

I learned trick this from an old man and now that I am an old man I will share. It worked for my kids and others. Our county agent started teaching it at his 4-H beef camp. I have a 20 foot gooseneck trailer with a full escape door in the front. I tie the haltered calf in the front of the trailer with just enough room to get up and lay down. Twice a day (3 times in hot weather) I ease the calf to the back of the trailer to get water. While the calf is drinking, I can get in and clean up behind it and put out new feed. Then the calf goes back to the front of the trailer and is tied up again. When the calf goes back to get a drink without trying to break away and can be held easily, it is time to come off trailer and go to a pen. Normally takes 3 or 4 days, but I have had 2 hammerheads that took 10 days to give up and decide that life as a show heifer is a pretty good life. The beauty of this is I don't get jerked around too bad (I have a bad back) and it works.

 

[bigbull338]

BC i did the halter breaking the old way thats why my body is wore out and beat up now.

 

[Nesikep]

I've found as long as I can prevent them from getting their body in line with the rope, I can handle a pretty decent sized animal.. they don't have all that much strength to move their neck sideways, but if they get the rope between their legs you don't have much hope. I've gotten plenty of rope burns until I learned exactly when hope is lost. I often tie a couple figure8 knots in the rope to hold on to (they're pretty easy to undo even after they've been tightened)

I have a 'control' halter that has a chin chain, when you hook to the end of the chain, it'll hurt when they pull, and it's quite effective for the stubborn ones. Hamilton Halter makes them.. For a big weaned calf to long yearling (800-1100 lb) you'll probably need the "cow sized" one, and a "bull sized" for anything older..