NHlonghorns
Member
Any good tips for halter training? Good age to start? Mothers aren't real friendly and I'd like to get their calves used to being handled. :cboy:
Halter training
- Thread starter NHlonghorns
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Plenty of different opinions on this subject, might want to search the past threads and do some reading. Just got to find what works for you. There's some decent videos on YouTUBE also that might help get you started. Good luck to ya!NHlonghorns":mq2l9vw1 said:
Nesikep
Well-known member
I like to try an start them at a month old, my mommas are OK with it though. Otherwise just get the calves good and tame.. some grain and goodies are the keys to their heart, halterbreaking will become more natural and easier if they aren't scared. I didn't get any halters on the calves this year, and have 3 forseeable replacement heifers, guess I'll have to do it later.
Why don't you break them for riding.... Search for Premier Longhorns on yourtube, they have all sorts of riding steers, bulls, and cows!
Why don't you break them for riding.... Search for Premier Longhorns on yourtube, they have all sorts of riding steers, bulls, and cows!
branguscowgirl
Well-known member
It is more difficult when the mothers aren't friendly........
I start mine right away being handled. But my cows are very friendly and most are halter broke themselves.
While small babies-
If you can put cow and calf in a corral and distract the cow with some hay and/or grain while you work, it's best.
If mom is a problem, slip her into an adjoining pen. (Mine would get tied up.)
At first you just want to get the calf used to being touched and brushed. Put a rope halter on with a ring, so that it will loosen, and not stay tight. I tie a knot in the lead below the ring, so it will not loosen to the point of falling off.
Either leave them in the corral together, or remove halter and let them back out.
If weaned, or you have both cow and calf in a corral together-
Let the calf drag the lead for several days. Every day spend some time catching it by the lead, brushing, petting and turn it loose. (Still in the corral.)
Once they no longer panic about this, you can tie them up. I give them enough rope to lay down. Tie about an hour or so a day. But don't tie calf with others loose in corral! If not weaned yet, cow will need to be kept close by. This should be a good experience for the calf, not a weaning project.
I eventually lead calf back towards mom and turn it loose.
Calves almost never lead well. Be sure to hold pressure on rope until they step forward, then release as soon as they do.
You don't ever want them to learn to pull away! So make sure you start when you are still stronger than the calf!
I have shown calves with their mothers in cow/calf and they wont lead worth a poop, no matter what. Then the next year, I will pull them out of the pasture, and they lead great! So as a small calf, they don't have to be perfect.
I have found that they do not forget!
I start mine right away being handled. But my cows are very friendly and most are halter broke themselves.
While small babies-
If you can put cow and calf in a corral and distract the cow with some hay and/or grain while you work, it's best.
If mom is a problem, slip her into an adjoining pen. (Mine would get tied up.)
At first you just want to get the calf used to being touched and brushed. Put a rope halter on with a ring, so that it will loosen, and not stay tight. I tie a knot in the lead below the ring, so it will not loosen to the point of falling off.
Either leave them in the corral together, or remove halter and let them back out.
If weaned, or you have both cow and calf in a corral together-
Let the calf drag the lead for several days. Every day spend some time catching it by the lead, brushing, petting and turn it loose. (Still in the corral.)
Once they no longer panic about this, you can tie them up. I give them enough rope to lay down. Tie about an hour or so a day. But don't tie calf with others loose in corral! If not weaned yet, cow will need to be kept close by. This should be a good experience for the calf, not a weaning project.
I eventually lead calf back towards mom and turn it loose.
Calves almost never lead well. Be sure to hold pressure on rope until they step forward, then release as soon as they do.
You don't ever want them to learn to pull away! So make sure you start when you are still stronger than the calf!
I have shown calves with their mothers in cow/calf and they wont lead worth a poop, no matter what. Then the next year, I will pull them out of the pasture, and they lead great! So as a small calf, they don't have to be perfect.
I have found that they do not forget!
Nesikep
Well-known member
Branguscowgirl, you do it very similar to how I do it, except I never tie them up anywhere until they're about a year old (I don't show either though). You can get calf halters for about $15, but beware that on a good beef calf it's only good to about 2-300 lbs (2 months), longhorns it may last a little longer. Yearling halters for me are good for about 3-6 months, and cow halters fit at about 8-16 months, and bull haltes stop fitting around 2 years old... the sizes are wonky for beefers!
I do liike having a halter on them with about 15-20 ft of lead rope (a good 7/16" BRAIDED nylon rope works nice), and turn them loose with it in an area where there are no brambles, etc they could get wound up around. Over time, the cows will step on the rope and pin it down, and the calf will learn to stop and it's no use panicking about it.
As for leading... I found the best thing to do is to make them want to follow/come up to you without a halter, once they do that it will be more natural for them to lead with it. After my heiferettes have been in a corral all winter and the grass starts to grow outside, I take my "pets" out for a walk, and tie them up somewhere close to the corral where they can graze... about an hour at a time is good enough, then they usually want to be with their penmates again, so back they go.. then they're happy to go both ways. As time goes on, you can move them further away from their mates and for longer at a time.
There are also special training halters that have a small chain under the chin which you can tie the lead rope to, if they pull, it hurts... I have rarely found the need for it, so I tie onto the usual point unless I'm expecting a fight.
And pulling is useless! If they don't want to go somewhere, there's no way you're going to pull them that way, you have to make them want to go there, and given time, they'll follow you anywhere... My better animals I don't need a halter for, some have a bell on a belt around their neck, and I can hook 1 finger under the belt and lead them, or take some bale twine and make a halter out of it and they'll lead fine with that. I've been doing this for 22 years, and have started to get it down now. Your patience has to be good though!
I do liike having a halter on them with about 15-20 ft of lead rope (a good 7/16" BRAIDED nylon rope works nice), and turn them loose with it in an area where there are no brambles, etc they could get wound up around. Over time, the cows will step on the rope and pin it down, and the calf will learn to stop and it's no use panicking about it.
As for leading... I found the best thing to do is to make them want to follow/come up to you without a halter, once they do that it will be more natural for them to lead with it. After my heiferettes have been in a corral all winter and the grass starts to grow outside, I take my "pets" out for a walk, and tie them up somewhere close to the corral where they can graze... about an hour at a time is good enough, then they usually want to be with their penmates again, so back they go.. then they're happy to go both ways. As time goes on, you can move them further away from their mates and for longer at a time.
There are also special training halters that have a small chain under the chin which you can tie the lead rope to, if they pull, it hurts... I have rarely found the need for it, so I tie onto the usual point unless I'm expecting a fight.
And pulling is useless! If they don't want to go somewhere, there's no way you're going to pull them that way, you have to make them want to go there, and given time, they'll follow you anywhere... My better animals I don't need a halter for, some have a bell on a belt around their neck, and I can hook 1 finger under the belt and lead them, or take some bale twine and make a halter out of it and they'll lead fine with that. I've been doing this for 22 years, and have started to get it down now. Your patience has to be good though!
accidental breeder
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who or what is n c liz
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
accidental breeder":20xu87m5 said:
A person posting here who has been banned a dozen times. He gets a new email address, comes back with a new name and starts a bunch of chaos, gets banned again.
About the most important part of halterbreaking is desensitizing the calf, brush him/her, start with a broom if need be, but make sure they are used to being touched all over before really starting to break them. Otherwise you might end up with cattle that will lead on a halter, but that will always be nervous and kickers.
