How do you catch them all?

[greybeard]

I do the same Vette. I patterned mine, on a much much smaller scale to what I saw White Ranch doing down at Stowell Texas.
They used a big Vee that they fed and hayed in periodically, and that Vee led to a set of big wooden pens.
Their Vee is longer than most of my place. Play around with this, and you can get a better idea of it.
https://www.google.com/maps/@29.6749941 ... a=!3m1!1e3
I watched them work 'em one day. Horses on the back side of the herd and just moseyed them out of the Vee and on into the holding pens.



Mine is tiny in comparison, but I do the same thing smaller. Once they're all in the Vee, I close it off on the back and just slowly work them into the holding pen. A few times/ year I use the Vee to funnel all mine into the pen and out the other side to another pasture just to get them used to going in it without being all riled up.
There's a couple in the pen in this picture, just ambled in on their own as I left the gates open.



(don't know why I can't get this to show up full size)


https://www.google.com/maps/@30.4214354 ... a=!3m1!1e3

 

[JSCATTLE]

I have about an acre around my barn and pen fenced. I only let them in there about once a month . Usually pour out a bag of cubes. So when I call they stand at the gate mooing. Once I close the gate on them if I'm seperating cows and calves I stand at the gate and let the cows out a few at a time. I pulled 25 calves off my cows by myself Wednesday in 15 min. Once that's done I push the calves to the wing and into the pen.

 

[shaz]

Make a large hot wire pen outside you catch pen and either put your feeders in there or let the grass accumulate. Let the cows in there with no water except in your corral. Move the hot wire in closer every day if you have to.

This is as big a PITA as what your doing now but should work better. :2cents:

 

[Bigfoot]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

 

[Rafter S]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

I feed mine sweet feed in troughs. It's a lot cheaper than cubes.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

Really not being a smart butt cubes are not available.
Man that is like crack to mine they will run over you for a cube.
Mine have to come out of the pasture through the pen to the rat trap for cubes. Close the gate on the pen and they don't even know they are caught.

 

[Bigfoot]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

I feed mine sweet feed in troughs. It's a lot cheaper than cubes.

I use what I feed everything (ddg/corn). It's hard to put out enough, to entertain them, till they all come in. A couple of alfalfa bales spread around helps keep them in there a while. Having never fed cubes, I'm assuming the taste is overwhelming to them? I'm also assuming, they can be spread around? I've only got like 120' of bunk space.

 

[Bigfoot]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

Really not being a smart butt cubes are not available.
Man that is like crack to mine they will run over you for a cube.
Mine have to come out of the pasture through the pen to the rat trap for cubes. Close the gate on the pen and they don't even know they are caught.

Can't get them anywhere.

 

[JW IN VA]

I get my cows in by myself most of the time.Some type of sweet feed or pellets really help.As Kenny and others have said,a large area leading into a small area makes it nice.Several pens can be used to hold what you have until the others come or help arrives.My Dad taught me a bucket of feed is worth a lot.He would give cattle some feed each time he "salted".
We always had a few that wanted to drag back or turn back but they have mostly been culled out.If you are by yourself, any cow that is hard to handle needs another home.Hard to do sometimes as they usually raise a good calf but how much is it worth for the trouble?
:2cents:

 

[greybeard]

I looked at every TSC in KY. They all show to carry 2 different brands cubes.

 

[Bright Raven]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

Really not being a smart butt cubes are not available.
Man that is like crack to mine they will run over you for a cube.
Mine have to come out of the pasture through the pen to the rat trap for cubes. Close the gate on the pen and they don't even know they are caught.

Can't get them anywhere.

Agree. I go to Mayslick Mill same place Charlie Boyd goes to. They do not stock cubes.

 

[J&D Cattle]

I chum with corn gluten; cubes are available here but to pricey for me. Feed them a couple times outside of the pen and get closer each time. The day I'm ready to work or sort them I feed in the pen. Rarely do I have a problem but I have no more than 25 pairs running at any place.

With as many as you're trying to catch I'd think you need to feed 200lbs at least to get them all something to eat on if not more.

 

[greybeard]

Really not being a smart butt cubes are not available.
Man that is like crack to mine they will run over you for a cube.
Mine have to come out of the pasture through the pen to the rat trap for cubes. Close the gate on the pen and they don't even know they are caught.

Can't get them anywhere.

Agree. I go to Mayslick Mill same place Charlie Boyd goes to. They do not stock cubes.

Maybe they figure Ky is so hilly all the cubes would just roll down into the crick...

 

[Bright Raven]

Can't get them anywhere.

Agree. I go to Mayslick Mill same place Charlie Boyd goes to. They do not stock cubes.

Maybe they figure Ky is so hilly all the cubes would just roll down into the crick...

They do...

Steep as a horse's face in places.

 

[Clod Hopper]

I have the same problem. They will come in no problems until I want to catch one to sell or wean calves. It is like they can read my mind. It is always a very frustrating job for me. I did have good luck catching them in a barn that I creep feed in and hauling them to the corral. I have just recently been able to get the trailer to that barn

 

[callmefence]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

We were coming home from the river on a Sunday. I was going to swing in and check some cows in lease pasture. Stopped by tsc and they were out of cake so I bought the alfalfa cubes. The cattle just nosed em around with disappointment. When I checked on em a week later the cubes were still there.

 

[kenny thomas]

I have the same problem. They will come in no problems until I want to catch one to sell or wean calves. It is like they can read my mind. It is always a very frustrating job for me. I did have good luck catching them in a barn that I creep feed in and hauling them to the corral. I have just recently been able to get the trailer to that barn

It seems crazy but I have seen the same thing in the past. I feel that were doing something different that they catch onto.

 

[TCRanch]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

Really not being a smart butt cubes are not available.
Man that is like crack to mine they will run over you for a cube.
Mine have to come out of the pasture through the pen to the rat trap for cubes. Close the gate on the pen and they don't even know they are caught.

Really wish you had cubes available, Bigfoot. This is the 2nd day after we bought our cattle (33 bred, 2nd calf). They had really only been around people when they were being worked and during calving. This was literally the first time I had even been near a cow. Our mentor told us to buy some cubes and drive around slowly in the Polaris, occasionally stopping to dump some out. Day 3 they gathered around as soon as we pulled into the pasture. The rest is history . One of our local Coop's buys directly from Purina, one makes their own but we can buy them by the bag at Orscheln (similar to TSC).

 

[Bigfoot]

I wish cubes/cake was available here. The alfalfa does OK, but reading here, makes me think there are better choices.

Really not being a smart butt cubes are not available.
Man that is like crack to mine they will run over you for a cube.
Mine have to come out of the pasture through the pen to the rat trap for cubes. Close the gate on the pen and they don't even know they are caught.

Really wish you had cubes available, Bigfoot. This is the 2nd day after we bought our cattle (33 bred, 2nd calf). They had really only been around people when they were being worked and during calving. This was literally the first time I had even been near a cow. Our mentor told us to buy some cubes and drive around slowly in the Polaris, occasionally stopping to dump some out. Day 3 they gathered around as soon as we pulled into the pasture. The rest is history . One of our local Coop's buys directly from Purina, one makes their own but we can buy them by the bag at Orscheln (similar to TSC).

There is an Orschelin about 60 miles from me. I know they don't carry them, but could probably get them. I visit that little town frequently

 

[Craig Miller]

I can generally get the ones at home.
I pull out off about 70 percent of my ground during deer season. Catching the cattle and bringing them home can be quite a production.
To quote brute23 it's exactly like trapping pigs.
We cake em for a couple weeks then spring the trap. We unhook the trailer out on the road because some of them will head for the hills at the sound of a rattling trailer. Often gathering up as many calves as they can. I like a drive through trap. You drive in one gate dump the feed go out the back gate and close it . Make a big circle like your leaving. Swing back around and close the other gate on em. Missing a calf is always a concern.We always monitor them when we get em home. The wife will be out with em that evening and I go back to the pasture, sit there and listen

Ours do the same with a trailer. Don't even took to it until We've caught all we want. Same thing if they hear a diesel engine truck. We struggle to catch but I'm sure it's because our own it too small too.