How do you catch them all?

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boondocks":2wc4wr7l said:
Brute 23":2wc4wr7l said:
They sure do know what an empty sack looks like. :nod:

One time I was in a bind and put rocks in a bag. Even walked up to the plastic trough and dumped them to make some noise. When the cows came up they had a look of disgust on their face. I felt so bad about the deception I ran back to town and got cubes to make peace. :)

:lol: I've faked them out too, and felt guilty and also (and more to the point) worried it'll stop doing the trick even with the real treats.

More generally, what has worked(ish) for us is to plan out well in advance when they will be where, and when we will be catching them. Then we make sure they are hongry when we need them. Sometimes this means we will keep them on a summer pasture an extra day but throw them hay rather than move them to lush grazing. That way they come running when we yell. (Ideally. Sometimes we have to go round them up though. And once in a while, if they're in heat and we're bringing them in to AI, we just assume hijinks will ensue and build in extra time).

Are grass fed only like Artesianspringsfarm's? Trying to catch cows is bad enough in good weather, but during the with snow up to your but and in a blizzard is terrible. Cubes - cake will make your cows come like a dog, and in your environment cubes could be a lifesaver.
 
True Grit Farms":uw16t988 said:
boondocks":uw16t988 said:
Brute 23":uw16t988 said:
They sure do know what an empty sack looks like. :nod:

One time I was in a bind and put rocks in a bag. Even walked up to the plastic trough and dumped them to make some noise. When the cows came up they had a look of disgust on their face. I felt so bad about the deception I ran back to town and got cubes to make peace. :)

:lol: I've faked them out too, and felt guilty and also (and more to the point) worried it'll stop doing the trick even with the real treats.

More generally, what has worked(ish) for us is to plan out well in advance when they will be where, and when we will be catching them. Then we make sure they are hongry when we need them. Sometimes this means we will keep them on a summer pasture an extra day but throw them hay rather than move them to lush grazing. That way they come running when we yell. (Ideally. Sometimes we have to go round them up though. And once in a while, if they're in heat and we're bringing them in to AI, we just assume hijinks will ensue and build in extra time).

Are grass fed only like Artesianspringsfarm's? Trying to catch cows is bad enough in good weather, but during the with snow up to your but and in a blizzard is terrible. Cubes - cake will make your cows come like a dog, and in your environment cubes could be a lifesaver.
Even given the accuracy of the above average weather forecaster.....trying to catch cattle during a blizzard?.....ya need better planning skills and maybe check a weather app every now and then. :D

Brute is right too, I tried to catch some calves last month a little to late in the day. Cows weren't interested in leaving their shady spot. They had settled in for the day after grazing all night. Sure you can get some, but your not likely to get all that you want.
 
1982vett":2kx0x20k said:
True Grit Farms":2kx0x20k said:
boondocks":2kx0x20k said:
:lol: I've faked them out too, and felt guilty and also (and more to the point) worried it'll stop doing the trick even with the real treats.

More generally, what has worked(ish) for us is to plan out well in advance when they will be where, and when we will be catching them. Then we make sure they are hongry when we need them. Sometimes this means we will keep them on a summer pasture an extra day but throw them hay rather than move them to lush grazing. That way they come running when we yell. (Ideally. Sometimes we have to go round them up though. And once in a while, if they're in heat and we're bringing them in to AI, we just assume hijinks will ensue and build in extra time).

Are grass fed only like Artesianspringsfarm's? Trying to catch cows is bad enough in good weather, but during the with snow up to your but and in a blizzard is terrible. Cubes - cake will make your cows come like a dog, and in your environment cubes could be a lifesaver.
Even given the accuracy of the above average weather forecaster.....trying to catch cattle during a blizzard?.....ya need better planning skills and maybe check a weather app every now and then. :D

Brute is right too, I tried to catch some calves last month a little to late in the day. Cows weren't interested in leaving their shady spot. They had settled in for the day after grazing all night. Sure you can get some, but your not likely to get all that you want.

 
Dave":rd7otcko said:
I have mine hot wire trained well enough with poly wire. I just make a wide lane leading to the corral. I put some alfalfa in the back and lead them in with a bucket of grain. The wife brings up the rear on the quad keeping the stragglers caught up.

You have 3 kids on horseback!!! With a wide gate and enough wing you should be able to push several hundred into a corral. First pen should be big enough to give them plenty of room.

We do this quite a bit when driving them across roads. The spookier ones will run right through the ribbon if pressured too much though.

Ours will walk off a cliff if they think there's a mouthful of cubes at the bottom. When catching time nears bring them in and give just enough cubes to pacify them a couple times, when the time comes to catch them it's real easy.
 
1982vett":3eegv2lm said:
Are grass fed only like Artesianspringsfarm's? Trying to catch cows is bad enough in good weather, but during the with snow up to your but and in a blizzard is terrible. Cubes - cake will make your cows come like a dog, and in your environment cubes could be a lifesaver.
Even given the accuracy of the above average weather forecaster.....trying to catch cattle during a blizzard?.....ya need better planning skills and maybe check a weather app every now and then. :D

Brute is right too, I tried to catch some calves last month a little to late in the day. Cows weren't interested in leaving their shady spot. They had settled in for the day after grazing all night. Sure you can get some, but your not likely to get all that you want.[/quote]

TG, ours are grassfed too. We have tried cubes in the past. A few love them but some want nothing to do with them. Probably will get some more at some point. Tractor Supply has been out of them for about a year (ours sux).
Vett, we try very hard not to have to catch them in winter, at least in the worst of it. We finish up vaccines, AI, final preg checks, then move them to winter grounds. That said, although we try not to work them if it's real snowy, during winter we can usually get them to come with good hay thrown in the corral. (Then we work them into the barn where the chute/headgate is). We just back off their hay a bit the day before so they are hungry. (Note to PETA: we do NOT starve them! They only get peckish, I swear!)
 
:nod: Depending on the time of year....those big round or square "cubes" work as well as the ones out of a bag.....
 
I weaned the spring calves yesterday; this is my awesome crew. Two of the "cowboys" are 11 year old twins and have been working with their dad since they were old enough to sit on a saddle.
The corral. We use the trucks/trailers as a giant alley.

Bringing them in.

Narrowing the gap.

And they're in, all we need to do is close the gates.

BTW, couldn't have asked for a better weaning, perfect weather and the calves are doing great this morning in a pasture across the road.
 
I added 8,200 square feet to my catching facility over the summer. I have now caught my entire herd twice since then. It was money I didn't want to spend, but it was money well spent.
 
kenny thomas":289ix4pb said:
May seem excessive but I have a series of 7 pens before they get to the sweep tub. Makes working cattle by myself easy. Took a while to design and was expensive but sure works good.

That's the way to do it, totally agree! Once the numbers go up and the herd is spread out further and further, your system makes total sense. It's a lot more costly to get hurt or injure the cattle because you can't move them properly.
 
Bigfoot":2ahz39k1 said:
In my life, I have never been able to catch every cow, calf, and bull on my place at the same time. That is a feat that I have truely never accomplished. I've put an honest effort in it many times. Just can't do it. I calve about 10 months out of the year, so I have calves on the ground from 5 days old to 8 months old.

Some odd hang up on here, about posting numbers, so I usually avoid it. Guess I'll have to spill the beans. As of today, I have 84 cows, 51 or 52 calves on the ground, 3 bulls, and 9 short bred heifers.

At the risk of sounding dumb, how do you people catch the entire herd at one time? I just don't seem to have the skill set to do it.

We keep between 45-60 cows around all the time. 30 years ago - we (Dad) allowed a few high headed ones to stay around as long as they dropped a calf and raised it well consistently. At some point, he was out banding after I'd left home and had a momma come after him. She had him dead to rights and to hear him tell it, he was ready to meet Jesus very shortly. One of the other momma's for whatever reason, stepped in and knocked the mad one out of the way before she could get to Dad and kept her away. Anyhoo - after that, he culled any that weren't borderline pets. There's always a few that are more skittish than others, but by and large they all come to the truck, to the pen, and work through the chute once a year or so with little to no effort. Dad and mom are both mid 70's and still work the whole herd - bulls too, by themselves. At this point if he wants to work them in a week, he opens the gates up to the pen, scatters a little hay around, and they just come up and hang out after a day or so.

He stays away from Limousin, Simmental, and the majority of Angus. The Beefmaster, Charolias, a little Hereford and a little Angus keeps the herd working with ease. Cull the crazies, keep the pets, work them slow and easy. No horses.

I do the same thing.
 
Bigfoot":1aboob4m said:
I added 8,200 square feet to my catching facility over the summer. I have now caught my entire herd twice since then. It was money I didn't want to spend, but it was money well spent.
It's amazing how much difference it is when you can catch them easily. As I have said I spend more than I should on lots but I'm adding more next spring.
 
I know this is an old thread but somebody may have the same issue.
I use a barbed wire holding area of about an acre then set up a pen of freestanding panels with 2-3 pens - a bale of hay in each pen. Catch all of them with grain in the acre then the bulk in the pen, close the gate and move the works back into the next pen and open the 1st pen again, catch the stragglers and continue moving them back. We're talking 2 pails of grain max for 90 cows.
Not when it's very windy, not when they're full. If I'm catching them, they all go in every time, no exceptions. That cow that comes running but catches on and goes back in the bush - she needs to be culled. She'll make others or at best lead 2 or 3 with her when she goes. On a bad day when the wicked cow leads a few away, leave everybody you caught locked in the 2nd pen and go away for a half hour. When you return most of the time they'll be standing eating the hay when you get back. I rotationally graze and lead/call my cattle to feed all the time. I often bring a pail of grain with me and when the cows get where I want them to go I spread it out. The better you follow the more grain you get. The leaders now come at a dead run when I drive in the pasture.
 
More than 1 pen helps. I think to have 3 pens would be optimal. 1 catch pen and 2 holding pens. If I catch a cow without her calf I just leave her there overnight and by the morning the calf is waiting to get in the pen.
 

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