Kicker

[Jordan]

I have a shorthorn steer, and he recently just started to kick at me. I haven't hit him or anything yet. But I was wondering if anyone had any tips to stop him from kicking.

 

[jaydill]

Hobbles. I don't have any personal experience with them but I'm sure someone else on the board could elaborate. You might try going to the search and typing in "hobbles" as well and reading what comes up on them.

 

[Jordan]

I wouldn't think he would just be doing it to be mean, he has been like a big baby so far. But this just started out of no where.

 

[googly_moogly]

I had a calf that kicked more than normal and a man told me to tie a ballon to his tail and keep them on there till he stopped. When he broke one, I would put on another. Eventually he was so used to it that he quit kicking them and after working with him a little more he never kicked again. I don't know if he was a rare case but it worked very well.
Googly Moogly

 

[klintdog]

Is he kicking when you touch any certain area, or just whenever you get close? I had a steer that would kick whenever we got close to his ribs. After watching the pen for a while, I noticed that we had a bull that kept knocking him in the ribs when he'd try to herd them. Just something to watch for.

 

[TxSimbrahShower]

We have had kicking heifer's before that we would tie up and roll a ball underneath them and between there legs. After a few times they stopped kicking. You can also use a can tied to a rope and throw it under the calf, just make sure as not to hit the calf with it.

mom

 

[jaydill]

Jay, I want to see you put hobbles on a kicking calf, been there done that. I would just watch out for flying legs and keep going with him. As they get bigger the lazier they get, and the less and less he will kick.

Blake, I said I didn't have any experience with it and that he ought to do a search about it. Read.

 

[msscamp]

I have a shorthorn steer, and he recently just started to kick at me. I haven't hit him or anything yet. But I was wondering if anyone had any tips to stop him from kicking.

I don't do show calves but, considering that this steer has just recently started kicking, I would be more inclined to pay a little closer attention and find out what he is objecting to - thus triggering the kicking - trying to figure out why he is objecting now when he hasn't in the past, and correcting the problem. Hobbles, balloons, etc are only treating the symptoms, not the base problem.

 

[chambero]

If he is just kicking a little, ignore it as best you can by just keeping on doing whatever you are doing that makes him kick. As long as he isn't making contact, he'll figure out it isn't working as a deterrent and will eventually stop.

If he is kicking so bad that you can't ignore it (i.e. you can't comb him or get close to him), get a regular floor broom and brush him with that. He will eventually stop when he figures out kicking doesn't have an effect on you.

 

[jnowack]

If he is just kicking a little, ignore it as best you can by just keeping on doing whatever you are doing that makes him kick. As long as he isn't making contact, he'll figure out it isn't working as a deterrent and will eventually stop.

If he is kicking so bad that you can't ignore it (i.e. you can't comb him or get close to him), get a regular floor broom and brush him with that. He will eventually stop when he figures out kicking doesn't have an effect on you.

I like the broom idea. I have used the showstick to rub around on them but the broom would be safer and not get hooked in their tail like the showstick does.