Loading/Unloading Cattle

[bordercollie050]

I would like to buy a few steers to clear out a one acre lot with corn/alfalfa (the corn rows are spaced about 5 feet apart with grass/alfalfa in between)

My questions so far are (1) how difficult will it be to get the cattle from my driveway to the lot next to my house? Can I put a rope around them and lead each one? The lot is fenced
and (2) will it be difficult to load them? do I need to build a chute?

Thanks!

 

[tntblaster11]

1) I assume you have a gate/gap opening in your fence. Back trailer up, and release.
2) Sure it can be difficult to load them...w/ nothing but an open field.

I've loaded animals up with as little as 4 cattle/horse panels... 2 attached to back of trailer w/ a small chain, and the other 2 swing shut behind the cattle. Put some hay inside the corral and inside the trailer, gently and calmly move the cattle towards the corral, be patient and they should go in for the hay, then pull the 2 panels around and chain them together.

My other concern is 1 acre lot for a few steers will last several weeks, but what are you going to do after that? Are you just buying to put on weight and sell them? Finishing them for yourself?

 

[Rafter S]

As stated above, if this field has a gate that's accessible with a trailer then getting them in it isn't going to be a problem. If it doesn't have a gate you can get to, it's going to be more difficult. Do you have a neighbor who's experienced with cattle that you can ask to come take a look? It's difficult for us to give you a good answer without more information.

And no, you can't just put a rope on them and lead them, unless they're halter broken or very small. And if they're small enough to lead then they'll need to be bottle fed milk. They'll be too young to make it on just grass.

 

[Toad]

:shock: If you do go to the stockyard and buy 6 weight steers to put in the lot and then decide to lead them with a rope please do the rest of us a favor and video tape the rodeo. I think must of us would want to enjoy the experience with you. :lol2: :banana:
All joking aside a good loading chute is a cattlemans best friend. Its often the difference between loading calm animals and a stampede.

 

[bordercollie050]

1) I assume you have a gate/gap opening in your fence. Back trailer up, and release.
2) Sure it can be difficult to load them...w/ nothing but an open field.

I've loaded animals up with as little as 4 cattle/horse panels... 2 attached to back of trailer w/ a small chain, and the other 2 swing shut behind the cattle. Put some hay inside the corral and inside the trailer, gently and calmly move the cattle towards the corral, be patient and they should go in for the hay, then pull the 2 panels around and chain them together.

My other concern is 1 acre lot for a few steers will last several weeks, but what are you going to do after that? Are you just buying to put on weight and sell them? Finishing them for yourself?

The lot is fenced BUT it is not accessible to vehicles b/c of a steep incline so basically I was thinking of unloading the cattle (at least 300-500lb range) in my driveway and walking them to the pasture but it looks like that wont be happening........I was hoping the steers would be more like dogs and you could lead them with a rope - can anyone venture a guess what would happen in such a situation?

So basically I would need to place a chute or some sort of heaving duty fencing from my driveway all the way to the pasture?

thanks

 

[Nesikep]

If you get the animals trained to respect electric fence, that may be an easier (not necessarily better) method of fencing.

A piece of advice... Get yourself well set up before getting animals... it'll be much easier on all of you and you'll thank me in the long run!

 

[Bigfoot]

I'm not being mean, just being honest. You might not need to start in cattle with that setup. We all started somewhere, but your behind the 8 ball. Wait for a better shot at success.

 

[Toad]

If you buy from the right person you may be able to find some halter broke steers. But if you buy from a market be sure you have good fence from the place you unload. Keep in mind that many steer you can buy will be in the weening process and looking for any way to escape and run home to mommy.
A number of years ago when I bought my first load I had a learning experience. I bought a load of 5 weight bulls and proceed to run them through the chute to cut them. One of the last ones had different plans. He broke out and disappeared into the distance. We hunted for days and finally heard of a bull loose a complete county away. Yes this bull hadn't stopped running for days. We finally found him in the middle of the woods feeding off a food plot. After a month or two of failed attempts to capture him we finally got him and took him directly to the sale again. The moral of the story is be sure you are ready before you bring a load home.

 

[Rafter S]

so basically I was thinking of unloading the cattle (at least 300-500lb range) in my driveway and walking them to the pasture but it looks like that wont be happening........I was hoping the steers would be more like dogs and you could lead them with a rope - can anyone venture a guess what would happen in such a situation?

My guess would be that if you turn three calves out they'll run in three different directions. And if you do put a rope on them, instead of you leading them, they'll be dragging you (until you turn loose of the rope).

I have to agree with Bigfoot. You might want to get some more experience with cattle before getting some of your own. Do you have a neighbor that has cattle? Maybe you could hang around when he's working with his until you get a feel for them. I also don't want to be mean or harsh, because we can use more allies in the cattle business, but I want your first experience with cattle to be a good one.

 

[bbirder]

You might try starting with sheep or goats. They will usually follow a bucket of corn. Do yourself a huge favor and get some experience before buying cattle. Could be an expensive and dangerous adventure.

 

[tntblaster11]

Do you have a tractor with a 3pt hitch? You can but an attachment that will hook up to your livestock trailer via 3pt hitch....

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... HwodXWkHKA

Use that to drive down into your fenced area if possible. Otherwise, I think the advise others have given is the best.. get a good fence in place, or hold off.

 

[bball]

so basically I was thinking of unloading the cattle (at least 300-500lb range) in my driveway and walking them to the pasture but it looks like that wont be happening........I was hoping the steers would be more like dogs and you could lead them with a rope - can anyone venture a guess what would happen in such a situation?

My guess would be that if you turn three calves out they'll run in three different directions. And if you do put a rope on them, instead of you leading them, they'll be dragging you (until you turn loose of the rope).

I have to agree with Bigfoot. You might want to get some more experience with cattle before getting some of your own. Do you have a neighbor that has cattle? Maybe you could hang around when he's working with his until you get a feel for them. I also don't want to be mean or harsh, because we can use more allies in the cattle business, but I want your first experience with cattle to be a good one.

This is a darn good post, filled with good advice. :clap:

 

[Caustic Burno]

so basically I was thinking of unloading the cattle (at least 300-500lb range) in my driveway and walking them to the pasture but it looks like that wont be happening........I was hoping the steers would be more like dogs and you could lead them with a rope - can anyone venture a guess what would happen in such a situation?

My guess would be that if you turn three calves out they'll run in three different directions. And if you do put a rope on them, instead of you leading them, they'll be dragging you (until you turn loose of the rope).

I have to agree with Bigfoot. You might want to get some more experience with cattle before getting some of your own. Do you have a neighbor that has cattle? Maybe you could hang around when he's working with his until you get a feel for them. I also don't want to be mean or harsh, because we can use more allies in the cattle business, but I want your first experience with cattle to be a good one.

I would like to the concession stand set up for this event with no facilities.
If they are F-1 tiger calves I would like the life insurance policy.

 

[greybeard]

he will be amazed at just how fast them critters can run too.

 

[Toad]

so basically I was thinking of unloading the cattle (at least 300-500lb range) in my driveway and walking them to the pasture but it looks like that wont be happening........I was hoping the steers would be more like dogs and you could lead them with a rope - can anyone venture a guess what would happen in such a situation?

My guess would be that if you turn three calves out they'll run in three different directions. And if you do put a rope on them, instead of you leading them, they'll be dragging you (until you turn loose of the rope).

I have to agree with Bigfoot. You might want to get some more experience with cattle before getting some of your own. Do you have a neighbor that has cattle? Maybe you could hang around when he's working with his until you get a feel for them. I also don't want to be mean or harsh, because we can use more allies in the cattle business, but I want your first experience with cattle to be a good one.

I would like to the concession stand set up for this event with no facilities.
If they are F-1 tiger calves I would like the life insurance policy.

It may be a quick event, steers would probably disappear over the hill before anyone could finish their popcorn.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

he will be amazed at just how fast them critters can run too.

:nod: :nod: :nod: :nod:

It really is amazing how fast they can run when they take a notion to do so.

 

[Nesikep]

We had a Guernsey cow.. she had a determined walk.. and there was no way you could catch up to her!

A good setup will ensure you have a better experience with cows than jumping in and then taking care of infrastructure.