Moving cattle/calm or hyper?

[Putangitangi]

The measure for me of a workable herd was demonstrated a couple of days ago. The calves are between two and four weeks old and the mob was a mixture of first-time heifers and older cows (about 16 adults in the group). I wanted to draft them without taking them all to my yards. Because they're so quiet and used to me, I was able to draft small groups of mothers and calves out of the paddock while the rest stayed sitting or feeding where they were. Nobody rushed for the gate, nor ran stupidly away from me as I worked amongst them. I was surprised to be able to do it so easily, but they're getting easier every year. (I breed my own replacements, so the calmness builds year on year.)

 

[dun]

Sale barns are the worst place to watch people handle cattle. They have to deal with all types of cattle that have been handled in every way imaginable and they have to do it fast enough to keep the sale moving and they have no idea what the disposition of the cattle is like until they're on the truck leaving the yard... hardly shocking that they treat them all like they're rank. That way there is no surprises.

A couple of weeks ago I had to sort and load some calves and no one was here but me. Called the guy that owns the salebarn and asked if he had someone he could send over to help. The guy he setn is in his 30s, I told him what I wanted done and by the time I had closed the gates he had runthe claves into a catch pen and very soothly sorted out the ones to load. I opend up the back of the trailer and started around to help him push the calves in and he was already closing the back doors. Very calm and smooth. 2 weeks later some folks came up form Arkansas to pick up our bull that they bought so I called the guy and asked him if he could help us. We already had the bull in a large catch pen and we eased him towards the chute but he kept turning back. I finally stood where he was turning back and the wife and the kid got behind him and he walked right in the alley. He was reluctant to go in the trailer (he had never been in one before) and balked at stepping in. I went around and dumped some grain on the floor in the front and he walked right in. No real fuss or bother. I again commented on nice it was to have someone that worked cattle without all the yelling and carying on. He told me that the rules at the salebarn are to take it easy. No hotshots allowed, all they use are rattlepaddles. I mentioned the other fairly close salebarn and he said he had worked there part of one day. He got so pizzed at how they treated the animals that he quit. The pnt being, NOT ALL salebarns are rough and mistreating the animals.

 

[mwj]

At our barn, if they need a ''hotshot'' they have to sign for it at the office. Better for the livestock and better public relations.

 

[cowgirl8]

At our barn, if they need a ''hotshot'' they have to sign for it at the office. Better for the livestock and better public relations.

I rarely see a person use a hot shot right...so sad.

 

[cmf1]

I pen cows by myself. Range cubes are a powerful motivator.

2nd.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Sale barns are the worst place to watch people handle cattle. They have to deal with all types of cattle that have been handled in every way imaginable and they have to do it fast enough to keep the sale moving and they have no idea what the disposition of the cattle is like until they're on the truck leaving the yard... hardly shocking that they treat them all like they're rank. That way there is no surprises.

A couple of weeks ago I had to sort and load some calves and no one was here but me. Called the guy that owns the salebarn and asked if he had someone he could send over to help. The guy he setn is in his 30s, I told him what I wanted done and by the time I had closed the gates he had runthe claves into a catch pen and very soothly sorted out the ones to load. I opend up the back of the trailer and started around to help him push the calves in and he was already closing the back doors. Very calm and smooth. 2 weeks later some folks came up form Arkansas to pick up our bull that they bought so I called the guy and asked him if he could help us. We already had the bull in a large catch pen and we eased him towards the chute but he kept turning back. I finally stood where he was turning back and the wife and the kid got behind him and he walked right in the alley. He was reluctant to go in the trailer (he had never been in one before) and balked at stepping in. I went around and dumped some grain on the floor in the front and he walked right in. No real fuss or bother. I again commented on nice it was to have someone that worked cattle without all the yelling and carying on. He told me that the rules at the salebarn are to take it easy. No hotshots allowed, all they use are rattlepaddles. I mentioned the other fairly close salebarn and he said he had worked there part of one day. He got so pizzed at how they treated the animals that he quit. The pnt being, NOT ALL salebarns are rough and mistreating the animals.

In my opinion, that other " fairly close Salebarn " is one of the poorest run operations you can find.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Ahhh, the beauty of different operations, breeds, operators, locations, Managment.

There isn't any answer that applies to every operation

There's alot of good common sense right here folks. Many people don't get this.

 

[Lazy M]

At our barn, if they need a ''hotshot'' they have to sign for it at the office. Better for the livestock and better public relations.

When used properly a hot shot is much more humane than beating a cow that won't go up a chute with a stick

 

[Lazy M]

At our barn, if they need a ''hotshot'' they have to sign for it at the office. Better for the livestock and better public relations.

I rarely see a person use a hot shot right...so sad.

People who don't use hot shots correctly generally learn quickly because someone winds up getting hurt (unfortunately usually someone else)

 

[bigbull338]

when ive had to use a hotshot most all the time it wasnt on.cattle feel the prongs tapp emm and they start moving.

 

[Nesikep]

The cattle I just brought to the sale barn needed to go through the chute and get tagged, some of them needed a couple touches with the hot shot to move down the chute. At this sale barn they don't use hotshots anyplace else, it's just to get them through the squeeze, the rest is done with rattlepaddles. Either tool can be used properly or improperly, and a guy who can't use one the right way isn't going to do any better with the other.
I just find it's cheaper to be calm working cattle, they break less stuff I need to fix later.

 

[highgrit]

I had to use a hotshot to get a big 13 year old Beefmaster to load up. She's the calmest cow that I have ever been around. We had full intentions of selling her but she's just to easy to deal with. I dug trenches for the trailer tires, and put her calf in the trailer and tried to load her with feed all with no luck. The first jolt from the hotshot got her front feet in, and the next jolt she was loaded up.

 

[bird dog]

Watch them at The National Stockyards in OKC. They run over 10,000 head on some days and hot shots are not used. Sure they are selling in groups but the groups have to be sorted. The cowboys are all very good at their jobs and your cattle stay calm and don't shrink as much. It doesn't hurt that the facilities are set up correctly and the animals are fed while waiting in the pens.
All that and a lower commission to boot.

 

[White Face]

Calm works for me. I get mine in the corral once or twice a month and let them walk out the chute. Gets them accustom to going that way and really helps when it's time to load.

I had a young fella at the sale barn rough up a goat that I was selling. Goat was doing fine, going in the right direction, and they guy just kicked him in the rear for no reason when the goat was going by him. After a discussion with him and advising him that my boots were perfectly willing to kick him in the rear for no other reason than fun, he appeared to have a little attitude adjustment and started handling the rest with a little more respect. Some folks are immature, others just seem to have a mean/cruel streak in them.

 

[Waterway65]

A trucker was telling me about a ranch be trucked for. "If you don't yell the dog won't even pay attention to you!"