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tcolvin
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I like the one shot from the beginning but as I said before in another reply, it's his annual.
Sizing up the bull
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tcolvin
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Ok, I had a thought after he got out that maybe if there had been more cows in the corral he might have went thru chute just to get out of the way. My worry now is that since he has escaped one time he might think he can do it every time. I just got to get my act together and get my chute entrance in better shape.
Your worry has justification. I would suggest getting your whole handling system built properly before you train the whole herd. Doing things right the first time is the cheapest.
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tcolvin
Well-known member
I totally agree. When I can get to my laptop I'm going to draw out my corral lay out and post it for scrutiny.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
I have a pretty decent set-up for working cattle by myself. But good setups are rare in my area. I know of lots of places that dont even have a head chute. I think tcolvin is close but needs just a little more.
I agree to not leave him in by himself
I have a bull i raised that's weighing over a ton. Very gentle but i doubt he would like being the last one through.
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tcolvin
Well-known member
Thinking back over the last 5 years , I don't think he has ever been last one in except for this time. I hope his memory of escaping doesn't stick with him. I may need now to wait a month before trying him again.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
If he has normally been pretty gentle i suspect with several cows he would be ok. But you know him well.
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tcolvin
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He doesn't like to be touched and never had been. I have some cows this way but normally they will go into chute with a little proding. But he never try's to attack you, he just tried to get out of the way. I think I'll raise my corral walls another 10 inches and fix my gates with better latches. Then get the chute entrance a little more workable.
kenny thomas
Well-known member
Doesn't have to elaborate for a few cows, just needs to be stronger than your bull.
wbvs58
Well-known member
Yeh, Warren nailed it. Big mistake having him last by himself. Bulls don't like it they think you are going to take them away from their girls. I think you will be OK if you keep him mixed with the cows to work him, maybe run 1 or 2 through first then him to follow hot on their tails and do it by yourself unless they are very familiar with that other person.
Ken
Ken
Gonna be down in the Unadilla- Cordele area this weekend. Clay and I are going down there to bird hunt. We can bring our cow horses with us. Both of us have one that we can catch wild cattle on. and we both have used them to drag 2k+ lb bucking bulls out of the arena. We can head and heel him., and stretch him out to where you can do anything you want to him. 100% guaranteed. And if you asked me, I would be happy to look at your set-up, and maybe offer suggestions on how to build a system that you can work him with. What is the closest town to you?
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tcolvin
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My chute has a square corner entrance and I think is the problem. I'll post a pic when I can today but I think a drawing would be best.
If any body has pictures of your chute entrance that works good for you please post a picture. This is the fist time I have had a real problem with getting one to load up I'm the chute. Thanks
If any body has pictures of your chute entrance that works good for you please post a picture. This is the fist time I have had a real problem with getting one to load up I'm the chute. Thanks
Travlr
Well-known member
Working with vets it was amazing how many times we would go out to medicate an animal and the owner wouldn't have them caught up and didn't have any kind of catch pen. We did a lot of roping and tying cows to the bumper hitch.
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tcolvin
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Warren I deeply appreciate your offer for helping me and I believe you know your stuff. But, This being the time of year it is with holidays all that going on with my grandkids and 12 great grands kids, it makes all my plans to have to coordinate with what I want to do almost impossible. They are always doing but this time of year I think they are "overdoing". Lol. Anyway thanks for the offer , but I wouldn't dream of putting y'all to that kind of trouble. But thanks anyway.
PS- Cordell is 100 miles from Cobbtown, Ga
Ebenezer
Well-known member
Sure knot maker.
Ebenezer
Well-known member
If you want to trick the animals with lesser facilities, you feed them (bait) into the corral and then only exit them though the chute to get more feed as they exit. They learn the pattern. Like TAI and such, a reward at the outlet can make a lot of difference for some animals.
But I still say that you either develop strong and safe facilities or you deal with what you just did on a reoccurring basis.
But I still say that you either develop strong and safe facilities or you deal with what you just did on a reoccurring basis.
You down around Claxton and Metter? Yeah, it would be better to just take 16 out of Macon, than to go across country from Cordele. Takes me 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours pulling a trailer to get to the Kudzu place, and would be 2 hours from there to Cobbtown. But, it would only be 2 and 1/2 hours for me from up here to there, going I 16. 5 hours on the road round trip, and probably about an hour on site, I think the cost would be more than it would be worth to just do the one bull. It wouldn't take 5 minutes to catch him and hold him while you gave him shots, but we won't yippie-kye-yay, take off after them hell -bent for leather, unless you hqd a 7'6" high pipe corral. We'd saddle up, ease into the pasture or corral, and just sit there quietly on the horses, til the cattle got settled and curious enough to actually approach us. (and they would). Then we'd walk in and around among them for a while, and when they got ok with that, we'd just drop a loop on him. He'd probably try to take off then, but that's what you need to get him hopping in back enough to heel him. I'd get him on the 2nd hop. we don't "cowboy" cattle except as a last resort. Best to never get them spooked and running, but if you do, you'd best be cowboy enough and mounted well enough to get them quick! And that is only if they are in a fence or corral that can hold them, or in a large enough open space to get it done before they get to a fence. I detest trying to work cattle that have been cowboyed by people that didn't know what they were doing, or have had dogs sicced on them by people who didn't know how ( and their dogs didn't know how) and worst of all, had some idiot trying to chase them on 4 wheelers, motorcycles etc. Slow, quiet and easy is the key to working cattle with horses, if you want to be able to do it the 2nd and subsequent times.
sunnyblueskies
Well-known member
Please do not take my 5 cent as criticism, because it's always easier to comment from outside the window.
Stop thinking about your setup. It is what it is now and you should concentrate on cattle behaviour instead.
Few things come to mind as to why the bull didn't want to go in. Some things have already been brought up by the others.
Don't leave the bull as last animal to go through. Leaving him alone in the corral waiting while you turn the other ones out just makes him impatient and feeling 'left behind' while everyone goes. I can imagine why you did that, big job, maybe scary, might be difficult, let's do that at the end.
Also, are your cows used to this particular helper? Did YOU chase the bull into the alleyway when it went good? Cows get irritated when strangers work with them, at least when it's a smaller herd and they are just used to 'their' people.
Here is what I would do. Bring the whole herd in, leave half of them in the holding pen, put half of them in the pen in front of the headgate. Maybe even move them through the alleyway for practice. If you can, move a cow in front of the bull in the alleyway, let him follow kinda thing. If the bull is used to you the most, then you walk him in.
Once in I would do the most difficult thing first, when he is the most quiet, the nasal vaccine. Then the others. Personally I really wouldn't even bother with feed in the alleyway, the longer he is in there the more agitated he is going to get. Like @Warren Allison says, slow and steady.
I think by now we all want to stop by and give you a hand. Hahahahaha. In a good way. You care, you wanna do the right thing and that's all that matters. Thanks for sharing your story by the way, we can all learn from different situations.
Stop thinking about your setup. It is what it is now and you should concentrate on cattle behaviour instead.
Few things come to mind as to why the bull didn't want to go in. Some things have already been brought up by the others.
Don't leave the bull as last animal to go through. Leaving him alone in the corral waiting while you turn the other ones out just makes him impatient and feeling 'left behind' while everyone goes. I can imagine why you did that, big job, maybe scary, might be difficult, let's do that at the end.
Also, are your cows used to this particular helper? Did YOU chase the bull into the alleyway when it went good? Cows get irritated when strangers work with them, at least when it's a smaller herd and they are just used to 'their' people.
Here is what I would do. Bring the whole herd in, leave half of them in the holding pen, put half of them in the pen in front of the headgate. Maybe even move them through the alleyway for practice. If you can, move a cow in front of the bull in the alleyway, let him follow kinda thing. If the bull is used to you the most, then you walk him in.
Once in I would do the most difficult thing first, when he is the most quiet, the nasal vaccine. Then the others. Personally I really wouldn't even bother with feed in the alleyway, the longer he is in there the more agitated he is going to get. Like @Warren Allison says, slow and steady.
I think by now we all want to stop by and give you a hand. Hahahahaha. In a good way. You care, you wanna do the right thing and that's all that matters. Thanks for sharing your story by the way, we can all learn from different situations.
