Slick Way to Sort Cows and Calves

[slick4591]

Saw this on a Facebook post that Cindy commented on and thought it was pretty neat.

http://youtu.be/P4FUE-OrXRw

[youtube]P4FUE-OrXRw[/youtube]

 

[Hook]

That's pretty smart. I wonder how that could be incorporated into use with portable panels without bringing twice the panels

 

[Tim/South]

Pretty slick way to sort.
I am trying to figure out how to work something like that into the pen I have. Many of us work alone. The cattle know us. When you add another person to help they can get a little nervous. One man can sort alone with this idea.

 

[slick4591]

That's pretty smart. I wonder how that could be incorporated into use with portable panels without bringing twice the panels

I don't see how you could do this without the extra panels, Hook. It will take some type of confinement area for the calves. I'm also thinking that setup costs on a new holding area probably wouldn't pencil out for us smaller outfits. But, I do think it's really a neat way to sort.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Very slick, Slick.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Bud showed something like this but w/o the partial gate. You stand in the middle and step one way or the other to direct each one into the correct opening.
We usually sort using one gate and 2 people. Most of the cows will leave w/o any calves making a more. Then you need the second person to cut out the shy cows.

 

[Jogeephus]

I like this a lot.

 

[cross_7]

99.9 % of the time I work cattle alone and I have always done it exactly like that except without the panel for the calves

The cows want out of the pen
You stand in the gate and they file out past you. If a calf starts out, step in the gate and turn it back
Continue doing it till the cows are out and your left with the calves

 

[Bigfoot]

Once again, I'm always different. That would never work for me. A narrow alley with a cut gate is all I have luck with.

 

[cross_7]

Another way is if your sorting from one pen to another instead out to pasture
If their leaving to pasture/freedom they'll go out without hesitation, but from one pen to another then they tend to not all want to, the key with that is leaving for freedom.

But if you'll close the gate between the two pens and pour some cake in a trough they'll all huddle up at the gate wanting in.
Then it works same as the other

 

[Richardin52]

Now hat's one of the best tips I've had in a long time. :clap:

 

[Farmerjon]

DId you see that black cow in the beginning run into the first round pen? Well our black cow like that would go to her knees and get half way under that gate then destroy it standing up and panicking. But it is a great system and was working real nice.

 

[Howdyjabo]

With sheep if you have an extra 90 degree turn to the gate on the way out ewes will make the turn to get out, lambs will go straight into a pen. But they have to share a fence on the other side for it to work.

Its 90 % just natural reaction on the lambs part to run straight.
I train mine by letting them out and the gate to the straight thru pen is only big enough to let the lambs out on the other end. the lambs take the easy way out expecting the gate to be open on the other end. the ewes learn the only way out for them is to take the 90 degree turn gate. Makes the sort 100% when I need it.

 

[Hook]

Wonder how it would work to sort off smaller calves from larger calves destined for the barn? Instead of sorting them into a separate pen, just a panel or gate that is high enough up for the smaller calves to squirt through

 

[Limomike]

I like that idea

 

[sim.-ang.king]

I do it pretty much that way. Run them all in the barn, leave the gate open enough for the cows to go through. They pretty much sort themselves.

 

[skyhightree1]

slick nice video... I would try and sort mine like that if I had enough cattle to justify building a sorting facility like that.

 

[cow pollinater]

I would like to have cows that I could stand in front of to sort like that without getting a face full of snot. If they act like the ones in the video there is no hard way to sort them.

 

[glacierridge]

I like that it's low stress for the cattle and the person/people

Totally a win

 

[Nesikep]

I can't see the video unfortunately, but it sounds good... When I wean, I bring all the cows into my lowest corral, which is about 60' x 60', and gently run them around until I have a couple cows on the north end, (the gate is hinged on the south end), and my dad will open the gate and they'll go out, rinse, repeat until I get all the cows I want out. After all the cows immediately go to a new pasture and I ship the calves... Usually it works good, sometimes the cows will break down a gate or fence in the middle of the night and be roaming around the yard. The sorting usually takes me about 5 to 10 minutes for 22 head... There's always a few calves that stick right close to mom and are hard to separate.... I'll try and view the vid on monday