Tips Needed on Training a 15month old Heifer

[TagandKiss]

We got a 15month old Longhorn Heifer about 3months ago. Its been so cold havnt really worked with her more then 15mins a day. She out in a 5acre pasture by herself. I need to get her halter broke and i dont even know where to start. she got out a few days ago and what a mess that was I been working on her about getting use to being touch. I can touch her head and horns no problem but anything else she will move away. i can touch her anywhere with a long whip she dont care. those big horns kinda scare me :shock: she never has charge but she will shake her head back n fourth.

So any tips on what to do here?

btw this is my grandpa's cow he is 84yrs young. lol he out last any 20yr old. but he always wanted texas longhorns out in the pasture. so i got the job of training this one he brought x-X he gonna buy 2 more but they are older and trained and wont be until he gets home from yuma az in about a month or so. but you think having other heifers will help her? thanks for any infor

 

[3MR]

Why are you training them cows again? Are you showing them?

 

[TagandKiss]

Why are you training them cows again? Are you showing them?

nope, so next time she gets out it aint rodeo to get her home x-x took 4hours to get her into a horse trailer. she is very stubborn.

 

[Susie David]

Try training her to a grain bucket...she won't stab you with the horns but will whip them around like a baseball bat.
Good luck getting a halter on her. Do you have a chute or headcatch?
Alot of longhorn folks that should offer some real sound advise.
DMc

 

[3MR]

Well I have never halter trained a claf before, but I do see your delima. What I have done in a similar situation was rope the cow around the neck, get about 4 feet in front then loop around her butt just below her haunches. As long as I was pulling on both loops at the same time they have allways gone exatly were I wanted. Great for horses and loading a stubborn animal into a trailer as well. Hope that helps. As far as halter breaking I would repost in the showing thread. There are some people there who have plenty of experience halter training a calf. I think age probably has a good deal to do with it. The time for this one might have come and gone, dont know.

 

[warpaint]

As was said earlier, (sound advice by the way Dave). You will be better off getting her to follow a bucket. At 15 mos. she will be too big for any one person to control by themselves on a halter and lead. Not saying it cant be done, but without dragging her behind a tractor, I don't think you'll make much headway.

We halter break, 75% of our LHs when they are very young, and easier to handle.

 

[aplusmnt]

15 months is pretty late to be halter breaking, especially just to have a cow that will load in the trailer. I would work on the fences so she does not get out and then do as others have suggested just get her bucket broke.

If you must halter break her I would get her in chute and halter her then just tie her up a bunch of days and brush on her. I would think if the temperament that most say Longhorns have is true then they should be easy to break to lead.

Them horns would scare me, any cow can act up when breaking them and a big set of horns is just an extra concern.

Good luck.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Sorry to hear of your Longhorn training & "escape" delimma!

Generally, people that halter train Longhorns start not later than weaning (6-7 mos old). If their Mama is sane, then can start them before weaned. Is important to "secure" a baby calf and let them smell you, rub them all over with your hands, hug them, etc. (like you would do a new foal).

Fifteen months old is definitely too old to start halter training. However, couple of years ago we had a very gentle young cow (3-5 yrs old) that my wife was able to put a halter on and lead her around in about 15 minutes time...a LOT depends on the temperament of the animal, trust in you, and non-threatening behavior of the human handler.

All this aside, your #1 priority is to make a secure fenced place to keep your cattle from getting out in the first place. The #2 priority is to construct (or purchase prefab handling units) to funnel your animals into and then restrain them. Conventional head gates DO NOT work with Longhorns. Use 2 gates hinged on same end as in a "Medina Hinge" set-up. We use this method: go to our website and browse our photo albums and in particular, see the photos on "our facilities". We also have a drawing posted on our corral set-up with Longhorns.

Finally, the "bucket of cubes" works wonders in "training" an animal to come to you...just be sure the animal gets the treat; otherwise, they will take it away from you... ;-)

A caveat: Some animals train easily, others more difficult, still others are extremely difficult to train...just like people!

 

[TXBobcat]

As was said earlier, (sound advice by the way Dave). You will be better off getting her to follow a bucket. At 15 mos. she will be too big for any one person to control by themselves on a halter and lead. Not saying it cant be done, but without dragging her behind a tractor, I don't think you'll make much headway.

We halter break, 75% of our LHs when they are very young, and easier to handle.

Hey Warpaint,

If you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate some step by step info on how you halter break your Longhorns. I have a nice little heifer I plan on halter breaking this spring. I plan to start work on her at weaning time, around 5-6 months of age.

Maybe she'll make a 4-h project for my 9 yr old daughter. This will be the first calf we've halter broke, so any tips are appreciated.

 

[TagandKiss]

thanks all. yea if she was baby would been much easyer. but my grandpa seen her and wanted her and brought her x-x we got the plastic 3 slot fence the white vinyl fencing. gonna talk my grandpa into lining it with horse safe metal fencing.

thanks again