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wanted: advice on buying cattle prod
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<blockquote data-quote="Anonymous" data-source="post: 2216"><p>To those who had comments regarding gentle bulls being "pets" or "training bulls to jump into trailers," etc:</p><p></p><p>I certainly don't expect every ranch to have gentle bulls that load themselves, nor do I expect every single bull we raise to load himself.</p><p></p><p>However, we DO cull for disposition and it has paid off over the years. We DO have a working ranch and raise bulls for sale.</p><p></p><p>We DO NOT "train circus type animals" or anything of the kind. You who bash the concept of bulls (and cows) that are easy to work ought to open up your minds a bit. My way is not the only way, nor is yours.</p><p></p><p>In our situation, we often load livestock and move them between pastures during the grazing season. Cattle tend to learn some of their habits from watching older animals.</p><p></p><p>When our bulls load themselves, it is most often when feed is running low in a pasture. Putting a flake or two of hay in the trailer a few times when they're hungry and they seldom are adverse to hopping in and checking out the trailer. The mature bulls seem to know a trailer ride often results in being unloaded into a pasture full of heifers ready to breed. Sometimes they load out of sheer curiousity, and slamming the trailer door before they run back out is the wise thing to do.</p><p></p><p>Yes, I've chased both bulls and cows in an effort to load them. But, they've never chased me. Well, one crossbred cow did. I fetched the dog, worked her up and down the fence until she learned some respect for humans and dogs, and put her in the freezer a few weeks later.</p><p></p><p>We ear tag and tattoo calves at birth, either in the corral or in the pasture, and have yet to have one of our cows challenge us.</p><p></p><p>We never, ever, "pet" our bulls. That is a dangerous practice, in my opinion. I always carry a good sorting stick when entering a bull corral and the dog is outside the pen just in case there's trouble. In a pasture situation, we work on horseback, or on foot with the cowdog. When I fix fence in the bull pasture, the dog is at my side.</p><p></p><p>Culling for disposition is the first step toward a herd that is easier to handle than most. Using calm methods of handling is another step, as is taking a few minutes to learn to work with the natural instincts of the cow.</p><p></p><p>The worst cow I ever attempted to AI in my life was a Simmental who was usually moved with a hotshot, and who had had so many large calves in her short breeding history that her insides were full of scar tissue. I like Simmentals. This one was wild in the chute because of the way she had been handled all her life. Her owner has zip when it comes to patience, but is always amazed when he sees me handling our cattle. He "wishes he had time" to move his cattle like I do. Funny. It takes him twice as long to work his herd, ten times the effort, and tons of frustration and cussing.</p><p></p><p>We work our cows from horseback when gathering in the pasture, we team pen on the weekends, and we use the dog when necessary, but not on a regular basis. Our cows aren't pets by any means, and I have seen our momma cows put more than one cowdog back up on the porch (a friend's dog, not mine). They are easy with humans, but hell on dogs. They protect their babies from predators, but do not see humans as such.</p><p></p><p>> Anybody who stands behind a bull</p><p>> or cow while they put a hotshot on</p><p>> them deserves "black and blue</p><p>> shins - or worse" as an award for</p><p>> stupidity. Who would get in the</p><p>> chute with a disagreeable animal?</p><p></p><p>> Culling for disposition a good</p><p>> practice when it comes to getting</p><p>> rid of wild stock but expecting</p><p>> bulls so gentle they will load</p><p>> themselves? That expectation is</p><p>> crazy for a working ranch.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Anonymous, post: 2216"] To those who had comments regarding gentle bulls being "pets" or "training bulls to jump into trailers," etc: I certainly don't expect every ranch to have gentle bulls that load themselves, nor do I expect every single bull we raise to load himself. However, we DO cull for disposition and it has paid off over the years. We DO have a working ranch and raise bulls for sale. We DO NOT "train circus type animals" or anything of the kind. You who bash the concept of bulls (and cows) that are easy to work ought to open up your minds a bit. My way is not the only way, nor is yours. In our situation, we often load livestock and move them between pastures during the grazing season. Cattle tend to learn some of their habits from watching older animals. When our bulls load themselves, it is most often when feed is running low in a pasture. Putting a flake or two of hay in the trailer a few times when they're hungry and they seldom are adverse to hopping in and checking out the trailer. The mature bulls seem to know a trailer ride often results in being unloaded into a pasture full of heifers ready to breed. Sometimes they load out of sheer curiousity, and slamming the trailer door before they run back out is the wise thing to do. Yes, I've chased both bulls and cows in an effort to load them. But, they've never chased me. Well, one crossbred cow did. I fetched the dog, worked her up and down the fence until she learned some respect for humans and dogs, and put her in the freezer a few weeks later. We ear tag and tattoo calves at birth, either in the corral or in the pasture, and have yet to have one of our cows challenge us. We never, ever, "pet" our bulls. That is a dangerous practice, in my opinion. I always carry a good sorting stick when entering a bull corral and the dog is outside the pen just in case there's trouble. In a pasture situation, we work on horseback, or on foot with the cowdog. When I fix fence in the bull pasture, the dog is at my side. Culling for disposition is the first step toward a herd that is easier to handle than most. Using calm methods of handling is another step, as is taking a few minutes to learn to work with the natural instincts of the cow. The worst cow I ever attempted to AI in my life was a Simmental who was usually moved with a hotshot, and who had had so many large calves in her short breeding history that her insides were full of scar tissue. I like Simmentals. This one was wild in the chute because of the way she had been handled all her life. Her owner has zip when it comes to patience, but is always amazed when he sees me handling our cattle. He "wishes he had time" to move his cattle like I do. Funny. It takes him twice as long to work his herd, ten times the effort, and tons of frustration and cussing. We work our cows from horseback when gathering in the pasture, we team pen on the weekends, and we use the dog when necessary, but not on a regular basis. Our cows aren't pets by any means, and I have seen our momma cows put more than one cowdog back up on the porch (a friend's dog, not mine). They are easy with humans, but hell on dogs. They protect their babies from predators, but do not see humans as such. > Anybody who stands behind a bull > or cow while they put a hotshot on > them deserves “black and blue > shins - or worse” as an award for > stupidity. Who would get in the > chute with a disagreeable animal? > Culling for disposition a good > practice when it comes to getting > rid of wild stock but expecting > bulls so gentle they will load > themselves? That expectation is > crazy for a working ranch. [/QUOTE]
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