stubborn heifer - update

Got the heifer moved yesterday, just had to outsmart her. By moving around where I feed hay over a few days, I was able to get her to follow the cows into the paddock where the squeeze chute is. Basically ignored her while they ate some nice green alfalfa, and she walked into the corner where I had corral panels to sweep her into a temporary alley. I put some big sheets of cardboard on the outside of the panels so she couldn't see out, and I have plywood on the outside of the alley panels.

Funny thing was, when she got close to the corner, one of the mamas came up behind her and gave her about an 8 foot shove into the corner, between two other cows! Then I was able to move up and close the last panel to lock them in. She let me know she wasn't happy by throwing a good kick at the panel next to me, but she stayed pretty calm because she was with her mama and another cow. I had the headgate set on automatic, so I just had to sweep her around the corner and she took off for the light, into the headgate and bang! she was caught. Put the squeeze on her and shut the back gate on the chute, then I let everyone else back out to pasture while I got the trailer. Couldn't have worked out any better.

Moved her up the road to the steer pasture, and she found the others right away and seemed to settle down good. Fed them some feed a few hours later and she followed the steers to the feed bunk, but she stayed about 20 feet from me at the hay feeder. I think she will settle down fine. She will be in that pasture until she leaves in two halves on the butcher's truck next February.

Glad I got her moved when I did, since it's supposed to be in the 50's tomorrow so we're going to go from snow and ice to mud soon. Now I hope I got her away from the bull in time before he did his work. Having watched them every day, I hadn't seen the bull show any interest in her yet, so I'm hoping I got her out in time.

A lot of bulls do their work at night,lol. Glad you got her rounded up.

Way to go Loren! Bet you had to smile when she slammed into that headgate... completely helpless and in YOUR control.

Loren- Didn't I tell you that the ambush method works good? Great to hear you finally got her. I just saw you have a Priefert squeeze chute. I found an almost new one last year and bought it from a guy who used it for less than a year- it was almost new- we've used it a couple of times and love it! I've had manual and automatics, and that chute is the best thing we've gotten yet. Back to the critters- half the job of handling them is to be smarter than they are, which sometimes takes some doing. Work easily around them, don't holler too much, or move too suddenly. There are some good working videos on the net, and you might just want to watch them some time. They explain 'flight zones' and easy ways to move cows. But I find that walking among them frequently and working them occasionally do more good than chasing them all over. Even the goosey ones seem to calm down some with frequent contact. However, I would imagine, you'll still build up quite a book over your career to pass on to your kids about what does and doesn't work.

We had one out a couple of years ago. Didn't help that my nephew who was raised on a farm scared the crap out of here trying to chase her with a truck. After the 3rd day I was about ready to drop here where she stood. Then she tried getting in with some cows and we were able to coner her and get her loaded and home.

Glad you got her!

Rick

GOTCHA!

Yep, you learn something every day with cattle. My 3 year old cows and bull I can move pretty much anywhere by putting some leafy green alfalfa in front of them. They see me every morning when I feed the horses, then I pet them a bit every evening when I give them a little grain and a few hay bales. They probably don't need the grain, but a little keeps them running to see me when I bring it out. Only one crabby cow won't let me touch her, but she's the first one to come running for feed or hay.

One big lesson I learned with this one is to wean the calves from the herd at 6 months, and not wait until 9. They're smaller and easier to handle then, and they're not going to stray far from mama. Other lesson is I need to build a permanent catch pen, sweep, and alley between the two pastures, so I'm not relying on protable panels.

Definitely felt like running to the house for a beer as soon as I had the heifer locked in the headgate. I bought the Priefert chute when it was on sale a few years ago, shortly after buying the herd of cattle. Definitely well worth the price. The automatic headgate has to be one of the greatest cattle working inventions ever.

I'm going to start rotational grazing this summer, so I'll get even more quality time working them every few days from one paddock to another.

LOL Thats one of my planned summer projects, getting fencing in to do rotational grazing.

Rick

Good work, know it's a relief.

I have one of those Prefiert head gates only, no squeeze chute. Which hole do you set the automatic feature in for that size cow? I haven't used it yet.

KEH

go to Prieferts website...they have manuals in pdf format to d/l for free.
also the locks are warranted forever...i was given a old Preifert head gate and one of the locks wouldnt hold...they sent me a new one free.

Rick- check with NRCS- there was funding for cross fencing- about $3 a foot when I did mine. I put in over 4k', materials cost $2k, they paid $7k to put it in.

You done everything perfect, except, you should hav driven straight to the nearest auction and got rid of her. Tom

Tom, you got it right, get them spooky devils out of the herd!! I once shipped a mom and two daughters at same time, nothing but trouble, get that blood gone!!

I set it on the 2nd hole, so the doors are open just enough for the cows head to fit thru. Trick is to set it so it's just barely on the pins, so it's like a hair trigger. It also helps to have cardboard or plywood on the alley so they can't see out the sides.

I think she will be alright now. When I gave the steers some feed yesterday, she followed the others up to the feed bunk while I was standing by it, and was soon eating feed 2 feet from me. I bet I'll be able to scratch her neck while she's eating, within a few weeks.

I started an EQIP contract with NRCS last year for prescribed (rotational) grazing. They paid around $1.10/ft for perimeter fencing (4-wire HT) around the hay field, since it was production acreage that's being converted to pasture. Not sure if they will give me anything for cross fencing, but that only needs to be a single strand of electric rope, pretty cheap. They also paid for seed for the new pasture and to no-till into existing hay field, and they are paying for running water line to the paddocks.

mine wasn't particular, he seized the chance when it was offered.