Anyone got any good calf training strategies?

goatwishingstar · #1 08/08/06, 09:54 PM

They say its best to start training anybody at a young age, so if there are any 4hers in here or any experienced folks who may know a thing or 2 about training calves to walk on halter and stuff, holla back!

pointer_hunter · #2 08/08/06, 10:25 PM

We were just discussing this at the farm today! One of the neighbors keeps two donkeys that he rents out to other farmers to train their steers to lead. He clips a 3-4 ft rope to the steer’s halter and the other end on the donkey. They had two steers that no one could get close to without getting kicked, ran down or bitten. Clipped to the donkey for 1.5 weeks and a 10 year old girl walked out, unclipped the donkey and led the steer around like a puppy.

The donkey decides where they want to go. If the steer doesn’t follow, the donkey has enough room to turn around and kick the livin’ bajeezus out of the steer. The farmer has trained many a steer with this method and says that it has never taken more then 2 weeks to train.

lgslgs · #3 08/09/06, 10:11 AM

We were doing OK with halter training when Connie was little, and then one day she decided to go a bit stubborn.

We tied her halter rope to one of our wether goats and then hiked off with the goat herd following. Buddy (the goat) knew just how much persuasion she needed to get her moving. He'd just lean steadily into the rope, and if Connie didn't cooperate he'd switch directions to throw her off balance slightly and then lean steadily into the rope again. Connie caught on very quickly to the fact that Buddy was not going to take "no" for an answer.

After that, whenever we brought out the halter rope Buddy would come stand next to us until we tied it onto him. He was actually disappointed if he didn't get a chance to lead his cow around.

Since Connie is our only cow, she's run with the goats (and slept in their shed) since she was weaned. They've taught her to be very careful with her movements. She does NOT ever step on your feet, whack you with a tail, or kick out when she runs if there are dogs, people, or goats nearby. They also taught her that if she comes running from a distance, to slow down to a full stop about 10 feet before reaching the herd.

Now that she's 15 months old, the goats still parent her and enforce rules about not pushing at gates. They can all even share an 18 inch diameter feed bowl gently.

Lynda

cindy04 · #4 08/09/06, 02:45 PM

The donkey lead training method is very effective and will also work on colts. I have a friend of mine that has used a donkey for this type of training for years. But PLEASE don't ever use a mule or horse for this job! Very dangerous, and the poor calf or colt will more than likely never live long enough for you to walk him/her on a lead rope. Also keep the donkey's size in mind. You would'nt want to use a mini donkey on a very large crazy calf.
Cindy

goatwishingstar · #5 08/12/06, 11:30 AM

I heard about the donkey strategie, and i never thought of that before. Perhaps i will try it, but today i actually did take my calf out, and we went on a nice little stroll through the feild.

Tessynae · #6 08/12/06, 12:57 PM

I love this forum! I always learn something new and useful!

Lynne · #7 08/12/06, 01:31 PM

I’ve done several different methods with calves mainly because some are easier to train than others. With an older calf that hasn’t been handled I have tied the calf short to the offside of a horse’s halter and then lead the horse around. (Do NOT DO This At Home

I know my horse I do not know yours

). I would not let a horse and calf loose tied together. With the bottle calves size up to 150#s or so I use a soft adjustable rope halter and have them follow behind to get the bottle or to suck on my fingers while pulling on the rope. Make a game out of it. With some calves, if you do this everyday, that will be all you need. At the same time you teach them how to tie and stand for grooming. I’ve also used a butt rope as you would on a colt and even resorted to tapping on the rear with a pig crop. With two people you can have one person push from behind or use the crop while the other person pulls on the lead. The point is get their feet moving. And they catch on pretty quick at a young age

Then again, I have heard that you can teach a full size steer by hooking them to a tractor...
Never seen it though.

tyusclan · #8 08/12/06, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatwishingstar

I heard about the donkey strategie, and i never thought of that before. Perhaps i will try it, but today i actually did take my calf out, and we went on a nice little stroll through the feild.

The donkey training works wonders on larger, stronger calves. If you're starting to lead the calf and handle it at this point, you should never have to worry about using that method. The calf will grow up knowing it has to yield to you.

Tiffin · #9 08/12/06, 04:13 PM

I haven't had any reason to halter train or lead. Our Dexters let us touch them, brush them down, fly dust them with no problem. They come into the barn with just a "yell." Actually, when they hear me in the barn they coming running in thinking I must have something for them. Probably there will come a time when we need to ship them out for something and to get them in a trailer could be an issue but hopefully grain will do the trick.