Best way to halter brake

[HaysFarm]

What is the best way to go about halter training?
We are/have been doing the pull as hard as you can untill they walk, well that isn't working great. They don't mind us putting the halters on, but when we do the pulling they start bucking and fliping out all over the place.
So looking for other ideas..

Help please

[mtnmenagerie]

have you...

A: left a short length of rope attached to the halter. if they are walking with their head down, they step on the rope - learn they have to stop

B: tied them to a stationary object? mine learned quick that she couldn't win against the rope.

C: AFTER A and B ~ stand with rope in hand not pulling... but not giving an inch. you might have to stand there a couple of minutes, but eventually...! every step forward that you get, give praise them and CHIN SCRATCHES!

i bought a completely unhandled, pasture raised jersey heifer. she was leading in no time. lol, but maybe i just lucked out

good luck!

[ArmyDoc]

Originally Posted by HaysFarm

What is the best way to go about halter training?
We are/have been doing the pull as hard as you can untill they walk, well that isn't working great. They don't mind us putting the halters on, but when we do the pulling they start bucking and fliping out all over the place.
So looking for other ideas..

Help please

You might try passing a long lead rope around from the chin where it attaches, around their bottom and back up to the front. Then when you move forward, the rope on their bottom kind of encourages them forward, if you will. Works on horses... don't know about cows.

[HaysFarm]

Well ours are the simple rope halter and leads in one.
Alright so i guess tieing them out is the right thing to do. I guess i also wanted to double check that just in case.
They will let you put there halters on. Will stand there,
Ok so i have a few things to try and do and see if it helps.
Have to get this done soon. cause she is just getting to be head storng.
I don't belive i would want to do this with a full grown cow, No i don't want too,,lol

It's wild just how much power a little heifer has. it still just makes my jaw drop.

[Teacupliz]

We have bought a few cow that have ot been tyied and we have a tie barn. We start by leaving them tied for a few wks. Then we simply lead them in at night and tie them. Once they learn there is hay waiting or a treat they lead better. And we lead them in and out for trianing time- Then if we need to get the ready for show- we carry a bit a grain in our hand and go one step at a time- it works- Liz

[wildhorse]

HaysFarm with maggie we tag teamed her one pulling the halter with the other behind her pushing and we left a lead rope hanging but only while she was supervised.

[HazyDay]

Now don't hate me!

Couldn't you click her lead to halter and then tie the other end of lead to a ATV? and move very slowly? Thats my guess wrong I take it! (So thank for all I have are 250 pound goats!!!!)

[mommaof10]

As a kid growing up with beef cattle in 4-H, we always tied our steers to the tractor or truck and then slowly pulled them. They soon learned that no amount of resistance would work for them.

My question is regarding our soon to calve heifer. She was about 6 months old when we got her straight off the range. She was very wild and very wary. We were able to get a rope halter on her at the ranch where we got her in one of their cattle chutes. The lead went to the ground and when she stepped on it, she learned. Every time she would take a step and step on the rope, she would be forced to stop, teaching her that a tug on the lead meant to stop. We also did this with our steers growing up.

Our heifer has slooowwwwllllyyy tamed (losing some ground when we took her to the ranch for breeding for 2 1/2 mos). We can now get in the pen with her and brush her. But, she is still always on guard and easily spooked. Her old rope halter frayed and came off. We don't have a chute or a way to make her stand still to put a halter back on her. This is leaving us very vulnerable should we need to administer medical attention, especially with her due to calve in the next week or two.

We take the halter into the pen with us when we brush her, lay it on her, put it near her head, etc. so she will get used to it. But, she is very leary about us being near her head.

Anybody have any suggestions on how to get a halter on a spooky heifer without a cattle chute?

Thanks,

Laralee
http://PlymouthRockRanch.com
Recording the Faithfulness and Provision of God for Future Generations

[ONThorsegirl]

we actually broke both of our steers by using the ATV, take securly attaching them, we looped the lead threw the back bars, and held onto the end, walking while holding onto the rope on the steer and then walking along with them behind the ATV. one person walks with the steer and then one person drives the ATV!! It Worked really well, 3 trips out on that, and then you could walk them anywhere.

Melissa

[lgslgs]

Our calf was halter trained by tying her halter rope to one of the goats when we went for our evening hike. She pretty much gave up on sassing him after the first time. The goat just leaned into the rope and pulled gently but absolutely stubbornly until the calf gave in - then did it again the next time she fussed.

That goat used to come up to use the minute he saw the halter rope and wait for us to leash the calf up to his collar. Of course, this was all done with us close enough to intervene if there was a problem. It all went nice and smoothly.

Lynda

[lgslgs]

Originally Posted by mommaof10

Anybody have any suggestions on how to get a halter on a spooky heifer without a cattle chute?

Do you have any other animals that like being brushed? With ours, if we start brushing the ones that like it the shy ones will eventually gently nudge in to see what they're missing. You can even use the halter to brush and groom everyone to make it appealing.

We did that this summer with fly swatters. They were used as petting and grooming tools most of the time and no body minded the occasion light whap to kill a horsefly. And like usual, the same ones try it out first and the wary ones hold back for a while - but after a while they nudge in so they don't miss out on something good.

Lynda

[mommaof10]

Lynda,

Thanks for your reply. Actually, our heifer loves to be brushed. We try to take the halter into the pen with us when we brush her so she will get used to it. Sometimes the children forget that part of the brushing She is just very very very wary of anything near her head. She will let you brush her head a little, but is just so suspicious of us being near her head.

We will continue brushing and taking the halter in.

Laralee
http://PlymouthRockRanch.com
Recording the Faithfulness and Providence of God for Future Generations

[lgslgs]

Originally Posted by mommaof10

She will let you brush her head a little, but is just so suspicious of us being near her head.

Be sure to try reaching from under her hear as well as over. Sometimes animals are more shy of thing approaching them from above. You could also teach her fairly quickly that reaches from under mean chin scratching and cheek scratching which is very good stuff! Then use the halter as a chin rubber.

Chin scratching can get her more used to face handling without the shock of seeing something looming right in front of her eyes.

We had one goat that could only be easily handled with approaches from below for his first year. He just got totally uncooperative if he saw hands moving toward his face. Totally different demeanor toward scratching, collar handling, and grabbing and holding from below eye level. Then at about a year old he decided petting was so good that he'd take it no matter which direction the hands came from.

Our 2 year old cow is quite good with movement toward her face and loves petting and brushing. This week though, I was wearing winter gloves and she must have forgotton about them from last year. She went all bug eyed when she saw me reach toward her forehead wearing those. She was cool with neck, then cheeks and chin though - so I started that way and in a few minutes she figured out that gloves were just petters and didn't mean my hands were suddenly deformed or dangerous.

I guess if I had big cow sized eyes I might freak out at stuff coming at them too!

Strangely enough the cow and the eye-shy goat were also the two who almost jumped out of their skins the first time they saw me wearing a skirt. I think some animals are just a bit more cautious than others about change or surprises.

Lynda

[HaysFarm]

O thank you everyone for your input.
I guess were on the right road. I just don't rember anything else putting up this big of a fight over anything.
She is killing us,,lol

I guess were going to put her on a trot line tomarrow and see what happends..

thanks again :-)

[southerngurl]

This helps with horses and I would think it would with cattle too, the same principle applies.

If they won't go forward, make them go sideways. An animal cannot stand still if you pull it off to the side. So instead of pulling from the front, try facing the cow's shoulder and pull, just putting some pressure on the rope. Wait for a minute, as soon as she gives, even just her head, let go. You can build from there. They just have to figure out what in the world you are doing. But they cannot resist you well from the side, it pulls them off balance, gives you leverage against them.

If the cow is too dull to give just from a bit of pressure, I would just go ahead and pull hard, she will have to take a step to keep her balance. Once she starts to give you can build from there.

[Shirley]

Originally Posted by HazyDay

Now don't hate me!

Couldn't you click her lead to halter and then tie the other end of lead to a ATV? and move very slowly? Thats my guess wrong I take it! (So thank for all I have are 250 pound goats!!!!)

Mine was similar. We have a mini yearling that got out and was on the road. I was alone as I drove to get her, too far to walk. She fought the leading so I couldn't hold her thru the window and drive so I tied her to the back hitch. I drove slowly watching her all the time and by the time I got back to the house, about a 1/4 mile, she was lead trained! lol
Long time ago that is how we lead trained mustangs, tie the long lead to the hitch and drive til they don't fight anymore. It always worked.
They can take advantage of our weight but they can't take advantage of a trucks weight.

[mary,tx]

I haven't done it, but have been advised to teach a calf to lead by leading them to and with their feed bucket.

I've never taught one to lead; I have just taught them to come when I call them to feed.

[lgslgs]

Originally Posted by southerngurl

An animal cannot stand still if you pull it off to the side. So instead of pulling from the front, try facing the cow's shoulder and pull, just putting some pressure on the rope. Wait for a minute, as soon as she gives, even just her head, let go.

That's how the goat did it. He never pulled straight out on her. He went out at about a 45 degree angle, then cut back and pulled at the 45 degree angle the other direction. Then back the first way. That kept the calf off balance enough that he could use leverage instead of force to get her moving.

We learned two very important things from watching the goat. First was to apply pressure on the lead rope at an angle and tip the calf into following. The second thing was getting a good feel for the right amount of pressure and persistence. Buddy never had to tug on the calf, but he made it really clear to her that he was just going to keep rocking her off balance until she gave in. He was always quite laid back about it and never even looked at her while he was doing the tugging - just ignored her and rocked that halter rope until the calf gave in and followed him.

Lynda

[francismilker]

I have been helping my kids show beef calves for years and I've found the best way to halter break is to halter them up and tie them up first. Next, I let them stand there most of the day without feed and water. Next, I try "leading" them to feed and water. If they won't willingly go, I tie them back up. After a little time (one to two days), they're more than willing to lead to water. This method seems to be less stressful on the critter's chin.
I've also used the ATV method with some success. However, once and a while you get a head strong calf that will learn to "lock up" on you and they won't walk behind you. They just ski! Once a calf has learned to lock up, you're pretty well finished.
I'd personally try the leading them to feed and water method.
I know sometimes this seems impossible when you have to lead them to the post you're tying them to, but with a little patience it can be done.
The most important thing is to remain calm. If you loose your patience, the animal can sense it and you're working backwards. Good luck.