She'll be fine on hay for a few days right?

Cheryl aka JM · #1 05/06/10, 07:45 AM

Hello All!
I brought last years babies up into the round pen yesterday so that we could give vaccine boosters, pour on some Cydectin and put in new insecticide ear tags (fly season is here again!) For the most part everyone was a reasonably good sport. The little steer that was never friendly had to be lured in, rope slipped over him, knocked off his feet and layed on by two of us to get his ear tag...but we were actually surprised we could put our hands on him at all so that was good enough.

The yearlings I bottle raised last year are BIG now (I'll try to get new pics again....I swear they've gained at least 4 inches height just in the last month on the nice graze in the upper pasture!). One steer was a very good sport about the whole ordeal. One Steer would not let anyone but me catch him, but once he was caught wasn't too bad (did NOT want to stand still for that shot and has a thick hide!) One of the heifers was just as sweet as you can be and put up with it all for a scratch and a little grain....

But that last heifer. Bossy. She wondered off while everyone else went into the round pen (even the half wild little steer went in but not her!). She would not let me catch her for grain, cookies or apples. She had to be herded by 4 people into the pen and then spent a good 45 min running us all in the hot sun staying just out of reach so we couldn't put our hands on her! We finally left her in the round pen with some water and dry hair. No nice pasture in there. I came back about an hour later alone with some grain and she wanted to be my friend THEN! I didn't have any helpers then so she didn't get her shot, tag or cydectin. I left her in there last night and this morning she wants to be my friend. I'm thinking I'll go buy a new halter for her today and make her spend a week or so in that round pen~ only coming out on lead for green grass, only getting anything good from us humans and basically reminding her that everything good in life comes from us!

It won't hurt her to spend a few days or even a week eating dry hay while everyone is eating lush green pasture right over the fence from her will it?

bigmudder77 · #2 05/06/10, 08:45 AM

she will be fine they have to eat hay all winter any ways but it might hurt her feelings lol

**gone-a-milkin** · #3 05/06/10, 09:46 AM

Sounds like a plan.

I have done the same thing with horses.
I think she will be really glad to see you
once she learns the new routine.

MollyK · #4 05/06/10, 05:08 PM

I did that with my stallion one time. I chased him around the pasture for 3 hours... 3 hours!! that is ridiculous. I put him in the very very front pasture of our land- out of sight of his 4 girls and and he didn't get anything he wanted for a week.

never have had problems catching him again. It works!!

Cheryl aka JM · #5 05/06/10, 06:58 PM

Wow~ you want to really annoy a horse?

Walk your cow in front of her!

I got Bossy a new halter~ chain on the chin~ she listens nicely while wearing it. In fact I've discovered she listens nicely when it's just me with her and then freaks when anyone else gets near her. So I've had my son's go out and give her goodies, move her from the hot exposed round pen to a tie out under a shade tree~ stuff like that. Then I took her for a walk down the driveway so she would see the neighbors some. She was fine with it all~ but my horse "Jo" was NOT. She snorted and nickered at me as I walked the cow down the driveway~ then took off through the pasture in an obvious tantrum!

MollyK · #6 05/06/10, 07:05 PM

oh my goodness! lol
Flint, my stud, is currently pastured with my almost 10 week old Holstein that I put up every night so that he can eat his grain with out Flint bullying him off.. but Flint never gets upset that I walk him and neither do the mares. They all love Opie the calf!
Jo must have jealousy issues since your walking a specific cow around