Can I lasso a calf around neck?

ufo_chris · #1 05/18/11, 12:12 AM

I have a 6 month old bull calf I want to halter train. He does not let me touch him much, not near enough to get a halter on him. So ,I was thinking ,if I put a lasso around his neck and tie it to something, I know he will freak and struggle a while, but I'm worried,would it choke him?
I know he would just pull and pull for a while,so it would get tighter and tighter and choke him...right ,or am I wrong.....?
And If I'm right, how do you get a halter on???
He's too wary for slipping one on with his face stuck in the feed bucket, I tried!
Thanks,Chris

SpaceCadet12364 · #2 05/18/11, 12:18 AM

Do you have a head gate by any chance? If not, maybe a place where you can pin him inbetween a couple gates in an impromptu squeeze chute? Either that, or load him onto a trailer if you have a neighbor with the chute/gate set up, or if your vet will let you run him through the chute/gate in order to get that halter on him.

You could do the lassoing, I would be prepared though with a halter & lead to put on him. If he does choke himself out, you would have a very short bit to loosen it up slightly and get the halter & lead on him. I would recommend a couple helpers as well.

Good luck!

**gone-a-milkin** · #3 05/18/11, 12:19 AM

Yes you can rope him around the neck.
Yes he will pull and it will get tighter and tighter.
While he struggles backwards against the rope you can get the halter on.

Rope calf, tie rope up short to something stout, wrestle halter onto calf w/o getting kicked or clotheslined, untie rope.

BTDT and we all lived to tell the tale.
A squeeze chute with a neck catch is a bit easier, IMO.

Callieslamb · #4 05/18/11, 07:34 AM

My dad used to lasso then twist a loop from the lasso around the nose- then they don't strangle as they back up. But my dad was born on a cattle ranch and very used to dealing with cows and lassoing from a horse, etc. Goneamilking is right though you can do without the loop.

ErinP · #5 05/18/11, 08:50 AM

Rope him, throw him down, put the halter on, take the rope off and let him up.
That's how we do it.

springvalley · #6 05/18/11, 09:13 AM

Nobody ever watch a RODEO, rope him, put halter on , take rope back off. Yes the rope will choke the calf if you don`t get it off quick enough, so get it off quick. tie the halter rope to a safe wall so he won`t hurt himself. If you lead your calf to water every day for a drink, it won`t take long to get him broke to lead. > Thanks Marc

ksfarmer · #7 05/18/11, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinP

Rope him, throw him down, put the halter on, take the rope off and let him up.
That's how we do it.

Yep. Best have the halter lead rope tied to something solid when you let him up tho. One good idea is to have an tire or inner tube as a buffer between the halter rope and the post, thus lessening the shock when he hits the end of the rope.

lonelyfarmgirl · #8 05/18/11, 09:40 AM

I did this once, good luck! Took me a half hour to get close enough to the thing. 5 month old heifer with a serious leg injury. Rope around the neck, she freaked and bolted, took me to the ground. I let go, rather than be drug through electric wires and into foot deep spring poo. Took 2 days to catch her to get it off and she was choking the whole time. Better to herd him into a very small enclosure before trying something like that.

Stonybrook · #9 05/18/11, 09:50 AM

Unless you have an immediate need to get a halter on for something, why don't you herd him into a small enclosure and leave him there to feed him everyday. Eventually, he will have different opinion of you and it may be a lot easier to get the halter on.

southerngurl · #10 05/18/11, 11:57 AM

I did what stonybrook is saying with my heifer. She was about 6 months. I just worked more on getting her to let me touch her while she ate. I fed her from the scoop in my hand and just kept working up to taming her over a few days time. Then I did the halter int he bucket trick and had to work with that (in the mindset of teaching her not to be afraid of it, not the mindset of just getting it on her head, I wanted to be able to get it on easier every time, not harder) but eventually got it on. If they learn this way, it stays with them better. I put the halter on her I think three times like this and pulled her around with it once. I put her back in pasture and several months later I was able to go out in the field with a bucket of feed and a halter and put it on her immediately. She also kinda remembered to give to the halter but would throw a fit now and again. But she didn't get away from me. This is a angus heifer BTW.

ufo_chris · #11 05/19/11, 02:11 AM

Thanks guys for all your answers and ideas.
I did what stoneybrook and southerngurl said with my Heifer a couple of years ago at weaning. But he's not ready to be weaned yet but I wanted to get him Halter trained. Yeah ,nothing I could 'catch' him in where he is , and no helpers either. (DH is not a Farmer he always tells me! And I don't want to get any friend hurt either)
I thought if I lasso him and tie him to something ,once he quits struggeling slip the halter on ,but I guess that would take too long.
I guess I should have done the lasso,throwing down thing when he was very small, he's over 300 lbs now .

His half sister(3 weeks younger) is very tame and I have been working with her a couple of times ,but when she deceides to take off it's all I can do to keep her from doing so!
I was not going to feed them any more grain but I might have to to sneak the Halter on him,maybe I'll get a little closer every time?LOL!
Thanks for all your help.
Chris