Valuable lessons I learned

[nchobbyfarm]

I learned some lessons today working my cows that may benefit other newbies. Maybe others will not make the same mistakes or are smarter than I.

First, I have not run my cows through he chute and not caught them in the head gate. They where reluctant to go through and a couple were down right hateful. The lesson being, run them through without catching them so they don't balk.

Second, run the alphas through first. I ran the more laid back animals through first because they were easier to cut out. The alphas got worked up the longer they waited. The last two were really tough and the last onebI thought was going to hurt herself before going into the chute.

I am sure there were other lessons that will come to me later upon reflection. Maybe others will benefit from my mistakes. Good luck!

[gone-a-milkin]

The longer I handle cattle, the more I believe in stockdogs too.

[randiliana]

The problem, with running (what you call the Alpha's) through first is that those cows are almost always the wilder cows, not necessarily the Alpha cows and they will worm their way to the back of the herd every time. It is almost always the wilder cows that go through last. They are wild no matter how long they wait. The best thing you can do short of getting the whole works worked up to pull those few out is to be calm and keep your voice down when working the herd.

[CIW]

The setup of your working corrals has a large influence on how your animals go into the squeeze chute.
We have found that setting up with a tub works well. It gives them no other alternative than to go through chute. The other thing is that the tub sends them 360 degrees, back where they came from, only on the other side of a center dividing fence. They will naturally flow easier that way.
I also second the use of a good dog. They are 4 to 1 that of a man when working stock.

[gone-a-milkin]

Working cattle is an art though, and practice really does help
with timing of your gate handling
and gauging the amount of pressure needed to get them to move.

It does get easier and smoother once you use the same system a few times and not only the cattle,
but *you* have a better idea of what to expect.

Stay safe.

[randiliana]

And I don't like having a dog in the corrals. I find that it just makes working the cattle that much harder as they are always looking for the dog.... So, to each his own I guess...