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How to catch a loose 3 month old calf?

7K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  COWS 
#1 · (Edited)
We bought 3 calves which were delivered in a trailer. When the calves were getting off the trailer my husband's German Shepherd (I don't like dogs) went after the calves, which caused one to jump the barb wire fence. He has roamed our property numerous of times, but we're unable to capture him. He was roaming last night in the neighbors back yard, which happens to be more than 100 acres. I did leave a bucket of feed to see if I can attract him...the first night he didn't eat any of it. Tonight I threw cattle cubes along his path and left another bucket of feed, we'll see tomorrow morning if he ate some of it.
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#3 ·
Know anyone with a good cattle dog (Border Collie perhaps)? You'll still need a couple of people to calmly herd the calf back where you want him. It's very difficult by yourself. He will want to rejoin his buddies, so if you have a way of confining them to a smaller area, that will help. They should be confined for a while anyway until they get accustomed to their new home.

You're going to have ongoing issues with the shepherd which will mean locking him up when you're doing anything with the calves.
 
#15 ·
The best idea was pen the other two close by, then open up your fence or gate and let the wayward calf come in on his own, or with some help being calmly pushed to the opening. Can you create a chute out of panels that he can wander in to, then you can swing a gate closed on him, then let him into your place through your fence? He isn't going to come to cubes if he hasn't had them before, but he will come to his buddies no matter what, at least he will if he was weaned with those other two.

You could create a small cattle pen with two sides, place the other two calves in one side, leave other side open. Your calf will come in, you can swing gate closed behind him, then let him in with the other two. Make sure the side the calf goes into is deep enough that you can get behind him to close gate without him running back out.
 
#18 ·
Grown cow AIRC with a calf. Got out, she was too wild to drive to a gate. Pasture was fairly large. The cow wanted to get back with the other cows but would not cooperate. Finally I ran a strand of electric fence across the pasture at a relatively narrow part and put all of the herd behind it , with the water supply (a stream) I then left the gate, which was about 200 yards from the electric fence, open all night. The next morning the wild cow was inside the pasture next to the herd. I fastened the gate and took the electric fence down, BTW, I had a 12 volt powered portable fence charger.

COWS
 
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