How to tame/train a young heifer?

[Greensky]

We just got a 7 month old heifer (milking shorthorn cross) and we want to train her to pull. She’s not very tame so we have her with our goats so we can catch her more easily. She also has a halter on. I know the first step is to tame her, but how? Any suggestions for beginning training her? Are there books or online resources for knowing where to start? Thanks so much for any help.

[bivol]

how about setting a routine? she will feel safer if she knows the daily routine.
also, you’re lucky to have goats. she will bond with them, and learn to trust their judgement. if at that point your goats are tame and approach you easily, she will learn you are no threat.
also, while handling her, don’t make sudden movements, and be laid back. cattle are very perceptive, and they’ll feel tense if they figure out you’re tense. cattle are prey animals, and the predator is tense while hunting… also, lead the herd if possible, don’t drive them. talk to her in a calm voice, for her to get used to your voice. avoid eye contact, that’s how predators act.
and be patient.
i’d improvise like that…:D

[OldKat]

@Greensky 8451 wrote:

We just got a 7 month old heifer (milking shorthorn cross) and we want to train her to pull. She’s not very tame so we have her with our goats so we can catch her more easily. She also has a halter on. I know the first step is to tame her, but how? Any suggestions for beginning training her? Are there books or online resources for knowing where to start? Thanks so much for any help.

I would tie her up to a stout fence, in a place protected from the sun and/or rain. Let her stay tied for several hours a day, up to maybe 4 or 6, if possible. When you untie her try leading her to water and her feed. Usually that will work. Do this everyday for about a week and she should start leading pretty easily. Oh, and while she is tied it is a good time to start putting your hands all over her; start around the front end and work your way back and down her body. Stand in such a way that you can avoid getting kicked or jumped on if she lunges. Don’t do this before about the third day of being tied though. Earlier than that is probably asking too much of her.

However, if she doesn’t accept this type of halter breaking/acclimation, don’t be afraid to tie her to the bumper of a pickup, to the upper link arm on a tractor or to an all-terrain vehicle like a Gator if you have one. Tie her up fairly short, no more than 24 to 30″ of lead rope. Snap on a second lead rope and let someone walk along behind the vehicle. Often after one or two tugs from the vehicle the calf will start to walk with slack in the lead and the person walking along can start to put more “pull” on the lead. First progression is to give her more slack and a longer lead from the vehicle, maybe 4 foot. Soon you can probably turn her loose from the vehicle and let the other person try leading her. This is NOT job for a child or a small man or woman. Get someone with some mass about them (a bigger person that is) to do this so if the calf tries to run they can stop them. Wear gloves, heavy work gloves with a good grip.

Another option, if you have access to a small donkey or mule that is halter broken is to tie the calf’s lead rope to the ring on the donkeys halter, give the calf about 6 feet or so of rope. The donkey will generally convince the calf to come along pretty quickly. I’ve never done this, but have seen it done dozens of times and it seems to work. The other things, above, I have done probably a couple hundred times in the last 40 years. They ALMOST always work. If she sulls, and lays down let me know. That has to be handled differently, but can be managed.

NOTE: If this is the first calf you have ever broken to lead, let me caution you of this: NEVER tie the lead rope around your waist or your wrist thinking that you can keep them from getting away from you. You can’t, and even a relatively young animal is much stronger than you are. Don’t wrap the lead around your hand, which is a good way to get a broken hand. DON’T get hurt, it is not worth it.

Once you have her leading she will calm down really quickly. However, it is unlikely that she will become gentle by just staying in a pen. You pretty much have to take the agenda to her.

Good luck with your heifer.

[bivol]

about halter breaking… after she becomes approachable, first you put the halter on, just the halter, and let her go with the daily routine. she will, i guess, settle in soon, and pay no attention to the halter. also, try to couple the introduction to the halter with something nice, give her a treat.
put on the halter every day until she pays no att. to it.
after that phase tie a rope to the halter and let it drag on the ground. after she gets used to it, hold the rope while going to the pasture.
i have no idea, however, how to make her respect the halter. the cattle follow the halter because they think halter is stronger than they.

maybe get her to a place she’s never been to, like a forest, and then walk around? she’ll ask for your lead.

[bivol]

nevermind what i’ve said, oldkat has waaaaay more experience, so listen to him. i’m happy to learn, too.

[OldKat]

@bivol 8464 wrote:

about halter breaking… after she becomes approachable, first you put the halter on, just the halter, and let her go with the daily routine. she will, i guess, settle in soon, and pay no attention to the halter. also, try to couple the introduction to the halter with something nice, give her a treat.
put on the halter every day until she pays no att. to it.
after that phase tie a rope to the halter and let it drag on the ground. after she gets used to it, hold the rope while going to the pasture.
i have no idea, however, how to make her respect the halter. the cattle follow the halter because they think halter is stronger than they.

maybe get her to a place she’s never been to, like a forest, and then walk around? she’ll ask for your lead.

Yes, letting her drag a lead rope for several days first is a good idea. We usually did that, but not always. The rest of the suggestions are sound, too. I never took a calf out of the paddock until they were leading very well, so I can’t address the part about taking her somewhere that she has never been. Can’t say it wouldn’t work, but I never have done it either.

[CharlyBonifaz]

Don’t wrap the lead around your hand, which is a good way to get a broken hand. DON’T get hurt, it is not worth it.

also a good way to get a nasty burn, when the rope slips but won’t come off! 😡
do wear gloves!
I find it helpful to have a knot at my end of the lead…..

[Howie]

Put her in a solid pen about ten x ten up to about 16 x 16. by herself. You want her to be your friend not the goat’s friend. Put a ring on a half inch rope, tie one end of the rope to the corner of the pen and the other end to a solid place where you can tie her up with a feed box. Put her in the pen with a halter and a lead on her that you can reach where ever she is at in the pen. Have another short lead with a snap on each end. Put her feed in the box or dish. Catch her with the lead that she has on her, snap the short lead to her and the other end to the ring on the half inch rope, open the gate and lead her over to her grain. Tie her up until she gives to the lead rope. While she is eating go back to the other pen, put out JUST what water she will drink, when she has settled down lead her back to her water and take off the short lead. When she is done drinking take out any water that is left and give her what hay she will clean up. If she leaves any of it take it out.
Any time you are going by the pen stop and talk to her for a moment. If you do this at least twice a day and three times a day is a lot better you will not have any need for the half inch rope after 2 or 3 days and after a week you will have a well started heifer. If you want her to be your friend don’t give anybody else to be friends with.:):)

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