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Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum
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calf leading

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BR

12-27-2005 12:31:38




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I have two 6 mo.old Longhorns that stand tied but are slow to lead. Any suggestions to get them "dog gentle"? BR




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Kent in NB

12-28-2005 05:40:03




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
In a prior life, I used to work to work at some major purebred auctions. We would have to train upwards of 100 to 250 head of critters in about 6 days. Tieing up, lead to water, tie up, lead to water, etc... . This consistent activity will teach the animal to do as you want, most of the time. I still do this with my freshening heifers, and it saves me big time when I go to work with them in the freestall.

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Hugh MacKay

12-28-2005 03:37:51




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
BR: I agree with most of the others in that this takes time and is best started at a very young age of the animal. However that does not always happen. We once had a holstein heifer, looked a bit scruffy as a calf and yearling. As a two year old she looked like a prize winner.

My brother and I tried tieing halter to back of trailer, thinking that further away from noise of tractor would help. We placed a few bales of hay about half way up trailer. She just braced her feet and wouldn't walk. Trying to pull them along in that state will only cause injury.

We then placed a second rope, (lasso type) across her back just behind front shoulders, ran the pull line between her front legs and hooked that to trailer just a wee bit shorter that halter rope. She didn't drag her feet more than one pace after that slip rope came tight on her back. Within seconds she was walking like a show princess. A couple of sessions behind trailer and she would lead very well. We did encounter a bit of resistance from her later, and found all we had to do was drape a rope across her back. She went to fair and won first in her class and dad came second with her on showmanship. This all happened within 3 weeks.

You've got to do this without hurting the animal in a damaging way. I don't agree with bribing them either. Raising show animals is much like raising children, bribing can soon become a way of life.

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Shaggy

12-27-2005 21:28:48




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
We use to tie them up to a small trailer and hook our B mowing tractor to the trailer and then 1 of us would stand in between them and hold on to the ropes that were tied to the trailer. I guess they thought we were pulling them but it worked. We had the easiest leading 4H calves at the fair!



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john d

12-27-2005 19:32:43




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
A kid I was in school with many years ago didn't bother to teach his 4H calf to lead until about 3 days before the county fair. Then he hitched him to the drawbar of the Super H. Calf would go with him anywhere after about 3 hours of that...



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LeeWv

12-27-2005 17:40:39




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
Around here the show calf trainers swear that the only way to to do that is with a DONKEY!Tie the calf off to the donkey and within 3 days the calf will be lead trained!Mind you I havent tried it but thats what the trainers around here swear to!



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BIG JOHN

12-27-2005 17:23:55




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
Put a halter on them and about 8' of lead rope. Then turn them out in your pen. They will break themselves to the lead rope. Everytime they try to move and step on the rope it will bring them up short. Leave them like this for a couple of days. Soon when you hold the rope up loose in front on them they will follow you and when you draw up they will come to a stop real quick.

GOOD LUCK



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Glen in TX

12-27-2005 15:54:00




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
Yes, it just takes lots of time. We would tie them to old jeep to lead them with someone walking along side. When leading them in pen or out of pen I would also add a long heeling rope so less chance of them getting away. Had a big swivel pipe on a post in middle of pen once to tie the ones to that always tried to get away and then just led them around in circles. It worked well but just don't let them wrap you around the post and have some help handy for the rowdy ones. Some people play old radios in shed all the time or on a timer to get them use to noises.

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Robert in NC

12-27-2005 15:35:53




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
TIME... The only thing that I can think of that has worked for me was just time with them. I would take them one and a time and walk them around the farm and near people. Since they are calves they should be a better cow by the time they get about 2 years on them. It isn't easy to break the gun out of them, but it can be done.



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old

12-27-2005 15:21:23




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
Years ago and I do mean years ago. What we would do is take a tractor and tie the calf to the tractor and then have some one walk behind the tractor and the calf. That way the calf would think it was the person doing the leading not the tractor. Pulled them about a mile and from then on they would lead like a puppy dog.



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Nebraska Cowman

12-27-2005 14:55:26




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
there is no substitute for spending time with them...Lots of time.



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Case Lady

12-27-2005 14:55:19




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
I broke one of my show heifers to lead by feeding her cubes as I was pulling on the lead rope. She is the only one I used this type of reward system on but up to the day she died at the age of 17, I could put some cubes in my pocket, walk out into the pasture and she would follow me anywhere, even into the stock trailer. Most of the time, just sure bull-headedness won out over the calves.



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Jimmy King

12-27-2005 14:07:18




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
I broke many calves to lead behind a tractor, and then you get that one that is just plain stubborn. I had one led like a kitten behind the tractor, but not behind me. Until I took it to the show it led like it should until I got it back home.



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El Toro

12-27-2005 13:09:11




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 Re: calf leading in reply to BR, 12-27-2005 12:31:38  
It would have been better to start them to lead when very young. If you have an animal that does lead good, the Longhorn may get use to tagging along. I would have them doing this 3 or 4 times a week. We had a pasture that was a good ways from the barn where we kept young stock and pregnant cows over the summer. We used a cow or heifer that would lead good and those other animals would just tag along. We had them all over the place when trying to drive them. Hal

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