Rattle paddle

Dan T in MO · Dec 1, 2013

I noticed at the auction, they use what looks like a boat paddle with something inside it to make it rattle. Well, I found one at MFA the other day when I was picking up feed. Today, I needed to sort some hogs into a newly cleaned pen. I decided to use my new toy. Boy, that thing really works. Just hold it over the pig and shake it. I suppose they think it's a rattlesnake or something. I need a bit more practice with it, but loading them up for market should be a piece of cake now!

To keep this tractor related, I used the Ford 2600 with a King Cutter 5 foot blade to move some manure.

fixerupper · Dec 1, 2013

It's surprising how well they work. Holding the paddle alongside the hog's head to block it's vision works pretty well for steering it in the direction you want it to go if the hog is calm. If the hog is, well, being a hog, a paddle doesn't do much. Don't tuck the prod away just yet. Jim

Lazy WP · Dec 1, 2013

You bring one of them around here when I am working cows, and I will break it over your head. They work great if you dump the pellets out though.
I like a flag for some things too, but you have to know when and how to use them. Same goes for a hot shot. I use one, and always have one around the alley, but you can't let just anyone use it.

fixerupper · Dec 1, 2013

(quoted from post at 07:31:45 12/01/13) You bring one of them around here when I am working cows, and I will break it over your head. They work great if you dump the pellets out though.
I like a flag for some things too, but you have to know when and how to use them. Same goes for a hot shot. I use one, and always have one around the alley, but you can't let just anyone use it.

ell ya, you wanna keep cattle calm and something that rattles doesn't achieve that. Too many people who haven't been around cattle, and that's most of the population have watched westerns where the cowboys were on their horses whistling, cracking whips and waving their hats while the cattle stampeded into the corral like Walmart on Black Friday. Sometimes you do have to keep them moving a little fast but that's not very often. Dad used to hire a livestock trucker who would keep telling us to calm down and step back when the cattle or hogs were getting close to the chute. They loaded fine almost every time. Jim

donjr · Dec 1, 2013

I bought a couple of them, and they're the best thing we have found to work our cows with. We have used whips and sticks in the past, but the rattle paddles seem to work easier than anything else we've found yet. Some folks may not like them, but they seem to work great around here....

Matt in TN · Dec 1, 2013

I remember back in the early 90's seeing all these farmers at the Farm Machinery Show in Louisville carrying fiberglass rods. I asked one guy what they were for and he replied "We have cattle!" It just blows my mind that farmers will buy a stick to handle cattle. There was always something around my place that could be used to persuade cattle. Broken tobacco sticks, hoe handles, brooms, you name it. A grocery sack on the end of a stick will do exactly what those paddles do. And it won't cost you a dime when a crazy one makes you drop it and run. LOL

AG in IN · Dec 1, 2013

Dad hauls loads of hogs to a local slaughterhouse several times a year. Other than a panel (must be poly/plastic and have no sharp corners, no wood, steel or aluminum), the raddle paddle is the only "tool" they'll let you move the hogs with. No whips, no sticks, no canes, no flappers, and certainly no electric prods. You can't even raise your voice and make some noise. The paddle can only strike an animal with any amount of force if the animal charges you or you otherwise need to for a defensive purpose. You can tap or sort of lay it on the hog's back and rock it back and forth, but you better not let the USDA guys or an employee see you smack one with anything with any amount of force.

Larger slaughterhouses employ people (animal rights gurus) specifically to view and critique how the animals are unloaded, handled, and moved to pens/holding areas. I've even read somewhere that one has someone hired to speak softly and even sing around the livestock until they're bled out.

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Rattle paddle

Dan T in MO

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fixerupper

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Lazy WP

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fixerupper

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donjr

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Matt in TN

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AG in IN

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