Calf Breaking

At what point do you give up on a calf that's hard to break?

At the last possible moment. When I was growing up, I had a heifer that just would not gentle down. I could catch her, but she just would not lead. She had no respect for the halter and would drag me around like a rag doll. She wasn't mean, just wanted to get away. I stuck with it and kept trying. The day before we left for her first show, it was like a switch flipped and she figured it out. She went on to become my main showmanship heifer and never gave me another moments trouble. It took probably three to four months to get her there. Stick with it and see what happens. Now, if they're mean, that's another story. Good luck and keep us posted.

I bought a shorthorn calf as a feeder to show. He was very broke and gentle. Turned him out to grow while I was at college. Around the end of April we started bringing him back in and working him every day including washing daily. For the first couple months it took two people to even attempt to handle him. His pen mate was fine after two days. We ended up taking him to a Sullivan's clinic and it was there he finally started to be workable. Around the beginning of August he finally realized he liked baths and was perfect from there on out. Sometimes it just takes time. But as stated above he wasn't mean, just didn't want to be messed with. Good luck!!

Been lucky enough not to have one of those ourselves but been around some. Unless the calf is crazy or mean, it sometimes seems that just went you get to your breaking point and are ready to give up, is about when they start coming around. As long as you make progress no matter how little each day your are getting there. We had one that just did not like getting handled, we were at that point when it clicked in him and things started improving quickly. Sometimes you need to just go back to tying, rinsing, blowing and combing daily no more no less, only leading/pushing from one place to the other.
Unless he is going to hurt someone keep trying is all I can say.

Just out of curiosity how long have you been at it.

oocc said:

At what point do you give up on a calf that's hard to break?

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Break is an outdated word.

Try asking for less. Start with leans, and then just even them lifting their feet.

They sort of train themselves sometimes that it's an endurance contest without us recognizing it.

We sometimes just train them to act that way without knowing it.


Take a look at that frog on the beetle.  Have some fun with smaller increments of success.

Good video on youtube that I have used for over 10 yr. this technique works it takes time but it will work.  Youtube  Low stress Professional halter breaking beef cattle Part 1 & 2