Heifer is just plain mean...

OK so i am showing a purebred registered shorthorn heifer for the farmer i work with on my beef showing project.  She has always been a spitfire and hasnt let anyone but me really try to work with her.  I used to be able to work with her minimally and when we halterbroke her she kicked A LOT! now its gotten to the point where she wont even let me work with her.  She has turned into just a plain old mean heifer.  What can i do to try to turn this around before our show in july? i just bought a clipping chute would it work to put her in it for a little while till she gets used to being handeled and groomed?  Im willing to put any needed amount of time into turning this heifer around. Please help me!

Sometimes they have to learn to be patient. Maybe you should try tying her head up to a good rail and let her learn to stand for a while. DON'T LEAVE WHILE SHE IS TIED WITH HEAD UP. Work her hair or just do something in the vicinity. She will learn to hold her head up so when you do lead her it will be one less fight. If you have the time I would do this for a few days until she gets used to being tied with her head up. There's others on here that do a lot more showing than I do that will have some good suggestions.

she gets tied up a lot already but it seems to only make her meaner

Shorthorn Girl said:

she gets tied up a lot already but it seems to only make her meaner

Click to expand...

With her head up like she is in the show ring?
For how long?

kicking is a learned response. kick the hell out of her back and she will stop that. everything else can be fixed with you tying her against her will with her head up until its flat across from her nose to her poll. dont tie her so high her nose is straight up  because that will upset her worse. i would make sure it was a sturdy chute before she went in it (assuming she is as bad as you say). . . and a time number on how much she is tied a day would be good (she is tied up for . . . .  minutes a day, everyday )

Sometimes a swift kick back will help, but usually not so much if they are a progressive kicker. Ones like that, and when I am on my last nerve I tie them  in front of something solid (hard wood, concrete) and just scratch them with a show stick. If they kick, they instantly feel a reaction.  They learn that they are ones causing the pain, not you. Also, try holding water on her, you would be surprise how social they can become when they have to rely on you.

(wow sorry for the bad post before, sp on a Smartphone, not so good)  

I obviously do not know you or your experience level, but if you were my daughter we would be selecting another heifer.  Kicking her back and fighting her is a long shot IMO.  I don't think you will ever really be able to enjoy and relax with this one.

Show stopper 95 said:

kicking is a learned response. kick the hell out of her back and she will stop that. everything else can be fixed with you tying her against her will with her head up until its flat across from her nose to her poll. dont tie her so high her nose is straight up  because that will upset her worse. i would make sure it was a sturdy chute before she went in it (assuming she is as bad as you say). . . and a time number on how much she is tied a day would be good (she is tied up for . . . .  minutes a day, everyday )

Click to expand...

Personally, I think we should assume that someone asking this question is a novice.  A novice could get seriously injured by trying to kick a kicking calf.  I would really think about the advice that you are giving and the audience that you have here before giving such advice.  Not to mention that I've seen others try to beat unruly calves and that doesn't usually end good.  In many cases, the calf will become uneasy with the beater compounding the problem.  Obviously different things work for different folks but the point here is that I would keep the audience in mind when giving advice.  I'm sure you'd feel terrible if a young gal like this got seriously injured by using your advice - at least I hope you would.

forcheyhawk said:

Show stopper 95 said:

kicking is a learned response. kick the hell out of her back and she will stop that. everything else can be fixed with you tying her against her will with her head up until its flat across from her nose to her poll. dont tie her so high her nose is straight up  because that will upset her worse. i would make sure it was a sturdy chute before she went in it (assuming she is as bad as you say). . . and a time number on how much she is tied a day would be good (she is tied up for . . . .  minutes a day, everyday )

Click to expand...

Personally, I think we should assume that someone asking this question is a novice.  A novice could get seriously injured by trying to kick a kicking calf.  I would really think about the advice that you are giving and the audience that you have here before giving such advice.  Not to mention that I've seen others try to beat unruly calves and that doesn't usually end good.  In many cases, the calf will become uneasy with the beater compounding the problem.  Obviously different things work for different folks but the point here is that I would keep the audience in mind when giving advice.  I'm sure you'd feel terrible if a young gal like this got seriously injured by using your advice - at least I hope you would.

Click to expand...

I agree. Is there a 4H leader or experienced show person that could come out and evaluate the heifer's behaviour and see exactly what you are dealing with?

X2...
and please don't kick or hit her back...

savaged said:

I obviously do not know you or your experience level, but if you were my daughter we would be selecting another heifer.  Kicking her back and fighting her is a long shot IMO.  I don't think you will ever really be able to enjoy and relax with this one.

Click to expand...

I am guilty of kicking one back after they took a poke at me and then again I took a shot to the forehead last year by my daughters heifer and after I stood up, popped the contact back on my eye, just kept working her.  The last time I kicked one back the little bugger timed the kick I guess and kicked my foot.  Thought I broke it.  I "third" the advice of having a person come out that has dealt with these types of animals and tell you their opinion.  Sometimes, the risk of getting someone hurt, (esp other than yourself at a show) is not worth the small reward that you may be given in the ring.  A stick with a flour bag tied to it or a piece of sheet and rubbing it on and around her will work at times.  May take a while if she is ultra-stubborn before she kicks out.... and then again, she may make a better cow in the pasture than a heifer in a stall. 

We get a big solid tall wood post its has to be really thick around. dig a hole and stick it in the ground so its nice and solid. Tie them to it. All day if you need to. after she has been tied a while go out and give her food and water. then take the show stick and scratch her and slowly move your way forwardtill you can touch her. take your scotch and brush her and then pet her. continue this till you can work with her. you can use this method while working with her feet. work her feet then scratch her when she does what you want and have some treats with you for when you can work two feet then four feet. this will teach her that she will get rewarded when she does what you want. I do the same with leading. We have done this with some pretty mean calves, one steer was like yours but would also pull away really hard and fast (he was sneaky and smart about it). I am in 4H. this has worked well for us. I am attaching a pic of the kind of wood post we use. its like the posts they use for the beams in houses. Good Luck with your Heifer I hope this helps you.
Little Heifer (angel)

Send her to the feedlot and find another. Some things aren't worth the risk. I wouldn't even keep her as cow with a temperament like that. You must have other options for something to show. Even if another calf isn't as good, if it's more cooperative to work with, it will be more enjoyable for you and you'll gain more experience by actually being able to work with the calf.

if it were me I would wash her as much as possible while being careful.  Rinsing is the most calming thing you can do with a calf in my experience.  I have made demons into angels with a lot of patience and caution but you are not me and I would advise you to get local help.  Some cattle will respond to being kicked back but some will only get meaner.  If she were a good calf that had developed a bad habit she would probably respond but it sounds like she is genuinely mean and probably would only get meaner if  you are mean back to her.

Also on the thought of letting them kick something solid, I bet none of the people advising that have had a calf bust a hoof open and become permanently crippled from it, I have and it is not good...

We had a similar situation with a steer and adjusted the way he was being tied and approached and he improved drastically.  He was being tied against a wall where his vision was being blocked from two sides and when my son approached him he was coming from an angle where he wasn't highly visible to the steer and it really effected the steers behavior.  He got jumpy and kicky because he was never sure when he was being walked up on.  I am not saying this is what you are doing, but just something to think about.  This particular steer liked to kick for many reasons, but we found he wasn't kicking at us to be mean that was just his standard response to many different situations.  We just had to approach him a little different and we were always really careful when we were fitting his legs so we weren't causing any pain/pulling hair etc..  I know his mother is a kicker...she isn't mean she just isn't as tolerant as our other cows.  My advice for what it is worth to you would be 1. Get someone you trust either a 4-H or FFA leader to come watch you work with her and see if they can determine why she is kicking at you.  2. If it isn't something that you can handle get help, or get rid of her.  A heifer show isn't worth a head injury!  Best of luck to you.

thanks for all the advice. I ususally tie her up whenever she lets me catch her, and yes with her head tied high like in the ring and for a few hours at a time.

as good as that advice sounds this heifer wont let me get near her if i dont have feed as soon as shes done eating shes gone and if i tie her up she kicks stamps her feet and snaps at me. she has even gone as far as biting me a few times.  i try to be gentle and pateint but she wont let me lead her she just runs me over.

Shorthorn Girl said:

as good as that advice sounds this heifer wont let me get near her if i dont have feed as soon as shes done eating shes gone and if i tie her up she kicks stamps her feet and snaps at me. she has even gone as far as biting me a few times.  i try to be gentle and pateint but she wont let me lead her she just runs me over.

Click to expand...

I've seen some crazies, but never one which would calm down eventually.  I once purchased a 5 year old Chi X Angus cow to get her calf.  This was one of those cows who would raise her head and tail at the sight of a human, and take off for the south 40.  I had no way to work her, since all my cows were halter broke as calves.  I roped her in the lot, chased her into a corner, dallied to a post and finally got a halter on her.  Once I had her tied low, and released her from the lariot rope, I thought she was going to pull the steel corner-post from the concrete.  She broke two broom handles in the first few days, but three weeks later, I could lead her in the open pasture.    Don't give up until you've exhausted every possibility.

AAOK I am gonna have to try that with my steer and one of my heifers I cant seem to get them to calm down
little heifer (angel)