Heifer is just plain mean...

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MCC

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Nov 27, 2010
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LAMAR,CO
Shorthorn Girl I ususally tie her up whenever she lets me catch her

That's your problem. You have had her for 6 months or so and usually tie her up when she lets you. You should have been tying her up every day from day one. Now she is big enough you can't handle her and one day a week isn't going to cut it. Forget about showing HER, learn from your mistakes and get ready for next year. In my opinion if I were you I would find someone other than that farmer to help you next year. I'm not trying to be mean but every time you have ask for help and someone has tried to help you you say the farmer won't let you do it that way. JMHO
 

SSIMMENTALS

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Dec 8, 2007
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303
Put feed in her bucket, sit by the bucket. Maybe sit six feet away on the first day, and slowly get closer as days go by. Stay there the entire time she eats. If she comes and eats, good, if not she goes hungry. Next feeding do the same. Eventually she WILL come to eat. Slowly get closer and closer to the feed. She does NOT eat without you right there beside her. Eventually, sit by the bucket and put a hand in the feed. Make her eat with you right in there with her. Get her halter and put it with your hand in the feed. Keep going. Then, make her let you rub the halter on her head/neck while she eats.Once again, she does NOT eat unless she lets you perform the appropriate task. Make her let you put the halter on her ear while she eats. Eventually get her where she wears the halter while she eats. Tie her up while she eats. Brush her while she eats (as others have said). Tie her some hay up after she eats and make her stand there and eat it while you are near or brushing. Put her in a small pen and let her stay with you on the halter in the pen. Eventually lead her around the small pen on the halter. And so forth. (We have broke yearlings this way, its a long and tiresome process, but you have until July.) It WILL NOT happen overnight. Judge her and only push her up a level when she is absolutely ready. She is probably kicking becasue she is scared. Build her trust with feedings and brushings, but do not go overboard and get yourself kicked. Eventually you can brush her rear legs with a broom or squirt water on them MULTIPLE times a day. She will learn that it isn't such a bad thing to have her legs touched and should stop kicking.
Thanks and good luck,
Sarah

 

katie_k

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Shell Lake WI
MCC: im asking for suggestions so i can pick through the things i think i can do.  I respect the person im working with and they know what they are doing. It is my project so its mine to deal with and i am going to do what i think is fit.  Space is limited and she couldnt stay in with the show steers cause we needed to put the young bull in there for the winter so shes been in pasture with the cows and has lost some training.  PLease try to not bash the people who have done nothing but go out of their way to help me
 

MCC

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Shorthorn Girl if this guy knew what he was doing you wouldn't be on here asking for help everytime something went wrong. Personally, I don't care if you get her shown or not. I'm worried about the young mother that takes her newborn child to your fair in a stroller and this unbroke heifer gets away from you and runs over the baby and hurts them or the poor junior showman standing behind you gets kicked and hurt. 40 years of showing cattle I've not seen it all but I've seen enough to know that this heifer needs to stay HOME.
 

katie_k

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Shell Lake WI
I like to see what other people do to see if theres somthing i might like to try is all.  I can tell you im not that stupid to bring a heifer i cant handel to the fair, im saying i hace 2 months to work with her you cant tell me based on her behavior now how she will act by then,
 

knabe

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why not just tell the farmer to get someone else to work with her that you have done all you can do?
 

showsteerdlux

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Shorthorn Girl said:
MCC: im asking for suggestions so i can pick through the things i think i can do.  I respect the person im working with and they know what they are doing. It is my project so its mine to deal with and i am going to do what i think is fit.  Space is limited and she couldnt stay in with the show steers cause we needed to put the young bull in there for the winter so shes been in pasture with the cows and has lost some training.  PLease try to not bash the people who have done nothing but go out of their way to help me
From everything that you have previously posted these people DON'T know what they are doing and it has shown from the postings you and your friend have had on here. But to answer your question, it is hard to break bad habits when they haven't been dealt with for that amount of time. I'm not going to say kick the calf back, but you need to show her who's boss. I put up with a lot of stuff with calves, but I despise getting kicked and will send one somewhere else in a hurry if they don't quit. My suggestion would be give the heifer something to calm her down (not ace, but something legal) and go from there. A little cocktail every now and then can help.
Not trying to discourage you with anything I have posted, but sometimes you have to 1st realize that the "help" you are getting is hurting your progress more than anything.
 

shortyjock89

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IL
Shorthorn Girl said:
I like to see what other people do to see if theres somthing i might like to try is all.  I can tell you im not that stupid to bring a heifer i cant handel to the fair, im saying i hace 2 months to work with her you cant tell me based on her behavior now how she will act by then,

I have a couple questions.  Number1, what does your farmer/cattle guru guy say to do? 

2, If they're so good, why didn't they just take a couple days and get her halfway broke for you before they just leave your own devices?

3, is there only one pen in the show barn? I understand not having a lot of room, but kicking a heifer calf out to pasture all winter and spring and expecting you to be able to get her ready in two months is pretty bad help IMO.

And I'm just saying, if the heifer hasn't come around in 6 months of work, the next two months are going to be extremely difficult if you want to get her show ready.  The older and bigger a heifer gets, the more "set in their ways" they become.  Yearling heifers are NOT easy to brek, especially for a novice or beginner.

Good luck, and please realize if you get in too deep, it's not worth getting hurt.
 

AAOK

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Jan 30, 2007
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Rogers, Ar
Shorthorn Girl said:
MCC: im asking for suggestions so i can pick through the things i think i can do.  I respect the person im working with and they know what they are doing. It is my project so its mine to deal with and i am going to do what i think is fit.  Space is limited and she couldnt stay in with the show steers cause we needed to put the young bull in there for the winter so shes been in pasture with the cows and has lost some training.  PLease try to not bash the people who have done nothing but go out of their way to help me

Here is the best MEAT I can offer:  If you can't(or won't) work with your calf EVERY DAY, a mimimum One Hour in the morning, and One Hour in the evening, you need to find yourself another activity. 
 

Sassy2899

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Aug 11, 2010
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397
Just a suggestion for ShorthornGirl.  I had a steer two years ago and little kids in my 4-H club last year that acted just like this.  I, unfortunatly, resorted to kicking my steer and that didn't work at all. I finally talked to my feed dealer and she said to try this stuff call Relax Fit from Essential show feeds and it worked great.  Maybe try that or Peace Pellets and see if that works for you. :)
 
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