I need advice on how to train my steer to stand straight when I wash him. He’s generally fine when I’m brushing him but as soon as I get the hose he pins himself to the fence and will only let me wash one side, it’s the same side every time too. I only get about 2-2.5 hours with him every day, which is as much as I can, but he gets tied with the other steers for about 4 hours every day so he’s good to stand if I’m with him of if there’s other cattle next to him but if I leave him alone he’ll stand against the fence eventually but he’s getting better with that. The issue is when I wash him or rinse him
Advice for training a steer to stand straight when washing
- Thread starter Lucy
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Jive Turkey
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Wash him in a grooming chute.
Thanks for the suggestion, I would if I could but there’s no tap near it and it’s also in a spot that has horrible drainage so the whole shed would turn to mud if I did, we used to wash there but we stopped because of the mud issue. I can’t move it either, the closest I could get to that would be to wash him in the crush but he’s already a pain to lead in there and I’m worried washing him in there would make it worse
steer lover 4ever
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Use a show stick to push him over
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I’ve dealt with similar issues with my steer over the years. I have done this before with mine and had some pretty good luck with it. I would mark where his hip would be when I was washing him, and then I would put a T-post on both sides to restrict his movement. In reality, this only works if you’re on dirt. It’ll give him a defined space and prevent him from pinning himself against the fence while you rinse him.
In addition, if you’re on ground or concrete where you can’t use the T-posts, I have also used a stall chute, and I really liked them. If you’re considering investing in a stall chute later, that could work, but the posts and space control might be enough to work with for now.
In addition, if you’re on ground or concrete where you can’t use the T-posts, I have also used a stall chute, and I really liked them. If you’re considering investing in a stall chute later, that could work, but the posts and space control might be enough to work with for now.
Thank you for your help! I’m on concrete so unfortunately t posts are not an option, and we dont have anywhere where we could put them where a hose could reach, the closest I could get would be to get one of my mates to stand next to him and hold him, which is what I’ve been trying to do but it’s quite difficult when it’s just me. I wash him in the same spot every time which seems to help a bit
A stall chute would be great but it’s not something that we really have space for or can get easily but will definitely be something I’ll look into when I get my own place and cattle eventually
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HomeRaised
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I have used Straightup bars on my washrack. They mount to a gate or coral panel
Marilikeskats
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My steer did the exact same thing when I first got him a couple months ago!! My school farm is very outdated, what worked for me was using my 50 gallon box I use to store his feed, and moving it to the side of his hind leg/hip he would keep moving to. The first couple times he would try to push it, but it would be too heavy, he gave up and it worked out! If you don't have one, think about something heavy and tall.
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I will try that when I get to wash him next (hopefully monday or Tuesday) I think we should have something like that, if not i might just use the bin
