Show Calf Help

[Rebecca In Kansas]

Hey guys!! So my 11 year old is doing a bucket calf for the first time in 4-H this year. She's a great little calf. 2 months old, healthy and spunky and has been so much fun for him. We are having a problem though...we can NOT get her to trained on the lead rope. Any advice? We've been walking her..er..attempting to walk for a month or so, so she SHOULD be getting it. She will walk so-so one day, and then will fight and pull back the entire time the next. Any tried and true methods that work? We are getting so frustrated!

 

[Celtic Hill]

How exactly are you trying to teach her?

 

[Rebecca In Kansas]

We've put the halter and lead rope on, and have gently been walking her around in her little lot. And then we moved out to walking her down the road, gently pulling and encouraging her to move, and pushing from behind when it's needed...which it is. A lot.

 

[Chicken Charlotte]

I have a bottle fed calf that I am going to show and I wanted to train him to! he is trained now after a few months of work. What you do is (What we did) We put a halter on him and tied him to a gate tight enough so there is weight pulling the calf to the fence. Then as soon as they get tired and give in they start to learn that there is no way they are gonna get away and when they move forward it feels better because it gives them slack. Then I tied him to a gate and kepped pulling the gate forward and backwoods so he has to follow it and its alot easier (no rope burn)

ALSO never leave them down in the paddock alone tied up if they really panic they could hurt or hang them selfs and you would not be there to help! And if you hold them and they start jumping around and fall over dont go and help them it's there own fault for pulling and then falling pull them back up and start from step 1

Hope it helps

 

[adbayer]

i showed hogs and steer for 8 years

i have had many a steer whip my butt! When we first brought our steers home, we would throw a rope halter/lead on them, and leave it there for a good 3 weeks. i thought it was the meanest thing ever when i was young, but it totally worked. They very quickly learn that a firm tug back means stop, which is the most important in my book. we also used a show halter/lead for daily walking. show them the difference between the two,and always remember to KEEP THAT HEAD UP when walking him. start him young, and it will be easier than trying to teach a heavier steer to hold his head up high in a show. we walked a minimum of a mile daily, and once we got the walking down, we started stopping frequently and setting the steer up. one last thing... remember that if they drag you, never let go. my uncle (Ag teacher/head of our FFA) always told me, if you let them go 3 times, they will always drag you.


also, do you talk to him when walking? if so, cut that out

they wont like you talking in the show ring, so learn to click at him. Make a clicking noise with your tounge, and he he will learn to follow it. I had majority of my steers learn to answer my click. if i click and walk forward they respond by walking along. If they dont, pop that show halter, and they will. (you dont need spikes on your halters, some people reccomend that and it kills me!) eventually, i could walk in the barn and click at them and they would come to the gate and wait on me to halter them. It is a nice thing to have when you are readying for a show at 3 am and trying to trailer them! i always hated hated hated having to go find my steer in the dark, its so creepy how they sleep and stand! and then you walk up on them, and their eyes just flicker open, ahh heebie jeebies.


If getting him going is the hardest part, then do the halter thing, and then when your ready to go, click click click click, and pull them forward... if he doesnt come with you, turn to face him, dig your heels in, and put your weight into that rope. remember to keep clicking still no movement, move the rope around, with your weight on it. left right, up down, pull them around where they stand. If you can pull him off balance, he will step forward to try and fix it, and you can just keep moving

i never had to push from behind, i was afraid of him learning to wait on that

when i was younger, my mom did most of the breaking, but as i got older, it was my job, and it was a patience builder for sure! we always finished our walks with a good bath, scrub down, and blow dry

If your steer is uber rowdy (doesnt sound like it) many suggest a nose clamp.. i had one steer that i used one on, and it helped me not get squished/drug daily, but it did NOT aid in breaking him. I only used it with him, everyday he enjoyed pinning me against the barn wall until someone rescued me, or dragging me down the bar ditch for the full mile, and then dragging me back, haha!

remember, he is not a dog

typical pet tricks dont work most times. he has to learn to follow his lead, or he will challenge you at every opportunity. and he weighs a whooole lot more than a dog, so putting some force into him isnt a bad thing, as long as you arent abusive. he will test your limits. reward him at the end of the day with some hay, or a small treat and he will remain your friend

a good childhood friend of mine trained her hogs with chocolate

she would keep some in her back pocket and walk around the show ring and they would follow! they got a peice when the show was over, it was so funny!