Zebu Heifer

[denasfarm]

Shes getting used to us slowly! Shes still not thrilled with us but absolutely not terrified either. So we are progressing>

 

[Nathan Sampson]

Looks like all the work you are doing is getting sophia to trust you keep up the good work. I have tamed a few cows growing up it is a long process but worth it.

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

Looking good! I just have one suggestion though. When you tie her up, tie her low rather than high. That way if she decides to be sullen and throws herself down she won't just hang there and she will be able get back up on her own.

 

[denasfarm]

Yep she does the sullen thing already. We never leave her alone when tied and we alternately tie her high and low. We keep the drag rope on her all the time and she gets mad at herself when she steps on it. She reminds me of a bratty child not getting her way. She rubs the walls like a cat trying to get the halter off and will go down on her front end and stick her face on the ground pouting when she doesnt want to walk fwd. She is a Pain some days!



I want to warn you all that chickens are a gateway drug! once you start chickens you will end up with other larger things eventually!

 

[Gryphon]

Actually tying high is much better than low, at least from what I've read up on horses that suck back. It's possible for the animal to pull back so hard that they cause damage to (or even break) their neck, when the rope is up high they can't get the leverage to really harm themselves.

Great job on taming her! She may always be leery of people, but you can probably get it to the point where she'll get used to having humans around her.

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

Actually tying high is much better than low, at least from what I've read up on horses that suck back. It's possible for the animal to pull back so hard that they cause damage to (or even break) their neck, when the rope is up high they can't get the leverage to really harm themselves.

Cattle are not built like horses. Yes, horses need to be tied high but cattle benefit from being tied low. They just aren't the same.

 

[Gryphon]

Of course there's differences between them, but I can't see any muscular or skeletal advantage that cows have that would allow them to suck back with leverage when tied high.

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

Horses must be tied high because of their high set necks and powerful hindquarters which they can get well up under themselves to use their full force, which is a recipe for disaster if they set back. Cattle on the other hand, are not likely to break their necks when tied low because they have a lower set neck, are typically lower fronted, and do not have the collection and setting back power of a horse. This really isn't about physiological differences so much as it is about behavior. Cattle like to lay down when they have nothing else to do, so a calf left standing tied will be more comfortable if it is tied low where it can lay down. On top of that, I really don't think this calf isn't gentle enough just yet to benefit from being tied high. If she sulls up and throws herself down she could be left hanging where she can't get up, and that's scary for her and dangerous for who ever has to untie or cut the rope to get her down. If she is tied low and throws herself down she can easily get back up on her own and it is a more positive learning experience in that she can figure out on her own that halter breaking isn't the end of the world and no one is trying to kill her. Frankly, I believe the only reason to ever tie cattle high is to teach show calves to hold their heads up and that is only for short periods of time. I am not here to argue. These are just observations I have made halter breaking countless show calves and horses.

 

[Nathan Sampson]

There are actually several anatomical skeletal musculature differences between Bovine and Equine. Cattle have a much shorter neck and more muscle around that area than a horse. Also cows are longer in the back and built with again more muscle for more meat. Where as a horse is built for power and speed and they have incredible power in the rear end allowing for running and jumping and carrying riders or to escape of kick a predate. On the predate point a cow is more likely to attack with its head than kick something. From personal experience a but from a 800 lb steer into a tin barn wall is horrible discomforting. One of the main reasons for tying a horse high is also the fact that a horse can step over the rope and severely injure itself and possibly break its legs when it gets scared of the situation it has put itself in. Cattle legs are much shorter and stockier not as prone to breakage as a horse. Sorry for the semi rant was trying to clear a few things up and put some stuff onto the proverbial paper as such. I would like to point out that I forgot to say that when I showed cattle and were training them to stand in there show stall we would tie high. But for when we would just tie them up for random things like a bath or something other we would tie low so that the they could graze and lay down when needed.


Thanks for taking the time to read it Nathan.

 

[Gryphon]

Thanks for the calm responses, I was expecting to hear a "Well that's just how it's DONE!˝. My point about that cows don't have an advantage of pulling back when tied high stands, they can't get any better leverage than a horse. Having said that, you're both right that cows like laying a lot more than horses, and I'd certainly want a cow to have enough slack to get comfortable. In any case, I wouldn't leave a semi-feral animal of any type unattended when tied, which the original poster is being good and sensible about.