The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Cattle => Topic started by: nutterly_uts on May 25, 2015, 05:23:08 pm
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Is it possible to halter train an adult cow or can it only be done with a youngster?
If it helps, it would be with a clicker :)
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would have to be food orientated for clicker training. why does she need a halter. my cows follow a bucket/herd with a stick. if you're milking you could tie her with a neck collar in a stall maybe?
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I don't have any cows at the moment so its all a what if :) Just figured it might be easier for calving and minor vet visits etc if used to a halter
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You need to have some method of restaining them. For moving fileds, ours will go through an newly opened gate - usually at a frisky gallop but for the vet etc, you do need to be able to restrain them so if you can't halter them, you'll need a crush or something similar.
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I'd still use a crush for vaccines etc, but I have the idea (is probably daft) but if they will halter then if we have lameness or a calving or even for AI then its less stressful all round? Just wondered if you can teach an adult cow to halter or only from a calf?
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Yes. you can halter train an adult cow. You can do it in 3 days.
The first thing to do is to get the halter on. If the cow is tame and enjoys being stroked/brushed/handled then it's pretty easy. Make sure you know how the halter goes on so you can do it pretty quickly before before the cow realises what you're doing.
If the cow's not particularly tame then you need to put her in a crush so you can get the halter on properly without a load of argument (on her part). If you don't have a crush or suitable way of restraining, then you need to spend some time with her until she is tame.
Once you've got the halter on, tie it to something really substantial, like a feed barrier, or gate post. Don't try leading her round the field at this stage and think you can hold her. Because you can't. And you will just teach her that she is stronger than you, and she won't forget. That is why you tie her to something immoveable, which teaches her that pulling against the halter serves no purpose and she can't win. Keep her tied up for a few hours to reinforce the point. Then let her go. Actually, at this stage I use a head collar and lead rope, as you can leave the headcollar on and easily attach and undo the lead rope as you want. But if you only have a halter then leave it on and secure the end, unless your cow is particularly tame and will easily let you put it on again.
Tie the cow up again for a few hours the next day and again the following day. By then you should be able to undo the rope, but keep it taut and pull in the direction you want to go, and the cow should follow. It is important to keep the rope tight in the early stages, as if you let it go slack the cow can get its head away from you and will build up some momentum before you can stop her, and you will lose her. Do not try and stop a cow that is running away from you. You may end up with rope burns, and you will certainly fail, and will have taught the cow that she can escape from you. Better to let her run and make out that you allowed her to. But when you get the chance, pick up the rope and quickly tie it again to something imoveable for a while, and have another go. This time, keep the rope tight!
It is customary to lead from the animal's left. So initially pull her round to the left, ie anticlockwise and that way you will keep contol of her head and she will learn that she has no option but to follow you.
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I agree with landroverroy - that's basically what we do with the calves. Giving them some feed in a bucket - we use sugar beet - helps them to associate the process with something nice.
We've had ours PD'd tied up on the halter and I've vaccinated ours in the same way.
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If i were halter training a cow or part grown, yes would do the approach above. Clicker training it, hmmm, not sure. Depends how biddable and food orientated the animal was...?! Be interested if doable, do let us know if you try!
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A "cow man" told me recently that all you need to halter train any bovine is a donkey. Apparently you attach the cow to the donkey and the cow just follows the donkey. I am still waiting for the practical demonstration!
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A "cow man" told me recently that all you need to halter train any bovine is a donkey. Apparently you attach the cow to the donkey and the cow just follows the donkey. I am still waiting for the practical demonstration!
Poor donkey.
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Buttermilk - I think the donkey runs with the cows and they become attached. I know horses that do the same. Obviously cow versus donkey and I would agree poor donkey but I think the point is the cow doesn't fight in the donkey situation.
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http://youtu.be/WYyVDqZxvDM (http://youtu.be/WYyVDqZxvDM)
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This is what I found, but please be very careful. :farmer:
http://www.cattleforum.com/how-to-halter-break-a-cow.html (http://www.cattleforum.com/how-to-halter-break-a-cow.html)
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This is what I found, but please be very careful. :farmer:
http://www.cattleforum.com/how-to-halter-break-a-cow.html (http://www.cattleforum.com/how-to-halter-break-a-cow.html)
That is brilliant and very well described. :sunshine:
As someone who keeps both cattle and donkeys however, I cannot describe my disgust at anyone who thinks it is not cruel to tie a donkey to a cow as a way of halter training the latter. If you can't be bothered to spend time with your cow and build up a relationship while you halter train her, then that's up to you. But to think it's ok to attach a donkey by it's neck and be dragged round the field by the cow is nothing short of animal abuse. :rant:
(By the way, I'm not getting at anyone who posted on here. I'm just disgusted to the person who posted the video of the donkey and cow/bulloch tied to each other who seemed to think it was not animal cruelty.)
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Buttermilk - I think the donkey runs with the cows and they become attached. I know horses that do the same. Obviously cow versus donkey and I would agree poor donkey but I think the point is the cow doesn't fight in the donkey situation.
we run our cattle with ponies and a mule. cattle definitely the boss around here.