Halters

[Farmer Kitty]

Try a rope one and once you have that on her you can tie her up somewhere and get the other one on her.Tie her tight so she can't swing, etc while your getting the other halter on.

We had a jersey heifer that needed to come into the barn to get ready for calving. She fought and fought. We ended up tying her to the silo. She would pull to the end of the rope and pull for all she was worth--locked knees and all. After a bit she would just fall over sideways from pulling so hard. She would get up and go again. After a few times she tired of this and we had an easier time than before.

I was talking to a friend that has horses and she mentioned something that should help you. I told her that there was a member on the forum that it might benefit so I asked her more about it.

She said that when a horse hasn't been broken to tie or if for some reason they are hard to catch to snap a nylon (won't weather as quickly) rope to their halter so it drags enough for them to step on with their front feet. That this will mimic being tied without the dangers of them fighting being tied. It is also suppose to help make it easier to catch them. She said to do it for a month and that you should notice a difference in a week and that it should work for a donkey, mule, etc. too.

 

[Imissmygirls]

Jerseys frequently try the fall-over trick. Ignore it. Haven't had the other breeds use it but those Jerseys love it.
Also, when purchasing a rope halter, the flexibility of the rope can be very different. I personally loved the leather nosepieces. Try all the different styles you have available and also tie the other end to make sure the rope isn't sliding open.
( I recall one horror of a fair when all the new halters were coming undone during the night.)
For jersey calves, buy a sheep halter. Dairy calf halters will be too large initially.

I also used horse halters on the cows on a permanent basis. I could always catch them and just hook a lead into the rings. Please be sure the pasture has nothing that could catch on the halter and that it fits properly so they can graze.