Ideas on how to get a halter on a grown animal?

[m.holloway]

i just can't belive how much info is here, and the problems i have aren't so but after all. i'm still halter breaking mine. and they are 1 year of age. i tried to halter them differnt a couple of month ago and it backed fired on me. so i had to start all over again. i work slow every day moring and night. when they were eating, i would just rub it on their body and get closer each day to the neck area, then one day i just reach over and hooked it very lose on the neck and took it off before she was done eatting. and one day i just slipped it on over her nose while she was still eating and clip it on. i was sooooooooooooooooo happy, down fall of it . it was over a month doing this. so now moring it's on and night it comes off. but only when she is eatting. any other time she runs.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Next will come breaking her to lead? Is that your goal?

 

[steerrider]

If they will eat out of your hand, and allow you to pet them.. here is a good way to do it nicely.

Put the halter on yoru wrist, like a bracelett. make sure it is possitioned so that when you slide it up, it is ready to be buckled. You can't mess around with it after you have it on thier nose.

In that same hand, have a range cube or treat. when they are eatting slide ( not fast but not slow either) the halter onto thier nose and pour more feed into the hand that is holding or was holding the halter. Then scratch the side of thier face and pull up the strap that will buckle on.. more feed.. buckle and viola.. its on..

now if they arne't that tame.. rather than chace them around put them in a chute and halter them that way.

This works great but you may want to pratice the halter bracelett on a tame cow first so you don't fumble.

 

[m.holloway]

yep that's my next step is to lead them. i just hope by this end of month i have the halter on both of them. so much fun fun fun!!! Mare

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Depending on your animal you may get away with the grain in the hand and get them to follow but, more often than not I've found they won't

We used to hook the end of the rope halter onto the back of a tractor and put the tractor in it's lowest gear and idle way down. Slowly, watching the heifer, drive. Usually, they caught on fast this way and then you just needed to work with them to smooth things out.

Good luck!

 

[steerrider]

Im sorry there is a misunderstanding.. I didn't mean use grain to lead them.. I ment use it to get the halter on. To halter break I normally dally to a post and let them fight it out. They lead pretty well after that. Beef breeds and dairy are not as fast to figure it out as Longhorns, Highlands, Dexters etc.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I know you meant haltering but, in a docile animal it can work to teach them to lead too-not real often but, it can.

Sorry for the confusion and misunderstanding.

 

[m.holloway]

still working on it. i'll keep you posted. i did get the halter on reba yesterday. when she was eatiing. i left it hanging on her neck. and then when i feed them hay. i took it off. i had to go to work. i still have to get it on her nose. baby step, baby step. with all of you helping i belive she;ll make that fair!!!! thank you!!!!!!!!!

 

[m.holloway]

p.s. if i'm not home i don't leave the halters on cuz i am afraid that they would hang them self on a tree or something. that would not be good!!!! right

 

[Farmer Kitty]

p.s. if i'm not home i don't leave the halters on cuz i am afraid that they would hang them self on a tree or something. that would not be good!!!! right

Very good idea!