Dart gun

[goat]

I hope one day I will have all the answers so I can quit bugging everyone.
Has anyone used a dart gun to adminster medicine to cattle? Is this safe/effective way? I dont have a squeeze chute and was thinking this might work when I need to give one a shot.
As always thanks in advance for the info.

We looked into that at one time and it was very expensive. Plus you still have to catch them at some time to get the dart out.

For $2000 you can get a good head gate and enough panels to setup a corral system to work the cattle. If you don't rope or have horses you're going to make for some mighty discouraging work. If you don't have squeeze chute or at least a head gate how are you going to have your vet preg check? How are you going to worm, treat hooves, horns, etc. etc. You really need a place to bring cattle in and be able to doctor on them. Also without some sort of a setup how are you going to catch the cattle to be able to ship your calves off?

[goat]

I have two corrals that have everything but a way to hold the cows neck. I was trying to get by without having to purchasing a squeeze chute because my local vets have squeeze chutes that they will bring out. I was thinking that the vet would be doing most of the doctoring. Today, I blocked one end of the allyway with 2x4's and ran a cow up in there then put a few 2x4's behind her. This enabled me to give her a shot but she was very agitated and kept throwing her head around. I am not some idiot I have been succeseful at many other ventures and I am certain that I will be succesful at this. I am just inexperienced in handling cattle. Furthermore, If I go out and buy every little convenience without thinking it thru I could very well end up loosing money. I like to way all my options before I make a decision.

[goat]

Sorry, I hope that didnt sound rude. Its been a long day.
As far as horses go I am going to try not to own them. They seem like a big expense. I am going to try to use feed to coax the cows into the catch pen. If I find it absolutely neccesary to use a horse I will hire a local "cowboy". I do alot better on my 4 wheeler and it never spooks or gets sick. I suspect any kind of decent roping horse would cost at least 2500 to buy and a lot more to feed and care for. I am going to leave this expense for someone else. Also, I think I will buy hay instead of rolling my own. Looks like a hay baler , rake are about 15000 to 20000 in good condition and then there is upkeep. I think I can buy alot of hay for that price.

[ThistleKop]

Goat, Sink a couple of 9"X9" PT posts at the end of your alley way and buy a headgate, $300-$400. You don't need something real elaborate but you'll be glad you made that investment. You will find that there are always unexpected needs to restrain you animals. You can get by without the squeeze chute.

TK

[egon]

A properly trained dog does wonders at helping with cattle.

Egon

[rookie]

In my opinion, you're missing out on a lot of fun with horses, but if you don't want them, you shouldn't have them. Another idea: Get yourself a Blue Heeler. Also called Australian Cattle Dogs. We have one, and she had never seen a cow in her life until we moved here. The guy who sold us the property had cattle on the land when we first bought it. Our dog, Marty, would move those cows like crazy! She was a natural -- all instinct. She would even get his bull to move. It was quite a show, and she loved it! I actually kind of feel bad for her now that those pesky cattle are gone. Just a thought.

[Al_Wa]

Do a web search on "Head stanchions" or locking headgates, typically used to catch dairy cows. Thes are easy to build (i.e. wood) and work well for the minor care requirements for cattle.

Get the critter used to feeding thru the gate and he's yours anytime you want.

[Bird]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
Get yourself a Blue Heeler

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There is no doubt that they are great for working cattle if you get the right dog properly trained. But we had a neighbor who had visions of having a pair of them trained to work his herd, and also to raise and sell a few pups. So he bought a young female one place and then a young male from another place. He sent the female to a "professional" to be trained; a cow kicked her in the head the first day and she wouldn't go near a cow again. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[egon]

Handling cattle:

The area I grew up in was mixed farming. Saddle horses were not commonly used for cattle work as most of us didn't have the required skills or a properly trained horse.

Corrals with different pens were common. One pen would have an angled fence leading to a very narrow area. Once in there a gate was closed behind the animal and a stancion made of wood was closed around the animals head. It fit tightly and held the head imobile for dehorning or vacinations.

For the smaller bull calves they would be isolated in a small corral and then caught with a lariate or by hand to produce prairie oysters. This method was later changed to using rubber bands??? and dehorning paste on the calves shortly after they were born.

A loading chute was always around. Some were permanent and some were portable ie. on skids.

Remember; I'm talking of maybe 50 head tops and a specific farming area.

Ear tags were usually used in deference to branding.

Egon