How do you work on bullocks feet

Reggie.

Suffering a bit lately with foul in some of my bullocks. Just wondering how do people work on the feet of cattle. I tie up the foot with rope sometimes but find if they get excited it leaves them open to injuring themselves.

Skerries

why not ask Sandra's podiatrist?

Zr105

Reggie. wrote: »

Suffering a bit lately with foul in some of my bullocks. Just wondering how do people work on the feet of cattle. I tie up the foot with rope sometimes but find if they get excited it leaves them open to injuring themselves.

Last good few years we've gotten a guy in to do a few cows each year, sort of a case of get him in spring normally and any of them that need a bit of paring or seem a bit lame get done.
He has his own crush unit thats fully set up with ropes and hooks with hydraulic driven winch, and can fully immobilise the animal in a safe way and get at them from all angles. He sets up in corner of shed, (refuses to go near crush as he rightly points out that if you steer cows to towards the crush they know something is going to happen.
Not over expensive and is more than worth it just from the knowledge he has of doing what he's trained to do, certainly as cheap as faffing about in a crush that isn't really designed to do it, taking a lot of time!

Reggie.

Zr105 wrote: »

Last good few years we've gotten a guy in to do a few cows each year, sort of a case of get him in spring normally and any of them that need a bit of paring or seem a bit lame get done.
He has his own crush unit thats fully set up with ropes and hooks with hydraulic driven winch, and can fully immobilise the animal in a safe way and get at them from all angles. He sets up in corner of shed, (refuses to go near crush as he rightly points out that if you steer cows to towards the crush they know something is going to happen.
Not over expensive and is more than worth it just from the knowledge he has of doing what he's trained to do, certainly as cheap as faffing about in a crush that isn't really designed to do it, taking a lot of time!

Couldn't agree more but what about the one off injury that you might get. Do you get him in for that

Zr105

Reggie. wrote: »

Couldn't agree more but what about the one off injury that you might get. Do you get him in for that

No, unfortunately do have to try do something with them when they happen

It was just when you said a few in first post i was thinking it'd be worth while.. We do have a winch yoke here for lifting legs but not overly keen on it as dont fully trust it not to unwind when an animal kicks, we generally try to get rope around the leg then get it around the bar of crush and wait for them to take weight off and try get it up,

Reggie.

Zr105 wrote: »

No, unfortunately do have to try do something with them when they happen

It was just when you said a few in first post i was thinking it'd be worth while.. We do have a winch yoke here for lifting legs but not overly keen on it as dont fully trust it not to unwind when an animal kicks, we generally try to get rope around the leg then get it around the bar of crush and wait for them to take weight off and try get it up,

That's my method but didn't like the way one way trashing around on three legs when I went to work on the foot

Dont be daft

Reggie. wrote: »

Suffering a bit lately with foul in some of my bullocks. Just wondering how do people work on the feet of cattle. I tie up the foot with rope sometimes but find if they get excited it leaves them open to injuring themselves.

Yeah, thats the way I do it. The excited ones can be a bit of a nightmare but there are certain ways you can bend the foot back up which kind of immobilizes the animal. But I've often taken a good kicking before that position is reached.

Most important thing for me is to have the yard to myself, nobody roaring or shouting, no tractors or jeeps buzzing round. Grand and quiet, tip the animal along handy and if I do get a wrap, to keep me own head.

Reggie.

Dont be daft wrote: »

Yeah, thats the way I do it. The excited ones can be a bit of a nightmare but there are certain ways you can bend the foot back up which kind of immobilizes the animal. But I've often taken a good kicking before that position is reached.

Most important thing for me is to have the yard to myself, nobody roaring or shouting, no tractors or jeeps buzzing round. Grand and quiet, tip the animal along handy and if I do get a wrap, to keep me own head.

Keeping a cool head ain't always possible

Dont be daft

Reggie. wrote: »

Keeping a cool head ain't always possible

Then walk away. Tempers and animals are a useless combination. Took me a long time to finally figure that out.

Muckit

Dont be daft wrote: »

Most important thing for me is to have the yard to myself, nobody roaring or shouting, no tractors or jeeps buzzing round. Grand and quiet, tip the animal along handy and if I do get a wrap, to keep me own head.

Now your talking. If they get crazer you still need to keep a cool head. I always send the oul lad inside as he has zero patience. Roaring and shouting at cattle gets you nowhere.

l personally found that the more confident you are around animals the quieter they keep. Animals can sense if your not up to the task.

Reggie.

Muckit wrote: »

Now your talking. If they get crazer you still need to keep a cool head. I always send the oul lad inside as he has zero patience. Roaring and shouting at cattle gets you nowhere.

l personally found that the more confident you are around animals the quieter they keep. Animals can sense if your not up to the task.

Cattle whisperer

Genghis Cant

Muckit wrote: »

Animals can sense if your not up to the task.

I think equally important is that the set up needs to be up to the job. I often see it on cattle, they seem to know when your set up will beat them. Unfortunately I think the opposite is also true, they know well when there's a chink in the armour!

munkus

Have that hoist that you place on the bars of the crush. Essential piece of equipment and there's no hope of it unwinding on you. Have it around 20 years and have used it hundreds of times, especially when we had dairy. Only problem was when the rope broke, but should have been replaced long before that. It is easily released in case of the bullock falling, much safer than tying with a rope.

foul of the foot is very contagious especially in wet weather when gaps are wet. Needs to be caught early.

Reggie.

munkus wrote: »

Have that hoist that you place on the bars of the crush. Essential piece of equipment and there's no hope of it unwinding on you. Have it around 20 years and have used it hundreds of times, especially when we had dairy. Only problem was when the rope broke, but should have been replaced long before that. It is easily released in case of the bullock falling, much safer than tying with a rope.

foul of the foot is very contagious especially in wet weather when gaps are wet. Needs to be caught early.

Tell me about it. Had one and sorted him out. A week later I had three more cases that appeared overnight

moy83

Reggie. wrote: »

Tell me about it. Had one and sorted him out. A week later I had three more cases that appeared overnight

Would walking them all through a footbath be any help ?

Reggie.

moy83 wrote: »

Would walking them all through a footbath be any help ?

Think I have it under control at the minute but the vet says there is not much you can do only treat as they appear as the injections only stay in the system for a few days. He thought it was strange I had such bother because the grass wasn't stemy and they are rarely on a roadway which are the usual culprits

onyerbikepat

I'd agree with handling the cattle on your own, with a cool head and all that. You really need a crush with bars on both sides. These crushes with a wall on one side are a disaster.

Reggie.

onyerbikepat wrote: »

I'd agree with handling the cattle on your own, with a cool head and all that. You really need a crush with bars on both sides. These crushes with a wall on one side are a disaster.

Yeah mine is like that. Hard to work on the animals foot next the wall side