Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-03-02
More About Breaking lleifers.
Cor. Globe-Democrat.

FOREST, India a recent issue of your
| most excellent Journal I observed an ar
ticle on the subject of breaking heifers,
taken from the American Agricultural.
have objections to some of the teachings
of the article in question, and therefore
will, with your kind permission, give my
| plan for breaking helfers, hoping it may
prove of interest to your numerous read
ers:
81 now have five heifers that will drop
their first calves some time during this
month and March. They have never been
handled, and consequently are wild and
skittish when touched. | first separate
them from the rest of the herd in the
evening, some six weeks previous TO their
time for dropping their calves, | put
them in lot by themselves and give
them little extra feed, which Is very
necessary to their success in calving. I
am very kind to them; in fact, l never
allow any of my stock to be whipped or
roughly used in any way. l keep them in
this lot for about an hour, walking around
among them, talking to them and getting
as close to them as | can. 1 then turn
them loose again with the rest of the
herd, and let them remain there until the
next evening, when | again put them in
to the lot, where they receive extra feed
and attention. This time they are more
anxious TO come in, and are not so shy
after they come in. l continue treating
them III this way for week or two, when
l slip one of the most forward ones into
stable convenient TO the lot they are in.
When l get the heifer in the stable the
the first time, L feed her and leave her
without trying to handle, or even go into
feeding time, go into the stable, taking
her feed with me, and then l an pretty
apt to get my hands on her for the first
time. l then handle her as long aud as
freely as she will permit, but on the first
indications that she is a little shy of me,
that moment leave her. This treatment
is continued for few days, when she be-
comes perfectly gentle, allowing me to
handle her all over. l can even handle
her udder, which l merely rub, never in
any case try to milk ner. After working
with her q short time in this way. she be-
comes so gentle that I slip a halter on
her and give her to understand, By gently
pulling on the halter strap, that she is
tied. | then unite her and let her go I'M
til feeding time again, when L put on the
halter again and tie her to the manager,
leaving her tied until she Is done eating
her feed and l have handled her as much
as deem necessary for that time.
by treating heifers in this way, they
not only become perfectly gentle, but
are well broken to stand by the halter,
and when the calves are dropped they
are no more trouble to handle and milk
than the older cows. l break all my cows
to stand by the halter, aid tie them up
both winter and summer when I milk, and
think II a much better plan than letting
them run over the lot i'll summer while
milking. Long experience tells me that
whipping, scoldings kicking and abusing
cove or horses Is very bad and useless
practice among farmers and stockmen-
The man that can't drive my teams on
the farm without using the whip must
hunt another place to work By using
kindness. gentlenes- and patience We can
govern and control our stock as we'll as
ourselves. D. 3. CAETER.