Hard to handle cattle make for extra work and time. One of our important management practices is to have calm, easy-to-work cattle. We interact with them every day as we rotate them to a new lot, water them or just walk out and take a head count. It’s okay if the cow doesn’t want to be touched, it’s not okay if I can’t get within a few feet of her without spooking her. Also, new calves learn from their dams. If mamma cow doesn’t trust us, those growing calves won’t either.

Years ago, Don and I implemented a routine for moving the herd(s). We lead the cattle instead of drive them, so they know where to go. I clap my hands in a certain rhythm, tell them they are pretty girls and start walking in the direction that we want them to go. Don follows and puts pressure on any stragglers so that the herd stays together. We can now lead them short distances, across open pasture, without them wandering off to graze. Consistency has been the key to making this work.

Handling cattle in tight spaces, every cattleman has their own system. I am a big fan of slow, calm pressure in cattle’s flight zone. My position in the zone indicates the direction that I want them to go and eventually, the cow, calf or bull moves away. I back off when the animal follows through. Again, calves follow mamma cow’s lead, and we use this consistently as well.