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East of Broken Bow | Cousin has arthritis and uses one. If you go with one a few tips.
Hook it up and pull it around your herd well before calving season starts, to get the animals used to it. The first year he had his, he got it about the time the first calves hit the ground. Made the cows nervous for a while. Now, they don't really pay much attention to it, it's just something that goes around his calving pasture.
Next, it only works worth a darn in large open areas where the ground is fairly smooth and level. Doesn't have to be pancake flat, but anything more than rolling hills is asking for trouble.
I really like the way his works. Catch the calf, then a kind of bar/gate holds it against the back of the cage. The cow is on the outside, sniffing the calf. If she is owly, there is a gate, the calf, then another gate between you and the cow. His has only 3 sides, you step right from the ATV into the cage. When you release the calf, it goes out the back, you can get back on the ATV, release the back gate and drive away if the cow is mad, if she is calm, just open the back gate, and use the little divider to push the calf out.
It has its place, but like anything is only right in the right situation. However, before I would rope a calf off an ATV and throw it into a tote cage, I would go ahead and get the ready made cage. If you don't like it, you'll be able to sell it for almost what you paid for it. | |
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utv/atv mounted calf catcher
