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Twine Hobbles Keep Cows From Kicking
When beef cows have sore teats from severe weather they often get ornery when calves try to nurse and will kick them away. One way to stop the problem is to hobble their rear legs. You can do that cheaply with baling twine, according to Heather Smith Thomas, Salmon, Idaho.
She and her husband Lynn use four strand
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Twine Hobbles Keep Cows From Kicking LIVESTOCK Beef 20-3-38 When beef cows have sore teats from severe weather they often get ornery when calves try to nurse and will kick them away. One way to stop the problem is to hobble their rear legs. You can do that cheaply with baling twine, according to Heather Smith Thomas, Salmon, Idaho.
She and her husband Lynn use four strands, making a non-slip loop around each leg above the dewclaws, leaving 12 to 15 in. of space between the legs. They say that the most important thing is to use a non-slip knot so the hobbles don't tighten down and cut off circulation.
When sores on teats heal, they just snip the hobbles off with a shears and throw them away. Thomas notes that another use for hobbles is on first-calf heifers that don't want to nurse their calves. Once the calf has nursed a couple times, you can usually take the hobbles off.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Heather Smith Thomas, Box 215, Salmon, Idaho 83467 (ph 208 756-2841).
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