Adolescent prankster working steers?

[luvmimerle]

Along with going back to the basics, the loaded stone boat is also key here. It will make them think about something other than the opportunity to goof around. It will also help to tire them out. If whoa is a problem on the stone boat, then we’ll just keep on going til whoa sounds REALLY good. After a few minutes on the boat, then unhook & work them, you should see a difference in energy levels right away.
Are you feeding lots of grain? If they are in good shape, you could back off the extra feed for a bit til they settle down. I often found I didn’t give my steers enough hard things to do, we often pulled an empty wheeled cart or ground drove through obstacles. They did get mischeivous at 2 yrs old but it was settled quickly with the stone boat or a couple of logs to drag. I also found that with easy stuff to pull, they started “hauling out”. Again, this was rectified with a loaded vehicle or logs.
I also would not give them “herd time”. YOU are their herd. Period. Maybe when they are older, you could turn them out with other cattle but not now. If they learn cattle behavior & turn it on you, this could be bad.
Oxen are like raising children, always a challenge, always rewarding. Both will make you so proud or make you look like an idiot, sometimes within the same 5 minutes!!!! But you hang with it for that end result you know is there.

[Author]

Posts