# Tranquilizer Gun???



## mrsjbh (Feb 11, 2008)

I have a limo cow that keeps jumping the fence, she is kinda a mean old thing, we tried getting her in a pen and into a trailer, didn't work, she got over an 8ft panel. My next option is on the way (I hope) w/ a tranquilizer gun, can someone tell me how that works. Will it completely knock her out and if so how long will she be down? I just want an idea of how it's going to work before he gets here. I'm sick at my stomach trying to figure out what to do with her. I wish the guy we got her from would have been straight forward and told me about the problem. I think I'm going to skip the whole beef cow thing and stick with my sweet Jerseys!
Thanks!
M
P.S. if this doesn't work my only other option is to shoot her and make burger and I'm not looking forward to that, none of the butchers in the area have any openings to take her in so I'd have to do it myself with the help of a friend and his cooler.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

What are you going to do after you tranq her? I have seen it done on horses for hoof work, and they can be out for quite a while. Are you trying to get rid of her, or just move her?


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

If your ultimate plan is to butcher her, I would not use drugs but if you plan on returning her to pasture, tranq`s could work as a temporary solution. Realistically, if she`s crossing fences , she`s likely to become a repeat offender and you will need to consider a long term solution.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

Our WI veterinarian would use the tranquilizer on adult cattle that required dehorning. After receiving the shot, in about 3-5 minutes they would get drowsy. Their eyes would start to shut, followed by their front knees buckling.
Then they would lie down and go to sleep. They were sound asleep for about 20 minutes while he performed the required operation. Then, they would come to in a groggy state, swinging their neck and head until they regained their muscle control, rise and exit the barn. They were not very steady on their feet for the first 10 minutes after waking up, but quickly returned to normal.

The question is, do you have a skidsteer or frontend loader to slide her into trailer and shut the trailer door before she comes to? Placing the cow on a 4' X 8' sheet of 3/4" plywood and using it as a sled to move her to trailer can be a way to move a heavy cow that is immobilized.


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## mrsjbh (Feb 11, 2008)

gone-a-milkin said:


> What are you going to do after you tranq her? I have seen it done on horses for hoof work, and they can be out for quite a while. Are you trying to get rid of her, or just move her?


We were taking her to the sale barn. She was to much for us to handle.



wr said:


> If your ultimate plan is to butcher her, I would not use drugs but if you plan on returning her to pasture, tranq`s could work as a temporary solution. Realistically, if she`s crossing fences , she`s likely to become a repeat offender and you will need to consider a long term solution.


Ultimate plan was to recoup some of my money at the sale barn, if we could catch her and get her loaded. . . We did! Ended up shooting her 3 times w/ the tranq and using a tractor and horse to get her loaded. By the time we got her to the barn she was up but still a bit groggy. I'm glad to get her outta here. And I'll have to remember how the tranq gun worked, it would have saved us a lot of time and tummy ache if we would have done that in the first place instead of trying other tactics. She was definatly a repeat offender!


Up North said:


> The question is, do you have a skidsteer or frontend loader to slide her into trailer and shut the trailer door before she comes to? Placing the cow on a 4' X 8' sheet of 3/4" plywood and using it as a sled to move her to trailer can be a way to move a heavy cow that is immobilized.


Wish we would have had the plywood, but we've gotten 4+ inches of rain and the poor cowboy was knee deep in mud so I don't know if that woulda worked. I'll file the idea away for next time, actually I hope there never is a next time! I had a tummy ache for 2 days trying to figure out what to do with her and then getting it done.


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

I'm thinking you are breathing a sigh of relief this chapter has been closed!
I would not, however, rule out having beef cows based on one cow from one breed. There are some beef breeds that remain calm and manageable.


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## mrsjbh (Feb 11, 2008)

Up North said:


> I'm thinking you are breathing a sigh of relief this chapter has been closed!
> I would not, however, rule out having beef cows based on one cow from one breed. There are some beef breeds that remain calm and manageable.


Big Sigh! I got the check while ago, lost a couple hundred dollars but that is better than having to loose the whole thing if I'd have made hamburger outta her. I know beef cows aren't bad, my grandpa has had them for years and never had trouble but right now I'm going to shy away from them. We'll see what happens in the future.


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