# Anyone stake their cows out?



## cjb (May 2, 2006)

A local farm here always has a few Jersey's staked out by the road.

I staked our jersey cow out today and she got tangled pretty quickly. She would get it around her legs then just stand there looking terrifying. She's not very tame so it wasn't any fun getting it off of her.

ANyone have success with staking out? We used to try with our goats and it almost never worked out and I've since heard (on here) that its not safe for them.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We tether everything out, cows and goats and have never had a problem.
The first thing is to make sure your equipment will hold the animal without breaking and/or pulling out of the ground. 
I use the biggest dog cable I could find at Fleet Farm but a chain would work. Swivels on both ends are nice but you should at least have a swivel where you attach the cable to the halter.
We use a halter instead of a collar for a couple of reasons. It is easier to control the animal while moving it with a halter and if it should get tangled badly you won't have the collar tightening on the neck.
The second thing is to make sure the area is safe for the critters.
I heard folks losing goats because they climbed a woodpile and fell off hanging themselves. Pretty stupid to leave your goat tethered where they can get into that kind of trouble.
When I stake I take the end of the cable and walk the circle with it to make sure the animal will not be in any danger. A few times I have skipped this step and luckily the only damage was to the flower beds (cows love hostas)
It may take the animal a while to get used to the cable and I like to start them as young as possible with it. I know you don't have that option so you'll have to keep an eye on her and help out as needed. Ours pretty much learn to step over the cable and most of the time if they wrap themselves around a tree they will figure out how to walk back out of it.
The more you work with her the tamer she will become and eventually it shouldn't be a big rodeo.


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## JulieLou42 (Mar 28, 2005)

I use two crowbars driven into the ground at an angle about 50' apart to which I've attached a 1/4" steel cable; there are cable clamps for that purpose...use four! A 25' heavy chain is attached to her halter and with a swivel bull clip to the steel cable on the other end of it, so she won't tangle herself up. She'll eat an oval pattern down in the grass that way after a couple of days, and then I rotate her to the space next to where she just was, as I can see where she's not eaten.


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## ChasingDreams (Apr 8, 2006)

Julie and Sammy, do you guys tether out full time? 

The way our land is situated, the (future) cow would get much more access to fresh grass if we could move her and her calf around every couple of days, instead of a fenced in acre. The upstart would be dramatically reduced, as well!

How young of a calf can you tether out?


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We tether as needed. We have an acre of pasture that we use as well. This spring before the pasture was up to where I wanted it we tethered and later in the summer when things dried up and the pasture went away we tethered. We had 2 heifers at around 700-1000 pounds, 1 heifer at 300 and a steer at 400 that we tethered in the spring. And late summer we had got down to just a 900 pound heifer and an 800 pound steer. We also had 1 goat that tethered full time.
Biggest thing is to make sure they always have water, ours seem to enjoy tipping the bucket over just after you've humped it to them.


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

What about tieing a 4 or 6 foot rope to a tractor, or truck, or a car,tether the cow to that, and move the vehicle every 2 or 3 hours?


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## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

I would never do it without supervision. I have often thought of making a small portable pen out of panels, I think it would be much safer, just haven't done it yet.


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

Matthew Lindsay said:


> I would never do it without supervision. I have often thought of making a small portable pen out of panels, I think it would be much safer, just haven't done it yet.


YEAH! A cow tractor. Thats a cool idea


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

How many times a day would you have to move those portable panels?
Even with a 40' diam circle I move almost evey day.


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## HazyDay (Feb 20, 2007)

ChasingDreams said:


> How young of a calf can you tether out?



If they are young, they won't wander far, so you could just let it run loose. My uncle used to let 1 of his dairy cows out each day in the early spring to eat the grass around the barn. No fences just 1 won't wander. These arn't show cows or pets so they are some what wild.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

We tether once they're weaned and ready to hit the grass. Local organic dairy has them on tethers from day 1 until they are weaned.


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## DJ in WA (Jan 28, 2005)

I admit to having a tethering fetish. Maybe I just donât have a life. Inherited an acre lawn with this place, which to me seems a waste. I now let grass grow pretty tall, let cows take off the top, then cut even with the mower on high setting. Figure with the cowsâ help, I have to mow 1/3 as much as would otherwise and save some gas. And they like it. Iâm not blessed with much pasture.

There is quite a science to doing it with an assortment of trees, bushes and flower beds they can get into and wrapped around. I finally learned Sammyâs idea of walking the chain or cable around in a circle to see what theyâll get into.

The calves/cows have halters on, with a 12â chain attached.

I have long pieces of rope I string between trees or T-posts. I might wrap a chain around one of the trees and adjust the rope slack by moving the rope end clip back and forth along the chain.

Every 6 feet along the rope I make small loops in the rope. You can pick different loops to put the rope end clip on depending on how far apart the trees are. And I can attach the cow chain clip to a loop, or attach clip between the loops so it can slide a little ways. Loops have a knot which stops the sliding chain clip.

I can also adjust the length between the cow and rope by moving the clip up and down the chain.

So, several ways to adjust where the cows go â sounds complicated, but you can get to where you set up pretty quickly.

Some situations easier, like just hooking chain around the bottom of T-post in a fence line. Or with a small tree, can just hook chain around the tree. Need to stay around because theyâll wrap themselves in circles.

I try to stay within eyesight, or check regularly when on the lawn, as Iâve found if thereâs a weakness, theyâll find it. Havenât had any serious situations, though.

And of course, I keep a 5 gallon bucket and a shovel for the cleanup.


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## Oxankle (Jun 20, 2003)

Be sure you get a halter made for a cow, not one of the nylon horse halters that skin their noses. Cow halters are made differently and the good ones have a leather nose strap or are all leather. 

A simple "cow chain" with a snap hook on one end and a ring on the other was once sold. Thirty feet of chain is enough if the cow is moved daily. In hot weather you must be certain to provide plenty of water. 

I used an old axle to anchor the cow. Once they are used to the tether they will stay put unless they come in heat. If they come in heat they can tow a mobile home toward the bull. When that day comes be sure to drive the axle well into the ground. 

This was my job as a teenager; I tethered a cow every day for several years.
There is absolutely no reason not to do this if you take simple precautions as noted by earlier posters.
Ox


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