Today, I had the calves follow the feed pan to load up. Loading up was a real issue when we brought them home. I think part of the issue was the motor skills and partly the dim trailer. I lured them toward the back of a small garden trailer, which has about an 18-inch step height. TUck, the bolder of the two, hopped right in. Nip took a minute. ONce they started in, I clicked. Then I used "back" to get them to unload. As they ate their feed, I rubbed their favorite spots.
I also need to work on foot access, so I think that will come soon.
I am a little hampered, because they won't take food from my hand, so I am putting sweet feed into the feed pan. THis will be the target. At this point, I am just "fiddling around" to see what arrangement will work the best. My ultimate goal is to use carrots and social reinforcers as rewards. IN hot weather, they love the sprinkler, so I might even figure out how to work that in,too.
They are now enjoying our time together, as evidenced by the mournful look on their little faces as I leave their paddock. That is HUGE. They are also running to me when I come out. It is so important to me that they enjoy our time together.
I second the food pan
I second the food pan suggestion! I did a little with cows a few years ago and that's how I handled getting food to them. Their favorite thing was grain and the pan allowed me to easily give that to them as well as keep my hands from getting scratched up. I absolutely hated the times when I didn't have the pan and had to hand feed them anything...! I think it just takes time to learn to manipulate the feed pan after being used to working with treats in a pocket and being able to throw them all over the place for animals like dogs. After a couple weeks though I was comfortable with it and things went well from there.
Interestingly, we didn't work on loading and when it came time to do so, they didn't mind at all.
Interesting stuff!
Hi Nancy,
I am really looking forward to reading your oxen adventures and wish you the best of luck!
I think you may find HORSE clicker training materials useful (such as Alexandra Kurland's book) as I am assuming the issues you may run into with oxen are similar to those you may encounter with horses, although oxen definitely seem like a *bigger* challenge.
If they won't take food from your hand, how about devising some small portable feed pan (maybe with a handle) - a bigger version of what Bob Bailey uses at chicken camps? Have you seen those?
You could then try teaching targeting something non-edible and rewarding for that. Because the challenge with the oxen will be to get across the concept of "you need to do something to get the food" not just "follow the food."
And to all the readers of this blog - I used to be a herding student of Nancy's, I've seen the two oxen and well... they are as cute as oxen can be :-)