How to Sort Cows

Last Updated: September 16, 2021

Sorting cattle is important when you need to separate them into groups based on size, gender, condition score, or age. Separation may also need to be done if some cattle need to be examined by a veterinarian or confined due to injury or illness. Sorting is also done with separating calves that need to be weaned from their mothers, and bulls after they have done their duty with breeding cows.

Sorting does not have to be stressful or more than a one-man operation. It can be done with one person quite easily if they understand stockmanship principles that take advantage of bovine psychology and behaviour.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Sorting in a Working Corral

1
Set up pens and corrals for cattle to be sorted into. You cannot do any sorting without having other corrals to put separated cattle into. If you are wanting to hold them for a length of time, they will need watering facilities and a feeding and bedding area. If possible and necessary, access to separate pastures is also necessary to keep the groups from mixing.
- This step will take significant amount of time to plan and do especially if you don't have the facilities set up yet. Room needed depends on the size of the animals and the number you have, plus the layout based on ease of access with tractors and machinery for feeding.
2
Move cattle into a smaller corral where they can be more easily handled. It is difficult to sort any cattle that are in a large corral or pasture because they have more room to escape and get around you to places where you don't want them to.
- This corral, a "working pen," needs to be central to where you intend to sort two or more groups into.
Advertisement
3
Open up the gate to where you need to sort the first group in. Only one gate is needed. Sorting is made easy when you give animals only one route to "escape," and you are there to control who "escapes" and who does not.
4
Move to one corner of the working corral, away from the gate. Stay near the gate so that you can control their movements.
- Cattle like to go by or around you. They don't like it if you walk with them. They especially find it distracting if one person is in with the herd trying to "push" them and the other is standing by the gate. In a small corral where the handler at the gate can easily manipulate their movements, only one person is needed to sort.
5
Step towards the gate opening or backward, depending on the animal. Moving towards the opening stops animals from coming through, whereas taking a step backward invites them to come through the gate.
6
Close the gate when all animals from the main herd is separated into the different corral.
7
Do a second and third check to see if you actually did get everyone. Cows and cattle can be sneaky where one animal may be hiding in the back than wanting to go through, so it doesn't hurt to do a double and triple check to make sure you've sorted out everyone that needs to be sorted.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Sorting from a Squeeze Chute

1
Move cattle through a working corral into a chute system into the squeeze. This step is so that you can check and process animals for various things like body condition score, ear or brisket tags, vaccinations, preg-checking, dehorning, castration, etc. From there, cattle released are directed to go into a particular pen you wish them to be in via gates opened or closed in the working alley.
2
Open and close the gates that are needed to direct the animal to where you want it to go.
3
Release the animal. You could go behind and guide the animal where to go, but generally this isn't necessary because once the cow has escaped from the squeeze, she'll go to where she can escape to without any assistance.
4
Repeat from Step 2 for the next bovine. Repeat until you've sorted each animal into the groups you've planned for.

Warnings

Putting yourself in the wrong place where you make a bovine feel trapped will make it come and "charge" you. The reason that it charged is not because it's "wild" or "aggressive," but because you made it that way. Most livestock-related accidents and fatalities are preventable, mainly because of the stupid mistakes in judgement people make when working these animals. Please try not to be one of those people.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Sorting and working with cows and cattle can be a dangerous job. You are working with livestock that are bigger, faster, and stronger than you, and if you give them any reason to become dangerous, they will hurt you, even when they don't intend to.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Do not ever let yourself get between a gate and a cow. You won't win and won't be strong enough to push against that cow that is ten-times heavier than you. You can and will get crushed.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0