Ideal Calf Snare

Details

A head that has turned back is the classic reason a calving goes from ten minutes to two hours. The snare is what you use to get hold of it. The cable loops behind the poll and into the mouth, and the sliding yoke lets you cinch it down and hold what you have gained while you get the legs sorted, instead of losing the head every time the cow pushes. It is a simple tool and that is its virtue. There is nothing to seize, nothing to adjust and nothing to break at two in the morning. Used alongside OB chains, it turns a two-hand job that needs three hands into one you can manage. Getting a snare on correctly takes a feel that comes from having done it, and a head snare used carelessly can do damage. If you have not used one before, get your veterinarian to walk you through it during daylight rather than learning on a live one in a blizzard. Wash and dry it after every calving, check the cable for kinks or fraying before the season, and keep it in the calving kit where you can find it without looking.