Advice needed on agressive cow...

[FLJoe]

I bought "Mabel" in February. She is a 5 year old registered Beefmaster cow with good lines. She is also polled, which is one of the main reasons I bought her. I have had a hard time locating polled Beefmaster cows in FL.

Since arriving, she has gotten somewhat agressive to the point where I do not trust her. When I approach her, she will on occasion shake her head and jump forward a bit as if she may charge. Now if I have a feed bucket, she is fine of course. She tolerates me, but does not like my wife or daughter at all.

I am puzzled as to what to do as I spent a lot of money on her, and she is due to have a calf in September. If its a heifer, we need her for our breeding program for sure. I have raised crossbred for several years and never encountered this problem. My cows and bull either shy away or are so tame you can groom them. Any advice would be great.

 

[la4angus]

Who is worth the most to you. Mable, or your wife and daughter.

 

[Campground Cattle]

No room for an aggressive cow she's not worth it. If your determined to keep her I would have a come to Jesus meeting with her an axe handle. You had better get her attention quick, I still wouldn't trust her. She has ether got her bluff in or needs to grow wheels she is not the only polled beefmaster.

 

[nrs farm]

I am puzzled as to what to do as I spent a lot of money on her, and she is due to have a calf in September. If its a heifer, we need her for our breeding program for sure. I have raised crossbred for several years and never encountered this problem. My cows and bull either shy away or are so tame you can groom them. Any advice would be great.

Is she really something you want to duplicate in your herd? Next year 2 cows you can not trust? Then 4. Etc. Every time your wife and daughter are out and about you want more of this type of cow to be there? Eventually, no one but you will be able to do anything around your herd. Then, maybe one day, even you can't be around them. But by then you have a small herd of these cows. Is this really what you want to start building your herd with? Just my thoughts.

 

[dun]

I would contact whoever I got her from. But the standing rule is the same as the response to Black Angus, ship her or shoot her.

dun

I bought "Mabel" in February. She is a 5 year old registered Beefmaster cow with good lines. She is also polled, which is one of the main reasons I bought her. I have had a hard time locating polled Beefmaster cows in FL.

Since arriving, she has gotten somewhat agressive to the point where I do not trust her. When I approach her, she will on occasion shake her head and jump forward a bit as if she may charge. Now if I have a feed bucket, she is fine of course. She tolerates me, but does not like my wife or daughter at all.

I am puzzled as to what to do as I spent a lot of money on her, and she is due to have a calf in September. If its a heifer, we need her for our breeding program for sure. I have raised crossbred for several years and never encountered this problem. My cows and bull either shy away or are so tame you can groom them. Any advice would be great.

 

[Linda]

She's not worth the your safety or that of your family. The old saying, "Cull on Disposition" is a tried and true one.

Don't do the feed bucket thing. One of these days she's going to take you by surprise and take the feed bucket from you any way she can.

Worry about your wife and children being around this cow, but also think about how your wife and children are going to fare if you sustain a serious injury from this cow or her progeny.

 

[sillco]

I bought "Mabel" in February. She is a 5 year old registered Beefmaster cow with good lines. She is also polled, which is one of the main reasons I bought her. I have had a hard time locating polled Beefmaster cows in FL.

Since arriving, she has gotten somewhat agressive to the point where I do not trust her. When I approach her, she will on occasion shake her head and jump forward a bit as if she may charge. Now if I have a feed bucket, she is fine of course. She tolerates me, but does not like my wife or daughter at all.

I am puzzled as to what to do as I spent a lot of money on her, and she is due to have a calf in September. If its a heifer, we need her for our breeding program for sure. I have raised crossbred for several years and never encountered this problem. My cows and bull either shy away or are so tame you can groom them. Any advice would be great.

Watch her when she calves, she will likely be much more aggressive.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Let her calve and ship them both.

 

[Anonymous]

I bought "Mabel" in February. She is a 5 year old registered Beefmaster cow with good lines. She is also polled, which is one of the main reasons I bought her. I have had a hard time locating polled Beefmaster cows in FL.

Since arriving, she has gotten somewhat agressive to the point where I do not trust her. When I approach her, she will on occasion shake her head and jump forward a bit as if she may charge. Now if I have a feed bucket, she is fine of course. She tolerates me, but does not like my wife or daughter at all.

I am puzzled as to what to do as I spent a lot of money on her, and she is due to have a calf in September. If its a heifer, we need her for our breeding program for sure. I have raised crossbred for several years and never encountered this problem. My cows and bull either shy away or are so tame you can groom them. Any advice would be great.

Call her bluff, whop her arse with a shovel.

BP

 

[NCSU Maverick]

Call her bluff, whop her arse with a shovel.

I'm gonna go write that down.

 

[Anonymous]

I would ship her and do it while prices are good. Remember that disposition is one of the 6 essentials of a beefmaster. I tried to retrain a few cows and they never failed to return to their honery disposition over time.

 

[FLJoe]

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I called the person who I bought her from and he was dumbfounded. He raised her from a calf til she left and had never seen such behavior. Then he asked me if I had her with my herd. I said no, she was in a seperate area because she was a little thin and needed extra feeding. He told me to run her with the herd. I did two days ago, and she has been acting a lot more relaxed ever since. Evidently the isolation made her feel threatened and defenseless. Sound right?

 

[cherokeeruby]

It sounds familiar. Brahmans don't hate anything worse than being alone. Beefmasters are a high percentage brahman. One thing I can say that is positive about Brahmans and probably Brahman blooded cattle is if you go out looking for them if you find one you have found them all. They stick together.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I called the person who I bought her from and he was dumbfounded. He raised her from a calf til she left and had never seen such behavior. Then he asked me if I had her with my herd. I said no, she was in a seperate area because she was a little thin and needed extra feeding. He told me to run her with the herd. I did two days ago, and she has been acting a lot more relaxed ever since. Evidently the isolation made her feel threatened and defenseless. Sound right?

 

[Beefy]

They will actually fret themselves to death in isolation sometimes.

 

[jcarkie]

you will probably be surprise in a few months at the difference when she doesn't feel threatened. but you don't need to let her bluff you. i have bought some wild cattle, one guy used a hot shot on his everytime he worked them. and after feeding them through the winter they are right behind you like a dog. i would be cautious for the first calf, i have some cows that calved at my place for the first time and when i worked their calves i had something between us. i walk around mine and fool with them quite a bit.