Agressive cattle

[bird dog]

If they are just agitated from the sale barn process, don't try to work them, just turn them out with a herd of gentle cows. Their attitude can change in a couple weeks once they see that their herd mates are okay being around you. Some settle down when they find out who is taking care of them. Some never do settle down though so be wary.

 

[birdog]

Wild cattle may be calmed but aggressive cattle should be put in the food chain.

 

[PPRM]

Yes to this, one that wants to kill you always will. One that's just a little bit wild... put it in a small pen and feed it treats, it'll be your friend eventually.

I'd add, put them with some quiet ones. Be real good on the release when moving them.

I emphasize this is in a smaller pen like you said. Not so small they can't get out of the bubble pressure zone. If you put a wild one with other cattle in a larger field, they will convert about 10% of that group to become run offs

 

[SBMF 2015]

I have always been told it takes 8 quite cattle for every spooky animal.

The vet I worked for said he had a client who had purebred Charolais that would flat kill you. He said the owner called one time on an emergency OB on a hfr. They finally got the spooky wench in a rickety old barn. They roped and after choking her down a couple times put a halter on the hfr and tied her to a heavy post in the manger. They pulled a dead calf and the hfr was so exhausted that she couldn't get up. The owner left her tied to the manger and carried her fed and water. . . . For two months! The vet said when the owner finally let her go she would fallow him everywhere just like a puppy. Kinda like Stockholm syndrome.

 

[kenny thomas]

You may want to describe what she is doing and the circumstances around the unwanted behavior.

If you say agressive most people will say to cull her as she could cause serious injury or death. If you don't think it's that bad, you may want to give more context.

Agressive to you and I might be much different than to other people. Heck agressive to me 20 years ago is much different than now.

 

[Dave]

Agressive to you and I might be much different than to other people. Heck agressive to me 20 years ago is much different than now.

That is for sure. I use to buy snotty cows. Got them cheap and I knew how to play with them when needed. Now at 73 I pass on them because I don't move like I use to.

 

[bird dog]

The nut case I bought last week has calmed down considerably but it may be because she hurt her self doing something stupid in the trailer. The sale barn had her worked up pretty good.
The other cow I bought with her was from the same seller and was as gentle as you can hope for.

 

[kenny thomas]

That is for sure. I use to buy snotty cows. Got them cheap and I knew how to play with them when needed. Now at 73 I pass on them because I don't move like I use to.

25 years ago i hauled a lot of cattle all over the region. They didn't get too mean for me to haul. Different story now.
I have a few Brahma cross cows that for some people might be hard to handle. But for me i can handle them fine. I dont consider them agressive until they blow snot and start at me from 50ft away.

 

[gman4691]

I never saw any additional details on the circumstances. If recently purchased, she might just be skittish from the trailer ride. If that's the case, she might calm down after some time with the herd of relatively docile cattle. I ran into that when I bought 3 last year - now they are as easygoing as the rest…not pets but not dangerous. If she has been, and remains aggressive, a trip to the sale barn would be my recommendation - that's what I did with 3 or 4 crazy cows over the last few years…and they all produced good calves…but it's just not worth getting hurt…good calves or not. Someone on here made that point…don't remember who it was but I don't regret getting rid of those particular cows.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I dont consider them agressive until they blow snot and start at me from 50ft away.

I had a home raised replacment heifer that was calm as could be. One day she was fine the next I walked to the gate on a 20 acre pasture of which the cows were practically out of sight. She came on a full charge from over the horizon blowing snot and hollering and much to my surprise she wasnt bluffing. She rolled me a few times on my way to and over the gate. Not sure what happened in 24 hours but she never did calm down.

 

[Travlr]

I had a home raised replacment heifer that was calm as could be. One day she was fine the next I walked to the gate on a 20 acre pasture of which the cows were practically out of sight. She came on a full charge from over the horizon blowing snot and hollering and much to my surprise she wasnt bluffing. She rolled me a few times on my way to and over the gate. Not sure what happened in 24 hours but she never did calm down.

I've seen a heifer owned by a big registered stock outfit that went rogue and they finally figured out she'd tweaked something in her back and she was in pain all the time. Apparently she blamed everything that moved for her suffering.

I had a heifer that wouldn't tolerate a dog within eyesight. She'd chase me on the ATV if the dog was riding along, and she'd go through a fence to get to one.

I also had one that would try to kill sheep. I got her from the sale barn and she got sold to a neighbor that didn't have any sheep within a couple of days.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Maybe that's what happened to this girl. Either way I locked her in the corral and fed her corn over the guard rail and hauled her to the butcher a few weeks later. Just had the last of the steaks about a month back, they were delicious.

 

[SBMF 2015]

That is for sure. I use to buy snotty cows. Got them cheap and I knew how to play with them when needed. Now at 73 I pass on them because I don't move like I use to.

I swear I haven't slowed down any, but man some of those cranks move a lot faster than they did 20 years ago!

 

[Rafter S]

I had a home raised replacment heifer that was calm as could be. One day she was fine the next I walked to the gate on a 20 acre pasture of which the cows were practically out of sight. She came on a full charge from over the horizon blowing snot and hollering and much to my surprise she wasnt bluffing. She rolled me a few times on my way to and over the gate. Not sure what happened in 24 hours but she never did calm down.

I had a Brahman cross cow suddenly charge me when I was walking in the pasture with my children, who were small at the time. I picked my daughter up and stepped in front of my son, and when she got about 8' from us I yelled real loud and she went past us instead of over the top of us. When we crawled through the fence into an adjoining pasture I don't mind admitting I had to sit down for a minute.

She had a small calf, but that wasn't her first, she had never been aggressive before, and we weren't anywhere close to her or the calf when she charged, so I don't know what happened. A few days later my father and I went to pen the cattle and sell her and the calf and she didn't want to let us out of the truck. Luckily, at one point she went on one side of the truck and her calf was on the other, so I jumped out, grabbed the calf, jumped in the trailer, and closed the door behind me.

She was circling the trailer and snorting, wanting to get to me and the calf. I closed the calf up in the front of the trailer, climbed up on top, and managed to open the back gate. She ran inside, and I closed it and climbed back down.

That was at least 25 years ago, but I have still never been so glad to see the trailer door closed on an animal.

 

[kdchex]

Take 'em to town. Not worth the possibility of injuries...to you or them.

 

[MACVSOG]

I swear I haven't slowed down any, but man some of those cranks move a lot faster than they did 20 years ago!

all my cattle are gentle or they are no longer my cattle. i don't abide problems.

five years ago bought a goodlooking cow at auction. behaved well in auction. picked her up the next day. difficult to lead and chargine trailer. delivered her to a confinement area where i sometimes keep new ones for 1,2,3 days to acclimate. she was chargine the trailer as i walked around. i could envision her running over me or the fence or both. left her loaded and delivered for the nest sale a few days later. lost about $100 because whe had lost 100poundbut that was a win.

two years ago bought several bred cows, all good. when preparing to relocate vaccinated, branded, etc. maybe branding was the problem, but one was a little beserk. took her to nest auction. watached her sell next day, still wild and chargine gates in auction ring. lost $500 over her purchase price, but ahead on sale of her calf. the others i bought at the same time are gentle herefords with their second calf.

my comments are not succint and pithy, but i agree with all the others.
above all take care of yourself. easy to get rid of a problem cow. sell or eat.

and yes cattle are a lot faster than they used to be. steroids?

 

[farmerjan]

Original poster obviously did not like the answers by many with collective years of wisdom and experience of working with cattle that had attitudes.
We have one that raises a good calf... not aggressive in the field but when in the barn she wants out... will try to go over any gate, etc... you do NOT separate her out by herself. As long as she is in a group of a couple she can be worked, will go down the chute and all without a big deal... JUST HATES to feel "trapped". We can work with that... Just sold one that would turn and challenge you in the lot... NO and double NO.... I don't mind a little protectiveness with a brand new calf, and in a few days they are usually fine... One that will turn around and give me the stink eye in the lot, snot or act like she will take a run at you... BYE BYE....

 

[greybeard]

just something else....It's been my experience that a constantly wild eyed, tail up the air, takes off at a run cow will always take a few of the calm ones with her, sometimes the whole bunch. Get a good bunch penned, they settle right down ,loll around a bit, looking for a mouthful of grass in a corner maybe but if "that one' is in with them, it's constant shoving, pushing, riding, running. It's just not worth it to keep her.

 

[Rafter S]

just something else....It's been my experience that a constantly wild eyed, tail up the air, takes off at a run cow will always take a few of the calm ones with her, sometimes the whole bunch. Get a good bunch penned, they settle right down ,loll around a bit, looking for a mouthful of grass in a corner maybe but if "that one' is in with them, it's constant shoving, pushing, riding, running. It's just not worth it to keep her.

I agree. One animal like that can make fools of the whole bunch.

 

[SBMF 2015]

just something else....It's been my experience that a constantly wild eyed, tail up the air, takes off at a run cow will always take a few of the calm ones with her, sometimes the whole bunch. Get a good bunch penned, they settle right down ,loll around a bit, looking for a mouthful of grass in a corner maybe but if "that one' is in with them, it's constant shoving, pushing, riding, running. It's just not worth it to keep her.

I've always heard it's a 8:1 ratio. It takes 8 quiet cows to offset 1 spook.