Angry calf

[pits4life]

What a topic...I recently bought an approx. 3 month old calf,weighs 200# and is BWF with some bramer in it,but however I brought the calf home and put it in a pen and everytime I enter the pen it charges me and even when I brought it home and worked it in the trailer it charged me about 12 to 15 times before I said I had enough and put it down and tied it and worked it.You know ,its funny when she does it but it is starting to worry me if its going to grow out of this,so I decided I would try to halter break her to maybe correct her disposition but its only been about three days and really no changes....Do you men/women have any advice on this matter or suggestions.Any and all help would be greatful,what would you all do?Thank you..... :tiphat:

 

[backhoeboogie]

Take the bill of your cap between your index finger and thumb and whack the daylights out of it on the snout any time it gets close. Once that calf has a 4 foot flight zone, you can stop.

The other option is wheels. That would be my option. No sense in getting someone hurt.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Sorry

 

[pits4life]

Is this something she will grow out of once she settles down or does it progress ? Should I have let her settle in and get use to seeing my family before I tried halter breaking her but she was this way as soon as I got her home,she didnt do this garbage when I loaded her.Its hilariuos to watch her do it cause she cannot hurt me at her size now but boy when she gets older that is why Im starting to think its not that da@% funny anymore,but I dont wont to be cruel to her ,I guess Im thinking in time she will change but I m new at raising my own cattle....

 

[backhoeboogie]

The halter would be out of the question in my book. Bear in mind nothing makes me madder than to see someone walk up and start scratching my cows. Pets will get you killed. If that calf aint scared of you, she needs to go.

 

[Jogeephus]

It only thinks its bad now. I'd send it down the road before it IS bad. (I will admit I'm being hypocritical here by saying only what I wish I had done a few years ago before I saw the calves my two spawns of satan produced. BTW - mine haven't mellowed with age but have only grown more devious and conniving.)

 

[pits4life]

I appreciate it ,all the advice is very helpful :clap: Should I just forget about the halter thing and see how it goes once I let her out with the other cows....?????

 

[Jogeephus]

I didn't realize she was all by herself and not with other animals. This might explain why she is so aggressive. I'd give her the benefit of the doubt and see if she doesn't calm down but if she charge me in the presence of the others I'd send her somewhere else for sure.

 

[dun]

Rather then turning her out with the others keep her penned but give her a buddy in there. BTW, a 200 lb calve is a lot stronger then you think and CAN hurt you at that size. Give her a buddy, if she hasn;t settled own enough in a week ship her out.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I have seen cattle go both ways - get better - or get lots worse.
Are you keeping her to EAT or breed? If she doesn't respect you now, you will really be in trouble when she has a calf :shock:
If you plan on keeping her, I would get another one with her (like Dun suggested) and keep her penned until she respects you - and that WILL mean swatting her everytime she puts her head towards you. She has to learn you are the BOSS. A "hat" might not be enough. I would have a cane and would wack her everytime her face was too close. My hands hurt too much to use them, but you might be able to. and I don't mean PUSH her head away. She has to respect that you are bigger & meaner than she is - even if you aren't.
Even my halter broke sweethearts are not allowed to act aggessive or push against me - I am the boss & require SPACE.

 

[showing71]

I'd be worried that even if you halter break her and she breaks fine and turns into a 'nice' animal, once she calves (if you plan on breeding her) she might go back to her 'nasty' ways.

 

[hillsdown]

I have to agree with being a little proactive with her. If she comes near you smack her ,hard, not with a cap either get a cattle sorting stick and give her a good whack on the snout. She has to learn to respect you right away ,because if she doesn't now imagine what she will be like when she weighs 1000lbs..

I like the idea of a buddy as well, bring in something that is calm but respects your space and see if that changes her..

 

[chippie]

Did you buy her at an auction barn? If so, her attitude and her mother's attitude may be the reason she was sold.

Good luck.

 

[KMacGinley]

Get rid of it.

 

[angus9259]

Get rid of it.

Yup. Life's too short to run bad cattle.

 

[rockridgecattle]

Get rid of her, she will only get worse with age...experience talking. Painful experience talking

 

[djinwa]

The thing is, you shouldn't have to deal with something like that. Believe it or not, there are calves that don't act that way. Odds are, somebody decided they could tolerate this disposition in the cow or bull this calf came from, so here's what you get. Maybe they finally shot the cow and that's why you have the calf.

As suggested, take it to the sale barn and stick it to the next sucker.

 

[Chuckie]

I know Mr. Do or Die, :lol: and he knows a lot more about cattle than he says. He respects the cattle, but is not afraid enough that he runs if one jumps, or if a bull starts skipping around him with a feed bucket. He has taught me things that I didn't know, which isn't saying a lot.

The little calf he has, is a stinker. The calf needs to worry more about getting hurt than PFL. He is a good sized guy, and when the heifer came at him, and got closer, he put his foot out on her head and shoved her backwards. When she charged him again, It was like WWF. He was all over her. He had her feet tied together before she knew what hit her. He does not live that far from me.

I would not want to get into a fight with him, for sure. Now I want to see him do that to one of those 700 lb heifers he owns.

I agree, if she continues to do this, she will need to go. It will be dangerous to his children and possibly to him as she gets older.
There are a few people around here that show cattle, and of course their cows were halter broke. The cows are very easy to be around. Not that you should pay attention to them, but it is better to be around cattle that are not in panic mode because you are walking around. So, I think that is where PFL is going with gentling her down.

If he decides to wait and see, the benefit will be that she has gained some weight before he runs her back through the ring. And...also may be the first man on the moon without any help from NASA.

Chuckie

 

[grubbie]

Whack it across the face with a sorting paddle when it comes at you. A couple times and it should be educated. Don't wrestle with it, it might be just a game to the calf. I believe it's plenty young to be educated, but there is a lot to be said for just shipping it, too. Definitely show it who's boss before it gets any bigger.

 

[longtimelurker]

I'd say turn the calf in with a pen of a couple hundred other calves you would never know it was crazy.