Calm Cows

[lancemart]

So the consensus is that when cows are tame and gentle, people become complacent and that is when they get hurt. Should I visit my cows carrying a stick. I have several Polled Herfords and one Holstein who thinks she is a dog. She tried to get into my truck one day when I was going to get coffee at Dunkin Donuts.
Hey do you guys have Dunkin Donuts out West>
Well Should I never turn my back and always carry a big stick. I haven't been carrying a stick but I do watch them out of my peripheral vision.
Your help is greatly appreciated, before I get hurt.

 

[Jogeephus]

Cattle have different personalities but one thing they should all have is respect for you and the belief that you are the dominant animal in the field. If this belief is lost thru petting or some other behaviour, some may lose this fear of you and test you or even play with you. You will lose. Just use common sense and keep this in mind and you'll be OK. JMHO

 

[MikeC]

Hey do you guys have Dunkin Donuts out West

We have the Krispy Kremes down here. Crowder could send you a calendar if you'd like. ;-)

 

[Gate Opener]

There are some that I don't worry about one bit. Now having feed is a different story. I realize that they wouldn't on purpose hurt me but pushing and shoving will go on amongst them and I don't want to be in on any of that. I try to make them stay back away from me when I have food.

There are a few new cows that I don't know real well yet so I kinda keep an eye on them. I don't carry a stick I just know where they are around me at all times. They haven't done anything bad, I just don't know all of their personalities.

I take that back I do have a new cow that is flighty and when she can't flight she wants to fight. :shock: There was one time that I wished I would have had something to bust her nose with when she was trying to get me. Unless she changes her attitude she is out of here. So, all that said I do watch her but she usually runs the other way whenever she sees me.

If you spend enough time with your cows you will get to know their personalities. But it is always good to be a cautious. If you feel better carrying a stick then that is what you should do. Trust your gut instinct.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Make them all give me at least four feet of room or you will get tapped by the axe handle. Old Belle swing's her head at a fly and you are on the ground. This is a cow it's stomach is 30 times larger than it's brain.

 

[Cowdirt]

So the consensus is that when cows are tame and gentle, people become complacent and that is when they get hurt. Should I visit my cows carrying a stick. I have several Polled Herfords and one Holstein who thinks she is a dog. She tried to get into my truck one day when I was going to get coffee at Dunkin Donuts.
Hey do you guys have Dunkin Donuts out West>
Well Should I never turn my back and always carry a big stick. I haven't been carrying a stick but I do watch them out of my peripheral vision.
Your help is greatly appreciated, before I get hurt.

Lancemart,
My cows are for the most calm but I carry a stick when walking among them which I do on a daily basis. I think it's a good practice. Besides it helps keep this old f-ort from falling.

 

[RichieMaGoo]

I realize that they wouldn't on purpose hurt me but pushing and shoving will go on amongst them and I don't want to be in on any of that. .

I had this 600 lb. Holstein steer that was as friendly as a dog- used to folly me home, and i'd have to bring him out a carrot- but he had a knack for stepping on my feet when I fed grain! (I think he broke my toe...it hurt for about 8 weeks!)

I've since bought a pair of steel-toe boots!

 

[Susie David]

The wilder ones we are cautious around, it is the pets that hurt folks...just takes one swing of the head or getting caught against the rail when little bossy wants her back scratched to do a fella in. We have our pets but also give them a whack every so often to make them keep their distance and let them know to be cautious. Don't have a mean one on the place but don't let them get to familiar either.
Just my two bits worth....DMc

 

[KNERSIE]

My cows are very calm and I seldom carry a stick, when I do its more for snakes than cows. Every cow, doesn't matter how calm, gentle or downright lazy can be dangerous after calving and every bull can be dangerous when a cow or more often a heifer that you don't want bred is in season.

 

[novatech]

My cows are very calm and I seldom carry a stick, when I do its more for snakes than cows. Every cow, doesn't matter how calm, gentle or downright lazy can be dangerous after calving and every bull can be dangerous when a cow or more often a heifer that you don't want bred is in season.

Ditto on that bull. A good friend almost got killed by his pet bull win a heifer was in heat. Rolled him around the pasture pretty good. Just got luck and got away.

 

[Limomike]

Jogeephus got it right.. they are animals, and they have to have respect of you when you are around them. Not scared, but respect of you. That being said, you also have to be respectful of their size, and ability to put you on the ground by simple moves. Even though all my cattle are fairly docile, I usually carry a stick with me when walking around them; and a shocker when I am separating them in the corral. (but I only used the shocker very sparingly with the really stubborn ones)

 

[randiliana]

Calm cows are less dangerous than flighty ones. The flighty ones are more likely to turn and fight if you corner them, or just run over you to get away from you. That being said, more people probably get hurt by calm ones just on the fact that they think she ISN'T dangerous. Cows are no different than horses you can make a pet out of them, but they have to KNOW that YOU are the boss. We carry a stick when working with our cattle, or even when walking through them. Our girls are calm, used to being walked through and used to being handled. They are not pets however, and we don't treat them as such.

 

[Earl Thigpen]

They are ALL dangerous. They are animals, some are gentle until you go for the cube bag then, while they are still gentle, will hurt you trying to get to the feed bag. Think about a 1200 pound cow stepping on your size 10 1/2 tenny runner with a human foot in it. Now that's gonna' leave a mark!

I have a real nice fiberglass stick about 6' long that I use to keep them at their distance. I'm not mean to them but they will get a whack across their nose if they misbehave. I was puttin' out cubes last week and one of them pinned me against the tailgate of the PU before I could get to my stick. Didn't hurt all that much (tailgate was heated) but the point is it only takes a second to get into trouble.

 

[mnmtranching]

I watch my replacement heifers closely. I want tame easy handling cows. If I see something I don't trust they go.

 

[bigbull338]

They are ALL dangerous. They are animals, some are gentle until you go for the cube bag then, while they are still gentle, will hurt you trying to get to the feed bag. Think about a 1200 pound cow stepping on your size 10 1/2 tenny runner with a human foot in it. Now that's gonna' leave a mark!

I have a real nice fiberglass stick about 6' long that I use to keep them at their distance. I'm not mean to them but they will get a whack across their nose if they misbehave. I was puttin' out cubes last week and one of them pinned me against the tailgate of the PU before I could get to my stick. Didn't hurt all that much (tailgate was heated) but the point is it only takes a second to get into trouble.

i had 1200lb cows step on my feet quiuet a few times.an yes it hurts like heck.had them grind their hoof on my foot.but id calmly wait an get them to move off my foot.usually a good slapp would move them.less they doing it for fun.then they move it when they good an ready.never have suffered any broken bones though.

 

[moocow]

All of mine are calm, wild ones grow wheels. Don't think there is one of them that has'nt tasted my boot for one reason or another

 

[dieselbeef]

My cows are very calm and I seldom carry a stick, when I do its more for snakes than cows. Every cow, doesn't matter how calm, gentle or downright lazy can be dangerous after calving and every bull can be dangerous when a cow or more often a heifer that you don't want bred is in season.

Ditto on that bull. A good friend almost got killed by his pet bull win a heifer was in heat. Rolled him around the pasture pretty good. Just got luck and got away.

was that me...bent my knee almost backwards....brahma...off to the market

 

[KenB]

They are ALL dangerous. They are animals, some are gentle until you go for the cube bag then, while they are still gentle, will hurt you trying to get to the feed bag. Think about a 1200 pound cow stepping on your size 10 1/2 tenny runner with a human foot in it. Now that's gonna' leave a mark!

I have a real nice fiberglass stick about 6' long that I use to keep them at their distance. I'm not mean to them but they will get a whack across their nose if they misbehave. I was puttin' out cubes last week and one of them pinned me against the tailgate of the PU before I could get to my stick. Didn't hurt all that much (tailgate was heated) but the point is it only takes a second to get into trouble.

My cows and bull are all calm, they never crowd me except when I am putting out feed. I was concerned that in my older clumsier age (its here) that I would slip, fall and get trampled.

I now leave them behind the gate in the pasture, put the feed out in the lot then open the gate to let them in to eat. I can then walk around them to check them while they are busy eating.

 

[Victoria]

I've been charged a few times and it has never been by a calm cow or a pet. I like my cows to be "pets" (pets that I eat -strange term but I'll go with the board definition) but you can't do it by spending 15 minutes a day with them. They have to be trained and it takes time. I spend about an hour a day with my replacement heifers. Last years all learnt to come when they are called, get touched from head to toe, move with a voice command (saying excuse me while I walk around the bale makes them back away as I approach, if they don't back away they get a boot and learn to do so). Saying excuse me while tapping any side of their body is a signal for them to move over - thought I should teach that one for when I get my toe stepped on one day. They also learnt to not touch a feed bucket if I am holding onto it. This years are still in training. Now granted most people don't want to put this much time into it. I like spending time with the cows though and find that having them like this saves me time if there is a problem. Saves me worry when I eartag and weigh the calves to. A cow that likes being touched by you doesn't give a fig if you touch her calf. They are easy to work with and although I always watch just because of their sheer size I don't worry about them like I do the flighty ones, or horses, now they are the dangerous ones. I don't worry that any of my "pets" will turn on me on purpose, they have no reason to.
I don't carry a stick, I have no need for one. My animals respect me and like to see me coming, for more than just the feed. It's about respect but I refuse to get respect from fear because flight and fight go hand in hand. The cow that stays away because she is scared of you will attack when pushed to far. That doesn't mean I don't discipline though - I could do it with a stick but I prefer my boot, it's always with me.
The pets that kill are generally show animals that don't like people because their show carreer wasn't too agreeable to them or the ones that aren't actually "pets" just pushy. Or the person they injure isn't "their" person. I have a cow that lets me do whatever I want to her or her calf but I would hate to be the stranger that tried to touch her baby.
Sorry, know this post was long but I just don't get the number of people on here that say never trust a cow, a calm cow will hurt you. A lot of these are the same ones that get on a big horse and trust it to not kill them. I have pet cows and pet horses and I'll trust the cows over the horses anyday, especially at feeding time.
We have Tim Horton's here. Not that we go often, our closest one will have a 30 minute line-up minimum at nearly ever time of the day. The people here are addicted to their coffee, donus don't do too bad either.

 

[shorty]

You always must be careful around any animals, for the most part my cows and the bull are pretty calm , my old bull (he was 4 years old) was getting to be a little difficult , my new bull is like big baby right now but I still respect all of them. the worst experience I've had was with a cow when she her calf , she had 4 while I had her and she never got them drinking on her own , when we put her in the chute and helped her a little she always raised a nice calf but she was always nasty to me when I tried to help the calf , each year it got worse, I should have got rid her but didn't because she always raised a nice calf, last spring she had a calf in the pasture and again wasn't feeding it so we went to try to bring them down to the barn. I have a six wire high tensile fence, luckily the 2nd wire from the top was a little loose, she threw me agianst the fence and kept pushing until she put me thruogh between the 2nd and 3rd wire , I ended up on the other side , I was little sore for awhile but ok, needless to say she ended up as hamburger. We put calf on a bottle. Sometimes I think a cow with a new calf can be as dangerous as a bull.