I bought 7 beef calves from a friend that were from 4 to 6 months old in December. They were all very good natured. They were gentle, but not enough to be annoying. None of them had that wild look in their eyes, and they came running when they heard feed going in the trough. They are a pleasure to be around. They will draw back if I try to rub them very much, but otherwise, they aren't nervous when people are around. The calves and our dog are very playful. The dog will crouch down and get still for a few minutes, and then lung at their head and quickly run back. The calves will stare at him and give a seemingly playful butt. It is nothing aggressive; it all looks super playful and hilarious to watch. My kids love to watch them. Sometimes, they will even creep up and lick each others faces.
I had 10 more beef calves delivered from 4 to 6 months old last night, and they are different. They aren't terribly wild, but they act a little spooked in comparison to the others. The dog walked in the lot and barked this evening and i thought they were going to run through the fence. Two of them are especially nervous. We tried to put them in the barn last night, and two of them wouldn't go in. When we enter the field, they all congregate to the corner and won't come to the barn when we put out feed until we leave. It's hard to explain, but they have a more spooked expression than the others. I know this sounds silly, but when we enter the field, the other calves stare at us as if to say, "Ok, where's the feed." These calves stare at us like we're hiding a butcher knife.
I don't expect every calf to have the same personality, but I find it odd that each group has totally different personalities and every calf in the group has it. I wonder why the entire first group was all gentle, and the second group is a little wild.
Will these calves probably get more gentle with time, or do some cows retain that wild personality always.
I had 10 more beef calves delivered from 4 to 6 months old last night, and they are different. They aren't terribly wild, but they act a little spooked in comparison to the others. The dog walked in the lot and barked this evening and i thought they were going to run through the fence. Two of them are especially nervous. We tried to put them in the barn last night, and two of them wouldn't go in. When we enter the field, they all congregate to the corner and won't come to the barn when we put out feed until we leave. It's hard to explain, but they have a more spooked expression than the others. I know this sounds silly, but when we enter the field, the other calves stare at us as if to say, "Ok, where's the feed." These calves stare at us like we're hiding a butcher knife.
I don't expect every calf to have the same personality, but I find it odd that each group has totally different personalities and every calf in the group has it. I wonder why the entire first group was all gentle, and the second group is a little wild.
Will these calves probably get more gentle with time, or do some cows retain that wild personality always.
