Crazy Cow

[3waycross]

I'm not sure the Breeds Board is the place for this but here goes.

Anybody ever had a cow just decide to whip everything in sight for no apparent reason.

My partner and I were feeding this afternoon and I noticed one 3yr old Shorthorn cow acting kinda tough, including with me when I was cutting twine on the bales she was very aggressive and kinda hooked at me when I tried to get her to back off.
Right after that I noticed she was harrassing an older cow that is kind of crippled, even knocked her down.

After we finished feeding we were watching the cows eat from the truck( wind chill was about -20 at that point) and we wanted to really look at some of the cows for signs of loss of condition etc. Well here she comes again and knocks down the crippled cow again. Then she went after a 2yr old heifer and knocked her around a lot. Somehow in the process of trying to fight these two cows she broke off a horn at the skull. This only served to make her more crazy than before, and she went after every cow she could find, meanwhile bleeding like heck.

I've never seen anything like it. I'm wondering if any of you folks have? By the way before today she has never been a problem. The only thing I can figure is it's been brutally cold and the cows are really aggressive at feeding time but never anything like this deal today.

Before anyone asks I'm pretty sure they are getting enough to eat. They are getting 13, 75 to 80 lb bales of good alfalfa/grass hay a day for 36 cows and there is a lot of grass under the 6 in of snow if they want to forage for more feed.

 

[cfpinz]

Trailer time.

cfpinz

 

[3waycross]

Trailer time.

cfpinz

Almost became 30-06 time this afternoon.

 

[dun]

The only time I've seen a cow get like that was when she had been knocked down a peg in the pecking order or had tried to move up and gotten thoroghly whipped in the process.
But there are times that I think they just have PMS or the equivilent and turn into real witches for a day or 2.

 

[Roadapple]

Or it could be something such as nitrate poisoning in which they go completly crazy and will attack anything moving or standing. But if it was that, she's probably assumed ambient temp. by now.

 

[Joy of Texas]

I believe it's more of what Dun is saying. I've seen it happen a few times.
The part that concerns me is that she is going after you. I would be watching her awful close. I realize a person can't haul every cow/heifer off just because of the pecking order mess. I have one now I would just love to get rid of,but the old man says no. She is not aggressive towards us,but she lets everyone know she's the boss.
I myself would keep an eye on her for a few days . If she is not calming down. I would haul her. It's better than her catching you out by yourself one day.

 

[3waycross]

Looks like it must be some kind of dominance problem. Crazy and the cripple cow are standing togther apart from the herd this morning. Go figure

 

[iowahawkeyes]

The only time I've seen a cow get like that was when she had been knocked down a peg in the pecking order or had tried to move up and gotten thoroghly whipped in the process.
But there are times that I think they just have PMS or the equivilent and turn into real witches for a day or 2.[/quote]

I kind of have that problem occasionally

 

[DOC HARRIS]

This is just a thought. Do you think it is possible that she has some baler twine in her gut or teeth? Have you checked her feet to see if she may have foot rot? Sometimes crazy things like that are hard to determine. But the important thing is - don't let her take out her attitude on you or your family! Tell the 'old man' to go feed her. And I don't think that I would keep any of her heifer calves as replacements.

DOC HARRIS

 

[novatech]

Years ago I had a horse that got real mean, to the point it went crazy and was attacking us. It is amazing how wide a horse can open its mouth. We took it to the vet and found a dead colt inside. Shortly later the horse was put down.
So given that, There could be some other reason that a normally gentle cow would turn agressive, if it gets worse I would worry, if not trailer. If it gets better it's just being a norman female.

 

[jvicars]

i have a cow that acted crazy when i got her. she had a good calf so i gave her a try. after being worked with the dogs a few times she realized she better stay with the herd away from me. she would try to attach the dogs and they worked her over. after several times getting worked over she got into the herd and stoped being nuts.

not sure of a correlation but it worked.

 

[kscowboy]

don't know if it applies across species but i had a mare the got uterine cancer and the vet said she was generating a ton of hormones due to the tumor , she was a raging bit%%$$ trying to mount everything and being a real mess.

 

[Beefy]

she could also have rabies.

but more than likely she is trying to be a Jefferson.

 

[sparky1]

Sounds like she has had enough of the cold and wind and just lost it. sometimes even the nicest animals become very agitaited when conditions are tough. I also raise buffalo and you c them at feedin time. I would give her time

 

[3waycross]

It's starting to look like the crippled cow is the problem. Went out to feed last night and there were 3 other cows chasing her. I've seen chickens do this but never cows.

 

[DOC HARRIS]

It's starting to look like the crippled cow is the problem. Went out to feed last night and there were 3 other cows chasing her. I've seen chickens do this but never cows.

I would segregate her from the others. Not only for her sake, but so the others don't learn bad habits!

DOC HARRIS

 

[Shorthornguy]

Had a steer go totally nuts a few years back. I got him into the bull pen and called the butcher. He came out later that day and when he skinned him he had some grubs under his hide.
The butcher told me he had seen this before and it drove the cattle nuts.

 

[TEhayandcattle]

Prejudice is natural, and only the strong remain competetive, we have all red or dun beefmaster cows, once or twice the neighbors Brangus bulls have come over and had their way with a cow or two, and even though the calves were raised together, my cows and calves will shun the black offspring even after years of co-habitance and are extremely aggressive towards them especially at feedings. Hope your cripple gets better before they eat her.

 

[jvicars]

i had a crazy angus heifer. she made the others nuts as well. she went to the freezer.

 

[jcarkie]

i have noticed during winter feeding is when power struggles take place. close quarters and feeding competion, it can get ugly, when a cow falls from power they are meaner to everyone under them.