Improving disposition on your cowherd

[ScottyB]

No she was fine. She acted calm and just stared out into the crowd, wasn't crazy at all. I didn't take her back to the sale barn, though. I sold her to a guy a town away. He knew she was kinda wild but really wanted her and said he would work with every day. Whatever. In my mind if they are wild, there is not a whole lot of hope for them.

You can't tell from a sale barn if a cow is wild. It is a high stress environment and cows will react differently there. I have bought cows that are wild at the sale barn and calm in the pasture. How would you react if you were being run through chutes and prodded all day. They all react different. :tiphat:

 

[angie1]

According to dogs, has anyone a observed which handling by dogs is more provoking aggresiveness in cattle? Healers or Collies are better in that way?

As much as I enjoy watching trained cattle dogs work cattle, it has been my personal experience that a dog (any dog) in the pasture will create more problems than they solve. I have adult cows that, when a dog is in the pasture, refuse to do anything other than monitor or chase the dog. They cannot attend to where I am directing them. I have an Aussie. She is never allowed in the pasture when the cows have new calves, or if I am worming them (I walk up to them and pour it on) or if I am brushing them. I will let her in to work with them if I am moving them from one pasture to another and I have calves that will not cross old fence lines ~ but that is just because I enjoy watching her.

 

[Keren]

From BEEF COW CALF WEEKLY

Improving disposition on your cowherd
Apr 5, 2009 5:40 PM, Source: The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation; By: Clay Wright

Management guidelines towards improving cow temperment

A trait exhibited by a cow herd or individuals within a herd that saves time and money is referred to as a "convenience trait." Examples are polledness, parasite resistance, heat tolerance and calving ease. Docility is another good example. Think about all the time and money flighty, aggressive animals cost us at gathering, working, sorting, calving, etc. You know the ones - they keep things stirred up in the pen; they are inclined to jump out or tear out, hurt themselves, other animals or you! There are at least three factors that can contribute to a cow's bad attitude.

First, she learns flighty or aggressive behavior from her dam and other animals in the herd. How often have you heard, "Yeah, and her mother was just as crazy as she is!" In turn, she will teach poor behavior to her calves and other animals in the herd. Poor disposition is learned and taught, and passed down from generation to generation.

Second, it's in her genes. Disposition has moderately high heritability. Roughly 40 percent of an animal's craziness is explained by its genetics. This heritability estimate means that one can make fairly rapid progress toward a more docile herd through selection and culling. When choosing females and bulls, docility should be equal to any other criteria you may use.

Third, there is the human factor. In their guidelines, the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) has suggested a six point scoring system to describe an animal's disposition with number one being docile and number six being very aggressive. Further, BIF suggests scoring animals at weaning or as yearlings to minimize the effects of prior handling experiences. That's because an animal's disposition can be strongly influenced by its human handlers, including any companion animals that may be used to help gather or work the cattle. A wise cowman once told me, "Gentle handling makes for gentle cattle. Aggressive handling begets crazy, wild-eyed, high-headed wenches." The impact of poor handling is significant and can create disposition problems where there otherwise would have been none.

To read the entire article, link to Clay Wright's Simmer Down Your Cowherd at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

Which of the three aspects carries the most weight? For example, you have a cow who comes to you wild and crazy, you spend a lot of time with her, perhaps you break her in for show, and so she becomes very quiet.

She has a calf; now which will influence the temperament of the calf most? Genetics - in which case the calf will be wild? Or the way the mother behaves - in which case the calf will learn to be quiet because mum has learned to be quiet?

 

[dun]

Which of the three aspects carries the most weight? For example, you have a cow who comes to you wild and crazy, you spend a lot of time with her, perhaps you break her in for show, and so she becomes very quiet.

She has a calf; now which will influence the temperament of the calf most? Genetics - in which case the calf will be wild? Or the way the mother behaves - in which case the calf will learn to be quiet because mum has learned to be quiet?

Genetics!

 

[CKC1586]

Which of the three aspects carries the most weight? For example, you have a cow who comes to you wild and crazy, you spend a lot of time with her, perhaps you break her in for show, and so she becomes very quiet.

She has a calf; now which will influence the temperament of the calf most? Genetics - in which case the calf will be wild? Or the way the mother behaves - in which case the calf will learn to be quiet because mum has learned to be quiet?

Genetics!

Boy this thread has really been a good discussion. It does make me feel a bit better about the decision I made with an 07 heifer that I had purchased. Beautiful heifer, fantastic bloodlines, potential to be a really good producing cow. Bought her as a weanling, worked with her nearly every day. She loved me. BUT let someone else come in the barn or near her and she was nuts. I worked harder at de-sensitising her. I had people come in the barn to visit and walk around while she was tied. I even got her to two shows that year. Then she started charging my grand daughter and daughter. We tried to "encourage" her to knock that off. It seemed that maybe she was coming around then she put the fellow that helps us at the shows up the barn wall! She is in the freezer. Talked to the fellow I bought her from and her half sister is in his freezer, he is dumping her sires semen.

 

[Susie David]

Don't have a mean one on the place, no fence jumpers and no flighty animals. We cull for disposition and use low stress handling techniques. The dogs can be a real help but we don't use then in the smaller pens. Interesting that when the cows are worked they respond to the dogs but if the dogs are just out keeping me company the cows don't pay any attention to them and even come over and give them a sniff.
Taking a Lim bull to the processor on Tuesday...gentle but a milk thief, caught him one morning with his head under a cow...besides he'll be worth more in meat packages.
DMc