Naw, its not. Its widely accepted that singling out herd animals is asking for trouble. Especially when their young are involved.
You may choose to operate differently and that's ok, but you are going against their natural instincts, which comes with it's own problems.
In many operations, such as ours, I'd really question her mothering ability if she had just stayed in that pen and not thrown a fit.
I had to get a dead calf from a momma a year ago. It was heart breaking. She was trying to nudge it and she has wore the ground to the dirt. She was skinny and probably about the give out from fighting off buzzards but she dis not leave that calf. It took some trickery to get the calf away from her. She was going to stay by that dead calf if it killed her.
That's the kind of cows that earns their keep here.
That is incorrect, on just about every level. Pretty much every breed association measures Docility/Disposition based upon BIF standards. Please see attached screenshot taken directly from the BIF website.
-Under the bottom section, "pen scoring" the definition for "aggressive" states: "will likely run into fences if alone in pen"
-Under the top section, "chute scoring" again under the "aggressive" category it states "may exhibit attack behavior when handled alone."
Disposition is purposefully measured while there is stress to the cattle, because stress brings poor behavior/disposition to the surface.
Yes, cattle are herd animals. They prefer to be with the herd and it does lower the stress level. However them being alone should NEVER be "asking for trouble"....if it is then it's pretty clear that you have bottom of the barrel disposition in your herd...that's based of BIF definitions and how Doc EPDs are measured across most breed associations. You can argue with the BIF standards...but they exist for a reason. They measure docility when they are alone for the same reason they put them in a pen or a chute...because it brings negative disposition to the surface.
The Angus Bull I have out of the Wye line is a +0% DOC ACC (95%, top 5% of the breed for Docility). There is a NOTICABLE difference in how he acts when he is alone another angus bull I have that is a +5% DOC ACC....But he acts very similar to the Hereford bull with similar DOC ACC. Bulls with that kind of DOC ACC are pretty much fine being alone and exhibit pretty much zero poor behaviors. My 8 year old daughter can load him into a trailer from a round pen from the ground just using a sorting stick. Animals with top of breed docility EPDs that are handled using low stress techniques are pretty much fine when they are alone. That's not my opinion. That's breed standards in how DOC is measured.
To the cow specific part...
There is a difference between showing distress and bad disposition.
1. A cow that has been worked and handled properly knows the difference between a predator and a human. She knows the difference between a working dog she has been around since birth and someone else's dog.
-Case in point, yesterday I went out and was tagging newborn calves. I go out, by myself within 48 hours of birth, sit on them and tag (band if necessary and give a tetanus shot), and It takes about 3 min per calf, less for heifers. The cows should be concerned, looking at me...pacing around, showing concern for their calf, but not making any aggressive moves towards me. However, yesterday the owner of the lease ground had his dog get out and came running towards me...the 5 cows that were near to me with their calves immediately changed attitude and went after that dog hard. just about stomped him to death...wasn't good for the dog. Their reaction to my aussie is very different. Docile behavior towards humans is NOT equivalent in any way as poor maternals or predator control...unless you act like a predator around your cows from birth...if that's the case...you need to go to some stockmanship schools and learn how to work your cattle better.
-My cows spend time up on BLM land in the mountains...with bears, mountain lions, etc. At home and on the lease ground they are overrun by coyotes. Predators are not a source of loss for me...and I wouldn't want to be a predator anywhere near my cows with how they are. But I am perfectly comfortable walking through the middle of them with the kids.
2. A cow that lost her calf should be showing distress...she should be showing signs of being distressed, pacing...running around anxiously...mooing like crazy. That's normal. It's hormonal. It's instinctual. Tearing up a fence or pen is NOT normal distress. That's where you cross the line to bad disposition. Again that's not my opinion...that's how docility is measured.
Maybe you have a different definition of disposition and docility than the BIF does....but their definition is the standard for most breed associations...and the observations I have on cows, bulls, and calves disposition match what they say.
There's a lot of people out there who think they have great cattle...till you get them alone and work with them. I help local people work their cattle...and hear them brag about how good their cows are...then we work them or get them alone doctoring them and they act rank as hell and I hear the excuses start coming that "that's just how they are when they are alone" or "that's just how they act when you work them"....and I go home to my cows incredibly thankful for what I have.
People not understanding docility and how good cows should react under stress...not culling properly, not evaluating properly, and making excuses and false equivalencies, is how guys get hurt and killed. To each their own....but if you have cattle doing the above...you don't have good disposition in your herd...period.
