Need Some Help and Quick!!

[ALX.]

Why would folks even respond to this???

Bogus post, take the others for a ride

 

[novatech]

I use Jerseys as spotter bulls. The ones that are gentle as calves are the pushiest as adults. By pushy I mean damage to your truck or car, worse yet your body. I prefer that as calves they are taught that they are not your equal and you are boss not their friend. As adults they do not know there own strength. It may be to late for yours. I would give him back and just go visit. If you decide to keep him get a nose ring.

 

[Keren]

Hi Everyone!

I am new to this board and new to the Cattle world as well. Although I only have one and he is more or less a companion/pet for me and my horses that I got for free.

Don't let some people's comments get to you - you are not the only one on these boards that only have cattle as pets/hobbies.

Ok so here is the thing, I have a 1 y.o Jersey Steer (I believe that's what he is, am I correct? Like a gelded horse but he's a gelded cow?) but I know nothing about jerseys at all. I was wondering if you guys could help me out a bit?

Yes, he is a steer. Jerseys are a dairy breed - which means this guy would have been taken from his mum and bottle fed, so that her milk could be sold. Because of the bottle feeding, dairy cattle are usually very used to humans and very quiet - but this can also be a bad thing because they sometimes do not respect humans - they dont have the slightest bit of fear for humans so they will rub on you, push on you, try to play with you. And they dont realise they are so much bigger than you, so they can unintentionally hurt you pretty bad.

Jerseys are a medium sized breed - he will never get real huge - and thats good, because they are cheaper to keep (dont eat as much). They are a horned breed - if yours has got horns, you may want to think about getting him dehorned, or if he hasnt got horns then he would have already been dehorned (at 1 y.o he would have grown horns already and you would be able to see them).

What should I feed him?

-I currently have him on Second Cut Hay but no grain. Is that ok if he's not going to do much? -

If he should be on grain, what kind of grain should I get and how much do I give him?

Hay should be enough for him - cattle only really need grain in these situations - periods of high growth (eg after weaning), periods of high demand (eg. when lactating, last trimester of pregnancy) or when they are really underweight (for compensatory growth). He is not really doing any of these things - at 1 y.o he is still growing but not that rapidly, a good quality hay should be enough.

He shouldnt need grain for growth, but if you wanted a treat for him every now and then I would use a cattle pellet/grain with 12 - 15% protein level, and give him a handful or two a day, no more. But again, he shouldnt really need it.

-Keeping in mind I'm not sure how much he weighs or how to weigh him properly-

You can get measuring tapes, where you measure around the girth I think, and it gives you an indication of how heavy he is. Or, stick him in your horse float and take him to your large animal vet and put him on their scales, if you really want to know how much he weighs.

What does splaying mean and do I have to worry about him splaying?

-I think it means when their legs spread out or something along those lines and I heard it was really bad for them. It's really snowy and icey where I am so do I need to keep him indoors?-

I havent heard the term but this might be an adequate explanation. We dont get ice here, but I would imagine that the cattle would learn to cope with it. I wouldnt keep him inside but I would allow him access to a shelter shed if he wants it. Maybe you could spread sawdust or sand along his main walking tracks to the feed and water troughs to try and make that a bit more solid?

The only other way I have heard splay is as in splay - footed, which is where the front and back feet toe-out. This is a structural fault and is not really something that can be fixed. But considering he is just a pet it doesnt matter if he is splay footed.

Are their such things as cattle farrier? Or would I need to do his feet myself?

He shouldnt really need his feet done, but if they get long or he gets lame, yes there are professional foot trimmers, or most large animal vets can do it as well, or refer you on.

He's really pushy but no matter how much I try to punish him when he does something bad, ie. headbutting me or chasing me in a field (lol), it doesn't phase him. Is this because of his breed, because he's young? What should I do to teach him ground manners?

-I was told smack him on the nose but that makes him headbutt me even more or doesn't bother him-


You are on the right track with smacking him, but I bet you have discovered how hard their noses are :lol: - a human hand doesnt make much of an impact. My favourite to use is a piece of black poly pipe - crack him over the nose with that - you can hit harder and it makes a louder noise to scare him. Or else you can use a wooden broom handle, or a 2 x 4, or a rope whipped across the nose. Anything really. Hit him as hard as you can - dont be afraid to hurt him too much. The more it hurts, the better.

Thanks everyone and hopefully you can help me!

He's not that dangerous. He's still somewhat easy to control and doesn't intimidate me at all! He will walk ahead of you when leading him, try to go faster then a walk, try to push past me when I open the stall door and it's not easy pushing him back and try to "play" with me like I am a steer when he is in the field.

It is pretty easy to correct the behaviour on the halter. Firstly, do you use any sort of nose ring? You can get the clip in removable type (B-Line brand), or you can get the permanent type that pierces the skin (bull ring). You need to use one! If you use the B-Line type, you put it in when you lead him and take it out when you are done. If you use the bull ring type, a vet or farmer will have to put it in for you, and it always stays in. You will also have to let it heal for 2 - 4 weeks before you use it. Whichever you use, let him get used to it first by tying him up and letting him just stand with it in the first few times. After that put a rope on it (tuck the end into his halter so he doesnt stand on it and rip his nose - NEVER tie him by the nose) so he gets used to some weight on it. Then the training can start. When you lead him, hold on the the nose rope loosely - no pressure on it while he is moving forward nicely. If he starts going too fast, and you want him to slow down or stop, pull up on the nose ring. It is your brake only - dont pull him forward by it. Every time he goes too fast or walks off when you dont want him to, yank his nose HARD.

I'm thinking a bull ring would be favourable in this situation, because then you can use it when he is off the halter as well. If you go into his stall/paddock, and he starts pushing into you, you can reach down, hook your fingers into his nose ring and pull his head up that way.

One more thing - you said "its not easy pushing him back" - DONT push back - you un-intentionally encourage the behaviour. Dont give in to him either, but instead of pushing back, hit him or kick him HARD to get him out of the way.

Like I said he doesn't want to be "mean" but he is just a baby still, right? So I'm wondering if there is any civil way to punish a jersey so he understands not to do it but I don't want to "put him in the freezer" or get rid of him....

Not really a baby anymore at 1 y.o. And anyway, its just like with little kids, if they get away with it when they are young it is so much harder to correct the behaviour when they are an older terror.

The former owner said that he thinks he is a horse because he's been around them his whole life and without another jersey cow around to show him better how is he to know different. I can sort of see her point of view but at the same time I know that he doesn't think he's a horse because I've been around horses almost my whole life and don't see any similar characteristics as a horse.

Would him not having another jersey around in his life cause him to act any different? Would it be better if he had another jersey friend to play with?

If he has been socialised by horses, he wont necessarily act like a horse but he wont have the behavioural characteristics of a bovine, either. In essence, he has a confused identity. But if he has never been around cattle, he may not know how to socialise with them, either. So it may not be a good thing in this case to get another jersey. In most cases of single cattle, its ideal to get them a mate, but perhaps not in his case. I have a similar thing with my pet goat, Gizmo. He was raised on a bottle in our backyard, before I had any other goats. He grew up with humans and dogs. You would think it would be great to get him another goat friend, but he doesnt have any goat 'social skills' and when I put him in with my other goats he simply cannot exist happily with them. In your case I would just make sure he has horse friends to talk to, since this is what he is used to.

I'll try to get some pictures shortly and post them for all of you to see! Please feel free to add more comments/opinions!

I'd love to see some photos!

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Everyone here has pretty much said it!

But, some other comments:

Even a 2-300 lb calf can kill you, usually accidentally. Jersey bulls (later, steers) are some of the most "dangerous" breed. The only way I'd get into a pen, pasture with a Jersey bull is if I was packing my "locked and loaded" SA .40 Baretta.

Bull calves learn about their pecking order via rough-housing and head butting in play. A bovine needs BOVINE companions to LEARN cattle behavior. If one is not around, then people become their plaything.

Even with our (docile) Longhorns we never allow "cattle play" with us. They must keep their space and respect ours. We always carry a 5' fiberglass sorting stick with us. Also, a 4-5 foot length of 1" dia. PVC pipe works wonders for a whack against the nose.

I would NEVER hit an animal with a 2x2, 2x4, or similar...can risk a serious injury on one. The EFFECT you want is an instant and rapid "whack" with somethng that makes noise without injuring them while pairing the word "NO!". Also, you can kick one with the flat of your foot or hit with your fist--you can't hit hard enough to injure one this way.

Also, a bovine or equine keeps other's away by kicking at them. If people kick at them, it using the "animal's language".

NEVER hit a bovine square on the head with your fist or hand, or PUSH them back in same way. This is interpreted as BOVINE PLAY and YOU will NEVER win the game!

Use common sense, keep safe...and avoid a funeral! ;-)