We all should pay attention-Bull tramples farmer to death

[Hasbeen]

How about some tips on avoiding trouble and what to do when it does happen? As I said in an earlier post, I always try to be aware of whats around me, where the cows are, what they are doing, nearest fence, hay ring, tree. I try to keep them all on one side of me. My heifers are less than 1 1/2 years and are constantly sparring and reestablishing dominance. I'm especially cautious when I see this going on. I've only had one close call and that was in the first week. My biggest cow was pushing around one of the others as I walked by about 100 feet away. She suddenly lowered her head and came straight at me at a run. The only thing I could think off was what they tell you to do if a mountain lion attacks. I unzipped my coat and spread it out to make me look bigger and yelled at her. She stopped for a few seconds then started toward me again. I kept repeating the process plus pointing my finger at her until I got to safety. It's never happened again in over two months so I hope that was her one try at showing dominance toward me. She won't get many chances, I promise.

 

[Brandonm2]

Folks need to realize that a gun ain't going to do much in a short distance unless it was already locked, loaded, the safety off, and the bull already in it's sights and if you did all of that while working you would probably trip up and blow your own head off eventually. Besides there is not enough money in this business to shoot herd bulls on a regular basis. There is absolutely no reason I can think of to EVER go into a bullpen with the bull. Design decent facilities or don't own cows. It takes no effort at all to open a gate to let the bull into the adjoining pen, shut the gate, and then work in the NOW EMPTY pen all you want to, working on fence, thawing the automatic waterer (I bet that is why this guy stepped into the pen), replenishing the hay roll, etc. When you are done, throw some range cubes in his trough and open the gate, then get out of there, without playing any games.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

im pretty cautious around my bulls but im not going to tip toe around them. the way i see it i payed for him he's on my place he works for me were either gonna respect each other are he's leaving..alot of the times a good bull ring and three ft of log chain will make a different animal out of him. you wont see him chasing you much when hes turned a$$ over tea kettle

 

[Saltydawg]

I follow the same approach brandon does with Bulls. I don't get into a pen with them, period.
I have adjacent stalls I move him to when I'm cleaning theirs.

My bull is usually out with the cows though and I just make sure to always know where he is.

I've never had a problem with a bull charging me but know better than to lose sight of him when I'm in the pasture.

 

[lakading]

There is absolutely no reason I can think of to EVER go into a bullpen with the bull.

Dang, ya'll must have some real b@st@rds for bulls.

 

[Alan]

It doesn't happen often, but when a cow or the Bull starts to show aggressive signs I find something to throw at them, a chunk of wood, a bucket, my hat and I get aggressive. When my bull was a yearling he got a bucket on top the head a few times. Haven't had much of a problem since.

But going to AI next year so should ease the worry.

Alan

 

[LonghornRanch]

Another reason why I A.I.

aggressive animals are usually taken to a slaughterhouse.

USUALLY?........WTF?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Hasbeen,

Watch the rodeo clowns. You don't want to run in a straight line but you want the bull to do that. When he gets up some speed, cut away 90 degrees and then go the opposite direction and find a fence or gate, preferably a cut gate. Those clowns are nimble and most of us aren't in our best shape.

If you have one trying to get over a cut gate, pull the gate to you as he rears and jumps. You want his neck or chin falling onto the gate. When he gets back on the ground, smack him in the head with that gate and pull it back at you. Keep slamming him. If he's throwing his head down, hit him with the gate immediately and back him up. If he backs off at any time, you back off the aggression too.

Then sell him for hamburger first chance you get.

 

[tuck]

Talked to a guy leading a brown swiss bull into a barn for a semen collection, this bull had done this many times before, anyway the bull rammed him and got him down and kept attacking, luckily there were two other people there to distract him. The guy spent alot of time in the hospital. My question is why are dairy bulls so mean, does it have something to with being bottle fed?

 

[rkm]

Jersey bulls are the meanest critters I,ve been around. Some of my limo cows pretty mean, limo bulls not to bad.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

As I posted on an earlier thread, complacency leads to injury or death.

Katherine

 

[jcarkie]

a few weeks ago i got knocked into the feed trough by a cow just walking by not aggressive. i was pouring feed out of the bucket, i was watching but she just brushed me and i lost my balance. it can happen faster than you think. always pay attention, they don't have to be mean. like someone said pushing on each other is always a dangerous place.

 

[backhoeboogie]

A kid in the back of the truck can jump down and it spooks the whole bunch. I'm sure most everyone of you have seen it. Anyway, be warry because anything can throw spook into a herd.

 

[Brandonm2]

There is absolutely no reason I can think of to EVER go into a bullpen with the bull.

Dang, ya'll must have some real b@st@rds for bulls.

I have never broken a bone, sprained an ankle, torn a ligament, seperated a shoulder, or needed a single stitch in my entire life doing anything and I have worked with boars, bulls, donkeys, horses, dogs, goats, and/or tractors, etc. the whole time. I don't take chances. I do things cautiously and carefully. Granted I don't have a bunch of wounds and "war stories" like some do about their adventures on the farm; but if a bull levels me he will have to have gone out of his way to figure out how to do it. It won't be because he wanted a feed bucket while I was replacing his water turnoff valve, I was petting him on the head, patting him on the butt, I was trying to saddlebreak him, or I was trying to tip him over at night. NONE of those things are ever going to happen.

 

[VanC]

Don't have as much experience as most of you, but had a run in with a holstein bull on my uncle's farm many years ago. A friend and I decided we were going to clean his pen, even though we had been told to NEVER go in there. When you're 15 you figure you're going to live forever, I guess.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I ended up being slammed against the wall with 2 broken ribs. The other kid poked him in the head with his sh## fork enough that he swung his head away and I got the heck out of there. No telling what would have happened had I been alone.
Needless to say that bull (as dun would say) grew wheels the next day. My uncle went to all AI after that and never kept another holstein bull. He did have a hereford bull after that, but was gentle as a lamb. I still gave him a wide berth, though, and never turned my back on him.

 

[Victoria]

She suddenly lowered her head and came straight at me at a run. The only thing I could think off was what they tell you to do if a mountain lion attacks. I unzipped my coat and spread it out to make me look bigger and yelled at her. She stopped for a few seconds then started toward me again. I kept repeating the process plus pointing my finger at her until I got to safety. It's never happened again in over two months so I hope that was her one try at showing dominance toward me. She won't get many chances, I promise.

Was she playing or serious? If she was playing you may have a hope that was the last time, if she was serious then I'd watch my butt if I were you when she calves. If she were my cow she wouldn't get any more chances, I'd get rid of her now. Basically you've got three choices when an animal gets aggressive. You can either run (never in a straight line), slowly back away head slightly lowered as a lower cow in the herd would do with a cow above them in the herd or you can stand your ground and fight back. You got to know the cow and be able to read her body language to know which one to do. If you are going to stand your ground and fight back though you better be sure she's going to back down, if she calls your bluff you'll get far more hurt than she will. Sounds like you did a combination of 2 and 3 - although you did back down from her and she will remember that.

 

[cowmomma]

We have a bull for the first time. He is with the herd and we need to bring them into the corral to preg check at the end of the month. We'll probably want him in the bull pen then if he's finished with the cows. What tips do you have for herding them when the bull is with them. We don't have the fencing the way we want it and will have to cross a big open field before we get to the lanes. I was thinking of moving the range cube feeding closer and closer to our final destination over a week or so. But what do I need to know?

 

[msscamp]

Real mean bulls, you know those bad boys that will come hunt you down are probably less likely to kill their owners. That is because a person gives them the respect that you should give every bull. It is that average bull that has never bothered anyone that will get you. A person doesn't just walk into a pen with a bad bull and turn his or her back but they will do it with an average bull.
Dave

I never, ever turn my back on ANY bull! I trust 'em about as far as I can throw 'em! ;-) Come to think of it, I keep an eye on all of the critters when I'm in their territory.

 

[frenchie]

. Design decent facilities or don't own cows. .

Well said..


Two -things we did ..Was to put 18 inch escape gates here and there (plus in the corners) in all our corrals. They are nothing more than a piece of plywood that swings to the outside with a tarp strap holding them closed. We also raised the bottom rail to sit 18 inches off the ground so if we ended up on the ground ,we could roll under the rail to get away.

 

[aztumbleweed]

We bring the Bulls in once a year to work them in the same pens we work the cows in herding them or working them a pistol loaded with snake shot will get respect pretty quick.