Weaning & Aggressiveness question

[rosiegoat]

Hi this is my first post & I need some help...

We were to get a 2.5 month old steer calf last night. Hereford/White park.

Well, we loaded him & brought him home. Proceded to "try" to take him off the trailer (2 horse slant). He charged us every time! Now, he was just taken from his momma that day, so I know that has a lot to do with it. But he would calm down, until we tried to approach, then the charge again. And pawing. And bellowing. And spit flying.

He was taken back the the farm.

What could we have done to get him off the trailer? I'm almost positive if we had gotten him off & run into the stall, he would've been up over in a heartbeat.

 

[mitchwi]

Are you sure he was only 2.5 months? At that age, you should still be able to have the upper hand, whether he charged you or not. Also, 2.5 months awful young to be weaned, unless there was a problem with momma. Really the only things you can do, is have a good corral, that he wouldn't be able to get over or through or under. Have at least one other steer/bovine around, singles do not do well. As far as getting him off the trailer, patience works well, and make sure it is not dark out, so they are able to see surroundings.

Is this your first attempt at raising a steer? If your worried about a 300# calf what would you do when he weighs 4 times that?

I'm not trying to be mean, just want to make sure your aware how big they get... good luck!

Michele

 

[rosiegoat]

Nope, not our first steer, calf or cow!! We've had lots of experience with cows, just have never seen anything like this!!

Our last hereford (pure) steer dressed at 735 lbs & was a big baby. We've had holsteins, charalois, and lots of mixes.

This calf was a beefy guy, probably 300 lbs or so. We've just never seen one this young so aggressive. My husband is a big guy & he was leery of this calf. We're thinking maybe the farmer has the birth date wrong?!

Everytime we stepped toward him, he let out a bellow & charged!

 

[TXBobcat]

I agree, 2.5 mths is a little young to wean IMO. If he was that agressive, I would bet his mother is also pretty agressive. I have seen a few young calves that acted really aggressive, and their mother was the same way.

Before I picked another one, I would cautiously get in the pen with them and determine their disposition before bringing them home.

As far as getting him out of the trailer, just open the door and stand back - they will come out eventually. However, I always turn out new animals into the steel pens, so they can settle down in a cofined area for a while.

 

[rosiegoat]

The funny thing is, we wanted him this young, so that he'd be tame!! Ha! Not even close.

We usually get a 2-3 week calf & bottle feed. Or an older TAME steer or heifer. This is our first in between.

His momma was tame enough. When she was in the barn I was able to scratch & rub her. She licked my hands. Don't know about the bull, he was huge & impressive, not too friendly, tho.

 

[dun]

Persoanlly with that sort of an attitude I wouldn't want him out of the trailer. Hauling him back was the best solution.

dun

 

[Workinonit Farm]

Persoanlly with that sort of an attitude I wouldn't want him out of the trailer. Hauling him back was the best solution.

dun

I was thinking pretty much the same. If he was that rough, you don't need him anyhow. Plenty of other good steers out there.

Katherine

 

[dj]

dun you sure you wouldn't want to house him with the boys?
he could have taught them some tricks
what did he load like? getting them off isn't the usual problem.

 

[flaboy-]

I see them like that every now and then. I had a 5 month old bull that every time I got in the pen with him he would charge me even though he was in with a group of 10-15 others. The first few times it was kind of fun wrestling him around. When I finally went to haul him to market he turned in the load lane, got up under me, flipped me and twisted my knee. Wasn't fun anymore.

At any rate a calf with that attitude at any age should never be considered a keeper in my book.

 

[rosiegoat]

They loaded & unloaded him the same way: With a yell & waving their arms.

We gave him time at home to unload before we approached him. Since we had to pay someone to haul, leaving him on the trailer for the night wasn't an option, although we thought that was probably the only other thing we could've done.

We were unloading into a stall, they were unloading into a field with his momma calling to him.

He had on a rope halter with a 3 ft rope attached, for ease of catching. We called the man in the middle of all of this & told him our problem. He said just walk up & grab the rope, he'll be fine.... :shock:

Well, we are going to look at a Hereford calf on Sunday. It's smaller than this guy was.

 

[holly heifer]

:lol: Every year the same guy calls me for 2 hereford feeder
calves to feed out. One year I had only black ones and he said he wanted only herfs. When ask why he said " gentle".
I always keep back 2 herf steers for him. :heart:

 

[AngusLimoX]

A 2.5 month old calf with a halter and lead on whooped your butts???? :lol: :lol:

Welcome to the boards!

 

[rosiegoat]

I know, I know. :lol: :lol:

I keep thinking, why didn't I just go right up & grab that darn rope?! Honestly, this guy was a little scary!! I'm pretty short, right around 5 ft, and he would've been gut level, had he decided to plow into me. I really didn't want to find out!

I just sold a buck goat, with nasty horns & an even worse temperment. I would pick him up, drop him to the ground & hold him down, when he got cranky. I don't think I could've budged this calf!! Oh well, live & learn!

 

[dun]

I know, I know. :lol: :lol:

I keep thinking, why didn't I just go right up & grab that darn rope?! Honestly, this guy was a little scary!! I'm pretty short, right around 5 ft, and he would've been gut level, had he decided to plow into me. I really didn't want to find out!

Smart move! I grabbed the lead rope on a 2 month old Holsten and made the mistake of wrapping it around my hand to make the lead a little shorter. He got spooked and took of like a rocket. I found a) that I can not run as fast as a scared calf, b) it really hurts when he makes a tight turn around a T-post and your hand wacks it, c) I don;t recover from bruises and scrapes near as fast as I used to.
He only drug me about 30 feet before I got free, the T-post broke my grip on the rope.

dun

 

[Susie David]

Always have a long look at the ones that we bring home and we do the loading. Don't have a mean one on the place...to darn old to be wrestling calves, oh yeah, I still haven't met a mean Herf, some that needed a little calming down but never a nasty one.
Dmc

 

[AngusLimoX]

Always have a long look at the ones that we bring home and we do the loading. Don't have a mean one on the place...to darn old to be wrestling calves, oh yeah, I still haven't met a mean Herf, some that needed a little calming down but never a nasty one.
Dmc

Yes, the herfie part puzzled me too Dmc, I suspect some MG in this calfs background. Once those gray devils lock onto a victim it is all over!!

:lol: :lol:

 

[brent6482003]

From what little experience I have, I've either noticed the sire or dam had a behavior problem & genetics are passed down including disposition. I've got one mean heifer on my place now and its not my wife.

 

[msscamp]

Always have a long look at the ones that we bring home and we do the loading. Don't have a mean one on the place...to darn old to be wrestling calves, oh yeah, I still haven't met a mean Herf, some that needed a little calming down but never a nasty one.
Dmc

....I suspect some MG in this calfs background. Once those gray devils lock onto a victim it is all over!!

:lol: :lol:

Well, I'll be, look who decided to try his hand at comedy! Don't give up your day job just yet - lots of room for improvement! :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[AngusLimoX]

Always have a long look at the ones that we bring home and we do the loading. Don't have a mean one on the place...to darn old to be wrestling calves, oh yeah, I still haven't met a mean Herf, some that needed a little calming down but never a nasty one.
Dmc

....I suspect some MG in this calfs background. Once those gray devils lock onto a victim it is all over!!

:lol: :lol:

Well, I'll be, look who decided to try his hand at comedy! Don't give up your day job just yet - lots of room for improvement! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Just shakin the bushes, I had noticed neither you or Springer had popped into the Pinzguaer post to "suggest they look at" a certain breed. Wanted to be sure ya'll were OK. :lol:

(Besides , I read your post on how to construct a "Fort Knox" corrall and all the bull and cow problems you have!! :lol: )

 

[Susie David]

Getting a bit sidetracked...are we?
A bit off the basic subject...there mighn't be something to the o'l tale about the swirl on the cow's forehead.
Been watching this for a number of years now and it does seem like the higher the swirl the wilder the cow. Got a nice calf out of a Lim cow and a Red Angus bull she has a real high swirl and is the flightiest on the place. The lower swirl calves are alot easier to handle.
Had one with swirls low on each side of his nose and was the most gentile Lim that I ever saw.
Just my two bits worth.
Dmc