What Injuries Have You Sustained from Cattle?

[Ratfish]

If you've ever been injured, what injury, how did it happen and what type of animal was it? I've been playing it safe so far and none of our steers have shown any kind aggressiveness but I want to be able to avoid anything dangerous by seeing the warning signs.
So far I have always been standing ahead of their shoulders and when they start to walk forward I will move back or walk forward too. I try not to spook them or do anything sudden. I noticed yesterday that the click of an umbrella opening was enough for one of them to jump away. I always keep an eye on all of them and make sure I'm not turning my back on them, although they are more likely to be following me in hopes of getting an apple than anything else it seems.
Is there anything else I should be watching for?

 

[john250]

Cracked ribs. Broken bones in my foot. More bruises than I can count. And I'm one of the lucky ones. :lol:

 

[Jake]

had a heifer last weekend try to jump over the panel while we were loading, well I was in the corner she was trying to jump and got rolled down along the panel and had a pretty good lump and raspberry along with a banged up hip.

Wasn't her fault or mine, just kind of a freak deal where we had her crowded and she tried to jump.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Been many trivial things happen. Worst was about '85 when a steer broke out. I had gone over to Dad's place to give him a hand. The steer wasn't very big. I saw the break out coming and ran to stop it. Kept all the cows in check except for the steer so I decided to dog him. He ran me over. I did put him on the ground but somehow I busted a knee up pretty good in the process. Best I can tell he stepped on me when I got off balance but don't really know. I held onto his snout when I shouldn't have, once I lost footing. The knee gave me a problem for a long time.

 

[dun]

Cracked ribs and a few minor internal bruises, trying to load a cow that wasn;t having any of it. She knocked me down and tried to push me into the dirt with her head, the second time she did the same thing when I was dumb enough to stand back up with her still aorund. Cracked ribs, bruised liver, kidneys, spleen, running a heifer into the alleyway when a bolt of lightening and a clap of lightening happened. Heifer just whirled around and ran over me. Surprising how many feet the have to step on you with when the run over the top of you.
Broken shoulder when a cow dove through a narrow gate that I was half standing in front of.
Those are the only serious ones recently. Other then that just the misc. things that get broken/banged/bruised/sprained when you mess with cattle.

dun

 

[randiliana]

The worst I had was getting kicked in the mouth. The last heifer going down the chute to be branded 2 footed me in the mouth. There is a reason she was last, what a nutcase. Ended up with a root canal. Other than that just the regular bruises from being kicked and having my feet stepped on by calves at branding. Got kicked a couple of times while trying to milk/substitute a calf on a cow. Ended up with a sprained wrist out of that one.

 

[john250]

This is turning into a commercial for Ibuprofen.

 

[certherfbeef]

Broke my hand and wrist messing with a bull year before last.
Ought to try to get thru airport security with a cast on your hand. I think they thought I had something more than a broken bone in there.

EXT bred angus cow broke 3 of my ribs (so the x-rays say)while I was trying the get the old rip to let her calf nurse.
She was not my cow and I got fired after the incident cause I wouldn't mess with her anymore. Calf got pretty hungry till the boss finally sold the cow and bottle fed the calf.

 

[Bama]

Besides all the usual bumps and bruises one thing that sticks out is back in about 1980. I had came home and saw some cows were out. It was late at night and I didn't want to wake my dad forhelp so I thought I would just put em back myself. I calledthedog to get behind them and we had them going down the side of a fence. The dog was at the back and I was on the side. The were approaching a openedgate and I wanted to get past them to turn em. I was running to get ahead of them looking at them and not where I was going. I ran right into the corner of a trailer. I woke up to find the dog sitting in the gate giving me that "hey, why are you laying there taking a nap, I did all the work look" .

 

[john250]

Besides all the usual bumps and bruises one thing that sticks out is back in about 1980. I had came home and saw some cows were out. It was late at night and I didn't want to wake my dad forhelp so I thought I would just put em back myself. I calledthedog to get behind them and we had them going down the side of a fence. The dog was at the back and I was on the side. The were approaching a openedgate and I wanted to get past them to turn em. I was running to get ahead of them looking at them and not where I was going. I ran right into the corner of a trailer. I woke up to find the dog sitting in the gate giving me that "hey, why are you laying there taking a nap, I did all the work look" .

:lol: :lol: :lol: I'm laughing WITH you, not AT you. Ouch.

 

[msscamp]

Learned my lesson young when I was thrown up against a shed wall by a heifer who was determined to escape. I was lucky, though, and walked away with bumps, bruises, and a few pulled muscles. Since then I have had a very healthy respect for cattle and it's only been minor stuff - the sweep tub gate kicked back into my face by a bull resulting in the pouty mouth that seems to be so popular for a few days, been kicked by calves with the usual resulting bruises, etc. Wild cows don't stay and I don't work cattle without a good sorting stick, it saves me time, trouble, bruises, and pain.

 

[Beefy]

so far all ive broken is a few pvc pipes. i had a mama cow toss me out in the field one day when i was trying to get her and calf up on foot. another close call at feeding time with a mom who lost track of her baby that i wasnt near but i warded her off by acting like a raving lunatic. many close calls with jumping and kicking calves (mostly angusx) getting dangerously close to my head and some limis coming at me. i would say the most dangerous animal is an irate mother. becareful feeding those cows "treats" too, can start some nasty habits that way.

(horses are an entirely different story! )

 

[Ratfish]

Yeah, it does sound like the heifers are more dangerous than the bulls.

 

[msscamp]

Yeah, it does sound like the heifers are more dangerous than the bulls.

No, they're not and that mindset will likely get you hurt! It might appear to be that way, but I would venture to guess that that is only because people tend to underestimate heifers because of their size and immaturity, whereas bulls are usually handled with the utmost care - even as yearlings. Heifers do tend to be a little more volatile, though, simply because of their age and lack of 'experience' (for want of a better word) with a lot of the usual aspects of handling. Because of that they tend to require a calmer, slower method of working until they 'learn the ropes', so to speak. I tend to think of heifers as teenagers (no offense intended to any teenage members), and that helps me to remember that they need to be handled differently than the cows, which are handled differently than the bulls.

 

[Ratfish]

So, are all bulls dangerous or is it possible for one to be calm?

 

[john250]

Yeah, it does sound like the heifers are more dangerous than the bulls.

No. The heifers are a few pounds smaller but it's the difference between being hit by a Lincoln or a VW. Either way, you lose. I weigh in at 165 dripping wet. So I don't think I'm gonna whip too many 500 lb steers. The newborns have drug me all over the place.

If you get real comfortable with them--bang. Anytime you enter the pen you need to think you're down there in Nashville by the bus station--ears up!

If you stay in the business, sooner or later you'll have a story to tell. Pinched fingers on the crate don't even count. Accidentally injecting yourself doesn't count. You needed tetracycline anyway.

 

[msscamp]

So, are all bulls dangerous or is it possible for one to be calm?

All bulls are dangerous simply because of their size and the power they have. There is really no way to tell when or if they are going to turn on you, so be prepared for that and treat them accordingly. Know where they are, know what they are doing, do not turn your back to them, and always have an escape route.

 

[Beefy]

all bulls are dangerous. some bulls are calm.

 

[msscamp]

all bulls are dangerous. some bulls are calm.

Very good answer! ;-)

 

[cowpunk'd]

You are most likely to get hurt when you get in the way of a cow that is determined to escape or try to push one somewhere she is determined not to go. They are not like most horses, where you wave your arms and they slam on the brakes or turn on their heels. Cows will just run you over, or if you try to slam a gate shut and can't get it latched they will shove it back open right into you and that hurts too. I doubt your steers will attack, if one gets pushy after that bucket of apples give him a good hard kick on the nose and he'll back off.