What Injuries Have You Sustained from Cattle?

[Vicky the vet]

Ok, I've been hurt quite a bit...some people have really bad facilities.....

When I was young, I was working on a dairy farm with a horned holstein bull in a free stall system....he fractured my sternum...

Broke ribs twice, once from a calm bull who had grain overload and just swayed sideways--broke 4 ribs--at 3000 lbs they don't have to try to hurt you...2nd time was from a calf who jumped over me, hit my ribs on the pen divider and broke 2...

Fingers have been dislocated palping cows with lousy facilities...

Cracked pelvis when a nutcase wouldn't leave the chute and some idiot pulled the bar protecting me and she shot backwards like a rocket....

And you wonder why vets don't want to do large animal???

 

[glover36]

concusion split head, millions of blue and purple lol

 

[TomW]

Fingers have been dislocated palping cows with lousy facilities...

Cracked pelvis when a nutcase wouldn't leave the chute and some idiot pulled the bar protecting me and she shot backwards like a rocket....

And you wonder why vets don't want to do large animal???

Vicky the Vet, thanks for the reminder! Our cows are so calm its pathetic. Vet was out the other day to give an exam, rectal and vaginal, to one of our older ones. He asked where I wanted to do it and I said well we can just do it here (standing in the middle of the free stall area) he just kinda looked at me. I said not to worry I would hold her head and he just started laughing - asked if I would mind at least putting a halter on her and tie her off which I did. All went well but.....
I should be more respectful of the Doc. He works with many many animals that are not as calm as ours and there is nothing to say one of ours couldn't have a bad day!
From now on they go in the head gate for anything the Doc needs to do - I would feel terrible if something did happen.

tom

 

[Alice]

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.

The man that oversees the cattle handling in one of the sale barns here is a good friend of my brother's. Sometimes he will ask my brother to help with the heifers if they are having a big/special sale just for this reason...because they require, as you said, a calmer, slower method. My brother said he has seen this man literally throw down on someone who hotshots heifers trying to move them, 'cause if they go into the ring via hotshot, someone in the ring is gonna get hurt.

Alice

 

[*Cowgirl*]

Broken elbow, sprained/broken toes. Countless rope burns, bruises,and scratches.

 

[badaxemoo]

Bruised Ego and Rattled Psyche.

 

[cfpinz]

Broke left foot a couple times, kinda funky looking now. (Dad was too tight to buy headgate so we worked cattle crowded onto the back of a cattle truck my entire youth, still do from time to time for him.) Broke right hand once, cow came at me trying to get off truck, went to hit her in nose with fist about the time she ducked, cow's topknot is harder than my hand. A sorting stick came back into my mouth after being kicked once, had a lip any Hollywood model would have paid millions for. All the other kicks, scrapes and such are trivial.

cfpinz

 

[bigbull338]

lets see i have never suffered any broken bones from cattle so far.but ive been kicked . had a bull throw me into the side of a gooseneck.had cows to run over me.throwing me into the brick wall of the dairy.feeet stomped on meny times.had a bull go up under my left arm an shoulder an bust me with his head in my ribbs.had cows to knock me down at feed trough.had to lay under them till i could move.felt them gently stepping on my leggs till i got up in the middle of them.the man upstairs watched over me.becuse times i shouldve been busted up in hospital or dead an i walked away.

 

[frenchie]

4 broken fingers& broken wrist from a 1000 steer we trying to load .Something spooked him and he crashed through a gate I had my hand on.

Broken shoulder & 2 cracked ribs from a cow I was trying to get mothered up to her calf

 

[Triple L]

THe worse I have had was three broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder and two brokrn fingers. I was load a young bull about 14 months old, he wanted no part of it. Well, trying a second time to get him in the alley way he bolted and then charged me. Being by myself I tried to get over the fence, but the mud slowed me down and the bull threw me like a rag doll. I landed on my right shoulder and he ran over me, got stepped on and kicked at the same time. Ya know I have never missed that bull since.
Sam

 

[frenchie]

all bulls are dangerous. some bulls are calm.

Very good answer! ;-)

It is a good answer fact is a bull does not have to be mad to hurt U..just playing

 

[Caustic Burno]

Lets see broke leg, knocked out too many bruises to count.

 

[IluvABbeef]

I got waay more close calls than broken bones.

Nearly got ran over and kicked (too close for comfort) on two different occasions, cracked my shin bone chasing cattle and trying to leap over a log at the same time, and bruised my tail bone slipping and falling on a cow pie (running after calves). I also got squished in the alleyway trying to turn a steer around to go into the squeeze.

And I got my foot stepped on twice by a lousy "pet" steer wanting a scratch from me.

 

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

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

Its very possible for them to be calm. I have one Im looking out the window at right now, you can do anything to him, he doesnt move. But then again, he was a show bull, so he is used to being handled. He could still kill me or tear me up though. Gotta treat every bull (or any cattle for that matter) very carefully. Never know if their just gonna try to push you a little or full on attack. Id rather not take that risk.

I guess Ive had my fair share of injuries considering Ive only worked with cattle a few years. Heifer broke my left foot twice, bruised the other one a few times. Got a hoof print right between the shoulder blades, had a horn right under the chin, got kicked about 2 inches away from my boys (thought I died that time). Ive done flips, gotten shocked by fences, and nearly cracked my head on a metal panel on my way to the ground at a show.

But I wouldnt give it up for the world.

 

[dun]

And they claim that driving a race car is dangerous. The common thread seems to be the "bummps and bruises" that are too minor to even consider an injury

dun

 

[Ratfish]

Sounds like a lot of the problems occur when the cattle are confined inside some kind of structure. Am I safer since they are going to be out in an open pasture for almost all of the time unless one gets sick or we have to move them between pastures?

One thing I noticed is that they have an instinct to jump and kick backward when they get spooked.

 

[sidney411]

Oh, I've had injuries out in the pasture - don't think your safe there. No matter how broke down or gentle a 4 legged creature is it CAN ALWAYS out run you. I had 3 broken fingers from a month old calf. I've been kicked in the chest and rolled completely over backwards by a cow that was in a squeese chute. I've been knocked out by a cow kicking a gate back into my head and all the usual bumps / bruises, ect.

 

[IluvABbeef]

Sounds like a lot of the problems occur when the cattle are confined inside some kind of structure. If they're pushed into somewhere they absolutely DO NOT want to go, then yeah.
Am I safer since they are going to be out in an open pasture for almost all of the time unless one gets sick or we have to move them between pastures? Probably, but it seems like most injuries occur in a confined environment, especially when the steer/cow/bull/calf feels cornered. THEN things get bad. I still think though that your still at risk out in the pasture, no matter what.

One thing I noticed is that they have an instinct to jump and kick backward when they get spooked.

That's just my opinion, but others may say differently...

 

[born2run]

Dairy cattle...of course...

Stepped on feet and hands (in a parlor), pinned from the knees down by cattle in return alleys, and kicked repeatedly everywhere from my shins to my collar bone.

 

[TheBullLady]

You always run more risk in an enclosed or close area, simply because you've taken out the "flight factor" for the cow. So now instead of being able to move from you , ie: in an open field, they have to determine if the risk is enough to trample or stomp you to get past.

I've had countless black toes from calves stepping on my feet, and last year had a broken nose and two black eyes trying to help catch a loose heifer at San Antonio. No, it wasn't MINE.

I'm not going to get into the "mean bull" discussion again.

Those long white "sort sticks" work very well for us. Especially if you've ever had to use a hot shot.