Spotted Brahma
Well-known member
I've always thought it would be funnier than heck to turn a bunch of Jersey and Holstein bulls loose and let them terrorize the countryside :lol: Talk about some peed off people come calving time !
When Do Bulls Get Mean
- Thread starter inyati13
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cow pollinater
Well-known member
From my stupid days: rodeo bulls are bred to be athletes. Mean sometimes just comes with the terittory. Alot of the rank ones in the arena are pretty easy to handle when they're not performing. They are more about smart/spoiled than mean.
From my stupid but realistic cowboy days: all bulls can be rank... period. Some are just flat mean/spoiled but there is absolutely a seasonal differance. We ran bulls on irrigated pasture in the off season and they were just flat misserable to be around by late summer. Semen testing was a good time for us... The corals would be shredded in everything leading up to the chute but when they came out they were pretty easy to get along with and we could pack them in together without much trouble.
From my dairy cows=money days: If a jersey bull isn't mean, ship him because he won't stick anything. They're just misearable little testosterone rockets.
From my experiance over the course of my carreers with cattle: The worst bulls are the smart ones that have you all figured out whether they're mean or not. I can handle a bull that wants to kick my sorry butt but I can't do much with a bull that knows how my system works and is okay with knocking me out of the way to beat it.
All in all, the only bulls that have ever come close to hurting me were the one's that I "trusted" and the only ones I've found to date that were safe are the ones that come frozen in nitrogen.
From my stupid but realistic cowboy days: all bulls can be rank... period. Some are just flat mean/spoiled but there is absolutely a seasonal differance. We ran bulls on irrigated pasture in the off season and they were just flat misserable to be around by late summer. Semen testing was a good time for us... The corals would be shredded in everything leading up to the chute but when they came out they were pretty easy to get along with and we could pack them in together without much trouble.
From my dairy cows=money days: If a jersey bull isn't mean, ship him because he won't stick anything. They're just misearable little testosterone rockets.
From my experiance over the course of my carreers with cattle: The worst bulls are the smart ones that have you all figured out whether they're mean or not. I can handle a bull that wants to kick my sorry butt but I can't do much with a bull that knows how my system works and is okay with knocking me out of the way to beat it.
All in all, the only bulls that have ever come close to hurting me were the one's that I "trusted" and the only ones I've found to date that were safe are the ones that come frozen in nitrogen.
Loch Valley Fold
Well-known member
We had a Jersey bull that got mean by the time he was 2.5 yr old this was a registered, quiet, lead anywhere tie up brush pick up his feet do anything with. I bred him so I know what his breeding was & reared him myself one day he decided to turn mean we had a stand off in the yard I didn't back down (stupid I know) & he decided to go where I wanted him to. It wasn't too long after that, that we put him on a truck & sold him as "slaughter" only. On the other hand I have another Jersey bull born '91 still on the farm that is as faithful as a dog, still gets used from time to time & he will die on the farm. I had a highland bull that was 7yr old before he started to get "strange" - he along with most of his calve have all gone only have this years calves to sell than no more of that bloodline
Lon
Well-known member
When do bulls get mean.
well in my experience its usually when some jack azz jumps in the corrals and starts to whoop and hollar or when one shows up on a 4wheeler thinking they know what thier doing. point being every bull gets mean if given the proper motivation. also most of them stay calm if treated with the respect they deserve. but i have seen a few bulls i would call downright salty cause they would barrel out of trees if you just rode by to try and get you but most of them were taught that a 4wheeler means thier either getting ran into or chased. so again common sense goes along way with any answer to this question. otherwise the only other thing i know wich is the closest i can get to answering your question without being smart is i know a few guys that say once thier 4 they get rid of them cause they are more apt to get agressive with less motivation to do so after that age.
also on the rodeo bull part like said before they aint bred to be mean they are bred to buck and buck good the mean usually comes with the territory. take a calm bull and shove him in a pen by himself then jump on his back open the gate and sink some spurs in and im sure he will get salty. guy in our neck of the woods runs some them worthless things in the summer and dont fix fence we brag on them long eared bucking machines like ol 3way brags on corriente bulls. all his bulls will eat cake right out his hand but the one and for some reason (i am sure it is because of how much rock salt was shot at into his ass everytime he was seen in a pasture) he was the only wild one.
well in my experience its usually when some jack azz jumps in the corrals and starts to whoop and hollar or when one shows up on a 4wheeler thinking they know what thier doing. point being every bull gets mean if given the proper motivation. also most of them stay calm if treated with the respect they deserve. but i have seen a few bulls i would call downright salty cause they would barrel out of trees if you just rode by to try and get you but most of them were taught that a 4wheeler means thier either getting ran into or chased. so again common sense goes along way with any answer to this question. otherwise the only other thing i know wich is the closest i can get to answering your question without being smart is i know a few guys that say once thier 4 they get rid of them cause they are more apt to get agressive with less motivation to do so after that age.
also on the rodeo bull part like said before they aint bred to be mean they are bred to buck and buck good the mean usually comes with the territory. take a calm bull and shove him in a pen by himself then jump on his back open the gate and sink some spurs in and im sure he will get salty. guy in our neck of the woods runs some them worthless things in the summer and dont fix fence we brag on them long eared bucking machines like ol 3way brags on corriente bulls. all his bulls will eat cake right out his hand but the one and for some reason (i am sure it is because of how much rock salt was shot at into his ass everytime he was seen in a pasture) he was the only wild one.
ohiosteve
Well-known member
I think the breed of the bull plays a HUGE part in weather they get mean as many have said. I have had several holstein bulls and they all started getting mean around 2.5-3 yrs. old, I never trusted them. I have worked around several jersey bulls and every one of them was meaner than he77. I have a longhorn bull now and he is the smartest friendliest bovine I have ever been around. You can see it in his eyes. I scratch him on the head every day and trust him. I know I'm an idiot but I really like him. The oldtimer I got him from milks holsteins and also has a herd of longhorns and told me he's never had an issue with any of his longhorn bulls but doesn't trust his holstein bulls for a second.
Gale Seddon
Well-known member
ohiosteve":wnpg9vpl said:
Please scratch him anywhere but on the head and don't trust him. He's an intact breeding bull and cannot be trusted; messing with his head tells him you want to play and he'll win no matter what.
ohiosteve
Well-known member
I know what you are saying Gale and totally respect that. But after getting home from my very dangerous job in the oil/gas industry I get a little therapy from interacting with this bull. I have been around cattle my entire life and have owned several aggressive bulls and worked around many more. I take pride in my ability to read cattle and can assure you this bull has never shown the least bit of aggression towards me. I know I posted a picture of me scratching his head and it looked like he was giving me the evil eye and I wish I hadn't posted it. The picture was misleading. I appreciate your concern but will stick with my opinion that the longhorn breed is a very smart and docile breed. Sorry 3way I hope this isn't considered BLATENT BREED PIMPING! just kidding.
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
I'm just really lucky, I guess. None of the bulls in my nitrogen tank have busted out and cornered me in the barn or torn down a fence or sired any bastaard calves, or done anything crazy like that! Wheeew!!!!
G'night all! We're safe.
G'night all! We're safe.
