Cows & bulls, how to stay safe?

[santaman2000]

Is that so? Now I know what I´ll be watching on youtube tonight

This one will get you started https://youtu.be/CvMj0V-JB0I

 

[mikehill]

If a footpath would take me through a field with cows in then I take a route around that field ... regardless if it means trespassing slightly or not. Rather live and argue with the landowner than run the risk

 

[petrochemicals]

Lone bulls are the worst, they are fighting to control the territory so as to attract ladies. When with ladies they only see of challengers, so dont challenge them. In bull fights where the bull is not killed a heard of cows is brought on and this placates Mr Bull. A little like the internet then. I have never had a problem with a bull but i have not crossed a solitary one ever.

Bulls that are maturing but not quite fully mature (and once rams) that are fully complete, in groups of about 10 have never done anything more than watch and engage in a stand off, once it was apparent i wasnt interested they ignored me.

The worst ive had is the groups of about 50 500kg+ beef of any variaty careering around, and even though they stop a few yards away the ones behind dont, so nip it in the bud and stop the ones at the back as well as the front, a clint eastwood"yaaa" works well for the farmers.

 

[Leshy]

I have the utmost respect for cows/bulls! Even youngsters can cause big harm, especially it they get to keep their horns.

When I lived in Spain there were picadores on the farm, and young bulls used for training and demonstrations. The bulls were bred for fighting, and had an outstanding courage and had more than their normal share of fighting spirit.
One day they had the brilliant idea of talking the Norwegian girl into trying one of the young bulls. The stupid Norwegian (that would be me...) wash´t really sure what she got herself into, but thought that the bull was probably nice since they gave it to a new beginner...and it wash´t very big either. More like a big calf... Bah!!!
Maybe they secretly tried to kill me, haha!

Anyway, they forgot to give me the cloth thing before they released the young bull into the arena, and the stupid Norwegian stood still, waiting for them to come with it. They never got the time...The bull eyed the stupid Norwegian and in a split second I saw his mind. My thoughts at that point aren´t fit for writing, but I knew I would never reach the fence before him, so I had to make another plan, quickly.
To cut the story short, he came at me in full speed, and I had to tackle him, keep myself behind his horns and my weight on his neck until the others came to rescue, all the while my teacher was screaming "They are killing each other !!! Help!!! Heeeeeeeeelp!!!" from the tribune.
The memory still makes me giggle.
Afterwards I finally got that bloody cloth thing to wave around!

I really didn´t understand how dangerous that bull was at the time, because of his young age and since it didn´t have fully developed horns yet. But later on one of the employees showed me his leg, and it had a giant scar running from his ankle to his knee. It was given to him by a bull at the same age and size at this one.
Now I know better Don´t underestimate the little buggars!
Today I´m mostly sad that my teacher was busy screaming for help instead of taking pictures of the hilarious scene...

Untitled by Lykketrollet, on Flickr
Looking like a pro, huh?

Untitled by Lykketrollet, on Flickr

I also have to state that I am against bull fighting!

Brilliant! Dangerous and a little reckless but brilliant nonetheless...
You had me chuckling through your post ...funny stuff!
Thanks for sharing

 

[didicoy]

I believe It is illegal here in the UK, to keep a dairy bull in a field with a public right of way. The dairy Bulls are know to be far more aggressive than other Bulls. I'm not sure if that is down to the breeding or if they often only encounter managed (artificial) semen extraction.

 

[Tengu]

Yes.

Cows are harmless (unless with calves) but they get very curious and can be excitable.

I have never had any trouble but I

A) Show no fear

B) Have no dog.

Taking a dog in with cows is asking for trouble.

 

[santaman2000]

....Taking a dog in with cows is asking for trouble.

This is hard for me to wrap my head around. When i was still working on farms we never went anywhere without our dogs. The cattle always learned to respect them. Even the hunting dogs (bird dogs and coon dogs)

 

[Fraxinus]

Working dogs will rarely cause cattle to react badly, it is usually idiot dog owners who think just because there is a right of way footpath through farmland it is okay to take the spoilt and excitable dog off its lead to chase around at will.
My grandad was a herdsman and his advice was just "treat them with respect" and left it up to us to interpret what "respect" constituted.

Rob.

 

[waves]

Knowledge is power - and can go a long way to keeping you safe.

Unless a cow has a calf she is likely to be pretty placid, and the main danger is from a bunch of them getting excited, knocking you down by accident and then treading on you. As previous posters have said, if they are used to getting fed they are likely to come running over and mill around. Bullocks/steers (castrated males) are about the same but since they get slaughtered young, any you see are likely to be young, frisky and curious so might come running over just for a look see. In either case getting your back to a fence or hedge, or preferably being on the other side of a fence or hedge (!) is good strategy, so going around the edge of a field is sensible. If you do get surrounded then raising one arm, and a stick if you have one, and waving it slowly up and down is remarkable effective with animals that have been driven by people - because you have only one arm raised it tends to turn them past you - if you raise both arms you are trying to block them, which they are less likely to comply with. If you shout, do it with a deep tone. Screaming, jumping up and down and waving your arms quickly just aggravates matters. If you get a chance watch a farmer moving cattle - and do like he/she does.

Bulls are another matter entirely - and you really, really do need to be able to tell the difference. At risk of stating the obvious, bulls still have their wedding tackle hanging down behind. They also have bigger heads, thicker necks and heavier fore-quarters than the ladies. Bulls and cows of the same breed are the same colour. Bulls are more aggressive than cows or bullocks, and are very unpredictable. In general beef breed bulls are less trouble than dairy breeds. Some individuals have pet hates for particular things - red jackets, hats, could be anything - a previous neighbour of mine had a bull who hated white people ! The only sensible strategy is to keep away from them. If a bull is in a field with cows then keep away from the cows and do not get between him and them. Get to the nearest exit as soon as you notice a bull taking an interest in you, hooking the ground with a front foot is already a definite sign of trouble, lowering and shaking his head means he is a lot more unhappy than you want him to be. As long as he is not charging you, walk away rather than running. If in a group stay together - you absolutely do not want him thinking that you are a pack of predators spreading out to surround him and his ladies. Unless you are very skilled handling cattle (and even if you have the skills) if a bull charges the only thing you can do is run and get a barrier between him and you - if that means you go through a hedge or rip you fancy gear on barbed wire then that's what you do. Prevention by by not being in the field with him in the first place is the mindset you want to start out with.

Staying away, and walking away is the tactics for cows with calves also.

That strip of fabric the OP mentioned was most likely electric tape - animals learn not to touch it because it bites. It will not stop a bull, or a cow defending her calf, and sometimes excited groups of cattle will just push through it. If you are on the opposite side of it to the animals you are not in their space and there is much less chance that they will bother you.

Many (most ?) dogs are a liability around livestock - having a dog with you increases the chances of upsetting a cow with calf or a bull. If cattle decide to chase a free roaming dog the dog will very often run back to its owner - who then gets knocked down and stamped on by the cattle while the dog runs away.

All the best CH

Thanks CH, what a great and entertaining post, just the sort of info I was after.

I will definitely be trying the one hand with stick waving instead of the double handed block I was using and have since looked up the difference between cows and bulls as I thought this would be wise as you suggested.

The fabric strip was electric tape, I'm not sure if it was live or not.

Thanks again Steve

 

[waves]

I have the utmost respect for cows/bulls! Even youngsters can cause big harm, especially it they get to keep their horns.

When I lived in Spain there were picadores on the farm, and young bulls used for training and demonstrations. The bulls were bred for fighting, and had an outstanding courage and had more than their normal share of fighting spirit.
One day they had the brilliant idea of talking the Norwegian girl into trying one of the young bulls. The stupid Norwegian (that would be me...) wash´t really sure what she got herself into, but thought that the bull was probably nice since they gave it to a new beginner...and it wash´t very big either. More like a big calf... Bah!!!
Maybe they secretly tried to kill me, haha!

Anyway, they forgot to give me the cloth thing before they released the young bull into the arena, and the stupid Norwegian stood still, waiting for them to come with it. They never got the time...The bull eyed the stupid Norwegian and in a split second I saw his mind. My thoughts at that point aren´t fit for writing, but I knew I would never reach the fence before him, so I had to make another plan, quickly.
To cut the story short, he came at me in full speed, and I had to tackle him, keep myself behind his horns and my weight on his neck until the others came to rescue, all the while my teacher was screaming "They are killing each other !!! Help!!! Heeeeeeeeelp!!!" from the tribune.
The memory still makes me giggle.
Afterwards I finally got that bloody cloth thing to wave around!

I really didn´t understand how dangerous that bull was at the time, because of his young age and since it didn´t have fully developed horns yet. But later on one of the employees showed me his leg, and it had a giant scar running from his ankle to his knee. It was given to him by a bull at the same age and size at this one.
Now I know better Don´t underestimate the little buggars!
Today I´m mostly sad that my teacher was busy screaming for help instead of taking pictures of the hilarious scene...

Untitled by Lykketrollet, on Flickr
Looking like a pro, huh?

Untitled by Lykketrollet, on Flickr

I also have to state that I am against bull fighting!

That's a pretty cool story Arya and great reactions to get the bull in a headlock Made me chuckle reading it.

Thanks Steve

 

[homesicksteve]

......and have since looked up the difference between cows and bulls.......

 

[waves]

I believe It is illegal here in the UK, to keep a dairy bull in a field with a public right of way. The dairy Bulls are know to be far more aggressive than other Bulls. I'm not sure if that is down to the breeding or if they often only encounter managed (artificial) semen extraction.

Interesting, I don't know whether these are dairy or bred for their meat.

A) Show no fear

A good piece of advice for most aspects of life and also builds strength in character. I've always found the best way to overcome fear is with knowledge

My grandad was a herdsman and his advice was just "treat them with respect" and left it up to us to interpret what "respect" constituted.
Rob.

I love that, learning through guidance and letting you figure out the details.

 

[Tengu]

I have little respect for those who cannot tell a cow from a bull...

 

[waves]

I have little respect for those who cannot tell a cow from a bull...

Each to their own mate, I'm quite new to this and not long moved to the country so am learning as I go.

Thank you for your helpful and pompous reply

Unless of course that's a quote from a film or book in which case please enlighten me

 

[sunndog]

This is hard for me to wrap my head around. When i was still working on farms we never went anywhere without our dogs. The cattle always learned to respect them. Even the hunting dogs (bird dogs and con dogs)

As a man with a working dog it sounds just as odd to me, when the animals are playing you up you think, sod this i'm getting the dog out, he'll shift em lol
Whats a con dog mate?....not heard that one before

 

[santaman2000]

As a man with a working dog it sounds just as odd to me, when the animals are playing you up you think, sod this i'm getting the dog out, he'll shift em lol
Whats a con dog mate?....not heard that one before

"Con" dog was actually a typo. LOL. It was supposed to be "coon" dog. I'll be correcting that now.

The hunting dogs never bothered the cattle but likewise the cattle never bothered them either.

 

[Arya]

That's a pretty cool story Arya and great reactions to get the bull in a headlock Made me chuckle reading it.

Thanks Steve

It is the first, and only time I've had any use of my very limited grappling experience

 

[sunndog]

"Con" dog was actually a typo. LOL. It was supposed to be "coon" dog. I'll be correcting that now.

The hunting dogs never bothered the cattle but likewise the cattle never bothered them either.

Ah gotcha

 

[mrcharly]

Each to their own mate, I'm quite new to this and not long moved to the country so am learning as I go.

Thank you for your helpful and pompous reply

Unless of course that's a quote from a film or book in which case please enlighten me

Steady on. That wasn't really pompous.

 

[Pioneer72]

Heifers without calves are usually fairly chilled out I find, but bullocks....

I was walking the Long Mynd in Shropshire a few years back, and my route went through a field of young bullocks.
I bumbled along minding my own business as I tend to do, along the edge of the field with the herd 50 yards off in the middle. As I passed by them a few watched intently, perhaps checking if I had food I suppose, then about 6 of them started to bumble over to me. I kept on going, expecting they were just a bit curious.
With my back to them now as I walked, I heard the sound of accelerating hooves, which isn't a good sound really.
I turned to them and did my 'wave like a herding farmer' thing, which seemed to stop them and they turned away again, so I carried on my way.
A moment later, the sound of hooves was back, only a few more of them had joined in.
So my farmer waving became a bit more urgent, and gave a few hollers, which stopped the lot in their tracks, and they moved back a bit.
Then more hooves, then more waving/hollering. They stopped for about 5 seconds then most of them ran right at me. Maybe they were out to prove who was the bulliest bullock or something, cos then it became fairly apparent that no amount of waving or shouting was going to help. No quick exit - the fence alongside me was too high to consider.

So I legged it, big time did I leg it. Down the field about 100 yards, and hurdled the stile with my heart beating outta my chest.
Lead bully was about 2 seconds behind me, so its a good job I cleared the stile.

Never had that happen before or since. Just goes to show the unpredictable nature of beasties, even domestic ones.