Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Cows have personalities and instincts just like every other animal. Billy Jean is our 'boss cow', 6 years old (the oldest) and she protects the younger cows. She even bosses the bull (2 years old) around, when they are not mating. It is funny to watch her most of the time, because she is busy running the whole family - to pasture, to water, to the corral for a storm or feed-up. It took her a loong time to become acclimated to us - but she can usually be tamed with a long neck-and-back scratch. BUT - when we corral the cattle, and chute or stall the calves for meds, or banding, or whatever - she will SLAM into the chute/stall headfirst, over and over. The only thing to do is let the calves out FIRST - because as warm and even affectionate as she is most times, she WILL butt you (she is dehorned, TG) and trample you.
Our bull is very peaceful and mellow (being udder-whipped will do that to you; until he bred the girls we thought he might be gay) and loves to be petted - even demands it. But we don't get in his way when one of the girls is in heat, or when he is 'discussing' his leadership with the young steers. He is polled but DH nicknamed him "Bonehead" because his head is flat, wide, and makes an incredible battering-ram.
Our cows are a small breed (Dexter) and famous for their usually-even temperament and family-friendly attitude. But those wide-eyed, slow-moving, cud-chewing cows on TV or in the cartoons are a myth; they have a lot going on in their heads, and they can like most animals be unpredictable, or defensive, or even enraged, if the right circumstances arise. My neighbors raise beef Angus in large, non-family-type herds, and their lack of frequent interaction with humans makes them even more aggressive and unpredictable. The more you interact with cattle, the more tractable they are - but that doesn't mean that they won't become intractable at a moment's notice, especially if they even THINK that their calves are threatened.
I'm not convinced this was an attack. Based on seeing calves nursing and bottle feeding them, a head butt is simply their way of saying "I'm hungry here, bring the food on." Any time you interact with an animal without understanding that animal and it's instincts you are asking for trouble. Above all, don't mess with an animal while it is eating.
Cows have personalities and instincts just like every other animal. Billy Jean is our 'boss cow', 6 years old (the oldest) and she protects the younger cows. She even bosses the bull (2 years old) around, when they are not mating. It is funny to watch her most of the time, because she is busy running the whole family - to pasture, to water, to the corral for a storm or feed-up. It took her a loong time to become acclimated to us - but she can usually be tamed with a long neck-and-back scratch. BUT - when we corral the cattle, and chute or stall the calves for meds, or banding, or whatever - she will SLAM into the chute/stall headfirst, over and over. The only thing to do is let the calves out FIRST - because as warm and even affectionate as she is most times, she WILL butt you (she is dehorned, TG) and trample you.
Our bull is very peaceful and mellow (being udder-whipped will do that to you; until he bred the girls we thought he might be gay) and loves to be petted - even demands it. But we don't get in his way when one of the girls is in heat, or when he is 'discussing' his leadership with the young steers. He is polled but DH nicknamed him "Bonehead" because his head is flat, wide, and makes an incredible battering-ram.
Our cows are a small breed (Dexter) and famous for their usually-even temperament and family-friendly attitude. But those wide-eyed, slow-moving, cud-chewing cows on TV or in the cartoons are a myth; they have a lot going on in their heads, and they can like most animals be unpredictable, or defensive, or even enraged, if the right circumstances arise. My neighbors raise beef Angus in large, non-family-type herds, and their lack of frequent interaction with humans makes them even more aggressive and unpredictable. The more you interact with cattle, the more tractable they are - but that doesn't mean that they won't become intractable at a moment's notice, especially if they even THINK that their calves are threatened.
I wish I would have known all this years ago before I naively strolled through a couple of fields where some cows were lazily grazing...that is until being chased by one. It happened once on a quiet field in Southern California, and another time at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo Texas. I'm lucky that they started charging when I was still a safe distance away and could make a run for it safely over the fence.
There are cattle ranged in New Mexico that are nearly as wild and wooly as an aurochs. You definitely keep your distance from them when you are in the woods. They stretch the definition of 'domesticated animal'
I'm not convinced this was an attack. Based on seeing calves nursing and bottle feeding them, a head butt is simply their way of saying "I'm hungry here, bring the food on." Any time you interact with an animal without understanding that animal and it's instincts you are asking for trouble. Above all, don't mess with an animal while it is eating.
Calves 'butt' udders to get the milk to 'drop'; people who milk cows often warm/massage/even sometimes gently "punch" the udders to get the milk to drop, cows to relax their muscles and permit milk flow. It isn't easy to be a calf, headbutting Mom for supper! But it DOES explain some teenagers' attitudes...
Thanks for the update, Tia. SCGranny, you are right, but they will also do a head butt if they are being bottlefed and you don't get the bottle in their mouth fast enough for them.
it was in today's news the lady actually died from a massive stroke
So the cow was only incidental.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
But it DOES explain some teenagers' attitudes...
