Safe Cattle

Driving down the road in cattle country you'll see herds of cattle grazing or laying contentedly chewing cud. To the inexperienced, they might conclude that all cows behave the same. They eat, drink, sleep and eliminate waste. Let me assure you that all cows do not behave the same way.

Cows have a pecking order. There are leaders and followers in every herd. Bulls walk about half as fast as cows. Each individual cow responds differently to the same presence of a human. Generally speaking, there is a difference in how breeds behave. Some are more docile than others. This usually occurs because some owners have eliminated cows exhibiting bad behavior from their herds, thus only the more gentle individuals survive to pass on their genetic legacy to their offspring.

Studies show that docile cattle are more productive. Calves from docile cows gain more weight and remain more healthy than their less docile herd mates. Docile cattle are not only safer to be around, but are enjoyable to be around.

There is one time during every year when even the most docile may not be docile. That time is the first few days after a cow births her new calf. My friendliest cow turns into a raging maniac for two or three days after calving. She remains friendly to me, but not my wife nor anybody else.The goal is to protect the new calf. After a few days they get back to normal.

Bulls present a different problem. Yes, they should be gentle, too. Like stallions they are way more attentive to what is going on than the female. Bulls remain cognizant of what goes on with every cow and with every other bull that is in their area. They may fight anything that challenges their opportunity to breed a cow in season. If you get on their side of the fence then you must pay attention to what is going on around you, too. A bull may get the idea that you are competition even if you have scratched him a hundred times before.

The cattleman must recognize cattle which are not docile. Cows exhibit signs that you have triggered their self defense instincts. I met some Navajo cowboys one time that had difficulty getting within a mile of their cattle without triggering the flight instinct in their cattle. In very docile cattle the zone of concern can be a few feet.

It is my policy that there be no “mean” animals on my place. When I recognize that an animal is quick to express concern and displays any aggressive behavior, then that animal is sold as soon as possible. For example, one cow's head would come up when I climbed over a fence to her side when I was still over a hundred yards away. She then acted like she would attack me if she caught me not paying attention. She was gone within two weeks. Incidentally, she calved just before I was going to take her, and she failed to mother her calf, and the calf died. Aggressive cows do not make good mothers.

Cows, like horses, accurately read body language. Cows know when you're just checking them out and when you intend for them to go someplace else.

It is essential that the cattleman perform a frequent mental checkup on the current hazards associated with his cattle, and take stock of the condition of the systems upon which he depends to remain safe and which keep his cattle safe, too. You never know when trustworthy animals will become untrustworthy for unknown reasons.

The most hazardous job performed on the ranch is separating cattle from one another. It can be done with some kind of physical barrier system, but often it is performed by the cattleman in some kind of pen. The actual hazard is greatest the first time you do it. Soon the cattle learn what you're doing, and figure out how to work with you. The cattleman learns how to communicate this to his cattle. Once both cattle and cattleman learn the language then it can be a safe task. In my opinion, this is where a herd of docile cattle shines. The cattleman enters the flight zone in a way that communicates which way he wants the cow to move. He never enters the fight zone. My cows never enter the fight mode even if I'm very close. They have learned from actions what is expected of them, and they often move to where I want them long before I get there. This is training.

Trying to cut one out of the herd is the most challenging. You can see this in cutting horse competitions. Unlike the competition, you don't have to do it against a clock. The herd will actually help you. You'll run them around trying to get the one separated from the rest. The rest will soon figure out which one is causing them stress, and will force the one out.

I started training a group of bull calves. I put my stock trailer outside my arena gate (200'x100'). Then I began to work with them so that they figured out that I wanted them to get in the trailer. The first time all got on the trailer, I was about 50 feet away. Then I moved the trailer inside the arena, but against a fence, and proceeded to load them there. I, then, moved the trailer to the center of the arena and loaded them. In the end I could put the trailer anywhere, let them into the arena, and they would run and load into the trailer and wait for me to close the gate. It paid dividends when I had to load a lame bull in the middle of a thousand acre pasture without a horse. It took a half hour, but we got it done. (Of course, I looked around in pride at my accomplishment, but there was no audience. LOL)

Part of this has to do with the attitude of the cattleman. If he approaches it with the notion that he must get it done in five minutes then the cow or bull will sense his stress level and it won't get done. But if the cattleman approaches it with the idea that it never takes more than two days to do this then he's relaxed and the cow or bull will know that this is a safe operation. So just relax, and everything will be smooth.

The best way to move cattle is to have them follow you. I started training them in this way by yelling to them, “Come on, girls.” I only used this when I had some place that they would consider better for them to be – like water or fresh pasture. All it takes is for your lead cow to catch on, and the rest will follow. You only have to make sure to stay out of their way when they realize that the new place is better .

While its better for them to follow, its best when they get the idea themselves. When they see that the gate is open, then all it takes is one to go through and the rest will likely run after her. Sometimes this happens when they see you open the gate and move away. Sometimes it happens when you've pushed them to where they could see that it was open.

I insist on gentle cattle. Training them makes the future jobs much easier. Others like brand inspectors and veterinarians will appreciate it, too. The results speak for themselves. We have never had a close call with our cattle. I had to deal with a prolapsed uterus on a cow in the middle of a pasture one time. I was on foot and placed a rope over her head, and tied her to my pickup. The vet put a rope on her hind legs, and we completed the task without incident. I took the rope off her head and she walked over to her newborn calf. Gentle, trained cattle are safe cattle.

One last thing for this post – be careful of who you let “train” your cattle. Friends and neighbors will want to help you. Cattle learn from every human interaction. More often than not friends and neighbors don't help, because they have a different style. They're probably used to the whooping, hollering and whistling that only serves to pile stress on to the herd, but is the common way of moving cattle. You may have to train your friends and neighbors how you do it, or just say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

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