O/T BAD Cow Disease

I forgot to nip it in time.

I knew that would be bad news. Actually grew into a wonderful looking bull, but sure had attitude. Lots of it. He went on the trailer pretty quick. Actually I made money on him, he had good form. Just hope he never hurt anyone.

When I was little dad had a smaller, average cow in the bunch. She was more terror than a bull - always after a person. I kinda stayed away from the cattle until dad got rid of her.

I have a whiter cow - she is heck to try to do anything with. Puts her head down, & won't do anything - just watches you with her head down... She's got to find the trailer real soon now.

Back when dad had a bull - we always get rid of them when they develop attitude. Was a calm one, one day it decided it didn't like a fence gate, and it made toothpicks out of that wooden gate. Just whako. We were there, it was walking along, turned, & just attacked this gate. Would not go, let up, or pay any attention to dad or the tractor. He got it in the barn - with much effort, got a truck in a month & got it out of here.

That one impressed on me, at a young age, not to turn your back on the critters. Can be as calm as can be, but only takes 5 minutes....

--->Paul

I always bucket fed our milk cows' calves and they became pets. This heifer was a purebred Holstein that we planned to keep to replace her mother. She was always extremely tame and friendly. I never expected her to mount me! I had grown up around cattle all my life, and not other critter had ever done that.

That heifer ended up being sold to a local dairy, since my Dad went out of the dairy business soon after I left for college. The owner of the dairy told me that she was a good milker, but never seemed to "fit in" with the rest of his milking herd...maybe because she was raised differently.

I became much more careful around the cattle. You can never be totally sure just what they might do, especially if they are not a bit afraid of you. I would get rid of her if she was mine. Good luck!

Rod

When I was about 6 or 7, my Dad and I were over at a neighbor's house helping him move some cattle. He had a young (2 year old) bull that liked to "play". It was always fun, nothing mean about it, just feeling his oats. The neighbor was a LARGE man - big enough to give his Clydesdale horse a swayback. This particular day, the bull decided to try to pin him against the side of the barn. He had him fairly good - or so he thought, when the neighbor let out a yell and put that bull on the ground. It all happened so fast that Dad and I didn't even get a chance to move. He never had a problem with the bull again.

One day, after she had chased Sister Lizabeth into the limbs of a fallen tree, Father said: "I will settle Roaring Rowdy." He had the boys build a big, high corral. She was taunted till she chased them into it. The gate was slammed shut and the vicious old cow was roped and tied. She was tied so tightly that only her tongue could move. She stuck it out at them and bawled and bawled. Oh, but she was mad. She rolled her eyes till they looked white and foam dripped out of her nose and mouth. She had a young calf, the boys had caught and carried it into the corral. We all went out to see Father milk Roaring Rowdy.

She went almost into fits. I do not think he got a pint of milk, it was as blue as though it had been "set" and skimmed. When he had finished, or rather given up, he loosed her, all but the rope around her horns. The rope was maybe ten feet long, she backed up to the very end of it, then shot forward with the speed of a cannon ball. A log chain wouldn"t have checked her. The rawhide lariat parted with a bang. Everyone scurried for cover, though no one need have worried. She made a leap over the ten rail fence that carried the top rails along with her. She had been milked, it was entirely too much for any cow of Roaring Rowdy"s disposition. She left that corral, she left our farm, she left her calf and even the country, straight as a crow flies, she went completely out of our lives. So far as we were concerned from that on, Roaring Rowdy simply was not.

When feeding sileage,I had to leave the cart in front of her and carry fork-fulls to differnt cows.When I came back,she had the cart pulled toward her in the manger pit.It was heck gettin' the cart back on top as heavy as it was.

Also had to give her a cob of corn to reward her for coming in for milking.Always lickin' too.

Cried the day we sent her off.They are like people. ~brad