Near pasting by a bullock...

[Danllan]

Well... I'm sure that over the years many of us have had a near miss of one sort or another, but it was my turn again today. Picture the scene: TB testing part 2, myself encouraging the beasts into the yard and toward the race; a big fellow got a bit flighty so I pushed him round a bit. And then things went wrong... he decided he wasn't going to go the way I wanted and started bucking his head up and down, one of these knocking me flat on my back and few feet backwards toward the race's funnel entrance. He was on to me straight away, forehead trying to flatten me, fortunately two things saved me from serious harm: 1) his right shoulder caught on a post (which I am relieved to say stood up well); 2) a neighbour and Mrs Danllan somehow distracted him for half a second... that was enough for me to scrabble backward to the race and run like hell down it and to vault to safety.

And here I am, a bit sore, a bit wiser (again) and wondering what I missed that I've noticed every time before not to get into such a situation. But, on the bright side the children still have a father and the cattle all passed the test .

We really can't be too careful, best of luck to all .

 

[Nearly]

Glad you're still here.
How are you going to alter the entry pen now?
Get it done.

 

[tinsheet]

Forcing gate of some kind, sheeted so they can't see you?

Hot bath required. .

 

[Yale]

@Danllan

I always use a light 5/6 ft sheep hurdle when pushing cattle to the race.

It is far easier to use it to block them from passing you and if something kicks it spreads the shock so reducing the impact.

Psychologically it seems to upset cattle less than using a stick,also you are seen as 'behind a gate' so aggressive animals are less likely to attack.

When approaching freshly calves or cows with young calves I always reach for a hurdle rather than a stick.

If an animal is intent on going for you a stick is near useless,I find aggressively using the hurdle against their attacking head will at least keep them at bay.

Try it.

 

[Sweepa]

What breed was the bullock out of interest?

 

[Grouse]

Been down this road more times than I care to remember, including a Welsh Black cow trying to gore me.

The only thing that stopped her was I was in the corner of the shed and she couldn't get at me because her horns got wedged in the corner stopping her reaching me.

At which point the dog saw what was happening and went for her heals - just distracting her long enough for me to hop over the barrier.

She went for burgers !

A plastic electric fence post with the prong in the end seems to stop a bovine attack - especially when jabbed in the nose

 

[windymiller]

Pitch fork is handy some times too, give me both barrels up the rear to get me moving.

Edit. Give them both barrels to get them moving. Although if I had both tines in my backside I'd be moving as well.

 

[Willie adie]

Yes. Ive had many close calls at auction marts.
And the amount of times I hear
" there nae like that at home"well that's strange they seem to have had plenty practice.

When cattle arrive at loading banks I like to let them stand for at least 5 mins once off float., let them get thier equilibrium it makes a great difference, to thier behavior.

 

[Drillman]

Bulls and bullocks have never caused me any harm.

However a freshly carved cow did get me a ride in an ambulance on a board with a neck brace on for a visit to the X ray machine in York hospital with a suspected broken neck

Luckily it was only severe whiplash. A month on pain killers sorted that one. And the cow we found dead a few months later. After the incident it got chased out into a field with the forklift with a bale on the front and left to fend for itself (it was january) we didn't dare go near it.

Nowadays if a cow with a calf so much as looks at me i'm outa there like a stabbed rat

 

[nelly55]

I read this and my heart sank,you were so lucky ,my OH got trapped in a handling race she was lucky to escape with her life,but suffered life changing injuries.Its time someone understood the dangers we are all put under to do these to tests.We have full handling system but 500kg of sheer muscle power in full anger mode.Pleased you are ok ,but do get checked out,

 

[Henarar]

Glad you are OK, you never know what is going to happen
As above some sort of gate to pull around behind them to force them down the race

 

[gone up the hill]

Bulls and bullocks have never caused me any harm.

However a freshly carved cow did get me a ride in an ambulance on a board with a neck brace on for a visit to the X ray machine in York hospital with a suspected broken neck

Luckily it was only severe whiplash. A month on pain killers sorted that one. And the cow we found dead a few months later. After the incident it got chased out into a field with the forklift with a bale on the front and left to fend for itself (it was january) we didn't dare go near it.

Nowadays if a cow with a calf so much as looks at me i'm outa there like a stabbed rat

Im sorry but regardless of what the cow did there is NO EXCUSE for turning her outdoors in the middle of winter and letting her starve to death! and I cannot believe that you think that what you did was acceptable!. it certainly gives livestock farmers a very bad name!

No excuse in any shape or form not to have put a round bale of hay out for her and if you couldn't have done this then you should have done the correct thing and had a marksman shoot her before you let her suffer!

Utterly disgusting what you did!

 

[unlacedgecko]

Im sorry but regardless of what the cow did there is NO EXCUSE for turning her outdoors in the middle of winter and letting her starve to death! and I cannot believe that you think that what you did was acceptable!. it certainly gives livestock farmers a very bad name!

No excuse in any shape or form not to have put a round bale of hay out for her and if you couldn't have done this then you should have done the correct thing and had a marksman shoot her before you let her suffer!

Utterly disgusting what you did!

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Danllan]

Glad you're still here.
How are you going to alter the entry pen now?
Get it done.

Too right. It is, or rather it has been a good set up; we are working with a yard inherited from my predecessor, the race etc. is 'portable' but fixed to permanent post and walls. The plans had already been made for our new yard with work starting early this Summer, @tinsheet yes a forcing gate is in the plans, and it will be sheeted. Looking back, I think that the 'visibility' factor was the key one in today's episode. But you have to get them in to the yard to start the rest of the process, so there is always going to be exposure at some point.

Mrs Danllan has been out with me to measure where I was thrown back from and where I landed, I thought it was a few feet, it was eight... all so quick from start to finish, it's hard to credit what happened in such a short space of time.

What breed was the bullock out of interest?

Belted Galloway, a big lad for the breed - not that it makes any difference - and has not played up before, but they never do, do they?

Right, thanks for the responses, I'm going to have some brandy and hot water, a hot bath and an early night .

 

[unlacedgecko]

Been down this road more times than I care to remember, including a Welsh Black cow trying to gore me.

The only thing that stopped her was I was in the corner of the shed and she couldn't get at me because her horns got wedged in the corner stopping her reaching me.

At which point the dog saw what was happening and went for her heals - just distracting her long enough for me to hop over the barrier.

She went for burgers !

A plastic electric fence post with the prong in the end seems to stop a bovine attack - especially when jabbed in the nose

I'm always surprised at how few people in the UK have/use cow dogs.

 

[Drillman]

Im sorry but regardless of what the cow did there is NO EXCUSE for turning her outdoors in the middle of winter and letting her starve to death! and I cannot believe that you think that what you did was acceptable!. it certainly gives livestock farmers a very bad name!

No excuse in any shape or form not to have put a round bale of hay out for her and if you couldn't have done this then you should have done the correct thing and had a marksman shoot her before you let her suffer!

Utterly disgusting what you did!

What makes you think we let her starve? We're not stupid

She had a good calf with her but was a liability in the yard so we got her out of the way into a sheltered field in the hope she settled down. She had plenty of food available but we couldn't safely go in the field with her.

It was June when i found her laid dead.

Don't make incorrect assumptions without knowing all the facts.

 

[gone up the hill]

What makes you think we let her starve? We're not stupid

She had a good calf with her but was a liability in the yard so we got her out of the way into a sheltered field in the hope she settled down. She had plenty of food available but we couldn't safely go in the field with her.

It was June when i found her laid dead.

Don't make incorrect assumptions without knowing all the facts.

Well if that is the case then it certainly did not read like that from your previous post by the way you worded it!

 

[Drillman]

Well if that is the case then it certainly did not read like that from your previous post by the way you worded it!

It was a very painful experience. It knocked me flat and set about me good and proper. Lucky job the old fella was there and beat it off me with a stick. Then managed to get me out of the yard.

Even when i found the bloody thing laid dead (i was spraying in the next field) i approached it with extreme caution on foot.

Before finding her dead we were considering options of what to do with her, Shooting being number 1 on the list.

 

[Sid]

Well if that is the case then it certainly did not read like that from your previous post by the way you worded it!

@Drillman thats as close to an apology as you will get!

 

[Netherfield]

As much as we won't admit it, we all get a little complacent around our own stock.