Cowology

[Rob R]

The group dynamic changes individual behaviour, the larger the herd becomes...

Discuss.

I adopted a steer that was in a herd of two and it was problematic for the owners and other animals that it shared a field with, yet in a larger group of heifers and steers it was calm and easy to handle. That's not always to say that larger groups are better in terms of handling, as my wife's oxen are far better with one on one attention, just different.

The feisty Dexters thread got me thinking about our vet and how he always dreads our Dexters when it comes round to TB testing time, but he always finishes being pleasantly suprised how easy it was. I just wondered if it was a group size thing that makes smaller herds, unless very frequently handled, more skittish.

[Saffy]

Good question Rob.

My herd totals 16.

That is 4 mature cows that have calves yearly.

2 bulls which include an up and coming 2 year old and my stock bull,(currently not on farm, as he is at Sire Services being collected for AI.)

10 followers or steers.

I see them at least once a day and give them a few suckler rolls, they pretty much all like a back scratch, and eat out of my hand. I open a gate and they usually just go to the field or yard with no fuss and walk through the handling system and crush. But I open the crush gate and stand back, only shut it - with speed - as the nose is about to come through, then someone else shuts the gate behind, it works like a dream. No shouting, no rushing, no hassle, no sticks and no panic. They don't like any of that.

When I bought the first few they came from a very large herd and were wild but I ran them through my handling system twice a day for a week or so and as they came out the crush gate they were met with a trough with a small amount of cake in it...more Cowology, this got my first cattle used to the system and relaxed about it.

Stephanie

P.S. I can worm drench them all myself, including the bull, with the exception of the smallest friendliest cow, not only does she fight me but she clamps her lips shut hard, can't blame her really, it probably tastes disgusting! Fortunately they don't need it often.

[Saffy]

The group dynamic changes individual behaviour, the larger the herd becomes...

Thinking on your question of herd size...the first few I had contained no adult cow and they didn't settle, tended to roam around in the field and were difficult to get into the yards as they didn't stay together well. A month or so later I bought an old cow with calf at foot and it changed things completely, they were much more relaxed with her amongst them, they looked to her for guidance and followed her lead.

Stephanie

[Rob R]

We had a group of Jersey bulls reared alongside the cows out on grass and they never gave us any problems, yet a neighbour had some a similar age from the same farm and kept them in single sex/age groups and fed ad-lib barley. He said they were nasty and difficult to handle.

Dairy bulls in general, I think, are made worse because of the way they're handled and reared.

[Saffy]

Dairy bulls in general, I think, are made worse because of the way they're handled and reared.

Couldn't agree more....who wouldn't go bonkers kept in a small space with no view, no company and no exercise! We kept a dairy heifer in a small shed for a few weeks once as she broke her back leg badly, it was just waving around, the vet set it pretty well - slight turn in it for the rest of her life but she had to have box rest. Before the end of the first week you were taking your life in your hands to go in with her she was crazy!!! Rest of her life she was the gentlest of creatures.

I was just starting to do the milking back then...16/17 years old and it was a good lesson, I always keep my bull out all year for exercise and he always has company, even if it is an in calf cow or a steer.

Stephanie

[Rob R]

The scariest bull I've seen was a Jersey and even though he was at the other side of a 6ft concrete block wall it was absolutely terrifying the noises he could make just sounded as if he could get to you he would kill you.

Solitary confinement is one of the worst experiences for a herd animal IMO. We had a Dexter heifer that had escaped from the winter housing one night, before we got our new shed and was only in the next but one field, no doubt she could hear the herd, if not see them, but she got so worked up when we attempted to get her back that she couldn't think straight and go through the gate (she did eventually, but in the meantime she was reverting to wild predator/prey behaviour, very common in young separated animals in my experience. Of course that's only in field cows, I'm sure that with the combat training of SAS (Sale And Show) cows they could withstand it.