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Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 9:13 pm
by strawberriesclint
Hi everyone
I recently bought a bull, he is excellant, comes up to me and eats out of a bucket. I can also give him a rub on the side of the face, he really is quite friendly. But when there is a cow bulling I give him a wide bearth and just let him get on with it. I always keep an eye on him.
Question is am I doing the right thing or should I not have much interaction with him at all.
Cyndy
Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 9:16 pm
by catomell
As an equally novice bull owner, I am not best placed to answer your query, however, I will do my best based on my own experience.
My particular bull actually prefers contact around the withers area as opposed to the face, and when the heifers/cows are bulling I tend to leave well alone, as he looks at me in a tone of voice that tends to prevent me interacting with him.
I think that it is each to their own, but never trust him! He may turn on you in an instant when you are not looking!!
Posted: Sat Oct 01, 2005 11:16 am
by Sylvia
As another fairly novice bull owner I don't feed any of my Dexters, cows or bull, with a bucket in the field. Neither do I shake a bucket to move them around - I just call them. I just think that animals which are trained to expect something nice to eat when you appear might take exception when you visit them without anything.
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:34 am
by Inger
Be aware that, although your bull may normally be a very pacid creature and let you pat him, you are leaving yourself wide open to him using his 400kgs of weight against you in a show of playfulness if not aggression. I would advise not handfeeding him and always keeping a respectful distance between yourself and your bull. I know its not very friendly, but bulls, rams and roosters are some of the few creatures that we really shouldn't make friends of. Its safer for us and keeps their temperment more even. Then they can concentrate on their girls and not worry about us.
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 1:58 pm
by oliver1921
I tend to discourage any handling of both bulls or cows faces as they tend to think it is a game any are liable to shake their heads etc when more unsuspecting people are handling them. with regard to bucket feeding your bull - i would leave the bucket in the feild and let them feed themselves rather than handle them with the bucket - we obtained some cows which clearly had been hand bucket fed and when we try to move them around by following the bucket they do tend to get quite playful and competitive which can be quite frightening for the children when they are leading the cattle