Wild Heifer - Charging while calving

patsy_mccabe

Had a heifer calving here last week. I wasn't here at the time and had a relative looking after things. Legs were just out when he went to stand her to bring her into a shed, as it was getting dark at the time.
Well, the long and the short of it is, she went for him chasing him out over a fence. He said she went mad bawling at him like a bull.
Fair enough if there was a calf on the ground but as he she was still calving, really surprised at this.

Anyone ever seen anything similar? She hasn't calmed down yet.

tanko

Have had a few charge towards me after calving but they always stopped before reaching me. Never happened before calving tho. What breed is she?

Bullocks

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Had a heifer calving here last week. I wasn't here at the time and had a relative looking after things. Legs were just out when he went to stand her to bring her into a shed, as it was getting dark at the time.
Well, the long and the short of it is, she went for him chasing him out over a fence. He said she went mad bawling at him like a bull.
Fair enough if there was a calf on the ground but as he she was still calving, really surprised at this.

Anyone ever seen anything similar? She hasn't calmed down yet.

I sure did on a winters night and have no clue how the calf survived , legs out at half nine and she went ape . By 1 the legs were still out and she went through the fence , at 4 i got the brother and father out to try and herd her into the shed but she got worse when she saw them and tumbled into a ditch where she clawed her way out with her 2 front legs so I left her and at 6 the calf was up and sucking .
Couldn't get near her for weeks even with two quiet cows and calves in the field with her . She was sold to a finisher as soon as she was weaned

patsy_mccabe

tanko wrote: »

What breed is she?

Red Limousin.

Miname

I've a cow that will always give you a days notice before calving. She'll drive straight at you and do the same for a week.

blue5000

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Had a heifer calving here last week. I wasn't here at the time and had a relative looking after things. Legs were just out when he went to stand her to bring her into a shed, as it was getting dark at the time.
Well, the long and the short of it is, she went for him chasing him out over a fence. He said she went mad bawling at him like a bull.
Fair enough if there was a calf on the ground but as he she was still calving, really surprised at this.

Anyone ever seen anything similar? She hasn't calmed down yet.

Is she 5 star maternal:D?

Bullocks

blue5000 wrote: »

Is she 5 star maternal:D?

Wouldn't surprise me one bit !

tanko

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Red Limousin.

Only thing madder than a red Limousin is a black limousin.

patsy_mccabe

blue5000 wrote: »

Is she 5 star maternal:D?

4.5 Stars for Maternal. 1/2 Star for Docility.

dohc turbo2

My first year with heifers and myself and the father spend lot of time with the bringers in field and over winter around them , loads had the old lad warned about the limousine being cross , and we had not one bother with them , but two whiteheads would ram the gate right after the calf being born

Reggie.

tanko wrote: »

Only thing madder than a red Limousin is a black limousin.

Try a saler. Now that's a mad bastard of a breed

Genghis Cant

I saw it plenty of times. Out of their mind with calving sickness. The odd one goes over the top and attacks the calf.
I don't think I ever saw a heifer wild at calving getting any better with age. Normally they calm down after a couple of weeks after calving.

djmc

I have had them before gave up on a heifer one late winter night better her or the calf dead than me.
She wore herself out after several hours and got calf out but dead.
Head and legs out but every time I went anywhere near her she would jump up and charge me.
I think you should get rid as there is a good chance she will be the same next year.

Kovu

Miname wrote: »

I've a cow that will always give you a days notice before calving. She'll drive straight at you and do the same for a week.

Have one the same here. About four or five days before she drops a calf she'll go for me, handy enough if you're planning anything as you know when she'll calve
Been here 13 years now and no plans to get rid of her just yet!

patsy_mccabe

The thing is the relative that she attacked is a bit of a hot head around cattle. He spent 10mins cursing down the phone before hanging up. He said he had to stab her a number of times with the dung fork to keep her back. If I was there myself things might be different now.
When you approach her in the field, she just stands there cool as a breeze, no signs of agitation and then quick as a flash, she charges you at full speed. I'm talking from about 50 yards.
I've had mad bitches before and I know how to handle them. Usually up the crush, rope halter on and tie her up in the shed. This one might be in a league of her own. I dunno whether she is mad cause he drove her mad or she'll always be that way. I loaded the same heifer up on the trailer days before I left and she was quiet as a mouse.

Kovu

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

The thing is the relative that she attacked is a bit of a hot head around cattle. He spent 10mins cursing down the phone before hanging up. He said he had to stab her a number of times with the dung fork to keep her back. If I was there myself things might be different now.
When you approach her in the field, she just stands there cool as a breeze, no signs of agitation and then quick as a flash, she charges you at full speed. I'm talking from about 50 yards.
I've had mad bitches before and I know how to handle them. Usually up the crush, rope halter on and tie her up in the shed. This one might be in a league of her own. I dunno whether she is mad cause he drove her mad or she'll always be that way. I loaded the same heifer up on the trailer days before I left and she was quiet as a mouse.

Get shot of her once she rears that calf. If you can't trust her in the field she's no use to anyone but the butcher.

whelan2

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

The thing is the relative that she attacked is a bit of a hot head around cattle. He spent 10mins cursing down the phone before hanging up. He said he had to stab her a number of times with the dung fork to keep her back. If I was there myself things might be different now.
When you approach her in the field, she just stands there cool as a breeze, no signs of agitation and then quick as a flash, she charges you at full speed. I'm talking from about 50 yards.
I've had mad bitches before and I know how to handle them. Usually up the crush, rope halter on and tie her up in the shed. This one might be in a league of her own. I dunno whether she is mad cause he drove her mad or she'll always be that way. I loaded the same heifer up on the trailer days before I left and she was quiet as a mouse.

I'd say she recognised he was a stranger, as you said the way some people are around cattle is unreal. The bull i have with cows is fine when I am here but when the relief guy is here he plays up. He's going for burgers this evening anyway

patsy_mccabe

whelan2 wrote: »

I'd say she recognised he was a stranger, as you said the way some people are around cattle is unreal. The bull i have with cows is fine when I am here but when the relief guy is here he plays up. He's going for burgers this evening anyway

Ya, hoping you're right on that one. A neighbour said the same to me. If she quietens back down, I'll keep her.

Kovu

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Ya, hoping you're right on that one. A neighbour said the same to me. If she quietens back down, I'll keep her.

Some heifers can be odd like that, I just wouldn't trust her if she would charge you at the drop of a hat, with no provocation whatsoever.

We had one cow that hated men, it was hilarious! She'd come up to me in the field and put her head on my shoulder for a scratch and Dad couldn't touch her at all. Some just seem to take notions of daftness like that.
If you do keep her, best of luck with her, at least she took to the calf!

kay 9

We have two black limos that are crackers after calving and remain so until the calf is old enough. We would get rid of them but they're two of our best cows (as they tend to be). They even try and get out the side of crush. Wouldn't let a foreigner or a stranger near them though.

RobinBanks

I have killed some brilliant cows here over the last few years. Cows that always produced great calves but eventually i wised up to it and got rid.

OP, i too had a blonde heifer that i paid big money for as a springer that went mental before calving. So bad that we could get near her to pull calf. Calf died and the heifer damaged herself. She went from wicked before calving to absolutely lunatic after. Shed never left the slats until the day she was sent to the factory. No matter what i done i was unable to calm her down. I could have done with the cow version of the horse whisperer!

Lost allot on her but might have saved a life.