After a lull in stock-related activity on spring-calving farms, we must not let our guard down when the works kicks off again. There is a double risk to contend with now – a cow’s maternal instincts and a hefty calf.
While the cow-calf bond will have weakened by weaning, we must continue to treat her as a fresh-calver. I hate hearing the term “quiet cow” – she can often be the most dangerous animal on the farm. It is around animals like this that safety consciousness will suffer and temperaments will be taken for granted. She might seem relaxed around you, but who knows what she will take exception to? A dog, a colourful item of clothing, a ringing phone? Last year, a woman in our locality was fatally injured in a cow attack. The talk in the days after was the disbelief that a so-called quiet cow turned on the poor lady. Try telling her grief-stricken husband and daughters that it was a “quiet cow”.
Never enter a field without a stick and never attempt to separate cows and calves alone. When weaning indoors, always have two people present to split cows and calves. Watch for swinging gates and potential crushing situations.
With increased handling, calves will become unsettled. Excitable calves pose dangers of kicks, bumps, butts and squeezes. When penning calves for dosing or vaccinations, watch out for swinging back legs.
Anyone who has ever gotten a kick in the shin or knee will tell you it was desperately painful and came out of the blue. I have seen a man spend a weekend in hospital when a heifer’s back leg caught him in an even worse place. Keep your distance – use a stick and have patience.
When doing jobs such as dehorning, farmers often need to get in among crush-fulls of calves. At this point, these calves are much larger and this must be avoided. Take time doing jobs with weanlings. Try to have crushes full enough so that animals have limited room to move. If there are head gates, use them. If the animal is moving in the crush, be conscious of arms and crush bars. Fingers and arms will crack like twigs between 300kg cattle and iron bars. If you have to get in close to cattle, wear steel-capped footwear.
When creep feeding at grass, watch out for head butts from over-eager calves as they come in for feeding. Where possible, try not to walk through stock groups with meals. If this isn’t practical, do not turn your back and always carry a stick. Excited cattle mounting behind you can unintentionally butt and knock you down.
Three rules
While the above points are precise, adhering to three simple rules when handling stock will help keep you safe and sound in most situations:
Stay alert – being aware of your surroundings will help to avoid accidents.Have patience – the temptation to rush jobs is there on every farm. Avoid it. Plan all jobs, have necessary man power and take the time to do them safely.Carry a stick – the golden rule on all cattle farms. There is no situation you can be in where walking among or handling cattle doesn’t warrant carrying a stick.
After a lull in stock-related activity on spring-calving farms, we must not let our guard down when the works kicks off again. There is a double risk to contend with now – a cow’s maternal instincts and a hefty calf.
While the cow-calf bond will have weakened by weaning, we must continue to treat her as a fresh-calver. I hate hearing the term “quiet cow” – she can often be the most dangerous animal on the farm. It is around animals like this that safety consciousness will suffer and temperaments will be taken for granted. She might seem relaxed around you, but who knows what she will take exception to? A dog, a colourful item of clothing, a ringing phone? Last year, a woman in our locality was fatally injured in a cow attack. The talk in the days after was the disbelief that a so-called quiet cow turned on the poor lady. Try telling her grief-stricken husband and daughters that it was a “quiet cow”.
Never enter a field without a stick and never attempt to separate cows and calves alone. When weaning indoors, always have two people present to split cows and calves. Watch for swinging gates and potential crushing situations.
With increased handling, calves will become unsettled. Excitable calves pose dangers of kicks, bumps, butts and squeezes. When penning calves for dosing or vaccinations, watch out for swinging back legs.
Anyone who has ever gotten a kick in the shin or knee will tell you it was desperately painful and came out of the blue. I have seen a man spend a weekend in hospital when a heifer’s back leg caught him in an even worse place. Keep your distance – use a stick and have patience.
When doing jobs such as dehorning, farmers often need to get in among crush-fulls of calves. At this point, these calves are much larger and this must be avoided. Take time doing jobs with weanlings. Try to have crushes full enough so that animals have limited room to move. If there are head gates, use them. If the animal is moving in the crush, be conscious of arms and crush bars. Fingers and arms will crack like twigs between 300kg cattle and iron bars. If you have to get in close to cattle, wear steel-capped footwear.
When creep feeding at grass, watch out for head butts from over-eager calves as they come in for feeding. Where possible, try not to walk through stock groups with meals. If this isn’t practical, do not turn your back and always carry a stick. Excited cattle mounting behind you can unintentionally butt and knock you down.
Three rules
While the above points are precise, adhering to three simple rules when handling stock will help keep you safe and sound in most situations:
Stay alert – being aware of your surroundings will help to avoid accidents.Have patience – the temptation to rush jobs is there on every farm. Avoid it. Plan all jobs, have necessary man power and take the time to do them safely.Carry a stick – the golden rule on all cattle farms. There is no situation you can be in where walking among or handling cattle doesn’t warrant carrying a stick.
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