Interesting thing happened today

[Tim Harrigan]

An interesting thing happened today. I was out with Will working in the woods out back. The other three younger steers got out and ran out through the back of the woodlot onto neighboring land. I had to leave Will standing and run to cut them off from heading west, didn’t want them going either direction but for sure not west. I was hoping they would turn back up through the woodlot but of course not, they ran into a big corn field to the east. I tried to circle around to push them back but they were having none of it. Being on foot in soft ground I just couldn’t get in position to move them back to an opening to the pasture. They were having a great time but I was alone and I saw no up side to it, only trouble. If you have ever chased cattle you know what I am talking about.

Covered a lot of ground. Then I figured if I got Will (they are his posse so to speak) they would be inclined to follow him back in, so I let them run, went back and got Will and we went out along the fence row maybe 200 yards north of where they were milling around. Waited a while, the saw us but did not come up. So I took Will back to the corner of the woodlot, maybe 100 feet from them, waited a bit and then took him into the woods, hoping the steers would follow but no luck, just ignored us. I told Will to stand so I could circle around to the west and try to push them toward Will and get things moving in the right direction. I got out into the corn field and all of a sudden Will just come crashing through the woods, toward the steers, running, bucking, tossing his head, busted up the party and singled out the #2 steer (Will is 1) and got him back peddling for all he was worth. Then Will just stopped and looked at me. I walked up and said “Lets go Will”. We walked out with the three steers following single file up along the fence row about 200 yards and then back into the pasture quiet as can be.

Hard to tell what Will was thinking, but I would have been hard pressed to get those steers back in without him.

[Jonathan Shively]

I’d say Will was thinking, “breaks over boys, I got to get to work sometime today”. Animals keep it interesting for sure.

[jen judkins]

Well, I am not surprised at all at the help you got. Afterall,Will has been working with you for some time….I am sure he understood what you were trying to do.

A few years ago, my mom was home alone and a young colt got through a couple fences and separated from his mother. My mom caught the colt and got a halter on him, but didn’t have the skills to lead him down the hill and through a gate to his mom. One of my old geldings came up to them from behind and gently nudged the colt from behind and the three of them made their way like that…mom leading and the gelding pushing, all the way back to mom. Animals never cease to amaze me.

[Andy Carson]

this reminds me of when I brought my new calves home for the first time. They had just been weaned an wanted to get to my big team in a big way. I kept them separate for a couple days, as i had a very secure paddock to keep the calves in. When I turned the calves out with the oxen, they ran over as fast as they could. One of the oxen lowered his head as if to say “you dumb little squirts.” The calves scattered and ran through the electric fence that acts as a perimeter fence. That started an hours long calf chase. They didn’t know what grain was so I couldn’t lure them. My place is completely surrounds by fencing, so the only way back in is to cross though neighbors land, go out to the main road, and up my driveway. I didn’t really want them on the road though, and they where scattering rather than herding. I ended up walking/sneaking them down one by one, wrestling them down, altering them and leading them back. It was a heck of a project. I feel your sense of relief that Will helped!! Are these steers for a new team??? Are you sticking with the belts in the future? Just curious…

[Kevin Cunningham]

Sounds like Will was tired of the waiting for the adolescent shenanigins. I wonder if cattle do the same press and release social dynamic that Monty Roberts talks about in the Horse Whisperer. Any body else know what I am talking about? I remember reading it a while back. The therory he uses is that the alpha horse will punish a misbehaving youngster by pushing them out of the herd until they submit and then letting them back in. He uses this “horse language” to get horses to follow him as a first step in training. I have witnessed this behaviour in the Elk around here and I would assume that cattle use something similar. Any thoughts?

[Baystatetom]

I am ashamed to say I have poor fences and my animals get out from time to time. One of my steers refuses to be caught once he is out. The trick I have learned is to use the one I can catch as a shield to sneak up behind. I just bend down low behind Rock and walk him over to Star reach under his neck and snap a rope onto his collar.
~Tom

[Vicki]

That is a way-cool cattle social dynamics anecdote!

[Nat(wasIxy)]

This for me is one of the handiest parts of having an ox around! I was astonished when it first started happening – the older, trained guys seem impatient with the disobedient young ones and can actually help get them in line! They seem to very much know they henjoy a special position, being closer to the humans. My oxen all live with the herd, but even from when he was a real youngster, if we were rounding up the herd on foot, Ted would separate himself and come and stand near me rather than be herded. Now I lead him and the rest follow. Being mostly dexters the rest of the herd escape fairly often, but Ted is usually always willing to follow and the rest fall in behind.

One time my hereford was being led by my husband while I tried to get a young jersey calf down to the barn from the field with it’s mother – it was the stubbornest calf we’ve EVER ahd the misfortune to have to handle, and Peach (hereford) was getting annoyed too, so she hooked one of her big horns around its backside and pushed it down to the yard for us! LOL

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