Prepared by Kerri Ebert and Michael Dennis
Kansas State University Research and Extension
The
majority of beef cattle accidents occur while the victim is
handling the livestock. Many of those accidents involve horses
and are the result of a rider being thrown or falling from
the horse. (See related article on horse safety.)
Bulls,
too, are involved in a considerable number of farm accidents,
especially aged bulls that were docile as calves. One veteran
southwest Kansas horned Hereford breeder learned the hard
way just how dangerous a pet bull can be. While he was out
checking cattle one day, he found he needed to read the tattoo
of the herd bull. It was a bull he had raised himself and
it had even been a family pet as a calf.
He told
his hired man that he'd just walk over and get the number.
He figured that even though the bull was three years old,
it had never been aggressive, so approaching it wouldn't be
any trouble. When he got to the bull and reached for its ear,
it lowered its head and turned it abruptly upward slicing
the stockman's leg and femoral artery with its sharp horn.
The ensuing scenario was a series of lucky breaks for this
gentleman.
His
hired man, who was waiting in the pickup, realized the severity
of the injury and was able to help the stockman to the truck
and drive him to the nearby farmhouse. The stockman's wife,
who was a registered nurse, was home and was able to stop
the bleeding so they could transport him to the local hospital,
five miles away. At the hospital they were fortunate enough
to have a doctor who had experience with this type of injury
and was able to repair the damage, thus leading to a complete
recovery.
This
whole series of events took very little time, but if everything
hadn't fallen into place just as it did, this could have been
a fatal farm accident. One point it clearly emphasizes is
to work in pairs whenever possible. One person, the hired
man, made all the difference in this case. Had he not been
there, the stockman most likely would have bled to death in
the pasture.
Temple
Grandin, assistant professor of animal science at Colorado
State University, warns, "The bull that's going to kill you
is the hand-fed, bucket calf. It will be dangerous when it
grows up. If you want a safe bull, let the cow raise it."
With
the popularity and practicality of artificial insemination
many herds can eliminate the need for a bull. This in itself
is a safety factor for cattle producers.
Cows
with calves are another safety concern. First calf heifers
are especially dangerous, says Keith Zoellner, extension beef
specialist at Kansas State University, because you have no
way of knowing how she will react to motherhood. Zoellner
says a good rule of thumb is that if a cow was overprotective
of her calf once, then she'll probably do it again. When protecting
a calf, cows can be lightning quick if they decide to charge.
You may not be able to get away before she gets you. For the
older farmer this could mean potentially severe injuries.
It is important for anyone working with cow/calf pairs to
be aware of the situation and know the signs of an aggressive
cow, but this is vitally important for the older stockman,
who simply does not react as quickly as he once could.
Disclaimer
and Reproduction Information: Information in NASD does not
represent NIOSH policy. Information included in NASD appears
by permission of the author and/or copyright holder. More
NASD Review: 04/2002
This
document is extracted from
MF-1085
'Health Concerns in Agriculture', a tabloid published by Extension
Agricultural Engineering, Kansas State University, Manhattan,
Kansas Publication date: October 1993.
Prepared
by Kerri Ebert and Michael Dennis, Educational Materials Specialist,
Cooperative Extension Service, Kansas State University.
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