Aggressive cattle

[cabowman]

Hello everyone. I am a new member so bare with me!

I have a couple head of cattle, right now I am down to 2 until I can purchase a few more head. I have a steer and a bull, both were bottle babies. They tend to be more like dogs than anything. Following you around, wanting a head scratch, etc. They tend to be pretty aggressive when it comes to food though. They are fed well year round but Winter is definitely worse since they don't have grass to graze on whenever they want. In the winter it is hard for me to even get in the pasture with them. They circle and try to butt each other while I'm in the middle of them trying to get to the barn or feed them. When I have additional cows its the same thing. Does anyone have any suggestions? As I mentioned earlier they are bottle babies that I have raised since birth so I don't want to have to sell them since I have an attachment but at the same time I cant be trampled either. Thoughts or suggestions would be great.

Side note, these are angus/angus-mix if that makes a difference.

 

[Bossroo]

Well ... bottle babies, especialy of the bull persuasian become/ are quite dangerous. I hope that you have the best health insurance that money can buy, you will need it. That , or SELL / butcher those two ASAP.

 

[mikiz]

I have a question, why did you start with bull and steer calves? Poddy bull calves are extremely unlikely to become useful herd sires, isn't it more logical to start with a couple of heifers and then find a good bull to AI them based on their merits and faults?

 

[Baymule]

Steaks.

 

[WildRoseBeef]

How old are they? I'm also curious as to why you choose to have a bull and a steer when you could just have two steers and be done with it.

I don't want to stir the pot but I think you've been too nice to them at feeding time and allowed them to get away with too much when they were little, and now you're paying the price. It's not that they're aggressive around you, it's that they're playing and rough-housing around you because it really sounds like it's something you've let them do time and time again when they were little calves and you thought it was "cute."

Emotional attachment to these two aren't going to get you anywhere with them it doesn't matter what, and the fact that they're seen as "more like dogs" than anything is a big problem for me. You know as well as I that they are NOT dogs, shouldn't be treated like dogs nor like any kind of pet. I highly recommend you take a read at this post at the near-death fate of one fellow who raise a bull like a pet from a bottle and ended up nearly paying for it with his life:

http://www.backyardherds.com/threads/about-that-cute-little-bull.31335/

Get that bull castrated ASAP and if they're not at the age nor condition to be ready for slaughter, then get start getting them there while you crack down on becoming Top Cow and let them know you don't tolerate no horse-patooies from them. I'd get after them and charge/chase them and not in a playful manner either. Chase them away from the feed area, but not so that you're literally running after them, but you get their feet moving and moving away from you. If they shake their head and try to challenge you, growl or holler at them, and keep pushing into their shoulder or hip to get them to move. The key here is to make THEM move, not you being moved by them because in the bovine world that is what establishes dominance, that and a confident, I-mean-business attitude that shows no fear, nervousness, anxiety or unsureness.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I've used a short driving (for horses) whip on unruly steers before. If they are too pushy, I'd tap their legs with the whip and tell them to back up. Eventually they learn that they need to backup and stay out of the way.