Quote:
Originally Posted by joosttx
Bulls aren’t usually kept around cows. Are you sure it was a bull? Did you see it’s balls? Anyway, I have ridden through cows and steers. There is no issue, they are more scared of you and will move even when the first hold their ground. Not sure I would do it with an actual bull around that I did not know. Anyway, you can find some fun mushrooms in them pastures.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by djg21
A bull would not have been allowed to run freely around other cattle. Bulls are extremely aggressive and will attempt to assert dominance over a herd, not to mention impregnate every cow in the herd that comes into heat. What you saw likely was a steer, i.e., a castrated male. Steer are castrated as juveniles and are far less muscular, and more docile than bulls. They can graze with a herd. Granted a steer still is a large animal, but you might have been over-reacting.
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When my mom was younger my great uncle sent her out to get the cows in for afternoon milking a little earlier than usual, because they had something going on that evening. Normally this wasn't required because the cows would mosey on over from the pasture to the feedlot gate on their own at the same time every day (1950's), but with the earlier start time this day, I digress.... Yes, the bull was out there with the cows and evidently didn't appreciate her coming out there early interrupting his time with the ladies. Great uncle forgot the old boy was still out there. She ended up having to jump a barbed wire fence and had some beautiful cuts/tears on them. She said the silver lining was it got her out of chores for a while.
The bull may not be in with the cows all the time but if you're breeding livestock the old fashioned way (not injecting the cows) he's going to have to be in there enough to make babies. Sometimes that happens in the feedlot, sometimes in the pasture. Growing up I saw them in with cows all the time.
When I was told not to turn my back on the bull, I was cleaning out & re-bedding free stalls. Down here they will let multiple bulls in with the cows, with really large herds, and sometimes the bulls will fight it out a little to establish a pecking order. IME some bulls are just plain mean, others won't mess with you unless they feel threatened or if you're getting too far in their territory. Now if you put cows, steers and bulls all together - I don't know, never been down that road.