[Eve]

I was told something a few years ago and have always wondered if it could be true. As I am completely ignorant when it comes to cattle and their character, I thought I'd pose the question here

The story was told by a friend of mine. He said that he was walking through the countryside one day, and at some point had to cross a field with cattle (probably cows, but can't quite remember).
According to my friend, it was very clear from the way the cattle in the field started walking towards him, i.e. their body language, that they didn't want him there. He's not normally scared of cattle or horses or anything like that, but he's convinced the cattle wanted him out of the field.

Could this be true? There was a lady diary farmer on tv some time ago who said one of her cows hated her and she hated it (and some footage showed the cow charging at her but there was a gate between them), so I am now inclined to think that my friend could be right. 

What do you all think?

[robert waddell]

cows are inquisitive by nature and with any animal you have to be wary of them more so if you are a stranger
i once witnessed what you are describing all be it with a dog and when the dog came back to its owner they both had to get the hell out of the field when i met him several months later he denied all knowledge of the incident a family friend used to carry a stick when looking his stock for the same reason(they once knocked him down)
i remember the programme that you refer to and wonder if the lady had mistreated the cow as a calf
from my experience they are inquisitive not Territorial

[Rosemary]

Cattle are prey animals; we are predators. Unlike horses whose first instinct is to flee and only attack if cornered, cattle will group together and defend themselves - watch any film of wild buffalo and lions. So if they feel threatened by a predator, especially one not known to them, or with a dog and even more especially if they have calves, then they may attack.

Young cattle are very inquisitive - if they get a fright, they will generally run so far then come back for a look. Horses do the same, with much snorting usually. If there is a big group, it can be a bit intimidating for a human.

Also each beast will have its own personal space; this will vary in size and the animal will be more comfortable letting some other cattle / humans into it than others. I'm sure some are more people frinedly than others - that may be their experience although I think it is influenced by maternal behaviour. My Breeze is much more comfortable with us than Blizzard, and acording to the breeder, their respective dams are the same.

In the wild, herds of cattle may be territorial but I don't think it would be the same for domestic cattle because of the way we keep them and the way they have been bredd over the generations.

[NorthEssexsmallholding]

THey are very inquisitive as someone else has said but they can be unpredicatable sometimes and can be territorial.  It can depend on different things, I find that it can depend on breed, how they are raised, are they used to being handled, and every cow has a different personality.  In the same herd there are those you can pet and they like it and there are those who are a bit wild and hate being touched.

In a field if the cattle are with their calves then they will defend them at all costs, if they feel threatened they will group and can charge, I've seen some fresians do this.

When I worked on a beef farm with a herd of Limousins, there was one cow that was so friendly, she would come over and like to be stroked even when she was with her calf.  People who just treat all cows as the same have no idea, over the time I worked there I got to know all the different cows and their personalities.

[princesspiggy]

would they have had calves with them? i thought cows have attacked and trampled people when strangers were wandering in their fields.

[robert waddell]

they do not need calves to trample strangers

[NorthEssexsmallholding]

more likely to charge if they have calves but sometimes they will just charge anyway, often the people who have been trampled have had dogs with them, but sometimes they will just do this to a lone person.

[CameronS]

Stand you ground, cart  stick if they get to close bop them one on the snout and they should leg it sharpish,unless it's a great big and bloody bad tempered bull (like the one we have out back of us in summer), where you don't even dream entering the field unless in a motor vehicle, or quadbike, and floor it when he starts pawing and snorting 

[Eve]

Thanks, all, it's very interesting to read these things (me being cattle-illiterate, so to speak). Our friend who was walking through that field is an old, small, very friendly gentleman but we don't know any details about any calves or the breeds.

Cameron, that bull would scare the hell out of me! 


 

[SallyintNorth]

Stand you ground, cart  stick if they get to close bop them one on the snout and they should leg it sharpish,unless it's a great big and bloody bad tempered bull (like the one we have out back of us in summer), where you don't even dream entering the field unless in a motor vehicle, or quadbike, and floor it when he starts pawing and snorting 

also unless it's a Limousin or one of the other continental breeds.  Some of them simply cannot stand being hit or shouted at and can become aggressive / unpredictable.  Best tactic with them (particularly if they have calves with them) is make your body language non-threatening and sidle away and out the field by the nearest safest route.