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Life is too short to eat bad food! Sharing great recipes, farm life, stories and photography from our Northern California dairy farm.

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January 14, 2011

Big Bad Holstein Bulls

Yes.......another bull post.  I know what you're thinking but I just can't help myself.  Maybe it's because I'm absolutely fascinated by them.  And terrified of them.  Two Holstein bull prospects for the bovine ladies here on the dairy farm that we've raised from birth.  They're about 18 months old and the one on the left is a bit ornery.  Not sure if he'll remain here or be sold to another farmer that can use him?  An ornery bull is a dangerous bull.  And no bull should ever be trusted completely.

All I know, you couldn't pay me a million dollars to get into this bull pen. 














Just how dangereous can a bull be you may wonder. 

Eleven years ago, here on the ranch, Dominic's Grandpa, 79 at the time, who has been a dairyman his entire life, was standing in the dairy cow corral watching Dominic and my father-in-law work on something.  He didn't realize the bull was in the same corral as he, otherwise he wouldn't have had his back turned towards him and before anyone knew it the bull came over and began to head butt Grandpa.  He was shoved against pipe fencing and ended up with a broken pelvis and a long recovery time.

These furry faces are not to be trusted.......no matter how cute.



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7 comments:

The Wife said...

Yep. I had to feed the bulls for the Husband a couple days last week. We have a pen of 3 to 4 year olds. A pen of 2 year olds and a pen of yearlings. I have to walk out into the pens to pour the feed in the troughs. I do a lot of yelling. :) Then call the husband as soon as I'm done so he knows I made it out okay.

Anonymous said...

Holstein bulls seem to be more dangerous then others and I have even read that they are the meaner breed. Keep posting about them, they are very handsome bulls.

Nancy~The Wife of a Dairyman said...

@The Wife, you are MUCH braver than I!!

@anonymous, your are correct. Holstein bulls are more agressive than other bulls. Our beef bulls I'm not as fearful of, they're more docile. Thanks:)

Pat Tillett said...

Not cute!
That's a scary story...

Anonymous said...

@anonymous - Holstein bulls are not the ones to look out for, it's Jersey bulls. They get down-right nasty and they're smaller so they move quicker. I call it short-person syndrome - they think they have to be that much badder because they're smaller. Our do not stay on the farm once they're older than about 3 because that's when they really get ornery We had bronc-bull breeder come to our farm - this man bred some of the meanest creatures on Earth - and he was nervous as all get-out when he was in on the lot with the girls because a bull was in there. We've had them flip over four-wheelers and some that were so mean that we kept pepper-spray and a 2X4 by the barn door.

Nancy~The Wife of a Dairyman said...

Yikes MilkMaid09, Jersey's.....the cutest and the meanest...who knew?!

Anonymous said...

I'm only 16 but my dad milked and he's positive that they are the meanest bulls. He never got near them. When he had to move them or they got out he used a skidloader and to this day he claims their eyes turn red because of hatred