Phobia of cows

[Naturenutz]

Anyone else on here have a phobia of cows ?. I dont know if its a phobia as such but if i have to walk past a herd i get very edgy and often climb a fence or find any other way i can to avoid walking past them. I dont think i have any other phobias but this may be one . I always seem to attract them,they come running over and my legs go to jelly and i head for the nearest hedge or fence. Whats the best way of handling cows that come running over ? Yes i know im a big girls blouse .

[ron1863]

Just walk normally, cows are fairly placid unless they have very young calves, then they may act up. It's the boy with the dangly bits that's in with the cows you need to watch out for.

[ellen h]

I was recently followed by a herd of 30+ cows.I had my dog on a lead and knew they were looking at him.As I was walking with the sun at my back,I could see their shadows on the ground edging closer and closer.One then started to come round the side of me.Thats when I stopped walking and suddenly turned and shouted something at the top of my voice(cant write here but it was on the lines of GO AWAY) The element of surprise worked and they backed off,but knowing that this was only temporary I carried on walking towards the gate.
My dog was very good,but obviously worried by the attention he was receiving but he did not bark or retaliate which was fortunate for both of us.I made it to the stile where they all stood looking at me.A lady came along with two dogs and she wisely took my advice not to try and walk through them.
You may find some cows ignore dogs but some can be quite feisty when a dog passes through their field.Be aware but try not to panic and run,it could cause them to run too-and they can outrun you believe me!!
Funnily enough the bulls on our local farm have never been the problem,its the cow and her calf-try not to get between them that can be dangerous,especially if you have a dog with you
ellen

[Hedge Witch]

Well, I think it's understandable. They don't show any fear as they approach, and they can come at you at great speed. It's a case of becoming used to them. Don't act scared and try and walk slowly. There's often a ring leader. I used to find that if you let him come up to you, get used to you, then get bored of you, most of the others will soon follow suit. Then you are "accepted", and you can carry on with what you were doing.

EDIT - just read Ellen's post. Yep, if you have a dog in tow, avoid the field altogether.

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by Hedge Witch

Well, I think it's understandable. They don't show any fear as they approach, and they can come at you at great speed. It's a case of becoming used to them. Don't act scared and try and walk slowly. There's often a ring leader. I used to find that if you let him come up to you, get used to you, then get bored of you, most of the others will soon follow suit. Then you are "accepted", and you can carry on with what you were doing.

EDIT - just read Ellen's post. Yep, if you have a dog in tow, avoid the field altogether.

I've never been frightened of cows, (or by any aninmal for that matter) and have walked through enough of them, but last year I walked by a small group, and for the first time got a bit scared. They were not with calves.

There was indeed a "ring leader" who seemed to be unnaturally curious. She really started to put herself in my face and I sensed that things might get out of hand, to the extent that I looked around for the best way to vault the hedge into the next field. The others seemed to be given confidence by the ring leaders' behaviour, which made me all the more nervous.

It could be that I mistook their intentions, but I definately percieved a threat, and I am not the kind of person to do so lightly. Suffice to say I took the "threat" seriously and got out of their field sharpish, trying not to spook them any further in the process.

[JoulesH]

As a cattle farmer, I am always 'aware' of their mood when in the field with them - over the years, many farmers have been trampled or crushed (sometimes fatally) by their own cows or bulls. Adult cows weigh about 750kg and a bull up to a tonne and they can all be quick on their feet (or can kick out backwards). Most of the time, they are just naturally curious, esp young cattle, and a 'boo' will send them away. A dog or cows with calves at foot immediately increases the danger threshold and a combination of the 2 is definitely dangerous. With time you get to know their body language and a sharp almost bark-like noise or a very low and angry sounding 'moo' are real signals that you may be in imminent danger. If you know you are going into such fields then carrying a walking stick is not a bad idea and sharp slap on the cow's nose if you really are in danger is far preferable to getting killed. I was once walking a friend's dog and went into the field of beef suckler cows that I worked with every day, they did not have calves with them. The dog was on a lead but 2 of them turned on him and the rest charged us to join in the fun - I let him go and legged it for the gate, which is the safest option; they will follow the dog, which is usually agile enough to get away (he did) and it's much better to let go rather than risk your own life. I've also seen a freshly calved dairy cow (calf not with her) turning on the sheepdog that rounded her up every day. Having said that the cattle I check every day who I know have never presented any danger to me would scare others witless as they too come charging over, it is a fine judgement call between curiosity and aggression. Naturenutz, is there a farmer you could ask if you could spend some sessions getting gradually more close up with cows so that your phobia can be reduced to a healthy caution?
PS not all bulls have rings and some cattle have rings but are not bulls - the deciding factor can be seen underneath!!!!

[Chucky egg]

Just wanted to say I completely sympathise with you on this. I too try and avoid cow fields but it's not often possible when you are on a waymarked path. I always just hope that as there is a path going through the field they will be use to people and the farmer would not put potentially agressive cows in there, like cows with young.

[Naturenutz]

Thanks for your input guys n gals , it seems i am not alone after all.Joules most of the time i am ok, if i see cows i will go into a field with them its just i seem to have met alot of them herds with a nosey leader that does want to get too close for my liking . ive ended up down a river bank thinking of jumping in to get across the otherside before , with them all looking down the bank at me . I realise they are probably just being nosey and i just put up with the knowledge i can get away if i have too. Im not actually scared of individual grazing cattle,its the boisterous way they come at you sometimes that stops me facing them off. They wont stop me gettin out in the fields though,i just always make sure ive an escape route and next time ill let you know how i get on

[Gelert]

I was raised on a dairy farm and helped get the cows in for milking most mornings. I learned to have a healthy respect for cows and saw my grandfather, a highly experienced cowman, hospitalised when he lost concentration once with a cow and her calf in a pen.
I think nearly every year one or two walkers are injured or occasionally killed by cows so it's sensible to be cautious! I walk with dogs and as JoulesH says, if the cattle seem over interested it's best to let the dog go. My dogs ignore cows, but the cows don't always ignore them!
I go ferreting and will happily enter fields with sheep or horses in them, even the flighty thoroughbreds which occupy one of my permissions, but I do think twice about cows if they have calves.

Couple of links in fact ...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-sto...5875-20399670/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ller-cows.html
http://www.bexhillobserver.net/rye/M...ows.5258471.jp

See? Not a phobia, more common sense!

[Roy_Nikon]

Hi
I'm a river angler and in the past few years my caution about cattle has become quite serious and problematic. I grew up around farms and cattle and used to be pretty casual about them too. Some of the places I fish always have cattle of different kinds - dairy herds, bullocks. And bulls.
One day last summer I decided to walk a few fields downstream which involved climbing over a gate which is usually open between the first and second field. These fields usually have dairy cattle, quite often with calves. When I got to the gate I encountered about six heifers and a very large bull. This shocked me as I had fished there frequently and never encountered a bull before; it was lucky they were close to the gate otherwise I could have been half a mile into the field carrying a huge backpack before I encountered them. I don't think there's a statutory requirement for a sign unless it's a right of way - which it isn't, just angling club access.

The heifers all went nuts when they saw me, emitting a fine selection of bodily fluids and solids - behaviour that I haven't seen before. The bull just turned broadside to me and looked entirely disinterested. That evening I did an internet search using the name "Temple Grandin" - an American woman who is widely accepted as the world's leading authority on cattle behaviour and who has revolutionised stock handling techniques in the US cattle business. I found some fascinating, and not at all reassuring stuff.
1) There's no such thing as a "safe" bull.
2) Any bull that shows ANY aggression toward humans in an open environment should be culled immediately.
3) Bulls that are hand-raised and "tame" are vastly more likely to atack humans than those raised amongst other cattle.
4) A bull that turns sideways is actually exhibiting a preliminary form of aggression: it's demonstrating how big it is to you (or other animals).

Interesting material - there's some good stuff about the way in which cattle respond differently to people in different parts of their field of vision. And cows can kick forwards too, which I didn't know. Sorry I don't have the links right now, but a diligent search should locate the sites.

I saw some comments above from a cattle farmer to whom I'd like to address a question. I've always assumed bullocks to be completely safe (if very daft) but in recent years a local herd has become much more persistent than previous herds - almost impossible to shake off as they seem to expct to be fed by any human who appears on the scene. They have followed me for miles on ocasion - which is disconcerting if not actually alarming. However, now having to bear the additional burden of a heart condition I need to feel sure that they represent NO risk. I'd appreciate an informed opinon as I couldn't find anything specific in the sites mentioned previously.

Getting old is awful - it's just that the alternative is worse!

Roy