# War Stories



## GrassFarmerGalloway (May 1, 2009)

Have you had an interesting experience in farming?  Close shave?  Incredible miracle?  Happy feel-good story?  Share it!  Let's hear everyone's greatest experiences in farming!


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## WildRoseBeef (May 1, 2009)

Can I ask of you the same questions? 

I've had a few close shaves when I was little: I got the crap scared out of me when a yearling Charolais bull came crashing out of the working pen (it was wood at the time), so much so I let out a blood-curdling scream and high-tailed it for the house (only 3 or 4 then).

Second time I had a brockle-faced black steer come charging me down when I ventured out of the truck to see what Mom and Dad were up to.  Scared me up pretty good, enough for me to leap back into the truck again (I was only 6 or 7 at the time).

Not really farm-related, but I near got killed by a mutt my uncle had; ended up with 30 stitches to my face and a couple of very worried yet relieved parents that their daughter was lucky to be alive.  I was just beginning Grade 1 when that happened.

Near busted my leg chasing cattle.  I misjudged jumping a log and ended up whacking my shin on a knot on that very log.  Had quite the bruise for a few weeks, and a section of bone (about 2 inches long) taken out from that fall.  Never went whining to the doctor about it at least.

I've had some experiences with handling bulls and rouge steers who hate not getting their way.  LOL I wasn't afraid to stand my ground and make myself known to them.  The wild bulls, the ones that get really nutty when cornered, and would rather climb the fence or go through you instead of going where you want them to go...yep had to handle them buggers too.

Farming's sure fun, ain't it?


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## GrassFarmerGalloway (May 2, 2009)

It sure is!

One of my favorite experiences with cattle was when one of our heifers busted out.  I was nine or ten at the time.  My DF and I were up fixing the roof on one of the cattle loafing sheds when I saw her trotting merrily down the road.  The entire family pitched in and we chased her all over town, back and forth, and I swear, she went down every driveway.  When we had finally herded her back to our property, she started running past the gate.  The rest of my family was too far behind, so I raced forward on my bike, threw it down in the road and stared that heifer down.  First time I had ever stood up to a cow.  And I was _tiny_ back then.

This isn't really farming, but I once shot a deer through the neck that was running full speed, with a shotgun, shooting from the hip.

Oh, all right, I was aiming for the heart and lung, but at least I got it!


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## wynedot55 (May 2, 2009)

ive had several close shaves with cattle.been nearly put in the ground a few times.i learned how to handle an work cattle from my dad.an he taught me to stay with them no matter what.lets see i had a brimmerstein cow once that almost ran under me an threw me up over a 6ft tall pipe fence.had anther brimmer cross cow that almost ran over me with my back against a barbed wire fence.while i was helping a buddy work his wild cattle.helping the same buddy move cattle.i was on his 4 wheeler an he in pickup.i was riding dragg moving cows.an 1 crazy brimmer x doubled back on me.well that old momma started trying to jump in my lapp.so i was driving the 4 wheeler hard.by that i mean i was doing figure 8s.an turning real sharp.all the while she was chasing me trying to get in my lapp.almost turned the 4 wheeler over a few times.i finally shook her an got down to the back pasture where my buddy was.an then i gave him a good cussing.an told him about the cow.he goes i was wondering where she was.an i goes she was trying to kill me.


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## Thewife (May 2, 2009)

Back when I first took over and the cows did not really know me yet, we had a whole crop of high strung calves! I ended up banning everybody from the back eighty. If you made one wrong move, the calves would head for the hills with poor mama running after them?
I had gone out to peek at one and it saw me first! Rather than run from me, it jumped up and came after me, crying the calf distress call!
Of course it's mama and all the other mamas came running! I headed to the fence and the stupid calf kept coming after me, bawling the whole time!
I made it through the fence, but the calf got hung up in the wire, which made the distress call get worse!
By the time I got it untangled, and turned around so it could see it's mama, I had every mama cow lined up along the fence line ready to take me!
Not a good feeling!


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## Farmer Kitty (May 2, 2009)

I've been thinking over the stories I could tell. I haven't been charged, as such, by any cattle. Been in cramped corners with some wild ones that wanted out but, not really any charging ones. 

We had heifers and belgin workhorses break out and head down the road. Our Saint, Heidi, went right down the middle of them and turned them around. 

We were deworming and vacc. some heifers one time and DH grabbed Dalmation around the neck and was goofing off about how he had her, like she was a wild one when she was really a pet. She stepped and rolled right on his little toe.

We had a jersey cow that I had an agreement with, I hated her, she hated me. Every 2-3 months she would start acting up and then a couple days later let out kicking. I had her tied up with the halter to her hind leg on my side when she let loose. I just backed out and let her go at it. DH came running down from the shed telling me to take it easy on her and I'm standing in the middle walk laughing. She landed upside down. Litterly with all four hooves in the air! That broke her of kicking!

We had a blue and white holstein that we bought that you couldn't touch her sides. She just went nuts and kicked to kill. We moved her to the spot where we come out of the milkhouse and pass right by her. It had a divider and post between us and her. As we'd go by we would occassionally touch her side hoping to get her used to it. The one day I touched her as I went by to talk to the milk hauler. She let out kicking and ended up on the divider and wedged in by the post. I was laughing so hard when I walked into the milk house I could only open the door and point when the millk hauler wanted to know what was so funny. After laughing at her he wanted to know how I planned on getting her out. I said, "Easy" and walked over to her and touched her side. Just like that she started in again and was out.

I was chased up and down the walk of the back barn by a yearling belgiun filly. I had broke her to lead but the one day when I was moving her out to clean her stall she decided she didn't like me. I couldn't hold her and ended running the length of the walk one and a half time to get enough ahead of her so I could jump over a manger and out of her reach. I cleared the manger fine, but just missed her getting me in doing so.


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## GrassFarmerGalloway (May 2, 2009)

Keep 'em comin', people!

Once, I looked out the window to see the entire herd running across the pasture for no apparent reason.  I looked a bit closer and saw they were chasing a cat.  

My dad was once charged by the entire herd in the dark.  He couldn't see a thing, he could just hear hooves all around him stopping and starting, coming steadily closer.  He's all right, thank goodness.

I'm young, so I really don't have that many amazing stories to share.  At least those that relate directly to cows.  I've done plenty of crazy, stupid and insane things, but I am CERTAIN you guys don't want to hear about those.


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## WildRoseBeef (May 3, 2009)

I remember not too long ago we had a herd of Charolais steers that were being a bunch of no-good doers and were acting as high-strung as the breed implies.  One steer, a 600 lb one, and I met face to face on the manure pile.  Now how that happened was this: he and a few of his buddies went up over top of the pile, while I went around.  He come barrelin' down the side, and met me as I was coming around.  Poor guy was so surprised, he let out a snort when we met just feet apart and tore off and away.  Leaving me LMAO and luckily unscathed.

I curse those neighbor's dogs.  They seem to think they have the luxury of coming up and doing whatever they want.  A couple of results of that was when we had a whole herd of 70+ cattle get out on us.  On two separate occasions. One was they were pushed so hard that they pushed a steel panel over with a wide enough gap that they'd head out on a trip away from the farm.  Luckily a boy from the neighboring dairy farms came out on his quad to help turn them around and get them back where they belong.

A second time some dogs pushed the steers so hard that they took down a 20 foot section of fence in the pasture.  Luckily they went into another pasture so there was no need to chase them back home; just leave them rest a bit until they are ready to come in for water.


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## Beekissed (May 3, 2009)

I was leading a calf away from mama one morning before school and he took off suddenly and WHAM! on the ground I went.  Well, as both of us were mighty stubborn, he wouldn't stop running and I wouldn't let go of that rope....even after being bounced off of every tree in the pasture!  He finally stopped....but only after I was bruised, battered and covered in mud!  

Another time, I was helping my sis find her pony's halter in the field and noticed her bull was following me very closely....with his lip curled up and breathing heavily.    I picked up a stick and managed to keep him away from me until I could get out of the field!  Then he stood at the fence and bawled and bawled, every bit like I had broken his lovesick heart!

I told her that day~ when I start lookin' good to bulls~ I need to go on a major diet!


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## Imissmygirls (May 3, 2009)

Dairy cows don't give as good war stories as beefers because we work with them much more closely and more often, but....
I do tell the time we had a cleanup bull out of my pet cow. The family was a tad high-strung but intelligent and if you handled them right, they were fine. My kid brother was(is) a cruel brat and used to torment the cows. One day Pop and I are milking and the brother walks in ( about 14 yrs old) with his T-shirt torn and shoulder bleeding. Of course, we ask  What happened to you?
Turns out he was tormenting the bull in the pasture and misjudged the distance to the fence.  I go... YEAH BULL!!

My big toenail is still messed up from #2 daughter's huge Ayrshire who shifted her weight onto my toe while I was clipping her top line for a show. She really was just standing quietly and shifted her foot just a little.
That ended show prep for the day, however, and I limped with wrapped foot all show week.

Only time I was really scared was checking the herd for a calving cow one dark, foggy night on pasture. I made the mistake of using a flashlight  and sweeping the area. Dumb idea.  Found myself surrounded by a spooked herd.  SO, I turned off the light and stood still in the middle of them for about 20 minutes talking to them, calling them by name until they calmed down and I could safely leave in the dark. Cow wasn't doing any calving anyway.


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## wynedot55 (May 4, 2009)

ill tell you this theres some wild an crazy dairy cattle.we had a holstein cow we called wild cow.because she was 1 crazy wild cow.when she got glassey eyed look out.because she would go crazy.an she would run over you in a heart beat.well ole WC calved.so me dad an bro was trying to get her in the side exit door of the dairy.an she went crazy when we hemmed her up.an she turned an jumped a barbwire fence.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 4, 2009)

We had a holstein heifer that was wild from birth. Didn't matter what I did to spoil her, she wouldn't. DH insisted on keeping her. When we would go in the barn she would try to climb the wall on the other side of the pen. We never did milk her. She was so bad she killed herself in the end.


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## jhm47 (May 4, 2009)

Well, I had kind of a bad day today.  Was out checking fence in our west pasture, and bent down to pick up a fence staple.  SNAP!  Went my left ankle.  Now, this ankle has bothered me since I was in the Army in the '60's.  It has been a bit better the past couple years, but now it's swollen and very sore.  I also have a sprained knee from a cow hitting me as I was tagging a calf.  Of course, I was standing in deep snow, and as the cow hit me, the knee bent in a direction that it isn't supposed to bend.  So, now I have a sprained ankle on the left, and a sprained knee on the right.  

Then, I limped over to a post to hook up a wire, and accidentally touched a hot wire.  I have an electric fencer that is supposed to handle up to 50 miles of wire, and there is no doubt in my mind that it is strong enough to do it.  I had my right hand on a steel "T" post, and my left hand touched the hot wire.  I felt like I was hit by a sledge hammer.  Fell down, bit my tongue, and, well, let's just say that I coulda used a depends at that precise moment.  I really think that that fencer could defibrillate some of my cardiac patients.  

So, that was my day.  Hope tomorrow will be better.


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## Farmer Kitty (May 4, 2009)

OUCH!!! Those fencers are nasty and you were really grounded well! Take care of yourself jhm!


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## wynedot55 (May 4, 2009)

its no fun to get jolted from the fencer.esp when your already hurting.


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## Imissmygirls (May 4, 2009)

jhm, I'd say you've had your all your allowed *things come in threes*


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## Thewife (May 10, 2009)

Ok, it wasn't a cow, but it does remind me to be careful when dealing with the cows and to either carry my phone or tell some one what I am up too!

I had gone to the barn to check heifers.  
I had a BIG appy gelding at the time and felt sorry for him being out in the nasty weather, so I decided to bring him into the barn, through a side door, and down the shute!
He was in a hurry to get in, and passed me in the shute. I was rolled between him and the wall. I could hear my back making cracking noises, while all the air was being squished out of me.
I crumbled to the ground. As I was laying there,  trying to breath and deciding if my back was broken, all I could think of was, "nobody even knew I was at the barn?". My then Hubby would not have even known I was missing until he got up for work. I think the boy was only about 5?

I was thinking of this last night as I was wandering the farm in the dark! 
One of my craizest black cows was running all over the place having a fit, looking for her black calf. Since she was having a fit, all the other mamas were not as calm as they ususally are. Wandering around between the black cows and black calves, was probably not a good idea!
I found the calf bedded down with the getting protective of his herd, black bull! 
I sent my black dog to get them up, so the cow would find the calf and I got the heck outta there!
They must have found each other, the mooing stopped!

I did tell the boy what I was up too before I headed out!

Oh, and I had a set of eyes looking at me from about 30 feet away! I thought it was my Bart dog, but it turned out, he was the set of eyes on the other side of the field!


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## Farmer Kitty (May 10, 2009)

So, what were the eyes?


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## Thewife (May 10, 2009)

Farmer Kitty said:
			
		

> So, what were the eyes?


I'm guessing it was a coyote?
The only dog I had with me was Bart!


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## Farmer Kitty (May 10, 2009)

thewife said:
			
		

> Farmer Kitty said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Kind of creepy if they didn't go off somewhere. I'd be careful about going out after dark.


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## Imissmygirls (May 10, 2009)

thewife,
Black cows and black calves and black bulls on a black night. That has to rate near the top of not-so-smart things to do. ( And we know that it's likely that every  one of us would have done the same.)


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## GrassFarmerGalloway (May 11, 2009)

Wow, everyone!

Gosh, jm47, you'd better take it easy on yourself.  Or you'll end up like this guy:


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## Dreaming Of Goats (Jun 29, 2011)

I've had a few things with my bull calf scare me, but not too too much!!!

One time I was trying to catch him, and I grabbed his neck, however he dragged me against the wood fence! OUCH!!! He got tied up that day with his halter on rather than halter training 

Another time, once him and his friend were in the big pen, I was taking him out to halter train (Again, he really hasn't gotten the hang of it ) and his friend sneaked out, got wedged behind a door. The  he started kicking like crazy... Eventually I got him back in.

And, since I'm a kid and I got bored, I decided to try riding my calf... .He's six months old now, and I'm still a kid so he was ok with it. I sat on him at first, and he tolerated it, the I tried getting him to move so he took a few steps then I jumped off  Then, the third time, I accidentally slid down onto his neck.... Then he tried moving, and i eventually fell off  It was actually quite fun!!!


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## jodief100 (Jun 29, 2011)

My Uncle had his leg shattered being thrown from a horse once.  It was broken in 4 places.  He was in traction for 8 months and they lost the Ranch due to financial problems afterwards.  I think loosing the ranch was harder to take then the break.


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## redtailgal (Jun 29, 2011)

.


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## animalfarm (Jun 29, 2011)

When I was kid once upon a time, a long, long time ago, we had a holstein milk cow...

This was back in the days when all hay came in 80 lb squares. My dad built the hay shed out of alternating 2 x 4's  to about 20 ft. high. Well, the cows started licking out what they could reach between the 2 x 4's.  As the reachable hay got higher then their heads you would think thats it, right? Nope. Us kids got home from school one day and when I went out to feed the cows, the holstein milk cow was about 10 ft off the ground hanging off the side of the hay shed. She had some how managed to climb by sticking her feet in between the 2 x 4's to reach the hay further up and then she got tired and stuck.

Dad was still at work and we didn't have a phone, so it fell to the neighbour a 1/2 mile down the road to get her down. It became a community project involving some beer, a tractor and come- a- longs. The cow survived.

We also had my brothers 4H lamb who was raised with the dogs for company. Grandpa bought it back for him at the sale and when it was grown, it would sit out at the road and chase cars. Then there was the other milk cow that used to eat  the neighbours (2 miles down the road) laundry off their clothes line and regurgitate it. It took a long time for them to figure that one out. They were somewhat P...sed. I remember them chewing my dad out in the middle of the night.

We had a reputation for strange animals. I swear it was the water!


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