Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 19:54:42 GMT -5
Over the last nine years, we've purchased a total of three purebred Angus bulls from the same breeder. To the best of my knowledge, all three were halter-broken before they were sold (I say, "to the best of my knowledge", because I know they used to do this with all of their bulls, but I don't know if they still do now). These bulls were raised on their dams. As for temperament, the first was just about perfect - he never challenged anyone, and was a literal pet (he learned to stand perfectly still at the sound of the word, "scratch"). The second was also pretty easy going and gentle, though he was a little more stand-offish and would have his moments of some slightly questionable behavior. The third, our current one, is a different story; he was calm when he came, though that didn't last for long. In most cases, when we would bring in a new bull, the previous bull was no longer around, or else was sold soon afterward. This time however, we had two bulls on the farm for over a week. During that period, on at least one or two occasions, I observed some challenging behavior going on between the two (of course, they could not get to each other). It seemed that after this, the new bull began using his deep bellowing for a lot more than just challenging rival males, like every time someone approaches with feed. This was accompanied by a broadside threat. My dad claims that he came to the farm already exhibiting this behavior, but I'm not convinced. There is one thing that has been done differently with this particular bull that should be mentioned: Normally, we would share our bull with a neighbor, who would house him with his herd during the summer months, so he (the bull) was never penned alone for any prolonged period of time; when we bought this current bull however, the neighbor's pasture could no longer sufficiently support our bull in addition to his own cows, so he has to be penned alone here during the off season. We have no choice. His poor behavior usually shows only during feeding time while he's alone, yet it has increased to occasional unpredictable behavior even when with the rest of the herd. It seems to occur most frequently when he's approached directly by any human, with or without food. For a time we thought it was just excessive playfulness or weirdness, but as time has gone on and I've become better educated, I'm led to believe otherwise. He was the youngest bull we had ever purchased (a little over 12 months)...... Not sure if that has anything to do with all this. He is currently 3-1/2 years old.
So, to summarize, this bull (when penned alone) exhibits a broadside threat, accompanied by a roaring bellow and pawing at the ground, every time someone (either my dad or me) approaches with a bucket of feed. He always keeps out of arm's reach if I try to knock him with the pitchfork, but he continues his ugly behavior while maintaining his distance. He's never charged anyone, thankfully......
He is a very athletic bull, maintaining his condition well, and his offspring are very nice all around, but this unpredictable behavior is really irritating me, to say the least.
So the question is, is this something that can be corrected? Does anyone know how/why he would have developed this bad behavior?
Thanks.
It's a shame when we paid top dollar for him and he's everything one could want in a bull, except disposition. I'm one who is becoming increasingly strict about culling cows (even when it hurts), and thankfully my dad caught on to this philosophy quickly as well, but I'm not sure he's convinced as far as this current situation goes. We haven't kept any females out this bull yet..... Do you really think this bad disposition could be passed down to them? 
