It all happened in slow motion. I was walking across the paddock to offer our vet, Sarah, a light steel pigtail post for protection when the cow we were so desperately trying to save squared up to me, lowered her head and charged.
I managed to strafe her face once with the spring steel rod but it did nothing to deter her. Collecting me under the chin with her neck, she effortlessly threw her pathetic matador into the air. Luckily, I was not trampled; as my head hit the ground I saw her white belly soar through the sky as she cantered off towards the distant corner of the paddock.
I stood up, sobbing, laughing and shaking. My jaw sat unnervingly askew and my head was already sore but I was still alive and walking.
After three x-rays and a CAT scan, I’m home again, neck in a brace and feeling chastened for the anxiety I caused my ashen-faced children, who witnessed the whole thing. So, what went wrong?
The cow was a terrified first-time calver (“heifer”) in big trouble. She’d been down for a couple of hours with a rotten calf inside and sprang up miraculously the moment Sarah arrived.
1. My instincts were right that she was cranky but I didn’t know her and should have been triply careful.
2. I got off the Bobcat and walked to the vet. Why oh why didn’t I drive to the vet?
3. The vet was on the ground instead of in the Bobcat. I’d already called for extra help on wheels and if we’d waited another five minutes, this would never have happened. A vet’s time is valuable but not more valuable than life itself.
In other words, I was in a rush and took unnecessary risks in the name of getting the job done even though I pride myself on being very safety-conscious. The latest WorkSafe statistics prove dairy farming is agriculture’s most dangerous job: please learn from my mistakes and take care out there.
The Milk Maid Marian 
Marian has a keen safety sense and good experience but her near-miss is indicative that even the most experienced and safety-aware people can still be injured.
Readers may be interested in the Landline story yesterday about a buffalo herder who came back from a severe goring (http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2014/s4059506.htm)
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That is a near miss! Glad you came out of that. I’ve had a couple of near ones with horses when I was much younger.
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Ooh. Horses are so strong and there’s nothing forgiving about a shod hoof. Great to hear you made it through two incidents okay.
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I came close earlier this year when trying to get some escaped cattle back into a paddock. I accidentally got between a mother and her calf – never a good place to be! She had me fixed with a steely glare and was sizing me up, so I backed right off and jumped an electric fence to get out of her way. The bite from the fence seemed like the lesser danger at the time.
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Good thinking. Yes, there’s no contest between a fence and an angry mother cow!
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Glad to hear you’re ok Marian! Strewth!
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I am so sorry to read this, although I am glad you weren’t hurt worse. Don’t be blaming yourself, just one of those things. Hope you heal quickly and well.
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Thanks Threecollie but I do hope my children especially will learn from my mistakes.
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Hope you recover quickly Marian. Take care.
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Thanks Ian, I am feeling a lot better already.
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glad your ok relatively. Bet the cow didn’t charge as much as the vet
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Reason #12 722 why to milk Jerseys…
That said, one of the heifers kicked a vet the other day and necessitated stitches. All cows can be dangerous. Glad you’re okay!
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Ha ha – we don’t keep cranky cows, either. I think this one had mucked up brain chemistry due to her condition. Thanks Firn (oh and I’m not going to mention Jersey bulls!).
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Yep – smart, gentle, and sweet as Jersey cows are, the bulls are probably the worst bovines to handle. I have a yearling bull I’m raising to replace our old one right now and even though the little dude is only around 200kg now, he already needs some not-so-subtle reminders about manners.
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Yes, be careful – those Jersey bulls seem a little more tricky than our Friesians somehow
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“Kleinmannetjiesindroom” is what we call it in our country: “short guy syndrome”, the little dudes are always the most aggressive. Frieslands don’t *have* to be aggressive. They’re big enough to intimidate just standing there! Jerseys are just compensating 😉
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My dad used to say he would sooner a horse step on his foot then a cow, he said when a cow steps on something they usually turn and look to see what it is, there fore turning her foot on yours, a horse will move off quickly. This was years ago when we had a dairy. I never got stepped on by either so I can’t this true or an old farmers tale.
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Gee, I don’t know, Ellie. Not keen to experiment, either!
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