Cow

[SRS]

I've happily ridden many times through cows but this evening whilst riding a path crossing a field, 30 or so cows decided to charge at me from behind.

Very, very scary indeed. Thundering would be the word to describe the sound.

The field was surrounded by a single wire electric fence and I was about 30 metre from it. Not being sure if I could talk the cows out of trampling me to death, I pedalled like fk.

In the sure knowledge that I could not bunny hop over the fence, I decided to go underneath. I threw on the rear anchor and layed down.

Well, I went under the fence but the bike did not. I leapt over a second fence, turned around and was confronted by a lot of cows standing around and over my bike.

Could these cows jump two fences and still get me? I waited a while and it seemed not.

20 minutes later, the cows were still there and so was my bike.

To cut a long story short, I had to phone the police and give my gps position. They then contacted the farmer who through some sort of remote magic called the cows away.

There were more cows on the way back to base. I took the road in preference to field.

I'm not sure why I have posted my story but would be interested to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience.

 

[JohnCade]

I've happily ridden many times through cows but this evening whilst riding a path crossing a field, 30 or so cows decided to charge at me from behind.

Very, very scary indeed. Thundering would be the word to describe the sound.

The field was surrounded by a single wire electric fence and I was about 30 metre from it. Not being sure if I could talk the cows out of trampling me to death, I pedalled like fk.

In the sure knowledge that I could not bunny hop over the fence, I decided to go underneath. I threw on the rear anchor and layed down.

Well, I went under the fence but the bike did not. I leapt over a second fence, turned around and was confronted by a lot of cows standing around and over my bike.

Could these cows jump two fences and still get me? I waited a while and it seemed not.

20 minutes later, the cows were still there and so was my bike.

To cut a long story short, I had to phone the police and give my gps position. They then contacted the farmer who through some sort of remote magic called the cows away.

There were more cows on the way back to base. I took the road in preference to field.

I'm not sure why I have posted my story but would be interested to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience.

That’s really very funny, particularly the bovines holding your bike hostage. Are you sure they weren’t bullocks? They are very curious and will run after you because they think you’re going to feed them. If it was cows with calves they can be dangerous, but I’ve always found when I had problems with them when walking the dog that a lot of shouting and waving of arms does the job.

Limousin are the most aggressive breed and a couple on the hillside near the house where I walk the dog gave me grief every time I went near them a couple of years ago. A good sized stone well thrown did the trick then usually. As a last resort with a dog if they do get too close and look like having you over you should let it go and they will chase it. The dog should outrun them easily enough.

So maybe as they didn’t like the bike if you had got off of it they might have left you alone and stopped with it while you made your escape. It was probably the noise of the motor that spooked them.

 

[Gringo]

Strange but true.
A work colleague is a keen fisherman and was once cornered (if you can be cornered with your back to a river) let's say he couldn't leave the riverbank as the cows wouldn't move to let him pass. He also caled the police and they came to the field. Two officers walked through the cows, making a path for my work mate whils at third officer filmed the incdent. When asked "why the camera" he said "for training porpoises". I'm sure it wasn't shown to everyone back at the station
Way Back a long time ago, I was walking my dog through a field of moo's
When they all came my way rather quickly, I was young and naive at the time so I just waved my arms around and they slowed right down, I thought it safe to continue. The cows came right up to me And my dog decided the best place to be was between my legs, with the cows touching my shoulders and the dog under my feet we made our way to the next gate & safty.
It was a few months later I realised, it was probably the dog the was after, as I watched two cows chase a Ferrite across a field, finaly stomping it to death. So yes you did the right thing.
These days the closest I come to a cow is when it's in a pie

 

[selrahc1992]

Strange but true.
A work colleague is a keen fisherman and was once cornered (if you can be cornered with your back to a river) let's say he couldn't leave the riverbank as the cows wouldn't move to let him pass. He also caled the police and they came to the field. Two officers walked through the cows, making a path for my work mate whils at third officer filmed the incdent. When asked "why the camera" he said "for training porpoises". I'm sure it wasn't shown to everyone back at the station
Way Back a long time ago, I was walking my dog through a field of moo's
When they all came my way rather quickly, I was young and naive at the time so I just waved my arms around and they slowed right down, I thought it safe to continue. The cows came right up to me And my dog decided the best place to be was between my legs, with the cows touching my shoulders and the dog under my feet we made our way to the next gate & safty.
It was a few months later I realised, it was probably the dog the was after, as I watched two cows chase a Ferrite across a field, finaly stomping it to death. So yes you did the right thing.
These days the closest I come to a cow is when it's in a pie

Yes,I'm fairly neurotic and find cows very frightening,even jerseys,read in paper few months ago about dog walker near here that was trampled to death by herd

 

[Blew it]

The cows were not charging, they were following out of curiosity... at the same pace. Had SRS been walking, they would have followed at the same pace. In either case, had SRS stopped and faced them. they would have stoppped around ten feet away and just stood there looking at him. Assuming it was a dairy herd of course.

I remember as a little lad, spending my school summer holidays on large farms owned by my Uncles and Aunts. At first I found these huge beasts a bit scary, but soon learned to be firm but gentle when handling them. The important thing to remember is, never stand closer than an arms length, be it cow or horse, just in case they accidentally stand on your foot when turning. I will never forget the day a ½ ton Suffolk Punch mare clumsily stood on my foot when leading her out to the paddock. As I lay writhing in agony on the ground, she nuzzled my face as if to say "sorry". Happy days.

 

[Nealh]

It sounds funny but can be very serious even fatal as they inadvertently can kill. There have been stories before of walkers going a cross fields and being trampled to death by them especially when there are calves in the same field (Motherly protection).. You may have had a lucky escape SRS, you can calm them by talking to them in a calling fashion with a firm voice as it tends to reassure them. Years ago when I use to fly hot air balloons an acquaintance of mine who was a herdsman would call to them if we were near any and they seemed to respond by not running, he would call out "come on, come on" and "ok girls, ok girls", like horses they spook easily but can respond to the human voice.

 

[flecc]

As Blew it says, they weren't chasing you, they can be curious or have other reasons for following. Since my brother has been a lifelong dairy farmer and I've worked with him at times, I'm used to cattle.

On one occasion I had a herd on another farm charging towards me as I neared completion of a path across a field. In fact all that was happening was that they thought I was going to let them through a gate into the next field. With them across in front of me I just walked through them with a gentle wave of my hand towards each one in the way to get them to give way, which they did of course, allowing me to climb over the stile to exit the field.

A dog is a different matter, no-one should ever walk their dog though a field of cattle unless the dog is one known to the herd, since they will often attack then. A few years ago a herd killed a woman whose dog was being attacked by them. She foolishly got in between them and her dog to protect it and paid with her life.
.

 

[Blew it]

There have been stories before of walkers going a cross fields and being trampled to death by them

Quite right, we should also remember that in all dairy herds there is a "boss" cow, the remainder being "submissives". If the boss cow decides to challenge the "right to roam" of a person with a dog, then the rest of the herd will follow. In the case of the woman who was trampled to death, it is far more likely that the dog with her was the perceived threat, to which the boss cow reacted.

If in doubt, do not enter fields where large herds are grazing, especially with a yapping dog in tow.

Crossed with flecc's post above

 

[2Lazy]

How fast are cows when they charge full pelt? Or to be specific is it faster than 15mph!

Ouzel Valley Park close to where I live has a cycle route running through it which I use and there are sometimes herds of cows in parts of the park. On a few occasions I've gone through a cattle gate only to find a cow lying on the grass no more than a few feet from me. Must admit they do make me very nervous.

I remember when I was a kid, I was about 11 years old, and had gone fishing with some friends by a local river in some fields filled with a big herd of cows. After a good days fishing I decided to go home at about 5pm but my friends were going to stay and carry on fishing into the evening. On my way home walking alone on a concrete road through this field which went on for at least a mile the cows began to take an interest in me and began circling me. Up ahead I saw a couple in a car complely encircled by another herd of cows which was really surreal. It was at this point I started to get really scared and turned around back the way I came. When I got back to my mates by the river bank I was practically in tears. We decided to all walk out of the field together and thankfully the cows didn't bother us. I think my mates were pretty scared too but suffice to say I never lived that one down!

 

[martin@onbike]

I (rather embarassingly) have a genuine fear of Cows, and have often had to alter my course to avoid them.
Trouble is, I think that some Farmers tend to let the Cattle congregate around Public Footpaths on purpose to discourage access through their land.... over time I 've seen Footpaths almost dissappear from lack of use, because the Cattle has churned the access up so badly into a quagmire that people stop using them.They always seem to put the feeder/water troughs in the middle of the paths.

 

[selrahc1992]

I (rather embarassingly) have a genuine fear of Cows, and have often had to alter my course to avoid them.
Trouble is, I think that some Farmers tend to let the Cattle congregate around Public Footpaths on purpose to discourage access through their land.... over time I 've seen Footpaths almost dissappear from lack of use, because the Cattle has churned the access up so badly into a quagmire that people stop using them.They always seem to put the feeder/water troughs in the middle of the paths.

i rather strangely have both a genuine fear of cows and genuinely like them - unlike horses (which i genuinely fear, but am not entirely sure i like) - with cows, given a fence to protecty me, i experience often quite a special bond (and not the kind of fleeting anxieties one can exerience while staring at a horse's inch long chompers). One problem, i suspect, is that being approached by a very anxious human doesnt do much for a cow's mental state.
https://bett13ramblingss.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/horse-teeth.jpg

 

[JohnCade]

I (rather embarassingly) have a genuine fear of Cows, and have often had to alter my course to avoid them.
Trouble is, I think that some Farmers tend to let the Cattle congregate around Public Footpaths on purpose to discourage access through their land.... over time I 've seen Footpaths almost dissappear from lack of use, because the Cattle has churned the access up so badly into a quagmire that people stop using them.They always seem to put the feeder/water troughs in the middle of the paths.

They certainly do that. They want to churn it up so it becomes unwalkable without wellies. Where I live now that’s a favourite trick on the nearby coastal path, and tourists often want to walk up from the beaches without getting properly kitted out so it puts them off. The farmers want tax payer subsidy but they don’t want the taxpayer walking on their land.

I’m retired to a deep rural area where farmers have always controlled the local councils but they can’t seem to understand that the main industry here now is increasingly tourism, and that brings in much more income to the area than farming.

When foot and mouth hit fifteen years ago the then power Defra shut all the footpaths overnight, to as they thought save money by preventing the spread of the disease. But the result was the closing of hotels and B&Bs and a huge drop in holidaymakers and income to the area, coupled with the loss of seasonal work which many relied on. The cost to the tourism industry far outstripped the cost of compensation to farmers for slaughtered cattle.

BTW in case anyone thinks I’m just a townie who knows no better. I moved here from London where I lived for many years. But I was brought up for most of my childhood in the countryside, and I know that most country people don’t like big farmers either. As my father used to like say they are always complaining about having no money but they still manage to buy themselves new Volvos every year and a smaller car for that wife.

That was well over fifty years ago. Plus ca change.

 

[Blew it]

How fast are cows when they charge full pelt?

Depends how full their bags are. If it's early in the morning or late afternoon they will be full, an orderly stroll to the parlour being the preference. Having been relieved of their burden they will usually do a bit of skipping and jumping around.

This is another reason why dogs should not be taken into a field where herds are grazing. If for any reason the herd should stampede, they can sometimes accidentally kick and damage there heavily laden bags, the herdsman will not be pleased if he has several cases of mastitis on his hands.

 

[JohnCade]

Depends how full their bags are. If it's early in the morning or late afternoon they will be full, an orderly stroll to the parlour being the preference. Having been relieved of their burden they will usually do a bit of skipping and jumping around.

This is another reason why dogs should not be taken into a field where herds are grazing. If for any reason the herd should stampede, they can sometimes accidentally kick and damage there heavily laden bags, the herdsman will not be pleased if he has several cases of mastitis on his hands.

Most dairy farmers don’t keep herds in fields with a public right of way. The cattle herds that I walk through regularly with a dog are reared for beef. As long as the dog is on a lead and you don’t get between a mother and her calf, and don’t spook them it’s perfectly safe. Everyone has dogs around here and everyone walks the footpaths. The only time I’ve ever had any hassle with cattle is a few years ago when there were some Limousin with calves among them. They are well known for being aggressive and need to be watched.

 

[Nealh]

Although large and heavy they are generally harmless their attraction to people is mainly due to their inquisitive nature and the interaction with farm hands, as stated previously they will follow you just need to dictate the pace at which they follow. Caution is needed and is key.

 

[flecc]

How fast can cows be? Here's an illustration. A few years ago walking a border collie owned by a friend who i sometimes stood in for in his absence, I passed a field with a herd known to me. They weren't normally there but had been turned out into it to graze following the silage cut. The dog, Penny, ran into the field under the fence bars and, following her natural instincts, proceeded to round up the cattle which were in the centre of that very large field.

They obviously saw that as an approaching attack and started to run at her, at which she turned tail and fled back towards me. She barely managed to stay just ahead of the cattle as she shot out, terrified.

So there's an answer, as fast as a very frightened and fit border collie, and you'll all know how fast that can be from "One Man and His Dog" programs. So outrunning them may not be a good option, best always to turn and face them, using gentle arm movements to wave them away, and as Neal said earlier, gentle speech. If it's your dog they are after, just don't try to stop them.
.

 

[SRS]

As Blew it says, they weren't chasing you, they can be curious or have other reasons for following.
.

Thanks for the confirmation but at the time it sure felt as if they were charging at me and I wanted out as quickly as possible.

I've been through cows many times and usually they seem pretty lazy. These ones didn't and not being a farmer I didn't know how to handle things.

When I was the other side of the fence, one was on the back of another. Is this normal cow behavior or were they trying to make more cows?

Anyway, no harm done. I'm still not going to become a vegetarian.

Thanks for all your responses and assurance but I think it will take me a while to be happy crossing a cow field again.

 

[Cyclezee]

Having been brought up on a farm I know only too well about the dangers of cattle and other animals.

A few pointers, cattle, although they might look cute and cuddly creatures, they are not domestic pets, they should be treated with respect and avoided unless it is your business to work with them.

They are as individual as people and have differing temperaments.

Never go into an open field of cattle with a dog even when it is on a lead!

As has already been said, if cattle run towards you, do not panic, stand your ground and face them, 99 times out of a 100 they will stop before they hit you.

Always stick to public rights of way!

One personal episode comes to mind of when I was a kid feeding dairy cows that were tethered in a byre for milking, whilst carrying turnips I slipped and fell right behind a particularly nasty Friesian and got a kick on the side of the head which threw me against a concrete wall. I guess that I am lucky to still be here to tell the tale.

I only ended up in hospital once whilst on the farm and that was due to riding a horse bareback that was startled by a sheepdog.

 

[rippedupno1]

@flecc , so would these cows that nearly caught the collie be classed as S-class cows and not the regular 250w variety lol

 

[flecc]

@flecc , so would these cows that nearly caught the collie be classed as S-class cows and not the regular 250w variety lol

. In fact they were Holsteins, not normally fast movers but this was after morning milking when they were intent on grazing and apparently weren't going to put up with any interruptions.

They can all shift fast when they want to, even the heaviest beef breeds.
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