Jersey Steer-Too Friendly?

[Spamela]

Hi everyone I am new to posting on here, but I read a lot.

A little back ground... I grew up on a dairy farm and have been raising steers at my place for the last couple years.

I have five bottle calves right now, four holstein and one jersey, about two months old.

The problem I have is that the jersey is super friendly and playful with me. Whenever I go into the pen he tries to play and headbutt with me. I did not try to tame him up, it just seems that jerseys are just that way... the holsteins do not do that at all.

I know that when he gets older this could turn into a serious problem. I have another two year old jersey right now that was tame, and now he is getting pushy and I never turn my back on him(he is going soon). I prefer to have my steers calm and respectful, but still a little afraid of you. Jerseys just seem to get too friendly when they are bottle fed.

So how do I discourage this behavior? I know that I'm not suppose to touch the top of his head, only scratch his chin.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

[homstdr74]

Originally Posted by Spamela

Hi everyone I am new to posting on here, but I read a lot.

A little back ground... I grew up on a dairy farm and have been raising steers at my place for the last couple years.

I have five bottle calves right now, four holstein and one jersey, about two months old.

The problem I have is that the jersey is super friendly and playful with me. Whenever I go into the pen he tries to play and headbutt with me. I did not try to tame him up, it just seems that jerseys are just that way... the holsteins do not do that at all.

I know that when he gets older this could turn into a serious problem. I have another two year old jersey right now that was tame, and now he is getting pushy and I never turn my back on him(he is going soon). I prefer to have my steers calm and respectful, but still a little afraid of you. Jerseys just seem to get too friendly when they are bottle fed.

So how do I discourage this behavior? I know that I'm not suppose to touch the top of his head, only scratch his chin.

Does anyone have any other ideas?

I had one like that. I could avoid him, but he was in the pasture with the goats, and when he began flinging them around for fun, he became a bullethead. Best roast we ever ate.

[haypoint]

I assume that if you grew up on a dairy farm that you have burned off the horn buds long ago?

[G. Seddon]

If he's trying to headbutt you at 2 months old, you're soon going to have a real and potentially dangerous problem. I wouldn't attempt to scratch him ANYWHERE. And I think I'd transition him to a bucket feeder instead of a bottle held by a person.

Get a short sturdy fiberglass sorting stick and keep it handy when you go in with them. Be prepared to smack on the nose as soon as he moves into your space. I've also had luck with tapping on the knees just to let them know what is and isn't appropriate. I prefer to have the bull (or steer) move away from me when I enter their space, but most bulls aren't inclined to do that.

[tab]

Same issue here. The fibeglass stick helps a lot. It doesn't seem to have any lasting effect, however. He certainly does not seem to "train". The angus steer is much more respectful. The plan was to send the angus first but the jersey may go due to his behavior. I just said to dh that maybe I need to work on teaching the angus to lead better before he gets any bigger. He may have gotten a stay of execution.
I keep hearing tales of Jersey steers or bulls being either very teachable or just so dang untrustworthy they were shipped or shot early, seems to be either or, not in the middle. Not sure if it is the breed or what.

[Spamela]

Personally I think it's the breed (but don't get me wrong I love jerseys). And when they are alone or in a small group. My dad doesn't have this problem much (except when us kids were younger and we would glob on to one particular calf) but he has them in bigger groups after a couple weeks.

And actually he isn't dehorned yet. Right when we were going to do it they got sick with coccidia and are just now getting over it, so that should help when we do that. And I will bring the stick with me when I go in from now on.

Thanks everyone! I really wanna get his attitude adjusted now, he's the one we were going to finish out to eat, and my son will just be turning four when he's ready to go. It makes me sick to think what could happen with a steer like that in the pasture...

[arnie]

never turn your bak on that jersey . keeping a cane with you to smak him with will help. seems male jerseys have a mean streak that you don't want to enourage . I raised a jersy cross steer I named him bruser and I had to start getting rough on him at a young age when he began wanting to play the jumping and headbutting stoped to the point that I stoped worrying about butting and playing but I always watched out as getting a toe steped on or licked by a sandpaper toung isn't fun either but he never forgot his young learned lessons .always feed him in a manger or trough -never by hand or by holding a bucket .bruser would sleep in my frount yard instead of staying in pasture with the other cattle befriended by hound pup who often slept on top of him as the weather cooled

[opportunity]

Jersey's no not seem to have much personal space they seem way more likely to be close to people or other animals. My Angus type animals have a bigger space and the highlands have a large personal space as a general rule. Holsteins have been more like the Angus we have the bottle calves do not play with us

[cedarcreekranch]

Big stick, applied generously as needed. He needs to learn YOU are the 'boss cow', so to speak, and surely you've seen how hard a lead cow is on her subordinates if they dare get above themselves!