I find this bull so interesting.
He is a temporary visitor to Sassafras Farm. I don’t think he has a name on his own farm. He’s a mixed breed bull, one of a number of bulls on his home farm. I just call him Mister.
You know, when I speak to him.
I’m friendly, but not overly so, if you know what I mean. I really don’t like to go into the field with him and avoid it whenever possible, but I’ve moved them from the back barn yard to the field. They were eating me out of house and hay over there and there was no sense in that with pastures full of grass. Every once in a while, if they disappear for too long, I will go in to check on them.
Usually, they are just hiding out deep in the back of the field, down in the creek. Here, I am a long way from the house if he decides to start chasing me.
Not that he has ever made the slightest move to chase me! He seems like a reasonably nice bull. As bulls go. Not overly concerned about me, or all that interested. Which is a good thing. We’re acquainted, and that’s enough.
I can still milk Glory Bee, bringing her out from the field, but it’s not as simple and means a new routine for the Mister, who was accustomed to Glory Bee’s daily trips through the back barn door only to reappear some time later. He never complained about her barn visits, and is doing fine from the field also, though I don’t like it quite as much.
I have to remind Glory Bee that she’s in charge of everyone. She controls the bull, she controls Dumplin. And sometimes tries to control me. She is the central figure. And completely unaware of her power. Except over me.
Everybody wants her.
Glory Bee muzzle, with bull muzzle below to the left.
I like to photograph the bull. I think he’s fascinating. I wonder what he’s thinking. What are his dreams? Has he fallen in love with Glory Bee? Does he miss the girls back home? Does he want to kill me? Things like that. I wonder.
I’m not sure when I’m sending him away. I have NO IDEA what’s happening. If anything has happened. Yet. I haven’t witnessed any action. He’s been here for a month! Surely by now…. But, just to be sure, I’ll keep him at least another month. Or so.
Or till I see some indisputable hanky panky right in front of my eyes.
He’s actually kinda…..purty….. (Look at those lashes!) BUT DON’T TELL HIM THAT.
We don’t know what he’d do.
bonita says:
That first shot of Mister is a stunner…and yes, one cannot help but notice those lashes. But the last two pix, well, they make me want to keep my distance, too. Something kinda unsettling there.
On June 20, 2013 at 1:34 am
Old Geezer says:
Surely there exists, somewhere, a, um, device (if you will) that can be applied, um, down there, to let you know if, um, the deed has been done. Farmers are too inventive not to have come up with something by now! :moo:
On June 20, 2013 at 6:51 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Yes, there is a thing they put on cows, like paint on or something, and you can tell if the bull has mounted the cow, but I don’t have that stuff, seeing as how I only have one cow!
On June 20, 2013 at 7:00 am
Audrey324 says:
I love the pictures. I’m partial to the one of Glory Bee when she is looking through the barbed wire at you…oblivious of her power. It really makes me long for a little farm of my own. I’m working towards it! :moo:
On June 20, 2013 at 8:01 am
SwissMiss says:
He is a handsome bull. I like his grey coloring. I wonder what breeds were mixed to get that color? I also have wondered about about what Glory Bee’s and his calf will look like too.
Usually they show their temperament right away especially if they are aggressive, so he seems to be a calm bull.
There are two items that I remember you can use to tell if a cow had been mounted. One is a harness with a paint roller ball on it that the bull wears to mark the cows back/rump. The other was plastic capsules (for lack of a better term) with oil in them that you glued to the cow’s tailhead and the bull would break it when he mounted her. Also since they hang out in the creek often, watch for muddy leg swipes on Glory Bee’s sides. Sending positive calf thoughts your way.
On June 20, 2013 at 8:40 am
ibpallets (Sharon B.) says:
Great pictures!
On June 20, 2013 at 8:58 am
BuckeyeGirl says:
I find with territorial males of most types, long stares are not good. My roosters are fairly mellow but if for some reason they think I’m staring at them too much, they’ll start after me. (at which time I stomp at them and warn them not to go there, then I slap em around)
I’ve found the same with all other livestock except horses. I used to work at a training farm with many intact show horses and they pay much more attention to tone of voice than other beasties, so eye contact isn’t such a big deal. For some reason people are convinced that they are going to own the next great Arabian Stallion which will be incredibly valuable, no matter what a pain in the neck they are to work with! …though to be fair, most are fairly mellow when worked with consistantly. Take not of the word, ‘most’.
Extended eye contact with other animals though seems to equate to a challenge.
On June 20, 2013 at 9:34 am
whaledancer says:
Maybe you could call him Ferdinand, as a temporary name while he stays with you. Might make it easier when you have to enter his field.
Like you, I’m not afraid of bulls (except Brahmas), but I treat them with a healthy respect.
On June 20, 2013 at 10:11 am
NancyL says:
I, too, noticed those gorgeous lashes first! And to whaledancer – I was chased by a Brahma bull when I was in college in Florida. 4 or 5 friends and I had gathered a picnic, rowed a ways on a lake near campus and settled in to eat on a piece of what we thought was peaceful farmland. We noticed cows in the distance, but accepted them as part of the scenery. Then one moved. Closer, faster – we ran (but not before I stumbled into an ant hill) and barely made it back to the rowboat!
Nancy in Iowa
On June 20, 2013 at 11:11 am
holstein woman says:
You’re so funny
On June 20, 2013 at 11:51 am
bbkrehmeyer says:
he looks gentle.but most bulls can be aggressive around a fertile cow.Dairy bulls for some reason are more aggressive. Our Angus were more aggressive than the Herefords. We raised Brahmans but seemed like that they were more gentle. Had a Holstein bull who was extremely dangerous. He ended up in the freezer. Tried to kill my uncle and almost succeeded. Nasty creature.
On June 20, 2013 at 12:03 pm
mds9 says:
My aunt A used a broom. She would go charging after the bull yelling, waving and swinging her broom. Frankly it was a terrifying sight.
On June 20, 2013 at 3:38 pm
GrammieEarth says:
Why do I feel that first pic is an overlay of Glory Bee and Mister? Maybe Mister is ridiculously huge with one brown shoulder and one grey shoulder… this inquiring mind wants to know!
Mister is gorgeous, as is Glory Bee. Whatever they are doing hiding in the ‘puckerbrush’ remains to be seen!!!
Would love to see a picture of Dumplin’ and the horses too!
I saw a sign today that made me think of you. “I’m So Busy, I’m Not Sure If I Found A Rope Or If I Lost My Horse” Made me giggle since I am living that right now without the rope or the horse…hope it does the same for you 🙂
On June 20, 2013 at 5:39 pm
UlrikeDG says:
You could probably just use chalk dust on her backside to mark if he’s mounted her.
On June 21, 2013 at 12:25 am
joykenn says:
Wow! So much going on. Re the staring bull…he’s not really looking you in the eye but looking at this strange human with a thing in front of her face. Bet he’s never been photographed before so he’s not sure what to make of the camera. :bugeyed:
On June 22, 2013 at 1:10 pm
meigseer says:
I’m glad he didn’t have that look when he was moved to the pasture field. Being the temporary fence and all.
Have a great time at the workshop on Friday. Wife loved her present of soap but she didn’t care for the cheese. Maybe the stress of the reunion was getting to her.
On June 22, 2013 at 7:36 pm
meigseer says:
Oops! Should be Had not have! Fingers not working along with brain.
On June 22, 2013 at 7:41 pm
walkingwolf1 says:
‘whaledanceer’- I think Ferdinand would be a great name for him while he’s at the farm. His coloration would lead me to think he is a Charolais/Hereford cross. That mousy gray in a cross-bred usually goes back to the Char. Anyways, it should make you a nice calf with adequate meat for a good butcher-calf and a momma that should put the weight on it for sure. I’d think your cow is already bred. A young, healthy cow like yours would have most likely bred on her first cycle once the bull got there. Keeping him another month just to make sure is a good idea. Looking forward to the next chapter of the tales of GloryBee. :snoopy:
On June 26, 2013 at 5:43 pm