Super Shocker, the Bull

I have spent most of my adult life with cows.  Other than a few years in college, we have just about always had a field of cows somewhere.  We had our first farm in the BK (before kids) years when we were both still trying to get the hang of being adults. Back then, when Hubby had his week-end drills or two week summer camp for his Guard duty, my main job during his absence was to count the cows and be sure they were all there.  Simple enough.  Except that I never came up with the same number of cows twice, so I would keep going back and counting again, and again, and again.  Finally, during one of our infrequent phone calls, (no constant communication via cell phones then) he exclaimed over my inability to get a consistent count on the cows, "Just count the legs and divide by four!!"


Time has passed and I have learned a lot more about cattle over the years.  However, I find that they can still amaze and amuse me.


The front field, right now, is home to a group of teen-aged bulls.  It's a lot like having teen-aged boys around.  They are constantly causing mischief and tearing up things.  They also tend to entertain themselves with testing their muscles and throwing their weight around by pushing and shoving each other.  (Which usually leads to tearing up things and causing mischief.)  Consequently, I spend a lot of time watching them butt heads together and push each other around the lot, until one gives in. 


Since he wasn't needed right now, the old herd bull had been included in the lot with the teen-agers.  Eventually, all the youngsters would try their strength against the old bull.  He would tolerate their pushing and butting with relatively good grace until he got tired of it.  Then he would tighten his powerful shoulders and gradually drive them back until the youngster would give in and trot off. 


One of the youngsters was unusually persistent, refusing to give in and break off the mock battle.  The old bull just kept pushing, with the young bull losing ground step by step, but never giving in.  Gradually, they crossed the field, one pushing and one retreating little by little, until they reached a corner.  Now, Hubby had cordoned off this corner, to keep the bulls from some equipment temporarily stored there, by stretching a piece of electric fence wire across the area.  The bulls approached the corner inch by inch, heads locked together, until the younger bull was pushed, butt first,  into the electric fence.  Expecting a show, when I saw the young bull react to the electricity, I was surprised instead to see the old bull throw his head up and bellow in shock.  He shook his head in disbelief then turned and trotted off across the grass.  It seemed the electricity had harmlessly passed through the young bull and then thoroughly shocked the old bull.


I thought this just an amusing example of livestock lore until several nights later when I was watching the bulls come up to the feed trough for supper.  They all rushed in pushing, shoving and grabbing feed, like they weren't fed every day and were dying of starvation.  Normally, the old bull wades into his position at the trough and ignores the rowdiness of the youngsters, who seem to know to leave him out of the action.  Then I noticed that as one of the youngsters came up next to him, he pulled out of his spot and moved away from the trough.  He then resumed eating at another spot.   Over the next several days, I noticed this same behavior repeated at each feeding.  It took me a while to realize that he was moving away from the same young bull each time.


With a giggle and a laugh I figured it out.  He was making sure that the young bull he had pushed into the fence didn't get near him.  He didn't know what had happened but he knew he didn't want anything to do with that super charged kid again! 


Score one for Super Shocker!!