Should I be worried for my safety?

[Mylied]

My jersey heifer does weird hops and jumps, almost like she's kicking her heels up when she's happy or excited. She has goats and a donkey for companionship so only yells when she wants grain. I lay my head right on her and give her scratches and hugs. Hopefully your girl will calm down once she has an animal friend. Worst my cow has done to me is step on my foot.

 

[Kristen D]

My jersey heifer does weird hops and jumps, almost like she's kicking her heels up when she's happy or excited. She has goats and a donkey for companionship so only yells when she wants grain. I lay my head right on her and give her scratches and hugs. Hopefully your girl will calm down once she has an animal friend. Worst my cow has done to me is step on my foot.

She's so sweet, and gentle which is why I'm so confused as to what exactly she was doing. The best way to explain it was that she got up on her hind legs. She never kicked out her back legs like she playfully bucking.....just jumped up on those back legs. I was so close to her and she never jumped on me....she could have but didn't. Hopefully it's nothing. I want to make sure I'm a responsible owner. I want to do things the right way.

 

[Mylied]

She's so sweet, and gentle which is why I'm so confused as to what exactly she was doing. The best way to explain it was that she got up on her hind legs. She never kicked out her back legs like she playfully bucking.....just jumped up on those back legs. I was so close to her and she never jumped on me....she could have but didn't. Hopefully it's nothing. I want to make sure I'm a responsible owner. I want to do things the right way.

I haven't seen mine do that so I'm not sure. I don't really know what I'm doing as she is my first and only cow, but she's healthy and happy. I've had mine about a year. It does sound like heat to me too. She hasn't had vaginal discharge at all? Or her vulva look more swollen than normal, waving around her tail?

 

[Mylied]

I did learn this with goats - if you answer or reward them every time they call, it's only going to increase their calling. I'd only go out and give her loving when she's being quiet. Then you reinforce the quiet behavior.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Look. I can be wrong about her being open. Obviously, I haven't seen the cow. However, mark down the day she was bellowing. If she shuts up and then starts again in 18 days or so, chances are she is in heat. If she bawls every day, then she is bawling for a different reason. None of my cows ever hopped on their hind legs because they were glad to see me, but that doesn't mean yours doesn't. Each one is an individual.

I read your opening post to my hubby before mentioning anything about what I'd said and the first thing out of his mouth was "oh, she's open."

If she's calmed down, that's a pretty good indication that she's open, and to expect this behavior in the next heat. You could have her preg checked. I'd discuss it with the farmer. Did he guarantee that she was bred? Technically she was "exposed" unless he had her preg checked. Or knows for certain she wasn't bulling. If you've had her in a pen, you would know if she aborted the fetus. That can happen, especially when exposed to stressful conditions.

Here's some good information regarding heat detection. Both my hubby and I grew up with cattle. We only have about 90 head right now so when we see behavior we don't really think about it. I find explaining things are harder when they're second nature. Cassie already nailed what I'd like to say so I'll just say I agree with her post.

From the link I posted, your heifer was more so displaying secondary signs of heat.

https://extension.psu.edu/heat-detection-and-timing-of-insemination-for-cattle#section-3

Still watch how you handle her and make her give way to you. You should always be the alpha "animal" in every situation when dealing with livestock and pets. Animals can be silly too, but they should always give you space unless you are wanting otherwise. My husband rubs our cows and some of our bulls (the cattle are his thing, sheep are mine) but they still need to respect him.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Thank you Wickedchicken6

 

[res]

I will add that my normally docile "pet" Hereford heifer would go bat-crap crazy when she was in heat. She lived with my horses (she was bottle fed and lived IN THE HOUSE for 6 weeks because she was a premie and had been attacked by a coyote and she was TERRIFIED of the cattle because we waited too long to move her from the horse area to the cattle pasture. Anyway.) and she would "fall in love" with my wheelbarrow that I used to clean stalls - every. single. month. - and I literally could not push the wheelbarrow from the barn to the manure pile in the pasture because all she wanted to do was mount it.

Cows in heat can sometimes be worse than women with PMS.

I agree with others that she likely didn't get bred, didn't take or aborted...

Also, I hope she has more room to roam than just a stall. Cattle are playful animals that need enough space to be silly every now and then. She doesn't need acres and acres, our show cattle live in a 70' round pen and that is enough room for them to be silly when the mood strikes.

My children - even my 65lb 9-yr old son - handle our well-over-1000lb show steers multiple times a day, brushing and loving on them. BUT!!! the steers are either in a grooming chute or hard tied with a halter and neck rope on when we are really messing with them. Of course, we scratch and love on them when we feed them and water them, but we don't linger so long as to give them a chance to be rowdy. Cattle are smart, just like horses, and you are always "training" them whenever you are around them, whether you know it or not. Like others said, you ALWAYS have to be the dominant one, because if you let them "win" then they will "treat" you like they treat other cattle in a herd, and it IS NOT always gentle. Cattle herds are ROUGH with one another - doesn't hurt them at all - but it can easily injure or even kill a human.

 

[Kristen D]

Is she confined to a stall 24/7?

How long have you had her?

The bellowing and rising to mount sure sounds to me like she is in heat. I would be suspicious that she didn't take when bred...

We did keep her in a stall for several days. I have plenty of acreage for her to run around on, but we want her to know where home is. I guess I'm going to have to confirm the pregnancy. She was AI'd by her precious owner, and apparently confirmed pregnant at that point, and later. I suppose something could have happened but I don't know. I'll be upset if she isn't pregnant. As it is the breeder was suppose to being TWO jerseys that were bred, and there's already been some issues with that. I have one here, and the other coming This weekend.

 

[Kristen D]

I will add that my normally docile "pet" Hereford heifer would go bat-crap crazy when she was in heat. She lived with my horses (she was bottle fed and lived IN THE HOUSE for 6 weeks because she was a premie and had been attacked by a coyote and she was TERRIFIED of the cattle because we waited too long to move her from the horse area to the cattle pasture. Anyway.) and she would "fall in love" with my wheelbarrow that I used to clean stalls - every. single. month. - and I literally could not push the wheelbarrow from the barn to the manure pile in the pasture because all she wanted to do was mount it.

Cows in heat can sometimes be worse than women with PMS.

I agree with others that she likely didn't get bred, didn't take or aborted...

Also, I hope she has more room to roam than just a stall. Cattle are playful animals that need enough space to be silly every now and then. She doesn't need acres and acres, our show cattle live in a 70' round pen and that is enough room for them to be silly when the mood strikes.

My children - even my 65lb 9-yr old son - handle our well-over-1000lb show steers multiple times a day, brushing and loving on them. BUT!!! the steers are either in a grooming chute or hard tied with a halter and neck rope on when we are really messing with them. Of course, we scratch and love on them when we feed them and water them, but we don't linger so long as to give them a chance to be rowdy. Cattle are smart, just like horses, and you are always "training" them whenever you are around them, whether you know it or not. Like others said, you ALWAYS have to be the dominant one, because if you let them "win" then they will "treat" you like they treat other cattle in a herd, and it IS NOT always gentle. Cattle herds are ROUGH with one another - doesn't hurt them at all - but it can easily injure or even kill a human.[/

We kept her in a stall for the first several days as per the breeders advice. The stall is 12x36 (it's a three stall one). She has 10 acres for just her, another jersey, and a horse. I was advised to keep her in the stall for a few days, so yes she was on the stall at the time. In all honestly I am worried that she isn't bred now She hasn't been acting like that today, but I also haven't been giving "excessive attention" these last few days. I'm going to have a very come out and pregnancy test her. Would it be obvious in her belly if she was due June 10th?

 

[Kristen D]

I haven't seen mine do that so I'm not sure. I don't really know what I'm doing as she is my first and only cow, but she's healthy and happy. I've had mine about a year. It does sound like heat to me too. She hasn't had vaginal discharge at all? Or her vulva look more swollen than normal, waving around her tail?

No, I haven't noticed anything else. I haven't really looked either, because I purchased s bred jersey due in two months.