Farmer Focus Livestock: Protective cow puts Robert Neill in hospital

Robert and a cow had a bit of a tussle which resulted in a visit to the emergency department. He was routinely feeding the cows with young calves outside when one decided to attack.

Coming from behind she knocked him over just as he was heading back to the Land Rover. He managed to escape once the other cows came running to see what was going on. By the time he reached the farmhouse his face was covered in blood, but, thankfully, hospital staff quickly cleaned him up and stitched his head back together.

Despite protests, Robert was not allowed back on to his tractor for the rest of the day. The final field of barley was sown with some help from brother David.

We do endeavour to remove temperamental cows from the herd, but inevitably there will always be some that take their natural maternal instincts too far. However, it’s unlikely this cow will have another calf at Upper Nisbet.

Many non-farming people are unaware of the dangers associated with a maternal cow which will do anything to protect her calf. It’s worrying when people are allowed to freely wander over farmland without being aware of the risks.

Recently we had a visit from some students of Kildalton Agricultural College in southern Ireland. Having managed to get the grain sown there was time for a tidy up.