Bull in field/public Right of Way: is it allowed?

[tyred]

In most cases it probably would be just harmless curiousity but be wary of any cow with a new born calf.

 

[Svendo]

So if the bull is under ten months, or over ten months, not of the specified breed and with heifers then the sign is fair warning. If any other type of bull is int he field the Bull is illegal, but the sign is probably even more warning, albeit unfair and possibly illegal. If there's no bull then it's an illegal sign.
That's how I read it.

Also if you have a dog, and have trouble with livestock chasing you, don't forget to let the dog run off, even if this is strictly not keeping the dog under close control as required by the dogs (protection of wildlife) act 1953.

 

[MontyVeda]

as Greg has it...but you are as much at risk from heifers or steers. If you're in a field with a herd of youngish cattle
1 get out
2 if they come toward you, do not attempt to run away
3 turn, face them, pick up a stick if you can, and make a big, big noise. Wave your arms about. Whack the one nearest to you with a stick. Continue to make a big noise.

...

ah this takes me back.

A few years ago myself and a friend are walking through a field. I said "I don't like the look of those feisty heifers." which were starting to take an interest in us.

He, being a know it all began explaining your points 2 and 3 whilst all the time the feisty heifers were getting closer and closer, faster and faster.

After his monologue about knowing everything there is to know about cattle etiquette, he ran away in the opposite direction, and the nearest thing to a big noise he made was a quiet yelp. Of course I ran too because they were right on our heels as I dived head first over a gate. phew.

I turned and looked back to make sure the heifers weren't barging through the gate, only to see a sizeable group of people on the canal tow path having a whale of a time watching us two crap ourselves and run away!

 

[jonny jeez]

as Greg has it...but you are as much at risk from heifers or steers. If you're in a field with a herd of youngish cattle
1 get out
2 if they come toward you, do not attempt to run away
3 turn, face them, pick up a stick if you can, and make a big, big noise. Wave your arms about. Whack the one nearest to you with a stick. Continue to make a big noise.

one of the magicest moments of my days on the farm was looking out of the back window and seeing the neighbour's four year old in the next field surrounded by beef steers, two or three of them nudging her. I scrambled through the hedge (which was no fun) and walked toward them slowly. They let me through. I picked the kid up and started yelling in a very big way. My luck held.

My fondest bovine memory was not as heroic (nor rewarding) as yours. I was walking with my father in the peak district (on a friends farm) and stumbled into a field full of dairy cows. They all hurtled towards us and we were forced to mount a drystone wall to escape.

However we lost our loving dog "Tara" amongst the heaving mass of udders.

I was distraught and tearful all the way home...I was 6 at the time and my father was younger than I am now.

We returned home after an hour or so of calling and searching (in the dark), to find Tara sitting outside the back door of the farmhouse wagging her tail like mad. lots of jumps, face-licking and hugs followed.

Makes me feel surprisingly emotional just recalling how she looked as I spotted her.

 

[fossyant]

So if the bull is under ten months, or over ten months, not of the specified breed and with heifers then the sign is fair warning.

Think of it a bit like our Matthew - this testosterone issue - some breeds are more affected by this sudden surge after a particular age. Only kidding mate !

 

[Norm]

TBH, we had cattle on the farm until I was about 25 and, other than the 2 instances where I was attacked (I consider both my own fault, I was in a pen with mum and calf) I never had any issues.

I fondly remember sitting in the sheds on cold winter evenings, the warmth from the animals making the place cosy, the peace across the whole herd would enter anyone through osmosis and it was just glorious.

I remember sitting and even lying in fields during the summer (our farm surrounded the cottage I grew up in, my Mum still lives there) with the cattle coming over being inquisitive, the sense of calm being in the middle of the herd, the small joy when one of the cows came close enough to stroke.

I remember giving the kiss of life to two cows which had become trapped in the silage clamps.

I remember moving the cattle out of their winter shed with some urgency when some tosser set fire to the hay rick next to their shed.

I remember the fun of moving cattle along the road between fields, playing cowboys in the Land Rovers to keep them moving forward and block any potential escapees.

I remember the unadulterated pleasure of hand-feeding a calf, mixing the milk on a cold day, getting the calf to suckle your fingers then dropping them into the bucket of warm formula. I can still feel the dread certainty that they were going to suck so hard my fingernails would come off.

I remember the heartache when a calf died, then the awe I felt when we skinned it and wrapped it around another calf which had been rejected.

I remember the scream from my mother when the dog found a castrated testicle and ran into the house with it before we could catch him.

I remember the not-so-fun of retrieving escaped cattle from rose beds on Christmas morning (we don't get that now we just have cereals).

One thing that I don't remember is ever being intimidated or scared when in a field with cattle, even with bulls. They are big creatures, sometimes with horns, but they are also generally docile, inquisitive creatures at heart. The only images that we see of them show the scary stuff, in rodeos and bull-running, but those are specially selected animals. The only news stories are of the occasional rogue amongst them but there are nine million of them in this country, the chances of finding a rogue are vanishingly small.

Treat them with respect if you want, but don't be scared of a herd of them. They just want to be your friend.

 

[Maz]

I don't know if any of you have been to Cambridge, but in the Summer months, herds of cows are allowed to graze in the local parks (Midsomer Common/Jesus Green spring to mind). They seem docile enough, but would hate to think what would happen if one of the cows freaked out or was taunted, etc.

 

[Maz]

Now, if you had had an airzound.....

Or maybe a bullhorn...

 

[jonny jeez]

TBH, we had cattle on the farm until I was about 25

Beef or dairy?

 

[ColinJ]

I don't know if any of you have been to Cambridge, but in the Summer months, herds of cows are allowed to graze in the local parks (Midsomer Common/Jesus Green spring to mind).

I was surprised when I visited Newcastle Upon Tyne and found cows grazing on Town Moor! Grazing rights have been held by the Freemen of Newcastle for many centuries and are protected by law.

 

[gambatte]

This kind of thing, perhaps ...?

From what I remember that lower notice could get them in trouble. Its all in the wording.
"Beware, Dog" is OK. "Beware of the Dog" singles the hound out as a hazard.
If someones injured its taken you're previously aware of the danger.

 

[Norm]

Beef or dairy?

We got out of dairy in the late 1960s, when I was about 5, the pigs went in about 1980 and the beef herd was probably 5 years after that.

I was surprised when I visited Newcastle Upon Tyne and found cows grazing on Town Moor! Grazing rights have been held by the Freemen of Newcastle for many centuries and are protected by law.

I wouldn't have been, there's nearly always a fair sized herd of cattle on Dorney Common. I led the CCers across there last year, the cattle grids are always a giggle on 23mm tyres but it can seem strange to have cattle grazing on unfenced common land about 7 miles from Heathrow.

 

[ColinJ]

From what I remember that lower notice could get them in trouble. Its all in the wording.
"Beware, Dog" is OK. "Beware of the Dog" singles the hound out as a hazard.
If someones injured its taken you're previously aware of the danger.

The sign above has pictures of two big slathering dogs and the message "WATCH OUT - German Shepherd About" which I took as a clear attempt to put you off going through the gate! The footpath in question goes through someone's back garden and they clearly don't like it, but if you buy a house with a public R.o.W. through the garden then tough!

 

[Norm]

The sign above has pictures of two big slathering dogs and the message "WATCH OUT - German Shepherd About" which I took as a clear attempt to put you off going through the gate! The footpath in question goes through someone's back garden and they clearly don't like it, but if you buy a house with a public R.o.W. through the garden then tough!

Strangely, my mother's house had a ROW through the front door and out the back until a few years ago.

We've no idea why it wasn't shifted in the 1930s when the place was built, nor why it wasn't brought up when we bought the farm in the 1960s, but it took years to persuade the council to allow us to move it, as we weren't sure exactly how sarcastic we should be with the question "Can you confirm that the footpath has not been used for xx years".

 

[summerdays]

I wouldn't have been, there's nearly always a fair sized herd of cattle on Dorney Common.

My Mum used to be the Milk Recorder for one of those herds when I was in my teens!

I've been scared by cattle twice that I can remember, both on or near my uncle's farm near Magherafelt. One time was when my cousin used to milk the cows on a neighbouring farm, and there was a bull that was so aggressive that he used to charge the tractor with us in. We were always warned to have a large amount of metal between us and him - they got rid of him (Noel) soon after. Still can remember his name after 25 years or so!

The other time was in a field near their farm (we were short cutting across it) and the young cattle all charged us ... I spent an hour in the hedge! (Turned out my cousin and a mate had been regularly annoying these youngsters).

I remember a time when my Uncle was upset when he discovered we had been in the field with his bull (might have been a Limousin or they might have come along later), for a walk. We hadn't been worried but we all got a talking to, I've no idea whether it was justified.