I Need Help With My Dexter's!!

[buckman]

I have a big problem with my Dexter's.I always feed them some feed in the evening besides hay.I went to feed 2 days ago and 1 of my cows that is usually the first in line was nowhere to be seen,I thought she had got out of the pasture,but she finally came staggering down the pasture to me,then she fell down like she was weak,I also saw blood in her mouth,just a little,that didn't worry me too much,but when she stood up she was very unstable on her feet.I called my husband to look at her,she is with a calf due in Dec.,we decided to put her in a stall and as we were walking her to the barn she had a discharge coming out,so we thought she might be losing the calf.She would not eat anything at all,we watched her all night and there was some more discharge but other than that she seemed ok.The next day she was still weak,so we called the vet and he said sometimes they would have false labor and then have the calf when it was due,he said to just watch her,so she seemed fine today was eating like normal had good balance,so we turned her back into the pasture with the other cows and the bull.Here is where the big problem begins,as soon as she got in sight of the other cows they came after her and drove her to the ground,the cow that led the attack usually runs from the cow she attacked.I have 3 cows due to have calves in the next 3 months,I also have a 7 month old calf and a 3 yr, old bull,they all went after this cow and run her through the woods and would not leave her alone,they horned her a few times until my husband could run them away from her,so we had to take her right back to the stall,could somebody tell me what caused this type behavior,these Dexters have been together in the same pasture for the last 6 months,and usually the cow that was attacked can take care of herself,she is the aggressive one most of the time when they are fed in the evenings.Has anyone ever had this problem,if so I would appreciate your input on what I need to do.

[copperhead]

Oh My God, thats really scary........I wish I had an answer, but that very unusual behavior. somethimes if a cow has been away from the herd for a week or two they will chase her around for a few minutes, but then they settle down, I can't imagine what would make them attack a cow that has been with them all along. I sure hope someone can give you some ideas, be sure and keep her up till they settle down, or they will cost you your calf.
P.J.

[marion]

We had a Welsh pony mare that had some sort of seizure and would spin around. The rest of the horses would attack her when she was having a seizure. My guess would be something has triggered the others to attack your cow, and she has certainly lost her dominant position. I think it would be wise to keep her separate from the herd so as not to risk further damage...marion

[Dean]

About a month ago we had the same thing happen to our heifer who was about to give birth. She didn't come to eat and acted as if she was in a daze and staggered around the pen. The other cows pushed her around, and we had to separate them. We also thought she would give birth that night. She would get up and down and pant hard. We watched her through the night and the next morning she was up and eating. She had her calf about three weeks later. Good luck with your Dexter.

[kansasdexters]

From what you described her behavior like, it sounded to me like she may have overindulged herself in elderberries. The stalks and leaves can be toxic to livestock and they easily ingest some of them when they eat the berries.

You didn't say what part of the US you're located in, but around the Midwest right now, we are in prime time elderberry season. What you thought looked like blood around her mouth, may have been berry juice stains. The weakness and uncoordination she experienced probably confused her and the other cattle. When she didn't act properly (normally), the other cattle turned on her and she temporarily didn't have the strength or coordination to defend herself and maintain her position in the hierarchy of the herd.

Getting her out of the pasture and away from whatever plant material she may have over consumed was the best thing you could have done. Please take a walk around your pasture and look for elderberry plants loaded with purple-red, tiny berries. Choke cherry is another plant that is in season and can also be toxic to livestock, especially in drought-affected areas.

Hope all is well soon.

Patti

[ctownson]

In addition to what Patti indicates, I would definitely check for the source of any blood. I have seen a group of cows really get excited and hyper at the smell of blood. It can sometimes send them into a pack mentality as they sense danger/weakness in an animal.

charles

[buckman]

I have a update on my dexter cow.She is doing fine but we still have her in a stall.We live in NC and we have poke berries and wild cherry trees but I think only the wild cherry tree can be deadly to a cow if the leaves are wilted.The red in her mouth was blood,but I think it was where she had been pushed around by the other cattle.Like I said before this cow usually runs over the cow that was aggressive that day,but we have noticed this cow that attacked is going to calf soon,her bag is full and we had a guy to look at her and he thinks she will have the calf by the end of next week,would this have caused her to lead an attack against the other cow just to show her she would not be bothered when she has the calf.I have no idea if this would be the reason but something had to cause her to change her attitude toward this cow.I figured the other cows and the bull might have just followed her lead.Maybe some of you more experienced people can let me know if this might be possible.I still can't believe that these dexters could act this way,from what I have always heard they are very gentle.Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions.

[Honeycreek Dexters]

Well you have at least 2 members on here with a lot of experience say they think this is very unusual behavior, that in itself should tell you something.
All cattle have a pecking order and when one is not able to maintain his or her status in the hierarchy the next dominant animal will step up and try to fill the void. And when it does the dominance is total he or she will try to drive the lesser animal from the herd, well this cant be done in an enclosed area. Some time if there are several animals the now weaker cow has been dominate over they will all take a turn at stepping up in the pecking order and when this happens the other animals will follow the fight like a mob will do when humans get into a fight. There is only one thing to do in my opinion and that is to get rid of the animal that is so aggressive that she or he becomes a danger to your other animals. This is a learned behavior and this animals off spring will learn it and other animals that see it will learn it. It will become common in your herd if you let it spread. This is not a common trait in Dexter cattle as it is in some other breeds, stop it now. Don't breed this animal any more if you already have.
This is just my opinion others are welcome to theirs. But I speak from experience. I just had to put down a 2 year old cow for this reason this spring. I would not breed her and I would not want to see this be proliferated among the breed I care so much for.
Sorry for your cow I hope she gets better and raises a fine calf.
HCD.

[rollingranch]

Buckman!!
I do not know why your Dexters would act this way!! However I do know that when poke get the red berries on them they are very poisonous to animals and human beings also... you may want to keep watch and when poke matures to cut it down or change pastures!! Hope this is helpful!! Rollingranch in S/W Arkansas

Caps Lock edited by admin, my apologies for intrusion to author