So as of today, Bud has been at TFL for 3 months. He spent the first 6 weeks in pain with his banding that was going bad - then I had him emasculated for good. Be bounced back pretty quickly from the procedure and is completely healed now but it has been slow going getting him to warm up to me. Day by day...he would get closer to me at feeding time and has taken feed by hand for awhile now....but no TOUCHING! In the last 5 weeks, I've been spending at least an hour a day out in the pen with the boys. I would actually crawl around near Bud when he was lying down. If I stayed still on the ground when he got up, he would come over and lick my boot, and would sniff my hat and face. This game was often called off on account of Ben coming over to get in on the action. Two weeks of just touching his nose when he was close enough finally paid off yesterday afternoon. It started by me holding my hand near his horn which he would answer by trying to horn my hand. While he would go back and forth at my hand, I was able to get just a little head scratching in. After doing this a couple of times, he suddenly figured out although the horning was his defense...the scratching was a very good thing. We played this game for about 15 minutes and he figured it out and let me scratch his head and neck. A halter is still out of the question as far as he's concerned but we are making great progress. 49,62,39,0,W,0
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11 comments:
Patience! And soon you will post a picture riding him bareback.
Your animals are so adorable. I find myself envying your proximity to cows.
Leslie
If you "emasculated" me I'd hold a grudge too!ha ha ha . You're doing wonderful things at the field lab Mr. Wells. can't see well enough to get the verification right without several tries.I got rid of mine to make it easy for folks.
Proverbs 25:15 ESV
With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.
I'm fairly certain Proverbs wasn't suggesting that steers would be our rulers, but your video made me think of this scripture. Your patience is paying off, and I rather doubt Bud's soft tongue will literally break your bones. Still, a fun scripture to quote after viewing your video.
James 3
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue.
If you read more of the scripture than I quoted, James was clearly referring to man's inability in taming human tongues which often spread misinformation, lies, anger, hate, etc... Not trying to warn you away from a Longhorn's tongue. Still... that steer's tongue looks very untamed to me.
Good video. Very inspirational.
i wouldn't worry about Bud's soft tongue, however, i think Bud's soft teeth will eat your hat! i bet your heart was soaring for the time you were with him. thanks for sharing and continued success.
You finally made me realize why all the places I like so much are sparcely populated. Wind. Your blog is very interesting, thanks for sharing your life and skills.
Great video. Ben looks like he will be a substantial animal, despite a rough start. What a neck he has!
I meant Bud :-)
It is much the same taming feral cats, something I've spent endless hours doing sitting cross-legged on the floor. The result? The best friend you will ever have. Bud is one lucky guy.
Excellent! This gets me to wondering...At this young age, I wonder how aware they are of their horns presence, since they can't actually see them. I guess they gradually become aware of them as they grow longer. I did notice, a few years ago, that Benita was acutely aware of just how much clearance she needed for her horns, as she maneuvered around under the west shade by the greenhouse. She never bumped them into anything once, and the clearance was within an inch or two.
Hey John,
You do have a lot of patience. I still think a nice gentled Lab or Golden Retriever, to be your sidekick would be a huge asset in many ways.
Ron
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