We had company yesterday so we walked the kids next door to see the cows. When we got there we saw one of the bulls had a nose ring that I hadn't noticed before and it had a thing under it that rested on his lip and it had points on it. So later I asked the farmer about it and he said he put it there because the bull was trying to nurse on one of the cows. The sharp points on the ring will hurt if he lifts his head to try to do it again. He also told me that the poor thing was tied to a pole and tried to climb up the wall to get away.

I feel awful. I am very immature and overcompassionate about animals. I can't get out of my mind how scared this poor animal was and now he has to live with this uncomforable thing forever.

Do these type things bother you or I'm I just odd because my hearts breaks everytime I see this bull.

BTW: This farmer is really really nice. I like him a lot. I suppose this is normal practice, but...........

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The mighty oak started out as a nut that held its ground.

I too am very compassionate about animals and would have a hard time if it appeared the bull was in pain. My question is, when they bull isn't trying to nurse the cow, does the ring & spikes STILL hurt him, or only when he does that?? If it's only when he tries to nurse, then I would think he would quickly learn to not do it and maybe then the farmer could take the spike thing off. I guess I don't understand why the bull is tied up. Was that to also keep him away from the cow??

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A bull is an animal that you certainly would not want to lose control of, that is for sure. I do not know much about cows, save for the fact that they are expensive as hell and worth a fortune; therefore, I am sure the farmer is doing exactly what one is supposed to do in this type of situation.

We live rural and raise pigs, goats and chickens. Most of my goats and chickens are just pets, but the pigs are not animals you want to screw around with. All of them are ringed through the nose. This will prevent them from rooting like dogs. Even in a state of the art pen, unless the entire thing was concrete, they could dig out. One time in all of the time we have raised pigs, they got out and were walking up my street. I called in a CRISIS EMERGENCY to my husband, GET HOME NOW. They could have literally killed my neighbors. I mean, for crying out loud, they are four hundred pounds with teeth the size of steak knives!

So, I save my romantic idealization of animals for my dog and house pets. Where huge dangerous animals are concerned, I let reason take over.

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The more people have studied different methods of bringing up children the more they have come to the conclusion that what good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is best after all.
- -- Benjamin Spock

We also live in rural country with very little people and more cows than people. A bull is not a cute little pet. They are huge, expensive and if a good breeder, priceless. Having a bull's nose ringed is no worse than having your ears pierced.

Bull's will do anything to reach a heifer in season and tying them up is most likely saving everyone's fence and the cows.

If you like your burgers and steaks, it is all because the farmer is taking care of his ranch.

While I have compassion for animals, too, more than most, a bull can be very dangerous as somebody else said. Can you imagine being the cow that he tried to nurse from??? OUCH!

Also, the farmer is doing business and the bull and cow are part of his business. He does not need to abuse them, by any means, but what do you think he will be doing with the cow and bull in the end? The cow might live out its life in a pasture, but the bull - probably not. If the bull is harming the cow, he needs to protect the cow. I don't really understand the wall thing, but I am sure there is a reason for that, too.

JMO

I too have a hard time imagining this poor bull. But....and this is a bug BUT.....I have always lived in the city....and the most I've ever been exposed to is a big dog. I can't even imagine losing control of something the size of a bull. Like the person above said.....at that point reason needs to take over.

LMAO, I am finding it hard to believe he can keep his bull "tied up". We raise cattle for a living and our bull pasture surrounds our yard. When the bulls are home, I can't tell you how many times one of the five of us is out chasing bulls in. It is very difficult to keep them out of where they want to be. As for the ring and the spikey deal, I have never seen that type of thing.

I must not have worded my post correctly and caused confusion. They put a harness on him and tied him to a post to get him to hold still long enough to get the ring through his nose. He was climing the wall to try to get away because he didn't want it there. He's loose now with the others.

I'm sure it's normal practice. I don't know why I am like this. I just have such a soft spot in my heart for animals, I always have. My dh makes fun of me all the time.

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The mighty oak started out as a nut that held its ground.

I think your dh would be making fun of a lot of us then. Don't worry about it. It makes you very tenderhearted. That is a good thing.

it only hurts them if they try to nurse--not all the time.

Maybe it would help to look at it this way---if the bull kept nursing, the calves wouldn't get proper nourishment--it could also hurt the mommy cow if the bull was agressive.

I am sure if they were sure the bull wouldn't do it again, they would prob. remove it--but I think most of the time, they just stay in.

I have a lot of compassion for animals--raised on a farm, etc. but I have seen aggressive animals attack each other and people and it reminds me that they are not human and although I do believe they have feelings (some disagree), they aren't capable of our degree of human thought process. Mainly--it really doesn't bother the bull and is the best solution to the situation.