When bulls start to become territorial and difficult to handle it’s tempting to assume that putting a ring in their nose will solve the problem. It may not, and along with nose ringing you should develop some basic handling principles for all to carry out.
Never trust a bull – not of any age. Don’t hand-rear a bull, which is later to be used for service. Be firm and positive and don’t let the bull win. The “fight-flight” distance between man and bull is 5-6m. But be prepared to back off if things get really dangerous and seek help. When moving bulls, shift them with other stock. Always try to have two people there when handling bulls. Be especially careful when removing bulls after mating cows – he will want to stay longer.
Why do a nose ring?
If you are going to lead a bull on a halter, then it’s a good idea to have him nose ringed. But the bull must be taught to lead and at the same time respect the ring in its nose. If you are not going to lead the bull, then it’s doubtful if it’s worth doing.
The pressure must never be placed totally on the ring, as you won’t hold a bull by the nose ring alone. He will just pull, and as the pain increases so will his fury, and you’ll achieve nothing. The bull’s nose can have 400-500kg of beef behind it and is a lot stronger than you are.
A led bull should always be restrained by a halter around his head, then the lead rope fed through the ring. So the ring is just for added control and not the total restraint. If the bull has horns (which are an added danger) the lead rope can go around those, then down through his nose ring.
Using a lead pole
This a pole about 1m long with a clip on the end that goes through the ring. The theory is that you can keep the bull at a distance away from you and lead it safely by keeping his head up. The pole gives you a lot of leverage on the nose.
But be warned, as bulls are very strong and if they decide to take off or get their head down, you on the end of a pole would be able to hold them. The safest bet when leading a bull is to have two halters on him – one for each person either side of his head. Put both halter lead ropes through the ring.
Note:
Nose ringing is a job for a veterinarian for a number of reasons: the nose is a sensitive area, you may not have adequate tools to handle the bull such as tranquilizers, crush and head bail. If you ring a bull as a yearling, you may want to put a smaller ring in his nose and replace it later with a larger one. You don’t want a big heavy ring in a young animal as it may make the hole too big and this may lead to the nose being ripped open.
Contact Jaguza Support