Deel 2 - Brahman Breeders Society of South Africa

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B R A H M A N D E S E M B E R 2 0 1 2 24 The Brahman’s UnIQUe TemPeramenT an asset or a liability? - By James Paterson The Brahman’s temperament is legendary amongst cattlemen and farmers alike. As with any legend there is usually a grain of truth thrown in with a handful of misconceptions. Perhaps it will be useful to start with a definition of temperament as “the individual character of one’s physical constitution permanently affecting the manner of one’s acting, feeling and thinking”. From this definition it is clear that all animals have some degree of temperament, but what sets the Brahman apart from the rest so conspicuously? There can be no argument that the Brahman is alert, intelligent and constantly aware of its surroundings. It has to be if it is to survive in the often hostile environment in which it finds itself. Not only is it aware of its surroundings, but it is also capable of finding its way out of dangerous situations. Once the workers with Brahman cattle understand this, the rest follows quite naturally. Where humans often make a mistake is that they don’t see the situation from the animal’s point of view. For instance, to the mother of a newborn calf, the approaching man is just as much a menace to her calf as a threatening hyena and she will react equally defensively towards both of them, even though the man is trying to help her. It is true that the Brahman’s temperament is unique, along with all the other oddities that set the Brahman apart from the other cattle breeds, but that is not to say that it is all desirable. Indeed , the Brahman’s unique temperament can be exploited very profitably by the observant and careful cattleman. There is a small percentage, probably less than 1% of the Brahman population, (incidentally most breeds, even the placid dairy breeds have a similar percentage) which is temperamentally unsuited to normal farming conditions and there is no solution to this problem other than culling them as soon as possible (to an abbatoir and not to another breeder). Apart from being dangerous to man and cattle alike, they break up the handling facilities and unsettle other cattle in the herd. A nervous disposition or bad temperament is a defect in the individual, perhaps even a whole family, as sure as stringhalt
or a pendulous sheath and must be eliminated quickly from the national herd. The cattleman, who understands Brahmans and their crosses, will have adequate handling facilities for all the normal management and veterinary practices on the farm. This would include well constructed pens, crush, neck clamp, some form of dipping facility and leading ramp. These are usually no more expensive than those found on any well-planned beef farm, perhaps more robust and a little higher though. The critical thing to remember when teaching a novice about the handling of Brahmans is that the handlers only get one chance to do the job, eg., if an animal is to be loaded and is allowed to escape in the veld, it is usually a waste of time and very frustrating to get it back that day for a second attempt at loading. Whatever is to be done, must be done the first time and done well. This means good facilities and competent men too. The Brahman responds extremely well to routine and gentle handling. Where the management on a Brahman farm is good, there is minimal handling of the cattle; rather the cattle move themselves and even sort themselves into the correct groups. Where an animal does not keep to its routine, be sure that something is amiss. Either she has calved or she is sick and has Chris Venter van Kleinbeef Boerdery stayed behind; she needs attention! With clever designing of passages and gates, it is doubtful whether any other breed of cattle is easier to manage on a day to day basis than the Brahman. Because Brahmans become accustomed to a routine, any change in that routine must be done carefully. This characteristic of the Brahman makes it very difficult for strange people, at unfamiliar times and places, to handle these cattle and must have foiled many an attempted cattle theft. It would be interesting to watch a rustling party trying to load a group of Brahman cattle along a road with only a barbed-wire fence with which to work. With gentle handling, it is also doubtful whether any other breed becomes quite as tame as the Brahman. Quite a number of herds are so used to the herdsmen that they are routinely tick-greased in the veld, every animal and almost any part of them too. But don’t let a stranger approach them, otherwise they are off like the wind. The Brahman cow probably has the most protective maternal instinct of all domesticated cattle. This can be really frustrating to and dangerous for men trying to work with a cow and her newborn calf. But it is often essential to the calf’s survival that its mother stands her ground against predators so common in the rugged areas where Brahmans are found. You are confined only by the WALLS you build yourself. - Author unknown The Brahman’s temperament is legendary amongst cattlemen and farmers alike. As with any legend there is usually a grain of truth thrown in with a handful of misconceptions. It has always been a dream of Gerrit Strydom who work at the moment in Australia to become a Brahman Breeder and at the moment he is working very hard to fulfill his dream. Photo’s taken by Chantelle Strydom. B R A H M A N D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 25
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Deel 2 - Brahman Breeders Society of South Africa

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