Here are some basic approaches when we are inside with the herd out on the pasture or in the stable.
1 have shoes with steel caps, a cow or bull weighs many times more than yourself, so easily protect yourself against trampling injuries with a good pair of shoes. Getting stepped on isn’t common, but sometimes happens, and then it’s good to have protection.
2 don’t go into the middle of the cow herd, I always try to have a retreat when I’m in the paddock like a gate I can get to or a fence I can climb over or crawl under if the situation is unsafe.
the same applies in winter when the cows are indoors and all our equipment is horizontal so that we can easily get away.
3 have animals that don’t want to get too close, all animals are different and some always keep a good distance and don’t want to be petted, others come up and say hello. Then there are also animals that are stamps and these want to be a little too close and they treat you as another member of the herd but when they weigh 5-10x more than you, those that are playful with other animals can be deadly for you, therefore avoid we to have excessively friendly animals in the herd.
4 When the hormones take over we prefer to stay away, when a heifer is in heat and being courted it is best not to get close to a cow that has just calved, these two periods represent the greatest dangers for us farmers who work with cows and bulls .
5 the most important advice is also to get to know your animals and their different personalities, in our herd I know everyone and those that I would do with them in terms of moving animals and straw I would never do with someone else’s animals. Every time we buy in new breeding animals, we have a get-to-know period so they get to know me and know they can trust me while I learn how they work and what place they get in the herd.
Hope these points give you an increased insight into how working with animals practically works at us, stay safe
Bokeslundsgården 
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