Un-bull-ievable! Calf saved from the farmer's shotgun grows into towering 6ft 5in, one-tonne beast

By Daily Mail Reporter

Holy cow! Trigger the Friesian, who stands at 6ft 5in tall and weighs over one tonne, is fed by owner's daughter Kim Layton


Trigger the Friesian was only a day old when his farmer aimed his shotgun at him - and because he did not want any more males he intended to kill the baby calf.

But neighbour Shaun Layton stepped in, saved his life and now Trigger is 6ft 5in - and still growing!

Weighing in at nearly 1.2 tonnes and measuring a staggering 14ft from nose to tail, Trigger is set to move into the record books.

Amazingly, the seven-year-old bullock is still growing meaning he could smash through the current British record in a matter of months.

When Shaun, a carpet fitter, saved Trigger he had no idea his new black and white friend would grow up to his magnificent size.

Trigger's enormous weight means he could potentially make 7,665 Big Macs or even 6,137 Burger King Whoppers.

But family pet Trigger lives a life far removed from that of your average livestock.

Instead he enjoys a relaxed lifestyle in a field at Kingswood, Herefordshire, where he eats a daily diet of grass, cattle cake, mineral lick and a packet of apples every week.

Shaun said: 'When you get up close to him, he really is quite imposing.

'He's growing steadily and he's gained an inch in the last 12 months, so he's coming towards the British record, which is about 6ft 7in.

'A friend who owns a couple of fields said I could borrow them for as long as I wanted, so I grasped the opportunity and got a little calf, and fed him up.

'About two years ago he had got to 6ft 3ins and the owners of the farm said he was bigger then than anything they had ever seen.


Shaun Layton, seen here feeding Trigger with daughter Kim, saved the bullock's life, and descibes the beast as 'very good natured, a big softie'


'I thought he would be an ordinary size bullock, maybe 5ft 6ins to 5ft 8ins, but he just kept on growing and growing. Now he's set to be the biggest steer in the United Kingdom.

'I first noticed how big he had got when he went into his cow shed to sleep and he was brushing the top of the doors. I measured him and found he was 6ft 5ins.

'He seems to have grown a lot in the last 12 months.'

Bovines are Shaun's favourite animals ever since his days helping out on a neighbour's farm as a boy. And he continued: 'I heard about a bull that was 6ft 6ins but he was three years older than Trigger, who is only seven.

'They tend to keep on growing and Trigger should live to be 20 years old - so who knows what size he will grow to.

'He is very good natured, a big softie really. But we have had him castrated and de-horned or he could easily kill someone.

'He's our family pet. We go and see him twice a day, feed him and give him his cattle cake. It's something I enjoy - you can just play around with him and it's quite relaxing.

'I can unwind with Trigger just like some people do if they go angling.

'We trim his tail and he loves being brushed. A few of the local farmers come and see him because his size and they can't believe it.

'Lots of people come up to see him - he's a bit of a local attraction now.'


source : dailymail