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Saturday, January 19, 2008

10 comments:

Anonymous said...: For those of you unfamiliar with bovines, the cow in the picture is a Black Baldie or Mule headed Angus [1/2 Angus and 1/2 Hereford].; 7:43 AM
Anonymous said...: well thank you I did not know that. He is very sweet and loves Honeycrisp apples.; 8:29 AM
Anonymous said...: Your quite welcome, the white gene seems perdominate.

He [or she] is also [ I am spelling this wrong] "elleomimentic" meaning, he will keep doing what he is doing as long as other cows keep following and cows will keep following as long as he keeps doing what he's doing.

Basically, "herd mentality" which saves lives in the wild. One get spooked by a lion and they all take off even if they don't see the lion.

Probably more than you want to know but, if it's raining and cows are eating it will keep raining. If they go in for shelter [trees etc],it is a brief shower.

They are fasinating to watch.; 5:54 AM
Anonymous said...: I had no idea. They are smarter than I gave them credit for. So if they go in for shelter and it is a only a brief shower and then the the opposite when it keeps raining then they must have the ability to reason?
I have always enjoyed having them in my backyard -- they are peaceful to watch.; 12:42 PM
Miltonville said...: I have tons of close up photos of those cows. I went right up to them in the pasture there on Bethany and Mayfield. If you want to see them, just let me know.
-Patti Silva

P.S. I'm curious, who is the cow expert on this post?? Great information. Tell us more. Who are you?; 7:22 PM
Anonymous said...: For the sake of discussion we are speaking here of beef cattle [as oppossed to dairy cattle]

Cattle = comes from the latin word caput meaning movable property like Chattel

Sylvia, remember cows are like dogs, there are many breeds with different personalities, so be careful particularly if they have calves. I will bet you, you can set your watch as to where your cows are located in the pasture at different times of day. [unless of course you show up with an apple] which ruins their natural grazing
time. Watch 'em.

Although, I realy don't believe they "reason." I do believe God gave many creatures a sense of what to do to survive and many of those senses stay with animals long after they are domesticated.

Never allow a cow to eat a broken cherry tree leaves, it will kill them. As well as some vines, [like pole bean] because it can get caught between the four compartments of their stomachs.

Cows are known as Ruminants, they use their tongues to grasp grass or hay and cut it off with their incisors. Their tongues feel like wet sandpaper.

When they re chew the cud [often laying down peacefully], they can produce up to 20 gallons of saliva a day to aide with digestion.

Most of the cattle around here are decendents from the lush greener British isles [Hereford Angus] Where as many of the more arid regions [out west] have descended from Spanish cows.

Angus cows are known for having smaller calves [with easier delivery] Where as large cows like the French Charloais [big white in color] can have difficulty calving, particularly when they are young.

Calf = new born
Yearling = after they are weaned
Heifer= female until she has her first calf [ varies in time]
cow=what makes more calves with the help of
Bull =male unless he's missing some parts
Steer=missing parts and used to eat rather than re breed [unless he is used to pull plows/wagons etc he is renamed
Ox or pair of oxen.

Nice to know some people like cows as much as I do.

Rowdy Yates

Trivia question. What is the only animal on earth that if you killed them all would not be extinct?; 5:41 AM
Anonymous said...: Our lady in the picture is Polled.
Polled cow means the horns have been bred out/away from them. Like “Polled Angus”. But horns are desirable if any of the bulls are to be used as oxen because the horns hold the ox yoke in place when going down hill [braking] with a wagon.

Our friend in the picture [although my favorite breed or cross breed of cattle] has a vulnerable spot. In the summer her white face [mixed with some saliva] can attract flies. When fescue pastures go from spring to summer the stalk of the seed heads of the grass can become brittle causing her to poke her eyes while grazing. This irritation, along with the files, can make her prone to “pink eye” which needs to be treated.

Just so the ladies will appreciate their female bovine friends
A cow goes into heat every 18-24 days with an average of 21
Which last approximately one day for 6 to 8 hours. She is most receptive “shall we say” for companionship.
In nine months [and a few days] she “downloads “ a calf weighing approximately 100 lbs. and in 90-120 day she’s ready to breed again. If she starts at around 2 years of age she very likely could have 12-13 100 lb calves in her lifetime.

Had enough yet?-Rowdy; 7:50 AM
Anonymous said...: Sorry Patti not Silvia I apologize-Rowdy

"You can accomplish a good deal more if you don't want the credit"-Robert W. Woodruff; 9:57 AM
Miltonville said...: THANK YOU Rowdy!!! This is more information than I ever hoped to hear about these beautiful creatures. Do you live in Milton? Do you raise cows? So the cows on Bethany and Mayfield used for beef? You mean I shouldn't get too attached then?

I wish I had the opportunity to grow up on a farm. I want to learn more about them and learn how to milk a cow.

Another thing, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a 4-H program for kids (and adults like me, smile) here in Milton? About 3 years ago I called Fulton County and they told me the only 4-H opportunity here in Milton is "an environmental 4-H" - whatever that means.

Since we are so fortunate to have farms and land out here, we should take advantage of the space and get 4-H!!

-Patti

P.S. And Rowdy, tell us more about what know about these beasts. Do you know anything about chickens? Other than not being too smart. I have four laying hens in my backyard. Shhh, don't tell anyone. I live in a subdivision or I'd get a pot bellied pig too.

P.P.S. Uh-o! I just realized where I think I've heard your name before!! Are you the one who wears a cowboy hat? Don't tell Jim Seeba about those chicks (haha).; 5:55 AM
Anonymous said...: Feed the chickens crushed up oyster shells.

The she in the pic isn't for eating most likely she's for making more cows, some will be kept to replace her when she "goes home to glory" and some of the bulls will be "steered" to be fed out.

If the heifers are kept to eventually replace aging cows, they need to be separated to prevent 1] in breeding with the bull [sire/father] and 2] breeding too young. [Which can lead to birthing difficulty and or death of cow and or calf] Sometimes it’s easier for farmer to remove the bull and share with a neighbor’s cows.

Heifers and bulls of approximately the same age are like teenagers, they’re Crazy. Shy and Skittish where as “some” adults who have been around and touched by humans can become very pet like, depending on the breed. Santa Gertrudis [big all reddish brown originally from the King Ranch in Texas] ain’t one of them. STAY OUT OF THE PASTURE!

Often a cow will “hide” her new calf or several will hide their calves close together in the tall spring grass while she grazes. Sometimes there appears to be one mother cow that is the “designated baby sitter”.

Calves don’t really moo, As best I can determine they have two “calls’ to mom that sound very similar. AAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNKKKKKKKK. One means “Mom I am hungry” and the other means “Help Mom I’m frightened. AVOID being between Mom and calf when you hear either because she will be on her way to the rescue or to feed her baby.

Come the spring when most calves are/should be born. You can watch calves from a safe distance. As soon as a calf wakes from its nap it will stand and urinate. If the Urine goes down from the belly it is a “he” if it goes out from the rear, it is a “she.” Twins are a possible but rare.; 6:07 AM

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