How I got my Cow on.

[Audreyvgs]

Are any of those miniature versions good for cheese, milk and butter?

My cow has doubled+, is 6 mo old now. Luckily for us the neighbor had an extra acre and gave it to us, she even paid for the fence because she liked seeing the goats and the cow over there. (and that damned kudzu-like stuff called Air Potatoes was taking over her fruit trees) They're doing a pretty good job. Now I am thinking about how to reclaim my yard from beauty spot to pasture. I have several felled cypress from the hurricane(s) and can make fence posts, and god knows, anybody with land usually has fence lying around. I'll patchwork it cause im cheap, and maybe do some fancy joins to make an art fence with the cypress logs.
Cow needs way more grass. I really need to consider selling him, as he's a tad scary, loves to play and if he hops next to you, your heart stops. He doesn't make any noise, just runs up behind you, and you immediately think, where's a tree I can run up? He is kind-hearted, but is very scary when he wants to play. I have a 10 yr old son who is terrified of him. His brain says RUN, which is the wrong thing. I told him if he has to go out there, stay near a tree, and learn to shinny, !!!!

Mini breeds are looking a lot easier on my heart.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I'm not sure on the minature versions. I would recommend a jersey-smaller breed.

It sounds to me like you need to carry a big stick. Do not let that steer come up like that. He needs to be taught to respect you. That goes for any cattle you get. You can be kind and spoil but, they need to have limits set just like a child.

Depending on how big you want him and how fast he is growing he has roughly 6 months left before butcher time.

 

[Audreyvgs]

Ok, its been almost a year. A very cute good year. It was actually a better first 6 mo. Thats when I should have sold him. Should have sold him when the stick didn't work. I wish I'd had a different breed. He was a Holstein. From what I'm hearing, around here, male holsteins are fond of horning people. My son knows, having gotten those nubby new horns forced into his nether regions, it was just a thing the cow (Steer, i know) did. I ended up calling him Cow, you don't name something you know you aren't going to be able to afford when its big. Nether regions aside, my friend Jane has a relative who is a vet, a HE knows a vet that was killed by a holstein, it shoved its head into his chest up against the wall of a barn and no amount of cajoling could get the thing to release the guy, and he died. a vet!

Holsteins get cantankerous, for no reason atall. The yippee skippee dance of joy was one thing when he was tiny, but still, he did it regularly and he was 4' hi at his back. He got real long legs all of a sudden. Well, he recently took my sisters toenail off, while it was still inside her shoe for about the 3rd time, and in one of his races around the pasture, he jumped on a baby goat who was about 2 weeks old, and smashed his leg to bits., I know he didn't know what he was doing, but given the aforementioned details, all of us were almost terrified of him. Nobody played with him. We did love on him alot, reinforcing the calm sane moments.... but it didn't work.

I worked all day to reinforce my trailer for the 60 mile trip to the auction, there was no one would answer any ad I had for him, and certainly in this economy nobody wanted a pet. I had to. He did get both of his legs over the front of the trailer at one point, but a quick off the road maneuver with a slight uphill swerve cured that. He was photographed all the way to the town with the auction, but once we got there, he moo'd at the Sonic, and the girl on skates serving drinks to cars never even looked around, they were blas about it, having seen cows more than once.

He was fine, altho fidgety, but I wasn't ok. I couldn't go in, i didnt even want to see who bought him. They called me at the front where the auctioneer was to get my ok on what the final bid was, it didnt matter what the bid was, it wasn't important to me. I ok'd whatever. I never saw. I couldn't look back, altho before he was sold, friends took him down from the trailer for me, and in the pen he was kept, he told everybody in there with him that he was boss right off.

I learned to get better advice when I get a baby cow.
I learned what to do if it gets the scours.
I learned Holstein males are $10 for a reason.
I learned that unlike my burro, pony, ancient horse and pig, that Holstein Steers travel alone, they don't become part of a group that they don't identify with, they are loners. They don't buy into the pack mentality or familyness like the others do. The others compassionately take care to watch where their feet are. They know who is under them, and are aware when a new baby is born to one of its family, that that baby is to be watched after, licked and avoided in horseplay.
As oblivious as Cow was, I still think he knew that last night. I know he loved me, i was his mom. He knew, tho.

I also learned to make a cast for a baby goat. He's fine. He's running around like crazy, playing king of the hill with the others, and altho i'm going to have to re bandage it, (i dont want to, but its wearing out) its coming on 2 weeks since it happened, and he's even putting light pressure on it, standing and trotting. I think he'll be able to use it, i made sure it wasn't too tight, but it was hard on a baby dwarf goat, to attatch somehthing that restrictive.

Cow did more for me than I ever did for him, he influenced my art, I sold paintings of him, made prints and will have Cow in my head for all time. He was a kind soul in a brutish muscly body that was charged with some sort of GO chemicals, ones that made him push his horns into people and step down on things, and made him want to flip pet pigs. Old pet pigs, old what the hell is your problem pigs that never were hurt a day in their life. I also learned that I will never understand him, nor could... I think sometimes i know what the horse and other goats want. They tell me in some subtle way. I have a pony that will nip you in the butt if you're not moving fast enough with the food. It nipped everybody else, not me, but I know what it meant. I know when my old horse is slipping downwards, he lost a friend horse a couple of years ago, we had already gotten the companion donkey for him, he was ok, but slipping. We bought goats, and he LOVES the goats. They brought him back, and he keeps an eye on them. The horse donkey and pony would go on evening strolls if a baby was in house or my son was sleeping in the barn, just to ward off intruders like raccoons. They'd hear noises and go back there, something I never would. Cow wasn't on the same planet, ever. But I miss him, and always will. He was himself.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Sorry to hear you had it so rough.

If you ever decide to get a cow again, make sure from newborn on that it knows you are boss not it. Make sure that while those dances are cute as a calf that you let it know that's not allowed with you. Those kinds of things are dangerous.

You said he was steered and that's was good. Next time, dehorn too.

You have to remember they get big and you need to be boss from day one. Hopefully, these tips will help you next time, if you decide to try again. Maybe you did this this time, I don't know, and he was just the way he was out of nature.

 

[wynedot55]

sorry that you had to sell him.but holsteins are mean rough killer bulls.an holstein steers are no differant esp if they know your scared of them.but please dont give up on cattle.

 

[Imissmygirls]

If you think Holsteins bulls are psycho, don't go near Jersey bulls!
It is very hard for people who have never had a cow to understand how fast they grow and how big they get and what you actually have to do to control them.
Please find a mentor locally to talk to and get around more cattle before you purchase another bovine.
They can be wonderful creatures, but they are LARGE animals and you need to learn how to handle them safely. As you learned, even the young ones can be scary. I hope your son isn't afraid of cows now. They aren't to be feared, but you must learn about them.

 

[Audreyvgs]

No, i don't think anybody here is scared of cows in general, just we're now aware
that each has their own nature, and that needs to be respected. We never DIDNT go in the pen where
he was, just he had this habit with my sister of sneakin up on her and stepping on her toes! ha. stealthsteer.

Next time I'll do more research as to the temperment of these animals. I had a black lab once that I had to
roll him over a couple of time to show him who was boss, so I know it can be done, just that I don't think it would
have worked on Cow. ? I wish my learning curve was curvier instead of so damn near flat, but its how it works here.

Other than the goat, I have no regrets having the cow, and i don't think my sister would have any either. really.
It was basically a love, and a joy just to look at. How beautiful he was, and even in the stall at the auction, he was
head and shoulders better cared for and good looking. We did a good job and can be proud of ourselves.

I based it on my premise that having a life, whether it be a whole cow life, or even just that first year, having a time
where there was no stress, nothing but fun and good food is better than going from the auction to a feed lot.
I have no idea whether this makes sense to anybody. audreylogic.

We will do this again, but after the homework. I bet its all on this site.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Read up. There is an "Index to useful info" link in my sig. You'll find a lot of useful info there. The biggest thing, besides care, is making sure they know you're boss and that they respect you. From your post on his behavior he never got that. Either you didn't know what to do or that his "cute" behavior would continue and be a danger or he just wouldn't learn it when you tried.

As for breed, it will depend on who you talk to as to what their personnal preference is. Research and decide what you think will be right for you.

When you get your next "Cow" please don't be a stranger. Come, ask questions, share stories and pictures, share your experiences. Sometimes it's the best way to learn as stories get swapped and bits of info with them. Or maybe you would tell about the cute dance your calf is doing and we might say, "Stop, think this out, if he continues it could be dangerous." Sometimes it's the little things that trip a warning. Even to the point of your sharing an experience of what your cow did and how you taught him not to do it, may help another.

 

[m.holloway]

that's true. i think if i would have allowed Sara-lu to butt me every time it was feed time. it would have turn into more then being cute as if she was telling me to feed her. that was at 300lbs. now she is 600. it just wouldn't be a small push. she still try's to get into the feed can. but i smack her on the nose and she backs off.i'm learning everyday new stuff here. i just love it here on this bycow!!!

 

[wynedot55]

as said please dont be a stranger here.we love answering qs.