The thing about cattle is that they seem to enjoy licking their herdmates like a cat licks itself.?ÿ Was watching this just a few minutes ago while running water for some heifers I have running in a small area.?ÿ Well, one of them no longer qualifies as a heifer.?ÿ She had a calf a few days ago.?ÿ So, she is now a cow.
I've learned more about cows/cattle/steers/bulls/heifers/calfs on this website than I ever could on a "cow" website!
I take that as a polite way of stating that certain participants here are experts on BS.
It is pleasurable to learn new things from others, whether that be about music, beer, concerts, world travel, favorite reading, fishing or whatever it may be.
Watching cows lick each other today as well. My daughter ask why the cows lick the calves so much. Today one of my bull calves was head-banging moms utters and my daughter said that has to hurt. I just giggled and laughed and said you need to go home and talk with your mom about this. She was a head banging little critter herself.?ÿ
I lost a calf this week. Was a freak in size. I have seen some large calves before but my bull usually has small calves. But this first time heifer just never went into labor. I wish i knew ?ÿwhy. The vet me and her assistant could not pull it. It was bad and a long day. Just getting the cow now back in condition to go back out to the herd. Kids love the time they get to feed water and pet and love on a cow that needs a little doctoring. That cow will never be the same. They have brushed groomed hugged rubbed her into a big pet now. As soon as the kids walk into the barn she comes over to them while i am stuck mucking every thing. But I can??t deny that its good times watching the two girls just enjoying what they are doing. Cold night rainy wet and they are right there with me and whatever cow is in need at the time.?ÿ
your BS statement reminds me of something i was told years ago. A.S. = All Sh BS =Bull Sh. ?ÿ MS = More Sh. ?ÿ PHD = piled higher dung. ?ÿHad a fellow with a phd send me that once. Good guy smart ?ÿ And Helped me so much as a orbital scientist. Me being the dumb redneck. He was a great teacher to me. Raised by farmers.?ÿ
I lost a calf last week for the exact opposite reason.?ÿ It was 6 months old and was smaller than my dogs, probably weighed in at 50 lbs.?ÿ Cute as heck but had a genetic defect or two to be so tiny at that age.?ÿ She didn't have enough meat to keep her warm and the cold got her.?ÿ I bought her mom at about 500 lbs and 15 months old.?ÿ She surprised everybody 5 months later by waking up with a calf at her side.?ÿ The calf's dad was also it's grandpa, and maybe great grandpa for all I know.
Cattle are a tremendous learning experience for young people.?ÿ First, it teaches them all about responsibility.?ÿ They learn that the humans must ensure there is adequate feed, water, supplementation, shade and general shelter from the elements.?ÿ At all times, not just when it is convenient for the humans.
Second, they learn so much about life, birth, death, working with injuries and sickness, breeding selection and what can happen if the cattle somehow encounter a situation where they may bloat.
Third, they learn that not all animals are the same (just like humans).?ÿ Each breed of cattle has certain attributes based on their heredity compared to that of other breeds.?ÿ Some are great milk producers.?ÿ Others, far less so.?ÿ Some are heavy muscle producers with others, less so.?ÿ Some grow very quickly, others may not grow to be much larger than half-grown cattle of other breeds.?ÿ Some cattle are physically adapted to hot climate conditions while others thrive in a much colder climate.?ÿ Thus the producer must take all of these factors into consideration for which breeds should perform the best for their conditions.
Fourth, they learn that certain cattle are naturally more aggressive in their nature than others.?ÿ Cattle that are very aggressive within a herd can create a wide variety of problems for the producers.?ÿ Some of those problems include physical hazards to the producer.?ÿ Another issue is being unable to handle them when they are in need of veterinary attention.
Fifth, they learn so much about the financial end of running a business.?ÿ That baby calf that died might have been worth over $1000 in another six to nine months or might have gone on to be an excellent mama cow someday with positive attributes to improve the herd.?ÿ They learn how feed must be purchased whether or not the producer has the extra money on hand to pay for it.?ÿ In drought conditions, they learn how important a reliable supply of water can be, especially if they end up hauling it a few hundred gallons at a time daily to tanks in an otherwise dry pasture.
A story about teaching a youngster about the cost of making investments:
Many years ago when my oldest daughter was about 12 years old I had her assisting me with installing a new muffler on my old farm truck.?ÿ This started out as a lesson on vehicle repair but turned into a lesson about making investments.?ÿ A conversation went like this:
F = me
D = daughter
F-- Why are we working so hard to install this muffler?
D--What??
F- I'm asking why are we putting this muffler on truck.
D--Because you tore up the old one.
F--Why did I tear it up?
D--You were chasing that calf that got out and tore it off going over a steep terrace.
F--Why was I chasing the calf?
D--To get it back where it was supposed to be.
F--Correct.?ÿ But, why did I need to do that?
D--So it would grow up and we could sell it someday.
F--So, why do we have it in the first place?
D-- To sell it for more money than you paid for it.
F--Correct, but how much money will we gain?
D--The money you get for it when it sells less the money you paid to buy it.
F--Almost there.?ÿ We also have to count the money we spend in between the purchase and the sale.?ÿ So all of our feed and mineral and hauling and sale commission money are expenses that we have to subtract from whatever that number is.?ÿ Right?
D--Right.
F--But, now we also have to subtract the cost of this dang muffler, too.?ÿ Right?
D--Right.
F--The time we spend raising that critter is also valuable.?ÿ Would we make more money doing something else with that same amount of time?
D--I don't know.
F--Neither do I right now laying on my back under this truck
I take that as a polite way of stating that certain participants here are experts on BS.
Does that BS stand for Bovine Science?
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