Me and the Cow

I think among most of my friends it is not a secret that I like cows. I grew up with them, often spent some time on the field with them, and learned how to treat them. Through the years learned how to handle more than 20 cows that had to walk almost 1 kilometer twice a day during the summer to get to and fro the field. So why do I like them so much? I like them because of their friendly behaviour, their soft fur and most importantly their view of life! Cows are normally very relaxed, which again makes you relaxed. If you see a cow lying in the field, chewing on some grass, you will know what I mean. You can clearly see it, in their eyes, and their posure, the true meaning of happiness. Unless it is raining! Cows don’t smell bad either, and they are not noisy. On the farm where I come from, some heifers (young female cows) were very nervous when humans approached, but after some time I tamed them and then they become very friendly, to everyone. They trusted me and always recognized me, even when they became cows. Of course there are exceptions, but I think as it also is with humans, cows are individual beings and are affected by personality as by how they have been raised. 

That was my main story, but no post can be without facts, so here are some useful facts about the cows, and the relationship between cows and humans, and some other details.

First, cow tipping:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cow tipping, often considered an urban legend, is a pastime allegedly common in rural areas in which participants sneak up on an upright sleeping cow and then push it over for amusement. There are factors which make the possibility unlikely at most; one such factor being that cows (as with most herd-prey animals) only take irregular naps throughout the day, often surrounded by awake members of the herd, making them almost impossible to sneak up on.                      

Basing on the cow’s weight and body structure, calculations of the necessary force show that the tipping by pushing is physically impossible for a single person.[1] Studies have shown that it would require four or five people, and it is unlikely that a group of that size could sneak up on a sleeping cow.[2] The amount of force and feasibility of tipping would also be highly dependent upon the stance of cow at the moment. However cow tipping may work not through physical force, but rather the cow being startled into losing balance itself. Adding to this problem is the fact that cattle, unlike horses, do not sleep while standing.

So we don’t need to try that. Remember, some cows may be hostile to strangers! Now, something less threatening, namely cow comfort:

Cow Comfort
Mary Beth de Ondarza, Ph.D
Cows that are comfortable will have less stress, eat more, have less health problems, and be injured less.

*Good cow comfort makes milk.
*Cows should be eating, drinking, milking, or laying down.
*If stall comfort is a problem, cows stand more. This could increase laminitis.
*Cows should get up in stalls as they would out on a pasture and with the same comfort.
*Bedding is needed to facilitate cow movement and maintain cleanliness. 
* Cows should eat comfortably.
*Overcrowding and slippery floors cause slug feeding.
*Cows need to be psychologically comfortable and unstressed.  

Now we know how to treat them. Let’s see about the cow itself:

Definitions:

Cow – a mature female of a bovine family
Cattle – the whole “cow” family
Heifer – kind of like a cow, but not a true cow yet, and won’t actually be a cow, won’t begin to have her birthdays recorded or even be taken seriously as a cow, until she has given birth to her first calf.
Bull – an adult male bovine animal
Steer – young ox, especially one castrated before maturity and raised for beef
Ox – an adult castrated bull

 

Cows are referred to as the foster mothers of the human race because they produce most of the milk that people drink. Cows are milked for an average of 3-4 years. A cow must have a calf in order to produce milk.Calves are fed milk until they are 8-9 weeks old.The average cow is 2 years old when she has her first calf. Calves are fed milk until they are 8-9 weeks old. Dairy cows provide 90% of the world’s milk supply.The best cows give 400 glasses of milk a day. Contrary to popular belief, cows do not have 4 stomachs; they have 4 digestive compartments. Cows drink about a bathtub full of water and eat around 40 pounds of food a day. Cows have 32 teeth.

A cow doesn’t bite the grass that feeds her, she curls her tongue around it. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs, because a cow’s knees cannot bend properly to walk back down. Cattle can perceive higher and fainter noises than humans can, and they can smell scents that are up to six miles away (if the wind is right). Old wives’ tales claim cows can forecast the weather. “When a cow tries to scratch her ear, it means a shower is very near. When she thumps her ribs with her tail, look out for thunder, lightning and hail.” But when a cow sticks her tongue up her nose, who knows?