Ever since I was a little girl I have adored all animals, especially cows. With their beautiful, brown eyes and soft faces I could never resist them. Although I grew up in the city, in my heart, I was always a country girl. Seeing animals serenely munching grass in open fields was a sharp contrast to the business and noise of the dirty city. What I didn't realize is that every animal on a farm must have a purpose. Cows on farms are not typically kept as pets. They are usually kept for breeding, milk or meat. I also learned that when cows are young they are called heifers. A heifer is a young cow (a female) typically three to five years of age. A cow that has had a calf is commonly called a "first-calf heifer." A bull is sometimes called a bullock. However, most refer to such an animal as simply a young bull. He could be called a bull calf before he is weaned or a yearling bull if he is about a year old (more or less). A castrated bull is called a steer.
My sister wants to breed dairy goats, so it doesn't make sense to have a dairy cow. I will raise cattle for beef. People have asked me if it will be difficult for me to send an animal I have nurtured from a calf to the butcher. My answer is, "Yes it will be very hard, but that's life!"
And that's the view from here. Check back soon for more facts about these divine bovine! :D
I'm quite a bit older than you, but thought I'd share my cow experiences. When I was ages 16 through 18 I worked for a neighbor's dairy operation. I was primarily hired to milk cows, but also did lots of add jobs around the farm.... picking stones, replacing salt blocks, moving herds from one place to the other, treating for pink-eye, castrating calves, de-horning; the list was endless. We milked about 350 cows, twice a day. The first milking started at 4am, the second at 3pm. My favorite job was when a group of us would ride horses along the fence line on a nice summer day and look for stray cows, or cows that were giving birth and in trouble, or fences that needed repairing. I've also been crushed between a cow and the wall, kicked and pooped on more times than I can count. But I loved that job! Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanna, we are a homeschooling family in NZ who run some steers on our lifestyle block. We send most off to the works but do keep a "freeze cow" for us every so often. If you are after any tips or advice, please don't hesitate to ask. We can tell you some stories, some bovines are not as sweet and docile as they look. Just this morning we were out trying to re-catch one that had jumped the electric fence again (he's the one I have earmarked for the freezer ... lol!). Well done on your writing, it was very interesting.
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