:)Hey

Hey guys,

I'm Loren and I joined because honestly, I don't know a lot about cows.
The story goes, I'm living on my partners parents property in a cottage and they had two cows, a two year old and a 7 month old, I practically turned the calf into a pet (great idea!) then found out they had them booked in to the home kill in a couple weeks, because the big paddock isn't fenced (creek runs along boundary) and they get out if there's less than two.

So, I bought him, and I've since wormed him and he is now getting two feeds a day of calf pellets and sugarbeet (for fiber)

so yeah, I bought a pet cow, I know a bit about horses but I'm basically learning as I go

so I'm pretty happy I found this site hah.

so here he is

Welcome LittleMoo, and your new bovine friend. You will get lots of words of warning, and advice on here! Best you ask the questions first!

He looks like a Jersey Fresian cross bred, so not likely to get hugely beefy. Just be wary of those horns, although they look as though they have attempted dehorning, they could still cause a nasty bruise if he bunts you.

Teach him to respect you when you feed him right from the start. Don't feed him out of your hand, or holding a bucket, tip the food into his own trough-otherwise he will get pushy and walk all over you-and the children, if you appear with a tit bit for him. Don't be afraid to smack him on the nose if he starts shaking his head or giving you a 'friendly' bunt. It is not a good feeling to be bunted when they are 500kgs or more!
It is a natural behaviour and they do it to each other, but you have to be the dominant one that does the bunting!!!

yeah at the moment he gets fed the likes of carrots, apples and bread by hand but I'm very firm with him and his manners, when he gets his feeds they're in his bucket and he's left to it. I have been around to many bolshy horses to let him get the better of me.

I was guessing he was a dairy type cow, he's quite runty but is just starting to pick up now.

before
heres a couple picks to show him before and after I purchased him, I reckon he's looking a bit better, although it's hard to see under all that fluff!



Now

welcome to the forum

I have a question... has he been castrated?...if not get it done asap

I would suggest feeding him hay or cattle feeds rather than "horse treats" that will most likly upset the balance in his gut & hinder the weight gain rate

Hi LM, was someone really going to homekill that little animal?

They sure were Ruth! He was skinny and wormy but is looking a picture now
Yes he is indeed a steer, although I'm still not a fan of the badly done horns which are slowly coming back.
I have fenced the main paddock and after a grand total of one shock he now stays behind tape, I know he may seem like a waste of money to most but I'm not currently in the position to have a horse so he's my wee distraction.
He definitively has enough character to be a pony!

(tongue in cheek) Lesson 1 - Cows give milk - bulls don't - your cow is a bull lol

jimminette;459556 wrote: (tongue in cheek) Lesson 1 - Cows give milk - bulls don't - your cow is a bull lol

I think its referred to as a cow due too it being big, black and white and goes moo

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Aquila;459560 wrote: I think its referred to as a cow due too it being big, black and white and goes moo

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Really? My dairy farming rellies would mock anyone who called a steer or a bull a cow.
"A cow has an udder. No udder, then it has anudder name."

Really. Some people call all cattle cows as thats what they've been taught and most of them would be townies.......

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Not to fussed on me calling him a cow or a steer, I'm sure you guys are all clever enough to figure out what I mean

Bovines are a special case when it comes to the singular or collective.
We say one sheep / some sheep, one pig / some pigs, but we can't say one cattle / some cattle as one cattle makes no sense.

Exactly. Anyhow, due to boredom I have just started teaching him things, first up is me holding a bucket of feed, he doesn't get a single pellet until he stands quietly (as in not in my face or pushy at all) quick learner, started on back up also, he's getting that pretty quick too.
This also includes a good mocking from my partner, he can't see why I'm doing it, but hey why not.

You do it because its easier to teach one and have any new stock learn than teaching a whole mob of cattle while they all push for the feed bucket. Get him used too having his feet handled so you can inspect them more easily. Get him used to standing quietly while you read his Nait tag...... All those sorts of things will come in handy in the future and save you having too yard him

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Doesn't help when I go to show said partner him backing up (perfectly on command now ) he starts freaking moo out, including clapping, kicking a soccer ball to him a few times and general freaky to cow type things. And then claims the only reason he likes me and is scared of him is because I feed him. It's all a joke because its a cow not a horse, so annoyed.
To me that's not the point, if its a cow/horse/pig/sheep it doesn't matter here's no need to freak him out.