cypressfarms
Well-known member
First off, welcome to the CT boards! Always glad to have new cattlmen/women and even more glad to have them join the CT family. I thought it prudent to write a thread directed towards new members so that they could jump in running and avoid the pitfalls that some fall into.
It is normal for someone to create a thread asking about 'ol Belle the cow that has just gone down, and they now don't know what to do. Out of courtesy, though, it is always best to first search for the answer your looking for. There are thousands of threads on CT that can be searched that will provide valuable help. Searching on the internet can also yield very good results - many Universities have archived extremely helpful information for cattlemen.
If your reason for posting is urgent, as in you have a serious problem and you feel the cow/calf may be at risk of death: call a vet first! With a serious emergency, you don't want to wait for people to possibly answer your question sometime in the future.
Do your research. If your thinking of diving into the cattle (business), read up on as many things as you can; many Agricultural Universities even offer "Master Cattlemen" classes at a very minimal expense. Although cattle can be very hearty animals, they do require certain specialized care (nothing that is brain surgery) - and without that you may have future problems. If you go out and buy a herd of cattle and wait for them to start calving before you research their needs, you are asking for problems.
When posting a question put as much information as you can. How long ago did 'ol Belle go down? How old is she? Is she pregnant? Is she still eating? Does she have free choice minerals? Have you tried anything to treat her yourself yet, if so what? When posting a thread, the more info the better. It helps CT members who may reply to you give better answers. An answer to you question can only be as good as the information that you provide. Don't worry about asking "stupid" questions; everyone of the cattlemen/women in this country started out knowing nothing about cattle. However, buying a herd of cattle without first preparing for their needs is irresponsible. Although we all run into problems that may be new to us, basic preparation in cattle needs is a necessity. Especially in the humane conscious world we live in today, the cattle industry does not need any bad publicity resulting from cruel/inhumane treatment.
There are many members on CT from all over the world, and they are extremely knowledgable. For the most part, everyone on the board is very friendly - but being real people, everyone has a different personality. This personality will come to you if you spend enough time on the boards. Many members specialize in a specific breed of cattle and are a living "book of knowledge" of that breed. Many more are "commercial" cattlemen and have experience across the board. Your ability to learn from these people is only limited by your ability to learn from these people.
For everyone to have the same opinion is rare, but there is something to be learned from everyone.
If you do post a thread and receive replies, it always helps (and is just plain courteous) to thank those that tried to help. It can be aggravating for members to go out of their way to help a new member, only to have that new member disappear and not come back. There are members here who will spend their valuable time researching for brand new members and post very well informed answers with pictures and descriptions. This deserves at least a simple "thank you".
"In closing I just wanted to add that when several members suggest that the cow or calf needs to be put down we are not doing it out of cruelness and cold heartedness we are saying it because the animal is suffering and needs to be releived of its pain. Animals are not people and there comes a point that they just need you to save them from suffering and yes it bothers us all to lose or have to put down an animal but that is our responsibility to the animal as owners of them" (Courtesy of Angus Cowman)
Again, welcome to CT, and may you find this forum as helpful and fun as I have!
It is normal for someone to create a thread asking about 'ol Belle the cow that has just gone down, and they now don't know what to do. Out of courtesy, though, it is always best to first search for the answer your looking for. There are thousands of threads on CT that can be searched that will provide valuable help. Searching on the internet can also yield very good results - many Universities have archived extremely helpful information for cattlemen.
If your reason for posting is urgent, as in you have a serious problem and you feel the cow/calf may be at risk of death: call a vet first! With a serious emergency, you don't want to wait for people to possibly answer your question sometime in the future.
Do your research. If your thinking of diving into the cattle (business), read up on as many things as you can; many Agricultural Universities even offer "Master Cattlemen" classes at a very minimal expense. Although cattle can be very hearty animals, they do require certain specialized care (nothing that is brain surgery) - and without that you may have future problems. If you go out and buy a herd of cattle and wait for them to start calving before you research their needs, you are asking for problems.
When posting a question put as much information as you can. How long ago did 'ol Belle go down? How old is she? Is she pregnant? Is she still eating? Does she have free choice minerals? Have you tried anything to treat her yourself yet, if so what? When posting a thread, the more info the better. It helps CT members who may reply to you give better answers. An answer to you question can only be as good as the information that you provide. Don't worry about asking "stupid" questions; everyone of the cattlemen/women in this country started out knowing nothing about cattle. However, buying a herd of cattle without first preparing for their needs is irresponsible. Although we all run into problems that may be new to us, basic preparation in cattle needs is a necessity. Especially in the humane conscious world we live in today, the cattle industry does not need any bad publicity resulting from cruel/inhumane treatment.
There are many members on CT from all over the world, and they are extremely knowledgable. For the most part, everyone on the board is very friendly - but being real people, everyone has a different personality. This personality will come to you if you spend enough time on the boards. Many members specialize in a specific breed of cattle and are a living "book of knowledge" of that breed. Many more are "commercial" cattlemen and have experience across the board. Your ability to learn from these people is only limited by your ability to learn from these people.
For everyone to have the same opinion is rare, but there is something to be learned from everyone.If you do post a thread and receive replies, it always helps (and is just plain courteous) to thank those that tried to help. It can be aggravating for members to go out of their way to help a new member, only to have that new member disappear and not come back. There are members here who will spend their valuable time researching for brand new members and post very well informed answers with pictures and descriptions. This deserves at least a simple "thank you".
"In closing I just wanted to add that when several members suggest that the cow or calf needs to be put down we are not doing it out of cruelness and cold heartedness we are saying it because the animal is suffering and needs to be releived of its pain. Animals are not people and there comes a point that they just need you to save them from suffering and yes it bothers us all to lose or have to put down an animal but that is our responsibility to the animal as owners of them" (Courtesy of Angus Cowman)
Again, welcome to CT, and may you find this forum as helpful and fun as I have!
