Too dumb to eat?

[Alan]

Before I start, I know the thing to do with this cow is to ship her and I will soon. But I have a question about her "personality type".

I have a four year old cow, which I bought as a weanling, she has produce a calf for my each year for me. When I have grass she keeps her weight just fine, she is low cow in the pecking order. Each winter I had her, I had to make special "arrangements" to feed her because she won't get in there a compete for feed.

This is the last straw, I'm going to ship her. Last summer I built a nice shed roof off the back of the barn and put in a 40 ft. feed bin with a feeder panel (head stalls) the length of it. Plenty of room for the 11 adult head I have. This cow will back off or not even approach if any other cow turns and even looks at her, they don't even have to push her off. She will go to hips and ribs if I don't help her.

Finally my question, are there cows dumb enough to starve themselve to death rather than move around for an open spot to eat? My small yearling hiefer will even get in there a battle for feed, but not this soon to be hamburger. Would she die if I didn't help her?

Thanks,
Alan

 

[Chuck]

I don't know how hungry you let her get before you feed her by herself,but if she really is that timid and doesn't have any forage available then I would say yes she could starve. Or freeze to death. If she won't compete when she gets hungry enough,then being weak from no feed will make her even less able to get her share,especially in cold weather.

 

[Kelly]

I have two that won't compete with the others. One that used to be the boss cow now has to be only looked at by one I got a year ago. We need to have seperate stations for feeding hay & grain just so she will eat The other one I have is a newer one( last year) & she will stand back & watch as the others are eating grain. She very seldom even takes a bite of grain but eats hay fine. I have another cow I have a hard time keeping fat on & she eats everything & pushes the others out of her way! Chances are she has gotten pushed around quite a bit from the others. Is there a way you can put another feeding station so she doesn't feel like she is getting trapped in? Or where she can't get pushed around as much?

 

[Craig-TX]

Cattle are like people, some so mean they will fight for the sake of fighting and some so timid they will avoid confrontation at all costs – even to themselves. Like people, most fall somewhere in between the extremes. I agree with you Alan, you should sell her. Any cow that consistently needs special attention is not worth it in my book.

We have a cow on one place that is just the opposite. She's a great cow and raises a great calf. I don't know how she stays in such good shape through the winter because when we're caking she is such an idiot that she will run all around and butt any cow she sees with a bite of cake in her mouth. She hardly eats any herself because she's so worried about making sure nobody else gets any. Of course they all do because she can only be in one place at a time. Still, I'm ready to sell her just because she gets on my nerves so much.

Craig-TX

 

[sidney411]

I have the same thing happen every time I introduce heifers into the herd. They get pushed away from the feed, hay, what ever I put out. Then after a while they start pushing back. Everyone settles down into their place in the herd and all is well. I have one little girl, the smallest heifer from last year, that still can't get into the feed. She is just to small to push the big girls around. She has stopped trying. When I feed cubes she will wait around untill everyone else has left and tries to find any cubes left behind. I have tried putting out a pile and standing over her while she eats it and shooing the other cows away but they just butt her in the behind and I can't keep them away from her. She will have to make it on her own from now on.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Are you a babysitter or a cattleman, anything that needs that much attention needs to be hamburger.

 

[Rookie]

Are you a babysitter or a cattleman, anything that needs that much attention needs to be hamburger.

I fully agree with Burno here. I would grain her for a month or so and put her right straight into the old deepfreeze.

george

 

[la4angus]

Finally my question, are there cows dumb enough to starve themselve to death rather than move around for an open spot to eat?

Thanks,
Alan

Yup. Sounds like you got one. :lol:
Why you kept her this long has me puzzled. :lol: :lol:

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Finally my question, are there cows dumb enough to starve themselve to death rather than move around for an open spot to eat?

Thanks,
Alan

Yup. Sounds like you got one. :lol:
Why you kept her this long has me puzzled. :lol: :lol:

Don't think being afraid to eat is indication of a dumb (aka mentally retarded) animal. Probably more due to fear of being clobbered (aka passive, submissive, (or) having been seriously clobbered in the past). IF this is the case with this animal, then it MIGHT be a genetic trait that expresses itself as a passive animal--in this instance, the sale barn or freezer would probably be the right solution. Wouldn't want to pass on any genes for a trait like this. On the other hand, it is also possible that the "herd" she is with is a very dominant herd; as such, she might do better with a more "average" herd. Who knows...anyone's guess...life goes on.

:cboy:

 

[TheBullLady]

I guess I'm a little different from ya'll.. if I have a timid cow that has a great calf every year, I don't mind giving her special treatment. It's not easy to find a cow that will have an exceptional calf as opposed to an average one.

 

[Alan]

I never thought she was "too dumb" to eat, I'm sure it's a timid thing. She may have got pounded in the past. When I posted this I was in a little of a "why do I put up with you" mood. The answer to that is because for the past for years I've had much more land than cattle. That is starting to change. In the past I had plenty of room to seperate her and give her the TLC she needed. But now it's time to ship her. I would guess alot of us small hobby outfits don't mind giving the higher maintanence cow the extra help, until it gets too much. I'm not in it for the money, not enough cattle or land or time or money or energy or knowledge or...

Alan