Lucky-C-Acres-Minis
Well-Known Member
The point of the pictures of the cows in good shape was to show that even in top notch condition dairy cattle ARE boney in areas and ribby naturally.. I wasn't comparing the two if you read what I wrote..
IMO
They all look unhealthy and skinny. Some of the adults may be senior cows, but there is no reason for them to be that bony--not ever. I'd bet a buck their feet don't look all that great either.
Hope they get the care they need.
:Kim
I don't mean to be disrespectful - but at least one of those cows look like h*** and the rest aren't in great health, either. I think any farmer would agree. I grew up in Iowa on a hog/cattle farm. I was hands on in raising those animals. I love animals and I don't like the way my father treats his livestock, he sees them as pure business and I've seen him do some things that make me ill - but I can tell you this - not one of his cows looks like that bony old thing in the first picture we were shown. He would have taken her to market long before that, or he would be FEEDING the animal to bring her weight up. Having animals look like that is not only inhumane it's not good business sense.So I guess what I am saying is that we need to tread carefully. Beef/dairy cattle truly are livelihood endeavors. They are not pets and while their care may not meet the standards that some have for their miniature horses, it is quite acceptable care in the context that they tend to be in. That whole thing was a steep learning curve for me when I moved in to cattle country here.[/b]
They cannot survive on that grass at all--especially at less than an acre. The cows i'm feeding have around 7 acres to feed on, and they still need hay. The grass, under snow--or fall grass does not hold enough nutrition to keep them up to a healthy weight. Those cows also look dehydrated, and in need of mineral blocks.
Kim these cows look HUGE from these pictures, btw
Every time I go out to see Melody now, the big black one starts mooing and stareing at me!
Every time I go out to see Melody now, the big black one starts mooing and stareing at me!
These cows here will do that also. If you notice--their heads and constant stare will follow you as you walk the pasture--(no wonder aliens like them,--((kidding)),ha-ha. It is odd, but I guess it's their own way I suppose of telling you they're hungry.
YES they are HUGE! We have only ever had beef cattle. Short stubby little things and we would have them sold or butchered for meat before they got too big, usually within a couple years. The black one is the biggest. Every time I go out to see Melody now, the big black one starts mooing and stareing at me!
Kim these cows look HUGE from these pictures, btw
Sorry but I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOU. There are many people around here with cattle and NOWAY do any look remotely like this. Enough excuses for poor animal management. I don't care if they are cows, rabbits, pigs, etc. THEY NEED TO BE FED and soon. You think that if this is his livelyhood he would know better! No excuses for this kind of crap. Do they have access to water????? This absolutely makes my blood boil. Just because they are cows doesn't mean they should be neglected or that it's okay. I would give this guy no more than 24 hours and I would be calling the authorities to come and make a decision as to what they think.Well I looked at those initial pictures posted last night. This morning after chores I took a drive by a couple of neighborhood dairy farms to confirm my initial reactions of last night. I saw absolutely no animals that looked anything like the show animals posted but that doesn't surprise me. I also noted that while some animals appeared to be in better shape than those pictured, the majority were not that different. Most also seemed intent on grazing whatever brown grass is sticking up from the snow rather than the nice green bales in the feeders. I know that because these are dairy farms, government regulations require frequent herd health examinations and documentation of those results be submitted to the appropriate government agencies. Thus my own conclusion is that those animals pictured are not in any danger of fading away anytime soon. I know with beef cattle you will sometimes see a wide range of body condition in a herd even under the most ideal conditions for feed etc; Very good friends of mine own a beef operation and within their herd there are some cows that consistently get thin when pregnant or have a calf at their side. As for the grazing issue, there still appears to be some there from what I can see in the pictures. Cattle here graze on that and less until it is all completely covered in snow. Also it is common practice for cattle to be put in to fields that have been harvested of a crop. You might just see some stubble sticking out of the ground but it is acceptable feed and a herd can clear that field if the snow stays away long enough. There is a herd that grazes a field just 20 feet from deck every fall. I know this year I treated them daily to a little second cut hay I had in storage from last year. It's just too rich for my horses. Some ate it, some didn't. I did manage to whittle down the supply of it though but there is plenty left to treat those who are interested next fall.
So I guess what I am saying is that we need to tread carefully. Beef/dairy cattle truly are livelihood endeavors. They are not pets and while their care may not meet the standards that some have for their miniature horses, it is quite acceptable care in the context that they tend to be in. That whole thing was a steep learning curve for me when I moved in to cattle country here.
Sorry but I TOTALLY DISAGREE WITH YOU. There are many people around here with cattle and NOWAY do any look remotely like this. Enough excuses for poor animal management. I don't care if they are cows, rabbits, pigs, etc. THEY NEED TO BE FED and soon. You think that if this is his livelyhood he would know better! No excuses for this kind of crap. Do they have access to water????? This absolutely makes my blood boil. Just because they are cows doesn't mean they should be neglected or that it's okay. I would give this guy no more than 24 hours and I would be calling the authorities to come and make a decision as to what they think.Well I looked at those initial pictures posted last night. This morning after chores I took a drive by a couple of neighborhood dairy farms to confirm my initial reactions of last night. I saw absolutely no animals that looked anything like the show animals posted but that doesn't surprise me. I also noted that while some animals appeared to be in better shape than those pictured, the majority were not that different. Most also seemed intent on grazing whatever brown grass is sticking up from the snow rather than the nice green bales in the feeders. I know that because these are dairy farms, government regulations require frequent herd health examinations and documentation of those results be submitted to the appropriate government agencies. Thus my own conclusion is that those animals pictured are not in any danger of fading away anytime soon. I know with beef cattle you will sometimes see a wide range of body condition in a herd even under the most ideal conditions for feed etc; Very good friends of mine own a beef operation and within their herd there are some cows that consistently get thin when pregnant or have a calf at their side. As for the grazing issue, there still appears to be some there from what I can see in the pictures. Cattle here graze on that and less until it is all completely covered in snow. Also it is common practice for cattle to be put in to fields that have been harvested of a crop. You might just see some stubble sticking out of the ground but it is acceptable feed and a herd can clear that field if the snow stays away long enough. There is a herd that grazes a field just 20 feet from deck every fall. I know this year I treated them daily to a little second cut hay I had in storage from last year. It's just too rich for my horses. Some ate it, some didn't. I did manage to whittle down the supply of it though but there is plenty left to treat those who are interested next fall.
So I guess what I am saying is that we need to tread carefully. Beef/dairy cattle truly are livelihood endeavors. They are not pets and while their care may not meet the standards that some have for their miniature horses, it is quite acceptable care in the context that they tend to be in. That whole thing was a steep learning curve for me when I moved in to cattle country here.
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/beef/as1026w.htm
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