Even back when Jim's dad was farming, the nicest cow in the barn was named Mary. She wasn't necessarily the heaviest milker, but definitely had the best personality. Our last Mary hung around until she was eleven years old, and that was a few years ago. There haven't been any stand out personalities until this past week when #399 freshened! She's a beautiful two year old...first calf heifer...and it took only a few days until the name Mary started coming up in conversations.
She hasn't lifted a foot yet while being prepped or while being milked...
Here's to a happy heifer!
What a pretty cow is your Mary! I can well understand the appreciation for a milk cow of sweet nature (having helped out in a relatives dairy many times as a young girl).
ReplyDeleteWe are newly come to cows of our own, specifically mini Herefords, & are trying so hard to gentle a pair of gals born this past April. One of them was supplemented with pail feedings, so we thought she'd be sweeter than what she is, but we can only really just touch her head (UNLESS her face is buried in the feed & then anywhere is fine but as soon as the feed is gone so is she). The other will not allow touching at all, stays just out of reach & will even move away from the feed to avoid us. We have maintained a quiet & calm approach to these animals, but they are not much more friendly than the day they arrived here 3 months ago. It is disappointing & a little disheartening too.
Can you possibly offer some pointers on how to go about better taming these beasts? Perhaps you could make a blog post about it, if you have time & inspiration one day.
I'm sorry your cows aren't more tame! I wish I had some great revelation for you...but I think it has a lot to do with how much human interaction they have as young calves. Unless they are treated like a very special pet as a newborn, it might be pretty difficult to get them to be overly tame. Even our cows that have a lot of human contact as calves aren't overly "tame"...don't like being patted on their heads, etc. Mary is extremely cooperative in the barn and while being milked, but I'm not sure how she would react to me trying to pet her when she's out of her stall. I think it's a cow's nature to be rather suspicious and wary of people (or anything else at all unusual). I'm sorry I'm not more help! Good idea for a post someday!
DeleteMary is a beautiful cow. I hope she lives up to the other Mary. I have cows like that and one in particular that stands out from the rest, is # 391. There are so many things I remember about her when she was a calf. I even remember which pen she was in because of her constant bawling before she got her milk.
ReplyDeleteShe would bawl for about 15 minutes after she was fed. She loved having her head hugged. Now she's a very large cow and she still go through the milking parlor first and then she comes down my end of the barn and holds her head over the gate to greet me. She still don't mind a little hug but she is aggressive toward the other cows, a bit bossy. It's always "Me first"
I have one calf who never wants to be touched but most of the others are eager for a hug.
It's easier to tame calves in small pens than in larger pens. I find that the earlier contact with humans after birth, the tamer they are.
Happy New Year
Hugs, Julia
What a nice story. Its nice you have a Mary again. My milk cow was named Susie. She never kicked in her life I don't think. She put up with me anyway. Lovely cow.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try posting again..love your message about Mary and so glad she is the happy cow with the milk and the milking. She is so beautiful, inside and outside...Blessings to all Merri( she must be my sister) ha ha
ReplyDeleteNice to meet Mary. : )
ReplyDeleteThere is always that cow. It was nice to meet Mary. Hope she lives a long life. Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy new year.
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