working at the cow wash whoa whoa whoa...

Annabelle came in with her do looking like the kid from the big boy resterants this morning, guess Norman was cleaning her up this morning...

Oh my gosh! Too stinking cute!

You would never catch me in the calf barn bottle feeding in my flip-flops, thats for sure!

Norman and you are a special match.

I wonder if you did the math how much he would cost per pound after all these years.
Just kidding. He is your pet and I get that.

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Cows may not be smarter than People, but some cows are smarter than some people.

Know that you are not alone in keeping a steer for years, just because you like them. Or a cow, for the enjoyment of seeing her out in the field.

Husband is a Farrier, has had a couple cattle customers over the years.

Sparky died of old age a couple years back, was Grand Champion Steer at his 4-H Fair that year. The kid's father had to buy him back as the 10yr old had a meltdown in the ring. Somehow she had MISSED the fact that winning meant selling the steer for beef. He paid a LOT as everyone ran him up, but the kid quit crying when all was done. Husband said that Sparky was the easiest thing to trim at their farm, held is feet up and no arguing over all those years. Better to trim than their horses!

The current cow customer has a HUGE Jersey cow, over 15 hands and registered. I never heard of one that big. She is the pet of the husband who really likes her and is willing to work with her to make her gentle. Cow is always well groomed.

Husband got a special call to come, cow was lame. He got there and checked her out. He told them she was foundering from too much rich food and being obese. This cow is not kept bred, not milked, just a pet. They got her on a sand bedded stall to ease her feet. Then when she quit being lame the husband started walking her for exercise, changed her diet. Husband was out recently and said the cow has lost quite a bit of the fat, turning it to muscle with the exercise and being dry lotted part of the day. This is an older cow, but she seems to be enjoying the change of routine, going for walks with the husband. His wife said her husband has also lost weight and needed new clothes with walking the cow! She has horses and had to talk fast for my husband to agree to trim the cow. They said cow was VERY well trained and easy to trim. They were right, again the cow is easier to work with than the horses!

I like hearing the cow stories, so he always tells me after he visits and gets her trimmed. He likes her too I think, says she licks him. Cows are funny.

goodhors, your entire post is useless without pictures.

Anyone who has handled cattle for long knows that they are individuals with plenty of personality.

Getting licked by a cow is something special to a lot of us here.
Heck, I had to ask farmergirl6 for pics of Norman when she first joined us here because I have never seen a Jersey steer that age, IRL.
It is NOT common where I am at.

From the point of view of farmers (who by definition need to try and make a profit) it is curious to consider keeping cattle as 'pets'.
That doesn't mean they dont understand it, just that is not very practical.

There is room for everyone though, in this forum.

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Cows may not be smarter than People, but some cows are smarter than some people.

love hearing about Norman!

and for the hot tubs, different species but similar funny story.

We were growing out two hogs at the back of our large 'fringe of the suburbs' yard (runs up to cornfields on 2 sides) this winter. No water lines out there so I'd haul a bucket of water from the house, for the pigs, 2-3 times a day. Started hauling hot water since it would, in theory, take longer to freeze up. Kept wondering what the heck the pigs were doing drinking so much water!

And then I saw them in action - they were using their water bowl as a hot tub. Ahh! nothing like laying in your water bowl filled with hot water when it was below zero. Those pigs smiled, no doubt about it. And so did I. lol.

So how old is Norman?

yeah, the flops are a bad habit to break, I have very very bad feet (scratch that, I am very sound considering my age, but was born with very bad feet for wearing shoes because of size differences, completely flat, fused toes and other major nerve wiring issues, I can get savage foot spasms from all types of shoes) so shoes are quite uncomfortable for me most of the time, but broken toes are worse I agree! I've a couple pairs of boots I wear normally that are tolerable, paddock boots are okaye - in that pic, we had not been able to get him to take a bottle since we got him home, was very worried, hubby dragged me to a friends pool party who was an old farm girl, she told me the "dip the fingers in the milk", then in his mouth" trick, abandoned poor hubby, rushed home, grabbed a bottle and tried it without changing at the house, he never looked back

lets see, he turns ten this year I believe....and he is just a pet, he had admittedly cost me an arm and leg over the years, but is an easier keeper than my horses, for sure hard to calculate, I feed a round bale I replace two and a half times per mnth, it is shared by three animals, one is a mini tho, so lets say he eats about 40% of the bale, at $75.00 a bale that is about $75.00 a month in hay. He gets safe choice pellets once a day with the crew, so hmmmm about a pound a day, a bag a month roughly at $26.00 per bag, not sure how to figure salt blocks and water, so probably $110 per month, less of course when he was under two years...not sure what he weighs tho...

oh so funny! my daughters horse loves to empty the water tank in the summer splashing it all over himself, could just kill him

he turns ten this year, I believe...

75 a bale of hay--yikes. We paid 35 each.

Nice to meet Norman! As for accessories, you can get discarded street sweepers free from you local road maintenence dept. Lotsa cattle folks use em, the goats love theirs.

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Bob and Nancy Dickey
Laughing Stock Boer Goats
"Seriously Great Bloodlines"
and the meat goes on....
Near Seattle

so funny, Norman used to pick up his feet but now he is so huge it is hard, so I just grab the clippers when he is down chewing a cud and have a go...I could stand to lose more than a few pounds, need to get into cow walking last year we were having the porch and roof redone, and went to the store to buy supplies, when I got back my daughters horse had let everyone out and they were running about the place, one brave fellow followed me out to "help" when I called to Norman, that big head with the ring came up and he came running joyfully towards me, the brave fellow behind me couldn't take it when he thundered to about twenty feet away and shrieked and ran, I put up my hand and said "Norman stop" and he cheerfully stopped two feet in front of me (in full disclosure, I was right by the fence and ready to slip through into the pasture if he couldn't stop). I overheard the guy telling the story to his friends, so funny "I have never seen anything like that he marveled...sooo funny....

yeah I know, it is barn stored and the guy delivers it and keeps enough bales back for me each year...cause it is horse feed also am picky and love this guys hay, although was I not such a creature of habit could find just as nice hay for much less