Does anyone call their cows Bossy?

oldgaredneck · #41 03/26/08, 06:44 AM

Grandma called her cow "Sookey". She also loved her laying hens, and gave them all names - I used to get tickled at her when the hen would quit laying - she'd tell it "Ok, Bertha (or whatever the hen's name was), it's time for your 'hot bath'!"....

feelingsheepish · #42 03/26/08, 10:16 AM

An old Scottish farmer used to have a favourite cow named 'Sookey', and would call the cows with "hey boss''. The gaelic term for cows is 'bo' (from latin) so I wonder if gaelic contributed to keeping the term alive after latin faded, or if enough latin was spoke in church that it held on. I'll ask my gaelic teacher if there is any relevant gaelic term that sounds like 'Sookey'.

My sheep are called with a 'sheep, sheep, sheep'. Very apt when I had just the three, but it seems to be as effective on the 12.

sammyd · #43 03/26/08, 10:54 AM

It's such a habit I find myself saying soo boss to the goats when I milk them.

Bret · #44 03/26/08, 02:30 PM

I imitate what I though my dad did. He brobably was yelling "boss" repeatedly and connected like boss...boss....boss. But what I heard and use is Saboss....Saboss. He could project the sound for nearly a mile to the cows if the wind was in his favor.

If I call them they come running. If I just stand and look at them...they come running.

They restore my sanity at the end of each day.

mamahen · #45 03/26/08, 02:54 PM

When I first got into cows - I was learning from my inlaws to be - they called their calves - sah calf sah calf. Then when they were cows- sah cow sah cow, over & over again.

My gramma, I believe, used "here boss, come boss" when helping her girlfriends, growing up.

Maybe it has to do with the area & nationalities? Just guessing...

pookshollow · #46 03/26/08, 03:04 PM

Yep, I remember the farmer next door calling in the cows - "C'boss, c'boss". That was in eastern Ontario - not far from FordMajor.

I always smile at the village bakery - they have a brand of chocolate named Coboss. I believe it's Dutch.

Here's a good regional question for all of you. How do you pronounce "ewe"? I've heard "yew" and I've also heard "yo".

FarmerGreen · #47 03/26/08, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sand Flat Bob

When I was a kid on the farm, Dad always called the cattle to eat by hollering Cu Cow, Cu Cow. Some farmers had a cow calling horn on their pickup. Don't think it makes much difference what you used, as long as the cattle associated that sound with being fed. All animals understand food.

Bob

A church I used to go to was next to a large cow pasture. I always got there early and noticed the cows came over to the gate when I arrived. One day just as I got there the farmer drove up to feed them, and he had the same year and model pickup that I had. I guess when they heard me drive up they thought it was feeding time.

Christiaan · #48 03/26/08, 03:57 PM

To get their attention I yell, " Yo Beth!", the oldest's name. Then its kom baas, Dutch for come boss. I also have a bell I sometimes ring, but they usually ignore it unless I yell first.
To settle them down I say "rustig" which means restful or easy. Never have to call the goats, just yell at them to get out from under foot.

Shagbarkmtcatle · #49 03/26/08, 04:20 PM

.

Here's a good regional question for all of you. How do you pronounce "ewe"? I've heard "yew" and I've also heard "yo".[/QUOTE]

We pronounce it 'yew', below the Mason/Dixon line

ROSEMAMA · #50 03/27/08, 08:28 AM

Wasn't Bossy the Borden cow? (Borden milk)

Bonnie L · #51 03/27/08, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROSEMAMA

Wasn't Bossy the Borden cow? (Borden milk)

Nope. She was Elsie.

mayfair · #52 03/27/08, 04:17 PM

"Come boss" is what we said, too to call our cows when I was growing up. We pronounced it "Boz" though so it sounded like "Com Boz."

Mare Owner · #53 03/27/08, 06:24 PM

My DH will say "here Boss!" to the herd, when calling them over, on occasion. I always wondered where Boss or Bossy came from.

Jennifer L. · #54 03/27/08, 08:47 PM

It's "cuBos!" here, like quite a few of the others on this thread. It is, or was, at least, pretty universal around here. I remember calling the cows one time when they were on the pasture next to the bay. My neighbor's cows were on the other side of the bay about a half a mile away and they started going to their barn while mine were coming to our barn, just because they heard me calling! LOL! Half a mile was about as far as I could call mine. If the wind is right it's easier. My voice isn't as strong as it used to be, though.

Jennifer

Leif · #55 12/31/12, 10:05 AM

I'm Canadian and our cows must talk funny up here. We always said "co-bas" to get our cows to come, or "co-bas bas bas" or if they were really far away "COOOOOOOO-BAS BAS BAS BAS BAS" and yes, the occasional "here bassy". This did not prevent us giving our cattle other names, like "Bigtit Brigit", "Bully Bully Cornbeef" "Sweet Sweet Serloin" etc., but we always used "cobas" to address the lot of them. I remember asking farmers why we had all settled on "co-bas" and none of them had a clue. Who knew it an Eastern Ontario dialect of latin!? And who knew varriations on Come-Boss were so widespread! Moo, eh?

Forerunner · #56 12/31/12, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Renee

Does anyone call their cows “bossy”? (Rhymes with flossy) The standard cow call when I was a girl was “here bossy, here bossy, here bossy! It occurred to me that I never hear cows called Bossy anymore. (Actually I rarely here cows called anything). I had a conversation with a friend today… who also remembered the “here Bossy” thing. I came home and did a google search and found a small article about it. The author wondered the same thing I did. Where did the name Bossy originate? His conclusion was “the genus for cows is Bos taurus... duh! Apparently Bos is the Roman word for cow.” From:
http://iowagarden.blogspot.com/2006/02/here-bossy.html I thought perhaps it was an old German term as my Grandfather was German but I found out that a cow in German is not a Boss or Bossy.

I thought it would be interesting to see how many of you are familiar with Bossy. Perhaps more than I think?

Blessings,
Renee

My dear old Pop always called out family cow "Bossy".

He was raised on a 40 acre subsistence farm in the 40s and 50s.....and dairy (16 or so head) was the farm income.

The name never did set well with me.

I always kinda thought it gave her a superiority complex, and, being the oldest (and a Taurus) I rather wanted to reserve that position for myself....as pertained to the twice daily milking experience.

She was enough of a handful without having to swell her head with endearing terms of nonsensical origin.

Johnny Dolittle · #57 12/31/12, 11:21 AM

Back in the 60's on Grandpap's farm we used Sa Cows to call them in.
My neighbor had a Holstein named Bossie.

My parents were not farmers but from their house you could see five dairy farms. Now those farms are completely void of any livestock.... four of them rented for crop farming and one is crop farmed by the owner who still makes his living farming.

SFM in KY · #58 12/31/12, 11:56 AM

I always remember it as 'ComBoss' at the ranch. We had our milk cows (actually just heavy milking Herefords with a far-back strain of Shorthorn) all named but I don't remember one ever named Boss or Bossy.

Calling the range cows in to the feedground in the winter I remember my Grandfather calling "ComBoss, Boss, Boss" ... and if they were down in the brush or upwind he'd call out "CoooEeeeeeee" ... slightly higher pitched on the "E" and it would carry.

Later, when my Dad fed with the 4 x 4 pickup, he'd honk the horn and they would all come to the feedground ... by that time we didn't have milk cows anymore.

farmmom · #59 12/31/12, 12:04 PM

My folks had a big Jersey/Gurnsey named Bossy. She was a pill to milk! She just loved to kick over the pail, and when I started using a machine, she would step on the tubing and knock the inflations into the bedding and get it all sucked up in the milk. They finally sold her.

Highland · #60 12/31/12, 02:19 PM

I call mine with"come boss"only its drawn out--- bout 3 times.But only in the morning.at night I just turn the silo-unloader on.
The nieghbors use sook soook to bring their beef cows up.Its pertty neat here in the mornings I can hear 3 different nieghbors calling their cows in.