Cow Chips: Eating Habits

As the cows started to come in and we started feeding them I began to observe their eating habits, more specifically, the different eating habits of cows compared to the calves we had weaned. The two groups are very different in the way that they react to being fed. I would purposely tease the cows as I fed them once I recognized the difference because their reaction amuses me. In fact, it was the stories about feeding the cows that started me on writing this book. My family thought what I was telling them was hilarious and wanted me to write it in a book.

When we feed the cows we bring bales of hay over by the manger and break them open on the outside where the cows cannot reach them. This makes it easier to distribute the hay evenly along the manger. The cows and calves will both come to the point where we break the bale open and start sticking their heads through the manger; the cows will also start fighting for position, the calves are more patient in this respect. I normally start feeding away from where the bale is broken open and work towards where it is at. When I throw the first forkful of hay the most aggressive cows will go to where it lands in the manger. This is where you start to see the dominate cows, the ones who are more aggressive. They will go to where that first forkful of hay lands and fight to get at it. They will head butt each other in the side and push the other cows out of the way. The more aggressive cows will do this all the way down the manger as I feed. The amusing part to me is that the aggressive cows seem to spend so much time trying to chase the other cows away from the hay that in the end they get less hay than the more patient cows. I found that I can lead them with the hay, if I take a forkful and walk up the manger they will follow, if I throw it in the other direction they will change course and go to it. If I put the first hay in front of one of the “shy” cows the more aggressive ones will chase them away from it. For the most part once the hay is fed and the manger is full this settles down, but there seems to be at least one cow in each bunch that will run all over the place chasing other cows away from the food until it is gone. The cows that do this actually end up with less hay than if they would just stay in one place.

The calves react differently, they will crowd in as close as they can get to where the bale is broken open, and will stay there even when I start feeding down the manger from the spot. Sometimes I think that they would starve to death if I did not feed any hay in the spot where I broke the bale open. At first the calves did not fight each other much. The longer that they are separated from their mothers, the more they divide into dominate and shy personality types. They still have not reached the aggressiveness of the older cows, and probably will not until they get out in the open range where feed is not as plentiful.

I see some of the same personality traits in people that I see in the cows. There are people who are aggressive in going after what they want, running from one thing to the next, people who are never satisfied with what they have, always wanting more. There are those who always want what someone else has. There are people who seem to be more patient, who are satisfied with what they have, or get so focused on one thing that they do not see the opportunities around them. There are also those who let others push them around. I have spent a lot of time this fall trying to figure out what type of person I am. So far, I am stumped, I have at times been most of these personalities, some more than others.