Thursday, February 23, 2012

Screaming Cows






















We live in cattle country. Everyone on this large ranch (couple thousand acres?) is expected to fence in their acreage and cowgirl up-well...we don't have the $ to do this at this point and sooooo we are homesteading with free ranging cows until May. They get released in December to graze, and breed in March, then they leave come May.  This year we are in drought right now and these poor cows are in rough shape..ribs and haunches sticking out. Breaks my heart to see the Mama's with babies so undernourshed. They should be supplemented with hay brought in every few days until the grass is under way. What kind of people are these any way? I do not understand ranchers and the cattle/meat industry in the least, and this is just wrong. When animals become business that's where compassion is lost.

So.... we've got one out of three hearding dogs that have the instinct to move the cows out of our area. Out two bearded collies come from show people stock and max the shepherd is all about sticks, but they are catching on.... They keep bringing the cows back to our area because we have a pond and our grass is a bit higher as we are on higher ground. With the new cows screaming all night long-well, they are actually mooing very loudly, but in the middle of the night it sounds like screaming to me-plus I can hear them chomping and eating and I'm worried they are all over my gardens and newly landscaped projects. Being the light sleeper that I am, I got little sleep last night and I'm a bit cranky. The good news is I was able to maneuver a large group of the cows back down the road and over near the neighbors that  invited the ranchers up our hill.. They have a pond too and I'm sure our grass is not any longer or sweeter! If the dogs don't catch on soon, I'll be on the lookout for a rescue Border Collie or Kelpie that's trapped in someone's house without a job to do and driving them nuts!

2 comments:

  1. My family raised beef cows, so I know all about those screams. Hence that is why I quit eating meat at about age 4 also. I hope you can come up with a solution to keep them at bay. That would be awful to lose your garden.

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  2. We also have a problem with free roaming sheep and cows. Our neighbours cut the fences of land which have no houses in order to feed their cattle. They DON'T supplement their feed either. I reckon that's criminal!

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