Off Topic But Just Have To Share!

[Danielle]

I wasnt being rude, Ive spent a lot of time with Holsteins and know how big and pushy they can be.I knew someone who was killed by a Holstein bull.

Unless you get them young, you have a very large pushy animal on your hands.

They arnt animals you take on without some knowledge.

I milked a lot of them for a good period of time, so got to know them.

So publicly calling someone silly and correcting their grammar isn't rude? I must live on another planet then. So what would you rather me do gillybob? I can either do what I'm doing, which it trying my darndest to help save this baby while educating myself on how best to care for it, or I can leave it to die.

I don't understand the negativity. Concern is one thing, but you are being just plain negative without offering alternative advice or solutions. I'm aware of what he is and have some (limited) experience with livestock. I'm doing my absolute best. I don't appreciate being publicly shamed for my incorrect wording or my lack of knowledge. Everyone starts somewhere and has to learn....this is the exact attitude that forces new people out of the showring, and sadly I see it in the horseworld all too often.

There is a fine line between constructive criticism and plain bullying. I will take this calf and do my best with him. I have support from locals and people who have far more experience than me and I dare say more experience than you gillybob. I will do my best and be proud that I tried. So please, unless you are willing to put your hand up to help or open up your wallet, don't call me silly or have a go at me for trying.

Cheers.

[dianed]

The last orphaned calf I raised was special right from the start. She lived with the dogs and became dog like. I came home a few times to find her in the house asleep. She would not mix with the herd and she had no fear of humans. When she was about 2yo she thought she,d play with her mum(me), I came off second best. By that time she was a 500kg cow!

After that she was locked away in a paddock and is now a mum to a steer called Angus. She hasn't forgotten me, I visit her occasionally and take her raisin bread & honey. She will never be sold and will die on the place.

Just remember they are not like dogs and are sometimes very unpredictable. They look healthy calves, at least they get a chance at life.

Annie 1 week old

Annie & Angus today

[Miss BeRidgierent]

Annie & Angus today

He has wicked markings they are awesome!

[Danielle]

The last orphaned calf I raised was special right from the start. She lived with the dogs and became dog like. I came home a few times to find her in the house asleep. She would not mix with the herd and she had no fear of humans. When she was about 2yo she thought she,d play with her mum(me), I came off second best. By that time she was a 500kg cow!

After that she was locked away in a paddock and is now a mum to a steer called Angus. She hasn't forgotten me, I visit her occasionally and take her raisin bread & honey. She will never be sold and will die on the place.

Just remember they are not like dogs and are sometimes very unpredictable. They look healthy calves, at least they get a chance at life.

Annie 1 week old

Annie & Angus today

Thanks dianed. I'll b sure to be very careful with him. I've raised colts into stallions before so I know how scarey a half a tonne of baby can be! Lol!

I pretty much just want to let him live his life. If he gets too pushy I'll do the same as you, I'll give him his own paddock and just let him be. I do hope he is easy enough to handle tho, but only time will tell.

love your girl, she is gorgeous, so is her bubba!

[Earthdog]

We have an Angus bull, called Boofhead, who would like to be a lapdog. He is so gentle and affectionate but by god, is he a lump.

Danielle, gilly did not call you or anyone 'silly'. She said it was a silly idea to want a steer in the suburbs. Unless, of course, I skipped a post.

[Jed]

I wasnt being rude, Ive spent a lot of time with Holsteins and know how big and pushy they can be.I knew someone who was killed by a Holstein bull.

Unless you get them young, you have a very large pushy animal on your hands.

They arnt animals you take on without some knowledge.

I milked a lot of them for a good period of time, so got to know them.

So publicly calling someone silly and correcting their grammar isn't rude? I must live on another planet then. So what would you rather me do gillybob? I can either do what I'm doing, which it trying my darndest to help save this baby while educating myself on how best to care for it, or I can leave it to die.

I don't understand the negativity. Concern is one thing, but you are being just plain negative without offering alternative advice or solutions. I'm aware of what he is and have some (limited) experience with livestock. I'm doing my absolute best. I don't appreciate being publicly shamed for my incorrect wording or my lack of knowledge. Everyone starts somewhere and has to learn....this is the exact attitude that forces new people out of the showring, and sadly I see it in the horseworld all too often.

There is a fine line between constructive criticism and plain bullying. I will take this calf and do my best with him. I have support from locals and people who have far more experience than me and I dare say more experience than you gillybob. I will do my best and be proud that I tried. So please, unless you are willing to put your hand up to help or open up your wallet, don't call me silly or have a go at me for trying.

Cheers.

Gillybob didn't, and wouldn't call you silly,. She has a lot of experience and was warning you about the bad side of it - whilst, as far as I could tell, commending you for saving him.

Good luck, it's a good thing to do.

I've seen a few ridden steers at shows. There was a bloke who used to take an "exotic" breed (forgotten which one) steer to shopping centres, under saddle - he was so quiet, and huge. My uncle, long dead, used to drive bullock teams, and he loved his bullocks. I remember when he was long past driving them, he used to talk about them all the time - quite fascinating, to learn about breaking them in and working them.

[Danielle]

In a previous post it was stated that to keep a calf in the city would b silly. So if it wasn't aimed at me then pls inform me who that statement was intended for. If that remark was not aimed at anyone then why was it said?

I never saw any hint of support in the previous post or the last one gilly wrote.

Anyways, I'm happy with what I'm doing, I may not be an expert on cows or "bulls" but I'll learn.

Jed I'd love to hear more about your uncles steers, i'm sure you have many interesting stories. Hope things work out well for this little fella, I can only do my best.

Edited June 30, 2010 by Danielle

[persephone]

I remember once being a city farm for kids... all hand reared stock, etc. They had a few cows and donkeys in a paddock, where we could walk thru and admire the very old stone fences/buildings...

I was doing this, and enjoying the afternoon, when I was almost knocked over- had to sidestep quickly and make a hasty exit

One of the heifers was 'bulling' and decided to display on me!! Yikes!! Luckily she didn't fully connect- how embarrassing to try & explain

Dogs humping your leg is NOTHING!

[gillybob]

Geez Danielle take it easy stop seeing things in my posts.

I was not being criticle and it is 'silly' to have cattle in the city.

What sort of life is that for them.

Animals need to be animals, bulls need lots of space and they need to be castrated.

Even then there isnt any guarentee that you will have a gentle animal.

They also live for a long time, I had a milker called Barbara, she was 15 when she died.

She was lined up to be milked when she died.

Bulling is interesting isnt it Pers.

I love cattle especially Holsteins, they are so clever and their politics are really interesting.

David Attenborough did a show on them and how they run their herds.

Edited June 30, 2010 by gillybob

[dianed]

Annie & Angus today

He has wicked markings they are awesome!

He,s a beauty all right, from our Angus bull. He,s not in the least bit friendly. We,ve told Annie any female calf she has stays with her so she can have her own little gang

[Bullbreedlover]

Your right Earthdog.

Animals need to be animals, bulls need lots of space and they need to be castrated.

Even then there isnt any guarentee that you will have a gentle animal.

They also live for a long time, I had a milker called Barbara, she was 15 when she died.

She was lined up to be milked when she died.

It is not good when they pass away in the shed is it GB???

Kind of disrupts the whole milking not to mention the herd.

I love the red factor Holstein Fresians but then I love little Jerseys as well(when they are calves).Jerseys have the most stubborn temperament when they reach the shed as milkers. I also adore the Aryshires as well

The last dairy farm we were on we raised our beefy (hereford ). I called her Marilyn. Cause she had her blonde head LOL.

Before that we had a Freddy(Hereford/Fresian cross)

[dianed]

Years ago my late father in law decided to take 2 poddies home and raise them in the backyard. They got out one day and my poor old mum in law had to go up to the town centre with a bucket of milk to walk them home. She had a limp and used a walking stick so it must have been a sight.

[persephone]

I love this story

They got out one day and my poor old mum in law had to go up to the town centre with a bucket of milk to walk them home. She had a limp and used a walking stick so it must have been a sight.

[gillybob]

So many times Ive had a milker look me in the eye and purposly stand on my foot.

I used to get pruned fingers from haveing to feed the calves twice a day.

It used to break my heart to see the male calves go off to the slaughter house.

At least at the sales they have a chance.

But lifes hard on a dairy stud, no place for bulls now.

My boss ran a runty young bull with the herd once, said he was useless.

That bull got at half of the cows, two years later he won at the Ecca.

[Bullbreedlover]

So many times Ive had a milker look me in the eye and purposly stand on my foot.

I used to get pruned fingers from haveing to feed the calves twice a day.

It used to break my heart to see the male calves go off to the slaughter house.

At least at the sales they have a chance.

But lifes hard on a dairy stud, no place for bulls now.

My boss ran a runty young bull with the herd once, said he was useless.

That bull got at half of the cows, two years later he won at the Ecca.

Thats right.Bulls are just for finishing off the cows that havent taken to AB now.

We used to rear our Bulls though because some of them were to be used over the first year Holstein heifers. We also reared our own Jersey bulls as well. They are mean bastards. I hated them. They would run you down on the motorbike if they could. Stood their ground. Our Kelpie loved them. He was a thrill seeker that dog. He loved the challenge of bringing them in from the back hill paddocks.

I loved castrating the cross bred bulls that we were rearing as beefys:rofl:

When your rotrary shed is set up for Holsteins and the old boss has jersey milkers in the herd life gets very complicated come milking time

[persephone]

Amen to the attitude of Jersey Bulls. We used to have one here- and on a few occasions he got out of his paddock and we had to scramble onto old carts, or up trees while Otto stood below, pawing and head tossing and drooling.... he was dangerous.Absolutely the handsomest thing tho!

[ninahartland]

Well I was thinking of getting a 'house cow' to put in the paddock and just have as a friendly type of cow that I could go and milk every day.

But seeing as I know nothing about cows whatsoever and reading this thread has just about changed my mind

[Robbi]

I love cows, I am looking out the kitchen window at my eight year old"poddy calf".....lol

Dougal is now a great, big, fat Black Angus bullock, I have had him since he was a few hours old and he still thinks I am his mum.

I made sure he was castrated by our local vet once he got "bully" and I taught him to walk on a headcollar and lead rope when he was a couple of months old, he still walks placidly next to me. I wish my house cow was as placid.

Thankyou for giving the little guys a chance to live, cows are very special, peaceful animals

Chockie my milking cow and Dougal my big baby boy

[gillybob]

I like Dexters, they are good milk and meat animals and are small, so more suited to smaller holdings.

And FiFi's fav Highland Coos.

There are a few up here, amazeing animals.

[Bullbreedlover]

Well I was thinking of getting a 'house cow' to put in the paddock and just have as a friendly type of cow that I could go and milk every day.

But seeing as I know nothing about cows whatsoever and reading this thread has just about changed my mind

There is a little more to getting a house cow than people realise LOL

That is not to say that you dont know this

Getting them in calf every year. Antibiotic treatment, vaccinations for diseases, worming, ezcema plan, general care re hooves, etc. Drying off time. Calving time. Lots and lots even for just one cow

But dont let that scare you.

;)