[Thea123]

We moved into a ranch nine months ago that abuts a 1200 acre ranch that has about 70 herefords free ranging on it. I know nothing about cattle and our ranch has no cattle or livestock. Two days ago a cow died near our lower meadow. Today the herd crossed over the river, went to the place the cow had died and congregated in a tight bunch there for about an hour tossing dirt on themselves and smelling the ground where the cow had lain dying. Then the herd went and surrounded the dead cow (I watched this with binoculars). They seemed to smell it, nudge it, lick it, especially around the face, almost like they wanted it to get up. They stayed clustered around it in a tight group for about two hours. What on earth were they doing? The cow is being fed on by coyotes packs and vultures. I tired to search for cattle reactions to death in the herd, on google but came up, amazingly, with nothing! That is a first for google. Either the cows were all curious or having a cow funeral? Any ideas.

One thing I have learned in the past nine months is that cows seem smarter than I thought. One last question, the man who owns these cows only feeds them tortillas. (I am not joking.) This is okay now when the fields are full of green grass, but in the summer it bothers me, because the fields are dry as bone. I’ve heard in the past that the cattle, would break through our fence in the summer to eat our grapefruits, although they have not done this since we moved in. Is it okay for cattle to eat only dry, dead, brown, grasses all summer in California? Do they need hay?

One last question. Sorry. What happens to a cow when her calf dies and she is full of milk? There seems to be one such in the herd.

Oh dear! I hope I have not become the cow social worker!

Thanks for setting me straight please!

Thea

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