Post by bella on May 8, 2010 6:56:05 GMT -5
I can't find other threads on here about how smart cows are. I am not the best at searching this board though, and often miss things! I'll find my way around yet!
Someone we know told me a couple of years ago that she can call to her cows which paddock they're to go in for the night and they will go into the correct one. I thought she might be exaggerating just a little...
Now we've had Lucy here for over 6 months and I told people (my husband and my friend) how much Lucy understands me when I tell her to do things. They told me that cows like routine and that's all it is, her doing the same old thing.
Well now I am milking 2-4 times a week only, just as we need it. I keep Lucy and the calves (her own and a foster) together 24/7 but for the days I want milk, and occasionally if I think they all need a break from each other! On milking days I let Lucy and Honey (her 9 mth old foster from last year) into the big paddock and leave the calves in the smaller "night" paddock for the day, milking late in the afternoon. So I milk off what we need and then put Lucy back with the others.
When they're coming in and Lucy heads for the "night" paddock I can call out "No, Lucy, milking time, c'mon" and she knows to turn around and head into the bails. So I call her and Honey down from up the hill and they both head straight for the calves. I call out "milking time" and Honey keeps going to the calves and Lucy turns back to the bails. There's very little routine to this - it doesn't happen every day and hasn't happened for an extended period - sometimes I call, sometimes they all go straight in for the night. She has never been separated until recently, they all ran together 24/7 before and she was with Honey 24/7 last year.
Sometimes, if she's coming from the right direction, Lucy stops near the front of the bails and stares straight at me, waiting. If I call out "milking time" she turns and goes in, if I just call "c'mon, come to the calves" she trots right toward me and we go to the gate.
I also tell Lucy to "step back" in the bails, "stop" and a few other simple commands and she seems to understand!
Tell me I'm not mad (and my friend who said her cows knew the different paddock names isn't mad either)... Can cows understand different commands?
Someone we know told me a couple of years ago that she can call to her cows which paddock they're to go in for the night and they will go into the correct one. I thought she might be exaggerating just a little...
Now we've had Lucy here for over 6 months and I told people (my husband and my friend) how much Lucy understands me when I tell her to do things. They told me that cows like routine and that's all it is, her doing the same old thing.
Well now I am milking 2-4 times a week only, just as we need it. I keep Lucy and the calves (her own and a foster) together 24/7 but for the days I want milk, and occasionally if I think they all need a break from each other! On milking days I let Lucy and Honey (her 9 mth old foster from last year) into the big paddock and leave the calves in the smaller "night" paddock for the day, milking late in the afternoon. So I milk off what we need and then put Lucy back with the others.
When they're coming in and Lucy heads for the "night" paddock I can call out "No, Lucy, milking time, c'mon" and she knows to turn around and head into the bails. So I call her and Honey down from up the hill and they both head straight for the calves. I call out "milking time" and Honey keeps going to the calves and Lucy turns back to the bails. There's very little routine to this - it doesn't happen every day and hasn't happened for an extended period - sometimes I call, sometimes they all go straight in for the night. She has never been separated until recently, they all ran together 24/7 before and she was with Honey 24/7 last year.
Sometimes, if she's coming from the right direction, Lucy stops near the front of the bails and stares straight at me, waiting. If I call out "milking time" she turns and goes in, if I just call "c'mon, come to the calves" she trots right toward me and we go to the gate.
I also tell Lucy to "step back" in the bails, "stop" and a few other simple commands and she seems to understand!
Tell me I'm not mad (and my friend who said her cows knew the different paddock names isn't mad either)... Can cows understand different commands?