Cliff and I went to the trouble of buying a steer for Secret when she was small, so she'd have another cow as a friend. Honestly, she never got that attached to him, although he was quite attached to her. She hardly seems to miss him, now that he's in the deep freeze.
I've been noticing, though, that she has developed an attachment to an empty black rubber tub that's in her pen.
I first realized this when I started turning her out to eat grass; when she'd come back up to let me know she wanted in her pen, I'd open the gate for her. She didn't go directly to her hay, as I thought she would: she'd go straight to a tub that used to hold cattle mineral. We've never bought such mineral, so I don't know where the thing came from or who gave it to us. We were using it as a water container, but Secret kept turning it over and spilling the water, so we gave up on that.
Today I took a video of her going into her pen after grazing all day long. Forgive the shaky footage; it's hard to make a movie at the same time you're opening and closing a gate. This is Secret's best friend; she even makes little lowing noises like the sounds a cow makes to her new calf.
It wasn't enough that I'm stuck with a dog that's nutty as a fruitcake. Now I have a cow that's attached to an inanimate object.
that's sad. but at least she has a friend!
ReplyDeletehuggies...
Makes you wonder if in the back of her mind she is thinking the black tub might be her real black buddy. Since it moves around when she punches on it she might think it is alive. Helen
ReplyDeleteAre you sure she isn't expecting you to put something in it. If it started out as a water tub, maybe she thinks there should be something in there??? That is a strange one. It certainly isn't causing any harm so why not leave it there. I just know that my dog would always push his water dish around when it was empty.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought. 'On Ya'-ma
That's freakin' weird, mother. What a weird, gate-rushing, short cow you have. Good thing she's sweet.
ReplyDeleteSscret might like John's feed yard. Those black tubs are all over the place. I'm always picking the empty ones up and stacking them. I say let her have it as a friend. Bless her heart. Cows are so funny.
ReplyDeleteWhat a hoot!
ReplyDeleteIs that kind of like having a "blankie"?
That's funny! Poor Secret...awwww...
ReplyDeleteOh dear. Substitute baby maybe?
ReplyDeleteThat's so sweet.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't you also have a rooster who wanders around with the dog and the cow?