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Post by wvdexters on Jun 24, 2014 8:53:41 GMT -5
What terrible news. I feel so sorry for both of you and your dexters.
With pastures basically "cut out" of woods ours shelter under the trees during storms too. I always know when a big one is coming because I can hear Kate moving her group up under the old oaks to wait it out.
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Post by emgiger on Jun 24, 2014 9:06:38 GMT -5
So sorry about your sweet girl. This is the not so fun part of farming. :-(
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Post by littlecowfl on Jun 24, 2014 15:10:16 GMT -5
Thanks, everyone.
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Post by littlecowfl on Jul 1, 2014 5:15:39 GMT -5
We're going to use that pasture through April and then rest it through May, June and July. That's when the strongest storms move through here in Florida. It's the only pasture with a lone tree at one of the highest points. All the other pastures have tree clusters or single trees on the low points. It was a freak accident, but perhaps a little change in management might prevent a repeat.
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Post by wvdexters on Jul 1, 2014 11:03:28 GMT -5
Hey Littlecow. I've thought of you every time a storm rolls through here, and we're expecting some rough ones over the next few days. We were hoping to move ours down to a lower protected section this morning but a tree came down over the fencing. So that's on hold until the hubby gets home and gets out the chainsaw. Again
Sounds like a good plan. Put your minds at ease.
Off topic but I also wanted to tell you that we have another Armstrong calf. The bred cow we sold had her baby, a beautiful little black heifer. The new owners let us know, and they are so happy!! Yes, they got the heifer; but little Wallace is growing so nicely, I think we may have something here.
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Post by ladena on Jul 1, 2014 11:26:45 GMT -5
Sorry for your loss.
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Post by littlecowfl on Jul 6, 2014 6:17:58 GMT -5
Wvdexters, that's great! Sorry you missed out of the heifer. I know how it feels. I hope Wallace continues to show potential.
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Post by Dahdo on Jul 6, 2014 10:08:22 GMT -5
Incredible how attached we get to these sweet creatures. So very sorry for the loss of your Bonny.
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Post by littlecowfl on Jul 6, 2014 14:06:02 GMT -5
Thank you. She was a good one.
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Post by littlecowfl on Jul 31, 2014 13:24:00 GMT -5
Strange update:
I was checking fences in the pasture where I lost the cow to lightning and I noticed something very unusual. First of all, after the weather normalized and afternoon thundershowers became much less common, I let herd back in the field. Bonny was buried about 50 feet away from the tree. The cows haven't really been avoiding her burial spot, but they will not go under that tree. The grass is tall there and grazed everywhere else, including under other trees. The grassy area around where we found her body under the tree is especially long. According to the neighbor behind us, the cows were hollering a lot after Bonny was struck (we probably didn't hear it because of the storm). I guess that spot spooks them. I wonder if they will graze there again in the future?
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zephyrhillsusan
member
Caught Dexteritis in Dec. 2009. Member of this forum since Oct. 2013.
Posts: 1,502
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Post by zephyrhillsusan on Jul 31, 2014 14:57:07 GMT -5
I wonder if all that electricity from the lightning bolt might even have done something to the earth there that leaves a smell or something that they can sense? I know horses can remember something that spooked them and where, but I have no idea if cows are that way. I'm sure, though, that they realized she was dead and were probably scared by the lightning bolt, too. That was just a traumatic experience for all of you, any way you look at it. I'm so sorry!
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Post by littlecowfl on Jul 31, 2014 18:05:51 GMT -5
Thanks, Susan. I think you nailed it.
BTW, I have a cow getting ready to calve. She's the one I bought back from a buyer. Life goes on.
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