Can Cows Reason?

[Star Creek Dexters]

I posted this on my Face Book page, but had to share it with you guys! Just made me laugh!!

Miss Lana has been queen of the stanchion since she calved. She totally knows it, too. Normally if any of her alfalfa touches the ground in the stanchion, she won't touch it.
Sunday we brought home Leah, who is a 6 month old sweetie. This morning I milked Lana, let her out of the stanchion, and went to bottle feed Glory, our 1 month old heifer. Leah saw the stanchion open and went to see what goodies Lana had left behind. Lana took one look at Leah in there and marched over to her. I said "Lana! NO! Come Here!" She gave me the dirty cow look and came back over to the hay bail. Stood there nibbling her hay and watching Leah eat up the scraps of alfalfa.
Tonight we have the same routine, finish milking Lana, let her out, go to give Glory her bottle. I look up and Lana's still in the stanchion, Leah's just standing there watching. Finally Lana backs out and the stinker ate EVERY CRUMB of alfalfa off the ground!
Cows CAN reason!

[wdd]

I think it is more amazing how they can figure out what we mean when we talk to them. Like when you told Lana "No! Come here." and she did. That takes some kind of reasoning skill. Our Hana had her first calf this year. It was our first heifer born on our place. She was as proud as us and would hardly leave its side the first 48 hrs. My kids hadn't closed one of the gates tight and the calf slipped into a pasture away from the rest of the animals and it took some looking to find her. The next day I went to check out the calf and didn't see it with a quick check while the cows were all eating. I was concerned and looked at Hana and asked her a couple times where her calf was. She looked up at me walked over to a shed and looked in. The calf was laying in the back corner hidden from view. I just smiled and shook my head. Its no wonder these Dexters grow on us. My kids say I would rather get rid of them than my cows and some days they aren't far off the mark.

[Star Creek Dexters]

Awesome stories! I just love hearing this kind of thing!
All of my cows know their name and most of the time come when I call them.
It does make it very easy to get attached to these wonderful animals!

[marion]

Saw a funny thing yesterday... My red cow has her new heifer in a part of the barn about ten by twenty. One end of that is bedded with old hay, and the calf has her cozy corner there. The cow poops only on the unbedded end ;D. Last evening there were two poo piles and I scraped one over to the other one closer to the door, to take out at bedtime. The cow came over, sniffed the ground where I had just moved one poo, then went over and sniffed the two-poo-pile, turned around and backed up and did a new poo on top of the two others!!! ..marion

[marion]

No training Gene..just a smart Dexter girl! My Jersey does a sea of soggy poo all over, and makes sure to cover herself in it. I need to take a bucket of hot soapy water and towels when milking the Jersey, but never with the Dexters! ..marion