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Post by ssrdex on Sept 3, 2013 21:29:44 GMT -5
So after I posted my last YouTube vid with me scratching our calf Emcee all over the head, I learned on this board to NOT touch an animal's head (thought that only applied to bulls). We no longer touch any of our cows heads. Is letting them lick bad or just really fun? This is Black Rose, just about 5 weeks now. She wants to lick us all, all the time. You can't scratch her under the chin without her trying to lick. She got downright frothy with me the other day. Really like these calves. youtu.be/cXMQdN7u7gQEdited to add calf name and age |
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Post by lakeportfarms on Sept 4, 2013 4:34:22 GMT -5
I think that it really depends on the animal, including the scratching on the head. We have more than a few adult cows that look forward to a good scratch on the head and will lick us, and totally respect us and know that we are in charge and show no signs of aggression of invading our space when we don't want them nearby. The key is to give them a signal when you don't want them in your space. They can be pretty smart. We have a fair number of visitors to our farm sometimes, and their first reaction when seeing our more friendly cows is to scratch them (including our Highlands). So although we caution them about scratching and tell them the way to approach a cow they are unfamiliar with and it's not a good idea with most cows, it's usually after they've been giving one of them a good scratch.
You may also want to have a mineral block (in addition to loose mineral) out in the pasture for them to curb their urge to lick a bit, as it seems they are looking for the salt on your skin when they lick you. If I've been working hard in the pasture on a hot summer day, wearing shorts, I'll have a calf or two licking my legs if I'm standing around them.
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