Adventures in cow tipping...
 

I took this photo tonight while out cow tipping. As you can see, I tipped over 2 big ones and the little ones were easy. I have one more to go before I go back to bed for 2 hours and come back out again...

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Cute critters.

I've never been cow tipping. I've always thought that sounded odd when I heard folks talking about it. I think/suspect that you aren't actually cow tipping in the sense that it's often suggested by teens.

IS cow tipping really a "thing"? I always thought it was a joke......and I am from the midwest!

Cow tipping is like snipe hunting.

Grab some friends, some girls, some beer, and some dude that no one likes. Go "cow tipping" which requires running into a field to push over a 800 pound cow. Only, everyone else runs back to the car and drives away while the dude no one likes isn't in on it.

End the night with the girls and beer somewhere else.

I think Uncle Billy is tipping over momma cows and helping them with their babies.

Are those Herefords? They look like they may have a little mix in them.

How else would you trim their nails?
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I saw that or one like it the other day and thought "I wonder what that cow's thinking? I'll bet it isn't a fan of this maneuver."

April fools on the farm? What’s next, aligator eggs in the hen house 😀

Most don't understand how strong these half ton cows are. (I'm sure Uncle will agree)
One kick can disable an adult. As far as cow tipping...nope...movie hype.

No alligator eggs, but it was so windy here this morning my chicken laid the same egg twice!

Cows, or more accurately, cattle (included bulls) are the deadliest farm animal in the country. I presume countries with water buffalo or oxen might have a different scale.

I am sure the American Bison is ranked up there but that is really a ranch or open range animal, and not the typical farm.

Actually, once their feet are off the ground they are pretty calm.

Grew up next to a dairy farm.

There has never been a cow so sleepy that it’s going to let a drunk city boy sneak upon it.

The ones with horns are purebred Herefords. That one calf is a Fleckvieh cross (orphan to replace calf who didn’t survive being born out in the north 1/4), and the one standing up looking at me is simmental Hereford cross.

I’m trying to get out of Hereford cattle.

Why do you want to get out of Herefords? I grew up with a mix of Angus, Herefords, poled Herefords (when we could get them) and mostly Angus/Hereford mixes. We lived in dairy country, so we inevitably had some Jersey, Guernsey and even a bit of Holstein bred into the herd, courtesy of neighboring bulls over the years. It actually worked out well. They produced well for their calves and still put on weight. We had a small herd so it was easy to nip the horns on any young Hereford that needed it, but it seemed to me that the Herefords were easier to raise than the pureblood Angus.

My dad ran an operation similar to yours, working in town by day and running the farm every other waking moment. I learned a lot from the experience, some of which is how comfortable it is to trade in the farm for life on a pleasant half acre plot of land in a quiet suburb. Life here is not as rich as it was on the farm, but it is a quieter life for sure.

Herefords are great cows, easy going, easy calving but there are drawbacks...

Horns. Cancer Eye. Lower price at the auction come sale day.

Last year we got raped on our calves at the auction. My angus cross and shorthorn free Martin heifers did way better.

I put our Hereford bull in the freezer last fall.

Here is my plan for this year forward...

I plan to grow my registered shorthorn herd. I have great cows and a good bull. I bought semen from an even better bull to AI my 3 heifers. These will all be sold as breeding stock.

I plan to crossbreed my angus and Hereford cattle with my shorthorn bull. These calves will go to auction as commercial cattle. My bull is white so the herd will be a bit of a rainbow herd.

I plan to AI my Holstein nurse cows with Wagyu semen. These cattle, I will butcher and market directly as Wagyu cross. Others are doing this and the results are great, good marbling, tender beef with a decent size carcass. My shorthorn bull will be my clean up bull for these.

I currently have 3 Fleckvieh calves, these will also go to auction this fall.

Nice mix. Well thought out. That’s exactly why Hereford Angus cross were our staple. That was long before exotics like Waygu and Fleckvieh were commercially available.

That's my point, we would all run out of the car like we were all going to help tip that damned cow, then once the new guy got over the fence and 100 feet in, everyone else turns tail, runs back to the cars and splits, leaving the new dude standing stupid in the field alone.

Cash is king.

That's REALLY messed up.