I have been around cows all my life.
I thought I knew all about them. They eat, poop, lie down if it’s about to rain, and like to stand in ponds when you are fishing. That’s about all there is to know, right?
Don’t mess with the bull, he can get real mean, don’t forget to shut the gate, stay out of the beans. Wait. Scratch that last part, it’s from a Tim McGraw song.
Clearly I had only experienced casual meetings with beef cattle. I had never had a cow as a friend before I met Beulah Belle, whom I found by chance on Craigslist while looking for tractors. The ad caught my attention because I was interested in having the cream and butter my goats were not providing. I was not expecting all the life and personality a family cow would bring to our farm!
Probably because they are handled early and often by humans, dairy cows have personalities that I find lacking in their bovine counterparts.
The best way I can describe Beulah is like an enormous puppy dog crossed with a toddler!
She will lick you from fingertips to arm pits if she thinks you have a treat for her.
She will stomp her foot or even poop on you if she gets angry.
Beulah comes when she’s called, except when she doesn’t feel like it.
If she doesn’t feel like it, good luck catching her!
She loves to eat, and never turns down snack time.
She yells a lot if she’s angry or in heat.
Like a good friend, she will let you lean your head on her side and listen to your troubles if you aren’t feeling well.
And if you have an argument, she just might try to run away from home!
Yes, Beulah keeps me on my toes! I never know what crazy thing she is going to try next.
Sometimes she turns up in the front yard, happily mowing the grass.
Sometimes the bull next door busts down the fence to come for a “visit” and you end up running for your life, dragging the cow along with you. (Tim McGraw was right about that bull by the way!)
One thing is clear; Beulah Belle the Jersey cow is one of the best things we have ever brought home to the farm.
Oh, and my long-suffering husband still doesn’t have that tractor. But, he assures me that the ice cream and butter (mostly) make up for it!
And speaking of Beulah, she would puffy heart love it if you signed up for her moooooooosletter! You’ll get all the farm news from the cow’s point of view!
If you are interested in adding a family cow to your homestead, I highly recommend the book Keeping a Family Cow by Joann S. Grohman *affiliate link* you can read my review of the book here.
***This post may contain affiliate links. That means that a small percentage of the purchase price of items bought through these links goes toward keeping this blog up and running and food in Beulah’s bowl, so thanks!***
Beulah is beautiful and sounds like a sweetie, too!
Have a great week, Heather.
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I grew up on a small farm, 5.5 acres. We had a big spring fed pond which was full of life. We had several cattle, including our milk cow, Popeye, she was a sweet cow I remember on the early spring mornings she come in for milking and had the sweetest breath from the pasture grass. She would lick the hair on my head with her toung & saliva my hair would stand up straight. Today I live on a 1/3 acre I have two goats & 20 or so chickens. Back in the 60s we didn’t know any better and committed a sin & pasteurized our milk. Today I would never destroy the nutritional value of the milk with pasturation . I long, I ache for the day that I can get back on acreage. The more acres the better. To be totaly self sufficient is a dream, with enough acreage and solar, wind, I could get away from the city water, electricity, & natural gas.
Awwww, Popeye sounds like such a sweet cow! Thanks for sharing your story! 🙂
Hello. I love reading your blog. Very cute :-). When you said that beef cattle aren’t usually people friendly, sorry if you take this
the wrong way, but they can and are super, super friendly. I have lived with dairy and beef cattle my whole life ,and i show/train them. Dairy cattle and beef cattle are pretty much the same when it comes to being big babies or giant dogs!:-) Take it from me i ride them for petes sake! Have fun with your new addition!!
Blueroan77
It would make my year if you send me a picture of you riding a cow! 🙂 I think the real difference is in how the animals are handled. Dairy cows are very used to humans. It sounds like your beef cattle are too. Most I have been around seem to be very cautious and wary around humans, I’m glad to hear that isn’t always the case!