Do cattle roost?

[BBQJOE]

I'm thinking about getting a few calves and building a pen.
Do they need a roost too?

 

[Spookwriter]

I've raised lots more cows than I've raised chickens,and I've done
learned a few things the average chicken farmer doesn't know...

There's an art to raising happy cows. Not to many people know what
I know about cattle-roosting. You've got to have good, solid trees.
Hardwood stuff, like oaks and the like. Them soft wood trees, the limbs
tend to break out from under the calf as they begin to grow. Ever look at
a tree with the lower limbs broke or hanging down? Yep...fat cows, what
done it.

Same as you look, see a tree leaning badly : like it's done growed all
crooked. I've seen it in every farmers forest. To many cows on the one
side of a tree. You've got to train them to kind of spread out, keep the tree
balanced.

And you need to top the trees. Either that, or get a really long extension
ladder. Cow gets spooked, they tend to go higher in the tree. They can climb
UP real good. Getting back down...not so easy for a cow. Sometimes you
got to up there and fling them down. So short trees work better.

Back when I was a kid, Daddy had a cow one time that built it's nest up in the
tree in the back yard. Cow nest...I got a picture of it somewhere, cause I know
you don't believe me. Anyway, old cow built her nest up there and laid her eggs.
Three eggs. I could see it out my bedroom window, as I slept in the attic. About
four stories up, on account I don't think my parents liked me very much. Everyone
else had a bedroom on the first floor. But me, they made me sleep in the attic.

Anyway, I watched those cows hatch. Wasn't much to do in the attic, so I watched
those calfs all the time. And I know for a fact that those calfs didn't never come out
of a tree for two years. They was plumb wild, jumped from limb to limb like a monkey.

They wouldn't of come down then, but my brother and me got to shaking the tree one
day. And wouldn't you know, one of those cows fell right on my brothers head. Dang
near 'bout killed him. Lesson learned....you want to be a cow farmer, you need to wear
one of them there hard-hats. Just go on down to your local feedstore and get one. They
tend to keep them behind the counter, you gotta ask for one.

I've seen cows fall out of trees, wind blows them out of trees. And sometimes, a cow can
be just plain mean and jump on you.

I've had to wrastle a few cows. It ain't easy.

But before you go to buying too many cows, you need to count your trees. Figure three
cows to a tree. Don't want to many, break all your trees. Unless of course, you have a
wood burner in the house. Beats chopping wood for sure.

Told you my Daddy didn't like me? We had a wood burner in the house. 'Course, it didn't
be heating my attic. But it was my job to chop the wood. My Daddy gave me the dullest
ax in the world. It didn't have no sharp side. I'd complain and Dad said it would make me
strong. What it did was make me want electric heat.

Anytime you want to know about cow roosting, just ask. I be glad to help.

 

[Tumbling K]

Oh, yeah, you know it! A full monkey is a happy monkey - I definitely don't want to monkey around with THAT monkey!

and little known fact........be careful of the ways you discipline your monkey......

some disciplines can cause you to go blind.......

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Ha that's funny

 

[duluthralphie]

Yes, but they need roosts at least 6 inches wide so their hoofs do not get frostbite. The roost should be at least 3 ft off the ground.

 

[silkiecuddles]

I read it should be no higher than 2 & 1/2". You don't want them falling and breaking legs. Then you'd have a situation worse than frostbite

 

[duluthralphie]

I read it should be no higher than 2 & 1/2". You don't want them falling and breaking legs. Then you'd have a situation worse than frostbite

Are you raising hatchery cattle or Breeder cattle? You will find the hatchery cattle lack some of the natural skills of breeder cows.

 

[silkiecuddles]

Are you raising hatchery cattle or Breeder cattle?  You will find the hatchery cattle lack some of the natural skills of breeder cows.

None at the moment. The coops weren't big enough.
But I guess that does make more sense. I'll take that into serious consideration when I do get them.

 

[BBQJOE]

I'm mostly concerned with the strength of the roost, and whether they can keep their balance.
Will I need a poop board?

 

[silkiecuddles]

I'm mostly concerned with the strength of the roost, and whether they can keep their balance.
Will I need a poop board?

Duluthralphie would probably know better than I. But I would say yes, their poo does splat so much, the board would keep most of it down.