Zebu Heifer

[denasfarm]

I have been offered a 16 month old Zebu Heifer for free. The catch is she is wild living with goats on dirt. I have 2 acres fenced of decent hay type grass that had horses years ago.
I also have to catch/load/haul her myself. Ideas??

I am going to go visit her Sat but wanted to see what I need to "Look for" "Look at" and consider before getting into a nightmare.

How hard will it be to tame her down. I want a milk cow, therefore she will have to be handleable. I do NOT know beans bout cows...Period. Chickens and Dogs I know...nothing like a cow!

What do I need to know?! Would it be better to pass on a wild cow and buy one or take the freebie and tame it?

Thanks So much for your help!!

 

[Habibs Hens]

i have kept many cows and they can be very tame and tameable

i brought a black bull once grown but still juvinile and the same day i dot it it fell asleep in my lap so they dont go crazy with new faces

he was such an efecianate cow and loved human company

so much so that i slept wth him in teh barn on a straw bed


you will learn real quick as theya re easy to keep and will love it loads

 

[Nahnah]

While I agree that they are tameable but as someone who has dealt with cattle my entire life (was raised on and continue to live on a beef ranch) there are definately some big considerations here, if she has never been handled she is not going to be easy to tame, or even worse if she has been mishandled by people she is going to have trust issues, also I am a little suspicious that she is free, that is usually a good indicator of someone trying to get rid of a problem. If you know and trust the people offering her it could be different but I would do some checking on their and her background if at all possible. Also if you have a non-mutual friend who is more knowledgeable about cattle take them with you. Mostly watch how she reacts to you being in her space, is she flighty, fighty, complete panic, etc, the first is manageable as long as you don't mind fixing fence and have understanding neighbors, the other two are probably more than you want to take on in your situation.
Also you said you have dogs, have they been around cattle, and has the heifer been around dogs, might want to take a very responsive dog with you to see how she reacts to them.
Also do as much research as you can about the breed, I have never dealt with Zebus but I have dealt considerable with Watusi which are a related breed, and both are primitive breeds which can often mean a bit more on the wild side, that being said we did have one watusi bull who was a pet, he would eat out of you hand, could be rode some, however his replacement when he died was EVIL, he would come at a dead run from a mile away to come after someone on horseback.
I think you might have a better experience with a already gentle cow where you are just learning, even if you do decide to take this one also (the gentler cow MAY help her calm down as well, they are definately herd animals and must have company). But if you really want this one and are dedicated watch her eye and her tail that is what will tell you if there is hope for her.

 

[denasfarm]

What should the eye and tail be doing or not doing?

The guy that has her is my sister in laws friend. He has bought rabbits from me in the past and I gave him a pair of Bourbon Red Turkeys a couple months back. I dont "know" him personally but he is a friend of the family. I was told that He bought her at a sale. I do not know what price he paid. He is getting rid of her because she is terrified of humans. She runs into the barn walls trying to escape and will run over you getting out of the barn.
I dont think he has had her long at all and I dont think he has been mean to her...I dont know what she went through before hand. They have dogs but I dont know the cow/dog relationship. My dogs have been around Horses, Poultry, and Rabbits. They have seen Cows across the street.

I have yet to see her just going by what my SIL has said and she is NOT and animal person, She says that the Heifer in insane. She is also afraid of my dogs so I cant go entirely by what she says.

I rode tame horses most of my childhood, Have trained and shown Dogs for years but like I said have had no experience with Bovines. Not sure a clicker would work on a Heifer!

I dont want something Dangerous...Free or not. Sometimes Free is not Free!

She sent me a pic of her on my phone I will try and upload it.

 

[denasfarm]

Are its eyes and tail bad?

 

[Nahnah]

actually that pic looks like she might be workable, she has a kind and curious if wary expression and her tail seems relaxed. As to what to look for, the expression kink in her tail is actually quite literal, if they throw throw their tail up or if it is tense, that is a sure sign of not good, but not always present, as for eye, they are actually somewhat similar to the way a horses eye will indicate mood, if she is wild eyed, big eyed panic look, another big no, also head shaking is a bad sign. In the pic, she is very collected to get away quick if she decides to but ears and eyes are perked at the camera with curiosity, not looking for an escape route or seeming aggressive, also while not an ideal pic to judge from conformation looks pretty good. As long as she is trying to get away from people she could become gentle but if she is that wild it is going to take a LOT of time and patience because if you preasure her, you will take a big step back but you can't be afraid of her or working with her as she will pick up on your fear and be afraid because you or afraid or see it as a weakness and try to be dominant, (just like dogs herd rank is part of the game, although much less obvious with cattle).
Also what kind of handling set up do you have, corrals, barn, pasture fencing, etc.

 

[WallabyOfChaos]

I grew up around beef and dairy cattle, have done some feedlot work, and worked some of the spring and fall gathers around here before my children were born, and I can say from experience that the tail isn't always a good tell on some cattle. She does look scared in this picture to me. Head lowered, eyes hard on you waiting to see what your next move is, and front feet out in front almost braced and ready to run away. Did you take this picture or where you there when it was taken? If you took the picture or where there, what was her next move? She doesn't look mean, just very scared, which can be just as dangerous. I have to say that I like that she isn't standing there high-headed and wild-eyed as that is usually the mark of a fence jumper/runaway that may fight when cornered. That's just my two cents on it and someone else may see something different.

 

[Nahnah]

i agree that she is braced to run but watching first and also agree that some cattle don't show with a tail but those that do are a clear read so still valid to watch

 

[danischi24]

I would definitely take her. Food is the way to just about any cow's heart. Feed her until she's tame.

 

[denasfarm]

Did you take this picture or where you there when it was taken? If you took the picture or where there, what was her next move? She doesn't look mean, just very scared, which can be just as dangerous.

I Did not take the pics and was not there. I wont be off work until Friday to go see for myself. I will take more pics and vids to post if I am interested once I see her. My SIL says she will kill you trying to get away from you. BUT She also thinks my geese are terrifying...so...I will check it out Friday and see. I only have room for one cow and I really want a cuddly slobbering nice one I can milk. I was hoping this one was young enough to "fix".
If its so wild its a danger I dont want it here to harm any of us or any of the other animals even if its by accident in fear.

I thank you all, Right now I am leaning towards no...I will let you all know after Friday...and post contact info for the man if anyone else wants to get her.