The Ultimate in Recycling!

[justintime]

Yesterday morning, while doing my pasture checks, I saw a calf sucking a cow that is not it's mother. I wondered why he would be sucking something other than his own mother when she has an abundance of milk. I found out soon afterwards, as while I was driving through the herd, I saw this calf's mother lying on the grass with her head around beside her body. She had figured out that she could suck herself! I could not believe my eyes!  This is an eight year old cow and I have never seen her sucking anything since she was weaned. How she figured out how to stretch her neck and lay appropriately so she could reach her teats is beyond me!  No wonder her baby was stealing from another cow.
This cow is not a freeloader in the herd as her last 3 calves have sold for $5000, $6250 and $7500. I can see a bull ring in her nose in the foreseeable future. I know that works but if anyone has other suggestions I would appreciate hearing them. I have thought of using a baseball bat on her head but I think all that would do is make me feel a bit better and not stop the cow from sucking! Some days I think these creatures spend their days dreaming up more jobs for me to do!

 

[GoWyo]

Better than finding two of them nose to tail while two calves starve.  If her daughters figure this out you have a big problem.  The most phenotypicly attractive animals seem to come up other issues that require culling.

 

[Duncraggan]

The definition in inefficiency, wish you had a camera with you!

 

[idalee]

Use a standard calf weaning ring,  but place it in the cow's nose upside down so that when she tries to suck herself,  it pricks her udder.  We had a dairy cow who did this but never again after placement of the ring.  I removed the ring after a few months and she had forgotten about sucking herself by then so the problem never recurred.

 

[ROMAX]

Just seen a pic on Twitter of a cow doing this same thing,they put an innertube around her neck,so she can't reach it.