My cows are acting strange

[Bulldog]

I just wanted to run this by everyone to see if I'm alone with this or is it common.

I bought a couple of new galvanized hay rings. I put one in the lot my pregnant cows are. I already had a red hay ring in there. I put the same hay that was baled in the same field on the same day in both rings. They hog around the silver ring and eat everything in it down to the ground without even looking at the other bale. I tried the same thing in my heifer lot with the same results. Why would they seem to choose the silver ring over a red one. I even tried putting hay in the red one first and they just waited at the silver ring until I returned with the next bale.

All this just seems odd to me. Has anyone else seen this with their cows before?

 

[moelkhuntr]

New one to me. I usually keep around 100-150 momma cows and feed hay all the time and have different kinds of hay rings and haven't noticed a difference in them. The slope is a little different on the pipes when they stick their heads but they usually eat wherever I put the new bale.

 

[hodge]

Are they licking the metal at all? Do they think they are getting salt/minerals, because of the taste of the new galvanizing? Maybe you should lick them, and see if they taste different...

 

[Wild and Free]

I find that Beer tastes better and I keep going for the stuff in the golden can that says Coors on it more than any other colored beer cans.

 

[mendonsy]

In theory at least, cows are color blind (along with any other critter who's eyes reflect light). They can only see shades of gray.
It must be something about either the smell, taste, or construction of the racks that makes them choose one over the other

 

[Bulldog]

Are they licking the metal at all? Do they think they are getting salt/minerals, because of the taste of the new galvanizing? Maybe you should lick them, and see if they taste different...

Hodge, that's a interesting idea but I think I'll pass on the taste test. I haven't seen them doing anything but eating the hay and they have mineral feeders that are full. Maybe they know it's new and think it needs a proper break in.

I use 10 or 12 different ring and have never noticed a difference before now. Maybe it's a fluke. One good thing is my momma cows aren't wasting anything. I bet they don't leave 50 lbs on the ground before they move on to the other rings.

 

[skeets]

Well first off COWS are female,, and tell me have you ever seen a female that doesnt like a shiney ring?..lol

 

[Bulldog]

Well first off COWS are female,, and tell me have you ever seen a female that doesnt like a shiney ring?..lol

Good point Skeets. You may be on to something.

 

[Russell King]

Bulldog,

It may be the place you put the "new" rings is more attractive to the cattle. If the new rings are in a area with less manure the cattle may prefer that over the older more "soiled" area. (see how I was family friendly with that!)

From this site
http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2009/November/CT2105.php
Grass Waste By Fecal Deposits -- On rangeland, where cattle have a lot of room, fecal material is dispersed over a wide area and has little effect on grazing patterns. In smaller pastures, fecal deposits may hinder use of some grass. Cattle don't like to graze plants near their manure. As Dr. Phillips states, rejection of grasses around each fecal deposit will be greater in undergrazed pastures because cattle have the choice of other, cleaner areas to graze. They reject grass next to manure at first because they can smell the feces, and later because it has grown tall and too mature.

 

[Bulldog]

I could see that making a difference but in this case I had just put the old ring out as well. My heifers are doing the exact same thing in the lot I keep them in. Maybe it's just something new and they want to check it out.

 

[dce]

post some pictures of the rings.

 

[Bulldog]

I'll try to get some tomorrow. I'm doing some repair on some of the older rings and need to put out hay as soon as I'm finished. Trying to beat the rain that's coming for the next 2 or 3 days.