Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 3, Number 6, DeMotte, Jasper County, 22 June 1933 — Aged Cows Give Up and Appear to Prefer Death [ARTICLE]

Aged Cows Give Up and Appear to Prefer Death

As old age overtakes some cows they get tired of living and just lie down to die--no doubt reasoning that life isn’t worth the effort it takes. These fits of despondency invariably occur in winter when range life is at its toughest. When a cow decides to die, writes a correspondent in the Kansas City Times, nothing can stop her. After you have worried and strained “tailing” her up, she’ll turn around and make a run at you, then fall down again as much as to say, “Go on away and let me die in peace.” I have even had them, when down, refuse hay that I’d packed to them on horseback. I have found other younger cows, in worse shape physically, that seemed to appreciate it when you got down and helped them get on their feet so they could pick a little something to eat and carry on. A cow heavy with calf is usually willing to do almost anything to survive, but an old cow that is barren seems to lose heart and want to die. If you still think cows are dumb, just go out and live with them for a few years, as I have, and see how many things they know that you hadn’t thought of yourself.