Dexter Cattle For Sale Discussion Board

Just a note to thank Vicki from Australia for lightening our mood (See 'Lost my best cow')!
I read your reply with interest and then I looked where you were writing from!!!!
It all became much clearer!..........(the bit about the Dingoes).
Thank you so much for taking the trouble to write and for lifting our spirits. We have had a chat with our local dairy farmer (our friendly neighbour - the other side) and he has suggested that we feed her for another week and then try her out with the herd. We have a few new calves and another couple on the way so with a bit of luck she may just latch on, we'll wait and see.
We are quite confident we know who reported us to the RSPCA, they have a very good view of our field and everything that goes on in it and are the worlds experts on just about anything and everything. The day of our drama they even came and told us we should give the 'sick' cow some hay. They had some if we wanted it and they didn't want paying for it. We told them that the cow just wasn't eating anything that we put in front of her at the time but they of course knew better. We got the visit just after that.
I guess they may have been out when the vet visited I don't know. I feel sure they were there looking when the knackerman came though!
It actually made me cry when I realised that we'd been reported, the thought that someone thought we were ill treating our livestock was gut wrenching.
God forbid Clive if we had to do what you've just gone thru. I think I would ask them first what to do!
Thanks to you too Clive for your advice. We will take everything on board and see what happens. She is a lovely calf and deserves all the help we are going to give her. I am going to name her after her mum!
We think it was the same people that reported us a couple of years ago when we bought a bull that had really bad feet. He'd been kept indoors and his feet were a bit like those curly slippers, anyway we arranged with our friendly dairy farmer next door that he would get his 'footman' to call but then he (the footman) had a death in the family so it got postponed a couple of weeks and we got a visit from the local council animal health man. Who again when he was put in the picture was fine about it all. Oh and we had to trim the horns of another cow because her horn was growing into her head. Not, we could get our fingers between and did!!!
I despair sometimes. I also go on a bit......apologies!
Thanks for your help anyway, it's good to talk!
Jane

Hi Jane,

Yes it's a bit wild and woolly where I am, lots of nature bush (and regrowth) with a creek bounding on much of our 125 acres, so nature is at our front door. We are lucky, so far we've only seen 'pure dingoes' not crossed with dogs. They trot along minding their own business along the creek and through the bush and as yet haven't looked at our cattle. Mind you the herd went chasing one, when they first came here (we don't have a dog). Dingoes would rather kill for food, the pademelon wallabies (very small wallaby) and other small marsupials rather than a calf but will kill a calf if hungry.

The difference with the dingo cross or wild domestic dogs is that dogs, chase the cattle and pull their tails out and kill for fun, where the dingo doesn't. Beautiful animal really and disappearing due to the cross breeding. I divert...

Don't you just love some neighbours, I've always said they make or break you! I can only imagine how distressing it would have been for you to have been reported like this. Sometimes things happen because of delays and sometimes it's just because we didn't realise. I know the first alpaca we lost to worms was terrible, we just didn't realise how often they needed worming in our climate... I'd never have alpacas, sheep or goats in our area just too wormy in the subtropics according to the Vet and I tend to agree.

I've bucket fed calves which ran with the herd (many years ago) and they just came in for their bucket and off they went again. With my heifer because she spent that 8 weeks inside of a night (the lounge room) and now in a pen with cover, I'm being over cautious but couldn't bear to think of her alone in the bush at night. She's so used to 'going to bed' after she has her dinner she lays down and you don't hear a peep our of her all night.

Look forward to hearing how the calf goes.

Vicki