# Cow Treats?



## hooligan (Jan 30, 2010)

Ok, so horses are priviliged to have their own types of treats...but can cows eat those too?
I have heard that sheep can not eat them due to the copper content but wasn't sure what other farm animals couldn't...anyone know?


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## mommy_2_parks (Jan 30, 2010)

I don't know anything about horse or sheep treats, but my cows love range cubes. They will try to get into our coat pockets to get them.


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## jhm47 (Jan 30, 2010)

Range cubes, or just plain old grain that they like.  I would also guess that if they like horse treats, they would be fine too.  Just make sure to limit them so they are actually treats.  Children who have unlimited access to candy or ice cream soon cease to consider it anything special.  Cows are somewhat like children in this sense.


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## amysflock (Jan 31, 2010)

Apples, greens and some vegetables work, too. I just make sure to cut the pieces into small enough chunks that they won't choke, especially with apples and squash. Ours get swiss chard, spinach, kale, quartered apples, chunked squash, zucchini and pumpkin, etc. They also love grain, but beware the molasses content, as grain can make otherwise docile animals into spoiled, hard to manage monsters.


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## jhm47 (Jan 31, 2010)

We routinely let our cows glean the windfall apples from under our trees.  They eat them whole, and we've never had any problem with them choking.  They pick up a whole apple, raise their heads into the air and chomp down.  The juice sometimes runs down their chins and they get a heavenly expression on their faces.  Funny to watch.


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## JerseyXGirl (Jan 31, 2010)

Mine loooovvveee bread.  I don't give but a slice to each one and usually stuff like whole wheat, 12 grain, those kinds.  We get the bread for free so makes for a good treat for my chickens and such.


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## Sara (Feb 1, 2010)

Our cows love bread items as well.  Sometimes my father-in-law brings home rolls home from where he works and the cows think they have hit the lottery.

My son's show heifer loves carrots, apples, bananas.  She's not afraid to eat. lol


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## Nicki (Feb 15, 2010)

I have tried several types of vegetables as well as horse treats and none of my cows will touch them but they do love bread.


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## Ranch Girl (Feb 15, 2010)

I made horse treats, and I fed them to our milk cow, our goats and what ever else! After that Betsy ( the milk cow ) would wait for me to come!!!


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## purecountrycow (Sep 11, 2010)

Has anybody ever heard of giving your beef cow a beer once a day?  I heard about it and they say it relieves stress and you will get better marbling meat.


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## Ranch Girl (Oct 3, 2010)

purecountrycow said:
			
		

> Has anybody ever heard of giving your beef cow a beer once a day?  I heard about it and they say it relieves stress and you will get better marbling meat.


That is the weirdest thing I've ever heard of!


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## goodhors (Oct 3, 2010)

Well, beer IS made of grains!  I know a lot of horses like beer in their grain.  And Guiness Dark, seems to be a huge aid in helping horses who do not sweat!  They often will go back to sweating if given the Guiness once a day.  Without sweat, horses can overheat, hurt themselves.  But for various unknown reasons, some horses shut down and won't sweat.  Some never do again, and some folks have had the success with Guiness.  I know in the UK, they often give the winning race horse a beer on his grain.

For my heifer and steer calf, we use alfalfa pellets for snacks.  They were recommended to me for his first solid food, easing into eating hay and grain.  He didn't eat many, so we were giving them as treats to the heifer as well, she LOVES them.  I now just use the pellets for when she comes when called, put the halter on, lead her to the barn.  She ACTUALLY ran to me, halfway across the field the other day to get her pellets!!  You don't go thru pellets too fast with just a handful a day!  I think these were the Dairy pellets.  She also gets windfall apples cut up into quarters, in her handful of grain waiting in the stall.  She appears to enjoy the apples a lot, but doesn't want to eat them from your hand.  I have to keep the apples picked up away from the horses, limiting their intake.  So I have plenty of apples for the cow.  The lamb doesn't seem to like apples, just ignores them.

Our horses also like the alfalfa pellets!  They consider them a snack, reward, and get them only for that reason.  Like putting head down to put harness on or remove the breastcollar. Horses will really snuffle your pockets if you have any pellets in them, but I am mean, so they don't get pellets then.  Horses do seem to just enjoy the smell, inhale deeply, while checking you out.  None of our horses are rude, no pocket pulling stuff.


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## purecountrycow (Oct 12, 2010)

Yes,,,my 2 cows love the apples as well. And the goats love apples and my turkeys love them too! I can see the alfalfa pellets being fed more to the heifer after she  gives birth and starts milking for better milk production. 

Thanks


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## iowafarmlady (Oct 27, 2010)

purecountrycow said:
			
		

> Has anybody ever heard of giving your beef cow a beer once a day?  I heard about it and they say it relieves stress and you will get better marbling meat.


I'm having this hilarious image of my cows standing around drinking a cold one every night.


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## jhm47 (Oct 27, 2010)

Giving beer to cattle is a common practice in Japan, where they raise "kobe" beef.  They also massage their cattle daily, and feed them to be highly marbled.  They have a special breed (Wagyu) that is said to be extremely tender and well marbled.  I used some Wagyu semen on some of my cows.  Only got one calf, and she died.  Didn't seem to take the cold well.


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## Royd Wood (Oct 28, 2010)

Its pears my cows go mad for and lots around here for the pigs and horses too.
Apples are fed whole as I never thought of it being a choking problem watching them munch em up but suppose it could happen.


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