THE SECRET LIFE OF COWS

As I have mentioned previously, my family and I live in a very rural area of New York State.
Many people who live in the New York City area and many who live in other states don’t realize there’s more to New York State than New York City. Surprise! The topography of New York State is very diverse.

Allegany County is mostly a farming community. There is a farm down the road from our house where they have cows. I’ve seen “the girls”, as I call them, every time I drive down the road for the past three years.

I’ve really felt sorry for them. Every time I see them, they’re either standing in one spot, staring at nothing, or laying down, staring at nothing.

I’ve done a little research because of all God’s creatures cows seem to have the most boring life of anything on earth. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t feel sorry for them. I’m finding out that cows have a secret life.

Eating, of course, is the highlight of their day, but I found out that on their own, cows will organize their days into blocks of time, about three hours per block.

It takes them a little while to get moving in the morning. I can relate to that. Once they finally are up and moving around, they eat for about two to three hours. A breakfast that long would absolutely kill my diet. Then, it’s time for a big, long drink of water.

By mid-morning, it seems they’re finally awake enough to ‘challenge’ passing vehicles to race. This is the time they also like to snoop around and see what adventures they can find, such as chasing a piece of newspaper or a plastic bag, blowing across the field.

It appears they’re very curious creatures and are compelled to investigate anything of interest within their immediate area; birds eating, squirrels scurrying, or a running herd of deer.
After such a busy morning, anyone would be ready for a nap and Bessie and Elsie are no exception. Nap time is about two to three hours. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

During the years that I worked out of the house, I usually got a thirty minute lunch break. Many days, ten minutes were spent eating lunch in my car and twenty minutes were blocked out for a much needed nap. It wasn’t much, but it got me through the busy afternoons.
After completing their nap, it’s time for ‘the girls’ to eat again. Since they aren’t interested in watching their waistlines, it’s time for a snack.

Dusk seems to be another exciting time for them. They play, explore, snoop around and discover all sorts of things interesting to them.

Now that they’ve had a busy day, they’re pooped and ready for bed…well, sort of. They actually sleep for a few hours, wake up, eat a snack of hay or grass, socialize and then go back to sleep until dawn.

Betcha didn’t know cows have such an interesting life. Neither did I.

Research for this article:
Helga Tacreiter
http://psyeta.org