# Texas Longhorn



## DLeeT (May 8, 2014)

I'm pushing the envelope as far as wildlife I suppose,
but thought these might be of interest. The Texas Longhorn is a direct
descendant of cattle brought to the New World by Columbus in 1493. Lee





You can tell from her ribs it was a long, hard winter, 
but with the lush grass she'll soon fatten up!


​


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## robbins.photo (May 8, 2014)

Lol.. love #3.  Great shot Lee


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## BillM (May 8, 2014)

I don't believe they get that skinny from a long winter. That looks more like neglect.


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## DLeeT (May 8, 2014)

BillM said:


> I don't believe they get that skinny from a long winter. That looks more like neglect.



That particular one looked especially emaciated.  Could be old?  Here is a shot of some of the others that look healthier, but they all were thin.


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## nzmacro (May 9, 2014)

Yeah that one is thin Lee. We get tough winters here and down south with a lot of snow. Lets hope there is plenty of munching going on now . Also like that third head on shot, looks great with the horns. Looks very much like NZ country in these shots, very nice.

All the best up there Lee.

Danny.


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## Raj_55555 (May 9, 2014)

I can see why the "longhorn", lol.. Nice shots Lee.


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## DarkShadow (May 9, 2014)

Hmm,so thats where the horns came from that I used to see mounted on the front of a cadillac coupe deville. Nice shots but poor thing,not the way I prefer to seem them,health wise.


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## DLeeT (May 9, 2014)

I don't believe they get that skinny from a long winter. That looks more like neglect. 						​ 




 Dagwood56, Virgil, Raj_55555 and 1 others like this.
=====




I know little of cattle, but I don't think there was negligence here.  That cow in the middle shot looks old and could be ill.  As the first picture shows, the field in which they were pastured had plentiful grass.  (I see a lot of cattle pastured in mainly fields of mud.) There was one drinking from a trough so they were being provided water.

And these are TEXAS longhorns.  They will survive in semi-arid areas such as Texas with limited grazing resources.  They are not diary cattle and they are not of the "fat" breed of beef cattle such as Angus.  One of the reasons they are out of favor as beef cattle is because the meat is so lean and tough.  As you can see from the Internet clip below, "thin is in" with Longhorns, and they can't be compared to diary and other beef breeds such as Angus or Herefords.  Lee​*

Texas Longhorn*




photo: wikipedia *ORIGINATED:* Texas.

*USE:* Beef, riding.
*NOTES:* Very hardy in dry climates. Lightly muscled, lean beef.  Horns can extend 7 feet. Gentle disposition. Many colors. Very tough  breed which puts on weight quickly.


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## BillM (May 9, 2014)

I spend a good amount of time traveling to Texas Lee, I have never seen any longhorns in that shape. And the one in the shot you just posted looks nothing like the ones originally posted. I am not an expert but I would contact someone who is and let them decide if the proper authorities need to be contacted.


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## DLeeT (May 9, 2014)

BillM said:


> I spend a good amount of time traveling to Texas Lee, I have never seen any longhorns in that shape. And the one in the shot you just posted looks nothing like the ones originally posted. I am not an expert but I would contact someone who is and let them decide if the proper authorities need to be contacted.



Below are a couple more shots.  I spent over a year in west Texas courtesy of Uncle Sam and saw many longhorns not near as healthy as those below.  And I see many cattle around here pastured on land not nearly as lush as the below.

I do not know the rancher.  He stopped by as I was shooting and we talked about the nice weather for about two minutes and that is my only contact with him ever.  The only cow that looked unhealthy to me is the one in the middle  picture that again, appears quite old to me.  I just happened by these cattle driving down a country road. I _may_ be able to find the field again if the cattle are in it.  If so, I could probably get an address.  Since you think there is negligence and I don't, you can research whom to contact and report it as well as I can.  I can PM you the address if I can find the spot again.  Please advise.  Lee


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## paigew (May 9, 2014)

Well I live in Texas. And I see longhorns every day and never in that sort of shape. When I saw that I thought "OMG Call Animal cops"! That is really shameful. If winter was that hard then feed needs to be provided. Shame


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## DLeeT (May 9, 2014)

paigew said:


> Well I live in Texas. And I see longhorns every day and never in that sort of shape. When I saw that I thought "OMG Call Animal cops"! That is really shameful. If winter was that hard then feed needs to be provided. Shame



Do you want me to try and get the address for you?  Lee


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## paigew (May 9, 2014)

DLeeT said:


> paigew said:
> 
> 
> > Well I live in Texas. And I see longhorns every day and never in that sort of shape. When I saw that I thought "OMG Call Animal cops"! That is really shameful. If winter was that hard then feed needs to be provided. Shame
> ...



No of course not. It is just sad that people allow their animals to be in that sort of state. But hey, I guess if you really think about it they ,are better off than 99.9% of cattle in the US going for slaughter. At least they are free roaming.


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## BillM (May 9, 2014)

BOAH: Animal Neglect and Abuse and Stray Animals in Indiana


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## wildforever (May 9, 2014)

I have to be honest..there is a farmer about 5km down the road form me who has a big herd of TLH. Living in Alberta our winters are brutal....winter only really came to and end a couple of weeks ago. For those who don't know about Albertan winters, its normal to have 2 or 3 weeks of -30 -35 (wind chill included).

I have never seen any of them looking as skinny as this....

I very much like the photos... but the look of the Longhorns are honestly...somewhat of a concern.

seeing as our winter has only just really ended (it started in October) ill go grab a shot of them after work today...give you an example how the ones here are looking after yet another horrid winter.


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## robbins.photo (May 9, 2014)

Hey lee, on this rather immancipated longhorn - I'm curious.  Do there happen to be a lot of trees in the area that bear acorns?


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## robbins.photo (May 9, 2014)

Reason I ask, that is most likely the culprit here rather than the rancher. Looks like this longhorn is actually suffering from Acorn Poisoning. I know that sounds weird, but it's actually true. When a cow eats too many green acorns they get sick - messes with their plumbing something awful. When they do they usually end up looking a lot like the emaciated critter in your picture. You usually see it in the spring, especially after a big storm or two goes through an area and knocks a bunch of green acorns off of nearby trees.  

The cows love em.. I guess it's like popcorn with movie theater butter as far as they are concerned.  But man once they eat too many they get wicked sick and after a week or two end up looking like they just strolled out of a concentration camp.

Can't be 100% certain just from looking at the photos of course, but that would be my best guess based on the summers I worked a cattle ranch as a kid.


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## bribrius (May 9, 2014)

anorexic just like some models. They were getting read for the shoot ahead of time.


or maybe they just don't get fed enough like the starving models?


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## robbins.photo (May 9, 2014)

bribrius said:


> anorexic just like some models. They were getting read for the shoot ahead of time.
> 
> 
> or maybe they just don't get fed enough like the starving models?



Well I don't know if green acorns have a similar effect on Cindy Crawford and her ilk, but for a cow once they get one to many in them it's like they downed 50 gallons of ex-lax, and it goes on usually for weeks. Oh ya, it's nasty.


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## DLeeT (May 9, 2014)

This is a report from the University of Kentucky on Kentucky cattle.  Kentucky is south of here and thus had a slightly milder winter.  I might add that there were several calves I saw in this small herd.

"Most  winters take a toll on cattle, but this winter has been tougher than  most. Temperatures have been colder, leading to extended periods of  livestock cold stress. Ice and snow cover was relentless and more than  most Kentucky beef producers have seen in the past 15 to 20 years.

 All cattle are susceptible to these adverse conditions especially if  they are older or they are not getting the proper nutrients...   Despite having had access to free choice hay,  these cows have just run out of gas with green grass just around the  corner  with a belly full of hay.  However, this winter, we have been  encountering these malnutrition cases on a much more frequent basis,  at a much earlier date, and are seeing what should be sound young cows  and pre-weaning/weaning age calves also affected. Despite producers diligently trying to feed and protect the animals,  the cold just won out in many cases. 

Many university studies show that  the lower critical temperature for cows with dry, heavy winter coats is  18 degrees Fahrenheit. It may be surprising to some, but that lower critical temperature  when a cow is wet is actually around 59 degrees, said Louis Pittman,  veterinary pathologist at the Breathitt Veterinary Center at Murray  State University, which works closely with UK on veterinary pathology  issues. For every degree that the temperature drops below the critical  temperature, a cow has to expend 2 percent more calories to maintain  body heat and condition. Wind chills have been especially low this past winter and that causes cattle to expend even more energy to stay warm. So the cattle just arent getting adequate supplemental energy and  protein sources, Arnold said. If you dont know the nutritional  quality of your hay, you wont know if you are providing sufficient  nutrition to meet the animals needs. That can result in depletion of  body fat stores, breakdown of muscle protein and even death, due to  insufficient nutrition.

 Granted, the spring and summer of 2013 presented good growing  conditions for forages, and Kentucky had greater hay production than in  previous years. But thats no guarantee. Even with good quantities of forages, the cases weve seen this  winter where cows were fed only hay suggests that the hay didnt have  the best nutritional quality, Pittman said. The hay may look good, but  without testing, we just dont know the true feed value. The take home  message here is to get your hay tested so youll know what youre  feeding. Arnold said it is important to understand that this winter has been  exceptionally difficult for cattle in Kentucky and cows were pulled down  much more than the typical winter. This fact, coupled with the knowledge that the quality was generally  poor for hay baled in 2013, is the reason we are seeing an increase in  malnutrition in all ages of cattle as well as many stillborn and weak  calves that do not survive.  What has normally worked in years past  (feeding cattle hay exclusively throughout the winter) did not  necessarily work this year.
============================

The conditions in Massachusetts, a verdant part of Texas (Austin) and in Alberta do not apply to here.  Alberta most certainly has a much more severe winter, but the ranchers are used to dealing with it.  Everyone here -- including the cattle producers -- were blindsided by the worst winter in a quarter century.

In the interest of placating the many cattle experts on this forum, I will try to get down the road where I saw these cattle in the future and see how they are doing (if I can find the spot again.)


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## DLeeT (May 9, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> Hey lee, on this rather immancipated longhorn - I'm curious.  Do there happen to be a lot of trees in the area that bear acorns?



Well, oaks are very common here, so yes there are a lot of acorns.  Whether these cattle had access to them, I don't know.


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## robbins.photo (May 9, 2014)

DLeeT said:


> This is a report from the University of Kentucky on Kentucky cattle. Kentucky is south of here and thus had a slightly milder winter. I might add that there were several calves I saw in this small herd.
> 
> "Most winters take a toll on cattle, but this winter has been tougher than most. Temperatures have been colder, leading to extended periods of livestock cold stress. Ice and snow cover was relentless and more than most Kentucky beef producers have seen in the past 15 to 20 years.
> 
> ...



Lol.. well I'd still put my money on acorn poisoning, just based on the fact that the rest of the herd looks like they are in much better shape than this critter.  However I will consider myself properly placated in the meantime.


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## DLeeT (May 9, 2014)

robbins.photo said:


> Reason I ask, that is most likely the culprit here rather than the rancher. Looks like this longhorn is actually suffering from Acorn Poisoning. I know that sounds weird, but it's actually true. When a cow eats too many green acorns they get sick - messes with their plumbing something awful. When they do they usually end up looking a lot like the emaciated critter in your picture. You usually see it in the spring, especially after a big storm or two goes through an area and knocks a bunch of green acorns off of nearby trees.
> 
> The cows love em.. I guess it's like popcorn with movie theater butter as far as they are concerned.  But man once they eat too many they get wicked sick and after a week or two end up looking like they just strolled out of a concentration camp.
> 
> Can't be 100% certain just from looking at the photos of course, but that would be my best guess based on the summers I worked a cattle ranch as a kid.



That is fascinating.  I still think it was the winter (and one old cow,) but if I can find the place again I'll try and see if it looks like they could get access to acorns under some oaks.  If so, I'll mention it to the rancher.


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## robbins.photo (May 9, 2014)

DLeeT said:


> robbins.photo said:
> 
> 
> > Hey lee, on this rather immancipated longhorn - I'm curious. Do there happen to be a lot of trees in the area that bear acorns?
> ...



My guess would be a storm came through at some point and knocked a bunch off the trees, and this critter got into them.  Happened to a couple on the ranch I worked as a kid.  They seemed fine till they got one too many, and then they just got sicker than dogs.  It was weird because the whole herd was eating the same acorns - but I guess it really doesn't do much till they get past whatever magical level it takes for them to be toxic based on how big the cow is, and suddenly you got a really really sick cow on your hands.

Not sure if they ever did find anything that could be done about it by a Vet - I remember 30 or so years ago when we ran into the rancher that owned them said the only thing that could be done is make sure they had plenty of water because they would tend to get dehydrated fast but other than that all you could do was let it run it's course.


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## BillM (May 9, 2014)

DLeeT said:


> The conditions in Massachusetts, a verdant part of Texas (Austin) and in Alberta do not apply to here.  Alberta most certainly has a much more severe winter, but the ranchers are used to dealing with it.  Everyone here -- including the cattle producers -- were blindsided by the worst winter in a quarter century.
> 
> In the interest of placating the many cattle experts on this forum, I will try to get down the road where I saw these cattle in the future and see how they are doing (if I can find the spot again.)



Seriously ? Did you even read what I wrote ? Guess not, don't worry, you'll never have the need to reply to me again.


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## paigew (May 9, 2014)

So are you saying all the cows in Indiana look like this then ?


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