The art of lookering!

Hello All,

It’s been great to see how well you have all adopted the looker blogs; hopefully this will make it easier not only for you to communicate with us and each other, but for the graziers too, who can now get an immediate update on their animals.

With cows on three of our sites, and the prospect of cows returning to Caesar’s Camp in the not-too-distant future, I thought this might be an opportune time to reaffirm the things to look out for when lookering (although judging by your posts few of you need any reminding!).

If you have time, it is good practice (and quite rewarding) to watch your cows from a long way off for a minute of two, if possible before they are aware of you. This way you will get a good idea of how they behave naturally, when they are completely relaxed, and will get a good idea of the herd dynamics. Once you know how cows act when they are healthy, you will be able to pick up on any change in their behaviour much more quickly.

As soon as cows are aware of your presence (or even moreso, the presence of a dog) they begin to behave differently. This is true even of cows that are ‘used’ to people. They may bunch up, the cows may move to protect their calves, or their breath rate may increase.

Furthermore, cows as herd animals instinctively try to ‘hide’ signs of illness or injury from potential predators, including humans. It is sometimes easier to check for signs of injury or distress in a group that is relaxed, rather than one that is on edge and aware of your presence.

What should you look for? Breathing is an important indicator. Is it laboured, rasping, or is it very shallow and fast? Both can be danger signs. Problems often manifest themselves at each ‘end’ of a cow: its head and rear end. All cows drool, but excessive amounts of coloured drool may indicate a problem. Cloudy eyes, or any discharge from the eyes, will also be worth noting.

If a cow has an injury or illness, it will soon lose interest in cleaning itself. Therefore, a mucky rear-end can be a danger sign. At the same time, it is perfectly natural and normal for a cow to take a mud bath occasionally!

Conversely, persistent licking of the same spot could be a sign of a skin infection or ringworm, and again this should be brought to our attention.

Some signs of illness are subtle. Yet it can be very clear when a cow is unwell. I encountered a number of cows affected by lead poisoning at Caesar’s Camp. They were separate from the herd, listless, with their heads down, but not eating or foraging, and could be approached, even touched, without showing any interest at all in you. In short, here was every danger sign that the lookering course teaches us to look out for. Even had I not known about the lead poisoning, I would have known something was wrong.

To make sure you check every part of a cow, it may be helpful to adopt a pattern which you use every time, checking first the ears and head, then neck, then front feet, underbelly, back legs, rump and back, before repeating this on the other side.

Keep up the reports, and many thanks for your continued help!

Oliver