HOUSE COW covered in ticks

This afternoon Xavier discovered a tick on Brandy's eye. I had no idea how I was going to get it off.

Bill suggested we drown the tick in butter....??? So he put a glob of butter half on the eye and over the tick. It didn't work.

Then I tried to get the halter on her so that I could try and keep her head still while I tried to get at the tick, and I couldn't figure out how the thing went on.

I called out to our neighbour Paul who grew up on a cattle property. He came over and got her straight in the headlock and pulled the tick right out. The he gave her a good going over and pulled off all these ticks I had missed, including ones from inside her ear.

But the worse part was herbum-hole and labia were covered in ticks, so I helped him pull them off too.


He has offered to come over and help me tick her ever few days. But I really have to get over my fear that she is going to kick me or stab me with her horn.

He was able to lift up each of her hooves and showed me a few handling techniques, and he figured out how to get the halter on too.

I am beginning to understand what people mean when they say that a house-cow is a lot of work.

I rang Brandy's former mum today to ask if she thought Brandy was just playing when she tries to horn me or if she is actually challenging me. She said:both. She said you have to train her like a dog. If she tries to horn you put the lead on and tie her up. If you have the lead on and she tries it again pull her head down so she can't do it.

Animal pyscology has never been my strong point. And I am beginning to wonder if I am mad for trying to do this organically in the world's tick capital!