Cows and “Consent” to be Bred
There’s a lot of controversy about cows giving “consent” to be bred.
I don’t know about you, but last I knew, cattle can’t speak English. So their way of giving “consent” is to provide nonverbal cues to show when they want to be bred. Some of these nonverbal cues are riding each other and being very rambunctious for the 12 hour period that they’re in heat. If they aren’t bred in those 12 hours, they do it all over again in 21 days. They’ll continue to show these signs that they want bred until they get pregnant.
According to the FDA, a heifer has her first estrus, or heat, at puberty. This age can range between 9 and 12 months of age. After puberty, the female continues to have regular estrous cycles every 21 days.
So when a cow is in heat, that is nature’s way of them wanting to become pregnant. And they let it be known.
The problem with not breeding them when they want to be (when they’re in heat), is it’s a good way for the cows to get injured. Cows riding other cows can lead to falling, doing the splits, hurting their hip, etc. The best way to avoid these injuries is to get them bred like they want to be.
