Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Bigger than Hogzilla

I bet they drink water, and I'm pretty sure there's a least a couple other things they do, but I'm not sure I want to be the one to break the news to a city boy.

Yes, Brettski, cows can get too fat. I lost a heavy one 2-3 months ago when she layed down on a slight slope with her feet uphill; with the angle her center of gravity was above the mid point of her body and she was too fat to stand up. The vet said she died of bloat, which IIRC is basically the gastrointestinal track shutting down (I.E. blockage) from lack of upright movement. We do not always check cows more often than every 24 hours and she got into trouble and died in less than that.

I am sad to say I don't know maximum lifespan for cattle; since I hold a fairly fixed small herd size I am always selling old and stupid cattle. I know that they can still be having babies without any trouble at 8 years, which is about as old as I have kept a cow.

OTOH the world's oldest horse just died, at age 46.