Meet The Cows
Cows are gentle giants; peaceful creatures who form strong bonds and socialize in a myriad of ways.
Not only do they love to forage, romp around in the field, nuzzle and groom one another, but they are also incredibly loving and patient with other animals and towards humans. We have a lot to learn from cows!
Even though their natural life span is 15-20 years, cows raised for human use live only a fraction of that long.
After suffering through painful procedures—castration, branding, dehorning—without anesthesia, then being fed an unnatural diet while living in feedlots, beef cattle are slaughtered at 18-24 months of age.
Although dairy cows have a slightly longer life span, their lives are filled with physical and emotional pain. They’re forced to endure repeated impregnation and the loss of having their young taken shortly after birth, before being slaughtered at around 6 years of age.
“Veal” calves, the male offspring of dairy cows, spend their short lives confined in crates and are sent to the slaughterhouse while babies who would otherwise still be nursing.
Rosebud
Rosebud
Originally part of a homestead where she was used for milk production, Rosebud’s life was at risk when the family keeping her decided to give up “hobby” farming.
She was destined to be sold directly into slaughter or at auction. In either case, the outcome is the same.
For most cows, being displaced by such situations leads to suffering and death. Luckily, Rosebud became one of the rare few who found asylum in rescue.
And lucky for us, too! We are so richly rewarded by being able to provide her with a protected, safe, and loving environment for the rest of her days.
Rosebud enjoys frolicking in the fields with her biological offspring, Cassidy, and loves to pass the time sunning herself and seeking out fresh patches of grass and low-hanging leaves from our pecan trees.
Cassidy
Cassidy
Cassidy is Rosebud’s only offspring from her former life on a hobby farm who was allowed to remain with his mother and continue nursing until a natural cessation.
Sadly, it’s standard practice when producing milk for human consumption to remove the young from their mothers shortly after birth—a deeply traumatizing event for both mother and child.
Fortunately, Cassidy never had to endure this painful experience, which may partially account for his amiable nature. He’s the most outspoken member of the bovine crew here at CHFS and has been dubbed our official greeter!
As he grows and matures here in safety, we very much look forward to gaining greater insight into his unique and winning personality.
Zeek
Zeek
As one of our “big cows,” most everyone who encounters Zeek is usually taken aback by his size and stature.
As a castoff from the dairy industry, he’s much larger than the cows we are used to seeing in fields. Because male offspring, being of no value in dairy production, are rarely allowed to live much more than one year, a fully grown Holstein bull is an uncommon sight to see.
Zeek was lucky enough to escape the otherwise certain fate of either being shot shortly after birth or sold off to be raised for veal or cheap beef. And for that we are glad!
Zeek exudes character, and his crazy antics are a source of never-ending entertainment. We like to think it’s because he enjoys perfect contentment here
Zephyr
Zephyr
Prior to making Changing Hearts Farm his forever home, Zephyr was united with Zeek in rescue from the dairy industry.
Zephyr was born into this world strictly as a means to an end—to force his mother to continue to lactate.
Just as with his buddy Zeek, Zephyr escaped the certain fate of immediate or early death for males born in an industry with no use for him.
Now, Zephyr spends his days romping in the fields and nuzzling his best buddy.
We are honored to provide him with a safe haven where he can live out his days free of the threats he unknowingly faced early on in his precious life.
Joey
Joey
On the day that Joey was liberated from being stranded in a river in rural North Carolina, we rushed to retrieve him from the local county shelter.
At that time, it was abundantly clear that he was in danger of losing his life without immediate and intensive care. Once in our care, Joey was stabilized by a nearby vet before beging taken to the University of Georgia.
We didn’t know if he was going to make it, but he turned out to be a fighter.
Joseph may have lost his sight, but he’s found a beautiful home at Changing Hearts.
We’ve promised him all of the love in the world, and while we wish he was still with his cow family, we will fill in as best as we can.
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