Aside from their ubiquitous role in rock ‘n’ roll music (favorite: Honkey Tonk Women; funniest: “more cowbell” skit), I am assuming they called “cowbells” because they are hung around cows’ necks.
Have you ever seen cows in a field? They are not the most active creatures on the planet. And not exactly the stealth fighter of the animal world. The only way you would need to find a cow by listening for its bell is if it is jogging around someplace within earshot yet hidden from view. Doesn’t seem a likely scenario to me.
What is the historical use of cowbells on cows, and are they still used?
I don’t know about the history of cowbells, but if you read James Herriot, they certainly were needed! Farmers had huge tracts of land (snerk) and let their cows roam all over the place. There are many scenes of Herriot going out in the freezing cold weather and hunting down one cow or another.
Yes. I’ve seen a lot of them on cattle that are grazed up in the Sierras on public land (with grazing leases from the Bureau of Land Management.) All of the adult cows have one, and you can hike around and listen to them. Since the deer are used to the sounds, I’ve always been tempted to wear one myself when I’m hunting (but I haven’t.) It makes it a lot easier to find the cattle when it’s roundup time.
What good do cowbells do if you can only bell one in fifteen? How do you ever find the other fourteen? Are they under strict orders to go with belled chaperones?
One of my grandfathers’ used cowbells on a few of his dairy cows. I don’t know why just a few nor why any of my other cow-raising relatives didn’t use them.
I do know that some cows can be a little nasty and perhaps having a bell on it would reduce the chances of being caught by surprise while out working the ditches.
It was the strangest thing - when I was in Switzerland, on this sky-bucket arrangement that took us up on a mountain, we’d go over ridges and hear in the valleys the weirdest noise. Finally we figured out that it was coming from the herds of cows in the valleys - hundreds and hundreds of cowbells!
Nobody caught my huge tracts of land joke? I’m disappointed.
Now someone is going to come along saying of course they got it, and i’m silly for pointing it out.
Some cows spook pretty easily and can get going at a pretty good clip when they want to. They might look placid and docile, but they are a creature on the edge. They’re not quite as dangers as, say, a hippo, but they can be damned mean and easily provoked. I’m waiting to experience something scarier than having a ton of beef running after you as you scramble to get under or over or possible through a fence. And if dogs or wolves or coyotes (seriously!) are chasing your cattle, then the cowbells will tell you that something’s wrong. Or if one wonders off from the herd, then it’s easier to track them down. Or if you live someplace with lots of fog or there’s a freak blizzard, then you’ll be able to hear them.
The cowbell that’s used in music, though, is probably going to manufactured specifically for that purpose and not stolen off a cow’s neck.
