What the Heck!!! DO people actually do this ?
Do cows actually tip? If so How?
and how come you never hear of people tipping other animals such as horses and sheep?
Cows sleep standing up. A group of cow-tippers runs at them and knocks them over. Then they run. Cause waking up a cow like that pisses them off. Yes, people really do this.
Yeah but cows are really big heavy animals.
So how is this done without getting gored, trampled, and other wise ?
Do cows actually stand there obligingly? How can they not notice the approach of potential predators?
You ever seen the episode of Beavis and Butthead where they decided to go cow tipping? Instead of just pushing the cow on it’s side they try to do it like you would trip a person. Beavis gets on all fours behind the cow while Butthead pushes it from the front. Butthead manages to push the cow back and it falls on Beavis. The old farmer wakes up and decides that the best way to get the cow off of Beavis is to cut it up with a chainsaw. The short ends with the camera on Beavis’s face while the farmer is revving the chainsaw and Beavis is screaming “Not me! The cow!” Best Beavis and Butthead cartoon ever.
Bad service.
Cow tipping is a lot like Big Foot or UFO’s. Tons of people swear that they witnessed it but no one can provide any good evidence. This previous thread has some good info:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=76991&highlight=tipping
I grew up around cows and my FIL is beef farmer now and I say with certainty that it is bunk.
- You can’t sneak up on a cow if it is not used to you.
- You are not strong enough to push a cow over even if you could.
- A cow is not designed to hit the ground with over 1000 lbs. of weight due to a little sideways force.
My wife grew up on a dairy farm and feels that this is a load of bull.
- Cows sleep standing up or lying down, but mostly lying down. They usually only sleep standing up when they’re in stalls, and are propped up.
2-4. What Shagnasty said. - This is probably a variation on a snipe hunt, with the main goal being to get a bunch of city boys to go running through a cow pasture in the dark. Ever been in a cow pasture? Watch your step…
A Holstein weighs well over a thousand pounds :dubious:
According to this analysis, two strong people could do it.
Where I come from, (Northern California Dairy country) “cow tipping” is used as an excuse/code to: get drunk and dirty (regardless of whether cows are actually touched), play with large farm equipment, and look for psychodelic fungii.
Allow me to speak up and state that I have actually tried cow tipping!
Years ago, when I was young and about as foolish as I am now, my friends and I were in that situation that every parent dreads:
a) we were bored
b) it was late Saturday night
c) we had access to a vehicle
We were cruising around rural Sonoma County doing things that a group of teenagers really shouldn’t be doing, with things that teenagers really shouldn’t have. Around midnite, when our supply of… well, when we ran out of things to do, I noticed a herd of cows in a nearby field.
“Hey,” I said, “Let’s go cow tipping!”
After explaining what cow tipping involved, we set about finding a herd of cows that was away from any buildings and near a road with a shoulder that permitted parking off the roadway. Since Sonoma County is chock full o’ dairy cows, it wasn’t long before Kermit and I were over a fence and headed towards a number of cow-shaped blobs in the distance. Lacking a full moon to watch our step, we trusted to luck to keep our shoes clean.
As we got closer to the herd, we realized that it was a lot bigger than we had first though, as many of the cows were lying down, and only a few were standing. No problem. However, when we got close to the herd, we discovered that cows don’t necessarily keep people hours. Every single cow was awake, and watching the two of us very intently. Problem. We hadn’t counted on awake cows.
“Now what?”
“We could try to tip over one of the standing cows.”
“But they’re awake. I think they’d wander away before we could push them over.”
As we talked, the cows that were lying down began to get up. One… two… four… Those standing began wandering towards us. At this point, Kermit made a very astute observation.
“Are you sure these aren’t bulls?’
… ten… fifteen…
“Ummm… no…”
…twenty… thirty…
We turned and walked back to the car. As we did, I turned to look back. A classic mistake in every horror movie and farmer’s field.
Every single animal was following us, and they were gaining.
:eek:
We ran. I began to rummage through my mental database, searching for anything that might contradict the statement, “Cows aren’t carnivorous,” seeing as I was wrong about such things as “Cows sleep standing up,” “Cows are skittish and will wander away from strangers,” and “Cows won’t chase you.”
Getting over a barbed wire fence at night, in a hurry, while being pursued by a large number of 1000-lb animals, was about as exciting as trying to spot a barbed wire fence at night, in a hurry, while being pursued by a large number of 1000-lb animals. It was an experience which thankfully didn’t leave any permanent scars.
As we piled pack into the car Pony, who could see none of this and took our flight to mean things went well, beamed at us. “Hey! Did it work?”
Kermit and I just stared at him, then looked back at the fence. Numerous cows lining the fence stared back. Kermit turned to me. “Any other friggin’ bright ideas for tonight?” I wasn’t in the mood to volunteer any other ideas, so we went home. A little bruised, some torn clothing, but somehow, with clean shoes.
–Patch
Great story Patch 
How late/early was this? They might have been really glad to see who they thought were a couple of reluctant milkers…haha
An applicable quote of mine, in answer to the poll question What’s the strangest thing you’ve done for money?
Hi honeydewgrrl!
My little misadventure took place between midnight and 1am. A little early for milking.
When I was in college, one of my dormmates down the hall worked at the dairy unit, and had to get up at 2am. However, he didn’t get up at 2am. That guy could sleep through any alarm.
The problem was, I couldn’t. Even though I was two doors, down, his alarm would wake me up, and I couldn’t get back to sleep with that beep beep beep in the background. So every morning at 2am, I’d get up, go to his room, and shake him until he woke up (he never locked his door).
The dairy unit should have hired me instead.
–Patch
At the risk of getting this thread shut down, I’d like to hear a bit more from honeydewgrrl. Is it . . . well, is it actually possible to find psychedelic fungi just growing in a pasture? Growing on the, erm, pasture pies, I presume? What’s the best time of day to find them? And how do you spot the particular fungi you want, and make sure they’re merely dangerous and not deadly? And do they grow in all parts of the country where cattle can be raised? Including the South?
Of course, I ask purely out of intellectual curiosity.
It is? Huh. Maybe this was more in the south end of the county? ‘Cause the areas I’m familiar with, are chock full o’ grape vines.
Oh, yeah. Lots and lots of cows. Head to the Petaluma area and west. Those Clo billboards aren’t up there for the grapes.
–Patch
“Tip Clo through the two lips”
My friend did this, be sure the cow is asleep first, if its not & it catches you, run!
This is done in a film called RED SKY AT MORNING.
handy, I think they were looking for a more authoritative cite than “my friend did this”. And should you run before it catches you, or only after?
Hmmm…
Having grown up on a dairy farm and having lived there for the first 21 years of my life, I can assure you that cows, like all other animals, lie down when they go to sleep.
Horses often sleep standing, and I’ve certainly seen many cows standing in at least a “dazed, content, cud-chewing” state that is at least close to sleeping…though my girls were usually lying down or already awake when I’d gather them to milk.
“And should you run before it catches you, or only after?”
If you go up to it & push it but it turns out its actually awake not asleep like you hoped, then you better make a run for it …
there was a cowtipping.com but it seems off the net now.