# What were these cows doing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492 "2011-06-22T22:14:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/21 "2011-06-23T16:09:13Z")
My first thought was they were watching two of their more adept friends play hacky-sack, but then I decided that was probably silly. So, maybe something less outlandish, like Twister. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/22 "2011-06-23T16:17:57Z")
Ever heard of [chewing the cud?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cud) ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/23 "2011-06-23T16:33:59Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Cows With Guns > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMbXvn2RNI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMbXvn2RNI) My first thought. Now the song’s in my head. Could be worse, a lot worse. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/24 "2011-06-23T19:12:23Z")
[Or this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/sictransitdiesoccident/2224082076/#/photos/sictransitdiesoccident/2224082076/lightbox/)? ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/25 "2011-06-23T23:50:08Z")
[Plotting a revolution](http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/4898/garylarsoncomiccu9.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/26 "2011-06-24T00:40:55Z")
[Uh, Uh, I’ve got one too](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_RdF7S0TNAHY/TO_nDwxA1LI/AAAAAAAAAMM/WiyTaQPAt-Y/s1600/GaryLarsonCows1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/27 "2011-06-24T01:06:44Z")
Writing a bestseller [http://www.amazon.com/Click-Clack-Moo-Cows-That/dp/0689832133](http://www.amazon.com/Click-Clack-Moo-Cows-That/dp/0689832133) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/28 "2011-06-24T03:04:12Z")
> [@markm](#): > > If you really want to notice something freaky that you can’t un-notice, pay attention to cows grazing freely in pasture, not at a feeder/hay/silage. They will almost all be standing north to south. There may be a few oddballs, but the vast majority will be north to south. They tend to stand facing tail into the wind. It keeps the breeze off their face. In days of yore pilots were taught to use this factoid to determine wind direction before landing their barnstormer in a pasture. I suspect you live in a place where the wind blows from the North. Or South; I couldn’t figure out which end of the cow you meant was which when you said they’re “standing north to south”. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/29 "2011-06-24T03:48:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > They tend to stand facing tail into the wind. It keeps the breeze off their face. I doubt the breeze bothers them. Most grazing animals do this, and it is to make it harder for predators to sneak up on them. Any predator has to either approach from upwind and risk being smelled, or approach from downwind and risk being seen. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/30 "2011-06-24T16:09:08Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > I doubt the breeze bothers them. Most grazing animals do this, and it is to make it harder for predators to sneak up on them. Any predator has to either approach from upwind and risk being smelled, or approach from downwind and risk being seen. If the breeze doesn’t bother them, why do cattle drift with the wind in severe weather conditions? And why don’t horses follow the same pattern? ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/31 "2011-06-24T17:12:49Z")
Growing up in Kentucky I was taught that when cows are huddled near each other for seemingly no reason it meant rain was a-comin’. The cows know … ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/32 "2011-06-24T17:37:34Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > Growing up in Kentucky I was taught that when cows are huddled near each other for seemingly no reason it meant rain was a-comin’. > > The cows know … Funny. I always herd the opposite. I guess we’re both right. Rain is always a-comin’. If it doesn’t come today, the cows were thinking about tomorrow or the next day. ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/33 "2011-06-24T17:40:10Z")
LSLGuy, I was doing some checking on the tail in the wind thing and actually found this, saying what I said, if you’re interested in more info: [http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=FB9B3CC3-E299-DCDD-838FD534037D00CB](http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=FB9B3CC3-E299-DCDD-838FD534037D00CB) ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/34 "2011-06-26T03:51:13Z")
Doesn’t quite fit the OP, but we used to fire off model rockets in a cow-field, and, moo! They came a-runnin’! They REALLY wanted to know what it was that made that whooshing noise! (No, this is not a “whoosh” post.) We called it “The Greater Spell of Cow Summoning.” Trinopus ---
**Author:** ![surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@surrounded\_by\_literalists](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrounded_by_literalists)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492/35 "2011-06-26T17:38:30Z")
Maybe they were discussing their role, during and after, the [zombie apocalypse](http://www.cracked.com/funny-6827-operation-cow-zombie/)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-these-cows-doing/586492.md?page=1)