# What "name" do you use to call



## ridethatpony (Jul 20, 2004)

in your cattle. 

Big debate here at home.


My DH uses a word that may be spelled 

KABASS

to me it sounds as though the bass part is like saying aghhhhh for the doctor. KABAAAAGHHHSSS

Anyhow, he claims that all the farmers use that word to call their cattle in at feeding time. 

I say bull....t, it's the bang of the feed bucket that does it. 


So the question is, what "name" do you use to call your cattle in?


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## joseywales76 (Mar 26, 2008)

rookies use herrrre cooow heerere coooow 
vets use any of the following, bossy bossy boossssyyy, kabossyyy, and my dad would just whistle sometimes, oh and btw, you couldnt get out of earshot of that whistle either, we tried once to "claim" we didnt hear that whistle, that went over real well, lol


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

You can use any word you want to, it's what they get used to and associate with feeding, milking, changing of paddocks etc. I yell out "C'mon" and have cows, sheep, dogs, cats and chooks coming from all directions. 

Having said that I can also yell out "Rosie", "Dancer" and 9 cows and a bull appear. I rattle the gate latch and the sheep come running up to be let through to a new paddock and when I say "OK, lets go" the dogs take that as a signal that we're finished at the cowshed and it's time to move the cows to their paddock. I have wild birds here that, when I yell out "C'mon Pukes", come running from everywhere for their handful of maize. All animals will respond to a repetitive command when it is tied in with an action.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Tiffin (Feb 23, 2006)

I agree with you, Ronnie. Just yelling something signals their attention. Actually, I have even just come out into the barnyard, not make a sound and when they see me, come running. I usually clap my hands and say "c'mon, let's go."


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Come - boss, is what i say when I call the cows. But, when they are out thats a different story. I bet I can not post here what I call tehm then.
Bob


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## Woodroe (Oct 28, 2005)

Hewwww-Hewwwww


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## Ryanstones (May 10, 2005)

The Milking Devon breed are known as Rubie's, so that's the call here; Haaayy Ruby! :clap:


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## translplant (Sep 27, 2005)

Our farm man calls "Seuuuuuuuuk, shuk, shuk, shuk!" which he said his mama used when they ran a dairy farm long ago. It works.


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## darbyfamily (Mar 16, 2005)

So far... I shake a folgers plastic coffee thing half full of cubes and whistle at the gate 

They come running to see me.


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## ozark_jewels (Oct 7, 2005)

My grandpa taught us years ago to call the cows with "Soooooocooowwww, Soooocow, Sooocow". Our cows have always been called that way. And it always makes me think of Papaw....


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## TSYORK (Mar 16, 2006)

I holler Blue and T-bone and they come a running!


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## Dexter_Cattle (Aug 6, 2007)

Actually my family always used to do kabaas also, but now with Dexters instead of Holsteins, you jiggle the chain on the gate and say come here ladies and you are liable to get licked from belly button to feet.


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## alpha phi (Oct 16, 2007)

We had cows when I was a kid.
My mom never called.....they saw her coming, and met her at the gate.
My dad whistled to call them (and everyone else)
That whistle could be heard anywhere on the property.
Like joseywales76's dads whistle.....there was no excuse to not hear that sound.


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

we always called "sook heifer, sook, sook". writing it down it looks silly, but thats how my granma called them in and thats how I do it. Of course, they will come to anything you say around feed time, 
P.J.


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## dosthouhavemilk (Oct 29, 2004)

Whoooooooooooooo...but with various intonations as you go along...and you gotta be facing the proper direction to get that down into the valley and around the various hills.
"Sacalf" was what we used to call the heifers up with.
Goats are called by yelling "Caaabraaaaas." Which sounds too much like "Thomas" being called by his older sister for my father's liking. I didn't realize that until I had trained them to that though...lol That all assumes they are out of sight. If they see me they usually come running.
When I make it up to the herd after they have pretended to not hear any of our hollering, I yell "Head'up" and various whistles.
We have 40+ fenceline neighbors and with the odd milking hours that are kept, the calls need to be fairly unobtrusive.
A neighbor likened the calling to a bird, I believe it was. She had not realized it was simply dad calling in the cows.


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## Eunice (Feb 9, 2005)

My mom grew up on a dairy farm, but it was gone before I came along. Grandpa called the cows with the "kaboss". In my 4-H days, the cows usually saw me and came before I got to the gate. Now at the dairy where I work, we have to chase the cows up to the barn for milking. I talk to the cows as I come into the corral. Some get up and mosey along, others I have to slap or throw dirt clods at. Boss says that on his very last day at the dairy, he is going to let the cows come in on their own sweet time. We expect that to take at least all day long with some of them.


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## Ralph in N.E.Oh (Sep 14, 2006)

Mark me down as a "Kabass" Been doing it that way since I could toddle behind grampa to the barn.
I whistle for the horses like Josey Wale"s Father as stated above,, also worked very well for my boys when they were growing up.
The sheep , I clap my hands and say herrrreee babies.
Pigs I yell Come pig, pig pig. never have been the "souie" type!


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## troy n sarah tx (Dec 31, 2005)

I was another one who called them booossyyy or mooooocooowww. Either one worked well since they knew we had food.

Sarah


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## furholler (Feb 1, 2005)

Ronney said:


> You can use any word you want to, it's what they get used to and associate with feeding, milking, changing of paddocks etc. I yell out "C'mon" and have cows, sheep, dogs, cats and chooks coming from all directions.
> 
> Having said that I can also yell out "Rosie", "Dancer" and 9 cows and a bull appear. I rattle the gate latch and the sheep come running up to be let through to a new paddock and when I say "OK, lets go" the dogs take that as a signal that we're finished at the cowshed and it's time to move the cows to their paddock. I have wild birds here that, when I yell out "C'mon Pukes", come running from everywhere for their handful of maize. All animals will respond to a repetitive command when it is tied in with an action.
> 
> ...



I think that is the key, repetitiveness. I call my girls by their name the exact same singing way and they both respond accordingly.


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## furholler (Feb 1, 2005)

Just curious, is "kaboss" an abbreviated form of "come bossy"?


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## MTplainsman (Oct 12, 2007)

Were all "kaboss" people in this country. Yes, it is just slang for "come boss".

As already mentioned, it's all associations. You could crow like a rooster or howl like a coyote, and if they associate treats to your chosen word/sound, thats all it takes. Some people just honk thier horn to bring the cows in. Anything will work.


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## joseywales76 (Mar 26, 2008)

troy n sarah tx said:


> I was another one who called them booossyyy or mooooocooowww. Either one worked well since they knew we had food.
> 
> Sarah


oh lord, i forgot all about moooooocow:bow:


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## mamagoose (Nov 28, 2003)

I know I can always come here for a smile.

We grew up with "s'calf" calling it over and over. I've been trying to train the Red Poll we milk and have had for a year now, but she must think I'm kidding. I still have to go out to get here, (not that I can't use the exercise). Even a rattling bucket doesn't work for her.

on other critters:

The goats get "here girls" and the sight of a human coming toward the field gets all their heads up and looking. The call gets their attention, then they look real hard to see if a bucket is involved before heading in.

The horses get a high-pitched "yoohoo" (because I can't whistle) and they could be way out of sight.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

well for a change so i only get what i want I call BULLS and only the bulls come up.. and get into there BULL STALL....I call BESSIE and the milk cows come up sometimes with a bull right on ther tail if you know what i mean........I call COME ON BABIES and the dairy calfs I raise come up.....but it all what I call when I feed..... btw I whistle for the horses


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## Up North (Nov 29, 2005)

"come boss" here also. But I also start off with a few whistles to get their attention.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

they come to thier names

or up cow up


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## bigfoot2you (Oct 3, 2007)

COME BOSS............or Baby.........hereford.........and a big baby


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