page_title: Cow tipping
section_title: Veterinary and husbandry practices
hierarchical_section_title: Cow tipping / Veterinary and husbandry practices
caption_attribution_description: English: Murray Grey calf in a table cradle, awaiting branding, vaccination and an earmark
context_page_description: Cow tipping is the purported activity of sneaking up on any unsuspecting or sleeping upright cow and pushing it over for entertainment. The practice of cow tipping is generally considered an urban legend, and stories of such feats viewed as tall tales. The implication that rural citizens seek such entertainment due to lack of alternatives is viewed as a stereotype. The concept of cow tipping apparently developed in the 1970s, though tales of animals that cannot rise if they fall has historical antecedents dating to the Roman Empire.
  Cows routinely lie down and can easily regain their footing unless sick or injured. Scientific studies have been conducted to determine if cow tipping is theoretically possible, with varying conclusions. All agree that cows are large animals that are difficult to surprise and will generally resist attempts to be tipped. Estimates suggest a force of between 3,000 and 4,000 newtons is needed, and that at least four and possibly as many as fourteen people would be required to achieve this.
context_section_description: Cattle may need to be deliberately thrown or tipped over for certain types of husbandry practices and medical treatment.  When done for medical purposes, this is often called "casting", and when performed without mechanical assistance requires the attachment of 30 to 40 ft (9.1 to 12.2 m) of rope around the body and legs of the animal. After the rope is secured by non-slip bowline knots, it is pulled to the rear until the animal is off-balance. Once the cow is forced to lie down in sternal recumbency (on its chest), it can be rolled onto its side and its legs tied to prevent kicking.
  A calf table or calf cradle, also called a "tipping table" or a "throw down", is a relatively modern invention designed to be used on calves that are being branded.  A calf is run into a chute, confined, and then tipped by the equipment onto its side for easier branding and castration.
  Hydraulic tilt tables for adult cattle have existed since the 1970s and are designed to lift and tip cattle onto their sides to enable veterinary care, particularly of the animals' genitalia, and for hoof maintenance. (Unlike horses, cows generally do not cooperate with a farrier when standing.)  A Canadian veterinarian explained, "Using the table is much safer and easier than trying to get underneath to examine the animal", and noted that cows tipped over on a padded table usually stop struggling and become calm fairly quickly.  One design, developed at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, included "cow comfort" as a unique aspect of care using this type of apparatus.
caption: A calf cradle used for branding in Australia
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