Cows In Thailand

[Birdman]

Are you looking for a stupid old cow?

I may have one at home.

Gladly swap it for a sexy Thai bg anytime.

Well, I think your mother is a bit too anti-authoritarian. However it's a good idea to learn about respect, I mean one's position on our planet, the hard way.

[strawberry]

My moslem mate buys and sells beef (live) tells me much of it comes from India. They sell it lve to the burmees and they sell it to the Thai's

[tw25rw]

The most horrible taxi driver possible, who also happenned to own a buffalo used to tie his animal up at a tree in my garden in Koh Samui. It wasn't fenced but it was a garden.

A different piece of land of ours which is fenced with 5 rows of barbed wire is always being cut open by the Pooyai baan of all people so that he can put his cows out to pasture. No respect at all, don't you just love those country folk.

regards Bojo

Fence them in then sell them.

[abdulrahman]

It's a good question,I wonder myself about the Thai farmers letting their cows(and buffaloes)pasture everywhere,and walk on the Highway,too.

Most cows are the Brahman kind,skinny and hard as fossilized dinosaurs,good for soup,maybe,or the revolting meatballs.

They are never milked,all the milk you buy in the supermarket is imported,the rest is soybeanmilk(blaah).

The buffaloes had some value,years ago,as working animals,but now as with the elephants,they are useless.

They too are never milked and try to eat the meat,if you want to spend a fortune with your dentist.

The only explanation possible is:Thais don't save money in the bank,they only take (expensive)credit from them: a herd of cows is money,visible,

much better as showing your bank account,gives you"face".

MHO only.

[ballpoint]

For a thread about cows, there's a lot of bull being posted here. "Can't buy beef at Tesco's, Big C et al". - The local Tesco's and Big C's in Buri Ram and Surin all stock cuts of beef and beef mince.

"All milk in Thailand is imported". - Thailand has a thriving dairy industry, Foremost, Chokchai, Meiji, and others all supply supermarkets with fresh local milk. Granted, it doesn't come from the scrawny hump backed beasts you see on the road, but it does come from Thai cows.

"Cows and buffalo are useless, farmers only parade them about to show how much money they've got". - If they're worthless, then what would be the point of buying them and parading them about? A fully grown buffalo can fetch around 20,000 baht. A pedigree cow can fetch up to 500,000 baht, a stud bull even more. Your average side of the road cow is obviously worth less, but not worthless. A living can be made with a herd of breeding cows, selectively selling the old and the male calves. The reason most are so scrawny, despite eating in the fields, and the side of the road all day, is that rice straw has a very high silica content and little nutritional value. A serious breeder will feed them proper grass.

Another bovine product, not mentioned yet, is leather. In many cases, the cows are sold for their hides and the meat ground up for beef balls. There is definitely some value in these "useless" animals.

[Farma]

I’ve never had a problem finding beef. Most markets I’ve been too have at least one stall selling it. The fillet is the only cut I buy and it’s quite cheap.

The only Muslim family in a town I frequent has the monopoly on eggs and beef. They kill just after midnight and sell the meat at the predawn market. That meat then gets sold on at the main daytime market.

If you look on the outskirts of the provincial cities you’ll find the live cattle market. They usually have cattle sales on specific days each week.

I believe there was a push on to increase the numbers of Buffalos a couple of years ago as their numbers had declined too much. During the ploughing season I noticed a few farmers still using buffalos to plough.

I’ve got to agree on the cow dung, there are a couple of villages I drive through that rely on cows for income. The roads are a mess and one village has told the owners not to move cattle on the roads until after 9 AM as they were holding up morning school and other traffic.

Cattle are usually kept in the villages to prevent cattle rustling which is rampant in some areas. My biggest worry is tuberculosis which is common in Thai cattle.

[sassienie]

Thailand must have these animals for the sake of the Thai economy.

As without the cows, many families would lose income, because they wouldn’t be able to give those gullible Farangs anymore sick buffalo stories.

[DP25]

For a thread about cows, there's a lot of bull being posted here. "Can't buy beef at Tesco's, Big C et al". - The local Tesco's and Big C's in Buri Ram and Surin all stock cuts of beef and beef mince.

It's absolutely not 'bull'. People in Isaan eat a lot more beef than in some other parts of Thailand, I'd expect to find it there. If I want beef, I have to get in a taxi and go to Foodland, Villa, or a Tesco/Big C closer to central BKK. The local Tesco, Big C, and privately owned supermarkets DO NOT sell beef. Not a single one of the Thai people I regularly go out to dinner with eats beef. Of the dozen restaurants in walking distance I eat at, only one even has beef on the menu. And I when I order the neua yang there, no one else at the table touches it.

[IanForbes]

My kids said they were going to sell my hide when I die. It's pretty thick from all the crap thrown my way and always bounces off.

[Maizefarmer]

I do realy wonder why Thai people breed cows for? Every day I see cows on the road well beside the road they wonder about looking skinny and also on my property people just let the cows feed without

asking for my permission. Ok fair enough but explain to me why I can't buy any beef in any supermarkets here No matter where I go there is chicken fisch or pork, so where does all that beef go? Don't tell me

it is for milk most of them are not milk cows as far as I can see that. So can you explain to me

... I have just over 350 of them - yes, here in Thailand which are milked everyday - so next time you have that cup of tea, or coffee.....

[Travel2003]

most of the 'cow' on the sides of roads are kept for their calves which are then raised to be bought and slaughtered for parties and special occasions, not for daily eating. they probably dont even get near a real supermarket as they are slaughtered, butchered and pre bought, locally.

Spot on!

I think the OP asked a good question.

This question was asked by me as well, a few years back, to my wife.

And has been asked by other people I know, as well.

My inlaws just keep them, and keep them, and keep them, and then they keep them a bit longer, until they need to sell one or two calves, to raise cash for something special.

The skinny ones with long ears are supposed to be the "beautiful ones", which are more expencive than the regular ones.

When I tried to tell my family here that it makes no sense, especially if the meat taste the same.

Yes the meat taste the same, was the reply, but these cows are more expencive because they are more beautiful.

First when I actually saw proof of that (in the local markeds), I believed it.

Still I didnt see the logic.

But then again, why is one painting more expencive then another painting?

Up to you.

[bina]

milk cows are the ones that can spread tb thru their milk; the other 'tb' type disease is paratuberculosis (jonnes disease) and is not contagious to humans, only to other bovines and caprines...

probably down in south thailand more beef and less pork is eaten, in issaan, whatever is handy is eaten, and almost all th thai i know here will do almost anything to get a calf or young cow (whether milk or meat animal) to slaughter and eat...

bina

[Datsun240Z]

At first for transport ( Poor ) then for meat.

[bina]

and i am dying to own a long eared cow and bull one day when i will live in thailand and when we have money and grazing/feed... i just like the look. same reason why i like mylong eared billy goat more then the short eared ones; same reason why i like certain dogs and not others... and i like that they graze on the side of the road, reminds me i m still in an agricultural area. i miss the smell of the cow shed here on kibbutz, already 10 yrs since ours moved. and ill take cow shit any day over urban garbage of any sort including the kind that walk on two legs...

we have a pic on teh fridge of some long eared stud bull owned by some VIP issaan thai in korat; his pic together with his five less 'star quality' studs was on an advert poster in a feed store in korat, a few years ago. the pic still attracts attention of most who see it (colour pic of five bull studs and their stud fees listed, impressive equpment, etc)...

thats why they have cows. so the bulls have work to do. cow by cow.

bina

israel

[Mosha]

In NST the bulls are kept mostly for fighting, from what I'm told. There are quite a few cows kept around here, but most people I know do not eat beef..

Edited July 23, 2009 by Mosha

[Rinrada]

Our 5 Jungle Cows are pets...had 6 but one died 2 weeks ago....however we got a new bull recently who has done the biz and the 3 young ones are in bun stakes

......got 2 more in transit from some god forsaken village and will eventually end up with about 20 ...they are free to wander about and behave like farang expats (got about 30-35 rai now)...and we dont eat em......

chicken sarnie anyone?

[Harcourt]

milk cows are the ones that can spread tb thru their milk; the other 'tb' type disease is paratuberculosis (jonnes disease) and is not contagious to humans, only to other bovines and caprines...

probably down in south thailand more beef and less pork is eaten, in issaan, whatever is handy is eaten, and almost all th thai i know here will do almost anything to get a calf or young cow (whether milk or meat animal) to slaughter and eat...

bina

Not quite right Bina. As a former MAF meat inspector, I happen to know that TB can be contracted from infected meat.

What is true though is that it is unlikely to be transmitted via meat: TB is killed off at fairly low temperatures (around 60 C), and also abatoirs screen the meat (my former job), so unless you are eating raw, uninspected, infected meat, there is little chance of contracting the disease.

[zzaa09]

I do realy wonder why Thai people breed cows for? Every day I see cows on the road well beside the road they wonder about looking skinny and also on my property people just let the cows feed without

asking for my permission. Ok fair enough but explain to me why I can't buy any beef in any supermarkets here No matter where I go there is chicken fisch or pork, so where does all that beef go? Don't tell me

it is for milk most of them are not milk cows as far as I can see that. So can you explain to me

Decor. The Bhrama variety give the region that much added sense of old SE Asia.....

[loong]

Thais like to eat beef, why? because it is considered expensive. Every locale has a place that sells just beef.

This area in Khon Kaen has a lot of dairy cows. Every day I see see pickups with milk churns in back.

You just have to look around and you will see - you think people keep cows for fun?

Oh - some people earn more money from selling the manure than they get from the meat. It can be a lucrative by product

[ericthai]

You never said where you are. Im in Surin, which is small compared to BKK, I get Beef at Big C, they dont always have it, need you to go early in the day before its gone. My mother law eats beef as does my wife and allot of my Thai friends. dont know why the people around you dont. Also the local Thai market almost always sells beef, again early in the day. I go to Sisakt, actually kukhan which is very very small, I go to a few of the vendors on the street there and they have beef, not all the time but they have it.

Dont know why you cant find it. maybe all the thai's around you are lying to you saying they dont have beef so they can keep it for themselves.

[mhan77]

carrefour has the best beef/ meat products when it comes down to selection but when it comes down to quality, I would shop at tops.. if you don't reside in BKK, it's so easy to biatch about the obvious.

[EndofDays]

I do realy wonder why Thai people breed cows for? Every day I see cows on the road well beside the road they wonder about looking skinny and also on my property people just let the cows feed without

asking for my permission. Ok fair enough but explain to me why I can't buy any beef in any supermarkets here No matter where I go there is chicken fisch or pork, so where does all that beef go? Don't tell me

it is for milk most of them are not milk cows as far as I can see that. So can you explain to me

I always wanted a baby buffalo, and I would call him "Nermal". He could roam around my land free and happy and do what buffalos do. I already told my wife that "Nermal" would not be for eating. Probably expensive to feed a buffalo, though. Just one of those crazy fantasies, I guess. Thinking about stupid stuff like that helps talke away from other realities, though.

[zzaa09]

It's a good question,I wonder myself about the Thai farmers letting their cows(and buffaloes)pasture everywhere,and walk on the Highway,too.

Most cows are the Brahman kind,skinny and hard as fossilized dinosaurs,good for soup,maybe,or the revolting meatballs.

They are never milked,all the milk you buy in the supermarket is imported,the rest is soybeanmilk(blaah).

The buffaloes had some value,years ago,as working animals,but now as with the elephants,they are useless.

They too are never milked and try to eat the meat,if you want to spend a fortune with your dentist.

The only explanation possible is:Thais don't save money in the bank,they only take (expensive)credit from them: a herd of cows is money,visible,

much better as showing your bank account,gives you"face".

MHO only.

This is always amusing to pinder. We share 22 Brahnan types with my in-Laws as well 6 water buffalo {at least they're practical}. I ideal behind it comes from the old image of livestock wealth {???}. As your herd grows, you will sell a head or three for someone else to keep and sire more cattle to perpetuate the cycle......Thainess.

[dale8]

Hello, my Thai gf has some cows and buffalo on her family farm to have some manure as they use the organic methods like the old ways. It is better for the land, and the produce is much better for people to eat as it is much more natural. She will not eat any beef because she had a cow as a pet when she was young so I have to go to a restaurant for my steaks. Cheers.

[ianh68]

The most horrible taxi driver possible, who also happenned to own a buffalo used to tie his animal up at a tree in my garden in Koh Samui. It wasn't fenced but it was a garden.

A different piece of land of ours which is fenced with 5 rows of barbed wire is always being cut open by the Pooyai baan of all people so that he can put his cows out to pasture. No respect at all, don't you just love those country folk.

regards Bojo

This is a throwback to the village tradition of shared common property. It is one of the reasons these "country folk" are such caring people, believe it or not. This may well be not so much lack of respect (IMO) as an assumption that you are "just like them". Have you tried talking to them?

Spot on! I think the OP asked a good question.

This question was asked by me as well, a few years back, to my wife.

And has been asked by other people I know, as well.

My inlaws just keep them, and keep them, and keep them, and then they keep them a bit longer, until they need to sell one or two calves, to raise cash for something special.

The skinny ones with long ears are supposed to be the "beautiful ones", which are more expencive than the regular ones.

When I tried to tell my family here that it makes no sense, especially if the meat taste the same.

Yes the meat taste the same, was the reply, but these cows are more expencive because they are more beautiful.

First when I actually saw proof of that (in the local markeds), I believed it.

Still I didnt see the logic.

But then again, why is one painting more expencive then another painting?

Up to you.

This Thai obsession with thinness equals beauty does defy logic. Sometimes it's harmless, sometimes it is not. It even extends to motorbikes. Youngsters will change the wheels on new bikes for slimmer tyres which supposedly look more beautiful, irrespective of the fact that they have less traction on the road.

[Scubadude770]

The very best beef in Thailand comes from the Thai-French cattle farm in Sakhon Nakhon province. They have an outlet in Udonthani and possibly other places as they sell to major hotels and resorts.

A trip to the ranch on slaughter day with a large ice chest will be well worth the trip. You will not enjoy any other beef in Thailand imported or otherwise after you have theirs.