Cows and Creeks

[garseer]

I have a creek that runs through my property that is about 15 or 20 foot deep and the banks are steep as well. This creek separates my land from one pasture to the next and it has maybe two places where the cows can walk from one to the other. My question is have any of you ever had a cow fall in a creek. There is places were the woods are right up against the creek also. The reason I am asking this is I am starting to fence the back part of my land where the creek is and was wandering if I need to fence the creek also.

 

[hillrancher]

I have a creek that runs through my property that is about 15 or 20 foot deep and the banks are steep as well. This creek separates my land from one pasture to the next and it has maybe two places where the cows can walk from one to the other. My question is have any of you ever had a cow fall in a creek. There is places were the woods are right up against the creek also. The reason I am asking this is I am starting to fence the back part of my land where the creek is and was wandering if I need to fence the creek also.

Check with or your conservation agency. There is moneys that will pay for fencing a stream here. It will cover about all total cost.

 

[Red Bull Breeder]

Don't about where you are but around here ever time the creek floods you will have to rebuild the fence.

 

[Limomike]

I never had a cow fall into one of our creeks, but ours are not as wide or have as tall of an embankment as yours do. I can tell you that they will find a way to get to the water, no matter how steep it is..

 

[EAT BEEF]

Our places are pecan bottoms with winding creeks that flood with a decent rain,so they are hard to fence.I have a few cows come up lame every year from tripping over roots or the bulls rideing them on the banks.We had to eat one this summer that broke her hip on a creek bank,I just figure it's part of the deal.If it doesn't flood much I think it would be a good idea to fence the banks off and put in a nice crossing.

 

[HerefordSire]

I have lost several cows in a creek just like you describe. My creek has been know to flood. You could build a levee and then put the fence on or close to the levee.

 

[GMN]

I have a creek that runs through my property that is about 15 or 20 foot deep and the banks are steep as well. This creek separates my land from one pasture to the next and it has maybe two places where the cows can walk from one to the other. My question is have any of you ever had a cow fall in a creek. There is places were the woods are right up against the creek also. The reason I am asking this is I am starting to fence the back part of my land where the creek is and was wandering if I need to fence the creek also.

I wouldn't fence it, unles they fall in by accident, I don't think they will just go in there by themselves. I have only seen a cow swim once when the neighbor had the cows on her bottom, and it was raining and raining, and the creek got higher and higher, we went over to help get her cows up to the top of her land, and had to run most of them over the bridge because they were too afraid to cross the water, now that was very hard to do too. One or 2 did go into the creek, and actually were able to swim, which was interesting. No losses that day, but it did take forever.

 

[nap]

I have a neighbor that lost 19 cows when the creek running through his property flooded. The cows were washed into a river about a mile away. He actually was able to rescue a few of them several miles down stream. He has since fenced the creek running through his property. Water can be an amazing thing especially after 12 inches of rain in about 12 hours.

 

[K2011]

We had a cow calve right on the bank of the creek...it was a 10 foot drop and as soon as the calf was pushed out and he made the slightest move he fell in...luckly there was no water but we did have to go down and haul him back up to his mother...we actually named the calf "CLIFF"

 

[Mat Man]

I found a new born last year in about knee deep water dead.She had him on the bank.
We dont know if he was born dead or alive.

 

[garseer]

Ya'll our really making this hard. It seems now that I will need to fence the whole thing on both sides. I really didn't want to do that. The creek did flood this year though and supposedly never had flooded that much in the past 15 or 20 years. The creek very seldom has water running through it, but when it rains a lot it will. I have been there going on 3 years and I have never seen it out of the banks, but the one time.

 

[skyline]

It's all about how much risk you are willing to take and how you manage your grazing. I have 2 creeks that converge on my place. Steep banks in most places with drop offs of 4 to 6 feet or so. But there is no way I would fence both sides of the creek. Too much $$$$. I built a fence along one side of the creek and have the ability to move them from one side of the creek to the other when I need to.

 

[GMN]

Ya'll our really making this hard. It seems now that I will need to fence the whole thing on both sides. I really didn't want to do that. The creek did flood this year though and supposedly never had flooded that much in the past 15 or 20 years. The creek very seldom has water running through it, but when it rains a lot it will. I have been there going on 3 years and I have never seen it out of the banks, but the one time.

We also have a creek running thru right before our bottom. When we put the cows down there, we just never put them down there, when there is a chance of heavy rain. When the creek floods heavy it will wash out barb wire. It has happened a few times. That would be my concern with you, thats too much money to spend to fence both sides of a creek, for a slight chance of one falling in. Our creek has water in it year round, except in heavy drought, and we have never had a cow fall in.

Plus if you fence it all off, where will they go for a water source?

GMN

 

[jcarkie]

we have a creek i worry more about the fence washing out than them falling in off the high parts. accidents happen, you can't prevent everything so being paranoid won't help. our creek will flood very fast and be gone just as fast. most cows have sense to go to high ground, some however will get into trouble no matter what you do. i wish mine was fenced off, so wouldn't have to fix fence 3-4 times a year, move cows , put cows back, etc...

 

[xbred]

i have a creek that runs thru my place..once a year, maybe once every two years it floods and will take out a fence that crosses it...I have had a calf born near the creek and found it dead a week later..my plan is to fence both sides of the creek, parallel to the creek about a 100 yards or so (out of flood range) maybe 200-300 yards from the creek on both sides..it is about a 1/2 mile long...I will then consider the newly fenced area as the "creek pasture"... and graze it accordingly.. it is very well suited for summer grazing with it's many shade trees and bushes to ward off flies...in the winter it is a good place to turn cattle off rye grass for a day or two...

 

[garseer]

Many thanks to all of your feedback on this topic. I really appreciate it for sure. I think I will not fence both sides as of now and if I have a problem later on then I may go ahead. The creek is not a good place for a water source actually as there is some potholes that hold water, but the water doesn't run through it all year. It has flooded before, but I have the few cows I got now sorta trained to come to a holding pen when we holler at them and I am hoping this will work if the rain ever gets as bad as it did back in February of 2008.