Cows get out, visit pond; neighbor threatens to shoot them!

[mridgecattleco]

no matter how well you maintain your fences, cows will get out if they dam well want to :nod:

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.You did the right thing. My brother in law stretches a tight wire. He had three get out a couple of days ago and get hit on the highway. Luckily, no one was hurt first of all (they declined treatment cause they were on the way home from the bar,) and he has insurance for this kinda thing.

 

[Brute 23]

I believe the neighbor has to prove negligence to recoop damages.

 

[I luv herfrds]

JR had an situation up here in our county very similar to yours except the cows were crossing the Missouri River.
Well the neighbors whose place they were going onto got mad and shot several head.
They ended up with a $20,000 plus bill for the cattle, vet and legal fees.
Might want to tell mr nasty temper that.

We had cows getting out a couple years ago. Turns out the bull we had at the time was sticking his head under the fence and lifting the dang thing completely out of the ground. (He's already gone.)
Well hubby went and put in fence posts ever 4 feet and finally a hot wire.
The neighbors whose place they got on chewed us out pretty bad. Said they had tore up his wheat and threatened to shoot them.
Karma got him. July 4th we got a severe hail storm and it totally wiped out his wheat field.
Hubby told me it wasn't nice to laugh. We lost 17 acres, but we got 2 cuttings off of our hay barley that year. Go figure.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I think JR has done all he can do under the circumstances.....

since he said his cows have been out twice in four years it doesn't sound like it's been a chronic problem........

..... cows will get out if they dam well want to. Seen people say the same thing on this forum many times. How many of you that have run cattle for years have NEVER had a cow get out? Let's not be too quick to judge.

:nod: :nod:

A number of years ago we woke up one sunday morning to find a neighbor's bull in our 'yard', standing at the fence 'hanging around' with our cows and bull on the other side. No harm/no damage, a few turd piles and some divets around the place, no big deal. The guy apologized, we told him "stuff happens, no harm done, don't worry about it". Couple of years later he had a heifer get in with our cows, he picked it up about 2 weeks later, no big deal for us. Couple years later our bull got out and in with a different neighbor's cows (a tree had fallen on the fence and he stepped over it) we got him out pronto and fixed the fence. Couple years ago a few of our cows got into a neighbor's garden (his grand kids had hit the fence while 4-wheeling). Fortunately he wasn't mad about it, but I replaced a bunch of cabbage and tomato plants anyhow.

It happens, even when we are diligent about maintaining our fences. JR, you have apologized twice and have tried to make ammends and accept responsibility for the damage. Perhaps the guy's wife can help him to cool down a bit about it. Good luck in the future.

Katherine

 

[ny_grass]

Thanks, everyone, for the feedback and stories

 

[Calman]

Only way to keep your cows from getting out is not have cows.At some point they will find a week spot or just jump over.

Cal

 

[houstoncutter]

Touchy subject, I had to sell a bull a few weeks ago that could jump a five strand fence. That big 2400 beast would clear that fence and never touch a wire. After getting him out of the neighbors pasture 3 times, he had to go....Im most cases good fences make good neighbors. Another thing to do is put a hot wire up about 2 foot out from this fence, dont get a cheap one. Get one rated for elk or buffalo, those things get a cow or bulls attention.

 

[3waycross]

Only way to keep your cows from getting out is not have cows.At some point they will find a week spot or just jump over.

Cal

Good post Cal. Anyone who thinks different is kidding themselves. Their cows(or Bull) just haven't had the right motivation yet. ;-)

 

[angus9259]

I've always taken the view that it is my responsibility to keep my animals fenced in. If your neighbors don't have cattle they have the right to be outraged if their property is damaged by yours. The best approach here is to keep your temper under control and assure your neighbor that you will do everything possible to keep it from happening again.

Yup

 

[cowman]

Good fences make good neighbors.

 

[angus9259]

In Michigan, an owner can be charged for trespassing if their animals are on another's property that has been posted "no trespassing". I do that with dogs that get on the property running cattle. Charging the owners seems to work better than animal control.

I can also shoot dogs running cattle on my property - which I think means a neighbor can shoot cattle if they're running their dogs on their property??

 

[3waycross]

In Michigan, an owner can be charged for trespassing if their animals are on another's property that has been posted "no trespassing". I do that with dogs that get on the property running cattle. Charging the owners seems to work better than animal control.

I can also shoot dogs running cattle on my property - which I think means a neighbor can shoot cattle if they're running their dogs on their property??[/quote]


I bet it doesn't! :lol2: :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[jcarkie]

when you have neighbors who dont have cattle they dont understand and can get peeved. you have to grin and take it some, i don't want to be talked to like that either but.... it is better to keep it from happening, haha they seem to know who to go bug.... we have a hippie feed the wildlife place it is 80 acres, the people are nice but one of our cows found the corn feeder. yikes he was not happy but he was still polite. turned out some hunters cut our fence in the woods all 4 strands between 2 trees and we couldn't find it till one of the cows ran back to it on her way home. they can be sneaky and frustrating

 

[SRBeef]

I think there are two things that help keep cattle inside a fence: 1) have enough for them to eat on your side of the fence, 2) run a hot wire on standoffs on the inside of every perimeter fence. The two times mine have got out it's because I left a gate open. Got them back in right away with a bucket of sweet feed both times. I just have to remember to get off the tractor and close the gate.

A bigger concern for me is neighbor's dogs coming INTO my place - they just go under the gates, fences and hot wires. Neighbor is working on it. I am not a dog lover. I wouldn't shoot them but I will call the sheriff/animal control if these dogs repeatedly threaten my cattle or me on my property.

Jim

 

[Isomade]

I think there are two things that help keep cattle inside a fence: 1) have enough for them to eat on your side of the fence, 2) run a hot wire on standoffs on the inside of every perimeter fence. The two times mine have got out it's because I left a gate open. Got them back in right away with a bucket of sweet feed both times. I just have to remember to get off the tractor and close the gate.

A bigger concern for me is neighbor's dogs coming INTO my place - they just go under the gates, fences and hot wires. Neighbor is working on it. I am not a dog lover. I wouldn't shoot them but I will call the sheriff/animal control if these dogs repeatedly threaten my cattle or me on my property.

Jim

My neighbor is a good friend of mine. His dog was chasing my cows one day and all I had was my .45 auto on me. I chased him home and shot at him three times on the way there. Neighbor comes outside and I told him what happened. He went in and got his rifle.....end of dog. But I'd do the same if my dog got after his.

 

[Isomade]

I think there are two things that help keep cattle inside a fence: 1) have enough for them to eat on your side of the fence, 2) run a hot wire on standoffs on the inside of every perimeter fence. The two times mine have got out it's because I left a gate open. Got them back in right away with a bucket of sweet feed both times. I just have to remember to get off the tractor and close the gate.

A bigger concern for me is neighbor's dogs coming INTO my place - they just go under the gates, fences and hot wires. Neighbor is working on it. I am not a dog lover. I wouldn't shoot them but I will call the sheriff/animal control if these dogs repeatedly threaten my cattle or me on my property.

Jim

My neighbor is a good friend of mine. His dog was chasing my cows one day and all I had was my .45 auto on me. I chased him home and shot at him three times on the way there. Neighbor comes outside and I told him what happened. He went in and got his rifle.....end of dog. But I'd do the same if my dog got after his.

 

[ny_grass]

Cattle are sometimes very surprising. This Friday night, for instance, (the day the cows got into the neighbors pond), Lily (the best mother of all my cows), stayed up until 4am bellowing every couple of minutes for its calf (which was on the other side of the brook, and up a steep, brush covered hill). I'd found the calf and tried for about 30 minutes to push him down the hill but it just zigged back and forth and would have none of heading down into the dark (even though he could clearly hear his mother - EVERYONE within 5 miles of me, could hear his mother ;-) The next morning when I came out, there's Lily, this time on the calf side of the brook, but still, seemingly alone. Every now and then she'd moo and a calf ON THE OTHER side of the brook would respond!! Could they have missed each other?

Basically, I've just about learned that you just need to give it some time. Relax and everything will probably work out just fine! ;-)

 

[mridgecattleco]

My neighbor is a good friend of mine. His dog was chasing my cows one day and all I had was my .45 auto on me. I chased him home and shot at him three times on the way there. Neighbor comes outside and I told him what happened. He went in and got his rifle.....end of dog. But I'd do the same if my dog got after his.

That's the way it works 'roun here

 

[jedstivers]

Cattle are sometimes very surprising. This Friday night, for instance, (the day the cows got into the neighbors pond), Lily (the best mother of all my cows), stayed up until 4am bellowing every couple of minutes for its calf (which was on the other side of the brook, and up a steep, brush covered hill). I'd found the calf and tried for about 30 minutes to push him down the hill but it just zigged back and forth and would have none of heading down into the dark (even though he could clearly hear his mother - EVERYONE within 5 miles of me, could hear his mother ;-) The next morning when I came out, there's Lily, this time on the calf side of the brook, but still, seemingly alone. Every now and then she'd moo and a calf ON THE OTHER side of the brook would respond!! Could they have missed each other?

Basically, I've just about learned that you just need to give it some time. Relax and everything will probably work out just fine! ;-)[/quote
Let cows be cows.

 

[tsmaxx47]

My neighbor is a good friend of mine. His dog was chasing my cows one day and all I had was my .45 auto on me. I chased him home and shot at him three times on the way there. Neighbor comes outside and I told him what happened. He went in and got his rifle.....end of dog. But I'd do the same if my dog got after his.

That's the way it works 'roun here

here too......