Ever notice how cattle can get themselves into trouble?

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J+ Cattle

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I'm curious to hear about your personal experiences for how cattle can get themselves into trouble.

I'll start it off with this one from several years ago that managed to get twisted up in four strands of barbed wire plus a strand of electric fence. We got him out and he limped for a good long while until he healed completely. When I sold him at the local auction they noticed the scar on his foot and bought him cheap. :(

J+ Cattle
 

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I'm curious to hear about your personal experiences for how cattle can get themselves into trouble.

I'll start it off with this one from several years ago that managed to get twisted up in four strands of barbed wire plus a strand of electric fence. We got him out and he limped for a good long while until he healed completely. When I sold him at the local auction they noticed the scar on his foot and bought him cheap. :(

J+ Cattle
A wound that's completely healed and still docked .50 for no reason.
Hate that!
 
I'm curious to hear about your personal experiences for how cattle can get themselves into trouble.

I'll start it off with this one from several years ago that managed to get twisted up in four strands of barbed wire plus a strand of electric fence. We got him out and he limped for a good long while until he healed completely. When I sold him at the local auction they noticed the scar on his foot and bought him cheap. :(

J+ Cattle
He was lucky to get out of that one. I have a kangaroo up the back in a similar situation but I won't be freeing him until he finishes decomposing,

Ken
 
Greybeard I'm sure you have some personal experiences that are similar
None with photos, except a calf that went missing and floated up in the pond a few days later. Water was cold and I guess the bank was too steep for him to climb out.


I had to sell a relatively good beefmaster bull after he went strolling through a waterway and stepped off into a 45 upset on a 24" culvert just below the surface. I saw him do it from my back yard and took off out there. Had both hind legs down in it when I drove up with the tractor and ropes, but the tractor spooked him into jumping out on his own. I thought he'd be ok but later realized he broke his pecker. Took him to sale barn, wrote "Kill pen" on the dropoff ticket and got $.90/lb for him.
cows 007.jpg
 
I got lucky!!! Curious calves busted down the panels to one of the wells and I was able to get them out before any of them got nailed by the pump jack. A friend of mine wasn't so lucky with one of his cows and it's a horrendous way to die.

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TCRanch, I knew of a man that got mashed up in a pumpjack. It pretty much cut him in half but it was certainly not a clean surgical type cut.
 
TCRanch, I knew of a man that got mashed up in a pumpjack. It pretty much cut him in half but it was certainly not a clean surgical type cut.
My mom's dad was killed on a rotary - crushed his head. Even experienced pumpers & oil men (and women) can either let their guard down or have something unexpected happen. It's a dangerous occupation.
 
None with photos, except a calf that went missing and floated up in the pond a few days later. Water was cold and I guess the bank was too steep for him to climb out.


I had to sell a relatively good beefmaster bull after he went strolling through a waterway and stepped off into a 45 upset on a 24" culvert just below the surface. I saw him do it from my back yard and took off out there. Had both hind legs down in it when I drove up with the tractor and ropes, but the tractor spooked him into jumping out on his own. I thought he'd be ok but later realized he broke his pecker. Took him to sale barn, wrote "Kill pen" on the dropoff ticket and got $.90/lb for him.
View attachment 8486
Darn good looking bull.
 
Two part bad story:
1. A friend lost a place he had leased. I helped him gather cows for two full days just to be nice. Used my truck and trailer to haul them. Sale starts, and he says I better not be seen bidding on my own cattle. If one doesn't bring X amount, you bid. We'll settle up after the sale. I bought 12 head. After the sale, he said"I'm going to let you keep them cows, they're some good ones". I went and got my check book.

2. Got my 12 cows home, and one hung itself in a grapevine that night.
 
Other than a steer getting his head caught in a V of a tree. That's my big one that comes to mind. He was dehydrated and it was not easy to lift him up out of that V
 
It was on dark one day and as i drove out did a head count, cow 8 months bred was missing. Hmmm, do i search or she just in the trees. Decided to look, found her at the bottom of a dry dam stuck in the mud. She really made an effort to get there and fall in! Been there a few hours and was really tired from panicking and struggling. This dam is 20ft deep and has steep sides so couldn't drag her out. I came up with a plan, i have an irrigation outlet from a full dam which is 400 meters away and has a good 10kw pump on it. Only there is a valve 'somewhere' inbetween. Some frantic digging found the 3" valve. Went to turn it on and handle snapped off flush! So after some cursing, got out the hacksaw, bits of pipe and an hour later had a make shift connection. Got pump running and a few hours later we finally floated her out. She was a tired girl but a couple of days later was back to herself. A month later calved with no problems.
 
We had a heifer hang herself upside down in one strand of wire. The wire twisted around her front leg, she went upside down and halfway twisted her leg too. Got her out, but she limped for a long time.

#2 Breeding season. Good cow, had a great calf. Bulls been home about 2 weeks or so and this particular cow goes in heat. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but the cow ended up down, both backlegs stretched back, back broken. Had to put her down. Was a shame.
 
Two part bad story:
1. A friend lost a place he had leased. I helped him gather cows for two full days just to be nice. Used my truck and trailer to haul them. Sale starts, and he says I better not be seen bidding on my own cattle. If one doesn't bring X amount, you bid. We'll settle up after the sale. I bought 12 head. After the sale, he said"I'm going to let you keep them cows, they're some good ones". I went and got my check book.

2. Got my 12 cows home, and one hung itself in a grapevine that night.
Are you still friends? Sounds like it doesn't pay to be his friend...
 

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