Hurricanes/Severe Storms and Cattle

[GatorBuzz]

With all the hurricanes and near misses I've had personally with hurricanes over the last year, it has me thinking about livestock left unprotected with strong winds and severe weather. Does anyone have a website or information about how to best protect livestock in these situations? I don't have a barn, just a tin roof 8 x 10 area, which won't do anything but get destroyed if we get even a mild hurricane or tropical storm. For those in the Southern/Gulf states where hurricanes have traditionally been a problem, what do you do to protect your livestock?

Thanks in advance.

 

[flaboy]

Do not pen up livestock during a hurricane or even a real bad storm. They have a better chance of survival if left to their own devices. I have seen too many barns blow down killing horses and cattle inside. It is better to leave them out and scout them up latter if required. Last year we lost some fences to trees during the hurricanes but the cows stayed home. Maybe if in a day or two they would have wandered off but the next day I was out fixing it.

 

[CowCop]

!!

Here is some good information for Disaster Preparedness for Livestock, pets etc.

Click on the link and scroll about 8 down for Livestock info.


http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/

 

[Dre]

Yep I left my herd in an open field. As long as its not a tornado they just lay down until the winds pass. I have a barn but the horse is the only one who goes in ther. and he is free to go in and out as he wants. But cows have been in severe weather way before we started pinning them up. Anyway thats my 2 cents.

 

[myakka145]

Totally agreee with FLABOY, leave them out to their own devices. Last year with Charlie rolling through at 110 MPH, even my smallest calves were smart enough to survive in the open. The cattle that were lost were in confined areas. A short distance from me, 25 cattle were found rolled up in a tangle of barbed wire and fence posts, it was a small enclosed area that they were crowded into.

 

[flaboy]

!!

Here is some good information for Disaster Preparedness for Livestock, pets etc.

Click on the link and scroll about 8 down for Livestock info.


http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/

Well they say the same thing I said about not using barns and such. I like the recommendation that you evacuate your livestock. Yeah sure who has that many trucks and trailers available and where do you take a herd of cattle? Now some $50,000 race horse (if I had one) might get loaded up and hauled off somewhere else. :lol:

 

[CowCop]

!!

Here is some good information for Disaster Preparedness for Livestock, pets etc.

Click on the link and scroll about 8 down for Livestock info.


http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/

Well they say the same thing I said about not using barns and such. I like the recommendation that you evacuate your livestock. Yeah sure who has that many trucks and trailers available and where do you take a herd of cattle? Now some $50,000 race horse (if I had one) might get loaded up and hauled off somewhere else. :lol:

That is what is meant by "preparedness."

When you have early notification that a hurricane will hit you within 4 days, you start moving your livestock THEN--according to your already prepared personal disaster plan.

When I lived in Florida we moved our 300+ head out of Gulf Hammock inland to Bronson or Alachua.
I made 20 trips with our 36 foot trailer and we borrowed other trailers from inland friends. We had made prearranged plans to do mutual aid for each other--both for livestock and families of employees.

Our cattle lived, our neighbors cattle did not.

The neighbors had the same opportunity, time frame and resources that we did. They even had many more family and employees/friends and vehicles to assist in the moving of their cattle.
Instead they did nothing and lost everything. Then they complained for the next 2 years how they had no help, no time and that the "goverment should of done something."

Sounds alot like the present situation in New Orleans.

Stupidity and lazyness is fatal.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

I pushed my cows to the cleanest pasture-hardly any trees or brush- no houses close by. Kept my horses at the home pasture but locked them away from the barn. Cattle did fine. Never skipped a beat. I'd peek out every now and then on the horses and they'd look around trying to figure out what was happening but mostly they didn't even quit grazing. They just put their butt to the breeze. The wind blowing through the neighbors cypress hammock sounded like a jet airplane thrusting down on the turbines. Ended up being 125MPH sustained from "Jeanne". This would normally spook the horses up pretty good but I reckon God prepared them for these situations. Good thing I locked them away from the barn. It ended up in my front yard. Did hear of some livestock being lost but every case was one in which a tree, barn or some other form of debris got them.
Hey Myakka...wasn't Charlie around 145MPH? He was a small and compact but nasty boy if memory serves me.

 

[Bama]

Stupidity and lazyness is fatal.

I like that. If you don't mind I may use that saying sometime.

 

[msscamp]

!!

Here is some good information for Disaster Preparedness for Livestock, pets etc.

Click on the link and scroll about 8 down for Livestock info.


http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/

Excellent link! Lots of good information. Thank you CowCop.

 

[flaboy]

[
That is what is meant by "preparedness."

When you have early notification that a hurricane will hit you within 4 days, you start moving your livestock THEN--according to your already prepared personal disaster plan.

When I lived in Florida we moved our 300+ head out of Gulf Hammock inland to Bronson or Alachua.
I made 20 trips with our 36 foot trailer and we borrowed other trailers from inland friends. We had made prearranged plans to do mutual aid for each other--both for livestock and families of employees.

Our cattle lived, our neighbors cattle did not.

The neighbors had the same opportunity, time frame and resources that we did. They even had many more family and employees/friends and vehicles to assist in the moving of their cattle.
Instead they did nothing and lost everything. Then they complained for the next 2 years how they had no help, no time and that the "goverment should of done something."

Sounds alot like the present situation in New Orleans.

Stupidity and lazyness is fatal.

Which hurricane did you move your cattle for? If your land is flood prone that is one thing. If it's mostly winds and some heavy rain, mine are staying at home. I have witnessed dead critters in barns before. I have had to help remove them. It wasn't pleasant. You are right everyone has to look at their own situation and make decisions based on the lay of the land. In my case they won't get moved. Florida has had hurricanes for many years I would think and I have never seen any evacuation of livestock other than horses anywhere. In my opinion livestock comes last to the safety of my family and home. Move them if you want or feel it is the right thing to do.

 

[Brandonm2]

With all the hurricanes and near misses I've had personally with hurricanes over the last year, it has me thinking about livestock left unprotected with strong winds and severe weather. Does anyone have a website or information about how to best protect livestock in these situations? I don't have a barn, just a tin roof 8 x 10 area, which won't do anything but get destroyed if we get even a mild hurricane or tropical storm. For those in the Southern/Gulf states where hurricanes have traditionally been a problem, what do you do to protect your livestock?

Thanks in advance.

I don't believe you can build a hurricane proof barn. Evacuation seems a little extreme to me (unless your property is all flood plain); but that is preferable to clustering them in a barn.

 

[myakka145]

DR Cattle:
Charlie rolled into Punta Gorda at higher wind speed, but around here the winds only got to 110 mph. My house was built in 2003 and I suffered no damage other than a a bent TV mast. Lots of neighbors didn't fare so well, lots of homes, barns and trees down. Some are still rebuilding.