Newbie Question About Boarding Cows

[GiovannaT]

Hi Folks,
My name is Giovanna and I live on a 5 acre ranch in northern California. The ranch was originally designed as a horse ranch with 2 pastures, an arena and a functional barn with 3 stalls.
My question is a neighbor approached me yesterday from across the street and asked me if I'd be willing to board his 4 cows. 3 are heifers and one is a bull. One of the heifers is pregnant and due in November and December. He said he will keep the 1 bull and heifer together and the other 2 separate. He is not planning on milking these cows. The cows are some specialty breed from Canada, but i'm not sure of the name.
I'm writing to ask for support about a few things. I really don't know much about this subject, but i'd like to help my neighbor out and i have the land to do it. Questions:
1. How much should i charge him to board his cows on the ranch? He will pay for all their feed and come each day to feed them.
2. What other things should i consider?
3. Fencing: My fencing around the property is pretty secure, but some boards are old - how hard are cows on fences? Do they try to get out?
4. Weather: We are at 3500 ft elevation and it snows here from December to March/April. Can cows stay out in the snow or do they stay in the barn when it snows?
5. Horseranch: So, like i said, there are 3 horse stalls - would the cows need to be in the stalls at times?
6. Bees: In one of my pastures, I have a beehive. If the cows are in that pasture, will they disturb the bees? OR will the bees disturb them? I cannot move the beehive now - it has to stay where it is and it is in the middle of the pasture.
Thanks so much for your help - i'm glad i found this forum!
Giovanna

 

[Gators Rule]

First, welcome to the board...!

1. How much should i charge him to board his cows on the ranch? He will pay for all their feed and come each day to feed them.

For 5 acres, maybe enough to cover some of the taxes?

2. What other things should i consider?

I would consider the fact that those cattle will be an increase in exposure to your liability, and since it isn't usually covered under your homeowners insurance, you might consider the need for farm liability. either a stand alone policy, or an endorsement if your carrier has it. Personally, I would require the neighbor to carry farm liability on the cattle, and require him to add you as additional insured. Adding you to his policy should not cost anything additional. it should also be relatively inexpensive as the premium is usually based upon the number of acres, not the number of cows.

3. Fencing: My fencing around the property is pretty secure, but some boards are old - how hard are cows on fences? Do they try to get out?

Horse fencing is vastly different than cattle fence. Cows will rub on board fencing, and will usually not respect field fence either. You might consider adding a strand or two of electric fencing to keep the cows off the fence.

4. Weather: We are at 3500 ft elevation and it snows here from December to March/April. Can cows stay out in the snow or do they stay in the barn when it snows?

I'm in Florida, so not sure about the snow, but I wouldn't let the cows in the stable unless it got crazy cold.

5. Horseranch: So, like i said, there are 3 horse stalls - would the cows need to be in the stalls at times?

Probably not.

6. Bees: In one of my pastures, I have a beehive. If the cows are in that pasture, will they disturb the bees? OR will the bees disturb them? I cannot move the beehive now - it has to stay where it is and it is in the middle of the pasture.

You can put a little fence around the hives if it's an issue. Probably the only reason the bees would attack would be if the cows started messing with the hives. I would put a little fence around the hives.

 

[chippie]

I am guessing that the entire 5 acres is not in pasture because there is a house, barn and arena on it. Chances are there is not enough pasture to support 4 head of cattle. The cows should not need to use the stalls unless he is fitting them for show.
He will need to provide hay 24 x 7 because the grass will not last. And he will need to clean the paddocks daily or several times a week. The average cow will poop 20 times a day. You may end up with a fly problem too.

Call the boarding stables in your area and ask what they charge for pasture self care for a horse. That will give you an idea of what to charge for the cattle. Generally people will not pay as much to keep a cow as a horse.

If you decide to do it, I would have the neighbor be responsible to making all fences are secure.

Hope that this helps.

ETA: get your agreement (contract) in writing as to who is responsible for what.

 

[3waycross]

Giovana do you get an Ag exemption for leasing your land for cattle. If so then that is where the real money is?

 

[Alan]

I am guessing that the entire 5 acres is not in pasture because there is a house, barn and arena on it. Chances are there is not enough pasture to support 4 head of cattle. The cows should not need to use the stalls unless he is fitting them for show.
He will need to provide hay 24 x 7 because the grass will not last. And he will need to clean the paddocks daily or several times a week. The average cow will poop 20 times a day. You may end up with a fly problem too.

Call the boarding stables in your area and ask what they charge for pasture self care for a horse. That will give you an idea of what to charge for the cattle. Generally people will not pay as much to keep a cow as a horse.

If you decide to do it, I would have the neighbor be responsible to making all fences are secure.

Hope that this helps.

ETA: get your agreement (contract) in writing as to who is responsible for what.

What she said x2. In addition you should consider that your neighbor will be on your property a lot, usually unannounced. Also bulls are a lot harder on fences and fixtures than cows, although there are cows that rub as aggressively as bulls do. All bulls are dangerous to be around.

In my opinion if it were me, the neighbor would have to pay me a bunch to make the headache worth the while. As stated, get everything in writing especially what happens when they quit paying you on time. Good fences make good neighbors.

Oops, sorry and :welcome:

Alan

 

[aprille218]

Also get something in writing that says if cows, calves or bulls die on your property due to natural causes or acts of god (usually weather related) it's not your fault.

 

[GiovannaT]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for all the expert feedback! You have given me alot to consider and have made some excellent recommendations. So glad I joined this site. Thanks again!
Appreciatively,
Giovanna