Sale Barn cattle

[D.R. Cattle]

I walked across the catwalk at the Sale Barn Tuesday to see what I was up against for the day. It was a light day, only 1600 head. I was staggered by what I saw. Of course there were some cattle that had problems, like a bull that had wounded himself and had an infection. Some of the cattle looked great, but I have a picture burned in my mind of some of them. These cattle were so thin, emaciated they hardly had the energy to move. Now I know from time to time you get an animal that has problems or gets sick, but to see a whole penful, meaning from one producer? I hate to see hardship come on my fellow cattlemen, but this is an outrage. IF YOU CAN'T FEED THEM, SELL THEM! It's no wonder animal rights groups and health organizations are on our back all of the time. Somebody should be held accountable for the way these cattle had been treated. Hey we know they are going to be slaughtered, but that's no excuse for ridiculous inhumane treatment. Anybody that does that to their cattle should be hung up by his **** and then put in a pen with no food for a while. Cattle are a gift from the Good Lord and we'll have to answer for the way we rule them someday.

 

[skip]

It's sad to see people allow animals to get in that condition. The same can be said for those animals that you pass by as you are traveling down the highway and see someone has 5 or 6 head of skinny cows in area half the size of a football field and nothing growing but a few mesquite and huisache bushes.

 

[Craig-TX]

I'll agree with both of you. It is a shame to see drawn, half-starved cattle on a place that looks like a putting green with turds all over it. It's also a shame to see a horse standing in some nasty lot with ribs that look like corrugated iron. All because some drugstore cowboy or cowgirl wanted a horse but won't invest the time or money for decent husbandry. Burns me up. Indeed, someday each of us will stand and answer for how we took care of our animals.

One thing about it though. You can pick up some awful good deals on them. If they are young and sound you can put them on good grass and hay and have some decent stock in a year. If the poor beast has a calf on her you can often pay for both of them when it weans. So, you get a great deal because you weren't too proud to buy sorry looking stock (because you had the savvy to know it was sound) and you help out a poor starving animal. Not bad, making a profit on doing a good thing!

Craig-TX

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Craig I read your post about 10 minutes ago and I'm almost laughing myself to tears. I never heard it put like "putting green with turds all over it"

 

[Dyann]

I was at a sale barn in Kentucky a few years ago.. a guy brought in a semi load of cattle.. one of them had been trampled by the others.. she was not dead tho. They drug her out of the trailer.... and left her in the path of all the other cows, where she could get trampled somemore.. then left her there to die. I was sickened, I was crying.. it still hurts to think some people can be so heartless. I went over to her to try to get her some water or hay.. but she was suffereing so. Why did they not put her out of her misery? They had vets there.. I finally found the guy who brought her in and just ripped him a new one. Still makes me furious.. the guy was beligerent and just an A@@. Then I found the vet.. he had the same attitude. If I could have figured out a way to put her down myself.. I would have. Ya, no wonder animal rights folks are all over us.. I can only say what goes around come around..

 

[A. delaGarza]

the worst thing is that it happens in almost every sale barn, and I agree if you can't feed them don't even bother to keep them or buy them

 

[eric]

I think some sale barns are better than others. I went to a sale barn in E Tx a few weeks ago and amazed at how rough they treat the animals. Every high school kid in the place had a shock rod, they would slam the gates on the calves / cows as they went through the sell area, they were just very rough, especially compared to what I saw at the Mineral wells salebarn the last couple times I was there. No one had the shock sticks, they treated the animals very humanely, the auctioneer was friendly and it was overall a very good experience. I would think twice before I sold a cow at the E Tx salebarn.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

The Sale Barn I was referring to above did a fine job of handling the cattle, as I am sure most do. The problem was the sorry SOB that raised the cattle.

 

[Anonymous]

Well said D.R. cattle, bravo!!!

Well, when we have gone to the sale barn and have seen that kind of behavior we have taken action. I saw a calf once that was clearly dying so we went to see if the baby was able to saved and when the vet said no, my husband said "are you going to put it down?" and he just looked at us and basically said no. That is when I reminded him that he took an oath when he became a vet about humane treatment of animals.
So I asked him again and he put the calf down with a shot. Believe me I would have been all over the auction house owner, there is NO excuse for this behavior.
As far as an older cow (downer) being there, I would pay for it myself to put down if that what it would take, then tell the auction house that the animal rights groups are not fun to deal with if they get wind of this inhumane treatment. ---it just makes me sick to see things like that and I will always stand up for the proper treatment of cattle.

JMO,

kat

 

[Ellie May]

Yeah that's why I don't like going to the sales. We try to sell our cattle to farmers we know.
About animals starving. Why have them if you can't take care of them. If I ever had a cow or horse that was starving that I loved I would rather sell to see it could be taken care of then to keep it for mysself then to have it in bad shape. That's just my opinion, I love animals so I don't like to see them in pain.
Ellie May

 

[bggoff]

I was at a sale about a year ago and there were some cattle that were very thin to the point I thought was unhealthy,To me they looed starved.But everyone was talking about their good condition and they all sold at a higher price.Also at that sale they put a single calf in a pen before they go on scales to run to ring and there is an idiot there hot sticking every calf for no reason.Every sale they have cattle limping or lame.I can't imagine why?

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

The underpaid and underloved "sorters" at the sale barns probably view livestock as expendable merchandise (as my drill seargent in basic training said that recruits were expendable government property). They are pressured by the auctioneer to move the stock in/out as fast as possible to get on to the next item--kind, humane treatment is a minor issue.

As far as poor quality animals at the sale barn are concerned, sale barns are notorious for having culled animals (a few bucks is better than continuing to feed them), as well as a few quality stock (that bring the highest prices).

Usually sale barn cattle have no pedigree records, de-worming records,vaccination records, health records (other than onsite required Vet testing), and it's "cavaet emptor" (buyer beware) philosophy. Sellers come from all ends of the quality, ethics, etc., rating scale. As long as the animal can stand and move on its own it is fair game to be sold "by the pound."

 

[D.R. Cattle]

The whole point of this post had nothing to do with the way they are treated at the Sale Barn. The sale barns aren't starving them to death. It's just that this is where you can find congregations of starved cattle. Again, point at the producer who allowed this to happen.

 

[Anonymous]

The whole point of this post had nothing to do with the way they are treated at the Sale Barn. The sale barns aren't starving them to death. It's just that this is where you can find congregations of starved cattle. Again, point at the producer who allowed this to happen.

Sorry I digressed...my teflon memory...lol.

Agreed...the "producers" who don't take care of their animals and go into livestock "neglect" (if not abuse) are the bad guys and gals. Fortunately several states have rather strict animal laws (Texas is one). However, merely an underfed, un-wormed, etc., animal ending up at sale barn doesn't always indicate "neglect or abuse" per the Law.

The same type of "producer" of livestock probably is similar to those backyard "puppy mills" that production line raise pups with little regard to condition and health and sell them at Flea Markets or Garage Sales.

 

[dun]

There are aalso the well intentioned that can't stand to see an animal suffer so the bring them home and can't afford to feed them.. Poor critters end up worse off bu the do g00der can't see it.

dun

The whole point of this post had nothing to do with the way they are treated at the Sale Barn. The sale barns aren't starving them to death. It's just that this is where you can find congregations of starved cattle. Again, point at the producer who allowed this to happen.

Sorry I digressed...my teflon memory...lol.

Agreed...the "producers" who don't take care of their animals and go into livestock "neglect" (if not abuse) are the bad guys and gals. Fortunately several states have rather strict animal laws (Texas is one). However, merely an underfed, un-wormed, etc., animal ending up at sale barn doesn't always indicate "neglect or abuse" per the Law.

The same type of "producer" of livestock probably is similar to those backyard "puppy mills" that production line raise pups with little regard to condition and health and sell them at Flea Markets or Garage Sales.

 

[jfont]

I've seen two very skinny horses in a guy's fenced in back yard that were so neglected that they had eaten all of the bark, as high as they could reach, off of the trees. There was'nt any grass in the yard, just dust. I had never seen horses that hungry.
About three weeks later the horses were seized and the guy was arrested. I don't know what the fines are for something like that, but I hope they throw the book at him.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

I hate to hear about people getting themselves in trouble, but the animals desrve better. On a sidenote, do any of you see that program about Humane Society Cops in New York or Miami. Always some big metrpolis. Those guys have gotten the whole thing backwards. Most of the time they are trying to rescue someone because their dog lives outside instead in a heated bedroom with full amenities. Then they beg the public for help with adoptions?

 

[Ellie May]

I agree with you DR Cattle.
Ellie May

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Ellie Maye you're back! We wondered if you gave up on us.

 

[Ellie May]

Yeah I wasn't gonna come back on an account everbody basically wanted that & not to many people would miss me but I figured I'd check it out. Nice talking to again DR!
Ellie May