Stray cattle

[Chris H]

4 weeks ago 2 crazy cows showed up in my pasture, taking out a couple polywire fences on their way. They were crazy. I fixed the fence and by the afternoon I wanted to move my cows to a paddock where it wouldn't be easy to get 2 crazies out. Long story short, they jumped/crushed a woven wire/barbed wire fence our cows never challenged, tore out a couple more polywires, and ran towards the local hunting area. Yesterday they came back. We figure with the opening day of squirrel season they got chased out of the hunting area. They were crazy until they got in with our cows (and got bred). In an open area they'll get within 10 feet of me when I'm filling water tanks. In close areas they get nuts.

I called our county and the neighboring county Sheriff's office, both the first time and this time. No one has reported missing cattle, and no one called me back the first time. The first time I called and visited farmers in the area, and no one was missing them.

Have I fulfilled my duty to find the owner? How soon can I ship them and what should I do with the money, is it mine? I would guess they are 3-4 and have had at least 1 calf and are dried up without much of an udder. They are heavy and look to be club calf types.

I figure if the owner shows up, he owes me for the time I spent fixing fences and pasture rental.

 

[greybeard]

1. Call Sheriff Dept again and tell 'em to come get the estrays. That, is the only right way--let the sheriff dept deal with finding the owners
2. Nobody is gonna claim them cuz they're crazy cows.

 

[Drzr]

1. Call Sheriff Dept again and tell 'em to come get the estrays. That, is the only right way--let the sheriff dept deal with finding the owners
2. Nobody is gonna claim them cuz they're crazy cows.

So what does he do in the meantime?

 

[dun]

In the past I've hauled them then not cashed the check for 6 months. After that I figure it's mine.

 

[js1234]

catch them, haul them to a sale barn and turn them over to the brand inspector to handle. put a hauling charge on them.

 

[Nesikep]

Do they have a brand? If they don't, it's pretty hard for anyone to claim them, and anyone else can make a fraudulent claim.
js1234 's idea might work... I haul for other people and can be paid when I drop them off at the sale barn, which makes it much easier for me to collect my money!

 

[Aaron]

I would do as dun does. Ship 'em, wait a good while and then use the money to put in new fence to keep anymore from coming in.

 

[Nesikep]

$10/day each for feed, plus the grief they've caused you and your fences... keep track of it, make sure you get something out of it and make it hurt in the pocketbook of whoever's cows they are... Don't forget stud fees!

 

[jltrent]

I had a steer calf get on my property a few years ago. I had two neighbors that had several they had bought and the fence wasn't great between either of them and my property (better have a good fence with steer calves.) I contacted both of them and they showed up and swore the calf was theirs. I reckon even fused a little between themselves. The calf stayed on my property for almost a year and nobody ever came and got him. I loaded him up finally after feeding him all winter and split the sale bill three ways.

 

[Bigfoot]

I have had cattle show up. Longest I ever kept one was a year and a half before selling. I only sold it then, because it was about to calve. I didn't want to mess with it. I had a 2 or 3 year old beefmaster bull show up once. He didn't look so great, but fathered a few nice calves before I got him out.

 

[fenceman]

1. Call Sheriff Dept again and tell 'em to come get the estrays. That, is the only right way--let the sheriff dept deal with finding the owners
2. Nobody is gonna claim them cuz they're crazy cows.

So what does he do in the meantime?

In the Texas it is illegal to keep sell shoot or even turn out estrays. If you can't find owner you call the sheriff. They send someone put to catch them. They are impounded at sell barn.
If you keep them for two years and sell them.
You committed a felony.

 

[Bestoutwest]

In the past I've hauled them then not cashed the check for 6 months. After that I figure it's mine.

Only problem with that is most banks cancel a check after 90 days. I say take them to the barn, take the money and if you're feeling guilty donate it to the local food pantry or FFA/4H group.

 

[Chris H]

No brands, but you seldom find a branded cow in Ohio, they have premarked numeric ear tags. High numbers, in the high 600's, 2 #'s apart.
Neither sheriff's office was interested in doing anything with them when they came around 4 weeks ago. They've had no reports of missing cattle in all this time.

The biggest problem will be loading these cattle. They broke out of our sorting pen last time, they'll do it again unless I rebuild it completely. I don't need to rebuild it for my cows, so I'll be putting out money to keep them and putting out more money to get rid of them.

I'll call the sheriff's office again tomorrow and ask how long I need to keep them before I can claim them as mine.

 

[Caustic Burno]

1. Call Sheriff Dept again and tell 'em to come get the estrays. That, is the only right way--let the sheriff dept deal with finding the owners
2. Nobody is gonna claim them cuz they're crazy cows.

Yep you are dead on till he sells them and in Texas is guilty of rustling.
Here only the sheriff can sell an estray.

 

[Chris H]

1. Call Sheriff Dept again and tell 'em to come get the estrays. That, is the only right way--let the sheriff dept deal with finding the owners
2. Nobody is gonna claim them cuz they're crazy cows.

Yep you are dead on till he sells them and in Texas is guilty of rustling.
Here only the sheriff can sell an estray.

Don't know why I didn't think of this before, I googled it and found the Ohio code on what to do.

951.11 Estrays.



A person finding an animal at large in violation of section 951.02 of the Revised Code, may, and a law enforcement officer of a county, township, city, or village, on view or information, shall, take and confine that animal, promptly giving notice of the taking and confining of the animal to the owner or keeper, if known, and, if not known, by publishing a notice describing the animal once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, township, city, or village where the animal was found. If the owner or keeper does not appear and claim the animal and pay the compensation prescribed in section 951.13 of the Revised Code for so taking, advertising, and keeping it within ten days from the date of the notice, that person or the county shall have a lien for that compensation, and the animal may be sold at public auction as provided in section 1311.49 of the Revised Code . The residue of the proceeds of sale shall be paid and deposited by the treasurer in the general fund of the county.

 

[M.Magis]

Thank you for posting that. It's unlikely I have to deal with it around here, but I was curious and unable to find that information. Probably just looked in the wrong place. If I understand, the person that finds the animal and takes care of it is owed compensation. Not sure I agree with the remainder of the money going to the county… I suspect my boarding fees and such would amount to exactly what the animal brings at auction, maybe more.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Thank you for posting that. It's unlikely I have to deal with it around here, but I was curious and unable to find that information. Probably just looked in the wrong place. If I understand, the person that finds the animal and takes care of it is owed compensation. Not sure I agree with the remainder of the money going to the county… I suspect my boarding fees and such would amount to exactly what the animal brings at auction, maybe more.

Yall really need to dot your i's and cross your t's when messing estray's.
Texas code has some stuff still on the books that goes back a century.

 

[Nesikep]

Shoot, shovel, and shut up.. no loading, no *more* broken fences

I would think that if the cattle weren't branded, they'd have a hard time proving you guilty of rustling cattle... Burden of proof would be on them.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Shoot, shovel, and shut up.. no loading, no *more* broken fences

I would think that if the cattle weren't branded, they'd have a hard time proving you guilty of rustling cattle... Burden of proof would be on them.

Might work if you can do the third S that in is where the problem lies.

 

[1982vett]

1. Call Sheriff Dept again and tell 'em to come get the estrays. That, is the only right way--let the sheriff dept deal with finding the owners
2. Nobody is gonna claim them cuz they're crazy cows.

Yep you are dead on till he sells them and in Texas is guilty of rustling.
Here only the sheriff can sell an estray.

Don't know why I didn't think of this before, I googled it and found the Ohio code on what to do.

951.11 Estrays.



A person finding an animal at large in violation of section 951.02 of the Revised Code, may, and a law enforcement officer of a county, township, city, or village, on view or information, shall, take and confine that animal, promptly giving notice of the taking and confining of the animal to the owner or keeper, if known, and, if not known, by publishing a notice describing the animal once in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, township, city, or village where the animal was found. If the owner or keeper does not appear and claim the animal and pay the compensation prescribed in section 951.13 of the Revised Code for so taking, advertising, and keeping it within ten days from the date of the notice, that person or the county shall have a lien for that compensation, and the animal may be sold at public auction as provided in section 1311.49 of the Revised Code . The residue of the proceeds of sale shall be paid and deposited by the treasurer in the general fund of the county.

I was going to say, I thought it was a sheriff's job/duty to take care of it. If they don't, I guess you could resort to the editorial section of the newspaper giving them an "outstanding" job review.