skin and bones cattle near road

fishhead · #21 11/20/06, 09:43 PM

I'll add my two cents.

As an animal owner we assume responsibility for those animals. That means decent food, water, vet care and shelter.

If someone isn't providing those simple basics they should get taken to task.

Silvergirl, maybe you could trade him some hay. That might sweeten the deal.

genebo · #22 11/20/06, 10:09 PM

Fishhead's idea sounds like a win-win to me. If you could trade him some hay for a couple of the steers, then you would have your steers to do with as you choose, and he could have the means to better feed the rest of them.

Genebo
Paradise Farm
Church Road, VA

jnap31 · #23 11/20/06, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oxankle

This thread illustrates the different attitudes people have toward livestock. Generally speaking, people who make a living off livestock or who grew up tending stock see animals as just that, animals. People who come into it late or who have semi-pet livestock tend to anthropomorphize. Such people tend to overfeed, over-vet and over-attach-to their livestock.

What an intelligent post sounds pretty likely to me. By the way for the record I feed my animals before i feed myself every day and they were all fat and healthy I dont condone animal abuse but i dont tell others what to do with their property.

effboergoats · #24 12/03/06, 11:30 AM

As livestock owners it is our job to make sure our animals have what they need and are taken care of. If a person can't do that then they do not need any critters at all. I would hope that if someone thought that one of my animals was being mistreated they would have the christian decency and common sense to say something about it. When it comes to life it is NEVER a good idea to mind your own biz, even if it is just an animal.

wr · #25 12/03/06, 04:47 PM

I would encourage you to make very sure that what you think you're seeing is exactly what it is before you get too excited. I went through a terrible summer with the SPCA calling me every second day about a herd of cattle I had along the highway. The problem was that they were red longhorns and somebody thought they were a starved out herd of red angus. I can assure you no matter how many times your herd is checked, if another complaint/report is filed, they will continue to come out again and again.

pancho · #26 12/03/06, 05:04 PM

Anyone who raises livestock should take proper care of them. Proper care can mean different things to different people. Those who have not raised livestock and have experience in house pets many times are not qualified to make decisions about livestock. They are not raised the same. The farmer who has a few head of cattle in a pasture probably has more experience and knowledge about animal husbandry than those who have raised house pets.
Be sure you are not mistaking livestock for house pets.

renee o'neill · #27 12/03/06, 05:12 PM

I agree with the hay trade ,you wont make him made if you come across as needing his cattle.I would say something like I have 20 round bales of hay but I nee some steers how many would you trade for 1/2 the hay.Offer to deliever the hay and pick up the cattle the same day.I believe when folks are down and out the worst thing you can do is draw attention to it,never mention the condition of the cattle or ask about the living conditions either.It maybe hurting the guy to see his cattle like this.If he goes for it act like he is doing you a favor,maybe throw in an extra bale"oops i counted wrong" good deeds never go unseen. As far as prices Westminster livestock sale in maryland has prices posted in Lancaster farmer.com I believe they list other sales too.

topside1 · #28 12/04/06, 07:56 AM

Silvergirl, how about posting a photo of the thin animals?...Tennessee John

Mike2379311 · #29 12/09/06, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oxankle

This thread illustrates the different attitudes people have toward livestock. Generally speaking, people who make a living off livestock or who grew up tending stock see animals as just that, animals. People who come into it late or who have semi-pet livestock tend to anthropomorphize. Such people tend to overfeed, over-vet and over-attach-to their livestock.

No stockman would willingly starve his animals, but research has shown that when short of feed a stockman may let his animals lose fully a third of their weight without harm to them. When conditions improve the animals put the weight right back on. Without seeing these cattle it would be hard to judge the owner. Even if he is somehow at fault there may be extenuating circumstances. He may need help, not condemnation.

A few years back a friend got all excited when he saw a range cow beside the road having difficulty calving. Cow stayed there for a full day and he called the humane society and charged the owner with cruelty for not tending the cow. The owner of course did not even know his range cow was calving. Lawsuit followed, friend lost and paid damages for defaming the cattleman. Most of us would have either stopped and pulled the calf ourselves or called the owner and told him where the cow was.
Ox

very well put

silvergirl · #30 12/09/06, 09:58 PM

Hi, all,
I just started a new job so haven't had much time to monitor posts or visit the forum. I appreciate the ongoing posts of advice and concern here.

For the record, I don't view my livestock as I would pets... I have pets, and I have my farm animals - I eat one, don't eat the other... but all of them get care and feed and shelter, to the best of my ability... I don't have it in me to be cruel or unkind to any creature...

So, I have been asking around about the cattle I have seen by the road side, to find out who owned them, and get contact info to see about buying one or two... I thought they were young steer, but have to admit, I didn't pull over and examine them closely. It turns out they belong to a dairyman, they are his younger heifers that have been weaned but are too young to breed (and therefore pay their way) so he sets them out and lets them go to bones until they are of some use to him - ie. breeding age - and that's that. I guess it is the stockman's approach - cut their feed and the cost of carrying them while they are a cash burden, feed 'em up when they're worth something - if they're still alive. It's not the way I would treat animals I valued - but if you are not interested in the healthy growth of your livestock, if all you want is to keep them alive long enough to burn them out in a dairy stall, then it's what you do... He is unlikely to let any of them go to me, no matter what.

Again, thanks for the input and all the responses...
silvergirl

pancho · #31 12/10/06, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvergirl

Hi, all,
I just started a new job so haven't had much time to monitor posts or visit the forum. I appreciate the ongoing posts of advice and concern here.

For the record, I don't view my livestock as I would pets... I have pets, and I have my farm animals - I eat one, don't eat the other... but all of them get care and feed and shelter, to the best of my ability... I don't have it in me to be cruel or unkind to any creature...

So, I have been asking around about the cattle I have seen by the road side, to find out who owned them, and get contact info to see about buying one or two... I thought they were young steer, but have to admit, I didn't pull over and examine them closely. It turns out they belong to a dairyman, they are his younger heifers that have been weaned but are too young to breed (and therefore pay their way) so he sets them out and lets them go to bones until they are of some use to him - ie. breeding age - and that's that. I guess it is the stockman's approach - cut their feed and the cost of carrying them while they are a cash burden, feed 'em up when they're worth something - if they're still alive. It's not the way I would treat animals I valued - but if you are not interested in the healthy growth of your livestock, if all you want is to keep them alive long enough to burn them out in a dairy stall, then it's what you do... He is unlikely to let any of them go to me, no matter what.

Again, thanks for the input and all the responses...
silvergirl

That does not sound right. Any dairy farmer that I have known will take very good care of his young heifers as they are the replacements for his herd. They are usually taken very good care of for the reason they will not have the size, strength, health, and maturity to make good dairy cows if they are well cared for.
Do you think you may have made a little mistake in their condition much like you made a little mistake in their sex? It might be a good idea to stop and take a good look before calling animal control.

wr · #32 12/10/06, 05:02 PM

Unless a person is aware of the frame of a dairy animal, it is easy to assume they are thin when compared with beef breeds we are more familiar with. Young stock tends to be a bit ribby and their 'points' are always more pronounced. I think it's a bit unfair to state or suggest now that a dairyman will 'burn them out.' It's unfair and unreasonable to believe that someone will abuse or neglect their stock and then reap acceptable gain later on. Heifers need to be in good shape with good nutrition before breeding and you loose growth and will never gain decent milk production without a good foundation. I've been reported and had to prove myself because I raise longhorns and it's not fair to always have to jusify myself and the condition of my cattle because someone isn't aware of what they are truly supposed to look like or they don't realize that young stock has a tendency to look gangly because of growth spurts.

silvergirl · #33 12/10/06, 08:38 PM

Guys, I can count ribs from the road... I can see the hip bones jutting out like blades... so, yes, they are stick thin... but when I am driving along the four lane, I don't really have the time to take my eyes off the road long enough to check for penises or unformed, prepubescent udders.

I am sorry that some of you have been subjected to unfair judgements. Please don't project your issues on me or on my observations. I am not reporting this man, have never suggested I intended to, and, in truth, have no desire to do so. I simply felt sorry for the young cattle, wondered about the price I could reasonably set, and just wanted to see if I could buy a few from him to give them a bit of a better life...

I have seen dairy cattle well cared for - I know the difference - we have a dairy farm (another branch of the same family as this fellow with the thin cattle) just down the road from us, and they are healthy and strong... I've also seen young heifers on farms near here that have their own little fenced enclosures, with the cattle hutches for shelter, and yes, they are gangly, but they are also obviously healthy... I've been in farming country for many years now, have spent time on breeder farms (we were going to buy a Jersey from one that raised up Jersey heifers until they were old enough to re-join their original herds), so I am not a novice to all of this at all.... but I have not become so hardened that the sight of neglected cattle can fail to move me...

I'm pretty much done with this thread... and was actually surprised to see that it had continued over the past few weeks that I have been at my new job... I wish you-all all the best with your own animals and endeavors... and I can assure you, when I have my own cattle - we're buying a little 8.5 acre homestead and expect to be building in the New Year - no one will ever have cause to wonder if they are fed or cared for... and whatever powers there are that look down from the heavens will know that I have been an able and kind steward of the gifts god has blessed me with...
silvergirl

topside1 · #34 12/11/06, 12:10 PM

What about pictures?

onecowenuf · #35 12/12/06, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silvergirl

They are almost certainly beef cattle, but of no breed I recognize - I know they are not dairy like Holstein or Jersey, or general purpose like Charlais (sp), and they are definitely not Angus, Brahman, or Highland - I'd recognize those breeds... so what might generic, bony, beef cattle bring at the market? I don't know if I can even afford to buy one or two, but if I had an idea at least, maybe I could do something...
silvergirl

This whole thing sounds weird to me. First you say they are beef steers of a breed you can't recognize and that you know what a Holstein or a Jersey looks like. Then you turn around and say they are dairy heifers and he's gonna burn them out. I find it hard to believe that there is a dairy farmer anywhere in this country who has a herd that is not made up of predominately Holsteins or Jerseys and yet you claim they are neither. I can't see how a field of either of them could be confused for anything else myself. So what are they? Brown Swiss look enough like Jerseys to be confused and Geurnseys and Aryshires are red and white and angular. It also defies belief that someone who would go to all the trouble of having a herd of all Swiss, Geurnseys, or Aryshires would then starve his heifers. Either you've got your story wrong or someone was talking about some other cattle. Or you made the whole thing up.

pancho · #36 12/13/06, 08:22 PM

I will agree. If you can't tell a steer from a heifer and can't tell a dairy heifer from a beef steer you may be wrong about the condition.