Found a sale barn calf running with our cows today

[nathan104]

Went outside and there was a little red calf in with our cows. Still had sale barn stickers on it. It was real spooky and I couldnt catch it to get it seperated. Im guessing its a neighbors from up the street but we cant get ahold of anyone. I dont want this calf in with our cows as I hate having them exposed to anything from the salebarn. Ive never had anything from the sale barn on our farm before. Our youngesst heifers are 11 months old and we have two cows that were just bred. The sale barn calf at least looks healthy and doesnt have a nasty butt so at least theres that.

Anything I need to worry about this thing giving my cows/chickens/goats/dogs?

Hopefully we can get someone to come claim this thing tomorrow.

[G. Seddon]

Well, the little red calf found what he was looking for! I also would worry about his coming from a sale barn. Any way you can isolate him until you track down the owner...perhaps put him in a smaller pen with a group of yours, then move yours out to their pasture away from the calf (or leave one in with him until he's claimed)?

It's a problem when folks don't provide a secure enclosure for a new animal, as well as a buddy. Calf doesn't know where "home" is and goes looking for companions.

Good luck, hope it all ends well for you and the calf.

[topside1]

If you can't catch the "thing", (oh I guess you mean the baby calf), then it's obviously is excellent shape. Very doubtful that your other livestock will be harmed, especially the chickens. Personally I'd do the neighborly thing and hold the calf at my place till the owner arrives. Another solution is, why not figure out how the calf entered your paddock, fix the problem and open the gate and let the calf out and relieve yourself of sale barn worries. The owner will find the calf, or the calf will find the owner....Topside

[ramiller5675]

I'd second what topside1 said, if you can't catch it, it's probably pretty healthy.

If everything from the sale barn was as infected with every type of exotic illness that people worry about, then there would be a heck of a lot more sick and dead livestock littering the countryside.

And, if you can't sort the calf away from the cows, then try sorting the cows away from the calf.

[Badger]

I had one show up here once - Man was it wild! - I got the binocs and got the name of the sale barn it was sold at and the tag number - called the salebarn and they told me who the buyer was. I called him and he lived over 12 miles away! He said he lost 5 when his helper failed to secure the trailer gate when they were seperating them.
By the time he showed up I had it seperated.

[tinknal]

In my experience sale barn animals themselves will get sick but don't generally spread disease to the rest of the herd (with a few exceptions). A big cause of disease is the stress which lowers the immune response. Your cattle have not experienced this stress.