Cow not growing well

[NH homesteader]

I wonder if they have insurance... They're the type that probably don't. But good idea! I'll point that out!

 

[greybeard]

Someone told my husband there is a law in NH that you can't keep bulls out to pasture after the age of 2. I have no idea if that is true but might be helpful if it was!

If that were the case here, there would be 10s of thousands of farmers and ranchers in deep do do.

 

[NH homesteader]

I can't find verification of that being the case. And I don't know any Cattle people (from NH) to ask!

Good news @farmerjan, my husband told the guy everything you said (maybe without the part that he's an idiot lol) and he actually listened. He's getting rid of the horse halter first, and is considering rethinking his plans. He also realized he's handling him wrong... So maybe we'll convince him!

 

[farmerjan]

If that were the case here, there would be 10s of thousands of farmers and ranchers in deep do do.

No kidding... here in Va too!!!! We would be under the jail for having 10 mature beef bulls.... I was thinking that if NH had some sort of statutes it would be along the dangerous animal line in a non-farming area or something like you cannot keep a mature bull that is not used in a breeding program....I mean NH does still have farms and cattle....anything to convince this guy that he really wasn't in the best position to have an adult bull of a breed that he had never raised before.

 

[greybeard]

I can't find verification of that being the case. And I don't know any Cattle people (from NH) to ask!

A good place to start:
https://www.nh.gov/humane/documents/nh_animal_laws.pdf

I suspect, like many other things, it is just an internet myth or 'urban legend' type thing.

 

[NH homesteader]

I looked through the laws already but I see more laws regarding stallions than bulls. It was from one of those old timers (not old time farmers, just old timers) that sometimes know important facts and other times make up important sounding facts!

 

[farmerjan]

If the guy is beginning to listen to your husband at all maybe you can just convince him to get the BS bull castrated, by a vet, due to it's age and the owners total inexperience; and that will be the end of the biggest threat. Still if he is that small, then there are other issues, but as long as he is not sickly looking, or skinny or looking like he has some serious issues, then it's not something that you can do much else about. All the feed that he has already put into this animal translates into money and maybe he will realize that he is not coming out on the right side of the balance sheet, and sell it or something.

I also did a little searching and found laws concerning stallions but none specifically about bulls. The insurance angle may be a big one; we carry liability here due to the close proximity of our animals to houses and roads, and hauling hay and all that. Had a friend recently hit a 5-600 lb black calf on the road at 10 at night on his way to work and totalled his truck. No one has claimed the calf yet, they don't want to be libel. No tags no nothing. Happens more than you think. But there it would be easy for the animal to be traced and he could lose everything if he doesn't have any ins. protection. It's a little different when you are close to houses and towns and such like that.

 

[TAH]

We had a friend that hit a calf. Didn't hurt the thing but dented his truck pretty good. They ended up finding the owner to the calf.

 

[greybeard]

I also did a little searching and found laws concerning stallions but none specifically about bulls. The insurance angle may be a big one; we carry liability here due to the close proximity of our animals to houses and roads, and hauling hay and all that. Had a friend recently hit a 5-600 lb black calf on the road at 10 at night on his way to work and totalled his truck. No one has claimed the calf yet, they don't want to be libel. No tags no nothing. Happens more than you think. But there it would be easy for the animal to be traced and he could lose everything if he doesn't have any ins. protection. It's a little different when you are close to houses and towns and such like that.

All depends what the county livestock law says--and how it is worded. It is pretty difficult to get a judgement against a livestock owner here, even when the owner of the estray is known IF the owner has a good fence and gates. Stock laws almost always include 2-3 words that are very very important to remember.

"No one may willingly or knowingly allow or permit[/i] livestock to roam free.
willingly
knowingly
allow
permit.

 

[farmerjan]

All depends what the county livestock law says--and how it is worded. It is pretty difficult to get a judgement against a livestock owner here, even when the owner of the estray is known IF the owner has a good fence and gates. Stock laws almost always include 2-3 words that are very very important to remember.
"No one may willingly or knowingly allow or permit[/i] livestock to roam free".
willingly
knowingly
allow
permit. These words are used fr a reason. Courts recognize that any animal can get out at any time even when the stock owner has done the utmost possible to restrain it. A tree blown down on a perimeter fence during the night is beyond the stock owner's control.
There has to be some negligence shown on the part of the landowner/stock owner.
A couple of examples:
Texas:

Sec. 143.034. PENALTY. (a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:

(1) turns out or causes to be turned out on land that does not belong to or is not under the control of the person an animal that is prohibited from running at large under this subchapter;

(2) fails or refuses to keep up an animal that is prohibited from running at large under this subchapter;

(a) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

Vt:

143.034. Penalty
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:

(1) turns out or causes to be turned out on land that does not belong to or is not under the control of the person an animal that is prohibited from running at large under this subchapter;

(2) fails or refuses to keep up an animal that is prohibited from running at large under this subchapter;

(3) allows an animal to trespass on the land of another in an area or county in which the animal is prohibited from running at large under this subchapter; or

(4) as owner, agent, or person in control of the animal, permits an animal to run at large in an area or county in which the animal is prohibited from running at large under this subchapter.

(b) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.

Yeah, the willingly and knowingly are the key....BUT then you add in that in our county we are a FREE-RANGE county....so technically the animals have to be fenced out of your property....but if the free ranging animals cause damage then the animal owner is responsible for the damage...two-faced law.
Had some friends that rented a pasture that the fences were not great...they did no maintainance, and were cited by the sheriff several times for the cattle being loose and in the road. Well, one got hit, killed and totalled the car and seriously hurt the occupants. They were held responsible due to being warned several times and had to pay a big settlement. They gave that place up, we got it and the owners agreed to having it refenced.....But this other one recently will probably never be "claimed" and the guy only had liability since the truck was a 95 or so ranger. He is lucky that he didn't get hurt. The calf was killed. I got a deer on my way to test cows a couple of weeks ago; crinkled the fender busted part of the plastic grill, killed the doe, but oh well. It's still driveable and not too messed up. Last one a couple of years ago I had full coverage and they totalled the jeep.
For the case of that brown swiss bull that is very small but a problem for people to go in the field with, I don't know how their laws read. That is why I said that if there was a law about keeping a bull or something it might be an "easy way" out to force the issue of getting rid of an animal that the guy has no reason to have when he doesn't have the slightest idea of what he is doing. And the animal is the"innocent" party in it, yet if anything happens, it will pay the price. He just needs to be made a steer and eaten or sold.