Major jail break!

A nightmare scenario came true today. The cattle made a jail break and got out ALL the way to the south road. This is a half mile or more.

Around 4:30 pm on a hot day my neighbor to the south came and asked if the cattle in her brother's field next to her house were mine?

"I don't know."

"Two Holsteins are part of the group. There are about 25 of them."

"Oh. They may be mine."

While I had seen the herd in the morning around the bloat blocks, a check of the south pasture and the island after my neighbor came over found all the cattle gone. *sigh*

I took a plier and screwdriver so I could open the small gate in the south pasture fence. Then I realized I should have some food to entice the cattle back. As they were a half mile away it would be hard for one person to herd so many animals. I ran back to the barn and got some bread and a bucket of alfalfa cubes and some other treats I had gotten at an auction. I think they were for horses but the cattle like them.

Then I ran back to the gate. I cut through the hayfield and found running through alfalfa is hard is it is long and wraps and tangles on one's legs and feet when they move fast.

The neighbor to the south hadn't plowed her field this year so it was mainly chest-high Canadian thistle and some grass. That is why one wears long pants. Fortunately the thistle wasn't too dry with sharp thorns, and with the long pants didn't sting.

The lady said that one or two cattle were even on the road in addition to being in her brother's freshly cut hayfield. I found the whole herd together in the hayfield. They were a little confused by their new surroundings and the cut hay. I approached them slowly and some came to meet me.

I held out their treats and while a half dozen were curious only a couple were really into eating them. One of my cattle, which I expected as I started them out with treats so they would get used to it and me, and one of Dan's cattle, which was unexpected as he brought his over after I stopped much of the treats.

I walked backwards and the two followed me. The herd followed them. Unlike last year, this is a herd that stays together.

I got the herd across the hayfield to a dirt road. After slowing down to look over and sniff the dirt road the herd followed me. A short walk on the road then I got off the road and towards the thistle and grass part of the field. The road couldn't be used as it curved and went to the trees - the last place I want cattle. Herding cattle through trees is near impossible. Believe me, I've tried in the past.

The cattle followed me off the road. They started to move faster and I had to move backwards faster than I wanted to, all the while feeding treats and trying not to get bit feeding them. I felt their teeth a few times, but no bites.

I worked my way near the neighbors' fences as I crossed this field to my pasture. Half way several neighbors had horses. My cattle were very interested in the horses and would stop to look at them. Then a short distance later a fence gate was open. Only the one I was feeding continued to follow me. The rest went through the gate. The area wasn't large as several fences worked to make a large box around one of the power transmission towers.

But the cattle wouldn't come out of this "box". The neighbor, Shawn, was outside and asked if he could help. "Yes!" I had him stand in the field so the cattle wouldn't exit the "box" and turn south, away from my pasture. I herded the cattle out. The cattle went north, then northwest. More running by me and Shawn to head them back NE and north.

The grass and thistle were high so that actually helped as the cattle couldn't see where to go and all followed the leaders. We got them all the way to my fence. But not the corner and the gate. They wouldn't turn. I tried feeding them treats again but the two that ate them weren't interested. I had slip through the herd to the east side to entice them and the herd started west, SW. I couldn't herd them but Shawn cut them off. I got around the herd and to the west of them. I got them back towards my fence. I was like there was an invisible fence as the cattle didn't want to move further east.

I tried the treats and again and the two cattle started eating them from my hand again. I walked backwards to my gate and again the "invisible fence" and they stopped. Finally they walked over to me for more treats. The herd followed. At the gate the one (Dan's) stood and wasn't too sure about crossing the gate. Finally after some thought and encouragement from me, it crossed. But none of the other cattle would cross. They bunched into the corner.

I was running out of treats so I put the bucket inside the pasture a distance away from the gate. Dan's animal went for the bucket and I slipped through the fence and behind the herd. Shawn and I walked in slowly to "push" the cattle towards the corner.

The gate is narrow and only one animal at a time can go through it. The cattle in front just stood there and wouldn't cross the gate. Then one, then another crossed. But no more. Shawn and I pressed in further and occasionally had to move quickly to head off an escape attempt by one or two who didn't want to be crowded. Finally the pressure of the herd got a flow of animals going and all returned to the pasture.

"Whew!"

I then was able to do a count and found all were safe and sound. They all settled down and either stood around or sat down. They have plenty of grass, but got the traveling bug.

I checked the fence and did not find any breaks in the fence. I found a few middle strands of barb wire pushed up and down, but the opening wasn't enough for the entire herd to cross through. And I did not see signs the grass and thistle field south of the pasture had been trampled.

I crossed the river to the island and looked for signs that the herd had crossed from the island to the "thumb" of my property across the river. The grass on the "thumb's" bank all looked good with no signs of trampling. The property south of the lower pasture and thumb is solid brushy trees. The only way though is deer trails, although I have seen cattle make their own trails when they want somewhere.

I have no idea how the cattle got to where they did.

Last year a few adventurous cattle crossed onto the thumb, but then they would come up via deer trails to the grass and thistle field, which last year was a dirt field as it had been plowed.

The only way to get to the thumb is to exit the west side of the island. I didn't think the water level is low enough this year as the river channel here, while not fast moving as it is an overflow channel, is narrower and therefore deeper than the broad channel east of the island. But checking the island out I was shocked to see signs (large areas of trampled and eaten grass) the cattle had been on the small island north across the main channel from the big island. How the cattle got there is a complete mystery! These cattle seem to have no fear as they had to cross the main channel to get to the small island.

The previous property owners built, then dad maintained until he got ill, a fence on the south and west side of the island. Because the river channels change so much the fence was now useless. In places the channel ate into the river bank and fence posts fell. Other areas gained land and a large accessible area was between the river and fence.

But I have to do something. I got some of the odds & ends 2x4 boards and started to rebuild the fence. A two strand wire, short fence, is enough as I seen that placing it on the edge of the river bank is enough so the cattle won't push it over or try to jump over or go through it as the other side is water and the cattle like to ease off a river bank and into the water.

I was able to rebuild about 40% of the fence. I needed more boards for posts. The sun was behind the ridge and the mosquitoes - which were bad even in the hot sun - were now out in force. As I walked back across the river, holding tools, and unable to swat the mosquitoes I counted more than a dozen mosquitoes on the back of my left hand. The right hand - the same.

I hope to finish the island west fence tomorrow.

Why not fence this side of the river?

• it has never been fenced
• it is more than a half mile in length. I don't have enough fence material.
  
• the island is way shorter in length. Also the thumb is way shorter.
  
• the property on other side of the river is fenced.
• the river channel changes. The short fence sections I did build last year are in need of major repair because of bank erosion or gains from this spring's high water flow.
• why restrict my cattle from my property across the one channel?

So that was my day. I called Dan to help get the herd back and got his answering machine. It turns out he was having a horrible day. He was hauling hay and while driving through a gate or along some fence a bolt stuck out. He scraped his pickup breaking a light and some other stuff. The worst was the bolt punctured, and ruined, two tires on his flatbed trailer, which was fully loaded with hay.

Also I told Dan not to say "these cattle seem more calm and well behaved than the previous years cattle". Every time he tells me that the cattle then go and do something to prove him wrong.

So that was my day. It took an hour and forty minutes to get the cattle back to my pasture, and hours more rebuilding the island fence. I did get some other stuff done, so my entire day wasn't just another 'react to a crisis' day.