Starving Livestock

[smcgrath76]

This one hits close to home as we just
brought one bunch home off of grass on
Saturday (onto swaths). We had young
cows that gained 1/2 a BCS although we
did provide some bedding and were
supplementing a bit of barley. That
said, there was and still is a lot of
grass left on the quarter. Cows are
still out grazing grass and gaining
weight. There has to be grass/forage,
and shelter available. It can be done,
but it takes management. We even feed
test our grass so we know what we are
doing and what to expect, and we sure
wouldn't try it with calves still on the
cow.
Just turning cows loose to fend for
themselves is animal cruelty and has
absolutely no place anywhere, let alone
in this industry. It is also false
economy. A dead cow costs less to feed
than a fat one, but she produces
accordingly.
I suspect like most things there is more
to the story, but the creation of the
problem usually stems from something
that will lead to more problems in the
future.

[coppertop]

A followup with the SPCA this morning
was interesting. They were never
notified that messages had been left on
the ALERT line !
The SPCA will send an inspector out to
the property, make sure the livestock
owner knows he is under observation and
his livestock must be cared for.
In some areas I am sure that livestock
can forage but this area has over a foot
of snow on the ground, no trees on the
quarter for shelter, limited supply of
water running from a hose from a spring,
and no mineral in site. As I said in a
previous post I do not relish being
involved in this, but if one less animal
suffers then I am more than willing to
take any 'heat' that may come my way.