Oh NO! The Cows are out!

Are you new to living in the country?

Have you ever been driving through the countryside and saw cattle out of their pasture?

 

Do you know what you should do?

Do you know how to help find the correct owner?

Do you even know how to describe a bovine?

Let's see if I can help you.

Some of our friends have resorted to putting a sign at every pasture gate with their name, brand, and contact phone numbers after their cattle ran through town for 2 hours before they were notified.

What should you do if you see cattle out?

If you don't have a clue who owns the cattle, contacting the closest neighbor or the county sheriff is a good place to start.  If you are just traveling through, like we were a few years back, contact the Highway Patrol and they will contact the sheriff and get someone out to make sure traffic slows and the cow doesn't get hit until the owner gets there.

Where are you?

 The most important thing to know when you try to find help for misplaced cattle is your location.  Try to know exactly what road or intersection you are located and any mile markers or landmarks help even more. 

So, what is a brand?

A ranch brand is usually 2 digits either letters or number and letter combinations.  Each state has a brand registry.  A brand can only be registered to one person per location.  For example, our 2S brand could be placed on the right hip, left hip, right shoulder, left shoulder, rib, etc. FYI if you are trying to figure out which side you are on, it is the same as if you were standing behind them facing them. 

Can you describe the sex of the bovine?

A few weeks ago we were called during supper being told we had a cow out.  When we got there all we found was this...

We looked and looked for something that looked like this...

If you really want to be helpful try to figure out if you are looking at:

A bull

A Cow

A Heifer

A Steer

A Calf

Can you describe the color of the bovine in question?

Is it...

Black

Red

White

Gray or sometimes called brown

Brockle or Mottle Faced

White Faced

or horned?

So, now that you know what to look for let's take a look at one of our bovine.  If he was out in the road, what could we use to identify him? 

He is a black bull.
On his right hip is an LB brand.
On his left hip is the number 2070.
He has an ear tag number 89.

The next time you are traveling through the countryside and see cattle out, I hope my handy guide will help you feel you are more equipped to help us find the right person to get them back in their pasture.

What other questions do you have about country life that you think if you knew the answer would help you fit in better?

-A Kansas Farm Mom

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