Neighbours decide to get a herd, now I have problems

[Sassyneme]

Hi all,

I have four 13-month-old Jerseys (2 steers and 2 heifers) who have gone from always being gentle and quiet, to aggressive, loud and, for some, budding escape artists... all thanks to a rude neighbour deciding to get about 80 head of cattle which includes a bull without any warning. Thank goodness my husband mended the shared fence a few months ago that the neighbour knocked out while chopping down trees!

I have a paddock separating the two herds now, but this is not effective for a long-term solution as it's taking up a lot of space for my cattle, plus, it isn't resolving the issue of my herd's change in behaviour once they see or hear the bull.

The neighbours literally have hundreds of hectares to work with while we have 10 acres. Surely there is a nice way to sort this problem out so my herd can actually use my property without getting pregnant, attacked or completely change their behaviour that I can't go near them.

Any advice on the best way to approach this neighbour?

Thanks

 

[xxcc]

Good fences make good neighbors. Not sure what your local laws are, but here in Montana, the laws vary depending if you are in an open range area or if you are in a “herd district “. Open range, you have to fence your neighbors out, a herd district, you have to fence your livestock in.  The other major rule is that if you mutually benefit from the fence, 50% of the fence is yours...as you stand in your property, the right half is yours.  That’s the bare bones, first. Know your statutes.

Second, I would just ask them what their intentions are and see what you can do to be neighborly. If he gets hostile, he may not like it when his bull comes to your property trying to breed your cows and you end up holding him for ransom until he gets him back or fixes his fence. It is not out of line for you to ask him, as you can say, “I’d like to put my cows on this piece  next to you, but I don’t want my cows causing you problems by trying to get in with your bull.” Maybe ask him in a way that he can think it is his idea, but if he is a buffoon, you’ll just have to resort to the local law, if there is no applicable governing statute...you can always have the “first movers advantage “ by lobbying your local legislator.