Am I being mean? (stock on land)

[nanananny]

For the last number of weeks a neighbours cows have been going between 3 properties and jumping 2 fences on to ours. We have rung them a number of times to politely say hey your cows are on our property can you come and get them please?

Then last week they were supposed to take them to the market but 4 got left behind. Those 4 have been in our property all week and we thought they were going today.

Just before I got a knock on the door saying we see they are in your property can we leave them there for another 3 weeks so they can go to the special market day?

I didn't outrightly say no but I said well we are hard feeding our horse twice a day which is costing us money then the moment there is a bit of spring grass other animals are eating it. I should have said why don't you fix up your fences? These cows come from 2 properties away.

They got annoyed. Am I being mean? Would another 3 weeks hurt? I just feel they don't care a hoot, they don't live on their land and expect the people who live here to care for their animals.

[Bengal]

No hun

Your not being mean - they are !

No 1 - They dont care about their cows
No2 - They dont care about your hungry horse

If they are going to be ungrateful - ask for money to feed the hungry cows

PS - I didn't know cows could jump !

[Phteven]

No, that's not acceptable. They are using your resources to fatten their stock. There's no helping the fact that animals stray sometimes but the neighbourly thing to do is retrieve your stock ASAP and repair your fences. Starying animals can spread worms and ticks.
You should contact your local council and ask what their regulations are regarding straying stock. They'll probably impound them for you and if the owners don't claim them by the 10 day period you can buy them and sell them at the special sale *evil giggle*.
If you're not as mean as me you could warn them that the council will impound them if they're not permanently removed within a couple of days.

[Meo]

This is TOTALLY not on. You may have heard the saying "good fences make good neighbours"? You are well within your rights to call the RSPCA or local police and report the stock is out, even if you know where it comes from and PARTICULARLY as you have a responsibility to feed your own animals (and you mention that you're finding that difficult enough). If you feel uncomfortable taking this option straight up, I'd go and speak with the neighbours and just explain your situation with the horses, telling them there's not enough for everyone and you have to give priority for your own animals. Alternatively, charge them an agistment fee

[Indadhanu]

Oh how frustrating! Especially since you have your own animals to feed!

Give them a ring and say "yes, they can stay here, our agistment fee is $___"

[Muppity]

I would ring the pound. Most people think that it is just for dogs but rural pounds will callect pretty much any domestic animal - and then the owner will have to pay a fee to recover it and also have to pay for their feeding.

Maybe I am mean - but seriously - if you are hand feeding then there is no way I would be having any other animal eating my precious fodder. I am guessing that they are at your place because there is no feed at home - and by the sounds of it the owner doesn't really care - so I wouldn't sent them back there I would get the guy at the pound to sort it out.

[LionsandBears]

Letting their stiock out to feed on others' land is a form of theft. You were not being unreasonable - they were.

Like pp advise, call the local council to have them removed and find out what your rights are, re: taking possession of lost stock.

btw - this is something I learnt through trial & error: When I start getting that "am I being unreasonable" feeling, I realise someone is trying to pull one over me. Trust your instincts. You wouldn't do it to someone else, don't let them do it to you.

[nanananny]

Thanks everyone because right now I'm thinking am I the meanest neighbour in the world?!

wouldloveabubba when I say jump I think the fences are just really bad, he put up cheap fences when he subdivded to sell apparently. Although they did jump fences last week when they were being rounded up, they are steers - young bulls so they probably do jump.

I didn't think of the worms too late for that and no I haven't heard of the saying "good fences make good neighbours" but that sounds a good one to me!

Yes we thought of charging aggistment fees :evil:

I think they are at our place because I heard the previous owners fertilised the land so much that the grass is really sweet.

Yeah trust my instincts or ask if they'd like my horse for 6 months.

Plus I think he tried to insult me by saying he thought someone much younger owned the horse and was it my daughters

[squidipa]

look i am not a farming person hubbie tho comes from dairy back ground..

my thought and feelings are this.. No you were right they should remove them they eat loads of food every day NOT your problem. As for fences they should fix them repairs or move them to another paddock. Cows cause a lot of mess and can easily brake things its not your responsibility to be concerned about cows on your property that arnt yours.

[Nai]

OMG! Charge him aggistment fees for the age comment alone! How rude!

I was going to suggest that you send him a letter saying that you will look after the stock for a fee of $x per week and send a contract to him

[Bathsheba]

I agree with everyone else. it sounds like your generosity is being taken advantage of Redefine your boundaries... short term pain for long term gain! Don't get emotional about it... calmly do what you should do... you are within your rights... don't fall for any emotional blackmail. Be strong, you can do it.

[HarveyBub'sMum]

I think this is really rude, ring them and tell them that you've had a good look at your pasture and you won't have the feed for them. Then tell them to come and get them, if they don't, ring the council to come get them. Doesn't sound like you're going to be losing any good relationships!

[nanananny]

Well I just spoke to my husband, we were going to relent and let them stay an extra 3 weeks but after explaining everything to DH properly and quoting "good fences make good neighbours"
and telling him how the wife walked off down my driveway midsentence because I was insinuating they couldn't stay

We are insisting they go tomorrow.

Thanks everyone I think people treat you how you allow them to treat you.

[Bathsheba]

Precisely! well done sweetheart.... be firm but fair and people will respect you for it. You won't necessarily be liked more if you let people walk all over you. I know what it's like living in the country... my family are famers... I know it can be tricky but in this instance you are doing the right thing by reinstating your tangible and non-tangible boundaries!

[Tanya]

PS - I didn't know cows could jump !

Haven't you heard about the cow that jumped over the moon?

[nanananny]

LOL probably should have said steers in the first place not cows they all look black to me

[NaeNae]

I feel your pain hun I really do.

My sil "borrowed" one of my smaller jenny craig paddocks for her calves without asking (which is just rude but she needed a sheltered paddock) one of her blasted calves keeps climbing through the fence into my other jenny craig paddock .... I guess the grass is greener. This morning I found the wretched little thing in my back yard she moved him back in with the others but he is back out there in the other paddock as I type this. I like to have about a month resting time before I move my animals from one paddock to another and while I have 1 massive paddock I am not going to be able to have the boys out there while I am trying to grow the grass for hay bails am I

I hate how people just assume things are ok when it comes to other peoples land and live stock. I think if you are hard feeding your horses then you were quite diplomatic I would not have been so nice. If the steers are not gone by the specified time then you should just ring your neighbors and tell them they can leave their steers in the paddock but pay for the hay you are having to feed to your horses!

Nae x x

[Jakabella]

We had a neighboour thats cows always got through there fences and would get ion with our horses - the first few times we would ring and they would be like "yeah we will come and get em" this hapened time and time again and one day after one of the cows chewed on my show horses tail Dad rang up and said fix your fences and next time your cows are on my property we will call the pound and get them taken away... needless to say they never got through the fences again!!