07/04/2026
I was about to write something similar after consoling my 2 terrified LGD's, that hid in the bathroom all night.
..Which means they weren't doing their job, which opens our livestock up to a potential predator attack, which means no sleep for me.
I'll post a short clip from last night for reference. We deal with this for several weeks surrounding the 4th of July.
That, plus all the reasons in this post, have made me really despise the holiday & fireworks altogether.
Fireworks & Livestock make for a stressful holiday for many homesteads & farmers. They affect wild animals in their natural environments as well.
While I used to love fireworks. I also love my animals & I love not getting an emergency vet bill from skin torn by barb wire or a cow that swallowed shrapnel in the field a week later. We now leave it to the big event locations & no longer participate in the overpriced purchase or attending backyard events. There are so many beautiful ways to celebrate without draining your wallet for a 30 second boom that terrifies dogs, animals & some humans while contributing negatively to environmental impact from the left behind toxins to the trash. Firework debris poses a severe threat to livestock & wild animals. Spent casings, unexploded fireworks & leftover paper contain toxic chemical residue & objects like sharp rocket sticks or strings can cause fatal internal blockages if ingested.
Did you know that you can be held liable if your firework display was proven to cause harm to an animal? We are responsible if our cows get out, but if a cow jumps a fence & someone has video showing the neighbors fireworks display causing panic, you can be held liable. If you have deposited trash in a neighboring field via fireworks & a cow dies from swallowing it, you are responsible. If a vehicle hits a loose goat or sheep in the road there is going to be a lot of lawyers trying to get their cut from everyone involved.
In Oklahoma, "scared animal ran through a fence" can become "legal nightmare" real fast. So know your state laws. We stay home & begin by documenting the evening. Double check fenclines today & move livestock where least affected. Tomorrow morning, walk your fields. Every year our roof gets pelted & we find fireworks litter everywhere even out in the middle of nowhere & yes, throwing trash on other persons land is a misdemeanor. Also keep track of which property fireworks are coming from for reference, use date & time stamps or turn on location if recording.
Cows, sheep, pigs… they don’t understand "it’s just a show". It's not harmless either. To them it’s a threat. They’ll run blind through fences, into ponds, off drops. Broken legs, lacerations, miscarriages in pregnant stock. The stress also kills production. Milk drops, weight loss, hens stop laying. Dairy farmers lose $$ for days after a big show. Your freezer beef? It’ll gain slower for a week after being spooked.
Scared animals don’t stay put. They go through barbed wire, over gates, under fences. Then you’re chasing a bull in the dark down the road of most likely inebriated drivers at midnight. Or worse… animal control is. That's an expensive & dangerous party.
We are in a heat wave. Dry Oklahoma grass & stray fireworks are not a good combination so don't forget to check your county for burn bans, they override every other firework law.
So bring livestock in closer, earlier tonight. A small paddock before dusk means less room to run, less injury. White noise or radio helps with LGDS . Axl Rose covers the booms better than silence.
Tags, microchips, & tatoos to make sure they can get home. We had a dog end up 14 miles away & found scared to death over a week later.
Give neighbors a heads up if you feel it necessary to host backyard firework events. Most are good people & we will gladly send positive vibes that you don't lose an eye or a finger this year if we get a heads up to prepare our animals.
Fireworks last 15 minutes. A dead cow lasts forever. A lawsuit lasts much longer than that.
Celebrate smart. Your animals, the environment & your wallet will thank you.
What’s your go to trick for keeping the farm calm through this loud holiday? Share it below, we all need it 👇
