Barn roof collapses killing cows at Dracut farm

Shaw Farm in Dracut is fully operational, despite a collapsed barn roof Tuesday that killed a handful of its cows, said owner and operator Warren Shaw.

There were around 80 to 90 cows in the farm’s barn when the roof succumbed to the nor’easter, but Shaw said the community came out to help save the animals.

“My son and several other folks jumped into action to get the animals out,” he said. “Then at some point, some other good friends and neighbors came by with excavator equipment and helped pick some of the roof off of that same space.”

Unfortunately, Shaw said, not all of the animals could be saved, but those that were rescued are now at surrounding dairy farms in the area. Because Shaw Farm is a retail dairy farm, he said they were able to open Wednesday and they don’t expect any service disruptions. They’ll just need to travel a little farther to get their milk until a new facility is built, he said.

The old barn won’t be salvageable, but Shaw was planning to meet with his insurance company Wednesday afternoon to figure out a solution.

When people found out about the accident at the farm, many fans of a Shaw Farm favorite, the miniature donkey “Bailey,” were concerned for her wellbeing. Shaw said he got her, the only non-cow on the farm, over five years ago and people will say “Hi” while they stop in to make purchases.

“There are a number of people that are very concerned about Bailey” he said.

The donkey, he reassured on the phone and on Bailey’s Facebook page, is fine. 

Shaw added that it was moving to see the number of people who came out to help the family Tuesday after the collapse. 

“I’m sure 500 people have reached out to me from various places across the country, really concerned about what’s going on,” he said. “It’s just nice to see that kind of human behavior.”