How to Count Cows

A dispute arose between the vendor and purchaser of a cattle station when a post sale muster revealed fewer than expected cattle.

There had not been a muster for several years before the sale and the price was based on an estimate of the carried stock. There was a possibility that some of the stock that should had been included in the sale were moved off the property.

The task was to project from the sales estimate allowing for births, deaths, and off takes to determine if the post sale muster was consistent with the hypothesis that the sale estimate was correct.