Ever eaten your ox?

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  • May 25, 2009 at 5:21 pm #40591
    Nat(wasIxy)
    Participant

    It’s not working out with my brown swiss. He’s not bad-natured as such but has always been spritely and cheeky – I taught him to jump and now fences mean nothing to him :rolleyes: the other day when trying to get him back in his pen he got away from me three times which has NEVER happened before – once by whipping backwards and hopping out of the field into the orchard, then he ran me into a tree (couldnt let go of the rope fast enough) and the third time by just charging off and I just couldnt hold him and got slammed to the ground and dragged a little. I ended up with sprained knee ligaments and whiplash as well as numerous bruises – I hit that tree pretty hard and thought I’d broken ribs but I hadn’t. I had to give up in the end due to the pain so he won 🙁 I know that’s bad news. He’s been jumpy and pushy ever since in the field too.

    So, I’m going to eat him. I’m struggling for money BIGTIME right now so I don’t have any interest in paying for his upkeep whilst trying to bring him round again. Being pure dairy he’s not worth much at market and I have customers lined up. Weirdly, because I WAS very attached to the both of them, I’m not too upset about it. Less than I thought I would be. Maybe I have no heart left :confused:

    May 25, 2009 at 5:51 pm #52670
    CharlyBonifaz
    Member

    that’s exactly what I threaten mine with if he doesn’t behave……
    on the other hand, I couldn’t eat him, knowing him by his first name; so if it is the butcher, someone else may enjoy some really tough beef :rolleyes:
    elke

    May 25, 2009 at 7:27 pm #52669
    OldKat
    Participant

    @CharlyBonifaz 9054 wrote:

    that’s exactly what I threaten mine with if he doesn’t behave……
    on the other hand, I couldn’t eat him, knowing him by his first name; so if it is the butcher, someone else may enjoy some really tough beef :rolleyes:
    elke

    … if the ox is a Brown Swiss and unless he is really old and or thin he should have a fairly nice carcass. I’d put him in a pen and feed him grain for about 45 days & just when he was thinking that he had it made … BAM! :p

    Just kidding. He should probably be okay. In fact if you have lush grass, save yourself some money and skip the grain. Just get him good and fleshy before he visits the abbatoir.

    May 26, 2009 at 3:19 am #52666
    Gabe Ayers
    Keymaster

    My grandpa always said that a ox was a mistake you could eat…… if they break a leg, cut their throat and string em up, if they aren’t tractable…. same deal…

    Smart move Ixy.

    Get you another one and start over younger…

    May 27, 2009 at 1:17 pm #52668
    Theloggerswife
    Participant

    We once purchased a “Dud Stud” to breed our highland cattle. After a year with no calves, he made great hamburger.

    May 27, 2009 at 8:11 pm #52667
    Vicki
    Participant

    Ya gotta do whatcha gotta do. I had a nice 2 yr. old Holstein was a fine ox, but no use or room for him and no one to buy him, so he went for beef. You can’t keep them all. Sounds like this one needs to go to the freezer. Start over with another calf.

    June 6, 2009 at 1:45 am #52672
    amy40
    Participant

    Isn’t that what sustainable is all about? I say eat him. At least you know where the meat came from and you could save him from a horrible end at a auction house. You can’t ask for a more noble thing from him than putting food on your table in tough times.
    Amy

    June 8, 2009 at 12:44 pm #52673
    Nat(wasIxy)
    Participant

    Well he’s having a grand old time out on grass for the summer anyway 😀

    June 14, 2009 at 10:33 am #52674
    Nat(wasIxy)
    Participant

    Hm. He’s behaving himself now – He’s not jumped out since and has been very well behaved in the field, and seems to miss getting the attention the other one gets when he’s worked? He was trying to push Angus out of the way when i was stroking him!

    I had to lead both of them to new grazing the other day and Bo was all ready and raring to go whereas Angus was the one slowing us down :rolleyes: – perhaps he’s got word of my plans to make him into jerky and is trying to prove himself 😀

    June 14, 2009 at 11:43 am #52671
    sanhestar
    Participant

    Hello,

    I’ve often had the same effect when one of the goats is misbehaving really bad. As soon as the decision to make them into something tasty is made they behave like angels – at least for a while….:)

    June 16, 2009 at 10:03 am #52675
    Nat(wasIxy)
    Participant

    ‘at least for a while’ – how true! This morning he didn’t want to go through the paddock gate with his mate; wrenched the rope out of my hands and cantered off into the yard instead. I walked (calmly) after him but he just kept trotting away, and when i did catch him, first he wouldn’t move at all, then when he did he was rushing forwards and barging into me – got a nice lump on my arm from one of his little horns. I ended up having to pinch his nostrils to get him to back off.

    so that’s that for sure now, he’s getting turned out with the main herd as soon as I’ve finished using them to mow down some grass round home so I don’t have to go anywhere near him.

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