A weird idea….0.0′

DAPNET Forums Archive › Forums › Draft Animal Power › Oxen › A weird idea….0.0′

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  • April 30, 2011 at 10:12 pm #42683
    bivol
    Participant

    Hi!

    so i got this weird idea for motivating oxen while working…

    well, you know music can change people’s mood – calm music calms people down and “fight” music gets them hype and ready to burst – that’s why music is used in gyms to motivate people and put a nice pace for the training.
    it’s also known that music can influence animals too – cows who were played music while milking are reported to give more milk (but it works while they’re listening calming music)…

    so

    what’s the problem with oxen as draft animals?
    they tend to loose their pace and go slow and just drag along, so one has to keep em moving – especially with big lazy breeds we tend to have today. so i wonder what results would it bring to play like gym music in their ears while working them – would it make them more hype and willing to pull?

    how?
    with modern technology one can get a small MP3 with a pair of earphones, put them near the ears (oxen can hear it pretty well, and they can still hear the teamster), set the desired song or composition, and give it a go!

    it would be interesting to what – and if – there’s be any difference! working is actually more measurable than milk production, because one can measure the pace and work done.

    this system would be more practical in systems like the American system, where the teamster walks along next to oxen, so he can monitor them (and the MP3)…

    …hows that for a weird idea? 0.0

    May 2, 2011 at 2:45 am #67175
    Andy Carson
    Moderator

    Weird? Maybe… I often sing or whistle to by horse while I am working. It seems help her relax and go slow and steady. I would say she likes it, but it’s not a scientific study by any means… I would guess that music would be relaxing rather than motivating though. That said, I am usually trying to slow my animal down (not speed her up) so I don’t tend to sing up tempo songs… I does make one wonder. You know, you don’t have to have an MP3 player if you are not embarrassed easily. 🙂

    May 2, 2011 at 9:44 pm #67176
    Baystatetom
    Participant

    A little bluegrass in my ear keeps me going at a good pace with the chainsaw. Maybe it would work for lazy oxen too. Although I must say I spend a lot more time trying to slow mine down then speed them up. I know they get slower with age. Give it a try and let us know if it works.
    Tom

    May 4, 2011 at 1:04 pm #67172
    Nat(wasIxy)
    Participant

    @Baystatetom 26765 wrote:

    Although I must say I spend a lot more time trying to slow mine down then speed them up.

    same here! I’m thinking maybe some mozart or something? lol

    May 6, 2011 at 7:31 pm #67170
    bivol
    Participant

    …and i posted this because i (wrongly) thought something was needed to make the oxen go faster! luckily this ain’t the case it seems!

    excellent, learned something today! thank y all!:D

    May 6, 2011 at 9:38 pm #67173
    Nat(wasIxy)
    Participant

    there’s no such thing as ‘oxen’ – they’re all individuals…my hereford is slow almost always, but the simmental and jersey barely stand still!

    May 8, 2011 at 1:11 am #67171
    bivol
    Participant

    i see… so if one’s a plodder, i’ll try this way.

    May 8, 2011 at 10:40 am #67174
    Nat(wasIxy)
    Participant

    Yes, and let us know how you get on!

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