[Anne]

Are your animals out on the pasture or in the stable?

If they spend their time in the stable it´s a “winter problem”. Usually they avoid real fighting if they dont have the space for it.
In this case I would let them out regularly and give them the chance to fight it out. I prefer to work them single untill they got their new positions.

[Anne]

This summer we are doing some advertisement activities for a swiss limonade product.

So now you can see us jumping:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gd9M76oxC0

cheers to all of you,
Anne

[Anne]

Thanks for your comments and thoughts! 🙂
So far Medea doesn´t jump fences. She seems to be confident with her herd, pasture and animation programm. And I do a lot to keep her happy – and to give her something else to think about! 😉

[Anne]

If I introduce a new implement I do the following:

– First I place the new implement at their brushing place. Take them out and brush them as usual. While I´m doing this, they can watch it, sniff, lick…

– Than I free one animal. Take the implement (calm, quiet and slow) and pull it AWAY from the animal. It seems to me, that this is an important step. If I pull it away from them, stop, pull it away… They usually follow, jump a little, try to lick it and than later on to push it with their head. It makes them think, that the impement is afraid of them and tries to get away. If you pull it towards them, or fix it behind them immediately, they think it must be a predator!

– Than I pull it in a circle around the animal. I always stop if they want to lick.

– When they start to push it with their head, rub,… they are not afraid anymore.

If I hook it on for the first time, or after a bad experience, I choose my way carefully.
The first meters are the most critical. If you manage 200 meters without a runaway, they usually got it. For the first time I personally use a leading rope, treats, and walk 50 meters in a direktion where I THAN can choose: a fence (worst case) , a gravel walk uphill (everything is fine, but a little to fast), or a normal way. Some animals are very huggish to get treats. In this case I let them try to get one out of my hand while I´m slowly walking. If they concentrate on the treat, they forget the implement. And if they didn´t bolt during the first 10 meters, they usually dont bolt afterwards. Except, there is a new sound or underground.

I start each animal single with a light load. If they spend a lot of time in the stable, I let them run and jump around on the pasture before.

Good luck!

[Anne]

My blacksmith said, with good luck, the shoes could rest for three month.
I think in most cases they wont. Or at least not all of them!

At the moment three of my animals are shoed.

One of them lost her first shoe after three weeks. She walks a little sidewards and I think that´s the reason. The same shoe was fixed again. And lost again 6 weeks later.
The other cow lost her first shoe after two month.
The third cow got shoed six weeks ago and everything is still allright.

In general I´m very happy to have them shoed. They walk much faster and are more willing. It helps alot. In my case the one with the x shaped front legs profits most.

[Anne]

Hallo Elke!

I tried it that way:

How do you fix them?

[Anne]

We tried it this spring.

If you are on your own, walking next to your team, braking is a problem.
I always need a second person to slow down the wagon. On the picture you can see a friend of mine doing the braking on the wagon.
Each animal is wearing a neckband which is fixed to the pole by a chain. That´s fine to do the steering. But it´s not enough to brake the load safely.
It might not be such a problem in a plane area. But if you get some speed…

[Anne]

Hallo oxnun!

I start the same way. Lean on them, while they are laying down, chewing. I brush and massage them whenever I sit on their back. It´s important that they enjoy it, because otherwise they may hit you with their horns during mountaining. My vet says, that cattle can carry about 10% of their bodywight.
So I start to lead light kids on the tame ones. And start to ride them by myself when they are about 2 years old. So I start early – and continue slow.

[Anne]

Hallo!
I dont know if someone has done a research, about how many wight cattle can carry. If so, I would be verry interested to read it. My vet supposes, that cattle should be able to carry about 10% of their body wight comfortably.

[Anne]

[Anne]

[Anne]

[Anne]

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[Anne]

Hello!

May be the following pictures are helpful as well.
They show Philippe Kuhlmann shoeing his oxen (Vogesen). He is working them in the Ecomusee d`Alsace and they have to walk a lot on gravel.
In most cases it is enough to shoe the outer front claw.
I took the pictures during the last three years. So they show different oxen. Once he shoed the front feet. Another time the hind claws.
But all together they show a complete shoeing.

[Author]

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