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thank you Ixy for the bits! i’m relieved that i don’t have to pierce the noses at the end!:)
sahnestar, i looked, but couldn’t figure out a lot. but the subject got me interested, i’ll keep looking.

[bivol]

i think no, cause i’ve never, in english or another lang., seen such a name for them, if you mean the elongated rings. i guess they’re just a regional variation to nose rings, used in Italy on Chianina oxen.
the bit in itself is a system that is removed when the animals are not working, while the nose-rings stay on oxen when they’re not working. and the bit doesn’t require piercing as the rings do. so i guess it’s unlikely to call them bits.

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@kohlerjd110 9394 wrote:

where can i find this style nose ring

you’ll probably have to make it yourself, or order it made. it should be thick enough as not to cut in the flesh. a straight metal piece through the nose shouldn’t upset the nose as the round one does. and it must not rost and must be smooth.
check this for more info:http://www.draftanimalpower.com/showthread.php?t=777
the picture was taken in Italy.

Ixy, i wouldn’t pierce the noses if i had a choice, but if i wouldn’t, i’d put the ones as sescribed in this thread

[bivol]

hi!

found something new on the subject!

i cite from a book called “Lake Ngami”, by Charles John Andersson, on traveling in inland Africa.

On the day of our departure he mounted us all on oxen, and a curious sight it was to see some of the men take their seats who have never before ridden on ox-back… …your seat is no less awkward and difficult; for the skin of the ox, unlike that of the horse, and, notwithstanding your saddle may be tightly girthed, you keep rocking to and fro like a child in a cradle. a few days, however, enables a person to acquire a certain steadiness, and long habit will do the rest.
ox-traveling, once a man is accustomed to it, is not so disagreeable as might be expected, particulary if one succeeds in obtaining a tractable animal. on emengencies, an ox can be made to proceed at a tolerably quick pace; for, though his walk is only three miles an hour at average, he may be made to preform double the distance in the same time. Mr. Galton once accomplished twenty-four miles in four hours, and that, too, through heavy sand!

[bivol]

i didn’t know how the yoke sits under a medium load – thanks for the tip;)

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nice!

but i’m a little confused…. the yoke isn’t tilted to the back, it isn’t pulled in the shoulders. what do you guys (and gals, ofcourse) think of it? maybe it’s because they are not pulling much load? but the wagon does seem heavy enough….

anyway, nice pictures! keep us posted, and good luck!

[bivol]

he broke the halter you say…. that’s not desirable, as he learned he can break them. strap a really strong halter on him and tie him by a strong, thick rope, to a place he won’t break. let him fight as long as he can. sooner or later, he’ll accept it. second, did you hold the rope when he broke away?

how about coupling his experience for yokes and other things with positive experiences? for example, leave the yoke and chains (maybe rubbed with hay) dangling near where he eats. or even in his feeding …. even if he won’t eat he’ll soon get hungry and come near. leaving them on a low position could help, too.

get him used to that bunker, go in there and give him treats there. tie him up in there for a few hours each day, and also blind him daily until he gets used to it. be calm while leading him there, he’ll sense it if you’re not calm!
get him in that bunker, close it, and put the yoke. put something on his eyes so he can’t see, and put the yoke on. tying his halter to the walls should help also. fasten the yoke with chains to the sides, as he’ll be, more-less, fixed in one position. let him act up all he wants, and talk in a calm voice. after he calms down take off the cloth, but leave him there for a few hours. maybe it should be good to yoke and unyoke him more times while in there. repeat daily until he gets used to it. the ox should be tied so that he can’t back up, either near the end, or put some thick ropes behind do stop him from backing up.

just my idea….

[bivol]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9BNenKbL6c

[bivol]

i refered to maize as corn. and i never seriously thought of feeding them straw in significant quantity. my primary concern was can they survive, and, hopefully, work, on lower quality feed, supplemented with some oats, than horses.

[bivol]

welcome!

glad you’re joining the forum!:)

[bivol]

i know exactly what you mean!
now, i don’t know how others will look at it, this problem was my main motivation in learning to drive oxen with nose rings.
DO read the topic concerning nose rings.

in some parts of the world, Ethiopia and Peru, oxen are commonly driven from behind with no nasal control whatsoever. but, the trick may lie in the way they are using them: exclusively for plowing. so they learn them to walk along the furrow, turn, walk along the furrow again, and that’s all they learn. but, for modern agriculture, they have to be more vertisale, and them so lively and likely to test you, nose control may be the best solution to the problem.
have you ever worked with cattle, in particular jersey? they’re pretty lively to say the least, you have to establish firm control, and they like to test you. also, they’re light boned, and can’t handle as much work like plowing, as other, bigger oxen.
if you have to plow a lot, maybe get something bigger. how much land do you intend to work with them?
overall, it could be a good bargain, but i personally think it’s rather unlikely to have a team of jersey oxen plow and do stuff without the teamster (and without any physical restraint) without A LOT of training if not drilling.

[bivol]

hm, i haven’t thought of that…:rolleyes: good idea! sometimes you look for the solutions far away, and the solution is much closer! in this case litterary:D

[bivol]

@hayhoss 8482 wrote:

I have a very nice Brahman bull I would like to put a ring, or bit in. What kind of metal should I use? I need to know the exact placement of the piercing. How far back or forward? He is absolutely a wonderfull animal except the propensity to run off. I refuse to castrate him, so I beleive a nose ring will be nessasary.

firstly, bovine mouth is not designed for a bit. i guess it can be used, but i would rather use a nose ring.

anyway, here are some links that could help.

http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/ILRI/x5483B/x5483b10.htm#preparation%20of%20work%20oxen

http://www.fao.org/ag/aGa/agap/FRG/Draught/contents.htm
ch. 2.1.7.

[bivol]

are these ardennes horses? i love this type of draft horse, even if i’m an oxen person.

i have the french documentary about oxen, Envoile le petit..!, worth getting, but i don’t want to post it – copyright.

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but doesn’t he make them our of ratan? or so i’ve red, maybe it was just an idea, and i overlooked it.
anyway, should i choose an american yoke, it would be better for me to be able to build it from scratch. and if fabian mastered the making of the bows, why can’t i too? and in fact it would be better, as i’d have to take his time (and pay him, ofcourse ) to make the bows.
and i like to know how to make the important stuff myself:cool:

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