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Nat(wasIxy)
ParticipantIt’s actually the one thing that would make me seriously contemplate going back to horses, and I struggle with it often – you get so much more freedom 🙁
Participantbelieve me, I’ve had the idea – beach rides, milk round etc…but the government says no 🙁 too much of a disease risk; we have really strict movement regs – standstill periods, passports and reporting your every move.
If I didn’t have family here, I’d emigrate.
Probably to America. I wanna breed bucking bulls anyway, and there’s no market for them here 😀
Participant@dlskidmore 20002 wrote:
The only way I see it happening is complete unavailability of car fuel. If people can’t travel, or get goods brought to them, they will find better living in the country where they can create everything they need. But even in the animal powered days there were still some big cities and some goods traveling long distance overland.
Not really relevant and not really realistic until oil runs out and we got no choice, but it’d be my dream job to be transporting ‘stuff’ with animals…always had a little ‘thing’ about that 😀 😉 Roll on the day, I’ll be ready to hit to road with my pack oxen!
ParticipantOxen were used to deliver Atora suet as a marketing strategy in the UK – they went all over, I always see photos in urban settings, and they don’t have rings. In fact a photo of a rung UK ox is pretty rare?
ParticipantMine seem to have defied what people say about breeds, so I’m inclined to say just go for what you like, maybe buya few animals and see how they train up, then beef the ones that don’t make the grade if possible?
My brown swiss was very quick and intelligent – people told me they were slow and slow-minded too.
My simmentalXfriesian is quite intelligent and very speedy with little patience – I keep waiting for him to slow down and become a fat lumbering dopey simmental but he just wants to goooo!
My ayrshires just live to please and whilst they may not be smart-smart, they can do what they need to no problem, best to train so far and I think they’ll be a sensible size and look very smart. Speed I’ll have to let you know on as one of mine is sick so I don’t ask too much of him and the other is very young yet.
We have jersey steers in the beef herd – the best behaved cattle we have, I’d love to train a couple but need to think carefully before adding any more!!
My hereford is very smart, but she is a girl too and we seem to have a bit more of a power struggle going on. She doesn’t seem too keen on speed, but is very docile – good with picking her feet up etc. I thought she’d be a good riding animal but as the speed is so lacking she may get semi retirement as a suckler and just be teamed up with the simmental if needed?
Our dexters in the beef herd are very naughty indeed and I have no wish to train them, although I’m sure they make quick and smart good workers for those with the kind of mindset they’d need!! 😀ParticipantThanks for dropping in Joe! I’ll be in touch…
ParticipantI do a lot of things for the greater good already…some (my OH) would say too much….at some point you have to have something to live on – these oxen don’t quite live on fresh air 😉 The writing only takes moments, but the travel for interviews, photography etc all takes time and money.
Participant@dlskidmore 19889 wrote:
I agree, but there is still a limitation on growth in that sector as well. After you break big agriculture back down into little family farms that are just a step above self-sufficiency (make enough extra to pay taxes and have a few nice things) you will still run out of land if the population continues to grow.
The really sad part is, that you can’t limit population growth and remain a viable culture, as the other cultures out-breed you and replace you. This is a no-win for a peaceful society that’s trying to become sustainable with a neighbor that is not. But if neither neighbor is sustainable, that’s also a problem in that neither can spread it’s excess population to the less populated country, and there will be either war, disease, or famine to decrease the population and restore balance as nature always does (or in the last such cycle end the world.) Even if you convince your neighbor to be sustainable and you overpopulate into their territory, you will only prolong the inevitable.
Bah. I’m just being depressing now. We can only do the work that’s in front of us, that God gave each of us to do, and contribute our small parts. The big picture thinking gets overwhelming and gets in the way of providing the world what love and hope we can.
I agree, and probably when it comes down to it, I farm the way I do due to the economic and labour saving benefits as a priority over the environmental benefits. We can all only do our best at the end of the day…
ParticipantForgive a penniless peasant for being so direct but – do you get paid for this? If so I can think of a few things to cover in the UK, but if not I really should be devoting my time to things that are going to earn me things, or the bank manager will be even more annoyed with me 😀
Participantoh my goodness tell me about these strap on shoes (pictures would be most excellent) I assumed if I did a lot of roadwork I’d need to use the stick on block boot things for dairy cows!
I don’t think the long flat feet our cows have would be good roads, but we don’t get the chance to test it here! I think it would do Angus’ feet good though, his seem to be the only ones that chip off at the toe – maybe because he’s half simmi, and they have good draught heritage and feet better suited to roads?
ParticipantI do certainly enjoy working a single ox personally, not sure why there is such emphasis on pairs in western ox culture? Ploughing a flooded field in this way seems a good idea!
ParticipantLush grass is all around here – I train them to the command ‘head up’ and always instil in them from the getgo that there’s NO eating when the halter is on, unless we are stopped and I allow it, as a reward – and I always decide when they stop and we move on. I’d muzzle them if I had to.
I don’t see india as the pinnacle of cattle stockmanship down the sacred cow thing – I appreciate that’s all very nice, but there’s a dark side like with any culture where animals are used as a basic means of draught and transport without say an RSPCA or government breathing down their necks, and a lot of poverty. The sacred cattle can be thin and parasite ridden, eating rubbish in the streets. Working horses and cattle can be harnessed incorrectly, overloaded, starved, whipped and beaten etc. Nose rings are used here, and in India, and I’m sure some people in the west and east also don’t use nose rings…I’m still not seeing it as any better than without just because it’s used in India?
ParticipantPack and riding is my favourite aspect of any use of animal – I just love travelling with the aid of animals – hooves are better than wheels for me! Sadly I can’t develop it much, as only horses are allowed to roam in this country 🙁
I have always thought that horses have an unfair advantage in comparison for work, as they are solely bred for that purpose, for many years! Cattle are just bred to eat thesedays, so of course they will not be athletic or as ‘fine-tuned’. I really can’t explain Angus’ attraction to sheep – he’s just a dairy x beef animal and he grew up around sheep, but so have the other cattle and they don’t care about them!
The sheep are kerry hills – rough fells have markings the other way round – a black face with a white or speckled nose, but no eye patches. Kerrys are white with black ears, eyes and nose. Rough fells also have horns and a more hair-like rough fleece (but you wouldn’t be able to see that in the picture)
ParticipantI bet! We have cracks to lose a sheep down but not as bad as ‘down there’ – we were driving through dorset on saturday and were both surprised to see some kind of arable crop, grown on the steep hillsides, so we were peering over to see what it was, and then we both realised – it was golden, crispy dead grass!!!
ParticipantUmmm, we have about 60, but they’re not all grazing with the main herd and that is less than 50 head. It doesn’t seem to be a problem, never really thought about it? They sometimes make a bit of noise around feeding time…but it’s hardly the end of the world?
I think you could eventually work up to 50 dexters or something similar on 25acres – not overnight, but I’d think it was possible unless you’re on a mountaintop or in a desert or something….
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