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Kevin Cunningham
Participantlove this film, horses, bikes, pedestrians, cars, and trollys all on the street interface. I think the key is that everything is moving just a little bit slower than it does today. It would be neat to see this same view today. I could see something similar happening in Garberville someday.
ParticipantHere is a picture of my boys doing a little rock hauling. They can haul 1 or 2 at a time and the repitition seems really good for them. They get used to lots of stopping and starting with me walking around them moving strange objects.
Participantthere was a post on the facebook book page, that was just brought up on the forum, that I thought was interesting. Instead of traditional metal shoes they used a strong glue to adhere a piece of wood or rubber to the hoof. It got me thinking that we shouldn’t be so caught in the old ways to explore new materials or technologies. I can imagine some kind of “rubber boot” that could give the extra footing needed in certain conditions but wasn’t so hard to remove for the 99% of the time you don’t need shoes.
ParticipantThat is not a bad idea. I have never been to the SFJ auction but this year I am going to make it. April is always a hard month to get away for me but this is the year I am going. Does Pioneer usually bring equipment to SFJ? I guess we’ll see
ParticipantI just saw that they were releasing this “homesteader” platform in 2012. Thank you for posting the pricing. I am interested because it seems to be about the right size for “garden scale” production. None of my fields are ever larger than an acre and most of our vegetable production happens in garden sized plots. I wonder how it would work with oxen. It is a bit spendy for me but if I calculated all the time I would have to clock to find and restore cheap antiques maybe I could actually come out ahead….. Wait, wait, wait…. I just calculated the total and it comes out less then $3500 that’s cheaper than buying a new BCS rototiller with only a rototiller attachment! Of course that wouldn’t include any shipping costs, but that’s another story. I am very tempted
ParticipantIt is great to see all the work the young’uns can do! I am really excited for this coming season because I think my boys will be able to pull things around the farm sooner than I think. I am already dreaming up crazy set ups for steer assisted wheel hoes and bed markers and other fun and cheap equipment. Right now they can move a rock or two at a time or twitch some branches cut for the goats.They are already pretty handy. The training has helped out a lot on the farm, just getting me out to other parts of the farm on a regular basis. I was also quite inspired by looking at the Promata website (even though I speak no French) from the discussion on another post. It seems like there is quite a bit that can be done on a garden scale with the appropriate equipment. Right now the next season is still in the realm of possibility and it allows me to dream a little. I love winter.
ParticipantMerry Christmas! May all your dreams come true this year; may your family and animals bless you abundantly.
Kevin
ParticipantO yeah see that puddle in front of them, they went around it.
So as long as it wasn’t dangerous for them to go around it; it makes sense, because it would have been harder to pull the log through the mud. I think that is smart, my tractor doesn’t think like that and it gets stuck in the mud all the time. Still no puddle for me to walk though. I am starting to wonder about this weather, like I said I thought I lived in a rainforest, but still no rain.
I am particulary interested on how to add value to low value logging. Like a lot of y’all I live in timber country but our trees are huge in comparison. Even second or third growth redwood dwarfs anything I have seen posted here. I have seen old pictures of ox logging operations that used teams of 18 or more oxen. We are talking big trees.
There are parts of the county were thinning “dog hair” fir stands could be a viable animal powered logging operation at least in the physical scope of it. But there is no value in small dimensional fir logs. Although based on the grain pattern I am getting on store bought 2×4’s I would say that they are coming out of smaller and smaller trees.
I keep tossing around ideas in my mind for combined log and mill operations (portable band saw), or high value (feel good) firewood, or stick furniture, or something? Whatever it will be I will have to do it on my own, as there is no mill around here that will take logs shorter the 42 feet long.
ParticipantMy wife Melanie is the webmaster in our house. She is doing an amazing job with ours, but it is still in progress…..
ParticipantWell we finally got some rain after a long dry spell. This has been the driest, sunniest December on record for us! So I have had a chance to try the boys on some more puddles in the driveway. Before my biggest concern is the they would just stop, or Joe would stop more specifically, then Tex would have to stop as well. They would then balk and shy away from the puddle when I told them to get up. I would intentionally walk them up to the puddle because I wanted them to not be afraid. Sometime it took some serious coaxing to even get them to move around the puddle. Since then we have been training every day and they have graduated to pulling a small sled. With the chain between their legs they can’t hop around as much and they are don’t stop as often. I think this is good progress but I still have a hard time getting the to walk a straight line through a puddle. These guys are still young and we are working on trusting each other. So far so good
ParticipantHere is a related video that I found from the first one posted. These guys are using the same style head yoke and most impressive is that they are driving bulls!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=NyCwdO-KmrI&feature=fvwp
ParticipantHere is a related video that I found from the first one posted. These guys are using the same style head yoke and most impressive is that they are driving bulls!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=NyCwdO-KmrI&feature=fvwp
ParticipantThis is one of the best videos I have seen on this site. It was amazing to see them put that style of head yoke on. Very cool.
ParticipantWhat is fascinating about working with animals for me is that it is a balance of perception and instruction. Intellectually I knew that my beginnings of draft power would require more cooperation than I use with my tractor. Although sometimes I would argue that my tractor does know when I really need to get something done and takes the oppurtunity to break down and cause delays and frustration. I could not have truly known however, how this cooperation would work out in day to day practice. I am amazed at when it works. I can hook up to the sled and the steers pull it with me as their guide. I am amazed when it doesn’t. They shy away from a puddle but walk straight into a river. One of my main reasons for starting draft animals was a yearning for a connection that I don’t get from my tractor. I appreciate the fact that animals don’t act like my tractor after all if I tell my tractor to drive off a cliff it would do it without hesitation. No animal would do that and I hope I can learn to act as a firm, steady, and confident driver, but not let my agenda cloud my perception. These little guys teach me so much everyday.
ParticipantI am glad to know that other oxen do this. They only step around the small puddles but I can walk them in ankle deep water no problem. I just wasn’t sure if I needed to make them get over this because it was going to be a problem in the future. I’m hop that when the creek floods and covers the road they will walk through it just like when they are down at the river. My main concern is being able to walk them out if I need to. Our farm is caught right between a river and creek with a tiny little bridge over the creek and every year the creek floods at some point. Some day the 100 year flood is going to catch up with us.
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