[Vicki]

Howie, you should see how worn the knobs are that you put on my dexters seven years ago! The nigh knocked his off last year. He just polished down the horn behind the knob so thin that it pulled off, and the other broke off later with a bit of horn shell still epoxied to it, but no serious damage.

Considering how long their horns are, and how vigorously my dominant nigh ox throws them around in the herd, and in brush and hay feeders and stuff, and they were on for more than seven years, I’d say Howie put them on pretty darn well.

[Vicki]

Thanks for the link and the info. I had heard about high-rate stocking or mob-stocking to rejuvenate grazing. The problem out west is not too many animals, but too few with no rest periods; so only the desired plants get harvested leaving the junk.

Even in small scale paddock you can see the mob-stocking benefits, if the area can rest and regrow. In Ohio, dormant clover and bluegrass come in right away unless it is way too acid.

[Vicki]

My cattle when tethered along the woodline will browse poison ivy with no ill effects. I have gotten some irritation on my hands from handling the tethers that had gotten urushiol (the allergen oil in p.i.) on them. You could get a rash from the cows too if they get the oil on them.

[Vicki]

Carl Heth in Rolla MO is working on a sweep to generate for a battery with his oxen. See recent Rural Heritage for info on Carl and his drag saw.

[Vicki]

Howie:
I want a smiley on there. I don’t know how to get smilies into a post.

[Vicki]

Interesting study and results, Tim. Well said final sentence.

Bivol, if given a choice, I believe my oxen would soon figure out which system took the longest to put on, or which is used for the easiest or quickest jobs (here I’d put a smiley face if I knew how to).

[Vicki]

This is a great discussion; thank you all. The bottom line I suppose is: does it work for what you want to do with your oxen and can you make it with the skills, materials, and tools you have?

Adding to the discussion:

Howie makes a good point about the collar vs. yoke in competition, and I was there and witnessed it (if that was Timber and Jack which were limmy holstein crosses I believe.)

I witnessed poorly designed yokes in Uganda and helped introduce better-designed dropped hitch bow yokes there, and explain the dynamics of it and why you can get more work from the animals with attention to design, fit, and line of draft. Yes, the FAO study was probably collars vs. beam-and-skein yokes.

About heads down, I don’t think that is always the case with the best competetive bow-yoked oxen. Improper angle of draft, not necessarily the yoke style, can pull heads down. Getting the angle of draft just right is something I am always trying to learn and improve.

I’ve been led to believe that the slight lifting that occurs with yoked oxen, either bow or headyoke, is not wasted energy at all, but is actually advantageous in starting heavy dragged loads, which historically is a major task for oxen in North America. Where oxen were used primarily for wheeled work, other harness systems might be “better.”

I know Howie uses a staple which allows for the ring to attach either more forward or backward on the yoke beam, thus affecting line of draft and the amount of “crank” on the bow yoke. Other mechanisms are used too to adjust draft angle with various yoking designs, like the curved piece of wood used with headyokes, the name of the piece I can’t recall.

I am curious about how one adjusts line of draft with the collar, and how you hitch to the load with it.

Yes, I am prejudicial toward the bow yoke for myself because that is the tradition of my region and my ancestors. It is tried-and-true for what we do here today with the kinds of cattle we have. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the best everywhere for everyone, or that I’d never try something else.

Tillers works to scientifically and experiencially study these things and improve animal traction systems. Their veretical evener is one innovation. There’s more to it all than just style of harnessing.

[Vicki]

OldKat, thanks for describing your system. I want to try that next year to improve my rotational grazing by breaking up into more cells.

[Vicki]

Like Howie says, there should be little problem. Of course, the animals will have to adjust a bit to each other to be really fine-tuned, but should be perfectly able to perform work in the yoke. Having the same pace or speed is important.

I have a single that I can put in either side with my main ox team. They all live together so they “know” one another and each’s status in the herd. But oxen should be reasonably interchangeable, especially if keeping to the same side in the yoke, though a clever ox can even learn to change sides.

[Vicki]

Yes, near horse, Howie is one of the best. He and the kids in his 4H club were my mentors. Howie is presenting workshops on working cattle at NEAPFD. See the link on this site. loring, if you’re near Tunbridge, VT, why not plan on attending NEAPFD? I want to go, but may not be able to get away those days.

[Vicki]

Similar story: Borrowed a rusty old horse bumper pull trailer to take a steer to the abbatoir. It had a “people” door on the side that we never used. Went about 20 miles at 60 mph, then stopped at a red light in a small town. I in the passenger seat just happened to look in the side mirror and saw the steer’s head looking out toward the Dairy Queen we were stopped in front of! I jumped out of the truck, nonchalantly said hello to the steer that thank goodness was tame and calm, calmly closed the side people door, and tied a rope around it this time. That steer was just getting ready to step down out of there and take a little ramble around Orwell, Ohio! The door closure was old and rusty, we never checked it, and it must have knocked loose in transport.

[Vicki]

Hi loring; welcome to the wonderful world of working steers. If you are near Ohio, let me know; I could possibly visit. I may also be able to loan you smaller yokes while your steers grow (unless I get those new claves I’m considering.) You should keep the horns on your working cattle, but you can use britchens if they’re hornless.

Is there any way you can take a class on oxen basics at Tillers in MI or Sanborn Mills in NH? Both have upcoming classes in Oct.

As Carl suggested, do get Les Barden’s “Training the Teamster” and Ray Ludwig’s “Pride and Joy of Working Cattle”. The video on training working steers by Huppe and Conroy would be great if you’re brand spankin’ new at this.

You don’t need ox shoes unless you have to work them on icy ground. Probably not any dairy hoof trimmers who’d know how to do it anyway.

[Vicki]

bivol, these photos are so fantastic! Thanks.

[Vicki]

Good advice from mstacy. Howie will be talking about starting cattle at the NEAPFD and if you can make that, you would do yourself a huge favor. You can get the video by Huppe/Conroy too.

Cattle respond more to your movements and body position than to your voice, so try to be consistent in how you move; though eventually they learn and respond to words too.

[Vicki]

My mentor Howie says, “The best breed for you is the breed you like and want.” A lot of wisdom is in that statement. Because if you like the calves, you will spend time with them and they will know that you like them and both those factors will be good for success in training.

I started with Dexters which can be quite challenging for beginners, but we have been very successful and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

We did try American Milking Devons, from baby calves, but I found them aloof and independent, not necessarily disrepectful or difficult, but simply too aloof for my preference. I’ve trained Swiss, and found them too slow and slow learners for my preference. I had a single bottle baby Jersey and he was fine: learned pretty quickly, very “friendly”, his pace matched mine well.

How big do you want them to be eventually? Beef crosses are nice I think but finding horns can be difficult.

[Author]

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