Thinking seriously about starting with oxen…

[Andy Carson]

I think I would be most interested in getting an older team. They wouldn’t have to be full grown, but I would hope I could find a couple that are able to do substantial work once I am up to speed. My problem is I need stuff done yesterday, not in a couple years from now… There seems to be good teams for sale when I look around and I bet some people would be happy to have thier team go to a working home rather than the butcher.

[CharlyBonifaz]

there is a tiny kick back 😎
I could find a couple that are able to do substantial work once I am up to speed
the more pressing/urgent I thought the situation was, the slower my ox became….

[Baystatetom]

You can work year old steers for a couple hours no problem. I plowed with mine this past spring when they were 14 months, although it certainly was pretty close to their maximum payload. I also pulled two families worth of firewood with them their first winter. As they get bigger and stronger working with them gets easier though. I am betting I can do a much better plowing job this spring then last. My Holstein/shorthorns are about 1100 each at 19 months. I pull a scoot with 1600 lbs on it for about a half hour to exercise them, I am sure I could get a good bit of work out of them. Just my real job keeps getting in the way!

[Nat(wasIxy)]

you don’t have to rule out trotting and cantering – I ride mine and rounded up sheep at a fast canter on my simmi, my jersey is only too happy to trot, canter and jump and even the hereford will trot nicely for a while, and she’s really lazy.

The speed of walk is hit and miss, you’d need to go for a known speedy breed and even then you might get a slow individual. I think how you train them is a BIG factor. Certainly don’t ever let them get bored. Ploughing I think is boring for an ox, just like anything that involved same, same, same again and again. Yeah they’ll do it, but they’re not so stupid as to tire themselves out doing it top speed lol! Mine like walks out to different places, doing a bit of firewood, a bit of pulling a sledge to the sheep in the snow, a bit of riding, a bit of free playtime going over jumps and running around with me etc. Once they get bored, they slow down…that’s not always a bad thing!

Mowing can be done, they do it in europe and there’s people doing it in the UK with specialist equipment. In ‘ox days’ equipment was rubbish, the good stuff went on horses, and things are different now altogether.

[Nat(wasIxy)]

This is a good picture of oxen doing some binding work – I think the european harnessing systems lend themselves to speed, and they breed/bred big, fast oxen more akin to horses than the UK breeds! If you think about it, good as yokes are, could you manage more than a walk if you were chocked to another person by a big chunk of wood?

[bivol]

@Countymouse 29305 wrote:

I think I would be most interested in getting an older team. They wouldn’t have to be full grown, but I would hope I could find a couple that are able to do substantial work once I am up to speed. My problem is I need stuff done yesterday, not in a couple years from now…

if that’s the case, you have two options:

1. buy adult trained oxen

2. train “adult” oxen

1. getting an already trained team would save you a lot of trouble, and especially if you want your work done “yesterday”. one of the “downsides” of getting an adult team is it takes getting used to them (and vice versa). but, if it’s doen on horses and mules, why not oxen? if you want to use them often and right from the start, you should have no problem betting used to them fairly quickly.

2. “adult oxen”. captions are here on purpose: they could be 3 years old, etc. not fully mature, but up to the task, unless your task includes hauling logs down from mountains on a daily basis. if you could source some diary or crosbred steers from some fattening program, you could start from there.
if so, you have two options:
1. classic training
2. driving with nasal control – faster and more “disobey proof” when starting with older cattle.

now, i believe you need “faster” oxen, and as such younger oxen (3-5 years) are better than older oxen, as they tend to get slower the older they get. also, aim for “faster” breeds: diary cattle like ayrshire can be a bit more fiery than beef breeds. steer clear of brown swiss, they’re slooooooow.

[dlskidmore]

@bivol 29328 wrote:

2. “adult oxen”. captions are here on purpose: they could be 3 years old, etc. not fully mature, but up to the task, unless your task includes hauling logs down from mountains on a daily basis. if you could source some diary or crosbred steers from some fattening program, you could start from there.
if so, you have two options:
1. classic training
2. driving with nasal control – faster and more “disobey proof” when starting with older cattle.

In Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail the author frequently used animals raised for beef. He’d hook up the new steer alongside his trained one, and off they’d go, training on the way. I think once or twice he even got a raw pair without one trained one to start with. He preferred to train them his own way rather than pay more for a trained one and end up with a beast with a broken spirit. Unfortunately it says little to nothing about how he trained, besides the fact that he didn’t believe in yelling and hitting to get his way, and the results were a bit variable.

[bivol]

i do believe they were.

this is an old method, but i dont know how menagable the steers would be after it for farm work as a single team.
i mean, this method is best used on big teams of at least six animals, where only the wheelers and leaders are given a bit more training, while other oxen just learn to pull, follow and stop.

this is ofcourse a good basis (oxen already know the concept of being yoked, pull, sop and go), but as what needs to be dont to make them truly a farm team…. i mean, theres definitelly polishing to be on on the tem to say the LEAST. not to mention extra price tag…

but then again, with calmer steers and good, regular real work ahead i think getting even half-trained steers is a good thing for a novice needing ox power fast.
he gets young but adult, yokable steers who know to pull. and price tag is lower than a fully trained team.

can’t say, i like this idea more and more the more i think about it.

[dlskidmore]

@bivol 29358 wrote:

can’t say, i like this idea more and more the more i think about it.

I wasn’t exactly recomending it. The author mentioned was an experienced teamster and even he did not get reliable results out of it. He was a pioneer, so stopping to spend time training slowly wasn’t really an option. Walking the whole way with the new steer under close supervision was an option, and they didn’t have to do a whole lot besides pull straight ahead most of the time.

[Baystatetom]

Between Rural Heritage and pullingoxen.com there is plenty of broke teams out there. Usually New England is full of teams for sale in the fall when 4Hers head off to college. If you are used to draft horses you can transition into oxen pretty easily I bet.

[Andy Carson]

@Baystatetom 29362 wrote:

If you are used to draft horses you can transition into oxen pretty easily I bet.

I am hoping this is somewhat true, but I certainly have alot to learn. I would love to find someone local who could do a show and tell and/or a lesson of some sort. Not everyone’s favorite thing to do, I know, but I could work off my lesson or simply pay for it. It’s worth alot to be to have a good start. Please if there is anyone local that is interested, pm me.

[dominiquer60]

“If you are used to draft horses you can transition into oxen pretty easily I bet.”

I was a horse person, then I learned how simple it was to obtain and train a pair of calves. Once you know how assertive you need to be with a particular team the rest comes fairly easy. If you are ever in the Albany, NY area let me know, you are welcome to give my team a try.

[Robin]

Get in touch with Howie Van Ord. He is in Russell, Pa. If he has time, he will be very happy to help you. I believe you have his #&e-mail. If not, I can get them for you.
I am in Orange County, NY. You would be welcome to stop by here, also. No fee, just help the next interested person. Send me a PM if you are interested.
Robin

[Andy Carson]

Thanks all for the invites and suggestions. I feel very lucky to have access to such a great community. I will PM with plans, I don’t want to put anyone on the spot in a public forum.

[Vicki]

Howie was looking for a new home for his mature Devons. I don’t doubt he and Andy would help you learn to use them, if they are still available. I’m a bit farther west in Ohio. Some other ox folks near Meadville and I could probably help you out some too.

[Author]

Posts