Water Buffalo

[Wolfscout]

I’m interested in Water Buffalo and wonder how anyone who has them are coming along with a Draft single or team ?
I’ve been reading on many sites and done searches on this one.
If you’ve posted to those threads.. how is your single or team coming along?
Are you happy with what you can achieve with them?

BTW, I’m seeking a calf to train from the start….

[mathuranatha]

I also want to get a couple . have seen them in India a lot . They need to be submerged in water everyday or at least washed down well every day apparently . Otherwise they get sick . Where do you live? They only seem to live in the tropics and sub tropics — may not do well in colder climates .
good luck — mat —

[bivol]

there are not many members who have water buffaloes.

guess you’ll have to have a crash course, but don’t worry, the water buffalo calf is not much different than a cattle cart, just maybe gentler, and smarter, and more affectionate.

if wb bulls don’t need to be castrated to work, that says w buffaloes are a lot calmer, so there shouldn’t be any problems in training them.

about climate, yes, water buffaloes are more sensitive to cold, and have to be covered with blankets if they are out in cold. i saw them in Romania, in winter, waiting covered yoked to the cart.

to me, water buffalo is better than an ox. if i could get one, i’d pick him over an ox any time. i love cattle, and oxen, but water buffalo is my favorite.

[mstacy]

There are two types of water buffalo. The “swamp type” is common throughout southeast asia. I raised one for a year when I lived in Thailand. They are primarily used for draft and meat. A single animal pulls a walking plow through flooded rice paddies.

The “river type” is common in parts of europe (italy). Guess what “buffalo mozarella” is made from. There is a water buffalo dairy here in Vermont (http://www.bufaladivermont.com/). I visited this farm a few years ago. I was hoping to find a pair of swamp type calves to train as oxen. No luck. However these animals seem suprisingly well adapted to our temperate New England climate. I can assure you that they don’t swim/wallow every day.

There are a handfull of water buffalo farms in the US (Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Vermont, …). I have not been able to locate anyone raising swamp type animals though.

Regards,

Matt

[Rob FLory]

There is a team of water buffalo working at a living history site in South Carolina. I can’t recall the name but you can probably google your way to it.

Rob Flory

[Roscoe]

Looks like its too cold for them in Alberta…

[Wolfscout]

@Rob FLory 17044 wrote:

There is a team of water buffalo working at a living history site in South Carolina. I can’t recall the name but you can probably google your way to it.

Rob Flory

Yes, I found a news article link to there.. will search more.
The Middleton Place plantation in South Carolina

Middleton was the first place in the United States to use water buffalo to work the rice fields before the Civil War.
…
Until word of the Middleton letters, it was thought there were no water buffalo outside of zoos in the United States until the 1970s, said Hugh Popenoe, president of the American Water Buffalo Association. Currently about 20 American farmers have herds of 30 or more, he said.

Yep, I got more research to do.

[bivol]

here’s some more info:

two buffaloes in yoke were considered equal to three oxen
600 kg heavy buffalo can carry at least 250 kg weight during the 10 hour work day, traveling at 3 km/h speed.

they can be out on snow.
example from serbia

[Rustedthrough]

Earth University in Costa Rica has had several water buffalo, mostly used singly for cart work. The buffalo work daily and the ox team seems to work monthly. EARTH is connected with MSU and had a pretty good website, if you can contact the dairy you may get more answers than you want.

A few years ago, Pelican Ranch from Fremont MI brought down a pair of calves for Tiller’s Oxen Basics clinic. They were bright and responsive, but if memory serves needed more consistent command and a gentler touch than say Brown Swiss or Holsteins. Dick and Dulcy worked with them a lot more than I did. Either of them at tillers@tillersinternational.org would have some insight. Best of luck.

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