Buffalo

[davida]

[/quote]

What type of buffalo? Could you give us some details, maybe in the homesteading section, about your experience?[/quote]

Is there any other kind than big, mean and ornery? They raise a bunch of them a little north of us in the tall grass prairie area. The do not have a good reputation as being pleasant to be around.

[Joseph Lofthouse]

Apr 9, 2012 18:07:58 GMT -5 davida said:

Is there any other kind than big, mean and ornery? They raise a bunch of them a little north of us in the tall grass prairie area. The do not have a good reputation as being pleasant to be around.

I am big and strong, and don't frighten easily... But I never ever go into a field with a bull: doesn't matter if it's a buffalo or a cow.

However, my next door neighbor keeps buffalo cows and calfs (maybe beefalo, I ain't no biologist), and his grandkids play in the field with the animals all day long.

[castanea]

There's two primary types of farm/ranch critters called buffalo - American bison and Asian water buffalo. They each have their challenges.

I'm not going to even mention the African Cape buffalo because it's too aggressive to be kept.

[oxbowfarm]

Apr 9, 2012 18:24:18 GMT -5 Joseph Lofthouse said:

I am big and strong, and don't frighten easily... But I never ever go into a field with a bull: doesn't matter if it's a buffalo or a cow.

I've got a different take on that one, with domestic cattle it depends on the bull. I'd never go into a field with a strange bull, but I've kept or raised several bulls that I was very comfortable around. It mostly comes down to temperament and socialization. Beef bulls are in general much safer to be around because they are socialized as cattle. They understand the difference between cattle and humans and their instinctual aggression and will to dominate is directed towards the herd. Dairy bulls are usually hand raised by humans with limited/zero contact with mature cattle and are thus poorly socialized to their own species and unable to differentiate between humans and cattle. This makes them incredibly dangerous as a mature bull's primary instinct is to dominate a herd of cows and fight off other bulls so you have a huge animal who has an instinctual hostile desire to physically dominate you. That's why dairy breed bulls kill so many people every year and why the dairy industry took to artificial insemination the moment it became technologically feasible.

A well socialized bull that has bred his cows is perfectly safe to be around as long as you give him his proper safe zone. He'll treat you like scenery.

[steev]

I knew a dog that tried to treat me like scenery; I really don't like a wet pantsleg.

[12540dumont]

I was at Yellowstone when a tourist put a toddler on a buffalo to take a picture. The results were tragic.

That said, they raise buffalo down the street from me. Ted Turner of television fame has the largest herd of buffalo in existence.

They are better for the prairie then cows. Their wallowing makes depressions that catch water and create little pockets of meadow diversity.

[richardw]

Till today i thought Buffalo and Bison were the same thing but i now understand that they are not,in another thread i mentioned that i had recently spent a few hours working with a herd of Buffalo,but no, these were the North American Bison that we were working with,they had to be put in some cattle yards as a bloke from MAF (ministry of Agriculture and fisheries) needed to TB test them.
Compared to cattle Bison are extremely dangerous animals when put into confined spaces,there's just no way you can move them around the yards like a cow

[richardw]

Apr 9, 2012 18:24:18 GMT -5 Joseph Lofthouse said:

I am big and strong, and don't frighten easily... But I never ever go into a field with a bull: doesn't matter if it's a buffalo or a cow.

Depends on the type of bull Joseph ,Jersey & Charolis bulls can be a nasty bit of goods but the Hereford bull would be one i would dam near always trust,ive never heard of one been aggressive.

[steev]

There's a huge farm/ranch on the road in to my farm, where they have a herd of bison; it fluctuates between 40 and 75 head. That guy's so rich he's got a matched set of six draft horses, ditto llamas, herds of cattle, dozens of horses, and an assorted six-car train.

[richardw]

So if the rich guy got that many, he must be selling them surely,what's market for Bison in the US?are abattoirs that specialize in handling them?
The market here in NZ is mainly among the small lifestyle block owners ,it seems these days its trendy to have something different & unusual grazing in your front paddock,me? i just stick to my mob of merino sheep.

[steev]

I've no idea what he does, but his herd is regularly reduced. I would guess some is slaughtered for his use, some for sale (I've seen it offerred in restaurants in the area), probably some sold for stock. There is growing interest in diversification of foodstuffs, as well as critters that can be raised on pasture/forage. Northern California is a major foodie enclave, so it's much easier to introduce novel things than in some parts, but people all over are taking their shots at new things; I've had delicious red deer from ranches in Texas; they've been raising oysters in the Rocky Mountains forever; in Florida I hear the coming thing is free-range python.

[castanea]

Free range python?

[richardw]

Free range python!! i suppose they wouldn't let them get too big where they could become a danger

[blueadzuki]

Apr 10, 2012 15:00:16 GMT -5 steev said:

; they've been raising oysters in the Rocky Mountains forever;.

are we talking about Rocky Mountain Oysters or Rocky Mountain Oysters? Just asking

Actually the thing that surpised me most recently bison wise was someone claiming they were actually milking them at a farm they new and making cheese. Water Buffalo, of course have been used for milk and cheese since the second century B.C. (that's what real Mozzarella is made from) but the concept of milking bison is new to me (and if they are as agressive as people here claim, not something I'd particualry like to try.)

[steev]

Yes, blue, of course that's what we're talking.

As to the free-range python, I figure they were set loose to deal with the walking catfish and nutria.

The trick to milking bison is to stick with the cows; the bulls are much too touchy.