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tahir
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 38250
Location: Essex
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Rob R
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 16803
Location: York
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 Posted: Sun Aug 23, 09 1:43 pm Post subject: |
 
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Ixy is going to love you for posting that! 
And I'm quite pleased you did too. |
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Rob R
Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 16803
Location: York
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| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 09 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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Can we make it a sticky for the benefit of all those who think the sun shines out of the oil wells? |
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Nat S
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 3620
Location: York
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| Posted: Sun Aug 23, 09 2:12 pm Post subject: |
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wow, yes, just proves what can be achieved.
I'm working on a cheap, lightweight, easy-to-make, machine washable harness that will hopefully make oxen a bit more accessible to smallholders in this country. Yokes and yoke-making were a bit offputting for me for a few reasons. With that and a forecart to pull tractor implements I am confident that myself and Angus could *almost* replace any tractorwork here at Rosewood. Pretty much the only thing he couldn't do would be anything requiring a diggery/bucket type thing I think?
And what inputs does he require? nothing beyond what the sucklers already get. I think even if you add up all the hours it took me to train him it wouldn't amount to much either, they learn and acclimatise very quicky compared to equines. |
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Mr O
Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 3712
Location: New Albany NS
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| Posted: Mon Aug 24, 09 12:50 am Post subject: |
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we have been to a local show this week that had oxen pulling contests, over 7400lbs was pulled by a pair on a flat sled. They are really well behaved and follow their owners around without any teathers or restraints. |
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Nat S
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 3620
Location: York
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| Posted: Mon Aug 24, 09 7:50 am Post subject: |
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aha! I was wondering about you over there because I bought a book I've wanted for a long time the other day about nove scotian oxen and the pictures and quotes from the teamsters are just inspirational - I'm dying to get my hands on a herefordXshorthorn now! |
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Mutton
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 450
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| Posted: Tue Aug 25, 09 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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Knowing very little about Oxen.
Is that one you are riding in the photo?
How heavy are they/how much poaching do they cause? |
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Nat S
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 3620
Location: York
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| Posted: Wed Aug 26, 09 8:45 am Post subject: |
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Yes that's Angus, a simmental friesian cross.
Oxen are not special kind of animal, they are just cattle, any breed, trained to work. Usually we're referring to castrated males but it can apply to females and even entire bulls (rarely) if they aretrained and worked. They don't tend to be because they are breeding and the castrated males are stronger and 'going spare' anyway.
As for poaching - the same as any kind of cattle really. Dexters not a lot, limousins, probably more!  A castrated male will grow as big as a bull of the same breed, although they are a different shape due to the lack of testosterone - taller, slimmer in the head and neck. So in reality that can mean a tonne or more for most breeds. |
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arvo
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 871
Location: Somerset
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| Posted: Wed Aug 26, 09 10:18 am Post subject: |
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| Ixy wrote: |
Pretty much the only thing he couldn't do would be anything requiring a diggery/bucket type thing I think?
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Do you know what though Ixy, I reckon with a bit of application of nous in the right place even that would be possible. Working on a similar vein to the scything being 80% sharpness of the blade (I think 80% is what gil says), I just wonder if some kind of re-designed bucket might be possible too.
Yay Ox power! |
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Nat S
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 3620
Location: York
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| Posted: Wed Aug 26, 09 12:10 pm Post subject: |
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If he had horns I coul definately strap a bucket to them and teach him to push...
I think a digger arm would need some kind of power source? that's the difficult bit, one thing he doesn't do is generate electric, although I reckon he could pull round one of those generator things they have in india and do it that way!
but yes, with a bit of inventing I think anything is possible for them! |
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Bulgarianlily
Joined: 01 Jun 2008
Posts: 910
Location: South West Mountains of Bulgaria
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| Posted: Mon Nov 09, 09 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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Yan my husband went with a Bulgarian friend, our jeep and a van to get wood today from the forest. We were promised that the wood would be stacked by the side of the road, but no, it was a 100 meters in to the forest across a stream. With four cubic of wet wood in the van, it got grounded in the stream, losing it's exhaust and prop shaft. Yan tried to pull it out, but the tow rope snapped, the hook flew off and smashed the jeep rear window. At which point he was firmly told by the foresters to move to one side.... and a pair of enourmous oxen emerged slowly from the trees, and having been harnessed to the van, pulled the whole thing out to the road. There were two pairs working there today, pulling out giant logs with a small pair of wheels to hitch them to, and the rear end of the log dragging through the mud. First time we have seen them do this, there are a few that pull carts around here. Thought you would like to know... |
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Nat S
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 3620
Location: York
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| Posted: Wed Nov 11, 09 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Bulgarianlily wrote: |
| Yan tried to pull it out, but the tow rope snapped, the hook flew off and smashed the jeep rear window. At which point he was firmly told by the foresters to move to one side.... and a pair of enourmous oxen emerged slowly from the trees, and having been harnessed to the van, pulled the whole thing out to the road. Thought you would like to know... |
 As the saying goes: "Oxen - for when it absolutely, positively, has to move"
Just started my new Ayrshire today. He's been started slightly late as I didn't realise but the new brand of calf milk was a bit low quality and he started looking *slightly* sorry...looking better now though so on with the halter and I 'brushed' him with my hand all over and picked up his feet - not a peep out of him. Not even trying to get his back feet out of my hand. Better than Angus was  This new one is a really great character. So pleased with him.
(on the right)
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Mutton
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 450
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| Posted: Wed Nov 11, 09 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Lovely photo.
By the way, used to do English Civil War re-enactment. Read a lot of background books.
Siege cannon, were taken apart and moved by cart - with big teams of oxen. Did something like 10 miles a day from memory, but that was on muddy tracks pulling massive weight.
By the end of the war, the Royalist field armies were defeated - but there were lots of garrisons holding on in old castles. So Cromwell sent out a siege trayne and the oxen pulled the cannon to each castle in turn, where the cannon were assembled, smacked the castle (often in a couple of days as many castles weren't built to take gunpowder fuelled shots), taken apart, loaded up and on went the oxen. All the way across the country. |
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Nat S
Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 3620
Location: York
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| Posted: Wed Nov 11, 09 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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Yup, people forget what a massive part they played in British history - horses get all the credit!
They've even moved entire windmills using hundreds of oxen moving verrry slowly.... |
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yummersetter
Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 1412
Location: Somerset<>West London
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| Posted: Wed Nov 11, 09 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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'Alamo Organiponico' sounds so much better than 'urban farm' doesn't it?
Almost a mantra  Or a magic spell. |
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