[CharlyBonifaz]

I made the first trial run with an old McCormack Deering #9 mower behind my 11 month old devons,….yesterday evening

🙂 same deal over here: first time, two oxen (3 and 2,5 years), one old McCormick mower, yesterday afternoon

but it was immensely satisfying.

same feelings 😀 definitely, positively satisfying
lots of fun!

[CharlyBonifaz]

then come up between the team and hook to the yoke.

first of all: I’m working only with 1 ox
second: I’m still learning and have little experience
but to me it seems awfully dangerous to be standing anywhere between the animals and the load; having only one ox to hook, my procedure is different still, but that is pretty much the only area I try to avoid to be in
what’s the advantages/disadvantages of both scenarios (in between / outside)?
and how do you get out from in between if anything goes wrong?

[CharlyBonifaz]

they know exactly where their horns are all the time.

and I think they know exactly where their tail is, swaping the one fly….

[CharlyBonifaz]

pictures or links to pictures might be valuable to show what everyone is talking about, especially if it also comes to variations in the equipment
elke

[CharlyBonifaz]

do they exibit signs of trauma, like shying away from you after castration?

no, but then I don’t tell them, not before and not after 😉
actually they shouldn’t miss a beat…

[CharlyBonifaz]

that’s exactly what I threaten mine with if he doesn’t behave……
on the other hand, I couldn’t eat him, knowing him by his first name; so if it is the butcher, someone else may enjoy some really tough beef :rolleyes:
elke

[CharlyBonifaz]

There is a entire web site about riding steers

is this the one?
http://www.ridingsteers1.netfirms.com/
I miss their photoalbum……..
elke

[CharlyBonifaz]

do you have a forklift(?) in your barn? they used to put a stout pole or two on the flatbed, then pile the loose hay on top of that cart, finish it off with another pole, tighten the poles with rope or chain together (in front and back of cart); then at the barn, they lifted the whole thing from the wagon and didn’t need to handle the hay a second time…….
:rolleyes:can you make any sense of that?

[CharlyBonifaz]

that may be a once in a lifetime thing. My friends/mentors that want to do these things are getting older every year so we might be busy the next few years.

go for it!
I would at least want to see a picture of it in here 😉
these things mean lots of work, but so much fun…….
elke

[CharlyBonifaz]

I thought of using a sled or possibly a modified bobsled

Swiss invention: a sled with an axle and 2 wheels about half way back; one can load it well balanced; when animals start to pull, they will automatically pick up the front a little and the load will roll; when stopping, the front comes down again and aids in braking……..figured that was pretty smart 😉 and yes, they used it for hay mainly….

[CharlyBonifaz]

I have to look on the bottle to see if that does lung worms.

it should, if not underdosed…

[CharlyBonifaz]

lungworms?
allergic bronchitis??
heart problem???
little condition! 😎

[CharlyBonifaz]

not in the best condition

may be you got it right there…..
is he rather well situated around the waistline?
no sick symtoms during the rest of the day?
elke

[CharlyBonifaz]

depends on how they are trained and what their work is…… mine is driven from behind, or walks besides me depending on the situation…..started to add a second ox (the neighbour’s) recently by walking up front, but he’s getting better and better with commands from behind

[CharlyBonifaz]

I believe it works about 98% of the time.

the times when it doesn’t work you get at least a good laugh out of it 😮
used it onTemple Grandin`s webpage: she talked of the flightdistance in sheep…. well, the translating tool figured it out as flightdistance as in airplane travel……
it will indeed give you at least an idea of what it is about 😉

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