Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[aart]

Found out yesterday that our long term boarder has moved, and will be taking his team of Dutch Belted steers to his new place soon. Good for him, sad for us. We will miss him, and will probably have to loose our two steers by fall; one is having more trouble with arthritis, and the other is actually a jerk who should have left last year.

Aren't steers usually slaughtered at about 18-24 months?
Or are these just pets?

 

[Folly's place]

Beef steers, yes. ours were meant to be, and started in training, to be oxen. That plan derailed when DH was no longer able to do it, and they've been living the good life since. Odin, the Milking Shorthorn- Jersey cross, wants to be a pocket pet, and Black, the Dexter, wants to be left alone. They are both in the 12 to 14 year range, so right up there for domestic cattle. Black, the little jerk, is a small 1200 pounds, and moves sound, while Odin, a full sized 2000+ pounds, has joint problems.
I looked up their ages, actually ten and eleven years, not as above.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Picture of John And Walker, our team long ago. DH was 6'3" tall! They weighed in at 2800lbs and 2900 lbs then!

We were at a farm reinactment weekend in Wisconsin with our team and some others. Fun!
Mary

 

[aart]

Very cool @Folly's place !
When ever I think of oxen, this image comes back from one of my favorite books.

 

[Folly's place]

And that's when most teams start learning, as calves still being bottle fed.
Mary

 

[troyer]

If only there was a market for it...
Mary

You could try cutting, drying and harvesting it. You might be able to sell it as goat treats with a disclaimer that....... you are not responsible for any outcomes...buy and use at your own risk. It might be an itchy hit!

 

[Folly's place]

The ONLY reason that having goats looks good to me, except that the problem areas are right around the house, invading what used to be nice flower and shrub plantings. Now it's poison ivy, wild grapes, and a few suffering 'nice' plants.
Mary

 

[troyer]

The ONLY reason that having goats looks good to me, except that the problem areas are right around the house, invading what used to be nice flower and shrub plantings. Now it's poison ivy, wild grapes, and a few suffering 'nice' plants.
Mary

Never mind getting goats, just harvest and sell the poison ivy as goat treats.

 

[Frankiegirl]

When I bought the property we are moving to in the fall...the poison ivy vines grew thick as ropes and are hanging from trees and all over the woods. I’m coming from the suburbs and cant wait to get up there and enjoy the quiet rural side of life. Some people go on vacations, I want to feel like I’m on vacation every day. Does that sound silly? I am just sick of the electric razor scooters buzzing down the street and hearing EVERYBODY’S air conditioner going non-stop.

I have dropped messages on this thread when I first joined and am getting settled in with my 5 chicks. I still have one that makes me scratch my head if shes a he, but I will be happy either way and actually wouldn’t mind if it ends up a pullet. SO MUCH TO LEARN.

How are all of you keeping your chicks cool?

 

[troyer]

When I bought the property we are moving to in the fall...the poison ivy vines grew thick as ropes and are hanging from trees and all over the woods. I’m coming from the suburbs and cant wait to get up there and enjoy the quiet rural side of life. Some people go on vacations, I want to feel like I’m on vacation every day. Does that sound silly? I am just sick of the electric razor scooters buzzing down the street and hearing EVERYBODY’S air conditioner going non-stop.

I have dropped messages on this thread when I first joined and am getting settled in with my 5 chicks. I still have one that makes me scratch my head if shes a he, but I will be happy either way and actually wouldn’t mind if it ends up a pullet. SO MUCH TO LEARN.

How are all of you keeping your chicks cool?

Rural life is great! I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't know that we have a specific method, we just try to keep good ventilation.