25 more skills that will enhance your country living adventure, from pruning a fruit tree to sharing your knowledge.
Tag: Draft Animals
Top 10 Reader-Favorite Cattle Breeds
The beef, dairy, and dual-purpose breeds our readers are researching.
Choosing a Breed of Cattle
We are excited to announce the release of a new book—Choosing a Breed of Cattle: 5 Needs and 40 Breeds for Selecting Cattle That Fit Your Purpose by Michelle Lindsey! When you start by assessing the five needs of every future cattle owner, choosing between the many breeds of cattle available today suddenly becomes much…
Heritage Livestock Breeds Comparison Charts
We recently linked to the Pick-a-Chick chart from the Livestock Conservancy, allowing prospective chicken keepers to compare the characteristics of heritage breeds at a glance. The Livestock Conservancy has many other useful charts for other types of livestock, as well: Cattle. Horses. Donkeys. Pigs. Goats. Sheep. Rabbits. Turkeys. Geese. Ducks. Depending on the type of…
Saanen
This pure white breed has earned its reputation as the Holstein of the goat world.
Nubian
Long ears and a loud voice make this popular dairy breed distinctive—but it does not come from Africa.
Great Pyrenees
The Great Pyrenees, or Pyrenean Mountain Dog as it is called in Europe, has guarded sheep in the mountains of France and Spain as long as history records. Its lineage has been entirely lost in time, but it is probably related to the other ancient flock guardian breeds. Its ancestors may have been giant Asian…
Anatolian Shepherd
As far as we can tell, the Anatolian Shepherd was a fixture on the landscape of rural Turkey from the most ancient times. Its ancestors are not known for certain. It can undoubtedly be traced to various dogs of Mesopotamia, possibly including both sighthounds and mastiff-like hunting dogs. It may also have ancestors among the…
Ox Yokes and Collars: Withers Yokes and Ox Collars
Withers Yoke The withers yoke is only used with humped zebu-type cattle, such as Brahmans. The yoke is a wooden pole resting on the hump of the animal and is held in place by a rope or leather strap around the neck. Note that the rope does not take any of the weight of the…
Ox Yokes and Collars: Neck Yokes and Head Yokes
When most of us think of an ox yoke, we tend to envision the long, gracefully bowed piece of wood resting on the necks of a pair of oxen. This traditional neck or bow yoke certainly has had an important place in American history, but it is not the only option for aspiring teamsters today….
