Oxen Training

[Patrick]

Not something that most people, even livestock people, think about, but if you are remotely interested in it, this workshop will be the best. I took a one day version of it last year, and it was fantastic. If you can appreciate a well written, factual book, a la Holderread, then Drew Conroy is the guy. He wrote Holderread's version of an oxen book. Tim Huppe is not a writer, but from an old New England Ox training family. He and his daughters have trained teams for several movies and for Colonial Williamsburg and other living history museums. The road their farm is on has more old ox training families per square mile than probably any other place, and it's located in the heart of the largest remaining hub of oxen activity in the US; eastern NH and southwestern Maine. The local Fryeburg Fair yearly has what is now considerd to be the largest gathering of oxen in the modern world. Tim is a master yoke craftsman, and his work is in high demand, often booked out for months at a time. If you've ever thought of trying oxen, or even if you haven't and would just like the experience, I highly recommend this workshop. The location too is another story in itself, and if the owners' plans come to fruition, it may be the next great living history museum going. Even though it's still a work in progress, there are not many old farms left still intact with all of their buildings which once made this place virtually a self sustaining little village.
http://www.sanbornmills.org/workshops/oxenBasics_2009.html

[goosedragon]

This is not a trick question, can you tell me the difference between a Steer and an Ox? They are both altered bulls, is it a matter of the base breed selected? It seems to be something that people 'just know' but is not explained. I hate to admit that I don't 'just know' :oops:can you help me out?~gd

[koni]

It has to do with age.

http://www.ruralheritage.com/ox_paddock/ox_whatis.htm
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P2-11809572.html
http://www.prairieoxdrovers.com/moreinfo.html

[Patrick]

Not only age, but training status. You can have a 10 year old steer that has never been trained to work. That's not considered an ox by any stretch. Technically speaking, all oxen are steers, but not all steers are oxen.

Simply put, an ox is a steer that has been trained to work. According to Drew Conroy, it must be at least 4 years old. I've always meant to ask him what the reason is for that cutoff. Anything less than 4 is considered a working steer.

Like anything else, the distinction may get blurred the more you look into it, depending a lot on peoples' points of view. Not so much now, although there are a few people who still do it, but in the past, especially when that's all they had, cows were also trained to work. Even intact bulls today in some third world countries are used. Some people consider all of those working cattle to be oxen, regardless of sex or age, but generally, the definition is as above.

[tojones]

I was under the impression that oxen were altered after reaching maturity whereas a steer was altered before maturity. Training comes into play to make the altered male useful because I can't imagine that they would be good beef at that point.

[Patrick]

Most of what I've read or have been taught says to castrate oxen candidates as soon as possible. Many of the teamsters recommend starting off training calves that are as young as possible, but hopefully not older than a few months at most. Many even bottle feed their calves, to have them imprint, and they don't want to keep an intact bull which has that close a relationship with a human, no matter how old it is. Like elephants, they establish dominance through brute force,and most teamsters prefer to enforce their will into young calves that they can still push around if need be. They say that although the ox will not develop as much muscle mass in the neck and shoulders an an intact bull, they do eventually have more body weight and length of leg, which makes up for it.

[TomNY]

Many New England drovers use the term "Drawing Cattle" to include oxen and any hopefuls or stock in training. Early castration will cause more growth in height. Most hitch horse prospects are gelded in the first week for that reason. Tom

[emanovska]

The most dangerous common farm animal is the dairy bull. Breed to be placid like their working wives they catch even experienced cattlemen off guard. They will hang out and be just one of the herd with no real difference in behavior and then suddenly the testosterone kicks in out of the blue and somebody gets hurt.

With a draft animal it is age and training that make the difference between steer and ox. An untrained gelded cow is just steak and called a steer. A partially trained young ox is still a steer because without constant use they become large pasture ornaments or hamburg. My daughter used to bug me hard for a team of oxen. I never gave in because of the fear she would discover boys soon and I would have large expensive mouths to feed. I was right. She found boys and stopped asking for oxen but she still drives anytime she can get her hands on a team.

I often wondered what you would call the gelded jersey calf I once had. Bored with nothing to do I saddle broke him. Didn't have a yoke or harness at the time so I broke him to ride. Had a kept him I suspect he would have yoked up easy but I was single at the time and couldn't afford it. I also haven't allowed anybody to talk me into a free calf since. I guess he was just a steer because once I sold him he did eventually hit the freezer.

I think Sammy Sirloin was 2 months old when I castrated him. Wanted it done while he was still small enough for me to control should he object too strenuously. Easier when they aren't old enough to have serious opinions.

Safety wise your better off gelding large creatures young. I have a horse that was gelded when he was 5 or 6. He's 30 now but still studly at times and can be a little unpredictable. He also still remembers breeding and will mount mares in that first spring heat. Now he's more motivated by food...most of the time. Most stallions make better geldings.