Buffalo

It prevents them from suffocating in the blizzard AJ, the wind keeps the snow free from their face.  When cattle stand with their back to the wind the snow accumulates towards their heads.

aj said:

I always wonder about the bison bison breeding programs. They went almost extinct. Then a few herds were established to save them. Did they try to avoid inbreeding? They had very little choice in matings. Are bison different that cattle as far as genetic defects? Are buffalo ever pedigreed? There was a very small genetic base that they were bred back up from. What about polled buffalo? Colors?

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We have them as growers to use on our cutting horses and have had them for 10 years.  We take about 10-12 weaners, we prefer heifers, and use them for a year from a breeder that has about 40.  They are extremely hardy.  Have had just a few cases of pink eye over the years and this it.  We keep them on a small feed lot with a shelter.  They do prefer to be out in the weather.  They are very odd creatures.  They are wild and that is why we like to work them.  A cow gets numb but a buff will always move off of a horse.   Thier tail is an indicator of how they are accepting of you.  A slighly raised tail and they are alarmed.  A tail raised midway and they are getting aggitated and will run and flush.  A tail standing up means u better get yer butt out of the pen because they are coming for you.  This breeder buys his bulls so he can introduce new genetics to them.  The serious breeders are very careful about inbreeding.  We have worked with him for enough years now that we tell him which heifers to keep and breed and which ones to eat.  We now have fairly calm buffs because they are out of such mamas.  I can even get some to eat fresh grass from my hand when they get to know you.

As for keeping them in. Ours are on a feed lot.  We know how to handle them and don't corner or force them anywhere.  Our fences are pipe panels but they could bend them in half if they wanted to.  A loose buff is a dead buff.  They are fast and can run like horses.  They will charge when cornered and have a 7 ft standing jump.  They can shear a telephone pole off at the ground and handling facilities are 10-12 tall. They are truely odd.  when a buff really looks at you it is spooky.  I can see why the Indians believed them to be spiritual.  I call them God's Spare parts.  They grunt like pigs, lope like horses, have a hump like a camel, thier hair is like a wool over the hump, smell like a goat.  Like on the last day of creation God had these extra parts and created the buffalo.

Our breeder has them all sold  into 2013 for meat.  A hide retails for 800-1500.  People want skulls.  The meat is leaner in fat and cholesterol than skinless white meat of chicken.  High in protein.  They are about 2 when they slaughter them and breeders don't breed them until at least then to calve when they are 3.  Is there a market?  Sure is but you have to kill them and take them to be processed.  He shoots them at the feed trough.  Packing houses wont accept them because theya re wild.  So will they eve be a mass market item.  Probably not.  More gourmet but the meat is excellent!  

Buffalo are cool.  Need to be handled as what they are.  Wild animals that allow us to use them for our means.  If we had the room we would have a herd.  I hope the large breeders continue to thrive as they are part of our heritage and really are a neat od creature.

The packing house that I use at Pierce, CO handles a lot of buffs.  Every time I take fats down for processing they have about 30 head of buffs ready to kill.  Funny thing is that the cattle seem to unload out of the trailer better when there are buffs in the holding pens than when the pens are empty.  Guess the sight of the buffs take their mind off the blood smell.

bump ola