Ask Me about Branding Cows or Ranching Out West (Pics) - Page 2

Fishwhenican · #11 04-19-2007, 11:17 AM

Here are some pictures of Buffalo that are out on the ranch. They are amazing animals!
Enjoy!

GTL · #12 04-19-2007, 03:47 PM

i understand that a lot of things can be done to animals and they don't feel it. such as tagging reptiles or sharks. it is amazing to me that a calf can have a band wrapped around it's scrotum which causes it to die and fall off without feeling any pain.

is this true?

ps - i'm not a crazy PETA member. i'm just interested.

also, i like buffalo burgers better than regular ground beef. and the pictures of the ranch are amazing. sounds like a lot of fun.

Blarg · #13 04-19-2007, 04:30 PM

They have nerves; they can feel pain just fine. There's not a lot they can say or do about it, though.

NhlNut · #14 04-19-2007, 04:57 PM

Are buffalo smarter than cattle?
Aren't cattle just the dumbest animal?
I ask because we fattened up a couple of heifers back in the day. The only real impression they made on me (besides tasting good) was that they were dumber than fence posts.

Fishwhenican · #15 04-19-2007, 05:54 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i understand that a lot of things can be done to animals and they don't feel it. such as tagging reptiles or sharks. it is amazing to me that a calf can have a band wrapped around it's scrotum which causes it to die and fall off without feeling any pain.

is this true?

ps - i'm not a crazy PETA member. i'm just interested.

also, i like buffalo burgers better than regular ground beef. and the pictures of the ranch are amazing. sounds like a lot of fun.

[/ QUOTE ]

According to the reading and all of the people I have talked to about banding it is supposed to be FAR less stress (pain) to the animal than the old style which is basically just cutting a hole in the scrotum and ripping the nuts off. With the band it just cuts off the blood flow and I would guess just gets numb and then with the blood flow cut off it slowly shrivels up and falls off. I have talked to people who have had skin tags removed in a similar fashion and they have all told me that they basically felt nothing painful at all. I have seen my fair share of animal castrated in the old way and amazingly enough they seem to over any shock or pain immediately after it is done. I have seen pigs castrated years ago and they would squeel while you did it but as soon as it was over they hit the floor and acted like nothing even happened.
Ya, Buffalo burgers are really good!!!! Some of the best steaks I have ever had have been from a buffalo we killed and butchered ourselves. I took the backstraps home, cut them into think steaks and grilled them. OMG! Way too good!!!

Colt McCoy · #16 04-19-2007, 05:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
They have nerves; they can feel pain just fine. There's not a lot they can say or do about it, though.

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I think cutting off the blood flow kills the nerves before it can hurt or something like that. I've heard about this being pretty common from vets. Kids are always putting rubber bands on pets and they end up having to amputate things that have become necrotic. But it's usually the smell that gives it away when it starts rotting because the animal never complains since it sin't painful.

Blarg · #17 04-19-2007, 05:59 PM

Animals of this type are bred for docility, which basically equals dumbness. Wild versions of the same animals we domesticate are far smarter.

Fishwhenican · #18 04-19-2007, 06:01 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Are buffalo smarter than cattle?
Aren't cattle just the dumbest animal?
I ask because we fattened up a couple of heifers back in the day. The only real impression they made on me (besides tasting good) was that they were dumber than fence posts.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would have to say that buffalo are smarter than cattle. Cows are about as dumb an animal as I have ever seen! Thank goodness they taste good!

Buffalo can take care of themselves much better than cattle. They can dig through snow to find grass, cows would starve.
They can birth calves by themselves and cows need help all the time.
They can jump fences, Cows, Ya right!
It also seems like they are more of a communal animal than cows. I have had times where we have shot a buffalo to butcher and the rest of the buffalo start getting aggressive and will actually try to pick the dead buffalo up and support it so it can keep moving. It doesn't work because the buffalo is dead but they will get very aggressive and keep trying. It can actually get more dangerous after the kill (from the other buffalo getting wound up) than before the kill.

So, Ya, I would say they are smarter along with faster, stronger and way more aggressive.

Fishwhenican · #19 04-19-2007, 06:03 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Animals of this type are bred for docility, which basically equals dumbness. Wild versions of the same animals we domesticate are far smarter.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would have to agree with that 100%

Fishwhenican · #20 04-19-2007, 06:06 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
They have nerves; they can feel pain just fine. There's not a lot they can say or do about it, though.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think cutting off the blood flow kills the nerves before it can hurt or something like that. I've heard about this being pretty common from vets. Kids are always putting rubber bands on pets and they end up having to amputate things that have become necrotic. But it's usually the smell that gives it away when it starts rotting because the animal never complains since it sin't painful.

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That makes absolute sense and is what I understood to happen. Besides, when the banding is happening the bull calf has a huge grin on his face!!! [img]/images/graemlins/ooo.gif[/img]