Unusual Practises?

[Bez]

Well, I do not usually start a topic, but something happened this morning that made me wonder a bit.

Despite living in a rather populated part of the world, we live in an isolated piece - the lane is about 1/4 mile long, and there are no houses to be seen from any part of our land. Because we run quite a few cattle, the lane is always gated - we are not anit-social, just concious of what can happen if the animals get out. So when neighbours visit they always have to open the gate and then close it behind them.

Because we have this set up, we often allow certain animals to roam the yard freely. As I write, the horses are grazing on the front lawn. Nothing unusual for us.

But a couple of neighbours dropped by for early coffee this morning and expressed astonishment that we would allow them to eat the grass right up to the house. In fact they fo a fine job of trimming the grass and the lawn does look pretty good - even the neighbours agreed.

We also ran a couple of heifers onto the lawn today so we could transfer them from one field to another - with a short stop at the chute and squeeze so wife and I could take off their horn weights.

Actually, this is when the neighbours arrived, so we all stopped for a visit while all the horses and heifers grazed the lawn.

Lots of raised eyebrows.

So I guess my question would be: Do any of you folks have "unusual practises" (In ag please!) that work for you - but cause the neighbours to raise their eyebrows?

Just wondering,

Bez

 

[fit2btied]

Before we had a grooming chute, the boys used to lead their steers into the front yard, tie them to a big maple tree and do all their clipping and grooming next to the driveway. One of the few times people slowed down instead of flying down the gravel road. Some even turned around and came back to see what the heck was going on. A few stayed to watch the rest of the procedure - just couldn't believe we were going to give "that big ol' cow" a haircut, shave, and shampoo!

 

[greenwillowherefords]

I often turn my cattle out on the lawn when they are stationed in the pasture behind the house. Right now it is an everyday thing, because it is easier to sort the butcher steer away from them for feeding this way, as he is just running with them the rest of the time. Yeah, I know I should have him in his own pen, but he's happier with the others.

 

[Hobby Hereford]

Well, I do not usually start a topic, but something happened this morning that made me wonder a bit.

:lol: Guess walking the steer I raised, twin that mamma didn't want,
to meet the youngin off the bus would count. Gave the kids a good
laugh and nearest neighbor, owns local slaughter house, wanted to
know if I had a new breed of dog! Poor thing is odd, uses hay as a
hat in the summer.

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[TheBullLady]

Our "front yard" is about 18 acres, so we always have cows up here. Were always going to fence off the house area, but haven't had a chance, and haven't decided where, exactly to do it.

We have three first calf heifers with their calves in the yard right now, plus Taz, my 10 year old steer with the BIG horns. We had a new CHA unit put in last week, and the two installers where horrified to see Taz coming down the driveway toward them. After my husband laid him down so they could scratch his belly, they were captivated. Spent the next hour petting Taz instead of installing the unit!

When my last show heifer was in the yard this spring, she tried to get into the UPS truck with the driver. He went out the other side, until we could back her out. And he's actually used to seeing strange stuff at our house!

 

[Jake]

This summer I moved the few lambs we have around with a self made 3- wheeler stockrack trailer and put them in different pens around the buildings to keep down the grass and weeds to save that $2 gas

 

[txshowmom]

Our cattle are always in the yeard. Either our neihbors are used to it or they don't care because they have never raised an eyebrow. We have even had some of the cattle walk up the stairs and lay on the porch. That where I drew the line, we now have a gate on the porch.

 

[dun]

I never classified cows in the yard or goats in the kitchen for that matter to be all that unusual. We had an orphan calf that we bottle fed at the house and kept her there over night. In the morning I'ld walk her 1/4 mile on a leash and turn her out with the cows, then in the evening bring her back on a leash for the night.
According to people around here the most unusaul thing I've done was train a yoke of oxen.
This is mule country
dun

 

[kjerckie]

When I raised pygmy goats and was showing them, I'd bring them in the home and bathe them in the bathtub. Put them in dog crates on blankets overnight to dry in the living room. They loved being inside. Friends thought I was nuts. Now they are asking me when I'm letting my bull come inside .... I tell them when he gets cold this winter. They actually believe me!

 

[TheBullLady]

I'll have to confess, I have had calves in the house also. I had a blue duck in the shower stall for awhile also years ago.. I had forgotten about that one! One of those stupid things I picked up at the feed store because it was CUTE

 

[Bez]

I had left the door to the kitchen open one day - while I was in the basement. I heard a set of heavy footsteps. So I came up into the kitchen to find one of my kids Arab geldings - a 5 year old - standing in the kitchen.

Small place for him and all - fortunately he is as quiet as he is curious - so we had a short chat - I gave him a drink out of the sink and sent him on his way.

He's not house broken, so I am glad there were no "accidents" - had a bit of a chuckle out of that. Calves and lambs (when we kept them) have been in the house more than a few times.

Variety truly is the spice of life!

Regards

Bez

 

[Craig-TX]

We have a five string fence around our yard which I keep pretty neat. The chickens make enough of a mess around the house. Don't need any droppings larger than that.

Dang y'all are starting to sound like a bunch of hillbillies with all this talk about cows in the yard and livestock on the porch. Do the goats climb all over your cars when your home? What's next, shoeing chickens out the back door after they fly in the front window?

Just kidding, Just kidding! And no offense to you, Hillbilly.

Craig-TX

 

[TR]

What's next, shoeing chickens out the back door after they fly in the front window?

I had to laugh at that one.....I inadvertantly locked one of the chickens in the house the other day in my rush to get to the office on time. I guess she had wandered in while I loaded up the car.....she had a lovely day in the house too.....scratching in the houseplant dirt, drinking out of the plants in water on the desk. She'd explored the entire house (yes, left a "trail" to let me know where she'd been), and and then thanked me for her extrordinary day by leaving an egg on the sofa. She was as suprised as I was when I opened the door later that day.

 

[hillbilly]

We have a five string fence around our yard which I keep pretty neat. The chickens make enough of a mess around the house. Don't need any droppings larger than that.

Dang y'all are starting to sound like a bunch of hillbillies with all this talk about cows in the yard and livestock on the porch. Do the goats climb all over your cars when your home? What's next, shoeing chickens out the back door after they fly in the front window?

Just kidding, Just kidding! And no offense to you, Hillbilly.

Craig-TX

None taken,
When my wife was young she would raise any orphan, in the house if it was cold.
When she was a teenager she raised an orphan ground hog.
It slept at the foot of her bed, she claimed it was house broken.
That thing would scream and chase you around the house for a potatoe chip...kind of freaked me out. I married her anyway.

Hillbilly

 

[Hobby Hereford]

We raised 25 chukar partridges and 25 pheasants once, in the living room
in a rather fairly large crate...drove the cats nuts, my daughters goat and
a runt pig named phenelope were also house raised for a while.
Even went so far as to take the pig to work one night for a show and tell
because no one could believe she was raised inside And yes the
goat was known to get up on your vehicle roof and sunbathe should the
mood strike her. Do you mean this isn't normal :shock:

 

[IndianCreekcowboy]

Had brush goats that used to like to climb on my wife's Maxima. Have had goats sleep under the house along with the Rottweiller. We sometimes clip and fertilize the front and back yards with the quarter horses!

"You might be a Redneck if you allow livestock to manicure your lawns! Or sleep under your home for that matter"

 

[frenchie]

About 4 yrs ago ,I travelled to southern Manitoba to pick up some Rams. It started raining and freezing,and the highways were bad, so spent the night with the farmer and his wife.Real good people just a little different.

We are having supper and I see this cage their daughter was carrying around.Could see something tan coloured inside.I asked her ,what her hamsters name was..........she said not a hamster its my pet Rat....

After supper they took him out and gave him a shot of insulin as he was diabetic.His wife was crying the poor guy was going to die. He crawled all over them.........They put him back in the cage.


They had cats in the house and everytime heard a rustle in the night ,I was awake. Did,nt sleep a wink all night.

I would prefer cows in the front yard anyday to that.

 

[mobetter11]

When I was a kid, my mom wouldn't allow cats or dogs in the house, but, we had all kinds of babies in the house. Baby deer, squirrels, coons, possums (the dogs would kill momma), rabbits, pigs and calves. She always said that she thought dogs and cats were dirty. But any other kind of orphans were allowed.

I have continued this and teach my son the same way. We've had every kind of babies in the house. Gave lambs and goats bath's in the bathtub. Had one of the show heifers (1000 lbs.+) halfway in the front door one day before I caught her and had her back up. That's just a little too large for spending time in the house. 8)

Very rarely mow the yard, the cows take care of that for us. They even drink out of the swimming pool while there mowing. I'm waiting to look out one day and have one jumping off the diving board. :lol:

I always thought that this was just normal country living.

 

[Scotty]

My sister dated a guy one time that raised pigs of all things. She adopted one and raised it to 260 lbs. in our back yard. This was the time that we lived in town and afew times people raised thier brows. I still miss that pig. He had good bacon.