Horse keeping in Montana (Billings, Great Falls: appointed, house, buying)

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Meanwhile, if you make a living in livestock,
and the critters still want to eat. So they reduce herds and the price of meat goes up as scarcity increases.

We raise livestock... although it isn't our main income, it was supposed to help. Ha! However, unless there's a dramatic turn around in the forage situation PDQ, we're looking at culling. We'll have no choice - you can't just keep doubling feed bills every month.

I was talking to someone I know recently she let her eyes well up when she starting talking about how they were down to just a couple of cows and calves. Everything else has gone. We've not had decent forage - hell, we've not have ANY forage since sometime last year. We got off lightly as our stocking density is low and we raise smaller animals (deer)... Still, it's all just pretty grim.

Sorry for the rant.

[seven of nine]

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

We raise livestock... although it isn't our main income, it was supposed to help. Ha! However, unless there's a dramatic turn around in the forage situation PDQ, we're looking at culling. We'll have no choice - you can't just keep doubling feed bills every month.

I was talking to someone I know recently she let her eyes well up when she starting talking about how they were down to just a couple of cows and calves. Everything else has gone. We've not had decent forage - hell, we've not have ANY forage since sometime last year. We got off lightly as our stocking density is low and we raise smaller animals (deer)... Still, it's all just pretty grim.

Sorry for the rant.

deer?

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by seven of nine

deer?

Deer, yes. Sorry, but I truly don't understand the question.

[seven of nine]

I was just interested in your raising deer, not meaning to hijack the topic care to tell more?

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by seven of nine

I was just interested in your raising deer, not meaning to hijack the topic care to tell more?

- Hijack and ask away. What would you like to know? It not exactly a subject I find .... er, "difficult" to talk about.

We raise fallow deer (known as "park deer" in the UK as the aristocracy used them to graze their private parklands), a smaller herd of red deer (1st cousin to elk with whom they can and will interbreed, but no elk round these parts and therefore not a problem) and Axis deer (native to India and thrive here - unusual deer in that they are pure grazers and not browsers like most ungulates. Meat is 98% fat free naturally and also naturally cholesterol free. No rut either - they breed year round.)

No, we do not allow hunting and we have nothing to do with "trophies".

A non-traditional type of operation, perhaps. A very small operation by the standards round here, but one we like in all sorts of ways.

[seven of nine]

Fallow Deer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How very interesting! Right out of Sherwood Forest. No problem with hunting here in Montana. Welcome and hope you get all the info you need.
Here is a Mule Deer found here.

Attachment 39574

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by seven of nine

Welcome and hope you get all the info you need.

Thank you.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by seven of nine

I wondered about the dog food increase as well. I thought just because we have limited shopping that I was paying the price for not heading out 150 miles to do the big store. Good thing my dashies are not to big. Are rather happy with table leftovers. I worry about the farmers with the different products and fuels they use. I notice all bread products are sky high also.

Yeah, there being another crop that runs on diesel: wheat. Not as bad as corn since wheat usually isn't irrigated (pumping water can be EXPENSIVE), but you still gotta plant and harvest it and truck it to market. I'd guess farmers are getting less per bushel than ever, despite the pipeline costs having gone so high.

Maybe if I wash the Labs in REALLY hot water, they'll shrink?? would be nice if they could get by on table scraps, like little dogs can!

Oh, how much does it cost to pump water, at least here in SoCal with SoCal electric rates? my well guy told me about some work he did for a local golf course a few years back (after the rates went sky high) ... the manager didn't think it would be a big deal to run the whole system for 15-20 minutes (while they were fixing something else, I forget what), even tho he was warned not to. The electric bill, for that brief period with their big well and irrigation pump going full blast? (are you sitting down??) OVER FOUR GRAND!!!

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

- Hijack and ask away. What would you like to know? It not exactly a subject I find .... er, "difficult" to talk about.

We raise fallow deer (known as "park deer" in the UK as the aristocracy used them to graze their private parklands), a smaller herd of red deer (1st cousin to elk with whom they can and will interbreed, but no elk round these parts and therefore not a problem) and Axis deer (native to India and thrive here - unusual deer in that they are pure grazers and not browsers like most ungulates. Meat is 98% fat free naturally and also naturally cholesterol free. No rut either - they breed year round.)

When's dinner? Interesting that you have TWO spotted species. The fallow deer have interesting antlers.

Some authorities consider red deer and elk to be the same species, just minor regional variants. Considered an invasive species in some areas!

So how does raising deer differ from other livestock, besides needing better fences?

[seven of nine]

Well we may have taken over the thread
Apologies to five/H
The DH told me he had heard of Fallow deer, but he does have a minor in medieval studies They look to be exotic hunt animals on the web. Look at the axis deer.
Chital - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I really enjoy looking at animals. I am wondering what purpose such a rack is for on a small deer? Tigers?
BTW I would not recommend drying the labs on a high heat setting. They might end up looking like dashies