4 ms·

I'm going to provide an entirely uneducated guess regarding cows. I would bet that the average person without any training or resources is capable of raising ch

I'm going to provide an entirely uneducated guess regarding cows. I would bet that the average person without any training or resources is capable of raising chickens, whereas the average person would have their cows die before maturing. I'm not commenting on the "average African". I'm talking about my own first-world Caucasian self. I bet you I could raise chickens with very few resources. I also bet I couldn't do the same with cows, which seem to be resource hogs and in need of more maintenance. It's like having a dog vs. a cat as a pet. A cat just needs to be fed and given a box where they can place their waste. A dog needs to be walked, socialized with other dogs, etc. Do you need to travel for a 2-day weekend? With a cat, while not ideal, you can get away with leaving behind plenty of food and water along with an extra litter box. You simply cannot abandon a dog on its own for 2 days.

rsync 10y ago
"I'm going to provide an entirely uneducated guess regarding cows. I would bet that the average person without any training or resources is capable of raising chickens, whereas the average person would have their cows die before maturing. I'm not commenting on the "average African". I'm talking about my own first-world Caucasian self. I bet you I could raise chickens with very few resources" Your instincts are incorrect - at least in a rural, or semi rural setting. Your chickens may be very safe and easy to raise in an urban environment that is free of small and medium sized predators, but outside of that environment there are many, many things that will very quickly dispose of all of your chickens - sometimes in just one night. Raccoons, weasels, foxes, coyotes, large birds (vultures, hawks, owls), bobcats ... In our rural area (west marin county, california) we need to be on our A game to keep the chickens alive ... raccoon traps set, elevated coop, hens locked up nightly, wings clipped so they can't get out of the run, high fence, three hot electric wires, etc., etc. A cow on the other hand is too big for most of those animals (a hawk can't carry away a calf) and the mother (and other mothers) are nearby. They're big.
- x0x0 10y ago
  OTOH, hay is hard to make and expensive to store, because you absolutely cannot let it get wet. If it even becomes damp it can give cows the heaves (and will give horses), and it can give farmers farmer's lung. Plus an untimely rain after you cut it can ruin a growing season's entire yield. If you get it wet, you'll burn your barn down because it composts.

rsync 10y ago

"I'm going to provide an entirely uneducated guess regarding cows. I would bet that the average person without any training or resources is capable of raising chickens, whereas the average person would have their cows die before maturing. I'm not commenting on the "average African". I'm talking about my own first-world Caucasian self. I bet you I could raise chickens with very few resources" Your instincts are incorrect - at least in a rural, or semi rural setting. Your chickens may be very safe and easy to raise in an urban environment that is free of small and medium sized predators, but outside of that environment there are many, many things that will very quickly dispose of all of your chickens - sometimes in just one night. Raccoons, weasels, foxes, coyotes, large birds (vultures, hawks, owls), bobcats ... In our rural area (west marin county, california) we need to be on our A game to keep the chickens alive ... raccoon traps set, elevated coop, hens locked up nightly, wings clipped so they can't get out of the run, high fence, three hot electric wires, etc., etc. A cow on the other hand is too big for most of those animals (a hawk can't carry away a calf) and the mother (and other mothers) are nearby. They're big.

x0x0 10y ago
OTOH, hay is hard to make and expensive to store, because you absolutely cannot let it get wet. If it even becomes damp it can give cows the heaves (and will give horses), and it can give farmers farmer's lung. Plus an untimely rain after you cut it can ruin a growing season's entire yield. If you get it wet, you'll burn your barn down because it composts.