Buffalo

[PaulB]

Thomas - I believe the disease you were referring to is Brucellosis, and you are right, it is highly dangerous (can kill people if they contract it). I think the major concern is with contact between wild (untested) Buffalo, and domesticated bovines. I think this is a worry in places likew Yellowstone where there are wild herds never touched by humwn beings. Anything ranch raised would, by law, be tested yearly by a veterinarian.

 

[ERNIEB]

Bird, The side show may not have been stretching as much as you might think. In 1951 there were probably only a couple of people crossbreeding Bison. In those days Bison had become somewhat rare. I've heard that Beefalo are produced using a Bison bull on cows, Cattalo a Bull on Bison cows.
I don't doubt the statements made by the Beefalo association, but it's the same song and dance that the cattle breed associations give.
Beefalo must be packaged as beefalo beef. Therefore, It must be sold, finished, and packed separately from beef. This almost assures a higher price tag at the supermarket. As Sruffy has said, the cost of breeding stock can be pretty high.
The cattle buisness is pretty tough these days. 100 head or less, chances on a profit are slim, 50 head or less, chances are near nil. The last information I saw said that of 850 members in the beefalo association, 400 were registering cattle.

ErnieB
"We were surrounded by some gross, proud, and victorious men. Anyone who knows the character of the North Americans can judge what our situation must have been."
Jose Juan Sanchez Navarro

 

[scruffy]

The one ranch in central Oregon raising beefalo used artificial insemination for their breeding method. As to the cost, it was comparably priced to the beef in the supermarket....flavor was excellant. Essentially a beef flavor, with a touch of the wild to it. (in the manor of venison) Like I said, great eating meat!
As to keeping a buffalo fenced in..only if he's agreeable! I don't think a moose could excert the force that a 2000 lb Buffalo bull can when he's upset. The cows will run easily up to 12/1300 pounds..puny in comparison to the Bison bull.

 

[TWINKLE_TOES]

Thanks to all for your thoughts, Bird, Ernie,Scruffy, Thomas, Jon, and Paul.

After reading the link provided by Ernie and http://www.nwbison.org/ I figured out there is a reason for all these years I have only considered raising Bison./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I think the biggest drawback in my case is raising but a few. Usually I start with a bread heifer @ $500 to $800, and turn around a calf about every 18 months. This works for 5 to 6 years with the same cow. With Bison, (from the .org auction page), 2 year old bread heifer cost $11,530 average. I read a Bison cow will calf for as long as twenty years.

This is a copied from the .org page related to fences:
"One or two bison will not be happy and they will not thrive, even under the best of conditions. If there are other animals in the vicinity, they will yearn to join them. Their herd instinct is so strong they will give up their individuality as bison to leap the fence and join another species so they can be part of a 'herd.' Generally you can pasture cattle and bison side by side if there are sufficient bison to establish a herd group. Pasturing two herds of bison side by side, however, will usually result in the group ignoring the fence and becoming one herd of bison. The secret to keeping bison where you want them to stay is to give them no reason to stray."

Bird, this may be why Janie Frickey had a problem keeping a couple of Bison in.

I don't think I can afford the liability if something like Ernie posted about the two deputies happened with one of my critters. Seems like you could be held negligent for even trying to raise just two of these critters./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

I guess I will stick to hogs, chickens and cattle.

 

[scruffy]

Alan, why not check into the cost of the artificial insemination to start a herd of Beefalo? Much easier to handle, and still has a very demanding market for it. While it may not be as lucrative as Buffalo, neither is the associated problems, while the demand is every bit as high.

 

[ERNIEB]

On the link to the ABA, at the bottom of the page, is a link for semen. Straws are very reasonable. Although more expensive, a faster way to go would be embryo transplant. Just a thought. Maybe It's because I'm in Texas where beef rules, but I'm thinking marketing would be a problem.

ErnieB
"We were surrounded by some gross, proud, and victorious men. Anyone who knows the character of the North Americans can judge what our situation must have been."
Jose Juan Sanchez Navarro