SOME HINTS FOR FARMERS—MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING OF ANIMALS ON THE
FARM—SOME EVILS AND HOW TO REMEDY THEM—GOOD TRAINING VS. BAD.
Farmers would find it of great advantage to pay more attention to the
education of their domestic animals. Many things may be taught them
without any appreciable trouble, which will prove not only convenient,
but profitable in the saving of time and labor that may be effected. For
instance, any animal on the farm may be taught to come on being called,
instead of requiring to be hunted for and chased home whenever wanted.
All that is necessary is to give him some dainty as a reward, each time,
and the thing will be accomplished almost before you are aware of it. By
giving each animal a particular name and calling him by that, you teach
each individual to come to you when wanted, and if you reward only the
one you call, the others will soon learn to come only when desired. This
custom is observed with the sheep in Greece; the shepherd has only to
call any one he wants, and the animal will instantly leave its pasturage
and its companions and run to the hand of the shepherd, with every token
of pleasure. Those which have not learned their name are called “wild,”
while the others are termed “tame.”
Animals cannot associate with man without learning _something_. Many of
those habits and tricks which farmers deplore in their stock, are due to
the _unintentional_ training that has been given the animals. If your
stock run from you, appear to dread your presence and can never be made
to stand quietly, perhaps this state of things may be accounted for if
you reply candidly to the question whether they have not been accustomed
to tormenting or annoyance, and so taught to be wild. No wonder there is
complaint of cows being unquiet, when the habit is so general of pelting
them with stones, or punching them with sticks, while driving home to
milk.
How often instead of attempting to teach the animals proper behavior do
we see an apparently contrary course adopted? The “American Stock
Journal” has some sensible remarks on this subject:
“We find many persons, when turning stock into or out of pasture,
instead of letting down all the bars, leaving two or three of the lower
rails in their place; and then, by shouting or beating, perhaps, force
the animals to leap over. This is capital training, the results of which
are seen in the after disposition of animals to try their powers of
jumping where a top rail happens to be off, and this accomplished, to
set all fences at defiance, and make a descent upon the corn or grain
field, as their inclination, ability or hunger may prompt them. Another
good lesson is to open a gate but a little way, and then, as in the case
of the bars, force the cattle forward, and by threats and blows compel
them to pass through it. The result of this teaching is shown in the
determined spirit manifested by some cattle to make a forcible entry
into the stable, yards, fields, or in fact, to almost every place where
a gate or door may, by accident, be left slightly open. A western farmer
says he makes it a rule whenever cattle are made to pass a fence,
whether through bars or ‘slipgap,’ to leave one rail for them to pass
under. This gives them a downward tendency, and lessens their
inclination to jump or look upward, as they are sure to do when a lazy
attendant throws down a part of the rails, and makes them vault the
rest. Cattle may be taught to go over any fence by the careful training
they often get for this end, performed as follows: First, starve them or
give them poor feed, which will make them light and restless. As soon as
they go over the lowest part of the fence after better provender, make
them jump back again, and put on one more rail, saying, ‘I guess that
will keep them out.’ Next day, (of course they will be in mischief
again) repeat the process, adding another rail; in a short time they
will take care of themselves, and harvest the crops without charge.”
That gentleness and good treatment will subdue even naturally unamiable
dispositions in animals, is shown by the example of the bulls intended
for the bull fights at Havre during the marine exhibition in 1868. The
bulls, selected for their ferocity on the plains of the Guadalquiver,
were so kindly treated by the railway servants during their journey
across Spain and France, that, on arriving at their destination, they
had become perfectly tame and could not be induced to fight. The
sight-seers were obliged to solace themselves with a regatta in lieu of
their anticipated combat.
It may be interesting here to refer briefly to the proper management of
bulls. There has been some discussion as to whether or not it is
advisable to use bulls for purposes of draught. The advocates of the
plan consider that a bull should do _some_ labor and that exercise would
be beneficial. The opponents say that the main object of keeping bulls
is to breed, and that exhaustive labor would impair the vigor of the
descendants. Though the latter is probably the true case bulls should be
exercised in the open air if it is desired to keep them in health and
vigor. They should always have a ring inserted through the nose that
they may be held in control, but they should never be tied up by
anything attached to this ring. Always use a rope tied around the horns;
a sudden jerk is very apt to tear the ring from the nose. Never fool
with bulls, and beware of trusting yourself in their power. They are
subject to sudden fits of fierceness, when any defenceless person is
liable to be horribly destroyed.
One of the most important duties on the farm is the breaking of steers.
It is best to begin with them as calves, and let the boys play with
them, and drive them tied or yoked together, taking care they are not
abused. When a pair of old steers are to be put together and broken to
the yoke, or a pair of bulls, as not unfrequently happens, it is usually
best to yoke them, and _tie their tails together_, in an extempore
stall, in a well fenced yard, and then turn them loose in the yard,
which should not be large enough for them to run in and get under much
headway. If the tails are not tied together they will frequently turn
the yoke, which is a very bad habit. After half a day’s association, the
lesson of “gee up!” and “whoa!” may be inculcated—and when well learned,
probably the next day, “haw” and “gee.” The daily lesson should be given
after they have stood yoked a while. They should not be taken from the
yard until they have become used to the yoke, and are no longer wild and
scary, as they are apt to be at first. Each day all previous lessons
should be repeated. Put them before an ox-sled or a pair of cart wheels
at first, rather than to a stone boat, as they are apt to step on the
chain, and that frightens them. All treatment should be firm but mild,
and no superfluous words should be employed.
As regards training heifers, a Pennsylvania farmer who has trained and
milked heifers for more than fifty years, and never has any trouble
about their jumping, kicking, or running, gives the following as his
secret: “When I intend to raise a heifer calf for a milch cow, I always
raise it by hand, and when feeding, frequently handle it by rubbing it
gently over the head and neck until it becomes tame and gentle. The
rubbing is begun at the first feeding with milk, and continued until I
quit feeding it; I never afterward have any trouble about milking them.”