I never had a problem naming animals heading toward the freezer, although all our beef cows somehow ended up with the same name - Mosely. Not sure why.

I went to a cattle seminar at the Fort Bend County Fair yesterday, and one topic was about running your ranch as a business. Among the many pieces of advice was: "Don't name your cows!"

@trish, do you have problems with neighbors dogs? We have three separate packs of them that come over and kill the fowl we have. They are hard to control too, as they run off if they see us. This morning, they were chasing the goats all over. Sheriff is no help. They don't know who they belong too.

I fenced almost all of our property with good woven wire fencing and that keeps the dogs out.

Uncontained dogs are a huge problem around here. People who move to the country seem to think there are no rules. A neighbor's entire herd of goats was recently killed by loose dogs.

The dogs here dig under, jump over, etc. Our woven wire fence IS old and wild hog damaged. We shoot them too, if we can. But, they do run away. Dean will get in the artic cat and chase them, but they usually get away. We got a picture of one pack, and followed them to the owner. He denied it was his dogs, of course. We're calling the sheriff tomorrow. He said if we could get a picture, he can fine the owner. Or, take the dogs away.

Good luck!

So, how is the meat? Are they fed ONLY Bermuda grass?

Howdy everyone,
I don't normally visit this farming area of ATP but just read every post here from start to finish and had a big smile on my face.
What a wonderful family Dave and Trish have and a great way of life. Thanks for sharing.

I spent years wondering why beef just didn't taste as good as it did when I was a kid. Long story short..I really didn't know where my food came from because the truth is that I grew up eating horsemeat . It was half the cost of beef and we were poor.

Guess I was slow to learn as I figured it out about 55 years later while doing research for grocery prices 'then and now'. Saw a newspaper ad for that horse meat and it all came back to me in a flash. I had a flashback memory of my mom standing at the stove cooking up an entire pound of Hill's Frozen Horse Meat (20 cents per pound at the time) and she looked embarrassed when I walked in the door. She quickly explained that she was cooking food for the cat.

Thanks Greene, I'm glad you enjoyed the thread. I won't comment on the horse meat.

texaskitty111, the meat is excellent as always. We had a roast a couple nights ago. Ground beef in red sauce with pasta last night.

As for bermuda, I don't think we have much bermuda grass actually. Our pastures are mostly Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) but there's lots of herbaceous plants that they also eat, plus 50 acres of forest which contain lots of other plants that they browse.

Interesting. If we ever get to the point where we have no horses, I may try raising one.

I don't see anything wrong in eating the horsemeat. Your mom had to feed her family and she did what she could.

I would guess it's like someone having to eat possum or squirrel. Brings up a "poor person" idea. Wonder when selling horsemeat became illegal? Anyone know?

TKitty - I think only in OR is it legal to sell horsemeat. I don't get it. There's a LOT of meat on a horse. Can you imagine the rump roast? That'd feed a family for a week! But I think it's the "cute" factor. Most people can't eat cute animals. Cows.. well, they're not as "majestic" as a horse. Dunno what horse tastes like, never had it. But I'd be more than willing to try it! Couldn't be any worse than a 5 year old male billy goat! What I find disgusting is the fact that these people who are so against slaughtering horses for the meat won't put up a dime to rescue all these horses that people buy, then can't afford to feed when there's no grass (wintertime). Every winter here in CO there's usually 2-4 ranches snabbed by the Dept of Ag or the police dept for animal abuse because X number of horses starved to death because the ranch owner can't afford to feed the horses (especially with the drought driving up the price of hay). And not much meat on a squirrel.. haven't had squirrel since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Never saw it as a "poor person" food, more of an exotic food because none of my classmates ever had squirrel!

A Huffington Post article says "legal in most states" but they couldnot find a single US supplier.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Many years ago, and I mean many, they would use horse meat for Pet Foods. Not these days., I have never seen a dog food with horsemeat listed as the protein source.

As far as people, I think it would be difficult to find people wanting to buy it nowadays.

It is funny what we think of as suitable as eating meat. It all depends on your culture.

Isn't it or wasn't it quite common in France?

flaflwrgrl said:Isn't it or wasn't it quite common in France?

Had not been aware of that. But I often wonder why it is that we eat certain animals. I mean raise them for meat. So we raise cows and pigs for slaughter. Why don't we raise Camels and oxen? It has got to be a cultural thing? I mean they eat Camel meat in the mid east.

Also goats. I can't get goat meat here but once had it. The meat is delicious. So why can't one buy goat and Buffalo in the supermarket? There are Bison Burgers sold here but that's it.

Rita - You can't find bison there? Pretty common here. Pricy, very pricy, but common enough in grocery stores (Safeway carries it at all times). And we have enough ethnic grocerers that you can get goat (halla) if you want. But what I haven't seen in years & years is ostrich. Never tried it.. couldn't afford it. And do see oxen sometimes, but that's more of an exotic and you'd have to go to a butcher & not a grocery store for that. But many butchers or ethnic grocerers carry more unusual meats such as rabbit, elk, venison, pheasant, silkies... but haven't found anyone that carried snake yet. But as far as seeing horse meat as listed as a source of meat for pet food.. there's petfood that just says "meat". Mystery meat, kinda like what's in bologna. For instance, what's "meat meal"? I just picked Old Yeller dog food as I know that's a really crappy dog food. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/... Obviously they're not using prime meats like what Dave's beef would be...

man, just thinking about a roast. but can't afford beef right now! Not when it's ranging from $8.99-$19.99/lb!! Ridiculous!!

Dave - Do you notice a huge difference flavor-wise between your "wild fed" beef & commercial beef? I noticed it one time a few years ago when I bought some Australian grass-fed beef (was on sale) versus normal beef. Didn't really care for the taste of the grass-fed, although I know it's much better for the cow.

This will tell you everything about horse meat and how the taboos came about eating it. I ate it it many years when I lived in Quebec, it was pretty good, very lean steak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H...