Anyway, I was able to talk on the phone and do research on the internet and eat.
I think we're going to get a yak! Or maybe more than one...
Gosh, where to start? I'm kind of on a food evolution as well. Looking into which things I want to grow/raise here at home, so we're eating healthier and not supporting inhumane and unhealthy practices. So I have been looking at cattle. Because I know I like beef. But I also know I don't like grass fed beef, which is what I decided I was going to have to make myself eat.
Enter the yak, which it turns out tastes very good, and is grass fed. You do have to cook it correctly because it is very lean and can be tough if overcooked. Same for grass-fed beef. Turns out yak is healthier in other ways, I forget though. Maybe more of the good cholesterol and less of the bad.
Mainly... They're cute! And gentle, easy on fences, excellent oxen or pets if raised right. They can be milked (not much yield) and their fiber is semi-precious. One person said it pays for her hay every year.
So I think we're going to buy a steer now, butchered. Although I wish I could bring him home and get to know him, he's ready to eat now.
In the spring the ranch will have babies that can be raised as bottle babies, which is how you bond with them to make them into pets or oxen. I feel like that's almost unethical, taking one from mama at 2 weeks old, but I want our little one to be totally tame. We'll breed her when she's old enough, and I'll milk her, but also she'll be a pack animal and I can ride her! Talk about fun! We may also get a steer to finish when we get her, I'm not sure. I need to find out more.
I'd like to have a small herd eventually, but we'll see.
We are also adding 3 hens to our family, hopefully today. I was a little hesitant, but heck, why not? They needed a home, since their owner had to suddenly move into an apartment. Apparently they're so friendly they'll jump right into your lap. I can't wait to meet them.
5 comments:
If you don't like grass-fed beef, it is because you have never had any that was truly raised right on grass. It takes a lot of work and a whole different outlook on grazing. You should talk with Farm Buddy (aka Elva), she raises the best beef ever and only with grass. Her beef is what grass-fed is meant to be as opposed to the "grass-fed" sold by the farm down the road. Those are downed dairy cows that they can't get up so they process them for beef. It is awful.
Another possibility is to raise beef on grass and supplement its diet with grain for a month before it is slaughtered. My husband's family did this with their home-raised beef and it turned out excellently.
It's just me. I have a friend who raises excellent grass fed beef. It just isn't my cup of tea. I have to admit, I don't love meat as a general rule, and I wasn't raised eating a variety of different types of meat, so anything the least bit different is just yuck. I'm hoping to re-educate my palate. I'm going to try duck and goose and rabbit soon... I know I don't like lamb unless it's in my friend's stew or Greek spiced. I'd like to try some game meats too. I had moose stew once and it wasn't any weirder than lamb stew.
We did something similar with the heifer we raised years ago. Well, really she didn't get that much grain. Still had the gamey grass fed taste. But that was the best beef ever other than the gamey fat. I'm trying to get away from grain-fed though.
A yak. Wow. I can’t inagine that you’ll raise it from bottle and then butcher it someday. I can see you having a pet yak though, and riding it. 😂
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