Re: Dehorning is against my religion

[Guest guest]

There is a big difference between dehorning an adult cow with a full

set of functional horns and dehorning a young calf who is still in

the wobbly bud stage. I dehorn my calves for my own safety, for the

safety of my other animals, and other people. There is no way on

God's green earth I would leave a steer horned. Have you ever had an

1100 lb animal come thundering over to you with his head swinging

because he wants to play? Or been knocked by a cows head as she

suddenly turns around? Do you know what kind of damage that could do

to a person?

As for castrating- a sexually mature male bovine is a danger, plain

and simple. Any bovine is dangerous, just by their shear size, but

your average steer or milk cow isn't a boiling bundle of hormones

and muscle. Beef bulls aren't as ill tempered as dairy bulls, but

you have to be extremely careful around them and God help you if

they decide they don't like you someday. Our neighbor kept a bull

for his milk cows and he was as docile as could be and one day he

just went after the farmer and threw him across the barn.

Weldon

A Bit of Earth Farm

Litchfield, Ohio

>

> The book " Edenbank Accounts " is about the creation of the

> Edenbank dairyfarm in Chilliwack British Columbia which had one of

> the world's prize Ayreshire herds in the 1930s / 40s and 50s.

>

> It relates an anecdote about the day the whole herd was dehorned

at

> once. Some animals lost as much as 150 pounds from the shock.

That

> decision was made NOT because it had anything to do with better

> conditions for the animals, but because one of the family had had

a

> very close call with the herdsire.

>

> I won't go out as far into woo-woo-land, as the

> biodynamic " scientists " do with their 'prep' thingys, but I won't

be

> dehorning my livestock, either.

>

> Read the farming practices God decreed for the ancient Israelites

in

> the Bible. They're as valid here today in the New JerUSAlem as

they

> were then in the old.

>

> Particularly offensive is castration. Sure, the entire North

American

> meat business is predicated on such " herd management techniques "

but

> that doesn't make it right. We are what we eat = quit feeding

your

> children the flesh of eunuchs, unless that's what you want them to

be

> when they grow up.

[Guest guest]

There is a big difference between dehorning an adult cow with a full

set of functional horns and dehorning a young calf who is still in

the wobbly bud stage. I dehorn my calves for my own safety, for the

safety of my other animals, and other people. There is no way on

God's green earth I would leave a steer horned. Have you ever had an

1100 lb animal come thundering over to you with his head swinging

because he wants to play? Or been knocked by a cows head as she

suddenly turns around? Do you know what kind of damage that could do

to a person?

As for castrating- a sexually mature male bovine is a danger, plain

and simple. Any bovine is dangerous, just by their shear size, but

your average steer or milk cow isn't a boiling bundle of hormones

and muscle. Beef bulls aren't as ill tempered as dairy bulls, but

you have to be extremely careful around them and God help you if

they decide they don't like you someday. Our neighbor kept a bull

for his milk cows and he was as docile as could be and one day he

just went after the farmer and threw him across the barn.

Weldon

A Bit of Earth Farm

Litchfield, Ohio

>

> The book " Edenbank Accounts " is about the creation of the

> Edenbank dairyfarm in Chilliwack British Columbia which had one of

> the world's prize Ayreshire herds in the 1930s / 40s and 50s.

>

> It relates an anecdote about the day the whole herd was dehorned

at

> once. Some animals lost as much as 150 pounds from the shock.

That

> decision was made NOT because it had anything to do with better

> conditions for the animals, but because one of the family had had

a

> very close call with the herdsire.

>

> I won't go out as far into woo-woo-land, as the

> biodynamic " scientists " do with their 'prep' thingys, but I won't

be

> dehorning my livestock, either.

>

> Read the farming practices God decreed for the ancient Israelites

in

> the Bible. They're as valid here today in the New JerUSAlem as

they

> were then in the old.

>

> Particularly offensive is castration. Sure, the entire North

American

> meat business is predicated on such " herd management techniques "

but

> that doesn't make it right. We are what we eat = quit feeding

your

> children the flesh of eunuchs, unless that's what you want them to

be

> when they grow up.

[Guest guest]

> I won't go out as far into woo-woo-land, as the

> biodynamic " scientists " do with their 'prep' thingys,

Um, excuse me, but I have found Biodynamics to be quite effective in

my practice. It's not any more " woo-woo " than some of the things

" decreed " in the Bible, thank you very much.

~Joe

[Guest guest]

Quoting " Gordon S. " :

> Read the farming practices God decreed for the ancient Israelites in

> the Bible. They're as valid here today in the New JerUSAlem as they

> were then in the old.

>

> Particularly offensive is castration. Sure, the entire North American

> meat business is predicated on such " herd management techniques " but

> that doesn't make it right. We are what we eat = quit feeding your

> children the flesh of eunuchs, unless that's what you want them to be

> when they grow up.

Mmmmmmm... yes, and no.

What I mean is, there are plenteous references in the Scriptures to oxen. And

oxen are what are sometimes called " steers with a higher education " : that is,

castrated males, trained to serve as draft animals. And in all traditional

cultures of which I'm aware, oxen who have become too old to serve in the yoke

end up on the dinner table... I would imagine that applied in ancient Israel no

less than in other lands.

Granted, Old Testament wasn't my specialty at Divinity School! :-)

Tom