An Introduction to Buffaloes

Beekissed

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When did you see those buffaloes for sale? And where? Where they swamp or River buffaloes?
I do believe it mentioned water in the ad but can't remember where they were now....I'm in WV. Do a Google and see if you come up with something.

Found some in Maine...

 

Baymule

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I have a freezer full of meat. I raised a steer and we split him with our daughter and family. Raising meat chickens now, have 20 sold out of 48, will split the rest with daughter and her family. I also can chicken in jars and can broth too. I guess I like old meat. :lol:

I also put vegetables in the freezer or can them. We have a good growing season but winter comes and it’s nice to have food we grew and prepare it for a meal.
 

Simpleterrier

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We as Americans eat a lot more meat then other countries. One reason we don't use heavy spice and salt is we handle and preserve our meat better. Most the time heavy spice is to cover the taste of rotten meat and to kill the bacteria. I have been to south America Africa and Europe none tourist and that is what I have been told and seen. Europe they boiled the tar out of the meat with no spice. I have ate dog, guinea pig, alpaca, and all the common ones from the us including most wild game. Nothing beats a rare ribeye with just salt on it.
 

River Buffaloes

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I do believe it mentioned water in the ad but can't remember where they were now....I'm in WV. Do a Google and see if you come up with something.

Found some in Maine...

I know someone who keeps Water Buffaloes. I call them snow Buffaloes.
 

River Buffaloes

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I have a freezer full of meat. I raised a steer and we split him with our daughter and family. Raising meat chickens now, have 20 sold out of 48, will split the rest with daughter and her family. I also can chicken in jars and can broth too. I guess I like old meat. :lol:

I also put vegetables in the freezer or can them. We have a good growing season but winter comes and it’s nice to have food we grew and prepare it for a meal.
We also pickle and dry a lot of vegetables and fruits, but they are much more spicy and oily.
 

River Buffaloes

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We as Americans eat a lot more meat then other countries. One reason we don't use heavy spice and salt is we handle and preserve our meat better. Most the time heavy spice is to cover the taste of rotten meat and to kill the bacteria. I have been to south America Africa and Europe none tourist and that is what I have been told and seen. Europe they boiled the tar out of the meat with no spice. I have ate dog, guinea pig, alpaca, and all the common ones from the us including most wild game. Nothing beats a rare ribeye with just salt on it.

Often there isn't even enough salt
 

River Buffaloes

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There are some cons of having Buffaloes.

1) in my personal opinion they are not suitable for extensive farming. You cannot put them on a several thousand acre ranch and after few years gather them and load them on trains. They have a tendency to go feral if they don't get human interaction for a long period of time ask Australia.

2) their psychology and sociology. They have a strong social hierarchy. If you introduce a new Buffalo on your farm, your Buffaloes will try to fight her to see whether the New comer is dominant or submissive. Artificial insemination is not very successful in Buffaloes and female Buffaloes will only accept strong mature males. They are not into twinks.

3) they cannot produce milk like some dairy cattle breeds like jerseys and HFs. Ours produce 2-3 gallons of milk only. Some Buffaloes of breeds like Jafrabadi, Murrah and Nili Ravi can produce upwards of 5 gallons of milk. Some exceptionally good Buffalo might produce 8-9 gallons of milk, but they are extremely rare. They can't compete with cows who can produce 15 gallons of milk.

4) Buffaloes Take a long time to mature and their pregnancy is longer by a month. A Buffalo heifer can calf in less than 36 months, where as a cattle heifer can calf at about 24 months. Still it takes 5 years for a Buffalo to get fully mature. They live live into their twenties. My friend have a Water Buffalo who is 30 years old and last year she delivered her 26th calf. Dairy industry wants animals who grow fast and die young.

5) in West people have only ever tasted cow's milk,so the dairy industry don't need to introduce a new species. In the East people have a taste for Buffalo milk, I for example will never drink cow milk. Once you taste Buffalo milk, it's yoghurt, tea, cheese etc you will never like cows milk. Cow's milk tastes watery. Cow's milk is for old, sick, babies and poor people who can't afford Buffalo milk. In Western countries people don't like fat, even though cow's milk contains more cholesterol. We can keep buffaloes because their milk costs twice as much as cow's milk and so do Buffaloes.

6) they are intelligent, always suspicious of unfamiliar things and people, they are very affectionate and have a tender heart. If you hurt them they will not co-operate, they can be stubborn. You have to be kind with them, like you are with your dog. They are happiest when their owners interact with them. When we are working with them and around them we constantly talk with them. Dairy industry have no time for that kind of silliness.

One thing I forgot to mention in the cons is that they love water, they are called Water Buffaloes for a reason. They need water during summer months. It could be a river, creek, irrigation canal, pond, puddle, hose, bucket anything. They love water!!! If you don't give them anything they will dig puddles in the first rain they get!!!
 

River Buffaloes

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What are your favorite spices and what do you use most often. Oh, and what vegetables/meats do you use them on?
I love all spices, but two things that is essential in every savoury dish or drink is cumin seeds and peppercorns. They are essential, you can't do without them. Similarly Green cardamom and cinnamon is essential in desserts. Fennel seeds are used in sweet drinks. Asafoetida must be used in lentils and pulses.
 
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