An Introduction to Buffaloes

[Bruce]

So instead of giving more milk, they produce more creamy milk (that's my theory).

Ice cream!! Maybe low production is a good thing for a family's buffalo. After all who can use 8 or 9 gallons each day?

How far is it to your farm and how often do you get back to visit? I assume there are others there taking care of things in your absence.

 

[River Buffaloes]

Ice cream!! Maybe low production is a good thing for a family's buffalo. After all who can use 8 or 9 gallons each day?

How far is it to your farm and how often do you get back to visit? I assume there are others there taking care of things in your absence.

I am in Delhi, my village is in Bihar. It's roughly a thousand kilometres away. It takes 14 hrs for the fastest train in the route to reach the State capital.

I am able to visit only on longer holidays. I was there during the lockdown.

 

[River Buffaloes]

My family lives their. My parents, my grandmother, my great grandmother, my sister.

 

[River Buffaloes]

Ice cream!! Maybe low production is a good thing for a family's buffalo. After all who can use 8 or 9 gallons each day?

How far is it to your farm and how often do you get back to visit? I assume there are others there taking care of things in your absence.

We have milk co-operatives, managed and run by farmers themselves. You can take your extra fresh milk to your nearest collection centre and sell it. That milk is then tested and you are paid according to the quality of the milk. That milk is Pasteurized and then packed and sold on the same day or in the morning next day. Morning milk is on the counter in the evening and evening milk is on the counter by next morning. Aanand Milk Union Limited (AMUL) is one such milk union.

 

[Bruce]

My family lives their. My parents, my grandmother, my great grandmother, my sister.

So plenty of people to take care of the buffaloes

That is a great distance, not a weekend visit distance. Of course with this stupid virus, there is no such thing as weekend visits anyway. The state where I live has the lowest rate of Covid in the country and to keep it that way anyone coming from or visiting an area with higher rates of infection are required to isolate for a full 2 weeks before going out in public (not that everyone does ).

Since you have asked for English corrections ... their vs there is a VERY common error made by many native English speakers.

Their is like ownership - "it is their dog".
There is location "the dog is over there".
Except when There isn't location Like "There are 2 dogs running in the park"

I've often said that English is a TERRIBLE language. It is made from words from many other languages, horribly confusing and with "rules" that are to be followed ... except when they are not.

There are probably 8 or 10 meanings of the word "well" and it is always pronounced the same way. Then there are things like "Live" (soft i) and "Live" (hard I like eye). Both refer to existence but aren't the same: "Where do you live? (soft i)" and "Is it live? (hard I)" Live in the second case being the same as alive. The E after the V should make the i a hard I, except when it doesn't. I don't know if there is an exception to that rule like the "I before E except after C unless it sounds like (hard) A as in neighbor and weigh." There are dozens of other "unless" cases to that rule.

 

[River Buffaloes]

It is important to note that water buffaloes are completely different from African Cape Buffaloes (Syncerus Caffer) and American Bison (Bison Bison), they are not only different species, but they are from different Genus. Water Buffaloes are calm, docile and domesticated animals unlike Cape Buffaloes and Bison.

 

[Baymule]

So plenty of people to take care of the buffaloes

That is a great distance, not a weekend visit distance. Of course with this stupid virus, there is no such thing as weekend visits anyway. The state where I live has the lowest rate of Covid in the country and to keep it that way anyone coming from or visiting an area with higher rates of infection are required to isolate for a full 2 weeks before going out in public (not that everyone does ).

Since you have asked for English corrections ... their vs there is a VERY common error made by many native English speakers.

Their is like ownership - "it is their dog".
There is location "the dog is over there".
Except when There isn't location Like "There are 2 dogs running in the park"

I've often said that English is a TERRIBLE language. It is made from words from many other languages, horribly confusing and with "rules" that are to be followed ... except when they are not.

There are probably 8 or 10 meanings of the word "well" and it is always pronounced the same way. Then there are things like "Live" (soft i) and "Live" (hard I like eye). Both refer to existence but aren't the same: "Where do you live? (soft i)" and "Is it live? (hard I)" Live in the second case being the same as alive. The E after the V should make the i a hard I, except when it doesn't. I don't know if there is an exception to that rule like the "I before E except after C unless it sounds like (hard) A as in neighbor and weigh." There are dozens of other "unless" cases to that rule.

Then you get in different parts of the country where words are taken from previous cultures. Texas was once part of Spain, from 1690 to 1821 when many Texicans fought in the Mexican-Spanish war for the freedom of Mexico from Spain. Then later, Texas fought Mexico for freedom and Texas became our own country from 1836 to 1845. Texas uses a lot of Spanish words in our language.

Louisiana was once a French territory, twice actually. Spain held the Louisiana territory from 1763 to 1802 before returning it to France. In 1803, The United States purchased 828,000 square miles that ran from from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, for 15 million dollars. In Louisiana, are the Cajun people, descendants of Acadians who migrated to Louisiana from Canada.

Cajuns are the French colonists who settled the Canadian maritime provinces (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) in the 1600s. The settlers named their region "Acadia," and were known as Acadians. In 1713, the British took over Canada and expected all settlers, including the Acadians, to defend the kingdom. When the Acadians refused to serve the British crown, they were expelled. They found their way to Louisiana where their descendants live today.

So in some parts of Louisiana, a dialect is spoken, a mixture of French and who knows what. LOL

So all this history is to illustrate that as @Bruce said, English or at least American English is a conglomeration of many different languages from all over the world, including words from Native Americans.

India was a British colony from 1858 until their independence in 1947. Britain left their language behind, so here again, India, as America, has been heavily influenced by language.

Ok, back to Buffaloes! LOL

 

[River Buffaloes]

Buffaloes are animals who are never in hurry, they are calm and patient. So they won't mind if we get little distracted.

By the way do any of you folks enjoy listening to these Greek Byzantine Eastern Orthodox hymns?

They are deep and very comforting. Turn on the subtitles.

 

[River Buffaloes]

Water buffaloes love to roll in mudholes and bath in ponds, rivers and canals. Instead of using treats, you can also use water hose. This habit makes buffaloes less susceptible to ticks and lice than cattle. The mud on their body dry up as they graze in the sun and it chokes all the ticks and lice and it also protects them from sun and fly bites. As the water evaporate from the mud it cools their body temperature allowing them to graze in the sun. Now we don't create mudholes for them, they make it themselves, they just need water and soil. In the evening before we herd them back home we take to the pond for a wash.

Baby water buffaloes are a different story, they are hairy like a bear and very cuddly. We take care of them like cattle calves, just with some extra love.

 

[Baymule]

You herd them, do they follow or do you walk behind them, guiding them where you want them to go? My sheep follow me and run when I call. They are very food motivated, shake a coffee can of feed and they will follow me anywhere.