The Beauty of Working Animals

When we think of historical farms, we think about all the different animals roaming about the yard or in different pastures. But we don’t always think about the jobs and relationships those animals have with the farmer. It’s also easy to look nowadays and ask if those jobs still still have validity. However, many farms are coming full circle back to some of these old practices, and it is illuminating to see how the relationship with the animals change, and, dare I say, deepen.

Horses:

Horses, are of course, the quintessential working animal, pulling ploughs and driving people to where they need to go. While their job has shifted more toward sport than it is in agricultural work, some people still enjoy performing historical jobs with their horses, such as logging with their draft horses, packing with their mules, and working cattle with their quarter horses (or other traditional cattle horses, like Lusitanos). Even working equitation is a way of practicing a degree of “working” with your horse. There is a certain element of trust and vulnerability one has when working with your equines in these areas, and it also makes you aware of how truly intelligent they are. I feel that more people need to explore this relationship with their horses, even if in a small way like packing while walking on the trail or practicing working equitation obstacles. We pack with our Kerry Bog Ponies and plan to use them for light agricultural work, like tilling a garden, dragging the arena, or mowing, as this was their original purpose. The advantage of horses and ponies for this work is that 1) they can get in tight areas that a tractor might not be able to, and 2) they do not use fossil fuels and make no greenhouse gasses. While of course, in modern days, it is important that we do not take advantage of our horses and over-use them, we also have more ways of supporting our horses than we used to to ensure their health, both physical and mental. However, when done right, the horses often enjoy the mental stimulation and the “side by side” relationship we can have with them.

Dogs:

Dogs are another quintessential working farm animal, but we often forget that they still have jobs to perform. There are three main farm-specific jobs that dogs can perform: guarding, herding, and pest control. We use livestock guardians, specifically Kangals, to protect our livestock. The advantage to this is that they keep predators away without deadly force unless there’s no other option; most predators are looking for an easy meal, and a guardian dog definitely makes whatever meal they’d go for anything but easy. Because of this, there is a project in Namibia using Kangals to protect livestock so that farmers don’t feel they need to trap or kill the local cheetahs. It has been quite effective in improving the cheetah population while reducing predator losses significantly. For us, our Kangals are our guardian angels. We hear coyotes or bears, and as soon as we hear the Kangals start barking, we know the animals are safe. After a rough night when the Kangals are barking all night, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed with gratitude in the morning. They’re a very independent, stubborn breed, which in a way makes them partners more than pets. Seeing how our cautious, deer-like goats cuddle with them in their shelters or in a pile of hay and then get behind them or look to them when there’s a funny noise really shows how much of a guardian angel they are. Yet they’re goofy, loving dogs that are more than happy to show their gentle, lighthearted side when not on duty.

We are planning to add herding dogs to help us with moving goats and poultry. While we’ve been moving them ourselves, it takes several people to do what one or two dogs could do. The goats get distracted easily, and the San Clemente Island Goats in particular are shy and cautious, so bringing them to a new pasture can be quite a challenge. Ducks and geese are likewise cautious and hesitant to be confined, so dogs can be very helpful in getting them into safe pens and moving them from one place to another. The breed we are looking most closely at is the Pyrenean Shepherd due to its size, herding style, and independence (and because it’s an incredibly old and rare breed). Pyr Sheps are the shepherding counterpart to Great Pyrenees dogs, being the smallest French breed of herding dog. They herd mostly with barking and body language as opposed to “heeling” and “heading,” and they were bred to fill all the herding jobs a dog might have to do, from gathering to acting as a “living fence” to keep errant stock in place until the shepherd can come.

One of the grittier jobs dogs can have on a farm is pest management. Terriers, in particular, were bred to deal with a constant pest that accompanies barns: rodents. While barn cats can be effective at getting rid of mice, they also tend to go after birds and reptiles. Additionally, many barn cats are intimidated by larger rodents, such as rats. While rats and mice can be adorable, they unfortunately tend to carry diseases, which they pass on by defecating in feed or by carrying parasites like fleas and ticks. They will also often destroy tack, blankets, and other expensive barn items. Rats will even chew on the horse’s feet. While there are baits and poisons one can use, these often have dire environmental impacts on animals that feed on their remains. Live traps can help with catching and relocating, but the problem with this is that you’re then just moving your problem somewhere else. Terriers, however, are excellent ratters, and while this idea can make people squeamish, terriers are quicker at dispatching rodents than cats tend to be, and they get great pleasure out of it. Often, people struggle with terriers because of their high energy and high prey drive, which can come out in anxiety and even obsessive-compulsive disorder. By giving them an avenue through their ancestral jobs, a lot of these issues can be mitigated. For people with terriers who don’t have barns, earthdog and barn hunt trails are excellent ways of testing the terrier’s hunting ability as well as letting them explore their instincts in a safe, controlled environment. Earthdog trials entail the terriers going through artificial tunnels until they find a caged rat (or other similar creature) and barking at it. These mirror the tunnels terriers historically (and in current working situations) crawl through to find vermin. Barn hunt trials entail the dog working its way through a maze of straw or hay bales until they find a caged rat. This obviously parallels the job of a terrier or similar rat catching dog going above ground to find and eliminate vermin. The AKC has competitive trials for both, though more breeds are eligible to compete in barn hunts than earthdog. We’re starting with a Border Terrier but are researching several terrier breeds to make a “rat pack,” looking most closely at Danish-Swedish Farmdogs and Norfolk Terriers. These are all rare breeds (with the exception of Border Terriers, which are currently highly successful in earthdog and barn hunt) known for working better in a pack than most terriers and generally with a calmer temperament (for a terrier).

Poultry:

While the obvious job of poultry is to produce meat and eggs, poultry are also good for other things. We’ve enjoyed the eggs from our poultry as well as the reduced insect load that they provide. Ducks are voracious foragers and are excellent at rooting around the piles of horse manure to eat fly larvae and other parasites. Chickens scratch and break up the manure to do the same, but because they scratch, they are excellent at preparing a garden site. Geese also are wonderful at weeding small weeds out of gardens once garden plants are tall enough to be less appetizing, making the tedious job of hoeing or pulling weeds much easier and rewarding the farmer with eggs. Turkeys and other large birds like peafowl can keep snakes away, and while snakes are good rodent control, they also tend to eat eggs, and venomous ones hiding in wood piles or under water troughs are an unsavory if not dangerous surprise. While one’s relationship with poultry is different than with dogs, cats, or horses, it still is wonderful watching them serve their purpose in eliminating parasites while giving farm-fresh eggs that are so delicious.

Goats and Sheep:

While the obvious dairy, meat, and fiber benefits of small ruminants are still in play, they also have other purposes. Goats are more browsers than grazers and thrive off broadleaf weeds, making them superb for clearing underbrush, getting rid of invasive plants (like the infamous kudzu), and clearing up weedy patches in pastures. Horse parasites also will end up with their life cycle broken when consumed by goats, and goat parasites will likewise perish in horses, making them excellent for partner-farming with horses. Sheep are more grazers, which means they can help maintain steep lawns that mowers may struggle with. However, horses and goats require high copper diets, and sheep livers cannot handle that same copper load, so caution must be maintained when keeping sheep with goats and horses (especially with their feeds). Some people do work with their small ruminants, using them to pull small carts or pack, but that’s not something we’ve done at this point.

Oxen:

A very rare sight nowadays is oxen. We still have the saying “strong as an ox,” but it’s so rare to see working oxen. This, to me, is a great tragedy; oxen are incredibly strong, and we now see cattle relegated mostly to food animals. Yes, there are some pet cattle and some ridden cattle (including some very gentle bulls that make trips into Home Depot), but even those are the exception. What has happened to cattle breeding that they either give meat or milk? While both of these are important, it’s a shame to lose some of the living history of solid working oxen. I realize that the practical necessity is basically gone, but like working horses that are able to get into places that tractors cannot, surely working oxen still have their place somewhere. I cannot promise that we will have those at Tempus Renatus; as much as we admire them, we don’t intend to have cattle for various reasons, though we could be open to persuasion otherwise. However, I’d love to see others take up the torch and use them, and if someone wanted to bring any for a demo here, I’d be the first one to say yes (and would probably be the first one to get licked by a rough, somewhat slimy cow tongue…)

Cats:

Most barns know the value of barn cats. They are voracious hunters and can get into small spaces. The advantage of barn cats over terriers is they don’t require training or a lot of attention or supervision. Many people have barn cats that are too skittish or feral to be good pets, but they are loved and treasured for their job anyway. Barn cats are quite content to do their job in exchange for food, shelter, and water, and otherwise may be left alone if they choose. Our barn cats, however, are a bit more involved. They adore people and will follow us everywhere, mewing and squeaking and begging for pets or a warm lap. They are excellent mousers, teaching assistants, and welcoming committee. Ours live something of an indoor-outdoor life, going up into the feed or tack room at night for safety and shelter, as they are treasured members of our barn family.

Others:

There are so many other working animals that can have a purpose on the farm, from packing camelids to bees for pollination to even minks for rodent control. One that I might even make a special mention of is fish. Fish? Yes, fish have an extremely important role to play in aquaponics, as they remove algae and add important fertilizer to the water.

The important thing to remember about working animals is the symbiosis that can occur and how we as the animals caretakers need to honor and express gratitude for this, not simply use the animals for what they have to give. By having this respect and gratitude, we can develop a deeper relationship with our animals that also lets them fulfill their genetic purpose and drive. It is a special relationship that is irreplaceable, one that I could never trade for anything in the world.