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cattle

Is anyone curious about water buffalos?

Aras Balali

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posted 2 months ago

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I noticed there are no water buffalo categories on this forum. We have had our water buffalo for a few months now on our farm and we are very impressed by her so far. She just had her baby a week ago and we have started to milk her a little bit every day. Our next video is going to be about water buffalo milk and how it compares with cow milk. I am wondering if you have ever thought of keeping water buffalo instead of a dairy cow or goat. Is anyone curious about them?
Since we have a dairy cow and a water buffalo, we made a video comparing their physical features:

Anne Miller

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posted 2 months ago

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Water buffaloes would not work where I live ...

Where do you live that they work?

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Giselle Feuillet

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posted 2 months ago

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Mozzarella di buffala,anyone?

Nancy Reading

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Tell me about water buffalo Aras? I live in a wet climate, so maybe they would like it here! Do they need the temperature to be quite warm? What is their tendency to tear up soft ground?

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Aras Balali

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Anne Miller wrote:Water buffaloes would not work where I live ...

Where do you live that they work?

You would be surprised! They are very resilient. We got her from a farm in Alberta BC with very difficult winter conditions. They were kept in unheated shelters with extra bedding. The main thing they need, as the name suggest, is access to water. That is especially important if they are kept in hot climate since they rely on water for thermoregulation instead of sweating. However as long as they have access to a pond they can withstand extremely hot temperatures. I would say they have a very extensive range of climate that they could live in.

Aras Balali

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Nancy Reading wrote:Tell me about water buffalo Aras? I live in a wet climate, so maybe they would like it here! Do they need the temperature to be quite warm? What is their tendency to tear up soft ground?

Please see my reply above about their extensive climate range. They will need access to wallow and as long as they have access to it easily they do not seem to dig. They are not like pigs who just can not stop digging no matter what. In our farm there was one wet area that she started digging and turned it into a wallow but otherwise I have not seen her dig anywhere. They are over 50% more efficient at processing feed compared to cows and are actually more resilient and self sufficient. They are much less susceptible to disease and their raw milk is even safer to drink compared to cows. In winter they need shelter from the wind and deep bedding but as I said she came from a farm which gets below -30C and gets extremely bad wind chills. While naturally they are found and originated in south east asia, they have spread all over the world and are showing remarkable adaptability. Their wide hoof means they dont compact the ground as much as cows. In my opinion they are a better choice for small scale and regenerative farms compared to cows.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Anne Miller

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Aras Balali wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:Water buffaloes would not work where I live ...

Where do you live that they work?

You would be surprised! They are very resilient.

They might thrive here though they would not be happy without water to bath and I bet they would not like a diet of prickly pear and agarita.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Nancy Reading

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Aras Balali wrote:They are over 50% more efficient at processing feed compared to cows and are actually more resilient and self sufficient. .....
Let me know if you have any other questions.

So what do water buffalo actually eat? Are they grazers like cows or more browsers like goats? Grass? tree leaves? My vegetables?

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Anne Miller

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Aras Balali wrote:

Anne Miller wrote:Water buffaloes would not work where I live ...

Where do you live that they wo rk?

You would be surprised! They are very resilient. We got her from a farm in Alberta BC with very difficult winter conditions. They were kept in unheated shelters with extra bedding. The main thing they need, as the name suggest, is access to water. That is especially important if they are kept in hot climate since they rely on water for thermoregulation instead of sweating. However as long as they have access to a pond they can withstand extremely hot temperatures. I would say they have a very extensive range of climate that they could live in.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Timothy Norton

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posted 3 weeks ago

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I'm really intrigued!

My only experience with water buffalo 'products' are treats for my dogs at home. Dried ears specifically. I understand that they can be utilized for dairy, but are there folks that raise them for meat?

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Tereza Okava

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posted 3 weeks ago

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Here in Brazil they are relatively common in hotter, floodable areas where European cattle don't do well. Indian breeds of cattle were brought in and added to the genetics to help address this; you'll only see breeds like Holsteins and Jerseys in cooler places here (like where I live, where we get frost). But water buffalo are apparently very hardy and not vulnerable to the same illnesses as cattle.

They are used for meat, milk and hides, we pass a farm on the way to my mother-in-law's and they seem to eat the same pasture as the normal cattle in the region. The meat isn't as easily found as bovine beef, but to me it tastes the same. I've only seen mozzarella type cheese, so I'm not sure about the milk applications.

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