Table of Contents
Bison Farming For Business
Bison are intelligent animals which can be raised for business; however, they are very curious and aggressive which can pose danger to humans.
They are poor eye sighted animals (near-sighted) which tends to make them vulnerable to target as they can be shot without seeing and not knowing where the target range comes from. Their sense of smell and hearing is excellent.
When comparing the bison meat to that of cattle meat, bison meat is lean and has very low fat content which will not have a cholesterol effect on humans. Bison can also be raised for their hide / fur which are so soft (softer than cashmere). They are profitable in rearing and they are less costly in maintenance because they are foragers.
Bison Production
Bisons are known to be integral to tribe cultures through provision of food, clothing, fuel, tools, shelter and spiritual values. Bison’s products are income generating especially in small scale or large scale farming;
Bison Descreption And BEHAVIOUR
Bison are similar to cattle and water buffaloes but have distinctive features such as:
- The hide is shaggier (bushier) coat around the head and legs, with the coat being brown or chocolaty in colour.
- They have short curved horns, large head and shorter body with a prominent hump.
- They are strong swimmers than cattle.
- They are slow and clumsy because of the hump in the shoulder and this hump is composed of strong muscles that aid the bison in running.
- They are quick responders to a threat and can run at a speed of 35 miles / 56 kilometres per hour, still maintaining that speed more than an hour.
- Have the ability to jump high fences and they can spin around quickly.
- Bisons love wallowing in dirt to deter biting flies and shedding a bit of fur.
- The bull (male bison) wallow to attract the females during the mating season and they leave their scent behind, also displaying their strength.
- They weigh between 900 – 2,000 pounds (408 – 907 kg) with a height of between 5 – 6.5 feet (152 – 198 cm).
- They can live up to 20 years or more, though their average lifespan is between 15 – 20 years.
FEEDING HABITS
These bovine animals are grazers; they prefer eating grass and leafy plants.
They can forage typically for 9 – 11 hours and feeding in the morning and at night; can travel as far as 10 – 15 miles (16 – 24 km) in search of grass and the best grass for them is the new green shoots that pop up throughout the growing season.
Bison sleep lightly (nap) when standing and for a proper doze they lie down, which is also good for their digestion.
Adaptability
Bisons are hardy animals acclimated to a wide range of environments.
The fur, or coat, of bison is unique. The head, shoulders, and front legs look shaggy, but the rest of the bison looks shorter and well trimmed.
The fur is actually the key to a bison’s survival. The thick fur on the front end keeps flies and other biting insects away because the fur and skin is too thick.
The tail and back legs accomplish the same thing at the back end. The short, thinner hair at the hind end helps keep the bison cool during hot, shadeless prairie days.
During blizzards and high wind episodes, bison travel and face headfirst into the weather. How to raise bisonThe thick coat makes this possible as the dark brown to almost black coat helps absorb heat from the sun on winter days.
Like dogs, bison develop a thicker winter coat in the fall and carry it into spring, and then they shed it for a new lighter coat by the end of spring.
Bison Species And Subspecies
Since their origination from Asia and spreading over places, there were species that were produced.
- American bison
- European bison
- Canadian bison
- Pure bison
- Subspecies
- Wood bison have visible horn and shorter hair, beard and throat mane. Their hump is larger with forward leg axis and reduced chaps. Appear darker than plain bison.
- Plains bison have a distinctively lower and more centrally located shoulder hump, which is due to the shorter neural spines of their cervical and thoracic vertebrae lighter, woollier pelage, and a longer beard that is almost nonexistent in wood bison.
Since bisons found themselves habiting among cattle, humans experimented with crossbreeding a bison and cattle; the breed that came out was called a ‘beefalo’.
Gestation
Bison herd in a groups of cows and bulls mix during the rutting (breeding) period, which in northern areas may extend from July to September.
At this time the dark, woolly display hair of the head and beard of adult bulls reaches its greatest development, and the bulls fight more often.
Most of these interactions between bulls involve stylized threat displays and submission signals, but occasionally the fights end in injury or death.
In these events the bull’s statuses will the ones with the highest status display hence do most of the breeding. Bulls also do more wallowing and tree-horning during the rut.
The distinctive roar or bellow of rutting bison may carry nearly 5 km.
Bison are promiscuous, but they breed in one-to-one relationships called a tending bond and they have a lengthy gestation period of about none months and a single reddish-tan calf, weighing 15 to 25 kg, is usually born between mid-April and early June.
Bison calves are precocious and can stand within about 10 minutes of birth and nurse within 30 minutes.
REPRODUCTION A few well-nourished bison cows may breed as yearlings, but bison are not usually sexually mature until they are three to five years of age.
Dominant bison are sexually mature at six years old or older do most of the breeding.
In the wild, cows rarely produce a calf every year and productivity rates for females two years and older are typically 50 to 60 percent in the herd.