SC - Medieval cows

[Anne-Marie Rousseau]

Hi all from Anne-Marie
Brenna asks us:
> << Out of curiosity, did they have a seperation of dairy and meat animals
in
> period,
>  or is this simply an anomoly of modern breeding exercises.  I ask only
> because I
>  know that breeds of dogs were cultivated and bred in period, so I was
> wondering if
>  livestock was as well.
>  

It is my opinion that the concept of breeding as we know it is actually a
18-19th century thing, ie the gentleman farmers and all that (remember the
portraits of Lord so and so's favorite bull?). At least that's what they
told me in my genetics courses (ooo! theres a good primary source! :)) Now,
I cant believe that the medieval farmer was so stupid as to not notice that
when you breed a red bull with a white cow you get pink calves :), and that
he didnt have the brains to extrapolate that a big bull would tend to make
big babies. But I dont know that they went after it as systematically as we
do today. Just my opinion...

Then Ras says:
> Given the huge quantities of animals served at major feasts during the
MA, it
> would be absurd to assume that everytime a nobleman held a feast he would
> descimate his herds by killing 10000 chickens, 500 pigs, and 2000 milking
> cows. The large numbers of animals alone seem to show that animals were
raised
> for meat and other animals were raised for eggs, milk, etc.
> 
Ah, but dont forget that at least half of the babies a cow makes yearly are
NOT capable of making milk, being useless boy cows :)!! Even today, you
raise the goats/cows/sheep in a dual purpose way...the baby boys are
separated, castrated and fattened for market while the baby girls are
raised for milk/wool (if they're the modern wool only sheep, you can keep
the boys, but they're not capable of increasing the herd, so they're not as
useful as a girl sheep). Of course, you need not raise ALL of the baby
girls even...every goat and sheep usually has two babies at least a year,
and all you need to keep is one of 'em to double your herd every year. If
feed is at a premium, you only keep the best daughters and some of the
younger moms and slaughter the excess daughters and the older moms. If
you're the lord of the manor and have access to those offspring and herd
culls, either through purchase or procurement, it wouldnt take much to get
those 2000 cows, ie yearling calves and some herd culls. (I'm betting
yearling claves, since they'd taste better). We know that Chiquart, for
example, had to buy his beef from an outside source. While the Duke no
doubt had his own dairy herds, apparently there wasnt enough culling/male
offspring to stock the kitchen.

I agree...not enough people in the SCA have a clue as to where the food
comes from now, much less where it came from then. Only when you gain an
appreciation for the cycle of the seasons that dictated diet and activity
can you even hope to gain a glimpse onto the real medieval world and the
medieval mindset.

- --Anne-Marie
Madrone/An Tir
Seattle, WA

- --AM

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