Farm Animals of Spanish Colonial Texas

1. Farm Animals of Spanish Colonial Texas

2. Large Livestock (Ganado Mayor) • Horses • Burros/Mules • Cattle • Oxen

3. Horses • Uses • Increased speed of communication • Carried food and other goods • Ranchers used horses in the cattle drives and on the range. Vaqueros could lasso cows from horseback • Horses were of mixed quality • Not of the Andalusian bloodline like Spain was famous for http://www.spanishhorses.net/Image/frontpage2.jpg

4. Burros/Mules • Burros – Donkeys • Mules – Sterile offspring of male donkey and female horse • Both used as work animals • Pulled plows for farming and carried food and goods http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2284/2089023448_fa1130d6c3.jpg?v=0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Juancito.jpg

5. Cattle • Cattle was the main protein source of Spanish settlers • Introduced three different breeds • Ganado prieto – black • Ganado retinto – reddish or tan • Ganado barrenda – white with black markings http://www.retinta.es/asociacion.htm

6. Oxen • Oxen are castrated male bovines, usually over four years of age, and trained as draught animals • They were used by settlers to pull plows and haul goods • Oxen can pull harder and longer and are more durable than horses http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ySgpx9ktqPs/Rw-eXcYKkNI/AAAAAAAABI8/J1bKJGN9KN8/IMG_1795.JPG

7. Small Animals (Ganado Menor) • Sheep • Goats • Hogs • Dogs

8. Sheep • Eaten for protein and sheared for wool to make clothing • Sheep could survive on poorer pastures than cattle • Churra was the breed introduced by the Spanish • Lean and hardy • 60-80 lbs in weight • Produced 1-2.5 lbs of coarse wool http://www.sheep101.info/breedsC.html

9. Goats • Eaten for protein • Chivos – Adult pastured goats • Cabrito – kid goats, usually less than a month old • A delicacy favored over the adults http://medioambiente.gov.ar/archivos/web/chaco/File/ChivosGr.jpg http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/images/cabo/cabrito.jpg

10. Hogs • “Razorback” Hogs introduced by Spanish settlers • Served as yet another food source, though records indicate the number of hogs was fairly low • These hogs evolved into the feral pigs that now roam much of Texas www.pbase.com/rod_ostoski/image/53397397

11. Dogs • Dogs were one of the few domestic animals not introduced by the Europeans • Spanish settlers discovered the Plains Indians using dogs to pull loads on wooden poles called travois • The Spanish later utilized domesticated dogs on the farm to herd other animals and to guard their flocks http://www.texasindians.com/horse.htm

12. Problems Encountered • The Plains Indians valued Spanish horses and cattle and often stole livestock from their farms. • Some livestock often became wild upon neglect from the farmers. The wild mustangs that once roamed the American west and many feral pigs can be traced back to Spanish roots.

13. Texas Longhorn Cattle • A hybrid breed resulting from Spanish retinto stock and English cattle – 1800s • Best known for their extremely long horns; but also valued for their hardiness, hybrid vigor, and easy calving • Longhorn beef is much leaner and lower in fat than other beef cattle • Quickly became a symbol of Texas culture