A cow, dog and camel story

Kobblevale KAMELS, KATTLE AND KANINES

At Fairymount we have Guardians with a difference. We have a Camel Corp. They may not be as cuddly as the beautiful white Maremma dogs featured in previous newsletters (we have three of those too to guard our goats) but we find the camels just as loveable and extremely useful.

Camels have an inborn hatred of dogs and are very effective in our fight against our marauding enemy, the dingo. They have bonded well with our Lowline cattle and insist on being mustered up with the cows. If we leave them in the paddock when we bring the cows into the yards, the camels cry and get very distressed. A camel crying is not a pleasant sound.

They have never tried the fences and are very easy to manage. We have not attempted to train them yet as it is recommended to leave this until they are about four or five years old but it is one of our future plans to use them in the same way horses are used to muster cattle. They could easily outrun any beast.

As well as guarding our stock ...cattle, sheep and goats, the camels eat unwanted weeds and tree pear. They also have a role in increasing the feed efficiency of our cattle in dry times when we expect the cattle to forage for feed. The camels have an enzyme in their gut which aids in the digestion of coarser material and transfer this via the water troughs to the cattle. All round, they are a worthy addition to our farming operation.

Lee Labrie