Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion
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http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/...

It's odd to think one might feel claustrophobic in such a massive place.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/..."
Makes me wish I was able to and could afford to travel. Scotland, Austria and Germany are on my wish list.

"
You and me both - I have the same places on my wish list - also I need to get to Terri's stomping grounds and return to Japan
Retirement it not THAT far off :D


Make sure you come to Queensland. We'll meet you somewhere if you do. :)


That sounds really crowded. :(

That sounds really crowded. :("
Not the last time l went mate, huge stadium with not many fans....sigh !




In my copies, each has 22 pages for the first chapter. Now I want to read both at the same time. I haven't got two sets of eyes/hands or brains... I question that I full one of the last at the best of times

(Also, Devoured is a very good book - enjoy!)
And @Bryn @Terri @Crystal @Leslie: the new digital 'shorts' are mainly being done to rouse reader interest ahead of a new book by that author. I've just been asked to do one that will come out about a month ahead of the new Hannibal book. Apparently, they can be very effective. They don't seem to pay that much (although that depends on sales) but they are good at 'finding' readers who are new to the author in question...

I'm starting tonight when I get home.
I do the same thing when I'm trying to decide what to read but I read them to my sister and she picks for me.

Terri, I talked with my hobby farmer co-worker and he said that there are three versions of polling here. So either they breed to a polled bull, they poll them at 4 or 5 months by burning the horns so that it kills the roots or they cut them off later.
The descriptions I was getting of how this was done was enough for everyone else to tell us to stop talking about it. :)

Vikings thread.

I had collected enough boxes, but neglected to check on adhesives. Now my mojo is fractured LOL

Terri, I talked with..."
It is a painful procedure.
Burning, scooping, slicing off. They are all dehorning and none are nice. :(
There are the cells that attach the horn to the skull at a certain age. You get in early enough and take enough of the cells from around the 'horn nub' and it will prevent the horn growing back.
As a farmer who prides herself on using 'best practice' as regards animal welfare, I will rejoice on the day when a pain free dehorning procedure is made available at an affordable price to farmers. I don't think it is too far away. Within the next decade. Which is not soon enough.
We do a hundred or more dehornings every year, although we have some poll genetics (which are the cattle that naturally have no horns.. or poll scur - the cattle that have small deformed horns that never attach to the skull). Due to these poll and poll scur genetics some calves naturally have no need to be dehorned.
I would like an affordable anaesthetic to inject into the horn area before dehorning. I would love that. Hate doing cruel things to animals.

I had collected enough boxes, but neglected to check on adhesives. No..."
hahaha. Life's little tribulations. :)

Terri, ..."
But don't you dehorn them to prevent injuries? Can't have them going about gouging each other or you right? Or is there another reason? I'm a total and complete city girl, so I know nothing I haven't read in a book. LOL

It is dangerous to be in close quarters working cattle with large horns, but yes, mostly we do it for the animals. They can get their heads stuck in trees, they can gouge each other. A lot of cattle with horns get a lot bossier when they know they have them and they challenge other cattle to fight, or smack other cattle with the horns around watering troughs etc. Even little calves can get bad injuries from other cows knocking them out of the way with horns.
Female cattle fight all the time. They have a hierarchy. No matter whether the herd is 500 head or 10 head. There is a ladder and each cow has a place on that ladder.
I have even seen boss cattle with horns get those horns under smaller or less bossy cattle and lift them. Turn them over on their backs into a feed trough or water trough. The animal then cannot get out or right themselves and they die in there. On their backs, unable to right themselves.
So it is important for many herds to have no horns. definitely.
You are very right. :)



I am not sure over here on the price, nobody uses anaesthetic for dehorning or castrating over here. The main problem is not the cost of the anaesthetic, but that a vet must administer it. So that adds the travel and the hourly rate to the vets bill. Which makes it cost prohibitive.
If we could administer it ourselves that would be good. And it would have to work quickly. As you know, having jumpy calves or cattle in the head bail too long can be a problem.
The anaesthetic also has to have a limited withholding period and not have any restrictions on meat consumption. ie Russian eligible. Russia takes a lot of boxed meat from us and to be RE there are long withholding periods. Although with Russia it is mainly only antibiotics that they are concerned with.
I will ask my vet about lignocaine. Do they use that in the UK during dehorning?




Never mind the US government, insurance companies are also using unmanned drones these days in the US as part of their loss control operations.
hopefully they aren't armed.

haha. :) The only 'drone type things' we have around here are the remote control model planes and helicopters that they fly at the local school oval, where the Remote Control Model Aeroplane Club meets once a month. lol.
They have enough problems trying not to crash those things into trees and houses, so I think we are safe. ;)

Terri, for me the pros and cons depend upon the faith I have in the government entity ordering any kind of monitoring of my civil liberties. Are we in the USA discovering that there is something new under the sun, or that the pendulum is not swinging any more? Scary stuff.

Derek, I doubt the chamber was full. I couldn't endure 8 hours of listening, but I have to admire anyone who could talk for 8 hours. Since I didn't listen, I wonder if Sen. Paul resorted to reading the phone book?

Derek, I doubt the chamber was full. I couldn't endure 8 hours of listening, but I have to admire anyone who could talk for 8 hours. Since I didn't listen..."
I heard of past ones reading the local newspapers, books, the Constitution and the Bible-LOL

What a waste of tax payers' money though. I consider this the same sort of thing as a child stomping their feet, sighing heavily etc when wanting a treat and the parent is pretending to ignore them in hopes they'll give up. Does no one any good. Well, maybe a lozenge company the next day.

Books mentioned in this topic
The Berry Pickers (other topics)Fortune's Child (other topics)
Hild (other topics)
Sharpe's Command (other topics)
Edenglassie (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Amanda Peters (other topics)Nicola Griffith (other topics)
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Bernard Cornwell (other topics)
Allan Hands (other topics)
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The thing I don't like is the potential for every tom, dick and harry to jump on the band wagon and flood the market with short stories..:/