Does anyone weather their livestock?

Never really thought about it. But why not!!

Never thought about it, but it makes perfect sense.

Mine look clean because I hosed them down so they'd look good during the auction. 

How about the lack of smell!

If you have that many head in a pen, your bound to get a good stiff whiff.

I can see it now, New Forum Sponser:  MegaCowManure or SuperStink.

Having spent 20+ years on a dairy farm, may I suggest a few additional "weathering" ideas?  Cows do get dirty, but mud, dirt, and the other stuff usually does not get on top of the cows.  Depending on the environment, corral, weather, it works it's way up their legs. A light dust would be appropriate for the top.  Think of the top of a car that has not been washed for years.

 

If you are modeling as specific time period, this would also determine accessories.  The ear tags you see today didn't become widely available until the 80's/90's.  Small ear metal ones were around before that in addition to chains that held numbers that were put around the cows neck. 

 

The cattle above appear to be Dairy cattle, Holstein and either Jersey or Guernsey. You could use this in your layout to create a pen at a dairy farm for these type of cattle.  Beef cattle would be more common as part of the process in putting steak on the table.

 

On last thought, at numerous auctions, the cows will have number stickers on the rumps identifying which lot they are in and for tracking purposes.  The sticker are oval, about 3"x1 1/2, white with black lettering and often are not removed until the final destination.  There are other methods used to identify cattle including spray paint. I'm sure there are exceptions to all the above.  Please remember to share pictures of your efforts!  Oh, and speaking of cow pictures, most of the ones on the internet have been "posed" meaning the cow has been washed!  Best.

Good catch Swanny. You are absolutely right on all points. Ironhorseman, Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I, also, would like to see pictures of efforts in this area.

It's all too sad a business for me. No domestic cattle or even stock cars on my layout.

Did have a Lionel horse car at one time. It was one of my favourites!

 

Did "get a whiff" of a stock yard railside while out west a few years ago. Very depressing.

Just my opinion.

In the age of realism, prototypical, and weathering, I am surprised that this has not "surfaced" until now.  It would seem practical to "weather" them and have little tiny tags as well. 

Actually, my first thought after reading this thread was visualizing the new line of cattle and horse cars that can be spun off of this concept but WITH a smoke unit involved to gently mist that authentic aroma.  A gentle wisp, so as not to be a visible smoke.  That could be interpreted as something else.  Aftermarket suppliers will undoubtedly come out with varying blends of aromas to further enhance the experience.

The weathering of the animals could be randomly applied so no two were alike and there would be no rejects.  A clean animal that gets noticed could be explained as a new arrival or a pedigree variation.

If you ever travel on I-10 north from El Paso into New Mexico you will get a first hand experience.  No matter how fast you drive, your bumper scoops and retains enough of the experience to last for miles.

Don't forget to brand 'em - don't want any rustlers making off with the lot, you know.

 

http://www.jmauctioneering.com/auctions_033.htm

I weather both the animals and some people on my layout. Steel mill workers get a good bit of grime put on them.

No weathered cattle here, but aged beef on the table, now that's a different story. I've been around a lot of cows myself, and if they spend a lot of time in the barn, they stand in a lot of "shtuff", so some dark brown on the hooves and ankles is appropriate, as well as the recommendations of ironhorseman.

Don

Mike, This is a beautiful scene. Well done!

Your question reminded me of a criticism I received recently on a forum that scolded me for leaving horses and human figures still shiny from their paint jobs. The critic was right.

 

You said you'd "like to see that" so here are a few photos where you can see a horse not sprayed with matte-medium finish to dull-up the shiny (sweaty?) appearance (nor were the human figures,) and a horse's coat (hide?) that has been dull-coated. Better? Sufficient?

 

Also, I like your thread here because the advice and perspectives, to date, have been instructive and interesting to me for my modeling purposes. Good Thread!

..and a bovine and horses that were slightly matte-sprayed. Enough? (I know, the men are still shiny. Oivey.

FrankM.

I always add rust weathering 

 

Sorry........  just had to say it 

 

Mark

Actually makes a lot of sense to at least dull them down if they are shiny........... so Yes,  I would if I had room for cows and cow flatulence .

(oh boy)

Mark

Very nice work! The realism is wonderful.

I too am enjoying all the info throughout this thread.

Thank you for saying so, Swanny. I much appreciate it.

FrankM.

In the matter of realistic horses consider that except in the case of Carriage horses , teams do not have the same markings. It is very common with farm teams that they are often different colors, farmers using whatever works! Under the collars and harness straps is usually a thin line of froth from sweat! Horses turned out rarely stand ,heads up facing in the same direction unless watching something, a passing train would do it! Graze a few horses in a group of two, they often pair off. Horses turned out often have halters on so they are easily caught for work or ( my worst nightmare, they get loose)! If you have a pond in your pasture you could pose a  horse or two standing in the water near the edge! Make sure your pasture horses don't all look alike or are the same color. Paint different markings on them. I don't mean to come off as lecturing but I was reading about ear tags on cows etc and I thought maybe a few suggestions about realistic posing of horses might be beneficial to someone! This is based on 50 years as a professional horseman for what it is worth!

I for one am very grateful for the information you so kindly and considerately provided here about horses. I will put it to immediate use. Thank you.

 

Speaking as a guy who grew up in Pittsburgh and went to college in Ohio, familiarity with horses is but a dim impression in my noggin. Add to that seeing horses pulling Amish and Mennonite carriages in Lancaster, PA, and I still am a rank amateur, so thanks again, sir.

FrankM.

Another thought about posing in pasture, for both cows and horses, is they often stand side by side, nose to butt, to take advantage of the fly sweeping of their companions tail.

I love this thread. I can see a whole new line of products from Senic Express: Cow Flop, Bulk Manure and necessary spreader, Road Apples, Pre-mudded cattle and pigs. Farm scenes add a lot of character to a layout. Those of you that are good at that should share some pics with us. Thanks for sharing   

Another way to make your pasture scenes authentic especially for horses is to have a copse or two of trees for shade or run in sheds. If you have livestock in a pasture without a pond there should be a water source to be authentic! Fencing is rarely pristine and pure white fences are pretty but except for estates not the usual! Cattle farms often use wire not wood and horse farms often have black fences. Drive around Kentucky and you will see what I mean! I only offer this because I rarely see livestock modeled realistically and layout farms are often too pristine and not believeable! I think a truly modeled  farm area would be a great focal point for an area of a layout!

Cattle being modeled in Texas should have a coat of dust sprayed all over.  Cattle in Kansas and Nebraska should have a lot of mud on the legs.

Speaking just for myself, again, thank you, Charly, play trains, & Rob Leese. Good to learn!

FrankM.

Weathering animals? Sounds like a bunch of horse pucky to me ....

Maybe a dust rut(smoke) or mud bath for an animal off its feet.

Pigs aren't the only ones to take advantage of it.

A good place for a bunch of birds too. They love dust baths... and animal riding.

They are like little kids- better keep an eye open.

Stained mouths near a berry bush. The mystery turf divot between shoulder blades on a cow. Branches caught it manes. The horse that just wanted to be in the barn at all costs.(otherwise known as lets stomp a flour bag) The one that knocks the apples off the cart (where they belong). There was another that got into paint in a shed etc. etc

  

One things most farms seem to lack.

Not enough goats in strange places.

You could put one balanced high on a flag pole, and it wouldn't surprise me much. 

Corner fence posts perches are a favorite. A flock of goats in a tree is group fun

 

Some sheep get wool patches cut out early for debris removal, if you could get a square chunk out of a "puffy" one. Does anyone have sheered sheep? A sanded and painted dog might work?

 Until the later 1900s, oxen were more common. There's a mud weathering dream. 

Everyone seems to have an exotic animal anymore too. Emu, camel, llama, peacocks. etc.  

  

I've trained my Black Angus stock to stand on little platforms where they stay nice and clean. 

 

 

Urban legend around Allegheny County, PA, back in the 60's :" Cow-tipping." Anybody know if it were true? Anybody do it? (Can you imagine?)

FrankM.

Reminds me of that commercial with the screaming goat in a peanut-butter factory atop a conveyor belt, "Whose responsible for this?...(scream...)..."Rick, don't walk away from me when I'm talkin' to you."(Scream...)

 

I LOVE that sense of humor! Maybe, I should investigate the possibility of installing just such a sound, available via a button when I model some of those exotic (to me) scenes you have mentioned.

Hhhhhmmmmmm......

I would think some Dull-Cote is all they need.  

No cow tipping, I was too short then to even chance it.

  You can scare some sheep & goats stiff enough they topple on their own. Just a sudden bang by accident can do it. 

 Just putt a yelling kid(boy) on the vibrating stock pen for a prototypical explanation of them toppling over.   

In metro west Massachusetts there are lots of small horse riding farms that might be good modeling ops for those with limited O gauge layout space. They are where the rich city and suburban folk board their horses. Some now have nice white fences made out of plastic (perhaps Trex?) boards to keep maintenance and painting costs down. So shiny can just mean smart/practical ... :-) Those horses look pretty clean to me, at least driving by. There's usually a high spirited or jittery one in a small corral by itself but adjacent other horses for sociability. It's also surprising how many times I see horses with blankets on on a warm day in the late morning. Horse blankets should be large enough to model and dirty up a bit, and perhaps add a dash of color interest. 

 

Tomlinson Run Railroad

     Moonson all I have to say is you had better be able to out run that cow. When you push them over they are PO and if you cant out run them they will trample you. While collecting eggs you have to persuade the chickens out of your way with your foot. When milking the goats you always have to watch out for getting bucked. While collecting the duck eggs you have to watch for getting bit. It was not so nice doing chores on the farm. Choo Choo Kenny P.S. this is all from experience.

 

Allegany your post reminded of a song from my youth,SHE LIVED BY THE STABLES AND ALL THE HORSEMANURE!

Hi BAR GP7 #63, I think I've seen just such a scene along Rt.11 in Upstate New York, last week. I'm going to go back and check, along the way of a return-trip. No kidding.

The point being, this modeling looks good!

FrankM.

 

I have to share this, in a most friendly frame-of-mind, on this topic of "weathering" farm animals. You had me looking everywhere, left and right of the roadway, while on a recent 4-day sojourn in Upstate NY and Pennsylvania, looking for dirty - "weathered," as you put it - livestock, such as cows and horses.

 

They were all CLEAN, esp. along Routes 11, 281, 41, & 44 in NY. Clean. No dirty ankles and certainly no dirt up to the knees. No dirty "hindquarters" either. (Yes, I actually looked carefully, but at a distance, admittedly.)

 

So, unless I see otherwise, because I only model what I have seen, I've changed my mind about adding "dirt" to livestock. But I appreciate your heads-up suggestion/question about it.

 

As an example, here are a few photos I took, during this past Mon. - Wed. trip, of horses I was able to take by getting out of the car and standing on the shoulder, instead of idiot-drifting over the rumble-strips on the way to oblivion.

This photo was sent by a friend a couple years ago which was taken at a "tractor-pull" in Lancaster, PA...

FrankM.

Moonson,great pictures! Lots to be learned here, overgrown grass around outbuildings dirt area around stock tanks, gates and feeders. As for dirt, notice ground is hard and dry! Wet weather, winter weather,equals dirty horses!