Chapter 252 Primal Beast World Cubs 26
Cang Ye looked in the direction his mother was pointing, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Yes, but we don't target the big ones, we target the small ones."
Young calves are strong enough and easier to tame.
We need it to help us pull the plow, you know, to pull something and turn the land over, so that it will be much easier for us to plant things.
Can you catch one alive?
After explaining, Shen Ci asked, "It's too rushed. There's simply no time to develop slowly. It would be best to do two things at the same time: clear the wasteland yourself while taming the cattle."
You can't just grab one when you need it.
"I'm not very big, so I should be able to catch it."
Cangye said that he is now able to hunt on his own and even defeat prey that is larger than himself! This is all because he has enough food and nutrition.
Since that's the case, and the plan is set, the first step is to prepare the cattle pen.
Shen Ci chose a spot next to the new house, used an iron axe to cut down a thick tree trunk, drove it deep into the ground, and built a sturdy fence around it.
This step is not difficult, it's all about slow and meticulous work. But cows aren't too thin, so they can't squeeze through gaps that are too big. As long as it's sturdy and not easily broken open, it's fine.
The gate was also made of sturdy wood and could be bolted from the outside with wooden pegs, strong enough to ensure that cattle could not break it open.
"Alright, this is where it will live." Shen Ci patted the fence.
"Next, we'll invite the guests to check in."
How did humans domesticate cattle in modern society?
The process involves threading a piece of rope or an iron ring through the cow's nose, so that the cow will feel pain when it resists.
However, the flesh inside the nose is naturally fused together, so to pierce the nose, you need to go to the thinnest part, which is slightly forward of the middle of the nose.
It shouldn't be too high or too low, and it shouldn't be done in the sweltering heat, otherwise the wound will easily become infected.
There's no disinfection equipment here, nor any perforators or anything like that. Besides, these are all bison, and they won't just stand there obediently waiting for her to control them.
Shen Ci couldn't do it, and she didn't intend to force it; she planned to put a noose around the cow's neck.
Shen Ci and Cang Ye lurked in the grass, carefully observing the herd of beasts. There were too many wild animals coming and going on the plain, but most of them were herbivores.
Shen Ci picked out a calf that looked like it had just been weaned, several sizes smaller than an adult horned beast, and was grazing alone on the edge of the grass.
It's like raising a pet or a child; you have to start raising them from a young age so they're easier to tame and less likely to break free.
"Sweetie, you're fast. Go around to the side and urge it towards me."
Be careful, don't get poked by its horns.
Shen Ci made the arrangements.
"Um!"
Cang Ye nodded, his body lowered, like a silver shadow, silently flanking and encircling the enemy.
When Cangye suddenly darted out from the side and rear, letting out a low roar, the frightened calf instinctively ran towards the direction where Shen Ci was lying in ambush.
Shen Ci seized the opportunity and suddenly hurled out the lasso he had prepared beforehand, woven from tough vines!
Tripwire! Activate!
The calf, panicked and disoriented, tripped and fell. At that moment, a lasso flew out from the air and looped around the calf's neck. The calf cried out in fright and struggled incessantly.
Shen Ci then began to tighten the rope. The rope was thick and not very fine, because it became thicker and thicker with each reinforcement, but as long as it was strong, that was fine.
Shen Ci's strength was no match for that of an ox, after all, it was a wild beast, and he was almost dragged off balance.
"Sweetie! Help me!"
Cangye immediately pounced forward, not to attack, but to use his body to block the calf's charge and to scare the cow away.
With the mother and son working together, one pulling and the other blocking, they finally managed to subdue the strong calf and drag it back into the enclosure.
"Moo—! Moo—!"
The calf charged frantically inside the fence, trying to escape, but it was still just a calf and not strong enough to break through the pen.
"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you."
Chen Ci, panting heavily, comforted it through the fence, while placing the prepared water and a handful of tender green grass into the enclosure.
The next few days were a long process of acclimatization.
The calf initially resisted strongly, refusing to eat or drink, and only pacing around anxiously and bellowing.
Shen Ci wasn't in a hurry. Every day, he would bring clean water and the freshest hay on time, and sometimes he would add a little salt, since animals also need salt. So he would quietly stay outside the fence with it.
While waiting for the calf to be tamed, they didn't rest. Every day, they manually cleared the grass on the wasteland, cutting fresh grass for the calf to eat.
Even grass that can't be eaten shouldn't be wasted. It's dried into hay, which can be used for firewood or as bedding.
After weeding, we had to mark out an area, burn all the grass roots to ashes, and clear away stones and other debris. We were never idle.
"It doesn't seem so afraid of us anymore."
A few days later, Cangye observed and found that the calf began to cautiously approach the food.
He often hunted other animals to eat, but this was the first time he had domesticated an animal, and he found it very novel.
"Yes, it's slowly getting used to our scent and presence."
The next step is to get it used to being touched and restrained.
Shen Ci found softer tree bark fibers and wove them into a more comfortable neckband.
She had Cangye distract the calf from the outside, while she slowly approached with grass that the cow loved to eat, trying to touch its neck.
At first, the calves will run away in fear, but after a while, they realize there is no danger and gradually become less resistant.
The main problem is that resisting is useless; the cattle pen is only so big, and there's nowhere for it to run away. This calf is still young, not so irritable, and quite docile.
A few days later, Shen Ci successfully put a collar on it and tied a long vine to it.
"Come on, walk slowly."
Shen Ci held onto the vines, trying to guide the calf to walk inside the fence.
Cangye held up fresh grass leaves as a reward. At first, the calf was very uncooperative, either standing still or charging around randomly.
But they are extremely patient. You won't cooperate, right? Well, then you'll go hungry! Once you're hungry enough, you'll naturally become obedient.
Obedience earns you food, disobedience brings endless beatings!
After more than ten days, the calf named Big Horn by Shen Ci, though still wild, had basically gotten used to the collar and leash, and understood that obeying commands would bring good food.
It is no longer as fearful as it was at first, and when it sees Shen Ci and Cangye bringing food, it will even come closer to them.
As long as these two people come, he will have grass to eat.
After the calf has been initially tamed, you can gradually build a bond with it. Then it's time to prepare for the next step: making a working outfit for the calf, such as a plow.
Ideally, it should be made of iron, but current methods and technology are not yet sufficient to smelt iron ourselves, so we have to settle for wood as a second choice.
Several fields outside the cave have been cleared, the weeds have been cut off, the things that needed to be burned have been burned, and the stones that needed to be picked up have been picked up.
Once the oxen are more familiar with their home, we'll start training them to plow the fields. For humans, loosening the soil on so much land would be quite strenuous, but for the oxen, a few laps are all they need to do.
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