>> Actually, the cattle could be fed on thatching and
>> straw bedding for some
>> time, hopefully providing dairy products until
>> slaughtered.
>
>And the Orlanthi of Dragon pass know all about keeping
>cattle alive when there's no grazing. They do it every
>winter. I don't know what the answer is: but they do.
Haymaking - keep some of the grazing land clear of livestock for a few months and then cut and dry the grass. It's a lot of work with scythe and ox cart which is why the'll only be enough feed for the few animals they intend to keep over the winter.
The winter of 1619/20 Whitewall should have enough hay to keep a reasonable herd. After that it's going to be easier sneaking cattle into the city for slaughter than wagon loads of hay.
I'm not sure how much in the way of dairy products will be available. Modern cattle have been bred to produce far more milk than their calves need and are kept in an almost perpetual breeding cycle. In Dragon Pass you want calves to be born when there's plenty of food for their mothers so I would expect they would only start producing milk when the calves are born (fire season?) and stop in dark season. Half the year the only dairy product will be cheese, getting harder and mouldier as the winter progresses.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
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