How many cows does an average clan have?

[Brootse]

As per title, how much cattle would an average poor, normal, or a wealthy clan have? From half to double the numbers compared to the human population?

Edited August 17, 2018 by Brootse

[soltakss]

In the RQG Rules, p 405, says "In a good year, a hide of land normally produces an annual surplus worth 80 L (beyond what is needed to sow the fields). 10% of that surplus goes to the local Earth temple, and another 10% goes to the temple of her local consort, leaving 64 L worth of surplus agricultural produce.", "A typical noble or priest is assigned five hides of land by their
temple for their upkeep, which produces an annual surplus of about 400 L to support the adventurer and their household." and Flocks and Herds, says "A herd of 20 cattle or 100 sheep generates the same surplus as a hide of land". As each Hide is enough land to support one household, a clan has a number of Hides equal to the number of Households plus 5 times the number of Priests and Lords. A Noble Household is supported by five hides, which matches the lands given to a Priest or Lord by a temple.

So, at a very rough calculation, a small clan with 50 households, a noble family and 4 Temple Priests or Lords would have 50 + 5 + 5x4 = 75 Hides. The proportion of Hides allocated to arable farming, sheep herding or cattle herding depends on the clan, where it is and what its culture is. Assumaing a 33/33/33 split, 25 Hides from arable farming, 25 Hides from sheep herding and 25 Hides from cattle herding means the clan has 2500 sheep and 500 cattle.

Some will have more, some will have less. A clan with a magical Bull might have fewer cattle of higher quality, or might have a massive number of cattle. Praxian Nomads would be 100% cattle, so would have the equivalent of 1500 cattle, for the same sized clan. 

As for richer or poorer clans, if you have more hifage than needed to support your clan, then your clan is rich. If you have less hidage than needed to support your clan then you are a poor clan. However, other factors might come into play. A seemingly poor clan might have a small herd of magical cows that produces 10 times the normal amount, so each cow is worth 10 normal cows, so they might be a rich clan. A seemingly rich clan might have to pay an exessive tax to the Lunars, which leaves very little for the clan, so making it a poor clan.

 

 

 

[Joerg]

Hidage for pasture comes in two varieties - pasture in your tula, used for making hay in the summer, and upland pasture where there are few if any permanent settlements for transhumant summer pasture, or plains outside of your immediate neighborhood where your herders drive herds to fatten them.

Cattle herded that far from the clan tula will be less able to provide milk, so there is a likelihood that cows with older calves will be kept close to the tula when they have milk to spare, and the rest of the lifestock will provide milk to the herders and possibly conserved as cheese, butter or similar occasionally brought home by clan folk visiting or when personnel shifts.