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farmerjan
Herd Master
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Saturday morning... 40 to start, up to the 50's and low 60's ??? supposed to be partly sun and clouds, mild, then rain tonight and snow/rain tomorrow and the high is supposed to be MAYBE 40 !!!! Crazy.
Yesterday was okay. Left at 3:00 to go to work... set up their samplers, and they were milking at 4:30... They are at their max for cows, running the tank over at 52,000 lbs milk... they have been selling cows to try to not have so much milk... cows are producing an average of 92 lbs a day... Plus they are up to 550-560 cows...
It was a little sprinkley when we went, then poured down rain about 6 a.m..... then cleared off and was sunny by the time we left at 10 to come home... Stopped at the other farm and dropped off the reports and stuff...
Got home and DS went to the farm to do stuff... I came here and ate. Made the egg salad and ate on the sliced plain italian loaf... No reactions... so maybe this will work okay.... just not very big for sandwiches but doable... Next will be to see if it works with the egg yolk when I make sunny side up eggs for breakfast. It might also be the guar gum or xanthan gum in the other bread, which is an emulsifier... they are listed on my list of things that can cause reactions.....
.
Sun is coming up and there are clouds also... it is up to 50 already.
In between yesterday, when I first got home, I noticed the one bull right up at the fence corner/gate, at Grants next door. We wanted to get the bulls out from the cows, so that we are done with calving before the worst cold in the fall/winter..... and we/they had gotten all but one out at the farm so far. So I called him and asked if he wanted me to get him out through the gate into the catch lot and he said yes. Then he asked where the "limi" bull was and I said partway to the gate, but he had laid down... and when I got the other bull out, all the cows had come so there was no way I could get him up there and in through the gate by myself. The Limi has been limping really bad for about 2 weeks. Don't know if it was related to the bad weather/ice, something in his foot, strained muscle or what... You don't exactly walk up to him and start picking up feet. The 2 bulls have been in there together for about 6 weeks so not like they were fighting... they both were very chill when he put #21 in there to switch bulls, but could not get the limi out like we usually do... so just left them in together... I think the limi had most of them bred anyway... but we do a "cleanup bull" so that we don't have any train wrecks of a bull going "bad" and a bunch of unbred cows....
Anyway... I got 21 through the gate without any big deal, and he went to eating the "dead grass" in the lot.... and the cows worked their way up to the gate in the corner... The limi was no where in sight, then came up and about half way, on the flat there, closer to the back side of the lot , where there happens to be a gate... then just laid down when he didn't think there was anything of importance going on.... couple cows just laid down there near him.
DS called me a little later, and asked if I had any luck with the bull, I said yeah, 21 came right through the gate and all the cows are up in the corner there... and the limi was more than halfway up on the flat there, closer to the road than not, actually near the gate to the back side of the lot.... but had just laid down with a couple cows. I could not get him up near the gate to get him through without a bunch of cows... he asked if maybe he brought a couple sq bales to keep the cows occupied, could we get him through the back gate and I said it was worth a try.... So a little bit later, they came up with some sq bales... and of course the cows were all up there since they recognize the truck... it's the diesel engines, as they get interested when I start my truck... same engine as DS's trucks.... and they all came up there... he decides to throw a couple bales over the fence, GF went in to spread them a bit and the limi had gotten up and was headed towards us... so much for getting him in the back gate... so the cows and hay were down along the road fence, DS got his sorting stick and the limi was headed right for us... he just guided him towards the gate, and I opened it,,,, cows were more interested in their stomachs... and the limi walked right up and through the gate into the catch lot... could NOT have worked more perfectly.
So they went back, got the truck and trailer, came back with 3 fence panels... got 21 to go right in the truck without even having to close the panels behind him... locked him in the front section... then got the limi up to the trailer... of course he was going to be contrary... DS had grain for them... we held the panels up there... and then he turned around and DS crowded him with the panel and then he went right in.
He took them to the farm, he put the limi in with the 4-6 biggest steers in the back lot behind the silo, so that he will be easy to get in... and put 21 out in the bull lot... I called the vet to see when his next trip was planned for this area, there are a couple farms we try to schedule the same day so as to get a break on the travel... and it will be 3 weeks... they said if he has to schedule anyone else they will try to call us, we can get the limi in with an hour/2 notice if we are around the farm... The limi will be able to just relax and who knows, maybe the limp will go away if he just strained it and/or got something in the foot when the ice was so bad... DS said he is walking better than he was a week ago... I had noticed he was limping real bad a couple weeks ago... and he was walking better yesterday... still a limp but not near as pronounced... might just "heal its self".
Got the samples packed finally, and took them to UPS. DS had offered to take them but they were leaving the farm early because they had plans.... and I was not done with them yet. The bull catching, helping with the other one etc,, kinda side tracked my sample packing.
I was tired, there was a rodeo at the Lexington Va horse center, but I was too tired to go last night. Might go this evening... I said something to DS, about last night... but that is when he said they had plans... it is always such a secret as to "what plans" they have. And then I just decided that after getting up at 3 and working, I was too tired to stay out to 10-11 pm... even though it is only 15 miles away....
I am not even going to mention about going tonight... I might just go... hate to go all by myself..... but no one else here who is really into rodeo stuff... Deb is not coming out anytime soon... she texted the other day, and said she did not know when she was going to be back out... I know she is having alot of trouble eating and swallowing, this ALS diagnosis has really "hurt her"... and it is progressing so fast... also using a cane to walk as her balance is unsteady now... It is sooo sad for her... I look for her to have to take a serious hard look at things and maybe having to sell the farm here... she is not going to be able to take care of things... even getting up and down the stairs in the house... unless they can figure something else out for what this is... they have not been able to find anything so decided to call it ALS.... Lou Gehrigs disease... ALS is a miserable stealer of your life... And this has just taken over her body soooo fast.
Got a 2nd NH pullet egg last night... WHOOPPEE..... and one of the NH roosters is harrassing the langshan hen so they have got to get separated out... The one being a bit of a bully... I need to get them leg banded and see who is who... It's getting to be "spring" so they are starting to feel their "cheerios"... Past time to get the pens set up better... separate...
It is up to 60... nice looking out... Going to head outside... make sure the wind didn't take the vinyl off the top of the pen so they will stay drier tomorrow with the coming wet...
Yesterday was okay. Left at 3:00 to go to work... set up their samplers, and they were milking at 4:30... They are at their max for cows, running the tank over at 52,000 lbs milk... they have been selling cows to try to not have so much milk... cows are producing an average of 92 lbs a day... Plus they are up to 550-560 cows...
It was a little sprinkley when we went, then poured down rain about 6 a.m..... then cleared off and was sunny by the time we left at 10 to come home... Stopped at the other farm and dropped off the reports and stuff...
Got home and DS went to the farm to do stuff... I came here and ate. Made the egg salad and ate on the sliced plain italian loaf... No reactions... so maybe this will work okay.... just not very big for sandwiches but doable... Next will be to see if it works with the egg yolk when I make sunny side up eggs for breakfast. It might also be the guar gum or xanthan gum in the other bread, which is an emulsifier... they are listed on my list of things that can cause reactions.....
.Sun is coming up and there are clouds also... it is up to 50 already.
In between yesterday, when I first got home, I noticed the one bull right up at the fence corner/gate, at Grants next door. We wanted to get the bulls out from the cows, so that we are done with calving before the worst cold in the fall/winter..... and we/they had gotten all but one out at the farm so far. So I called him and asked if he wanted me to get him out through the gate into the catch lot and he said yes. Then he asked where the "limi" bull was and I said partway to the gate, but he had laid down... and when I got the other bull out, all the cows had come so there was no way I could get him up there and in through the gate by myself. The Limi has been limping really bad for about 2 weeks. Don't know if it was related to the bad weather/ice, something in his foot, strained muscle or what... You don't exactly walk up to him and start picking up feet. The 2 bulls have been in there together for about 6 weeks so not like they were fighting... they both were very chill when he put #21 in there to switch bulls, but could not get the limi out like we usually do... so just left them in together... I think the limi had most of them bred anyway... but we do a "cleanup bull" so that we don't have any train wrecks of a bull going "bad" and a bunch of unbred cows....
Anyway... I got 21 through the gate without any big deal, and he went to eating the "dead grass" in the lot.... and the cows worked their way up to the gate in the corner... The limi was no where in sight, then came up and about half way, on the flat there, closer to the back side of the lot , where there happens to be a gate... then just laid down when he didn't think there was anything of importance going on.... couple cows just laid down there near him.
DS called me a little later, and asked if I had any luck with the bull, I said yeah, 21 came right through the gate and all the cows are up in the corner there... and the limi was more than halfway up on the flat there, closer to the road than not, actually near the gate to the back side of the lot.... but had just laid down with a couple cows. I could not get him up near the gate to get him through without a bunch of cows... he asked if maybe he brought a couple sq bales to keep the cows occupied, could we get him through the back gate and I said it was worth a try.... So a little bit later, they came up with some sq bales... and of course the cows were all up there since they recognize the truck... it's the diesel engines, as they get interested when I start my truck... same engine as DS's trucks.... and they all came up there... he decides to throw a couple bales over the fence, GF went in to spread them a bit and the limi had gotten up and was headed towards us... so much for getting him in the back gate... so the cows and hay were down along the road fence, DS got his sorting stick and the limi was headed right for us... he just guided him towards the gate, and I opened it,,,, cows were more interested in their stomachs... and the limi walked right up and through the gate into the catch lot... could NOT have worked more perfectly.
So they went back, got the truck and trailer, came back with 3 fence panels... got 21 to go right in the truck without even having to close the panels behind him... locked him in the front section... then got the limi up to the trailer... of course he was going to be contrary... DS had grain for them... we held the panels up there... and then he turned around and DS crowded him with the panel and then he went right in.
He took them to the farm, he put the limi in with the 4-6 biggest steers in the back lot behind the silo, so that he will be easy to get in... and put 21 out in the bull lot... I called the vet to see when his next trip was planned for this area, there are a couple farms we try to schedule the same day so as to get a break on the travel... and it will be 3 weeks... they said if he has to schedule anyone else they will try to call us, we can get the limi in with an hour/2 notice if we are around the farm... The limi will be able to just relax and who knows, maybe the limp will go away if he just strained it and/or got something in the foot when the ice was so bad... DS said he is walking better than he was a week ago... I had noticed he was limping real bad a couple weeks ago... and he was walking better yesterday... still a limp but not near as pronounced... might just "heal its self".
Got the samples packed finally, and took them to UPS. DS had offered to take them but they were leaving the farm early because they had plans.... and I was not done with them yet. The bull catching, helping with the other one etc,, kinda side tracked my sample packing.
I was tired, there was a rodeo at the Lexington Va horse center, but I was too tired to go last night. Might go this evening... I said something to DS, about last night... but that is when he said they had plans... it is always such a secret as to "what plans" they have. And then I just decided that after getting up at 3 and working, I was too tired to stay out to 10-11 pm... even though it is only 15 miles away....
I am not even going to mention about going tonight... I might just go... hate to go all by myself..... but no one else here who is really into rodeo stuff... Deb is not coming out anytime soon... she texted the other day, and said she did not know when she was going to be back out... I know she is having alot of trouble eating and swallowing, this ALS diagnosis has really "hurt her"... and it is progressing so fast... also using a cane to walk as her balance is unsteady now... It is sooo sad for her... I look for her to have to take a serious hard look at things and maybe having to sell the farm here... she is not going to be able to take care of things... even getting up and down the stairs in the house... unless they can figure something else out for what this is... they have not been able to find anything so decided to call it ALS.... Lou Gehrigs disease... ALS is a miserable stealer of your life... And this has just taken over her body soooo fast.
Got a 2nd NH pullet egg last night... WHOOPPEE..... and one of the NH roosters is harrassing the langshan hen so they have got to get separated out... The one being a bit of a bully... I need to get them leg banded and see who is who... It's getting to be "spring" so they are starting to feel their "cheerios"... Past time to get the pens set up better... separate...
It is up to 60... nice looking out... Going to head outside... make sure the wind didn't take the vinyl off the top of the pen so they will stay drier tomorrow with the coming wet...
plus excellent meat. At store prices, I rarely eat steak. Plenty of pasture to raise but, back to time to grow out and amount there at butcher time. Yeah, I have goats. 
