Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Langshans are at DS in one of his coops after I had that da#@$d coon that got in, and before I went to have the ankle done. Then when I was ready to bring them back, off the crutches and all, even though the boot was awkward, the deal on the house came up and it made no sense to move then again. Have to redo the wire on the 2 "chicken tractors " that I used for them. So, much as I hated to not have them here, it made more sense to leave them there since it is not much more work to take care of that pen of them along with his O.E. game show birds. Since Jim has been staying at his house and taking care of the chickens and the sheep is part of his "gratis" along with work at the farm.... I just decided to not upset the applecart with DS. They are doing fine, I have checked on them several times.
Taking out a 1/2 gal of water at a time will be alot better than filling the 5 gal waterers a couple times a day.

So, after I get in here full time, I will see about moving them up here. I have a TSC chicken coop with run, that I got for next to nothing when they lost one of the "boxes".... you know box 1,2,3 of 3; and box 2 is missing..... and then the mgr found box 2 a couple weeks later out in a storage "pod"; and called me (she is a friend and we make hay for them for their 15 beef cows) and told me to come get it. Since it had been written out of the inventory, I got it for no extra cost. The whole thing cost me $50. Couldn't buy the wire for that. It is one of the biggest ones they had available 2 years ago. So I am going to put it together and get them here, then redo the wire on the moveable coops and then I can use them for hens with chicks or other birds too.
Besides, after the hawk going after the meat birds, I didn't want to lose any of the purebreds.... I was going to let them run with the meat birds but am glad that I didn't.... And 2 days ago, someone hit and killed a BIG raccoon right in front of the house.... glad that I am not dealing with that right now. Some days I leave before dark so locking them in would be something I would have had to accommodate....at least if I am here full time, there will be more of my "presence" to help deter and I will be able to lock up at dusk most nights...except for when I am working.

Never planned to have the meat birds this fall/winter with trying to get situated. But you do what you have to.

Came in to sit for a few and eat a sandwich. It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL DAY.... Sunny and a little breeze but it is nicer than I expected....so I got 2 loads of clothes hung and am doing some more. Makes more room in the utility room so I can stack more stuff from the other house. I have been sorting all the china stuff and getting that all situated.... Leaving some stuff in the original boxes and putting into the storage end of the cabinet. There is no access to it except through the cabinet, but can't be seen so as good a place to store the extra's. Been a b@$#h getting up and down the ladder but I am getting it done slowly inbetween the laundry and getting boxes out to the truck.
Washed out the truck bed too. So now I can bring up other stuff and not worry about it getting dirty or in the chicken manure from the crates. All that is on my knees alot.....so needed a break. Ready to go out and hang the rest of the clothes.

 

[Finnie]

Oh, I’m glad someone else is taking care of the Langshans for you! You just hadn’t mentioned them in a while, so I didn’t know if you still had them. Langshans are one of my absolute favorites.

 

[farmerjan]

Love both my Langshans and the New Hampshires. I used to have Langshan bantams and would like to get some again, and I really want some NH bantams. Maybe the poultry swap down near Richmond will have the spring swap and I can get some NH bantams and add some new blood to the big NHamps and the Langshans since my numbers are so far down from the predation and then not hatching anything this past year with the ankle replacement and then moving.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday eve..... Nice day after a chilly mid 20's start.... but nice and sunny. I loaded a bunch of boxes and brought them up to the house. Brought the clothes in off the line while the sun was out and they all smell SOOOO good. Got the truck unloaded and knees are telling me about being on them all day....
I have almost all the Liberty Blue china in the cabinet. Some extra pieces are in original boxes so I will leave them boxed for now. Have to get the glassware up that was in the other cabinet. I have some real nice, INEXPENSIVE winter glassware.... it looks like etched winter trees .... I think it is a libbey pattern if I remember, and I really like it. Not fancy but rather classy. I also have some that is cute with a winter scene horses/sleigh/winter village, in colors. Fun.
So glassware needs to go up and then I will be done with that.

Moving the 2 shelf chest in the bedroom to I can bring up the sewing table. Done with the sewing/patching down there. Got a big box of misc patching fabric, and any other sewing stuff up here. Just have to get the drawers out and the sewing machine loaded and then the table and bring it up.... Probably tomorrow.

Have to go get the chickens tomorrow. Then we are going to preg check tomorrow afternoon.

DS got the 6 cows with calves, that were at the barn, worked and moved to the pasture with the other cows we did the other day. Bull went in with them so hopefully they will start cycling and they will get bred back and will calve in a tighter window next year.
That would be the last of the cows with fall calves..... anyone that calves now will get moved to the spring group. Since the spring group should start in March.... they will only be a little ahead of them. So they ought to breed right back.

Not much else to report. Weather is supposed to be decent all week and then maybe colder next weekend. Don't think they are looking for all the "weather event" they were hinting at. Just colder....As long as we don't get a bunch of miserable cold rain.

Time to get a few things done here and head down the hill.

 

[Baymule]

We have snow, still snowing. Looks like we are gonna get 3". Tomorrow is a high of 43, so it will be melting. Tuesday and the rest of the week will be sunny. I like snow Texas style!

 

[farmerjan]

Monday.... Cloudy and gloomy, cold this morning. 25. It was actually down to 22 Sat night/Sun morning. It was nice during the day yesterday.
But today is cold and we started getting some snow about noon/1 p.m. It is pretty raw cold and damp out there.
I got up and left to come up to the new house as I had a couple of phone calls for work... things that I needed to make calls to get solved. I am so sick of our gen mgr as the one farmer said he has not been able to get ahold of her.... doesn't answer e-mails.... finally I talked to him, then got the info he wanted... then gave him a phone # of the lab in PA, that he was able to talk to them and get the bill straightened up so he can pay and get tested. He is the farm that called to offer me the right to cancel with his wife's mom and grandmother having the virus, grandmother passed away and the mother went into the hosp. She also has since passed away. Sad but they both had health problems, the mother was a smoker also....
So got that straightened up. Called a couple other farms, got the one that needs another test for the high scc..... that I have gotten by default.... only milk samples..... Will do him Wednesday morning.... have to set up, but they don't start milking until 8-8:30 a.m. Another farm said they are in "quarantine" due to exposure so can't test them this week even though I have been exposed and have no real fears of it.... I am sure that I had it, and DS had it and was around him working cattle and at the holidays.... But they are good to go this weekend so will do them next week.
My 200 cow jersey herd wants to test on Thursday.... cancelled the pool PT since I have to leave before my appt and they don't have an early appt and nothing else open this week. That's fine. Got that other one set up for Sat morning.... no set up at either of them.
Heard from the one farm that the milk price projection for Jan/Feb /March is DOWN to 16.50/100 lbs. Right now it is right at 19.25/cwt(100 lbs.) and the hauling fees the milk companies are going up another $.50 per 100 wt..... For example an 80 cow dairy ships say 10,000 lbs every other day..... That figures out to $50 more per every other day pickup.... $750 a month.... on top of $3.00 LESS pay per 100 wt..... so that's $300 LESS pay per tank load.... on top of $50 per tank load more.... so if you figure that is $350 less per tank load x15 tank loads = $5250. 00 LESS money per month to pay bills with....
And that farmer told me that the milk hauling company said that they will be going up another $.50 /cwt in June.....

It is disgraceful that the milk price is back below what they were getting back in 1989 when the milk price was 17.50 and inputs cost half or less of what they are now.

 

[farmerjan]

Anyway.... went and got the chickens. The largest weighed 11 1/2 lbs DRESSED.... most were 9 lbs. m/l he said . Only 10 were below 7 1/2 lbs dressed. BUT, they are all in the freezer but 2 that the bags did not hold the vaccuum seal that I gave to Bonnie and she is making chicken and dumplins tomorrow and I am invited to dinner.... she is going to make chicken soup and chicken salad from them. She is going to put a couple of her cull hens in there with them since there is alot of meat and fat on these birds....
The chest freezer is nearly full.... Gotta find another freezer for here.

BIG DEAL with the rental. I told owner that I had a renter for him back when I paid the Dec rent....after he asked me if I knew of someone who wanted to rent it...... that they were going to have a baby in March, and had a dog.... which I had been told a dog was okay.... I have been there 10 years.... So when I paid the Jan rent, I left him a note with the check and I said I planned to be out Feb 1st, that I would work it out with her about the oil in the tank, and anything that I didn't have out yet..... that they wanted to get in before the baby came. I put the check in tractor like I always do....last MONDAY.... he WAITED til today, to call me and tell me that he wasn't comfortable with the idea of a little baby/child in the house, and that the dog was a problem because an inside dog makes a mess and an outside dog could chase the cows.....W T F........ so he wasn't going to rent it right now....and how were things going with the house and that I was welcome to stay there as long as I wanted.... how was the situation with the heating system.... I had mentioned that was part of why I wasn't going to be out the end of Dec..... plus how long it took to get the floors done.....and I AGAIN said that I couldn't afford to keep paying rent and a mtg payment.... and that I wish he had said something about not wanting to rent it to them when I mentioned it back in Dec.....and he said, well it is our decision and I said I understand that, but that I would have told my friends it was not available back then.....and he said well, he has been thinking about it and they are not comfortable with a child that could fall down the front stairs.....
That I knew how hard it was to heat and all the little quirks over all the years.....

I am SOOOOOO P.O. ed...... believe me, and then he asked was I going to have EVERYTHING out the first of FEB????? and I said I was going to try.... and he said well, he wasn't pushing me......
But that is going to put real pressure on the stuff in the storage building there and the cats..... I was going to get in here and then move that stuff.... and catching the cats to move some.....
All my fish tanks and the freezers, other stuff are in the closed in porch and the storage building..... and now since it is the 10th of Jan.....she was fine with the freezers still there and I said I would kick in some for the electric until they were moved.....
DS was going to move the storage building at his barn, that was mine at the house I was in previously, to this place next year....he put a new roof on it and it needs some siding replaced and the floor reinforced..... one reason to not buy a new one after all.....and then I was going to move the last of the stuff out of the other storage there to here. Got to get the trees down around the storage building here and the boxwoods gone.... so that it could get moved here....

I will not try to help him out with a renter and if anyone asks me, I will make sure that they know all the problems.
I also told the landlord that the oil delivery guy said that the furnace needs cleaning.... that it is poofing black smoke into the cellar when it kicks on.... He has never had it cleaned.....that is not my job... that is maintenance......

So that is my day. Going up to help with the preg check... have to put on the insulated overalls since it is so cold and damp.....

Asked Bonnie if she knew of any place and she said she might know of one that was not big enough for some people their church is helping, with 4 kids, but would be fine for a small family....she will get me the phone # .... maybe I can still help my friend....

Gotta go to the barn....Snow has pretty much stopped we are on the northern fringe.... nothing on the ground. Sun again tomorrow....

 

[Bruce]

It is disgraceful that the milk price is back below what they were getting back in 1989 when the milk price was 17.50 and inputs cost half or less of what they are now.

Sure is!

The largest weighed 11 1/2 lbs DRESSED

You sure they didn't sneak some turkeys in there???

they are not comfortable with a child that could fall down the front stairs

I believe someone invented the baby gate to keep that sort of thing from happening.

 

[Mini Horses]

Milk prices like that are really just NOT reasonable!! They need to change calculation methods. Really, if all these farmers are forced out of business, cows sold or butchered -- just where do they think milk will come from? This is so very disheartening in all respects. We could use less govt support for cars and more for cows!!

Your landlord is being an whole. Hope the house sits and rots for him.

I know you will be glad to exit that situation.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Milk prices like that are really just NOT reasonable!! They need to change calculation methods. Really, if all these farmers are forced out of business, cows sold or butchered -- just where do they think milk will come from? This is so very disheartening in all respects. We could use less govt support for cars and more for cows!!

Your landlord is being an whole. Hope the house sits and rots for him.

I know you will be glad to exit that situation.

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