Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[SageHill]

Oh Geeze. I was thinking you’ve got another bottle calf. Now gf goes and takes it. . Dang.

 

[Mini Horses]

When the "cute" wears off in a month -- what happens then ???

 

[farmerjan]

When the "cute" wears off in a month -- what happens then ???

If it lives that long, and she doesn't drown it by feeding it wrong with the bottle...(holding it too high and such) when ever the cute wears off it will come to the nurse cow barn and I will have it to take care of...
Hoping the "cute and the I've got other things to do" wears off in the next week .....

Funny thing is, it was such a "plucky" little thing and was so good about taking that first bottle... first time I have had trouble sleeping worrying about a calf like that... just set wrong with me sooooo bad....

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday morning... down to 44 last night but today is supposed to be the start of a big warmup...
Hazy sun out there, a real bright grey skies with the sun sorta forcing it's way through...

Got to go up and feed the bottles in just a little bit...

If the wind lays down more today, I want to try to do some work outside. I'm just in a bad mood about the calf...

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm sad about it too. BUT given her past, I'd be surprised if it's something she'll do a full week. Just hope she'll say it's a bad idea fast.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday eve... it is like middle of June out there... Temps hit 82 on the recording thermometer... but there has been a very strong brisk "breeze" out there today... so not "too warm" by any means. I got the hanging pots up on the chain so they are off the ground... will plant them when it warms up and is going to stay warm.... trying to clean up the yard a bit.

Got the self propelled mower out and did a little bit around the peony plants... but my shoulder was giving me a fit today... and my right leg is really hurting... wonder if the adjustment the other day was too much??? It hurts to just barely walk on it... maybe I pinched the nerve in it somehow?

Attached the hose to the Y on the faucet... and the Y has a split... it was drained so don't know what that is all about but will have to replace it...not too bad a split so I did use the hose and filled all the 5 gallon buckets that need to be washed out... let the sun heat the water tomorrow or the next day... and get them washed out... can't wash them in the kitchen sink, won't fit, and too hard to do them in the tub since I cannot kneel on these knees..
......

Had the farm I was waiting to hear from, and figured they weren't going to test.....text me and want to test tomorrow......... so I had to change the brackets on 16 meters and load meters and hoses in the car. Brought boxes of bottles in and got the ones for tomorrow in racks, and did the ones for Wed aft herd also.... will need 200+ for Friday's herd but can rack them on Thursday... I will have to change 10 brackets back for Wed herd, then back for Friday's test....use 16 on Friday also... GRRRR...

Calves all did good with the bottles this morning, the big one plays with the nipple alot so a pita to feed, and one of the twins also has to play with it... drink a little spit it out, roll the nipple around in their mouth... all that silly stuff... the other twin gets on it and drinks it right down... I shoved them out the door into the sunshine today, I think they were afraid to step down from the barn... not much of a step but they were hesitant to do it... so I made them go out... sometime they went back in but at least they were out for a bit... they are more active than they were for a few days, so are adjusting better...

Noticed one of the calves that comes in for grain, was acting mopey and breathing hard. Got him in the barn this evening when I went to do bottles again, and managed to get him in the little area with the small head catch... pushed the one corral panel we keep in there; like a chute, against the wall and wedged him into the head catch... he is too small for it to hold him, with the holes that are drilled to slide the big bolt through to hold the 2x4 against their neck; but I managed to hold it tight against his neck and gave him a sq shot with the other hand in his neck skin... don't want to lose him... I am thinking a resp thing... maybe pneumonia??? Hope to see improvement in a day or 2... will try to get him in for a 2nd shot along about Wed if possible... he didn't seem too traumatized about it so that was good... but I think it was because he didn't feel good... still some really fight you even when they can barely stand... but he is used to coming in the barn during the day and "lounging" around in there. Still haven't remembered to take any sq bales up there for them....

Got a bunch of feed bags stuffed into a couple of others... they are paper with a plastic liner... so can't use them in the garden... they can get burned with the brush pile .... IF it ever gets done... It has been too windy lately to do it...

Making a list of things to do when I go through town tomorrow... and can do anything else on Wed or Friday....

DS called to talk about moving cattle out to pasture and who is going where.. and said calf ate good last night and this morning... I said to remember to not hold bottle up too high... he said yeah, so the milk doesn't get in the lungs... so maybe he will get through to her...... been hashing out what pastures, how many, and who goes where... cows with little calves to get bred, bred dry cows to some other places... no heifers to one place because the neighbor's bull won't stay home, and we don't need some bred that are too small... I have to update the list of what he moved yesterday... see what I have at nurse cow pasture that needs to go out with "cow" bulls and not get bred to the easy calving bull... got to take 5 to the pasture here close that the guy wants something in there to eat the grass... and what is he going to take to WV in a couple weeks... we don't have enough heifers at this point by the looks of it... and too many fall calving cows to have to figure out where they are going to be... Got all the ones with the nov/dec calves from this past year that need to be preg checked so can determine who is going where... because they are not going to go out with the current calves on them and the calves not get pulled off in time for the cows to calve again, like this past year... I want to pull all the calves that need to come off, whether the cows are bred or not... and he is not wanting to do that...

Have gotten 2 ticks off me and 2 others in the house...in the last 2 days...... one walking across the computer screen earlier... and one on the roll of toilet paper in the bathroom.... they must really be coming out... don't know if they are coming in on the cats fur or on my clothes or a combination... Makes you feel like you are crawling all the time.....

HATE TICKS.....

Going to go to bed early and see if this muscle/nerve pain in the leg gets any better...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Makes you feel like you are crawling all the time.....

Yikes!

 

[Baymule]

Give the cats flea and tick treatment! Maybe get a pest control to spray areas around the house too.

 

[farmerjan]

Posted in Coffee thread.... but the farm that has the funeral tomorrow just called and wanted to see if we could test end of the week... of course, I have all the days filled ... said I could maybe do it Thursday once I find out what time the mower is going to be delivered... or could do Sat... thinking Sat aft/eve... since they don't start til after 6... they said how about Sat morning.... won't have any extra help on sat evening....
SO....There goes my Sat all shot to he//.... Have to leave by 5:45 to get there to set up to milk by about 7:30... they are up to 80 going through with a slew of heifers that have calved... and the guy who was coming to look at the cows today has put it off again... so they want records on them all so they can call someone else that showed some interest... they want/need to get back down below 60... but this is the beginning of the eventual sell out.... this is the farm I might be able to get one from to be a nurse cow... especially one of the lower producers/older cows that might get bypassed for a dairy....

BUT, geeze Louise.... I will do the 200 cow herd on Friday... and have to go up there for them on Sat morning... and be on my feet up there for like 5 hours..... won't get home from there before 2 in the afternoon at least...

I think that when I find out on Wed what time the mower is going to be delivered on Thurs... if it is in the morning... I will call them and see if they will switch to Thurs eve.... I really would prefer it... but if the mower isn't coming until after 3, I have to be here to sign for it... and could not get up there in time for 5 pm milking...

I mean, who would have thought that all this would all have to happen all at the same time... I realize that they never thought about having to deal with her brother being killed in the accident either.... had originally planned/hoped to do them Mon or Tues....

Oh well, I keep saying the NICE thing about this job is the flexibility.... but it was meant as the flexibility on MY SCHEDULE....

Time to go get bottles fed, and get the last few things in the car and ready for leaving to go test this afternoon... have to stop and pick up the samples from the farmer I get milk from on the way since this is the farm his samples get run through with... got a list of some stuff that I need to do going through town too....

 

[farmerjan]

OH SH!T... Sat is the day I am supposed to take the cull cows, their calves to split off and the big holstein.... have to change it... can't put that off another week... and not going to ask DS to do it....will have to call the farm back... tell them I am committed to hauling cattle Saturday and forgot when they called... I will do them Thursday and make arrangements for the mower delivery... I think it will be fine but can get neighbor to come up if absolutely have to... so I don't upset the applecart with DS....

On top of that DS just called... wanted to know what time I was leaving to go to work... I said about noon or so.... he said, DAM...... GF called him, the calf won't eat, can he or I tube it???? WTF.... I told him ABSOLUTELY NOT... NO..... the calf is way too little, the tube feeder is too big for her throat, she is the size of a 30 lb lamb..... it will tear her up inside... "she" is all upset, she can't raise a bottle calf, they all die...BLAH BLAH BLAH... I told him to get it, take it to snyder's with the other ones. and I will deal with it after I get home from work.... to not try to feed it and let it get a little hungry... let the milk in it's stomach just digest and maybe pass through... hell, don't even know if it has had a bowel movement... any manure??? Pee ??? I am beyond P.O.ed....

Fed the bottle calves, the one I gave the shot to last night was in the barn with the holstein heifer twins and went to eating grain and several others came in the creep feeder.... came home... watered/soaked all the plants in the greenhouse on the deck... it is opened up since it gets so hot in there...got everything in the car except the 2 trays of bottles and ready to go out the door. I will see about getting some probiotic gel to give the calf and some electrolytes while I am out...I think I have some but will get some in case.... in case I can save it...

Better get in a better mood to go to work... not their fault I am so beyond MAD.....