Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

FarmerJanOsaurus, we love you anyway.

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday eve.... LOOOOOOOONG Day but a good one...

DS texted me about 8 :30 this morning, and said he was getting the cows from the "peterbilt field" across the lane and into the other field to come up to the barn. These are all the cows that have been calving this spring... so we could work the calves and give the blackleg vacc and then move them out to pasture. There are a couple that haven't calved yet, and 2 that I wanted to stick my arm up to check that we thought they lost (aborted) their calves..
He got them all but 1 that had just calved, calf was still wet.... and he left her there for the time being. Then, after getting the ones in the barn moved up back around the silo lot out of the way, GF went down through the field, opened the gates and started calling them. They started coming and I was up at the barn calling them up the hill to come in. Most came, there were about 8 that didn't come right in, but by then DS had taken the 4 wheeler around and in the far gate, and followed them into the field and got the gate shut. We shut the cows in the barn on one side of the big bunk feeder, and opened the gate up and I called again while DS and GF were behind them and "hazing them" up. There are a couple that don't like to come in so a PITA.... Then one realized that if she came she could get feed in the barn, and I called and then most all just turned around and came right up, and they came up pretty close to help "push" ( crowd) the last few and a couple calves in... Actually went pretty good considering.

So, then we started sorting them... putting some of the cows out in the front barn lot that have calves, sorting some out, that did not have calves, the 2 PITA , don't want to come in ones, and 2 of the heifers that are a little smaller... We went through, and got about 10-12 calves in the side, and got them around and up the chute... gave them all blackleg, banded the bull calves... put them out with the cows in the front lot... Then did that again, with another group... no sense in trying to do all them at once... easier to do smaller groups of 10 or so.... made a judgement call on a couple to put out or to keep back. Got another bunch of calves in to work and put them out, then did the last group.... It went quite smoothly considering...

By then it was nearly noon, so went to Wendy's and got some lunch. Came back to the barn and loaded up the first load and they headed to the pasture... In the meantime, I moved the "sorted off " group into the barn, and got the 2 that needed to be preg checked in the other side of the barn, and ran them up the chute... stuck my arm up to check for a calf... and the one DS was sure had aborted out at pasture was open... she will be beef this coming July/Aug.... she had a dead calf last year, bitter cold spell.... and so we gave her another chance...DS has been sure he saw afterbirth/discharge just before we got them home from the pasture in January... and I do not feel any kind of a fetus or anything... so that's it for her. Then there was my heifer, my longhorn's daughter... had been checked preg and then DS thought he saw her being ridden... I did not feel a calf in her either so probably slipped it... She will get a chance back with the bull at snyder's (nurse cow pasture) ..... this will be her 2nd and last chance... So not a good report but not unexpected either..

By the time they got back, I had done that and put them back together with the rest...
They loaded a 2nd load and headed out and I got some gates changed around ready for afterwards. They got back and we stuck the ones up the loading alley and went and got the cow with the twins, (she was the one I was going to graft the one twin on that cow that had lost her calf, but they never did "mother up" so gave the twin back to the cow after 3 days, and am drying up that heifer to get rebred also)......and brought her down the alley from across the driveway, and they worked the 2 calves in the chute and then loaded her and her 2 calves along with the rest that were going....I changed the gates around ..... then we brought the ones we had sorted off, and put them across the driveway in the "calving field"... with the couple others there... to get them out of the barn yard for now....trying to decide about the 2 that won't come in and where will be the best place to put them for being able to catch them at the end of grass season.....That way we could open up the gates across the driveway for them to go with the 3rd load...

They left, so then I went up in the back, and got the ones that had been in the barn and one field originally... and got them down the loading alley from the silo area out back... got them back in the one side of the barn. There is the steer we brought back that is "rough hair coated" and looked bloated, the 2 char young cows he bought that day, plus the 5 heifers that are going to the guy's place where we put the other ones in the lower field 2 weeks ago....plus my 2 holstein heifers and the hol steer the guy still hasn't come and gotten... he just keeps getting bigger... so not happy with this... last time I am going to sell him one. At the price I told DS, we could have taken him with the others to the sale and had him gone by now, check in my pocket and made more on him... The 5 heifers are going in the front field at the guys place...... And come to find out he called this morning and said DS could bring them this evening or in the morning since they were going to be gone today....

By the time they got back, I had that group back in the lot , and access to, the one side of the barn. Now when he calls them in tomorrow, he will be able to move the heifers easily to the guy's place.

DS and GF went down to tag the calf on the cow that had just calved... and she followed them across the field and into the barn field with the others, so everyone is out of the peterbilt field now... They are going to work on pounding posts in there and for a permanent cross/dividing fence. Now there are no cows there to be a pain , in the way... And there are none in the first barn field since we moved them into the 2nd field where there is all new fence... so DS had taken down the wire around field one, it was soooooo bad... and they will put in a bunch of new posts there and we will replace the wire there. It was totally stretched out and big holes where they had been putting their heads through it...
It helps to NOT have to deal with all the cows in there... It was great to get all these cows moved out to pasture... and will move most of the rest out as soon as the others calve... plus DS has to go around the fences down at his other farm that is near her house... before he can put anyone out there...

We got nearly .5 inch of rain yesterday eve and last night. That was great... Good start to the pasture season... hopefully we will get more this month..

Chickens seem to still be getting along okay... Maybe by next week, I will have the the other 2 "shortened up" chicken runs done... so can separate them out to collect some eggs for hatching...still waiting for the "truss pieces" that the friend was going to get his carpenter to make.... Getting chicks will be late but that's okay with me... Going to give the little NH rooster the 2 so-so extra hens that I got from Douglas... this way he has some company... something to keep him busy while I just use the trio for breeding... unless they get to bullying him... If so, he will go back out loose and they will stay separated and I will switch the buff leghorn male back and forth so that he does not tear up the backs of the 2 hens I want to breed him to... Plus, if you take him out and then put him back in after a couple days, they are usually more active with the females so will tread them better..."new hens, new and enticing"....so better fertility many times.

Then, DS and GF had to go to ball games for the kids... and I stayed at the farm and pulled staples and cut the wire off 5 more posts that DS had just untangled.... last of that "rolled up pile" of posts. One post was a brace post so the wire was double stapled... so in essence did 6 posts worth... There is one more pile left that the guy had dumped there... Probably about 20 or so posts... it is a smaller pile...

Hopefully this will give me a good number of posts for here at the house... I am going to have them put them 16 ft on center and use a T-post inbetween. There won't be the same "pressure" on this fence so should be able to get by with using a T-post inbetween to keep the wire spaced and all... Plus at 16 ft, I can still put a board on top if I want to...DS had said they were doing 12 ft spacing on some of the runs of fence, at the farm, and the ones right along the first couple barn lots were 8 ft on center due to all the "pressure" of weaning calves and working cattle" and such, that gets "pushed" against those fences. I will not have big cows like that pushing on the fences, here, so don't need the "heavy duty" frequent posts.

Still hoping that I can buy another couple acres from the owners, off the Christmas tree lot side where they cannot grow trees since it is often too wet... and they do not use it for parking. All they do is mow it when it is not too wet...... Then would just run another fence straight down closer to their driveway into the Christmas tree lot, and down over the hill to square the property up a little better on that end... give the house more land too... Maybe next year????

So, I am done, ready to get a shower and go to bed. I ache from being on my feet for most of the day since 9 a.m...... and muscles ache from the staple pulling too....
I need to get the grass mowed, hope to do it tomorrow... Then get the plants from @fuzzi, planted... Going to put some more in a couple of big tubs since I want to put the irises along a yet to be put up fence across the front of the house... I need some soil since I am afraid of the stuff that came from the calf barn last year and I got all those stunted plants from the manure from some of the hay that he had sprayed the year before. I am not going to go through that again... so will bring in some "bagged dirt" and then it can go out in the garden area when I plant these out in a permanent place... I need some fresh for the planters, and after last years' disaster with the stunted and mis-shapen plants from using some of the calf barn manure... I do not want to take that chance again.

Got to get things all cleaned up to till the garden in a couple weeks... and get it planted...

Then, there is hay making going to start in 2 +/- weeks, and getting the other cows with last fall's calves, preg checked and the calves weaned off... start all over again....

 

[Baymule]

That was a FULL day! Plus pulling staples out of posts, that’s a lot of hard work. You are getting closer to having your place fenced in!

 

[farmerjan]

Chilly morning to start again... 49 on the recording thermometer... It was down to 46 yesterday. It is breezy out, see the trees/shrubs moving a bit. Supposed to warm up to the mid 70's today but then clouding up and some rain/showers coming in for tomorrow. Not a huge rain, just spotty showers here and there again as the front moves through. Nice by the weekend.

There isn't any place that does not ache this morning... but getting up and moving around. Dishes to put away out of the dish drainer from yesterday... eat some breakfast since my stomach is growling this morning... then go from there. Really want to get the mower out and get that done today after the sun comes up and dries off the dew.
Dr appt for DS tomorrow and a trip to Rural King since I am almost out of feed at the barn for the calves that are coming in. Hoping to lure in the new babies up there so we can get them and their mothers out to a pasture for the summer with more grass. We'll see.
Got a farm scheduled for Friday aft... I am pretty sure this is the weekend that the farmers milk at the one that I do on "their weekend" so got to check. That will be Sat or Sun afternoon...

Stomach is really growling.. gotta get some breakfast; then get my rear in gear and get "going" ....

 

[fuzzi]

Tuesday eve.... LOOOOOOOONG Day but a good one...

DS texted me about 8 :30 this morning, and said he was getting the cows from the "peterbilt field" across the lane and into the other field to come up to the barn. These are all the cows that have been calving this spring... so we could work the calves and give the blackleg vacc and then move them out to pasture. There are a couple that haven't calved yet, and 2 that I wanted to stick my arm up to check that we thought they lost (aborted) their calves..
He got them all but 1 that had just calved, calf was still wet.... and he left her there for the time being. Then, after getting the ones in the barn moved up back around the silo lot out of the way, GF went down through the field, opened the gates and started calling them. They started coming and I was up at the barn calling them up the hill to come in. Most came, there were about 8 that didn't come right in, but by then DS had taken the 4 wheeler around and in the far gate, and followed them into the field and got the gate shut. We shut the cows in the barn on one side of the big bunk feeder, and opened the gate up and I called again while DS and GF were behind them and "hazing them" up. There are a couple that don't like to come in so a PITA.... Then one realized that if she came she could get feed in the barn, and I called and then most all just turned around and came right up, and they came up pretty close to help "push" ( crowd) the last few and a couple calves in... Actually went pretty good considering.

So, then we started sorting them... putting some of the cows out in the front barn lot that have calves, sorting some out, that did not have calves, the 2 PITA , don't want to come in ones, and 2 of the heifers that are a little smaller... We went through, and got about 10-12 calves in the side, and got them around and up the chute... gave them all blackleg, banded the bull calves... put them out with the cows in the front lot... Then did that again, with another group... no sense in trying to do all them at once... easier to do smaller groups of 10 or so.... made a judgement call on a couple to put out or to keep back. Got another bunch of calves in to work and put them out, then did the last group.... It went quite smoothly considering...

By then it was nearly noon, so went to Wendy's and got some lunch. Came back to the barn and loaded up the first load and they headed to the pasture... In the meantime, I moved the "sorted off " group into the barn, and got the 2 that needed to be preg checked in the other side of the barn, and ran them up the chute... stuck my arm up to check for a calf... and the one DS was sure had aborted out at pasture was open... she will be beef this coming July/Aug.... she had a dead calf last year, bitter cold spell.... and so we gave her another chance...DS has been sure he saw afterbirth/discharge just before we got them home from the pasture in January... and I do not feel any kind of a fetus or anything... so that's it for her. Then there was my heifer, my longhorn's daughter... had been checked preg and then DS thought he saw her being ridden... I did not feel a calf in her either so probably slipped it... She will get a chance back with the bull at snyder's (nurse cow pasture) ..... this will be her 2nd and last chance... So not a good report but not unexpected either..

By the time they got back, I had done that and put them back together with the rest...
They loaded a 2nd load and headed out and I got some gates changed around ready for afterwards. They got back and we stuck the ones up the loading alley and went and got the cow with the twins, (she was the one I was going to graft the one twin on that cow that had lost her calf, but they never did "mother up" so gave the twin back to the cow after 3 days, and am drying up that heifer to get rebred also)......and brought her down the alley from across the driveway, and they worked the 2 calves in the chute and then loaded her and her 2 calves along with the rest that were going....I changed the gates around ..... then we brought the ones we had sorted off, and put them across the driveway in the "calving field"... with the couple others there... to get them out of the barn yard for now....trying to decide about the 2 that won't come in and where will be the best place to put them for being able to catch them at the end of grass season.....That way we could open up the gates across the driveway for them to go with the 3rd load...

They left, so then I went up in the back, and got the ones that had been in the barn and one field originally... and got them down the loading alley from the silo area out back... got them back in the one side of the barn. There is the steer we brought back that is "rough hair coated" and looked bloated, the 2 char young cows he bought that day, plus the 5 heifers that are going to the guy's place where we put the other ones in the lower field 2 weeks ago....plus my 2 holstein heifers and the hol steer the guy still hasn't come and gotten... he just keeps getting bigger... so not happy with this... last time I am going to sell him one. At the price I told DS, we could have taken him with the others to the sale and had him gone by now, check in my pocket and made more on him... The 5 heifers are going in the front field at the guys place...... And come to find out he called this morning and said DS could bring them this evening or in the morning since they were going to be gone today....

By the time they got back, I had that group back in the lot , and access to, the one side of the barn. Now when he calls them in tomorrow, he will be able to move the heifers easily to the guy's place.

DS and GF went down to tag the calf on the cow that had just calved... and she followed them across the field and into the barn field with the others, so everyone is out of the peterbilt field now... They are going to work on pounding posts in there and for a permanent cross/dividing fence. Now there are no cows there to be a pain , in the way... And there are none in the first barn field since we moved them into the 2nd field where there is all new fence... so DS had taken down the wire around field one, it was soooooo bad... and they will put in a bunch of new posts there and we will replace the wire there. It was totally stretched out and big holes where they had been putting their heads through it...
It helps to NOT have to deal with all the cows in there... It was great to get all these cows moved out to pasture... and will move most of the rest out as soon as the others calve... plus DS has to go around the fences down at his other farm that is near her house... before he can put anyone out there...

We got nearly .5 inch of rain yesterday eve and last night. That was great... Good start to the pasture season... hopefully we will get more this month..

Chickens seem to still be getting along okay... Maybe by next week, I will have the the other 2 "shortened up" chicken runs done... so can separate them out to collect some eggs for hatching...still waiting for the "truss pieces" that the friend was going to get his carpenter to make.... Getting chicks will be late but that's okay with me... Going to give the little NH rooster the 2 so-so extra hens that I got from Douglas... this way he has some company... something to keep him busy while I just use the trio for breeding... unless they get to bullying him... If so, he will go back out loose and they will stay separated and I will switch the buff leghorn male back and forth so that he does not tear up the backs of the 2 hens I want to breed him to... Plus, if you take him out and then put him back in after a couple days, they are usually more active with the females so will tread them better..."new hens, new and enticing"....so better fertility many times.

Then, DS and GF had to go to ball games for the kids... and I stayed at the farm and pulled staples and cut the wire off 5 more posts that DS had just untangled.... last of that "rolled up pile" of posts. One post was a brace post so the wire was double stapled... so in essence did 6 posts worth... There is one more pile left that the guy had dumped there... Probably about 20 or so posts... it is a smaller pile...

Hopefully this will give me a good number of posts for here at the house... I am going to have them put them 16 ft on center and use a T-post inbetween. There won't be the same "pressure" on this fence so should be able to get by with using a T-post inbetween to keep the wire spaced and all... Plus at 16 ft, I can still put a board on top if I want to...DS had said they were doing 12 ft spacing on some of the runs of fence, at the farm, and the ones right along the first couple barn lots were 8 ft on center due to all the "pressure" of weaning calves and working cattle" and such, that gets "pushed" against those fences. I will not have big cows like that pushing on the fences, here, so don't need the "heavy duty" frequent posts.

Still hoping that I can buy another couple acres from the owners, off the Christmas tree lot side where they cannot grow trees since it is often too wet... and they do not use it for parking. All they do is mow it when it is not too wet...... Then would just run another fence straight down closer to their driveway into the Christmas tree lot, and down over the hill to square the property up a little better on that end... give the house more land too... Maybe next year????

So, I am done, ready to get a shower and go to bed. I ache from being on my feet for most of the day since 9 a.m...... and muscles ache from the staple pulling too....
I need to get the grass mowed, hope to do it tomorrow... Then get the plants from @fuzzi, planted... Going to put some more in a couple of big tubs since I want to put the irises along a yet to be put up fence across the front of the house... I need some soil since I am afraid of the stuff that came from the calf barn last year and I got all those stunted plants from the manure from some of the hay that he had sprayed the year before. I am not going to go through that again... so will bring in some "bagged dirt" and then it can go out in the garden area when I plant these out in a permanent place... I need some fresh for the planters, and after last years' disaster with the stunted and mis-shapen plants from using some of the calf barn manure... I do not want to take that chance again.

Got to get things all cleaned up to till the garden in a couple weeks... and get it planted...

Then, there is hay making going to start in 2 +/- weeks, and getting the other cows with last fall's calves, preg checked and the calves weaned off... start all over again....

The irises were from @canesisters , not me.

 

[farmerjan]

OOPS... I knew that because she had to tell me the name of the obediant plant again... I am sorry, @canesisters .... I didn't mean to slight you on that. I guess because @fuzzi was talking about doing all that planting I was saying one thing and thinking another.
Thank you for reminding me....

 

[canesisters]

I didn't even notice . I hope they do well for you.

 

[farmerjan]

Cows out this morning.... all along the road and the pond out in front of the pastures... had to stop a few going in the wrong direction, then got them to come to call down the alley between the bulls and the now empty peterbilt field where some of them had been before we worked them the other day. But can't be mad at them... gate to field was wide open and they just naturally followed the driveway down to the end,....where that gate is shut but there are no fences alongside it... just the bank on both sides.... driveway is the old abandoned RR bed so is raised up from surrounding ground; and trees and some weeds and brush....down the little bank to the lawn and the pond in front of Linda's house (we rent that half of the farm) and were grazing all along there and ACROSS the road for some nice tall tasty grass... went down the alley way between the bulls and the peterbilt field and called and GOD BLESS them, they followed me down there... So for now they are in the alley.. gate at the end is shut... it is maybe 1 tenth of a mile long so lots of grass to eat for now... Talked to DS a little bit ago... he had Dr appt but said it wasn't one I needed to drive so I didn't go... good thing it worked out that way.

55 overnight, 70 already at 9:30 this morning. sun out but going to cloud up later for some showers. Going to try to get the mowing done this morning and then get the feed DS picked up, taken up to the barn to put in before it gets wet. Then try get some of these plants planted if I can get to it... Will need to help DS get the cows out of the alley and back into the "calving field" back where they were. There were a couple still up there in that alley in front of that field.. and had to get one other through the little calf lot and back in there where she was behind the barn up above the pond area... but she did good and didn't get all panicky... not a real quiet cow so I was very pleased with her sensible actions this morning. She just wasn't sure what to do, but then I opened a gate and walked out in a wide circle around her and she thought of it for a minute and then calmly walked through that gate, to the end of that grass area and went around the open gate and back up towards the alley with the other 2 cows in there shut that gate and hopefully I got them all in... Did not see anyone else anywhere around there...

Way to get your morning started...

 

[farmerjan]

DS just called getting off the exit at the farm. So I will head down there in a couple minutes and help get the cows back where they need to be... then he is taking down the fence between the alley and the peterbilt field for them to drive posts... it is only attached in a few places now where he has taken most of the staples out already... So my day goes...

 

[canesisters]

OMG!!! One of my greatest fears - livestock loose .