Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[RR Homestead]

Wow. Prices are pretty good there still. They were down a bit here today and supply is way down. There was a fair bit today from a couple ranches going out of business. Was very sad to see. One pen of 5 black bred heifer shocked me a bit. They were 800 pounds a piece and 8 months bred. Heifers were definitely on the lean side. Mostly belly and bone. They still brought $1,700 a piece. I couldn't believe it. I was tempted to try and calve them out and flip them if the price was right since I'd be here anyways for a bit longer and we have the feed but at $1,700 per head I couldn't pull that trigger. Just one heifer loss at calving would take any profit out of the bunch in the time frame we're looking at at that price. I sure was tempted though.

 

[fuzzi]

Home from the sale... it was very good...

Got the clothes in and they were pretty much dry... put the flannel lined jeans over the shower curtain to dry a little, but the rest were good...

Got to the barn, DS sent a text and asked if I could carry water to 2 of the bought bull/steer calves as they obviously were not weaned when he bought them and they are pretty high headed....he would be back by 2.... they're looking for a way out/looking for momma.... something... So they are in the small pen in the barn at the back of the chute for a couple days right now... also fed them a couple sections of hay... The water spicket is in the barn so not a big deal... Had a clean 2 gal bucket there so carried 2 of them and it filled the partial bucket they had... The one is the one we had to catch yesterday morning... the other is just real real Flighty acting... hoping this will help to calm them down a bit to be contained and dependent for feed and water...

So, I went in the barn lot... DS had fed silage in there... and the cows/calves were eating... mostly lounging as he had fed it a couple hours earlier. Some of the cows were in the barn.... and some calves. I walked the rest of them back into the barn.... and then as a few cows were wanting to come out to the water trough, I would open the gate partway and let them walk past... got most all the calves on one side of the barn so I could more easily just quietly walk the cows out... and next thing, I had all 9 out of the barn... so I put the calves all over on one side, closed the dividing gate, and opened the barn again for the cows if they wanted more to eat... These cows are very calm and most were pretty old... so not like they were going to get bent out of shape... The one open young cow and her calf stayed over with the calves... so that was fine...
He had been in the dump truck, dumped a load of stuff so it did not freeze in the upcoming COLD snap..... then was working on the lights on the one truck... figured to get it done while it was still "decent out" temperature wise as it is supposed to drop like a rock.... so when he got done, he said I guess we should go... so he got them up the loading alleyway... shut the gate, got the calves all moved over to where they had all been together... and opened the other side of the barn to the ones they brought home yesterday so they could all come in and eat silage... This helps cut down on the hay, and gets the calves accustomed to trying whatever mom is eating in the bunk... find out it's pretty good stuff... and in a week/10 days or whatever... when we move the cows out that are bred.... the calves already know what the silage is and the transition is better....easier...smoother......They don't lose as much weight from the "separation anxiety" because they will eat instead of bawling and walking the fence as much....
Hey, doesn't everyone read about eating as a way to deal with things... "comfort eating" that sort of thing? Well, the calves will substitute eating to an extent if they already know what it is..... so it is a "replacement" for momma..... and everyone else is eating..... so I should eat too???? Monkey, see, "monkey do mentality".

Anyway, there will be some hollering tomorrow... it is normal, but they will get on with life...

So we loaded them up, and left...got up there, unloaded and I noted each one that went on the scale to keep track... The smallest was 895 lbs... the biggest was the fat first calf heifer that did not breed back.. after 2 tries. 1230 lbs... My cow weighed 940 and the others weighed 970; 1000, 1020, 1155, 1165, 1210... For the most part our mature cows average in the 1050-1200 range...
The worst we got was $115.00, the best was my cow $177.50.... Very very well pleased with the results.... that was $1150 to $1795 ... for cows that were not bred and most were old cows... except the fat first calf heifer... she brought the 1795.....
Used to be if you got $300-500 that was decent.... Times sure have changed... They averaged about $1430 a head....
BUT, the averages are the same... used to be it took 2-3 cows to buy a replacement... now it still takes 2 -3 cows to buy a replacement...just the numbers are A WHOLE LOT BIGGER......

They also sell baby calves... holsteins brought $10.50 / lb for 104 lbs avg...... thats over $1,050 EACH... some that weighed 89 lbs avg... brought 12.00 /lb... some smaller singles brought in the $400-700 by the head... a couple of jersey/ang crosses brought over $250... they were little and fine boned...

There were ALOT of people that showed up for the bred cow sale... couple had calves on the ground... mostly breds... and not alot of them.... like maybe 100 total...
One had the 500 lb calf by her side... they sold her and then sold the calf off her by the pound... got him for a decent price... there weren't the "calf buyers there".... so one odd calf would be more in people's way than not... the people hurt themselves to split him off but I understand taking her in on this sale day.... so DS got him for about $500 LESS than he paid for the ones that are similar, this past monday...
CALF is tea totally P!SSED OFF , being separated from momma... so will go in the pen with the other 2 for a few days.... NOT chasing him all over the neighborhood....he will slide right in with other ones we have and match well... We did not buy any cows... 4 that we liked, were friendly in the pen, hol/ang crosses , brought over 3700 each....

So we came home and DS was going to put him in the barn pen and I came home... I am feeling this continuing "bug"...

I'm going to try to get some sleep... in the chair.... too much congestion... I think I have bronchial pneumonia... have a dr appt for Tuesday morning.... It's fairly loose and I cough alot , but it is rough to breathe if I do much of anything..
500 cow herd to test tomorrow....

Going to get the jersey cow and the new calf on Sat since we have the vet check on Friday and I think I will be too wiped out... plus we will might move some cows around after the preg check, once we know the status....Hope there are not too many opens in this group. Or wait for Sunday to move them...

This way he can bring them to snyder's and drop them off in the barn lot... and I have to catch the bigger white spkld steer that is going for butcher... and he will stay in the trailer ...because he will push his way out of ANYTHING.... he will come in but will not stay in anywhere... DS can deliver him on Sunday to the butcher and they have small very stout pens with a roof so he can't jump out either... so drop the cow/calf... I will get him in and DS can load him and that will be it...

Guy is supposed to come get the angus bull that we have for sale on Friday also....
I am not going to test the farm I cancelled last Sat... too much to do with the jersey cow/calf... plus too worn out feeling... maybe get him in the 24th.... got a full week scheduled 19th-23....

First thing... some rest tonight I hope...

Please get more rest. If you have bronchitis or pneumonia you will have to rest. I've had both, hate that weak knees exhausted feeling.

 

[murphysranch]

Is that like the old walking pneunomia?

 

[Mini Horses]

Yeah, the kind that doesn't get bad enough to put you in the ICU, just makes you wish you were there.

It's been bad enough, long enough....please get to a doctor for some meds. You don't have time for this!! Good grief, the cows need you well.

And you're out in the cold & wind with today's vet check. I get it!!! We do what we gotta do -- but you can't do for everyone else if you're down sick.

 

[drstratton]

Worried about you and praying for you Jan.

 

[farmerjan]

Thanks to everyone, but Worrying doesn't do anything except give you the headache... I quit worrying about things I have no control over...
Dr appt Tuesday morning... It was a regular appt that was scheduled for last Wed, Jan 7th, at noon... and we had the vet check that day so I had it rescheduled... I saw no reason to go in for just this coughing/congestion/ etc and then go back for a regular scheduled appt....
I am pretty sure it is still the bronchitis that she said I had the last time, several months ago... and the allergy pills she had me taking, for 90 days did nothing, and not taking the tick diseases more seriously has me pretty down on the whole bunch anyway... but maybe this cough/congestion has been long enough, and is bad enough, to actually put me on something to get rid of it... might be bronchial pneumonia... yeah... walking pneumonia.....
I am resting inbetween things that have to get done...

It was 13 this morning... cloudy, cold, breezy, just DA#@ COLD.... recording thermometer said it hit 33 .... maybe for a minute????

Vet check was okay... not great...12 opens.....2 were OLD cows (no teeth), 1 had a few teeth.... and 1 was a bought heifer he just got that is a fence jumping nutcase and she is leaving ... beautiful heifer but a crazy bi$#h..... but then, analyzing it...6 of the other 8 were all at snyder's after they had their first calves... with a bull, then moved out to this pasture... and was only with the bull out there for 2 weeks before we pulled that bull.... SO... can't blame those 6..... The funny thing is the bull that was in there, with those 6... also had 20 heifers in there...AT THE SAME TIME... and only 3 of the 20 were open.... .... so he didn't like the ones that had calves but preferred the virgin heifers?????
Makes no sense... so although DS was royally P.O.ed... after discovering that all 6 were from the same place... he made the decision to move them plus the 2 other cows... out with Roscoe for the next 30-45 days .... If they get bred by Feb 28th they will calve by Dec 5th.....

If they had been preg checked in Dec like I wanted... they would have been back with a bull for 45-60 days....already....

Most all the cows were 5-6 months... a few were 4-5.... Can't blame the 6 on the bulls at the pasture in Aug Co... because the bull was in there only 14 days more, after these went in there, because we figured they were already bred...
All 4 of the cows he bought back several months ago because they had steer calves that would match ours, were bred so that is pretty good... 3 were 5-6 , 1 was 4-5 .....

So all the pregnant ones were moved out to the hill pasture at the barn... In a couple days, he will move them around back, and then to the autumn olive field until the first of March when they will come back to the calving field...
The 3 old ones will get sold along with the crazy big hereford heifer...

ALL the calves got weaned and kept at the barn lot....There will be alot of hollering for a couple days.... but they are all pretty big calves so not a hardship for them to be weaned....

We also worked the 8 bull calves he bought last Monday... one was already a steer.... so they are banded... except 1... we cut the band off because he was staggering around after the banding... we were concerned as never had any do that... usually they would go lay down.... so we were very concerned... thinking a possible reaction to a shot... or something... so eliminated the band.... will watch him for a couple days... and if he acts normal again... he will get rebanded... might just be a "woose" for the initial banding pain.... in 20 minutes it is all over... it cuts off the circulation that fast... just never had one staggering around so much like that...
Vet was scheduled for 12:30... got there at 1..... he was gone by 2:15..... he had a student from VA Tech vet school with him... nice "kid"... think he would make a good vet.... they do alot of "ride alongs" to get the feel of going to farms and such...

The red cow that was hurt... turns out she broke her pelvis... they could feel the way it moved inside... OF COURSE she is 6 months... he said 40% chance she could have it okay.... I want to give her the chance... she is getting around a little better... think her muscles/ligaments are strengthening... it is up to DS but if we watch her close, and there is a problem, it might have to be pulled....but I see no reason to kill her at this point...

Both cows that had twins are bred 5-6 months....

The bull that the 6 were all open is the bull that we were supposed to sell... so we are going to get him checked this coming Tuesday, 20th.... the guy called and could not make it this morning which was good.... because if for some reason he is no good... we would not want to sell him as a breeding bull..... so this will give us peace of mind, if he is good, then they have a current BSE (breeding soundness exam) ... and if he is not good, then we don't want to sell him for breeding... obviously.... Better to be sure after the scare with these 6 opens..... yet most of the heifers were bred.... one of those scratching your head deals...

 

[farmerjan]

I posted that so I did not accidentally lose it...

I thought I would be done at the barn by 4... but with moving the cows, then the 8 to the pasture with the bull, then working the bulls into steers... it was 6 by the time I got back to the house... made a bottle real quick and went to snyder's to feed the calf... then home for the night. Way more than I planned... and hopefully I will sleep good. Tomorrow DS is taking Colt to the farm show here... see lots of big fancy tractors and such... then going from there, to get the cow and calf from the dairy. I said I was not going to go because I didn't think I could do all that walking... I will call the farmer in the morning and tell him what time DS is thinking to get there... 12-2... and that I am not coming due to feeling not so great still... Will have to deal with her and the calf when they get here... I will get the steer in that he is taking to the butcher, since he is such an SOB about getting out of things... just going through whatever he can to get back out loose... he is fine about coming in...just will not stay in unless it is fort knox..... so I will get him in and have things ready for DS to unload the cow and then just load him up... he is going to stay in the trailer for 24 -36 hours with some feed and water... so he CAN'T get loose... and go to the butcher.....

So, it is going to be a hot shower and something to help curtail this coughing... I've had enough...

 

[Baymule]

You have had this crud long enough. It is not going away. Time to suck it up and go to the ER, doctor, clinic, or SOMETHING. Pitch a crazy cow high headed wall eyed FIT and make that idiot doctor test you for all the tick diseases, whether he thinks so or not. I hate Dr God doctors, the kind that knows everything and pays little to no attention to what you say. If need be, go to a different doctor. It is way past time for you to get over whatever it is that you have, it ain't gonna happen by itself.

 

[farmerjan]

Got up to a skiff of snow... They had said it was a possibility. down to 29 already up to 35 at 9:30.

Talked to the farmer... he has 2 bull calves he is going to send with the jersey cow... one was a hard pull and he said if it makes it it makes it.... I'll see what I can do. DS will pick them up about 1 or so...

Going in to make some oatmeal and see how that settles...

Dr appt tuesday morning...

 

[drstratton]

If you still don't get any satisfaction from your Dr and decide to find a new one, look for a DO, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) They look at the whole body and don't just treat single symptoms. I wish all doctors were trained that way.