Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Ridgetop]

Good idea - once it looks like it will survive just buy it. That will give him an out with her and you can raise and sell another moneymaker.

 

[farmerjan]

Wed night.... Temps were from 56 up to 78 during the afternoon. It started out more cloudy, then got some sun... some passing clouds but no precip worth mentioning... about 10 drops one time....

Last night calf did not want to drink... got maybe a pint in her, if that... but her ears were not cold and her mouth was cool but not cold....I did get another 5 gr squirt of probiotics in her and let her be... she was laying up like a calf does so not like she was out flat or anything...

Day didn't start out great, but got better... Little calf had some serious reddish manure... not like bloody from scours, but more like maybe mixed in irritation type brick reddish/blood??? Hard to describe. There was a small area of some scoury looking stuff too... but she got up and drank a 1/2 bottle so about a quart... I left her in the side where the hay is so she would not get outside and get wet if we got any thunder storms like they said we might...
DS texted and said the one guy called him again... he wanted the heifers there (NOW) since he told DS he had to mow the pasture "again"... they are fanatical nuts about it looking like a "beautiful lawn".... I mean ANAL about how it all looks... but it is close (1-2 miles from barn) AND FREE GRASS..... and they get used to people around so they get friendlier there.... so I got in the 4 at the nurse cow pasture that needed to go there... Called DS and said they were in the barn... he wanted to take 5 or 6 there since these are a little smaller than the 5 that were there last year... so, I waited for him to come with the trailer... said I was going home and wash the bottles and stuff... and would come to the barn before I had to leave for work...luckily I had most every thing in the car for testing except the long hoses and the tray of bottles was ready in the house....

They needed vacc and all... told him that the "200" numbers should be getting bred this year, but he said that 3/4 of the heifers there at the barn were "200" numbers... and he needed them to go to WV...and we looked at them and some are smaller than I want to breed them...so whatever comes home from pastures this fall, we will pick and choose and then breed some in Nov/Dec for early fall calves 2025.... don't like fall calves on heifers much... but I think they can calve out... and then we will hold them and not rebreed right back... hold them for 6 months and then breed in June for spring calves the following year... 18 months between calves but will get them on a spring schedule which is what we need....
Anyway, he had a few others in the barn too... and so we picked out 2 more and ran them through the chute and they got blackleg and Triangle 10 vacc and he was taking them to the guys place and I was leaving to go to work... Just realized they didn't get bangs vacc... and the ones going to WV won't either... some are over 1 yr and they have to be done before that... I wanted to get them all done as they get tattooed in their ear and it would be another way to identify them... s.o.b......Oh well, too late now to worry over it...

SOOOOOO, as soon as we ran them through the chute... which I basically did, because he had a phone call from a lawyer he was trying to get to work on his "disability/grievance" case from work... so he was bringing them up the chute while talking, but I did the shots and ear tagged the one and all that....I helped him load them on the trailer... and I left for work... I had some errands I wanted to do going through town on the way to test... trying to make these trips count more....

He was pretty unhappy too because that was the SEVENTH lawyer he had talked to and they all have said they were so backed up they couldn't help him... but he said several "backed off", when he mentioned who his employer was...he's gotten pretty down and discouraged and depressed over this whole thing from work.... and not wanting to go back.... 5 years and he will be eligible for full retirement which is about double what he would get if he takes early retirement and goes and finds another job instead... he is afraid that they are going to fire him as soon as he goes back...
Good news is, he called when I was heading to work... talked to a lawyer in Roanoke... her firm only handles these type of cases.... not fazed by his place of employment,,, and they are going to get him in for a consultation appt next Thursday... he sounds much better about it... PRAY it goes good... but at least he got a very positive response from them....

So I stopped at Dunkin for buckets... they had called... stopped at the bank... went to farm bureau(co-op) to get more corid which they still have some on the shelves (left over that they can still sell)... checked on some vaccine that they have had on back order... and still out... (luckily I have gotten 2 more bigger bottles of the Triangle 10... but wanted some Triangle 5 for the calves as they don't need the lepto added in at this age).... and the T-5 is cheaper than the T-10 too.... but anyway...went by TSC... got 2 of the Y connectors for the hose like the one that split, since Walmart and co-op didn't have them.... got some reduced daffodil bulbs on the rack when I was at the register... to plant so they will bloom next year... called the farm and made sure of the time and he asked if I was coming by the feed store... he needed a bag of layer crumbles... there is another branch store of the co-op, closer to him, so I stopped there (I had already left the one coming through town ) and got him a 50 lb bag of layer crumbles... and got to the farm...
Set up meters after I changed the brackets... which I hadn't had time to do yet... then we milked/tested...

I did remember to take my laptop so did all the "cow information" got the milk weights in, resolved some cows not accounted for... meters ran through the wash cycles, loaded up and came home.. Will print off what I need, and the reports for them, and drop off Friday since I will only be a few miles from them at the 200 cow herd.

Made bottles and got to the calves at dark... Lo and behold, the little one was up ... I fed the big ones, then went in, gave it a little to drink, and put 1 cc of corid down it's throat and gave it the bottle right back... She drank about a pint and a half... and when she started drinking 2 swallows and spit it out, then went back for 2 swallows... I said enough... gave the big one the rest (I had only made 3 1/2 bottles to take up there) and got out of there and back to house...

DID NOT get call about the mower... and the farm texted and now the ones wanting to look at/pick out the cows want to come Friday morning... so could we start earlier Thursday eve..... like 5 P.M. .... instead of their usual 6-6:30... so that means leaving earlier... so the mower had better get delivered before 3... I will have everything ready to go...
This has been a PITA week..... and it is not over....

I need a shower and wash my hair... even though I am going to test 2 more herds... if just needs washing... ugh....need to get up and get calves done before 8-8:30 , so I can be back here for when ever they call and or "show up"...and pack samples and print off the reports and take out long hoses and put in the more "medium" length ones for the next 2 herds.... do stuff like that....

It is supposed to be warm and pretty nice tomorrow... put a load of laundry in the machine, and will try to do a second load tomorrow to hang... Some possible showers on Friday so I could bring it in, in the morning before I go to work... will be leaving early on Friday also....and then hauling cows and all to the sale on Saturday....

And next Monday is the yearly MANDATORY meeting for work....online but have to register and all that... I don't have a camera on this old computer... but have to log in and be "online" for voice and to watch it.... ... and then the semen test for the bulls right here local.... Vet Tuesday at 8 A.M..... Ds is going to have to get the group of cows across and into the small field at the barn on Monday... then we will know what is what with this group of cows and where they will get moved to for the summer... We will be worming them all this year as they go through the chute and get checked...

I'm quitting for the night... I am tired just trying to get all this lined up to get done...

 

[Baymule]

I hope his attorney appointment goes well for him. 5 more years to full retirement, hope he can make it that long. Maybe since upper management hates him so much, they would buy him out now with full retirement and benefits just to get rid of him.

 

[Mini Horses]

Pretty much State job so "buy out" prob not anything they'd do. Hope this law firm will take it on -- sound like tigers & that's what's needed. Boy, DS really got under someone's skin

 

[Ridgetop]

Before DH retired he was in the same boat. Management had a down on him too. He tested tops of the list for foreman for years but the positions always went to people below him on the list. He was always put on the "heavy gang" instead of the easier pole jobs. He loved the work, but the attitude of the management was bad. He would get pinked for finishing his allotted jobs "too quicky"! He became a union steward, and had to go to bat with management for other guys. He was just trying to hang in long enough to retire. When DWP decided to get rid of some of the top heavy load of engineers, they had to offer a "Golden Handshake" since most of them were within 5-10 years of retiring. Since it is a civil service type position with L.A. DWP, the electricians' union demanded the same program. They also offered buyouts for military service. We were able to come up with the cash to buy back DH's 4 years in the military which qualified him for full retirement.

Hallelujah! What a relief. Since he loved his work, he signed up on the union books and worked for outside contractors for another 5 years until his knee finally gave out and he had his first knee replacement. It raised his Social Security, and he took a SS disability retirement since he couldn't climb the power poles anymore. The best thing about working on the union books was that if they gave him grief he could "drag up" and sign up on another crew. LOL

There is nothing so awful as working for a company where they are down on you all the time. (See @canesisters' troubles.)

on this attorney in R. Once they file on the company, termination will be seen as retaliation.

 

[farmerjan]

Just a few minutes.... just got home from testing half an hour ago...

Beautiful day.... 58 to 84.... sun and very little breeze...

Got a message at 8 that mower would be here in 1 1/2 hours... They were here right about 9:30.... and low and behold... it was not in a crate or a box... because they had taken it out of the box and .... ASSEMBLED it... the steering column and the seat and all were put together and fully functional.... the guy who brought it told me that he did it yesterday...
...

THANK YOU to Dunmar Logistics.... that was such a surprise and such a RELIEF .... he said they drove it onto the lift gate and then into the truck... the batteries have a little charge when they are shipped.......

Because they are nearly dead, I had to put the batteries on charge... and due to having to check on some cows that got out into a neighbors field.... then leaving for work.... I did not even get to try it out... I wanted to read the directions too... Maybe tomorrow but I have to leave before 12 to go test the 200 cow herd tomorrow... Saturday ought to be good....

Mine has the round steering wheel like a lawn mower / tractor.... not a "zero-turn" type with the levers for each hand... BUT... lo and behold... they also had a zero-turn one on the truck to be delivered also.... I thought that was quite a coincidence... one of each type....
So that just made me feel better that someone else was investing in a "Greenworks" type of mower... because it is a significant investment.... Nearly 4 grand..... the guy that delivered it said they do deliver a few of them... Anyway... maybe tomorrow I can look it over better... even try it out for a few minutes... except that i have all the usual chores and bottles to put in racks and samples to pack from this evening's test...

Will report on it when there is something to report... BUT... it got here, no conflict with work... and the cows got out because the DA#@ed gate was wide open between the 2 places... If DS didn't get them back this afternoon... after they got their fill of green grass....so hopefully would come for grain which they wouldn't have done this morning.... I am going to have to take the 4x4 little ranger out through the pasture and through the gate and see if I can get them out tomorrow morning...will grain to tempt them back..... GRRRRR.....
Got to go to bed... I'm tired...

 

[Ridgetop]

Wonder who left the gate open. Trained all of us early that you always shut a gate. We shut gates on empty pastures just in case. LOL It has become such a habit that an open gate makes me nervous! LOL

 

[farmerjan]

The gate has a single piece of fairly small diameter pipe that goes into a hole in the post... on top "rail" of the 5 rails in the gate... and nothing on the bottom... Between the horrible winds we have had... banging back and forth since there is nearly 6-8 inches AT LEAST from the gate upright to the post... with not closing even close to the post let alone against it... I am sure it got banged back and forth from the wind, worked the pipe and it slid back some... and just got opened... plus if the cows were pushing on it from the bottom wanting grass. it could have just popped open if the pipe had slid back some from the wind.. there was a piece of barbed wire around the gate and the post... not even twisted tight but like just a fold in the end of it... FLIMSY....and they have had animals so REALLY?????

Friday evening. Been a long day. Did not sleep good last night... not feeling rested this morning...
Partly clouds and sun, was 52 up to 77 with intermittent sun and clouds and a couple 10 second spits of rain drops... comfortable temps.
I went and got some extra feed and went to the pasture... Went up back and put piles of grain out in the field they are supposed to be in... Saw a bunch of them not far away from the gate and over the hill... drove through into the other "field" a little way and started calling them... had a whole bunch come and so drove out through the gate into our field and they came along... got them to a few of the piles of grain so they would settle there.. and then went back in with the car and called again... there were a bunch of calves that came up and I had to go around them to "walk them along the fence" to the gate in the corner... and kept calling... more cows came up and some calves behind them... I thought maybe I had them all, but called a few more times and heard one cow holler... I called the neighbor to see if she saw any there in the field behind her house... and she said no, but she heard a cow hollering/mooing, then it stopped... About that time here comes a big red cow up the hill ... I had gone back into our field and put a few more piles further away from the gate area... and they found a few more piles I had put out over there further away and then she came through the gate... I closed the gate and realized the chain was not long enough... so tied it shut with several baling strings and the piece of wire they had there... as well as sliding the pipe into the hole... and went up to another gate where I had a chain around the "hinge end" of it, and tied that with baling strings and took the 2 chains with the quick links, back down and out through the field and put them together and chained it also... I will get another chain to put on the bottom part so it can't rattle and vibrate so much in the wind.... and there were no other cows or calves over there so I was figuring that they were all back where they belonged.

Came back home and got the bottles and went up... the little calf died... which just pi$$ed me off even more... fed the others and then came back home. Got the bottles in the racks and got my stuff together and had to go to work at that point...

Got all set up at the farm... tested, and got done, pulled all the meters back out... came back home, fed the bottles, and done for the night...

Just in a crappy mood about the calf; didn't have to be....DS texted this eve around 5:45 while I was still testing... and wondered how I made out, with the cows, did I get them back out of the field next door??? Tried to call him but he isn't answering. Sent him a text, said they were all back in Grants field... and he texted me right back....with a thank you... then I texted him back and said please bring my bottle and the milk replacer back, and the calf died... he said thank you for trying... I left it at that because I would have said something really nasty otherwise... and NOW, wondering if DS is going to help with taking the cull cows tomorrow and come and get the big holstein calf... he is doing real good now and gotten smart... knows to come around the gate to get his bottle in the other pen since I can't do all 3 at the same time...wish he was a heifer.... but he is worth way too much to keep... and I am keeping the twins for now anyway, since they are small in comparison...
The twin heifers came up to the barn from the roll of hay to get more grain tonight... I am putting grain in there twice a day for them and for whatever other of the beef calves that are coming in...

I need to go in take a shower and go to bed.

Did not get any laundry done with everything else going on... so got some in the washer, soaking, and will hopefully finish running them through and hang in the morning...

 

[Ridgetop]

What a shame about the little heifer calf. If she hadn't messed with it, it probably would have been alright. With the red in the stool, I wonder if she tried to tube it.

 

[farmerjan]

No she wouldn't have had anything to tube it with, but who knows...did not have raspy lugs at least... it just never should have gone anywhere but to the nurse cow pasture barn.. I think it may have been fed too much and that doesn't help... shoulda woulda coulda. I was going to give it some real milk as opposed to the milk replacer... and had planned to get out a qt of colostrum so that the thicker consistency would coat it's gut tract and all... help to get the bowels working properly.... just such a waste no matter how you look at it...
As you all know, 24-48 hours can make a big difference... and I still think that taking it totally away from any others, like it was with them all up in the field, was a kick in the teeth to it too... it laid right next to the gate that separates the hay section when I had it for 2 days... right near the other calves...and stayed with them when I let it out that one day in the sunshine...
just sad.