Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

I have been eyeing them since 2 years ago.... there was a lady with a few, and I bought a big live trap...talked to @Mini Horses and was thinking about them...... and when I went back... she had sold them.... and they were like $20-25 a piece.... the person with them today... had $175/pair ..... on them..... WHOA.....

I have always like Lakenvelders... which are basically the black and white version...never bred them.... but, they are recognized by the American Poultry Assoc... but these Vorwerk's are not... There is controversy as to their origins... but they are the same as a black and white Lakenvelder... but RED instead of the white..... and some places even call them Red Lakenvelders..... I LOVE the contrast of the deep solid red body color and the black hackles and saddles.... there is no "shading"... the color is abrupt in the contrast...

So, I want to play with the color/breed... and being able to get hatching eggs in the early spring... and NOT having to have them shipped so no shaking and rough handling... ought to be a much greater chance of hatchability.... even at the high prices of hatching eggs... I will gladly pay a real good price and get a bunch.... and then see where that leads...
Plus will have my black langshan bantams... she just started laying again after moulting... and the large fowl buff leghorns... that I just like the solid even buff color..... and the New Hampshires... Probably should stop there... Almost bought 5 big black Langshans today... wanted to think about it... and after the 3 "girls" left... @Mini Horses and I went back to get the guineas, and she got apples for her milking goat..... she likes apples better than grain???? Neat.... I was just tired enough that I did not go back to find them.... I am still "winded" from this "cold" or whatever it is/was... price was right, $100 for a male and 4 females... but, I really don't need them right now...
So, that was my day... no big huge expenditures...

 

[farmerjan]

It was clouding up, then heard some thunder.... Went out and got the laundry off the line... put the windows up on all the vehicles... then took the diesel truck with the bags of feed DS had gotten me the other day when I didn't go because of the vet and the cow... and went to the barn with a bottle. Sweetheart 319 was behind the barn, hollering a bit for her baby(s)..... took a little persuading to get her to come around the side and in the gate... but she went right in the barn... and "Lil Bit" went right on her... then her own calf went on her... So, I got Lil Bit on the bottle to make sure 5319, was getting enough, and then when she finished her 2/3 bottle, she went over on the cow too. 319 just calmly stood right there and ate her grain... and I forked her a little of the hay I had picked up the other day, plus what was in the bunk... Left her in for the night...
I unloaded the 6 bags and got them dumped in the cans... still had some but they fit... and then came on home...
It has thundered, and a couple quick flashes of lightning... way off to the west... Looked at radar when I got in; it was staying well west and went up along the WV border... looks like they got some rain over there... and we got nothing... Still a chance for some to develop tonight... and somwhere in the 30% chance through mid week...
Sure could use it...

 

[drstratton]

I have been eyeing them since 2 years ago.... there was a lady with a few, and I bought a big live trap...talked to @Mini Horses and was thinking about them...... and when I went back... she had sold them.... and they were like $20-25 a piece.... the person with them today... had $175/pair ..... on them..... WHOA.....

I have always like Lakenvelders... which are basically the black and white version...never bred them.... but, they are recognized by the American Poultry Assoc... but these Vorwerk's are not... There is controversy as to their origins... but they are the same as a black and white Lakenvelder... but RED instead of the white..... and some places even call them Red Lakenvelders..... I LOVE the contrast of the deep solid red body color and the black hackles and saddles.... there is no "shading"... the color is abrupt in the contrast...

So, I want to play with the color/breed... and being able to get hatching eggs in the early spring... and NOT having to have them shipped so no shaking and rough handling... ought to be a much greater chance of hatchability.... even at the high prices of hatching eggs... I will gladly pay a real good price and get a bunch.... and then see where that leads...
Plus will have my black langshan bantams... she just started laying again after moulting... and the large fowl buff leghorns... that I just like the solid even buff color..... and the New Hampshires... Probably should stop there... Almost bought 5 big black Langshans today... wanted to think about it... and after the 3 "girls" left... @Mini Horses and I went back to get the guineas, and she got apples for her milking goat..... she likes apples better than grain???? Neat.... I was just tired enough that I did not go back to find them.... I am still "winded" from this "cold" or whatever it is/was... price was right, $100 for a male and 4 females... but, I really don't need them right now...
So, that was my day... no big huge expenditures...

They are very striking! Now that you're posting pictures it will be exciting follow along when you hatch them.

 

[drstratton]

It was clouding up, then heard some thunder.... Went out and got the laundry off the line... put the windows up on all the vehicles... then took the diesel truck with the bags of feed DS had gotten me the other day when I didn't go because of the vet and the cow... and went to the barn with a bottle. Sweetheart 319 was behind the barn, hollering a bit for her baby(s)..... took a little persuading to get her to come around the side and in the gate... but she went right in the barn... and "Lil Bit" went right on her... then her own calf went on her... So, I got Lil Bit on the bottle to make sure 5319, was getting enough, and then when she finished her 2/3 bottle, she went over on the cow too. 319 just calmly stood right there and ate her grain... and I forked her a little of the hay I had picked up the other day, plus what was in the bunk... Left her in for the night...
I unloaded the 6 bags and got them dumped in the cans... still had some but they fit... and then came on home...
It has thundered, and a couple quick flashes of lightning... way off to the west... Looked at radar when I got in; it was staying well west and went up along the WV border... looks like they got some rain over there... and we got nothing... Still a chance for some to develop tonight... and somwhere in the 30% chance through mid week...
Sure could use it...

Sounds like she's accepting the 2nd baby.

Hope you get some rain.

 

[farmerjan]

Sounds like she's accepting the 2nd baby.

Hope you get some rain.

Keeping my fingers crossed... being half holstein half angus... but built taller and lankier like the holstein part...., hoping she comes into more milk too.... she was a baby calf we grafted on a cow who had a dead calf... came off a dairy 2 1/2 yrs ago... before they got stupid high expensive... Really hoping she can do the 2... and will have to keep up the grain so that she doesn't drop weight either... and will breed back... but if she manages to take and feed both, she will get a pass for most anything else....

 

[fuzzi]

I saw a site selling day old chicks for $49...EACH?!

More:

Vorwerk chicken - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Mini Horses]

Thrilled she's accepting both.... more milk. At the very least, she'll teach Betsy's heifer to be a herd member!

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday evening... We had some sprinkles yesterday and last night... barely got the grass wet here but some areas a little north got 1/2 inch... It was 58 this morning, up to 81 . Mostly sunny all day, a little bit more humid but not much.

Went up and fed 319 and let her out after she was done. I did not take a bottle with me this morning. Calf came up to me, nosed around a little, then went back over to the other calf and they laid down.

Checked the other 3 and not very close yet...

Talked to DS and he fed a roll of hay in there and then was going to a farm. Was getting a load of hay delivered... I went to get a bucket of feed to go to the pasture with the 4 old cows and their calves... we plan to get the calves weaned off and sell the cows this Friday and the other bull we decided to sell. So, I needed to get them to come down to the catch pen DS set up again... and act like no big deal... because about 2 weeks ago, one of the cows and a couple calves went in the opposite direction when DS went there to feed and call them. There is one that has been high headed... I went the first time and she would not come down and took all 4 calves with her up the hill... But I guess she has decided that I am "okay"... and has come down several times since then. Then he set up the pen and we were afraid that it would set her off... you know the whole "change the routine/surroundings" thing... but he said that they came right back for the grain after they got done setting it up... not panicky... a couple calves had some 2nd thoughts but stood right there.
Today, they all meandered around and finally all came in the pen... I just stood around and acted like I didn't care one way or another... which I didn't since there were no plans to close the gate or catch them... DS said he was not up to having to come get them and haul them to the barn...
If I get them in tomorrow though, I will close it I think... and he will need to come get them... or it might be Tuesday...

We are doing the 550+ cow herd Tuesday morning...have to be there by 4 a.m. the latest... NOT looking forward to that... then I have another one for Wed eve/Thurs morning... and a different one for Thurs eve/Fri morning... the only 2 that I have, that test 2 consecutive milkings... be glad to get them done... both are fairly close 7-12 miles away... and I don't have to be there until 5 on Thurs and 5:30 on Fri mornings...

So, there has been a stench here and I figured that there was a deer that was hit just up the road as they cross all the time from the Christmas Tree lot and across to the field.... I never bothered to go looking for a carcass.... come to find out... There was a BEAR that got hit right there at my driveway.... sometime early Friday morning...... and someone dragged it off the road into the ditch across from my driveway... I left in the dark Sat morning... and got home and did the chores I had to and all that.. and just smelled the dead "animal"... You can see the stains on the road and where it was dragged, or it dragged its self, straight across the road right there to the ditch...
Seems DS and GF smelled it, then saw it on Sat when they came to get water to take to the troughs and DS was working on the little ranger... Like I said, I just ignore the smell because it is quite often a deer gets hit. DS said it was probably 75-100 lbs.... and with the ditch across the road, it was low enough I never saw it...
So, I walked across the road today when he told me... and with the heat, and everything... it was not hardly recognizable... You could tell there was black fur... but it was totally covered in fly larvae... maggots... I mean, I could not tell what it was... totally deflated because they were working on it so much... We have had 87-90 degrees the last 3 days... and mostly sun.. so it got quite hot... and dead carcasses do not last in that sort of heat.
I imagine it is one of the 2 cubs I saw with the sow last year... going across the field across the road... we know that they have made the run between here and all the way down to doug's farm, along the abandoned RR bed...lots of woods/brush/trees etc.... where they saw them last year. This one does not look like it suffered from any of the mange that hit so many bears in this area last year. At least what little I could see... They would be in the 75-125 lb range at yearling size.

Just what I needed to know... bears right here in my front yard.... Bad enough I got that BIG raccoon the other night.

So, he then called later, and was down near her house at the BV (Middle road) farm... and I had to get out the clipboard to tell him about some of the cows/calves there... it's a hodgepodge there... he took a group of mostly first calf heifers from the spring... then took more as others calved later... so some cows have March calves, and some are June... and there are 4 that have calves from last Dec and were not bred back when checked... because they calved late ... so got put back down there with a bull and they have bigger calves...

SOOOO... if I get the 4 cows and calves in at the one place, they get moved to the barn. Those 4 cows, and the other bull we want to sell, will go Friday... Also have 1 bigger steer that just has never been "great", just put back out to grass... and a small heifer on one of those 4 cows that is very small... cow probably does not have much/any milk... and it will go also... not sickly, just small. Needs more grain than is worth it for us to keep and feed... and they are worth too much even at the small size she is... Get rid of anything that doesn't match.. won't fit in with the groups he will be weaning off...
As soon as those are moved.. he will take the portable panels down to the BV farm, and get those 4 big calves in, got a cow there that lost her calf... it was her 2nd time with a crummy calf... she is getting culled out...
Then I guess either get in the 14 we turned back out a month ago... or get the 18 heifers in, that got bred and truned out for awhile.... that need to be preg checked and see what their status is.

Need to cut some numbers if we do not get some serious rain here very soon to bring back some of the fall grass... there is still another 60 days that fall grass can grow here... unless we get an early frost. You never know in the fall...

Guess we will take some of the old cow money and put towards another 20-50 rolls of hay too...

Got to go to bed... need to get samples packed to go out tomorrow from the Friday herd... and get things ready, boxes of bottles and all that, for early Tues morning..

 

[drstratton]

Sunday evening... We had some sprinkles yesterday and last night... barely got the grass wet here but some areas a little north got 1/2 inch... It was 58 this morning, up to 81 . Mostly sunny all day, a little bit more humid but not much.

Went up and fed 319 and let her out after she was done. I did not take a bottle with me this morning. Calf came up to me, nosed around a little, then went back over to the other calf and they laid down.

Checked the other 3 and not very close yet...

Talked to DS and he fed a roll of hay in there and then was going to a farm. Was getting a load of hay delivered... I went to get a bucket of feed to go to the pasture with the 4 old cows and their calves... we plan to get the calves weaned off and sell the cows this Friday and the other bull we decided to sell. So, I needed to get them to come down to the catch pen DS set up again... and act like no big deal... because about 2 weeks ago, one of the cows and a couple calves went in the opposite direction when DS went there to feed and call them. There is one that has been high headed... I went the first time and she would not come down and took all 4 calves with her up the hill... But I guess she has decided that I am "okay"... and has come down several times since then. Then he set up the pen and we were afraid that it would set her off... you know the whole "change the routine/surroundings" thing... but he said that they came right back for the grain after they got done setting it up... not panicky... a couple calves had some 2nd thoughts but stood right there.
Today, they all meandered around and finally all came in the pen... I just stood around and acted like I didn't care one way or another... which I didn't since there were no plans to close the gate or catch them... DS said he was not up to having to come get them and haul them to the barn...
If I get them in tomorrow though, I will close it I think... and he will need to come get them... or it might be Tuesday...

We are doing the 550+ cow herd Tuesday morning...have to be there by 4 a.m. the latest... NOT looking forward to that... then I have another one for Wed eve/Thurs morning... and a different one for Thurs eve/Fri morning... the only 2 that I have, that test 2 consecutive milkings... be glad to get them done... both are fairly close 7-12 miles away... and I don't have to be there until 5 on Thurs and 5:30 on Fri mornings...

So, there has been a stench here and I figured that there was a deer that was hit just up the road as they cross all the time from the Christmas Tree lot and across to the field.... I never bothered to go looking for a carcass.... come to find out... There was a BEAR that got hit right there at my driveway.... sometime early Friday morning...... and someone dragged it off the road into the ditch across from my driveway... I left in the dark Sat morning... and got home and did the chores I had to and all that.. and just smelled the dead "animal"... You can see the stains on the road and where it was dragged, or it dragged its self, straight across the road right there to the ditch...
Seems DS and GF smelled it, then saw it on Sat when they came to get water to take to the troughs and DS was working on the little ranger... Like I said, I just ignore the smell because it is quite often a deer gets hit. DS said it was probably 75-100 lbs.... and with the ditch across the road, it was low enough I never saw it...
So, I walked across the road today when he told me... and with the heat, and everything... it was not hardly recognizable... You could tell there was black fur... but it was totally covered in fly larvae... maggots... I mean, I could not tell what it was... totally deflated because they were working on it so much... We have had 87-90 degrees the last 3 days... and mostly sun.. so it got quite hot... and dead carcasses do not last in that sort of heat.
I imagine it is one of the 2 cubs I saw with the sow last year... going across the field across the road... we know that they have made the run between here and all the way down to doug's farm, along the abandoned RR bed...lots of woods/brush/trees etc.... where they saw them last year. This one does not look like it suffered from any of the mange that hit so many bears in this area last year. At least what little I could see... They would be in the 75-125 lb range at yearling size.

Just what I needed to know... bears right here in my front yard.... Bad enough I got that BIG raccoon the other night.

So, he then called later, and was down near her house at the BV (Middle road) farm... and I had to get out the clipboard to tell him about some of the cows/calves there... it's a hodgepodge there... he took a group of mostly first calf heifers from the spring... then took more as others calved later... so some cows have March calves, and some are June... and there are 4 that have calves from last Dec and were not bred back when checked... because they calved late ... so got put back down there with a bull and they have bigger calves...

SOOOO... if I get the 4 cows and calves in at the one place, they get moved to the barn. Those 4 cows, and the other bull we want to sell, will go Friday... Also have 1 bigger steer that just has never been "great", just put back out to grass... and a small heifer on one of those 4 cows that is very small... cow probably does not have much/any milk... and it will go also... not sickly, just small. Needs more grain than is worth it for us to keep and feed... and they are worth too much even at the small size she is... Get rid of anything that doesn't match.. won't fit in with the groups he will be weaning off...
As soon as those are moved.. he will take the portable panels down to the BV farm, and get those 4 big calves in, got a cow there that lost her calf... it was her 2nd time with a crummy calf... she is getting culled out...
Then I guess either get in the 14 we turned back out a month ago... or get the 18 heifers in, that got bred and truned out for awhile.... that need to be preg checked and see what their status is.

Need to cut some numbers if we do not get some serious rain here very soon to bring back some of the fall grass... there is still another 60 days that fall grass can grow here... unless we get an early frost. You never know in the fall...

Guess we will take some of the old cow money and put towards another 20-50 rolls of hay too...

Got to go to bed... need to get samples packed to go out tomorrow from the Friday herd... and get things ready, boxes of bottles and all that, for early Tues morning..

I don't see how you keep track of everything. It boggles my mind...lol. Hopefully as I keep reading your posts things will start to come together for me.

 

[Baymule]

A bear! Not good. There have been no bears in East Texas since the 1940's except one now and then, probable passing through on their way to somewhere else. But last month, there were game camera pictures of two different bears in my county and surrounding counties. The wildlife folks are trying to get bears established in Texas again. They are happy, nobody else is. The bears are protected, huge fines for shooting one.