Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

Looks like you're having a couple "feast or famine" weeks. Same here. NO work for 2 months and start back is a dump of jobs. Going from zero to 60 is only fun in race cars!

Hope the preg checks are great!!

Zero to 60 in a Barracuda! Radio blasting good ol’ 70’s rock n’ roll, windows down, wind blowing!

 

[farmerjan]

Long day but the weather was good... high hit 70, sun was warm, light breeze....

Went to the barn, DS & GF came... we sorted the calves off the one "side of the barn"... cows from the 1st 2 places... 18c/cf total... then sorted the other side 17 cows/13 calves.... Then we were taking some gate hinge pins out of some old fence/gate posts... the kind that go all the way through with the nuts are now $20 A PIECE.... like OMG.... all the old posts that were taken down from that one pasture and the guy brought them there and dumped them, couple years ago.... had a couple gate posts with the hinges... DS had a couple other ones there ... so got 2 pair of the screw in kind and 1 pair of the bolt through with nuts... Vet got there about 1-1:10.... we were ready so ran through the 18 then switched over and did the 17 and he was done and left at 2:20 for another herd to do preg checks at around 3...
Not the greatest preg check... BUT.... there were quite a few old cows in this group. Of 35, there were 12 opens... which is normally BAD.... However... 6 are very old cows.... so not a total surprise there...
Then.... 1 was the bought char heifer from early this spring... we bought 2 char that day... the one just calved so she was short bred when we got her... this one has had several months with the bull and not bred... she will get sold... vet said she felt fine,,,, some just don't breed. Could be why she was sold. The good thing is she has gained some weight and will make a good beef for sale.... Another was a 1st calf heifer, from last year, that did not breed, DS insisted on putting her back with the bull... she is fat and sassy and still open... I wanted to sell her back earlier since the calf was good sized... Now he is well over 650 lbs... too big for the "groups" DS puts together... but he certainly won't lose any money with his size... A third one is one of my cows, not sure what her problem is... but she is getting shipped...
So that's 9... the other 3 are first calf heifers, all have nice calves, and all 3 got put back out at grants behind me, with their calves; the bull will be in there for another 6 weeks so they will have 2 heat cycles to hopefully catch...they will "lose 6 months" compared to the the rest of their group... but that is not so awful bad... and not totally unexpected.
Then we got in another bull, we normally switch out bulls after 6-8 weeks... in case someone isn't doing the job... they took him to the pasture in the front of the trailer, got the other bull in the back of the trailer with a cow, but GF did not shut the trailer door when DS told her to, and the original bull got back out... so right now there are 2 bulls in there instead of switching... I will try to get the first bull into the little catch lot in the next day or 2 so DS can come back and move him out.
They got into words... she had been complaining he was cranky all day... which he was a little short a couple times, but she picks at him constantly... I hate the sarcastic comments all the time... but not my relationship... well her not getting the gate shut fast enough didn't set well... and they had a real blow up... so when they went back to the barn, she said she was leaving and she didn't care if he came home tonight or not... he asked me, later, if he was cranky all day and I said no, he was a little short a couple times but not bad...
Plus his back is still hurting... it's only been 48 hours since the shots... so it is still sore and I knew that... but he was not anything like he has been in the past... and on top of that he got hiccups, and has had them on and off for over 24 hours, did not sleep well, and they have been bothering him alot... I get it...so he is tired too...

So, she was okay during the vet check... we work the chute with the vet, vaccinate and I write things down as well as work the head catch and the gates if someone was open they didn't go out with the preg cows... but she is sooo "needy" sometimes... and has to be the "authority" figure ... self important person... and does not work that fast and time is money for the vet check... but it still wasn't too bad...but she needled him even then....
Then they had the blowup with the bull... she still thinks that being "nice" and "gentle" will get things done.... and with these bulls, it just doesn't cut the mustard.... like slamming the gate FAST..... and when they push you aren't going to stop them... Bull wasn't mean, he just was going to follow the cow out and DS was trying to stand in front of him as the cow went out and hollered for her to shut the trailer door.... but she doesn't seem to get that you have to "do it RIGHT NOW, FAST".... HE IS NOT GOING TO STOP if you are not fast enough to slam it shut... he sees the cow going, sees some "daylight" and just GOES.....

But that caused them to have the blow up... I wasn't there... I had gone to snyder's across the road to open the gates so he could bring the calf with the bad leg up there when he brought back the 3 cows/cf pairs to go back with the bull... He had trouble getting the 3 cows/cfs up the alley to load (they were already sorted out) and the calf was in the front section... so he said he was going to come back to get the silage cart, when he brought the calf... he is in the little barn, at snyder's; has got to have shots for the next 3 weeks the vet said, it is infected... and I can get him in the little head chute there at snyder's, keep him in the barn lot and feed him there... so I said I would wait for him to come back then shut gates behind him... so he came back and got it... he was done there, so he went out and then I shut the gates. I went back to the barn, got the clipboard and papers, and then said I would go up and open the gates at grants for him to take the silage wagon in and not have to fight with the cows... so he came up a little bit later, I opened the gates and then shut them when he took it in and dropped it off.... and he went back to finish at the barn I guess, and I came to the house.

Normally we have 5-15% opens, this was 30%.... which is not good... but like I said, half of them are OLD cows... just been alot of these old cows that are aging out all at once.

Let's hope that it will be better with the 40+ at the big pasture... we know that the one cow has the hurt hip/leg.... and have seen 1 other standing... which is an indication but not a sure thing that she is open...

So we put 23 preg cows out in the "peterbilt field" (next door to the peterbilt repair shop).... calves are at the barn... 3 c/cf pairs back to the bull... the last 9 are still with the calves at the barn. They will stay in that lot, come in and get fed silage and make sure the calves are coming in and out. Then when he decides to take a load of cull cows to the sale, they will go... 9 plus 1 that lost her calf a month ago... so 10 to get sold... That will be one load to go....
Several of the 6-7 late late fall calving ones are getting shifted to this spring calving group... the ones that have just calved....
Hopefully we will have few or none out of the next group.

DS did have someone call him about a bull, we were wanting to sell the one easy calving bull,,,, and he is going in a week.... so will get back more than we paid for him 3 years ago... he will basically make the one we just bought cost 2500 ... so very good deal for us...

I've got to go to bed...

 

[Baymule]

A good productive day. The preg check gets the open cows identified until waiting for them not to calve. So it's a good day, all things considered. Even with the blow up with Miss Important, it was still a good day. All the old cows can go to sale, along with those that did not breed. A good work day.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday morning. Been up and at it for awhile.

Was 38 overnight... sun came up and it has warmed nicely. About 60 now... Some high clouds out there mixing in and the forecast is to get cloudier later... Showers possible overnight.. then some actual rain Friday eve-Sat morning. Saying possible inch of rain... we have gone from moderate drought to severe drought for a good part of this area. An inch will help, but it will not solve the problem... I will gladly take what we can get.

Put a load of laundry in. Went and put gas in the Explorer because DS had a dr appt... and he was going to do some feeding this morning and I had let it get way down when we came home the other day. I knew he would be pushed to leave on time... didn't need to have to worry about no gas... He normally will fill it when he comes back with it...
Then ran up and took the meters to the farm for this afternoon... Talked to them a few minutes... Came home.

Went out and hung the clothes on the line so they could dry... It is nice out there...

There were a couple of cows walking the fence next door... DS had already left, so I called him... turns out he didn't take the 3 calves with the 3 open young cows he put in there to try to get bred. He said the calves were big enough to be weaned, the young cows need the break... which is fine. But that explains why they are not happy. They will get over it in a day or 2... the one is thin, and the other 2 can use an extra long break. Plus the calves need to be at the barn, getting started on the silage, and getting some grain... DS set up the creep gate so that the calves can come around to one side of the bunk feeder... so he can feed them some extra grain on the silage and the open cull cows won't be pushing them out... the cows are still getting silage... but they aren't shoving the calves, so the calves are getting some better nutrition... the cull cows don't need the grain, the silage will help round them out quick.
So, we made a plan.... I rescheduled the 500 cow herd from Wed to Thursday next week... Wed is the monthly bred cow sale , and that is where we normally take our cull cows now too... They only sell baby calves and cull cows and bulls on Wednesday's.... and then they have their special sales... once a month bred cow sale, once a month dairy cow sale, once a month fat cattle sale.... Sale starts at 6 for the baby calves, and then they sell cull cows until the bred cow sale starts at 7.... then after whatever bred cows are there, are sold, they finish selling the cull cows. The thing is the cull cows will get loaded out and by Friday they are already hanging on the hook at the plant which is good.
They also have the regular sale on Saturday... sell tons of goats, sheep, hogs, and then all the cattle... they have everything, baby calves, feeder cattle, cull cows... and we go to that one often, too... but there is no guarantee of what will be there; but the bred cow sale has strictly breeding cattle.... cows with calves, pregnant cows, breeding bulls... never know how many or what.... but you aren't sitting there for 4-6 hours to just find out that there aren't any preg cows or cows with calves or anything...

Of course, there are some cows that someone else doesn't want... bad attitudes, poor milkers...old... whatever... but there are also alot of farmers that are cutting back...drought conditions, and farmers cashing in on the high prices....some times farm dispersals.... and at this point, we can use a few to replace some of what we are culling.... we are not calving out enough heifers to replace all the old cows we have had to cull .... even with calving out 12 last fall, 12 more coming this spring, and another 10-12 being bred now.... that will barely replace the numbers of what we will have culled in the past 18 months... especially with all the ones we are culling from this last preg check yesterday... I mean, 9 being open that we are not breeding back (10 to sell with the old one that lost her calf)....That's alot all at once... and we still have 40+ more to preg check next week.... AND I have 4 more at snyder's that will NOT get bred back this year either... we need to keep more heifers than we have been... I guess. This is why the cow herds have been shrinking... not enough getting kept back for replacements with better heifer prices, fewer farmers, more than normal culling of older cows...

DS is getting his buddy to come on Tuesday to help haul cattle home from the pasture... so we will have to get them all in Tuesday morning... I will help some but I have to work that afternoon...

So, I just ate "brunch".... tuna sandwich at 10:30.... after hanging the clothes. Have to get the bottles in the racks for this afternoon...
I need to go out to the chickens, do waterers and feeders.... then go to snyder's, check/feed the calf with the bad leg, check the rest of the cows....
Then go to test. She told me they have been calving out a BUNCH of cows... had 2 fresh this morning... so will be a long day.... Then go back in the morning... then test Sat aft....
Yep, @Mini Horses feast or faminine....

Guess it is time to get out to the chickens.... hit 70 with the sun on the temp recorder ...... be nice to just STAY HOME in the nice weather....
At least I don't feel "terrible".... not great but better than I have... still the blowing the nose... some coughing... but I'm getting there...

 

[Ridgetop]

Glad you are feeling better. Swallowing all the crud that comes into the throat from the infected sinuses really makes you feel horrible. Glad to hear you got it out.

Everyone has been trying to cash in on the higher cattle prices by selling off heifers and cows they would ordinarily keep as replacements. This was a good year for the hay crop here too so lots of it left in the fields in bales and selling for less.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday eve... heading to bed to get up to go back and test in the morning.

Not so good with the 3 cows... they walked fences hollering... Wound up getting out, down the road to the neighbors.. kept going... DS calls me as he was not home from Roanoke because he spent more time in the auto salvage... it's a Pick and Pay one where you salvage your own parts... I said I was in the barn already testing... he said GF was down there trying to get them back with her sister and someone else... I said I was sorry but we had already started milking/testing and I could not leave... he said he understood, and just wanted to make sure that they maybe hadn't cancelled... which was fine...
He got home, they used the 4 wheeler... she had already gotten 1 back up the road, then they got the 2nd one, and then the third one went off into the brush... I came home about 5:30 , it was still a little light.... and the cow was coming up the road, then went up over the bank into another field of thick autumn olive scrub crap... and he couldn't get through it... walked some and she disappeared... finally gave up... called his couple of friends and hope she shows up...
He calls about 7:45.... neighbor saw her in a field when he was coming up the road... so he calls me because they are eating at a local restaurant, 10 miles up the road... so I go down the road... the guy who saw them was there... showed me where she was... I took the car and went down through the dormant hayfield, she turns and brought her up along the fence, out the gates and up the road... I had already opened the lower gate to Grant's field, where they were supposed to be....... and got her to go up the road and finally into the field.... I hope the witch goes through the field/woods to where the rest of the cows are...
Told DS that he needs to put the calves back with them... for the month they are going to be with the bull... then take them back to the barn with the bull, pull the calves back off and keep them in a lot there until they are "over" the calf weaning... Obviously they think that they needed to find their babies...
They will either breed back or not... and having the calves off them for only 6 weeks is not going to improve their condition enough to make that much of a difference if they are walking the fences for days looking for the calves.
I was justifying his pulling the calves and moving the 3, but that is NOT what we normally would do... and this is the reason we don't do this... Totally strange pasture, babies are missing... they are upset... DUH.....

So, I am back in, hopefully they are tired enough from the gallivanting that they will stay put... I told him to take the 3 calves back to them to keep them in there...

Going to get a shower and go to bed... Have to be up by 4 to be back at the farm at 5....

 

[farmerjan]

Friday night... Long day... longer for DS... it was 42 overnight, cloudy grey today... warmed up to 54 and we got some light rain/sprinkles... Been that way all afternoon...

Went back to test... woke up at 3, didn't have to be up until 4 but I didn't dare go back to sleep because sure as shootin' I would have slept through the alarm...
Milking went okay, nothing special, no problems...
Got the meters out of the parlor and ready to head home. Phone rings... DS calls... the 2 were out again in the hay field across from my house... he got there, had left the 4 wheeler at my house last night... and ran them around, not cooperating, and finally back down the driveway of the owner... and got them across the road in the gate to the big field... wanted them in the small lot where we catch them up.... Then he shut that gate to the road, opened the gate to the small lot (1/2 acre or so) and the one charged him again and nearly got him... he finally got them in the catch pen.. went and got the trailer and moved the 2 back to the barn... Seems I was mistaken, there were only 2 out last night too...
So they are back in the barn lot with their calves... and the 3rd one is staying in the pasture here......

He was so ticked at the one (407)... well,,,,, he forgets... she was high headed as a heifer... was supposed to get sold... but was making a belly and udder... obviously she got bred too young, while still on her mother out to pasture... and calved like a month after we were originally going to sell her... she was doing a very good job of mothering the calf for a heifer that wasn't 20 months old... so we said we would give her a chance. She stayed in the little barn lot there with a crippled steer and did okay with the calf. Then he decided to turn them out to pasture and get bred back... Then she turned up open... DS said she should get a break, and then would hopefully gain a little weight and get bred back... get a good long dry period to grow a little....... BUT.... she obviously was just tolerating things while she had her calf... and this going after him on the 4 wheeler and all is just NOT GOOD.... He said she tried to charge it last night but then she turned and went in the gate at the last minute...
The other one is a bought heifer... (50); ran her with our heifers and she got bred and had a calf... did fine.. BUT.... she obviously does not want to have the calf weaned, and she was totally "wild" last night with heading to the autumn olive brush and all...
So it screwed up his morning to have to go back and catch them up again... looked like they went over the fence, he found a broken top wire and a sagging 2nd wire....

Now they are in the barn lot with their calves and should not give any more trouble there...

He said he was not going to tolerate the charging thing.. and she is smallish... so not worth alot as a cull... He didn't know what he was going to do with them.

I said, take them to the bred cow sale with their calves and sell them as pairs... no different than anyone else taking something there... he said I never thought about that... Being 1st calf heifers, they have a possible long life ahead if they breed.... let them be someone else's problem... And most people do not trailer/move/work/handle/ their cattle like we do... so they could go to a pasture and have calves and the only time they have any interaction is to have the calves pulled off and weaned/sold. If the fences are good, they would probably stay in...they had 2 strikes against them because DS moved them without their calves... AND .. this was a strange place too... If they had stayed there at the farm... with the rest of their "buddies" and better fences, then it would not have been as big a deal. But a totally strange pasture and no babies... and they were going looking....
Grant's pasture behind me has some SERIOUS fence problems... and mostly "our" own raised up quieter cattle aren't much of a problem... got that calf that is being a pain... but the fence is not great....he's like a kid... getting out because he can and it is fun.....
They would be worth quite a bit... I think that is what he ought to do... sell them as first calf heifer pairs... which is what they are... as well as some of the cull old open cows, and buy back maybe 3-4 older bred cows, or cows with small calves... or something that will be more what he wants...
It's always a chance to buy at a sale like that... and we have done pretty good over the years... sometimes have gotten someone else's problems... often gotten some good older cows... these 2 could go on and do just fine in a different environment... chance you take...

So, I got the clothes off the line as soon as I got home since it was not real damp out yet... then came in and had a farmer call... that I tested the other day... needs to get his reports as this is the one that is going to sell cattle to get the split with his brother done from when the mom died last year...
I had everything here printed... and he wanted to know if I was going to get the jersey bull calf... it was in exchange for the guinea hens I got him last fall.... so I took the forester so it would not get all wet and cold, and went up... Went over a few things in the reports... and got the calf... nice calf... and he said with the way milk prices have dropped, he was going to wind up going through and culling pretty heavy, and he was going to keep the best ones for himself, obviously since he is the one that does the milking... and his brother would wind up "getting" more of the jerseys...they are going directly to the dairy cow sale there in a couple weeks.... not like the brother is going to milk them... he just wants his "half".... it's a "numbers" game... split it in half numbers wise... and the jerseys don't make as much milk and he needs to make more volume, for the feed consumed... so will keep more of the good holsteins and some of the best jerseys... but a bunch will be getting sold... Like 50+ going out of there...
So he has a 2nd calf young cow, that has some feet issues, an ulcer/sore between her toes... and the vet did some trimming but she needs to be off concrete... so he asked if I would be interested in her... she would only go for cull and she has a nice udder... but with the way milk prices are going, a farmer would not buy her to go back to the farm unless she was dirt cheap and he was desperate for milk... so I think I am going to get her for a nurse cow... he has a couple more jerseys due very soon... so I said I would be interested in at least one more jersey bull calf if he gets one... and he is probably going to sell the smallest heifer calves so I might call him back and see what he wants for the heifer calves too... might just get a group.... raise them up... they won't be ready to breed for 18 months... who knows how things will be by then....

See if I can't convinced this cow to be a nurse cow... put a couple calves on her... and go from there... she's a fairly calm cow... might be if she gets off concrete, her foot issues would clear up.... if I can convince her to feed calves... she has only been fresh 2 weeks...so might wind up getting her in the next few days... I told him to let me know if another jersey calves and then IO could make a trip with the trailer to get cow and calf/calves...

I'm going to think it over for a day or so.... but I think it would be a much smarter deal to replace a nurse cow or 2 with something from a known farm... than to just buy "blind"... and then I am going to call him and see what his plans are for the jersey calves... females that he has kept... as well as the couple that are due to be born...... she can easily feed 4-6 calves, so 4 on her would be good....she would not be getting much silage so would drop off in production a bit and if she would learn to come in and out the gate to the pen... problem is it's not "her calf" that she just calved to entice her... so I would have to keep her in for a week or so to teach her where the grain is and to get the calves to go on her...

But I am pretty sure I am going to get her... just want to sleep on it and be sure tomorrow... One of the cull cows to get sold is mine, and it is a bigger cow than this jersey, so she would pretty much pay for her... I am not going to quibble as he will be fair... He said I could take her then we could settle up when some of this other stuff gets settled out... meaning he can get a fair idea of what she would be worth... he said he sent a jersey bull calf to the sale here the other day and it brought 150... they are cheaper than the big holsteins and and the black beef x holsteins... said he sent a holstein bull and he brought over $900....

 

[farmerjan]

Had to upload that as my computer was giving me some issues and did not want it all to get erased...

So, I have a bottle calf.... and maybe a few more... Or, maybe a nurse cow and several calves if I can get it to work...
If I can get her to learn the barn for grain, and she will not be a total witch and kicky.... that would be good. Plus, if she learns to come in, and then goes out.... DS is feeding some silage up there so she will get some to eat, as well as all the hay she wants... and I will feed her some good hay in the barn too.... might have to buy some alfalfa since we don't grow it... feed a couple sections to her while in eating and such...

So, it is getting late. I am going to go to bed and NOT set an alarm.

It is supposed to rain most of the night, and into at least noontime... I have to leave for work at 1 the latest... have to put the long hoses in the car for this herd... only 70 cows, so won't be too late coming home... but I have to wait on the wash system and all so "wasted time" there...

Need to remember to take the bucket to fill with chicken feed at the bin... I filled the feeders yesterday, so they will last 2-3 days.... they weren't empty so I used up the feed in the bucket I had brought home... and it filled them to the top with a little of the higher protein fresh feed mixed in... I like to fill the bucket as soon as it gets emptied so I don't forget...

So, all the sheep and goat "farmers" you are not the only ones with a bottle baby ...... I just hope that I can maybe get it transitioned to a cow... the jersey's aren't worth near as much as a beef calf, but they don't cost near as much either... and I like my jersey beef... been selling the ones I had because I didn't need the beef in the freezer... and it would be nice to have a nurse cow or 2 again... thought maybe in the spring... but the opportunity is now...

 

[RR Homestead]

Yay!! New nurse cow!
Can't wait to follow this new cow. Sounds like a good deal. Holstein bull calves are going for $700 right now here. Jersey bull calves are going for $100.

 

[farmerjan]

Light rain continued off and on into last night. Then got serious and has been actually raining... slow and steady... what a godsend.

Sample bottles in tray, long hoses in car , bottle calf done. Going to be WET all day...
Woke up twice, back to sleep, and then slept in. Not going to do a whole lot more until I leave for work. Sure wish I was NOT going out anywhere in this... just a stay home, stay in, relax and putter inside type of day.