Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Ridgetop]

Glad you got another nurse cow. Maybe he will have another Jersey for yoi cheap. (As cheap as cattle go now!) Also have the option to get a few Jersey calves as well. They may not sell as high, but like you said you can sell for beef, lots of people would like to buy a finished smaller beef. They are cheaper to buy and feed out so with your experience I think you could make good money. And have the added benefit of being able to aany of your beef calves onto a nurse cow instead of a bottle.

Yay Jan!

 

[farmerjan]

Well, I don't have the cow yet... but pretty sure I am going to get her... Things going to happen there at the farm this month... monthly dairy sale at the stockyard is 28th... so most of what he is splitting will be going there because brother is not interested in the milk cows, just "his half".... things are getting a little ugly I guess. Farm will be down to milking half of what he is now...
Hoping that I can just get a few more calves and get them all started on her at the same time... hoping she will co-operate also...

Fed the bottle and he is smart enough to stay in the barn out of the rain... he's in with the weaned steer calf that caught in the hay feeder a month ago... the leg has gotten infected so having to give shots every couple days... so moved him up there since there is a small head catch to use... leg is open and draining so that is good... he is getting used to putting his head in the head catch where I am feeding the grain.... tomorrow is 1st shot up there... he got the other one at the head catch at the barn the other day... wouldn't be so big a deal, but oxytet burns, so he is not going to like the shots... and vet said that will actually permeate into the bones so the infection can't get into the bone... if it was anything else it wouldn't be so bad cause it wouldn't "burn".... I am going to start closing the head lock on him (after the shot tomorrow) every time he goes in to eat grain so it is not a big deal... right now I was training him to "where" he was going to get grain...

Went to DS house to give dog his shot and some canned food he is feeding, trying to get him to put on a little weight... DS and GF went to NC to get a pickup bed she bought for her truck because her sister backed into her truck and bent it up a bunch.... sister is paying for it naturally... but they found one that is almost perfect... Dodge is known for rust in the beds... and it is the same color as a bonus... 4-5 hours down and same back so all day trip... nothing to do here in the rain anyway.

I did a "bad thing"... I texted farm and said I had some cows out and would not make it to the farm in time to test.... Yeah we had cows out... just not today.... I just did not feel like going to test in this wet... especially to have to set up meters and such... so I am not going.....I will have to make it up....
The farm that called to cancel testing the "morning of the scheduled test day"...last week..... texted me to see what I have available this week... well, between scheduled testing Mon and Tues afternoons, ....plus helping get the cows moved on Tuesday during the day, from the aug co pasture to the barn.... cow sale Wed that we will leave here by 4 or so....and I AM going to go to it.... Testing the 500 cow herd Thursday, then the vet check on Friday for these 40+ cows... I don't have anything available this whole week... and if I am fair, I should reschedule todays farm that I cancelled, for next Sat....
Got to get the steer in at snyder's on Sat or Sun (17 or 18)for butcher on Monday, 19th...... farm scheduled for Mon aft 19th... dr appt early tues morning and annual cattle assoc dinner Tues eve... I could do him Sun eve 18th or he will have to wait for Wed eve 21st... Thurs, 22nd, DS has dr appt in Blacksburg as make up for the one the dr cancelled back before Christmas when he (dr) was sick.... and I want to go to Rural King while we are there... I think they are doing some other shots in neck at this appt so DS will need me to drive anyway...

I am getting ready to eat something, now... The rain is letting up and should be mostly moving out of the area... Not that it is going to dry up or anything very fast... I am just glad to be in and not having to push...

 

[murphysranch]

You are busier than a one armed paper hanger!!!

 

[farmerjan]

You are busier than a one armed paper hanger!!!

Busier than I want to be that is for sure it seems lately...

 

[farmerjan]

It started out rather nice, sun was out. Forecast was calling for high wind but it was calm... maybe they are wrong... NOPE... about half an hour ago, the wind came up like it was going to blow you away. Temp had gotten up to 48 and in 1/2 hour it has dropped to 38 actual... cloudy out there too... and possible snow flurries to come in from the west... but mostly staying in the mountains... Going to be an inside day today by the looks of it...

Need to get some bottles in the racks for tomorrows 200 cow herd. Meters are in the car but need to change the placement of the hangers to fit the bracket placement at the farm tomorrow... Brackets at the farms are where they fit the best and how the meter will hang in relation to the cow milking etc... some places they are higher than others to get the meters out of the way of the person milking and and such...

Oh well, going out to get blown away and do the chickens...

 

[farmerjan]

I need to remember to bring the bucket of chicken feed from the bin down the road at DS's green barn.... didn't have it with me yesterday...or today when I went to the pasture to feed the bottle calf..... wasn't going to deal with it in the rain either, and they had feed.
Feeders are nearly empty now, so need to refill them later... I did take a bag of dried grass stuff I bagged to put in the run with the NH and Langshans... they seem to be doing good together... Not " pet friendly" but easy to work around...

Got the calf in the head catch that needed the get the shot... he was not very happy with me... next one will be more of a challenge I am sure since he did not like it... but..... only way I can get the infection dealt with...

Washed up the dishes, and another bucket that needed a good scrubbing... Got another inside that has a crack in the rim... it is a 4 gal size bucket so nice to use,, so I wanted to get some tape on it... salvage it for awhile... have to do it when it is warm so it will stick...

Well, time to do some more inside "stuff"....way too cold to be outside...

 

[Mini Horses]

That heavy wind came my way!! Wowzer. Can't work outside in that. We were good untill noonish, then someone flipped a switch. Cooling off some, too .

 

[Ridgetop]

I did a "bad thing"... I texted farm and said I had some cows out and would not make it to the farm in time to test....

Taking a day off because you felt like it? Oh No! Like we haven't all done that some time or another. After as busy as you are and having been sick for so long, I don't think it was a "bad thng" at all.

 

[fuzzi]

That heavy wind came my way!! Wowzer. Can't work outside in that. We were good untill noonish, then someone flipped a switch. Cooling off some, too .

Wind has been blowing here all day, but it's now cold and blustery.

Don't get yourself chilled, either of you.

 

[farmerjan]

Colder than a "witches tit" as it goes..... It is 7:30 or so... temps already down to 26... CHILLY WILLY out there... Still windy but it has dropped down a little .....

Went up to give the calf his bottle, just about dark..... it was just cold...came back home... Didn't think about the feed so will go get it in the morning to mix and fill the feeders. Bucket is in the car....they had some left in the feeders, and I want to clean them out, so morning will be a good time to do it.. They will need water in the black rubber pans that hold like a 1/2 gallon.

Got the boxes in the house, to put bottles in the racks to put in car for the farm tomorrow...

I am going to make a grilled cheese and maybe some soup for supper. I had a salad earlier... got more lettuce at the store the other day...not as good as fresh but sometimes it just satisfies the craving... and I know it is not the most nutrient type, but I do like iceberg lettuce as well as other types... still better than grabbing some "quick" snack that is calories and sugary....

Saw the big grey cat this evening... looking to see if I had the door cracked for the cats to come and go like on the warmer days... going to have to get rid of it since it causes fights all the time.... it is the only one I see around so catching it might stop some of the problems..

I saw 4 skunks the other morning on the way to work... just missed one in the road... then had to miss driving over 2 more that had been very recently killed.... and another right near the farm I tested... We had had that bit of a warm spell... boy were they out...it's getting breeding season for them....
Plus, having to play dodge ball with the deer everywhere... one right along the right side edge of the road as I came around a bit of a corner.... I said a quick please don't move.... as I swung out in the other lane to not scare him (big buck)... This was a back road and no traffic... but he was within 5 ft of the edge of the road...

Well, time to eat something...