Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

That was a busy day. Handle what you can, don't overtax yourself. Speaking of chickens, did you ever get the last big coop brought home?

 

[farmerjan]

All the trouble with the internet last night, the above post didn't post... but at least it wasn't lost so just hit post.

It is a "balmy" 7 degrees this morning... Boy the temps dropped just like they said.
Very cloudy to the south and west; the Sun is trying to come out through it to the east.

SOOO Glad that I got the vinyl up for the leghorn coop. I would not be doing it today.

Going to refill the bird feeders as they will need it. They will get a frozen coating and don't want to break them trying to get the tops off....can break up the ice in the "tray part" for them to get the seeds after the ice stops.

Looking at the bigger map, looks like @Mike CHS is getting the mess already. I know you guys are very prepared and conscience of things like this... hope you are doing okay.

Going to eat so I can take these antibiotics for the bronchial pneumonia . Have to get the TP and kleenex out of the car and move it so there is a completely cleared area in front of the cars so DS can back blade the snow out to the road tomorrow...and push it down past the house... will open it up to the hay stored across the road also... after we get all the snow/ice and stuff..... there are a couple of neighbors that he is going to take care of their driveways ... the one where we put the heifers in summer for free, asked if he could do the driveway out to the back... can't say no to him, so when DS is out he is going to come up here... open it up to snyder's for me also...

I have got to take the flat bed diesel to the barn and get sq bales for the cow in the barn... she will get done later today and get an extra sq bale for tomorrow in case I cannot get in there... I have a couple buckets with lids so will have to take hot water to try to thaw some ice up there so she can get a good filling drink today... they were all thawed out yesterday, but these temps will have it pretty frozen over today.... maybe they will stay a little breakable of the ice, for them for a few hours. At least the old limping cow will not be going up and down the hill in the ice covered snow and fall and break a leg... she was close to calving last evening when I got her in... OF COURSE they wait for the worst weather...just hope she had it last night at the farm and it is up and nursing as the snow and ice is going to be a total strike out against her the next couple days...

The latest is we will get more snow than ice .... 6-12 before it changes over... WHO KNOWS..... wish it was 2 ft of snow instead.... we NEED the moisture... so will be glad to get some.... BUT... one can wish....

 

[farmerjan]

That was a busy day. Handle what you can, don't overtax yourself. Speaking of chickens, did you ever get the last big coop brought home?

Nope, not yet....

They are not worried about it as they have had several delays getting their big building up... builders had put them back again last time I talked to them a bit before Christmas... had a date to get there like the 15th.... I sure hope for their sake it got done finally. It is not a priority for a few weeks now...

 

[farmerjan]

Sat afternoon. Has been a good day until just a bit ago. Got a text from DS that the water is froze at the barn.... he is working on that now.
Earlier I went to snyder's so he could come in with the truck and a roll of hay, brought me 6 sq bales for the nurse cow... got them into the barn... Took the sledge hammer and broke the ice in the lot for the jersey... he broke it up down at the water trough after he put the roll of hay out... hooked the silage cart and left and was coming back. I went down near the trough as the cows came up over the hill, so they came to see what I was doing and all went to drink which is great... It won't stay open long if they didn't get into it to drink... every one must have gotten enough, they headed back to the hay... I got things as ready as I could in the barn, moved the hay closer to the feed cans and made a spot for the cat, that is there off and on, so she could be protected from the wind, and had taken some cat food so put out a bunch for her. Don't have to worry about the d#@%&d ground hogs coming in to eat it with this cold... she was there yesterday.
Then followed DS back to Deb's so he could get the one truck in the arena, it is filled with hay wagons and equipment because she does not have a horse there and with her problems, probably never will again. Then we hooked up the discbine, and got it in one of the run in sheds in the field... it is mostly under roof so that was good. Then he tried to start the little massey ferguson tractor and it wouldn't start... jumped it.... but finally we pulled it with the truck and got it started and it got put in the bigger barn in the back field.... so all the equipment there is under cover.
Followed him down and opened some gates so he could feed some rolls of hay so the calves would not get out... and got the buckets filled at the feed bin for him to put on the silage that he was going to feed in the barn. GF came after taking the kids back to her sister's so she was going to help him finish up.
Then he was going to come to my house and pull the tarp over a bit on the shed roof so it didn't snow inside the shed...

I came home and gave the chickens water...refilled feeders..... brought the stuff in out of the explorer, and got it moved over out of the way for him to be able to get in to move snow... filled the bird feeders and took the papers out and got them burned. Brought some 5 gal buckets in the house to fill with water after I take a shower and wash my hair; in case we lose power...

Then I get the text about the water... so I went out and managed to get the tarp pulled back over the missing shingles/hole in the shed roof and tied back down so he doesn't have to worry with stopping to do that....

Texted him back to see if there was anything I could do to help but have not heard back...

Seen a few flakes but not much yet...

It got up to 15 and that was it.... back down to 14 now... radar shows snow starting about now...

Going to be a LONG night....

 

[Mini Horses]

Same here...prepped what I could for morning. Have a heated tub on for dipping & dumping. Several tubs fill & iced over for dumping, extra tubs full to break ice as they drink down others. Hay racks full in barn but that's only 1 days worth.
Thinking less snow, more ice & rain -- which will freeze!!

 

[farmerjan]

8 to start this morning... Got some snow overnight... looks to be about 6 inches and then it was doing the sleet/freezing rain whatever around 3 and still at it out there...

Texted DS and still no water at the barn...as of late last night... he thinks it is the well pump again... no one is going to pull a well pump in this weather... so will have to rotate cattle around to get into the creek there in the "riparian" areas that are fenced off... going to have to combine some groups they just separated out, in order to get them in and out of the areas to water... opened the back field up to the gravity fed water troughs... but it is going to be a royal B#@%h to get every one to water today for a few hours... I think GF is going to help him... told him to let me know if he needs me... but I am going to try to deal with snyder's on my own so he doesn't have to worry about them too... getting down to the water trough there to use the sledge hammer to break ice is going to be the trick... have to see how slick it is out there later... I may open one side of the pen to the cows and break up the water in the troughs there at the barn for them to get in and drink . The jersey and the black calf can drink out of the smaller troughs in the smaller pen side, and they will have both sides in the barn.... Just have to tie the connecting gate shut good so they don't get it opened... luckily it opens "into" the bigger side, so they won't be able to "push it open"...
It is open now and I might have to use the sledge to just get it loose from the ice... it is actually a corral panel so only on the ground on both sides on the bottom "loop" instead of a gate that is totally on the ground on the whole length... If I have to I can haul some water to them for in the water troughs there at the barn if I absolutely have to... at least I would not slide down the hill on the ice like going down to the big water trough...
Might carry a couple of buckets of warmer water to the jersey and black steer and her little calf. This restricted water will cut her milk which at this point is not bad... as long as she doesn't get mastitis... I will be happy. Can deal with lower production this time around... with being sick, this was definitely NOT the time to get a nurse cow... but I am not sorry... she is really good in the barn, took the bottle calf like nothing was a problem for her... would take a second one with no big deal I am very sure... if I could get a healthy one... so I really lucked out with her and she has been a peach about going right in the head catch and letting me shut it... eating... then when I let her out she isn't fighting to get out or anything...

They have made one pass up the road here at the house... will wait to see if they come through again... before I even attempt it...

Seen birds at the feeder... I think with their sharp little beaks they ought to be able to get through the ice... but I will make sure when I go out in a bit...

 

[Baymule]

I’m getting just a tiny bit of winter and I don’t like it.
You would fry on my hot summers and I’d quit and hibernate in your winters.

 

[farmerjan]

Just went up to 16 degrees... it is sleety type stuff... but it has been cold enough that the snow that changed over is not really crusted over... broke through the little bit of crustiness with every step.

Plenty of eatable snow if they have to have something..

The water is still not working at the farm... he has had a heater in the well area with the pressure tank. Just talked to the guys at Le-Hi truck stop.... they are letting us run water from their shop... to our hydrant which DS said he can then basically back feed the water to all the stuff... some of the troughs will probably be frozen from not being able to pump water from the pipes into the troughs... but at least we will be able to get water to the cows... he can deal with frozen troughs tomorrow... he will have to drain the hoses when not actively running water in them... he came and got a couple of 100+ feet ones from me to use and so we will have all animals watered by tomorrow... even if he has to haul some barrels to some from this water source... it is right next to the field with the preg cows... we call them the peterbilt field group.... so a solution for the time being...

Cannot hardly get around in this stuff... it is almost slick it is so dry... he was having trouble getting up the hill in the back, to the well again, a little bit ago....I did not get into snyder's today... he has been way too busy trying to get this water situation fixed... they all got to drink good, all they wanted yesterday... have plenty of hay and full silage wagon yesterday... and the jersey got 3 half full tubs of silage... the empty protein tubs ... so she will not run out of the hay with all that to eat also...
Plus, the road in front of my house is pretty bad... saw a small plow truck on it a little bit ago when I went out to get him the hoses.... I am not going out to get stuck and add an extra problem for him... They will be fine until tomorrow...

Took the bird feeders and dumped some of the snow off them on the ground and some seed with it... saw a whole bunch out there a little bit ago... so at least they are getting something against this cold...

I'm going in to make something to eat. Ate some breakfast then that was it... stomach let me know it wants more now......

 

[Finnie]

and she has been a peach about going right in the head catch and letting me shut it

Peach would be a great name for her!

 

[farmerjan]

Recording thermometer hit 20 for about an hour... WOW

This is going to sound crazy to some, but really don't want it to warm up too much tonight as it will make a hard crust on this otherwise fairly light stuff. 6-8 inches most places... with just a little bit of a soft crust.

DS has gotten water to 3 pastures and the one group of calves turned down into the "crep" area that is fenced off where the creek is... Running water from the neighbor business through some hoses to our hydrant near to their property... filling it backwards so to speak through the water lines... By tomorrow everyone will have gotten watered thoroughly ... and I will get up to snyder's and take some hot to pour in the water troughs to help melt a bit up there in the troughs... not going down over the hill if it is very icy... to break up the trough... I will open up one side of the catch pen and let them drink from those frozen troughs that I will break open with the slege hammer and some HOT water I hope... If it is not slippery on top, I will go down the hill to break it up down there... I can drive down close to it if it is not slick... Do NOT want to slide into the trees that are above the water trough... and with all this pneumonia/weakness from the alpha gal... I cannot walk down there and back up. I HATE that I have gotten so weak and out of breath all the time...

Just texted me, got water to 2 more pastures/lots... just one more to get .... then he will have to drain the hoses for the night... 300+ ft but a straight shot to get most of it...