rachels.haven's Journal

farmerjan

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Adorable baby !!!!! And the 3 hungry mouths WOW.
Wish I had your youth and energy to do the moving. I would be done by now.

Good for you getting things done so well. Don't panic about the goldfish. If there is not a pump and aeration system then don't panic right now, they will keep. They will eat the mosquito larvae and stuff. We keep them in alot of our horse troughs for that reason.
 

rachels.haven

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Oh Jan, this isn't energy. This is burning the candle at both ends then lighting the middle on fire. But with the kids, living half way in, half way out for another week or two would not be much less stress anyway and would have just prolonged the agony and been worse. We're going to need a week or two to sleep this one off. Sometimes I wish I was a coffee drinker...
 

farmerjan

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God bless you, that is alot of cattle panels. I think we might have 15 or 20 total... we do have alot of corral panels for catching up and moving cattle out of pastures, but they are not anchored with t-posts.... You will be able to make any kind of pens you want once the perimeter fence is up.... That is great.
 
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rachels.haven

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Thank you. Only 16 more wetlands buffer violating panels to go (anything I did outside of our mowed domestic yard was apparently not allowed, what fun)

So today Dan came to me and informed me we have grass. And then he reminded me that a long time ago I said that if we ever moved somewhere with grass to feed a cow, that he could get a cow. And now he would like me to make good on my word and get him a cow. 🤦‍♀️ (open mouth insert foot):th He also wanted a bull so we could make lots of cows. But bulls are dangerous, I told him, so I talked him down to a semen tank (my mother can AI). And told him before we could get a cow, we need a barn to house the animals and hay, a trailer, because cows don't fit in the mini van well, and a truck and that I would work on it but he would have to wait. He seemed to get this and said okay. So now I get to learn about dairy cows...

...He wants a mini...
And I said nothing more. I know better.
 

farmerjan

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Thank you. Only 16 more wetlands buffer violating panels to go (anything I did outside of our mowed domestic yard was apparently not allowed, what fun)

So today Dan came to me and informed me we have grass. And then he reminded me that a long time ago I said that if we ever moved somewhere with grass to feed a cow, that he could get a cow. And now he would like me to make good on my word and get him a cow. 🤦‍♀️ (open mouth insert foot):th He also wanted a bull so we could make lots of cows. But bulls are dangerous, I told him, so I talked him down to a semen tank (my mother can AI). And told him before we could get a cow, we need a barn to house the animals and hay, a trailer, because cows don't fit in the mini van well, and a truck and that I would work on it but he would have to wait. He seemed to get this and said okay. So now I get to learn about dairy cows...

...He wants a mini...
And I said nothing more. I know better.
I remember that little bit of conversation way back in one of your posts....
A mini would be good if you can find any in that area that are reasonable... And why dairy? go with a beef or a dual purpose.... and explain that just like the boy goats that go in the freezer to make meals for the family, that a "boy calf" would be for food for the family too.... and make sure it becomes an "it" at "day old" or shortly there after....
When you get close to even considering it.... then things like AI tanks and such can be discussed.... The fees to have it serviced with nitrogen might make it even cheaper to find an AI tech to do the breeding once or twice a year.... or a farmer closeby that does some AI on his own to come and breed for you..... and it is often cheaper to have an animal trailered if you aren't going to be using it more than a few times a year due to the costs of plates and insurance up in the insanity of the northeast.... you have to license a tractor if it goes on the road up there....
Any help I can give please ask.... and get to know any farmers close that have cattle..... might be able to pick up a calf that is orphaned or something..... start small that way... and he might get tired of it after awhile .... or it might be "his choice in livestock" in the future....and make sure he understands that you can't make lots of cows or there won't be any grass because each one eats WAY MORE than 10 goats every day.....

He's something else.... got quite a memory.....
 

Baymule

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Look at the Devon breed, meat and milk. I’m buying a Devon steer in December to grain finish for 2 customers that each want half a steer. I’m kinda excited about it even though the meat isn’t for me. LOL The Devon breed has a milking line and a meat line, but no reason why you couldn’t cross the two lines for a meatier calf.

Or, a Jersey cow, @farmerjan’s favorite, and breed her to a small Hereford or Angus.

Dan can do the milking and learn to make butter and cheese. To complete the milking schedule, a feeder pig to feed the excess milk to would be a nice pile of delicious meat for the freezer. Can’t have a pig? Get one anyway, hide in barn with an outlet to a pen for some outside time. Get caught? Home butcher the next day. Pig is gone, problem solved. Another life lesson for Dan-raise and butcher his own home raised meat.

I like the way this boy thinks. By all means, get that boy a cow!
 
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