... In a good way. We finally got them out into the pasture. Three of the cows calved in the barn, not the best environment.
It's picture perfect breezy day, not a cloud in the sky. The wind in the long grass makes it look lives waves on Lake Michigan, alternating bright green with silver green.
Note to self ... Panda's two daughters have calved; the first had a bull; second had a heifer.
Button calved today with a big red bull calf. She's walking like she's three sheets to the wind, probably partly paralyzed from that big calf.
I hope this does not mean the heifers will have a hard time.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Fire!
Grandma called and asked if DH was around ... because they had set the cows' big round bales on fire and it was sort of blowing towards the barn. And did we have any garden hoses?
As I was putting my shoes on I remembered the big fire extinguisher we have here at the house. I got it for when we are brooding baby chicks. The combination of sawdust or straw plus heat lamps can be a fire hazard. I've never had to use it, though.
I rushed out to the barn and found the big round bales at the fence line feeder burning. So the smoke and embers blew into the concrete cow lot, not right into the barn.
Grandma and Grandpa wrestled with the garden hoses. I kept thinking the volunteer fire department could put this out in about 30 seconds. Did we need the fire department?
Smoke billowed all across the cow lot and out across the wheat fields. Some was white, some was black. A weather change is on the way so it rolled along the ground. Couldn't see through it. No wonder people talk about smoke screens.
The fire extinguisher was good for about one bale. I had to rush into the calf barn to get their water hoses out because I figured Grandma wouldn't have seen them in awhile and they were too heavy for Grandpa to carry.
Out I went with all the hoses I could find. Of course most had ends missing.
Piece by piece they put together enough hose to reach the length of the row of bales.
As I came staggering out with more hoses there was DH. He'd seen the smoke from the other farm and rushed home.
Finally we got all the hoses hooked up and flames extinguished, although the hay smoldered, flared up and smoked for hours.
For lunch I suggested hot dogs over the fire but DH wanted to come up to the house for a hot lunch. Pot pie to day. All I had to do was turn on the oven and pop them in.
But, no wonder my clothes don't last long, what with the mud and soot and everythign.
As I was putting my shoes on I remembered the big fire extinguisher we have here at the house. I got it for when we are brooding baby chicks. The combination of sawdust or straw plus heat lamps can be a fire hazard. I've never had to use it, though.
I rushed out to the barn and found the big round bales at the fence line feeder burning. So the smoke and embers blew into the concrete cow lot, not right into the barn.
Grandma and Grandpa wrestled with the garden hoses. I kept thinking the volunteer fire department could put this out in about 30 seconds. Did we need the fire department?
Smoke billowed all across the cow lot and out across the wheat fields. Some was white, some was black. A weather change is on the way so it rolled along the ground. Couldn't see through it. No wonder people talk about smoke screens.
The fire extinguisher was good for about one bale. I had to rush into the calf barn to get their water hoses out because I figured Grandma wouldn't have seen them in awhile and they were too heavy for Grandpa to carry.
Out I went with all the hoses I could find. Of course most had ends missing.
Piece by piece they put together enough hose to reach the length of the row of bales.
As I came staggering out with more hoses there was DH. He'd seen the smoke from the other farm and rushed home.
Finally we got all the hoses hooked up and flames extinguished, although the hay smoldered, flared up and smoked for hours.
For lunch I suggested hot dogs over the fire but DH wanted to come up to the house for a hot lunch. Pot pie to day. All I had to do was turn on the oven and pop them in.
But, no wonder my clothes don't last long, what with the mud and soot and everythign.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Peeps!
A flock of moms carrying cardboard boxes and leading toddlers headed to the first-grade pod in the elementary school.
DS2's first grade class hatched chicks in a Hova-Bator incubator with a fan. Out of 24 set, 19 hatched so his teacher had to use the wisdom of Solomon in giving out the chicks to the kids. Some parents didn't want chicks so about two-thirds of the kids were interested.
DS2 ended up with three. He named all three Chirpie, Charlie and Fluffy but can't tell them apart. We might be able to later.
We put them in a potato box from work, along with pine bedding, a lightbulb, feed and a little drinker. The feeder and waterer will fit any size Mason jar, so I attached them to jelly jars.
Plan is to make a chicken tractor for them and keep them in the garden vs. finishing them for meat. (I want DS2 to keep eating meat!)
Now I have to find out all I can about chicken tractors.
A novel idea could hatch from this -- a hippie eco-friendly type gal butts heads with a conventional "heavy iron" kind of farmer. Not that sounds like me in real life. No. Not at all ...
Taking three first-grade chicks is a lot more work than starting a bunch of 50 or 100!
DS2's first grade class hatched chicks in a Hova-Bator incubator with a fan. Out of 24 set, 19 hatched so his teacher had to use the wisdom of Solomon in giving out the chicks to the kids. Some parents didn't want chicks so about two-thirds of the kids were interested.
DS2 ended up with three. He named all three Chirpie, Charlie and Fluffy but can't tell them apart. We might be able to later.
We put them in a potato box from work, along with pine bedding, a lightbulb, feed and a little drinker. The feeder and waterer will fit any size Mason jar, so I attached them to jelly jars.
Plan is to make a chicken tractor for them and keep them in the garden vs. finishing them for meat. (I want DS2 to keep eating meat!)
Now I have to find out all I can about chicken tractors.
A novel idea could hatch from this -- a hippie eco-friendly type gal butts heads with a conventional "heavy iron" kind of farmer. Not that sounds like me in real life. No. Not at all ...
Taking three first-grade chicks is a lot more work than starting a bunch of 50 or 100!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Dropping calves
I never liked that term. Most of the time the cows lay down to calve. Yesterday one of our black-baldy cows had a bull calf -- first-born of many brethren. I think we need a few sistern in there, too, because the cows are getting older and we need replacements.
Here's where DH and I part way. He wants all Angus, the solid black ones, because of calving ease, mothering ability and rate of growth. I think you can get all that and better temper, too, out of colored breeds -- Shorthorn or Hereford.
Ideally we need both. If we sell cattle at auction, black cattle bring the best prices because buyers assume the animals have Angus background and will produce high-quality meat. If we sell them for freezer beef, color doesn't matter. I believe we can get as good growth from the other two British breeds.
I wish I had not started thinking about replacement heifers. We have favorite ones among the old cows and I hate to think culling them.
Here's where DH and I part way. He wants all Angus, the solid black ones, because of calving ease, mothering ability and rate of growth. I think you can get all that and better temper, too, out of colored breeds -- Shorthorn or Hereford.
Ideally we need both. If we sell cattle at auction, black cattle bring the best prices because buyers assume the animals have Angus background and will produce high-quality meat. If we sell them for freezer beef, color doesn't matter. I believe we can get as good growth from the other two British breeds.
I wish I had not started thinking about replacement heifers. We have favorite ones among the old cows and I hate to think culling them.
Monday, May 4, 2009
We've started!
Boots on the ground and all that. DH, Grandpa and DS1 got started plowing and disking today on the neighbor's farm with the sandiest soil. I had to run them back and forth from the field to supper and back, which meant I got to go four-wheeling in the truck.
It's still a little wet but we are behind. On the other hand, the cold wet spring will make for a big first cutting of hay (I hope) which is our biggest cash crop.
It's still a little wet but we are behind. On the other hand, the cold wet spring will make for a big first cutting of hay (I hope) which is our biggest cash crop.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Before and after ...
This has nothing to do with farming.
We went on a family outing to a nearby indoor water park this weekend.
By the end of the day my purse contained:
Car keys
Cell phone
Two bill folds, one mine
Three pairs of glasses, none mine
A slinky
A whoopie cushion
Six plastic jumping frogs
Various wristbands
Crayons
A flyer about the water park
This in addition to the usual:
Car keys
Cell phone
One billfold
A first aid kit with bandaids, salve, Ibuprofen for adults and children
Crayons
Scrap paper
Six ink pens, none that work very well
Lip gloss
Library card
As the kids entrusted me with all their swag, I started to think about hiring a pack animal. But also, the Bible does tell us to bear one another's burdens. I guess that does include your 10-year-old's new Whoopie cushion.
We went on a family outing to a nearby indoor water park this weekend.
By the end of the day my purse contained:
Car keys
Cell phone
Two bill folds, one mine
Three pairs of glasses, none mine
A slinky
A whoopie cushion
Six plastic jumping frogs
Various wristbands
Crayons
A flyer about the water park
This in addition to the usual:
Car keys
Cell phone
One billfold
A first aid kit with bandaids, salve, Ibuprofen for adults and children
Crayons
Scrap paper
Six ink pens, none that work very well
Lip gloss
Library card
As the kids entrusted me with all their swag, I started to think about hiring a pack animal. But also, the Bible does tell us to bear one another's burdens. I guess that does include your 10-year-old's new Whoopie cushion.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
It's big, it's loud, it's in the chicken barn
That's what DH told me a few nights ago. He came into our room at midnight, wearing his barn clothes, fumbling for his glasses and then told me those awful words, "Something's out in the barn."
He added it was flying around. Not a chicken. Maybe a bat? He and the dog went on out while I threw on coveralls and -- whoa, stuff is flying around. Do I want a rabies-carrying bat in my hair? -- And a parka with a hood. Grabbed a broom and I was armed and dangerous.
The hens were screeching with horror as I went out. I did see a big black shadow against the barn lights.
Way too big to be a bat.
Went inside and saw a great horned owl up in the rafters, alternately dazed by the lights and determined to get us before we got it.
I had never seen one up close, in the wild or in my barn. It flew up into the chicken wire between the rafters and roof and glared down at me. Its eyes were huge, its fluff covered talons were huge and its curved black beak looked wicked, too. As I recall it was either hissing or snapping. Maybe both. It looked big and fluffy in soft brown and gray, but it was mad.
We got it out by turning the barn lights off, then on, holding the dog back and shooing it out with a broom. Then we propped up the sagging wire as best we could.
As near as we could tell, it flew into the lit chicken barn through an open door but could not figure out how to get out. Although the hens were traumatized the owl did not attack any of them.
We talked about it all later. Although one day a year the owl might attack the chickens -- and might never be back since it had a horrible experience with the lights and all -- the rest of the time it's working for us, taking mice and pigeons that steal grain and spread diseases.
I feel privileged to see something so cool in the wild -- not a dusty stuffed specimen at a museum or a listless zoo resident. Just hope it stays out of the barn from now on!
He added it was flying around. Not a chicken. Maybe a bat? He and the dog went on out while I threw on coveralls and -- whoa, stuff is flying around. Do I want a rabies-carrying bat in my hair? -- And a parka with a hood. Grabbed a broom and I was armed and dangerous.
The hens were screeching with horror as I went out. I did see a big black shadow against the barn lights.
Way too big to be a bat.
Went inside and saw a great horned owl up in the rafters, alternately dazed by the lights and determined to get us before we got it.
I had never seen one up close, in the wild or in my barn. It flew up into the chicken wire between the rafters and roof and glared down at me. Its eyes were huge, its fluff covered talons were huge and its curved black beak looked wicked, too. As I recall it was either hissing or snapping. Maybe both. It looked big and fluffy in soft brown and gray, but it was mad.
We got it out by turning the barn lights off, then on, holding the dog back and shooing it out with a broom. Then we propped up the sagging wire as best we could.
As near as we could tell, it flew into the lit chicken barn through an open door but could not figure out how to get out. Although the hens were traumatized the owl did not attack any of them.
We talked about it all later. Although one day a year the owl might attack the chickens -- and might never be back since it had a horrible experience with the lights and all -- the rest of the time it's working for us, taking mice and pigeons that steal grain and spread diseases.
I feel privileged to see something so cool in the wild -- not a dusty stuffed specimen at a museum or a listless zoo resident. Just hope it stays out of the barn from now on!
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