Coffee anyone ?

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses I had to smile. I am also guilty of sometimes just admiring my canning and not using it as much as I should!!! Plus the food in the freezer.... I'm "hoarding it" . Almost funny but I guess that I like knowing that there is all this here in case I need it. I am trying to do more eating out of it, and want to get one emptied and cleaned out this year. Also it will help me to "find" stuff that I probably have forgotten is in there. I do want to do more freezing of vegs this year since I haven't had much of a garden for the past 2 years .

We got as chilly as you. We were at 36 this morning and it is still quite windy. Forecast says that will be slowing down and a nice enough afternoon. My ankle and knees are aching this morning after testing yesterday morning, then helping work 4 cows and calves through the chute that my son bought Friday at the sale. All bull calves, actually they were already steer calves which was great; one cow had a set of twins, heifer and bull, and he sold the heifer off and kept the bull calf. It will do better getting all the mother's milk and he got more than he thought for the heifer $125., so it made the cow/cf pair cost a bit less. They are all in the 8 yr old range so not too old, and they went with the bull after we got them done. Moved 3 other cows, checked open, up with the bull too as we have had a few "oops" lately with cows being called open and them being short bred. Calves showing up with cows that should only be 5-6 months because they were bred but not very far along, from the previous group and we kept them to re-breed. So if they are cows we aren't set on selling, they will go back with the bull for now. Got one older cow that will get sold, she was supposed to have calved and I didn't feel a calf in her and she has no udder so definitely not nursing anything.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

That's always a good start! Go with it.


37 here this AM...up to 55 later. 20 degree cooler than yesterday wake up but, ok. SUN is out!!! Rain gone!!!

I have some online continuing ed stuff this AM...will get that out of the way before I begin any projects outside or it won't get done. LOL

Was up before daylight, so I was able to complete canning another 8 pints of applesauce. DONE!! Rest of the apples will become welcome treats to the goats today. I'm over it and don't need more. I have to stop myself! Summer canning will be in high speed, I can just feel it. Could be worse obsessions and keeps me out of trouble. Now I need to program self to USE this food, not just admire the lovely jars full.

Lucky you...our temps dropped and we got 3” of snow and more coming...that’s NW PA...gotta love it.

 

[Bruce]

Independent??? Lady, have you SEEN all the help I've been asking for on here?

Yep, that is independence! You are asking for help so YOU can do things. Dependent people need someone to do everything for them.

I didn't think it was weird to not have a social life. I guess I still don't!

What are we, chopped liver???

 

[Bunnylady]

one cow had a set of twins, heifer and bull, and he sold the heifer off and kept the bull calf.

I trust the new owner knew they were probably buying a freemartin?

 

[farmerjan]

Since he turned around and sold it right there at the sale, it was announced that they were bringing back in the heifer twin to sell, it would have been pretty obvious. Probably went to one of the buyers that gets alot of small calves. They would mostly go to veal raisers, but there are a couple of buyers who get alot of the small calves and they go on to either slaughter or to someone who raises them for feeders down the road. Small calves like that, that go to slaughter actually go for baby food veal and beef. Wasn't trying to hide that it was twin to a bull. Someone might have needed a calf to go on a cow that lost a calf too. It is part of chances you take when you buy at the stockyard. We have a cow with a heifer calf twin, she refused to take the bull calf which we would have preferred she raise. The heifer will get sold and go as a feeder. We have a guy who bought some heifers last year to raise up to breeding size and she would not get sold to him, but at the stockyard you buy what you see and take what you get. Have never sold one deliberately trying to misrepresent it. But you take your chances unless there is some guarantees that are stated before the animal/pen is sold.

 

[Bunnylady]

Have never sold one deliberately trying to misrepresent it.

I'm sure you wouldn't, and I certainly hope you don't think I was implying that you would. Just vaguely curious about why she might have gone for more than expected.

Many years ago, I knew a man who had a Charolais bull and a few Jersey and Jersey cross cows. When one of the cows calved, he'd get another calf at an auction and the cow would raise them both. I used to wonder how it was that there seemed to always be such young calves available - didn't think about rejected or just "surplus" twins. Do they produce twins that often?

 

[farmerjan]

If the calves that go through the sale are beef, or beef crossed, they will bring twice what a holstein bull calf will. I will try to get beef crossed calves off the few dairies that I get calves from, when one of my jerseys or dairy crosses calve. They will put on weight much faster, and will make a better beef for a homesteader type person to raise. When we have had a beef cow have a dead calf, will try to get a beef/ or beef crossed calf as they also are more often more aggressive to get started on a cow. Plus, they will bring more when they are pulled off the cow to sell as a feeder.

We have an average 1-2 sets of twins born a year. Mostly try to let the cow raise both if she is mothering them. They will be smaller than if she has one calf, because they are not designed to produce milk like a dairy cow, but you will get more "total weight" in 2 calves than one. So, if the cow milks decent, you still will come out as good or better. Many people don't want the cow to raise twins though. Often it will pull the cow down, she will not keep her weight as well because her body is trying to produce more milk due to the higher demand of 2 calves. Many will not breed back as fast and that is a "strike against them" when you are trying to get all your calves born in a 60-90 day window. We have one out to pasture now that has twins...bull and heifer. She is a good momma, and didn't lose weight like some. The calves are smaller, and probably would have been better for the bull calf if we had pulled the heifer. But, we let her raise them. I didn't have a nurse cow in milk at the time I could have put the twin on or probably would have pulled it and grafted it on the nurse cow.

I think my previously checked open, hol/guernsey cross heifer has a set of twins. I saw her with 2 calves nursing, but since she was supposed to be getting bred, is at a field that is not convenient to getting her to the barn and I was not expecting her to be pregnant, she is "on her own". She ought to be able to raise the 2 even with not getting any extra feed. Udder looks good, but she will probably lose some weight because of not getting any grain. There are a couple of other cows with calves in that field, so one calf could belong to someone else and stealing, but usually they don't steal at that young an age.

There are also the calves that get sold because the cow might not want to feed it, or she has mastitis and her udder is no good, or died, or other reasons. If it is an old cow, she might not have come in with enough milk to keep the calf going.

But most often, the black calves at the stockyards are from an angus or another black beef breed crossed with a dairy cow.

 

[promiseacres]

Coffee is on.
School restarts! not ready.... but we'll figure it out.
Yesterday we got a couple more nailers and a small portable air compressor at Menards, all were on sale...saved over $100 . I told DH that we should have one of each kind at this time... he has been watching sales so we get what tools we need to get the farmhouse back together.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

33 degrees out,..... highs out will be 69...too cold for me ...... at least it should be a calm morning doing chores.....Have a great day every.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Coffee is on.
School restarts! not ready.... but we'll figure it out.
Yesterday we got a couple more nailers and a small portable air compressor at Menards, all were on sale...saved over $100 . I told DH that we should have one of each kind at this time... he has been watching sales so we get what tools we need to get the farmhouse back together.

I looove using the biggest nail gun! My DH only lets me use it a bit...but boy is it fun!