Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Bruce]

Thursday and Friday were cold!

I misunderstood! I thought you put on the overalls to ward of the "cold" 70°F

 

[farmerjan]

Up and ready to go out to get the samples in a few minutes. Got down to 25 last night... but it was still 32 at about 3 a.m. when I woke up and couldn't get right back to sleep. So dropped after that. Sun is out now and already up to 31. The forecast says it will get into the upper 30's but winds coming, to drop the "feels like" temps to the upper 20's. Right now it is very still out there. Pretty with the sun on all snow on my side of the road. Field across the road is pretty much melted off.
Had a cup of hot cocoa and took a couple of supplements that are supposed to be 30 min before a meal.... says take with a glass of water, but the cocoa is mostly water... yeah, pkg mix today.... but water first thing doesn't always set with me. Usually I take them with OJ or milk... anyway, by the time I get the samples in the house, and get myself going for breakfast it will be over a half an hour.

Waiting on a few farms to text or call me back. Gotta get back into the routine. Right now I want to "stash " some of that money for getting some things done here....got to pay a few things off that I have put on the cc... like my engine for the car....and that was planned that way..... but I really like not having to go out in the cold to be in a barn. Warmer weather is not so bad.... guess I am getting to be a "wimp" in my old age !!!!!. I was ready to go back after my ankle replacement. But then, that was going into warmer weather too.... and I was anxious to get out and "going".... I am fine once I get to a herd usually.... oh well.....

Looking at my calendar, I have to go back to the knee dr on Thursday....all day deal again. But should be the last time for them since everything is healed and all. Will still be working on the PT for a bit I think with the tightness and all in the right one....

There is a bred cow sale on Wed night that DS said we might want to go to... it is held once a month so not life and death but might be good to see what prices are doing... he has to take those cows that were checked open to a sale too. Need to get some things moved around at the barn, and get them out... I have to get a few more in at the nurse cow pasture when we schedule the next vet preg check and he gets another bunch moved home from pasture. Thinking he might get the temp catch pen panels moved in the next day or 2. I want to get it done so we know what we are dealing with and these cows need a break from the big calves.... He just doesn't get things done like that should be with always spending so much time "home" with GF and all on the weekends. Seems like that is always more important than getting the farm work done. Gets on my nerves sometimes. But I am not making the payments on the farm.....
Oh well, difference of opinions....
Going out to get the samples and then come in and eat, pack them and decide what to do from there.

 

[Baymule]

It sounds like you are doing real good with the knee replacements. I'm so glad for you.
Cow sale sounds like a good way to spend the evening.

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday and COLD... 15 to start. Sun trying to come up across the road so will help a little. Temps today only into the upper 30's they say, but warmer tomorrow, and through Friday ahead of this now forecast possible winter storm coming.

Yesterday the internet went out and was out all day. Called and seems it was out for the whole area. Still nothing at 10 p.m. But here it is back today.

Got the mouse in the desk drawer yesterday on the sticky trap. YAY !!!! Put another one in there in case there are more. This one hadn't visited the traps in the kitchen as they still have their peanut butter on them.

Also got an egg yesterday so maybe they are getting accustomed to the different feed and all. I sure hope so. Got to go out and let them out in a little bit on my way to PT. Today is pool PT so I will enjoy it while in there and feel like spaghetti/jello legs after.

Ds said the chicken was real good. GF had sent a text also, but he said they ate 2/3 of it in one sitting. They were going to have more of the mashed potatoes with supper last night.

He wants to take some of the cull/open cows to the sale on Wed... which is a "regular sale".... then stay for the bred cow sale. So I need to be ready to meet him at the barn at 3 p.m.. They sell the cull cows, and cull/kill bulls, and baby calves at 5.... the good thing about this is it is strictly for stuff that will get shipped out. Then they have a regular sale on Saturday that has everything. They also sell alot of the goats and sheep and everyone around here takes their small livestock there, as they get alot of buyers. Then after the small livestock at noon, they get into the cattle... feeders and everything up to cull animals too.

Talking about taking a load of heifers in on Saturday. But then I just heard on the weather forecast that there is a possible winter storm coming for Sat/Sun......Might stay to the south of us and NC get more snow... but they are "watching it".....

So I am going to get going and all so I can be there on time this morning. Have to take some hot water out to the chickens, I dumped the waterer out and laid it on it's side so I can easily add water this morning.

 

[farmerjan]

Had a good overall day, considering the cold start. Got chickens watered and let out into the shelter. Loaded the jeans and stuff to wash in the big machine. Went to PT and that went pretty good. Legs are like "wimpy noodles" as usual after the pool.... but it does help me to get alot more bend and movement in them. But even with the heated dome over the pool, it is cold outside the water... and the water is really nice.
So left there, went and did the load of laundry and the sneakers got real good and clean looking. All the jeans and sweatshirts done in one fell swoop. Went from there to the discount grocery store and ran a couple of other errands.

Came home and got the groceries all in the house and then hung the clothes on the line. Sun out, no breeze, so not too cold, even though it never got above 38. But in the sun it was decent.
Then put the chickens in the crate for the night about 5 or so. No eggs today, but maybe I will find some when I go out in the morning. Have to take out hot water again as it is down to 24 already this evening....

Put a load of whites.... mostly all socks and some t-shirts in the machine and they will get hung tomorrow since the temps are supposed to be up into the upper 40's..... Have one more load of delicates... underwear etc.... that I will do tomorrow too, and that will get me all caught up again. Temps are supposed to stay up in the upper 40's - low 50's through Friday with partly to mostly sun. That is when I really like to do the clothes so I can hang them out to dry in the fresh clean air. Then I will have the long snowy weekend to get them folded and such.

Had a farm text me back and they want to test Friday aft... so I will. PT is at 9 that morning and that is fine. I will make sure I have the right hoses on the truck for both that farm and the one on Saturday; and get the rest put back in the carport for the time being and out of the back of the truck. Hoping the weather holds off so I can test the one on Saturday and be done with them. They take so long because they milk 240+ in a double 6... takes 5 or more hours if everything goes smoothly. Too many cows for the size milking parlor....

Weather forecasts are coming more in line with each other for the upcoming "winter storm". Didn't I say something about a week or 2 ago about we might have a significant winter storm coming yet? Anyway... it looks like it will be coming in later on Sat night or even Sunday morning.... and last for 24 hours type of thing.... No forecast for amounts, but the GFS and the European models that they use are much more in line now and it looks to be coming more north than they had been saying a few days ago.....

Now DS is wondering if we should be shipping the heifers this week....????? He said that he is going to have too many at the barn pretty soon.....actually he isn't going to have that many more... he wants to go get the 8 out to pasture and get them back... and there are 7 cull cows going tomorrow.... so about the same numbers and smaller size since these are barely yearling heifers.

I really wanted all the cattle back to the barn by now and the heifers and steers on feed for a month or so and then see about selling them in Feb.... if we get a significant snow then getting that one big group out is going to be a real bi#@h...DS is off Monday for MLK day but if it is snow then he will be working. I think he was thinking about moving some stuff then. I am keeping my mouth shut.... No way will we get them out if there is a snow storm again.

The snow is 85% melted off here now... it will be all gone by the weekend if the temps hit what they say. Ground is getting colder though.... Been hard the last few mornings with the cold. Better than all soft and mushy. The good thing about the snow, it does put trace amounts of nitrogen back into the soil... known as the poor man's fertilizer... Nitrogen to put down in the spring is still up to 1.32 from the .67 it was last year.... sure hope we get plenty of poultry litter to spread.

I 'm going in to get a few things put away and get a shower. Legs are feeling the PT today... I really worked them in the pool... and will be ready to crash here pretty soon.

I still have a total of 8 at the nurse cow pasture that need to be moved to the barn... 5 to preg check and 3 big calves to wean. The 5 will go back there or go somewhere else for spring calving. One is the nurse cow to go back there for sure, and another is a hol x that is getting some age on her..... the others can go anywhere I guess. One of the 3 nearly yearling calves is on my Longhorn. She needs to be weaned... the cow will not get checked as she cannot go through any of the head catch chutes we have, with the size and width of her horns. She will just calve.....or not... but she is getting pretty big around the middle so I am sure she is bred. She will stay there for as long as she keeps producing a calf..... and when the time comes that she doesn't have a calf, she will become hamburger because I want her horns..... I expect (hope) that will be years down the road. She is a good momma and has the smallest but cutest udder and her calves really grow so I think she must have some pretty high butterfat. She comes right up to get grain and is not very pushy with the horns unless she is in the pen and then wants everyone to know that SHE is going to get what grain she wants to eat..... Good thing is I can feed her some grain outside the pen on the ground and then open the gate and all the rest will go in the pen while she is eating.... She does not go from place to place trying to get all she can, she stays right where you feed her until it is all gone....then goes to see if there is more somewhere else. She is not a pig......

So tomorrow we will load the cull cows around 3, and go to the sale and then stay for the bred cow sale after. Don't really plan on buying anything but you never know... makes sense to take the trailer with a load than to take an empty trailer..... no point in going there without the trailer though, because the one time you don't take it, you know you'll wind up finding a bargain and then you have to make another trip back to pick it up. And I am thinking that since it is really still WINTER, that breds may still be a little cheaper with people not wanting the expense of feeding them through the rest of the cold weather.... By the March sale, I think that the prices are going to go up a fair amount with the "promise of spring" and nicer weather coming.... Hopefully, as we might be selling a few bred heifers..... will see what happens when we preg check this next group of cows....If they are all bred then we might have a few heifers to sell... or if there are very many opens, then we might be keeping all the heifers to calve out.
It is all a gamble...

Got the Dr appt in Baltimore on Thursday....am going to drive GF's suv because my car trans is not done yet and she made a big deal about me not renting a car when hers just sits there most of the time. So I finally said, thank you and agreed. I said that I didn't want to worry about it if someone hit it and she said she doesn't really like this vehicle ( no, I don't know what it is off hand) and that it is fully insured so don't worry about it..... so I will drive it. I hate to in a way, but why spend 150 to rent one for a day with the insurance and all.... I will make sure it is full of gas when I get back and told her I would just as soon pay her and she can put it towards her ins payment on it.... she said no, but I will do something for her. Still makes it easier for me than worrying about picking one up and getting it returned back on time and all that. She is going to leave it at the barn tomorrow and take the red/white 4x4 truck home with the bale bed on it and probably take a roll of hay for the cows on the farm down near her. Makes sense as DS takes hay on his way home to her house.... This will give them a little extra for those cows, with the weather coming in....

 

[Mini Horses]

Good...use her SUV. She would not have offered it if she had a doubt!! With hay on truck, for animals near them, it's kinda perfect..

Enjoy the auction. Hope prices are good for your sale cows. I've missed my last 2 auctions, other things to do. I enjoy going tho as it's a good time usually.

That storm thing...it's been a real strange one for them to track. Even the weather guy here is kinda laughing about the changes when reporting....just wait and see!

 

[Baymule]

Boo on winter storm. I'll take my Texas hot weather any day over a winter storm! I hope it is short, the snow melts and life goes on.

When you take your Longhorn to slaughter, keep the head, not just the horns. They sell the painted and decorated cow skulls for some high prices. They look pretty too! I have a cow skull out in the store room, one of these days....... LOL But it's not a Longhorn!

It's nice of the GF to offer her SUV. She does like you, she wouldn't insist on you driving her car if she didn't. I'm glad that PT is helping your recovery. Both knees at once is a lot to bite off, but it will all be worth it when you are all healed up and done with PT. Life improves immensely.

 

[farmerjan]

Morning to everyone. Just a few short lines as I have to get some things done. Laundry in the washer to get hung out. There is a breeze today and the jeans and all I hung yesterday are waving in the wind... Will be great for the towels and stuff I have in the machine now.
There is talk about a very slight "clipper system" going through tomorrow... possible snow showers to the west. I will be gone all day for the 4 hr trip up to the dr appt... then home again after.....so the clothes will stay out on the line until Friday after I get home from the PT appt. I have to leave by noon to go test Friday so will have to get the clothes in before then. But then they can all sit here until I get done with the Sat eve test; and the snow that is forecast. Weather report this morning saying it could be a "significant winter storm"..... with "plowable snow amounts"..... well, we are due some real snow... been very little the past few years.

Okay, headed out to get them hung and get a few other things done today.

 

[farmerjan]

Back in for a few minutes. Let the chickens out of the crate and a fresh egg. Progress. One of the white leghorns is definitely losing feathers... UGH. They don't have enough body to keep warm without feathers... crating at night will help. Feel sorry for her though. It is warm in the greenhouse shelter with the sun on it early in the mornings.

Clothes hung, and the ones from yesterday are nearly dry. So maybe I will get them all off early this afternoon before I go with DS to the sale. The shirts are dry, just a little dampness in the jeans seams....the socks and t-shirts and towels ought to dry in short order. Not a hard wind but a good breeze keeping them all fluttering quite good.

Got the brackets on the meters all changed for the farm for Friday, and the hoses off the truck I don't need and the ones I do need on it , for both the Fri and Sat herds. I'm on a roll.

Came in and made the last of the chicken breast meat into sandwiches for early lunch. Forgot to go to the bank yesterday with a deposit, so have to go run and do that today; then will come home and get things off the line I think.

Sun is nice but breeze makes it chilly out. It's 44 but doesn't feel like it except out of the wind.

Latest update on forecast is looking more and more likely for a good snow.... no one will say except that it is showing the more purple colors which usually is in the 8-15 inch stuff. Hey @Mike CHS , you might get it before us, unless it is all rain.... any predictions from there? How did the lambs do at the market for you? Sure hoping that the cull cow prices are decent this afternoon. A couple are mine and I need to get the transmission done in the car.... Always something.

 

[Finnie]

One of the white leghorns is definitely losing feathers... UGH. They don't have enough body to keep warm without feathers

Certainly not ideal to molt in the winter. Sounds like she will be ok in your setup. I had a Black Langshan molt in January last year. And not just any molt. She about lost all her feathers at once! So bald, and bad time of year for it! And boy did she look pitiful when all the pin feathers came in! I put a blue leg ring on her so I would be able to tell her apart from the others. No noticeable molt this year, but she may have done a mild molt when everyone else did in the fall. This particular one hatched in 2015, so she is getting up there in age. But even naked, she did fine last winter.