Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Throw some loose hay in there at night lock up. Between that and body heat from others at night, she'll be fine! They tend to bunch up, remember?

I just had to do a heimlich maneuver on one of the roos that I will butcher next month. Didn't want to do it today!! I was coming in for lunch and saw him staggering and gaging. Tongue was turning blue! He couldn't even run from me...snatched him up by the legs, shook him, rubbed his neck and craw...out comes some grain he'd over eaten! Drizzled water in his mouth, shook again....he's ok and walking around now! Glutton!!

Now to get lunch and back out for some field work! It's chilly but, only light breeze. All tolerable with long johns, gloves and scarf on neck! . Sunshine, too.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Woo Hoo! Chicken rescuer extraordinaire!

 

[Finnie]

Throw some loose hay in there at night lock up. Between that and body heat from others at night, she'll be fine! They tend to bunch up, remember?

I just had to do a heimlich maneuver on one of the roos that I will butcher next month. Didn't want to do it today!! I was coming in for lunch and saw him staggering and gaging. Tongue was turning blue! He couldn't even run from me...snatched him up by the legs, shook him, rubbed his neck and craw...out comes some grain he'd over eaten! Drizzled water in his mouth, shook again....he's ok and walking around now! Glutton!!

Now to get lunch and back out for some field work! It's chilly but, only light breeze. All tolerable with long johns, gloves and scarf on neck! . Sunshine, too.

Wow! He’s lucky you were there to notice!

 

[Baymule]

Wow! He’s lucky you were there to notice!

Yeah, real lucky. Save his life now so she can cut his head off later.

 

[Ridgetop]

My heart don't need too much of that kind of happy. I figured out years ago that I am a complete A$$ under the influence. LOL A little is good. Overpour is not. I have an over the top personality anyway, remove what little sense I have and it can get pretty danged wild. Nope.

When I worked in the office with a crowd of girls, we would often go out to linch to the Mexican restaurant. They wouldn't allow me to have any liquor while they knocked back the margaritas. NOPE I was not the designated driver! I just had not head for alcohol! They said I didn't a drink because I was too over the top just on laughing at my friends' antics!

As a child I ate the fine silica sandbox sand. I also tried dog biscuits when I was out of her reach while she was talking on the phone. Gotta love those old phones with short receiver cords! LOL I also had a friend in her 20's who ate dirt when she was pregnant because she had a craving for it!

As to the twins - they will most likely find a nice slug (DD1) or snail (DS1). I stopped worrying with DS2 and 3.

So things never get done like he/we plan.

So good to hear that! I thought that only happened here!

Have recovered enough to read through everything I missed while sick. I hope that you can get some bargains on the bred cows. But will there be buyers for your cattle with the storm coming in?

 

[farmerjan]

Okay... Thursday eve. Went to dr appt today and he spent about a whole 10-15 minutes with me... wanted to see me walk, talked about the soft tissue in the right knee and the little bit more swelling... how it will take time... and everything in the x-rays looked real good... incisions healed real good... call in late summer for a yearly ck up in Oct/Nov...
220 miles one way, for that. GRRRRR


Guess it is better than having a problem with the knees...

Car ran fine and no problems. Not overly thrilled with the new vehicles... same as the last time I rented one......way too much "fancy stuff" on them for me. And gas is too expensive no matter what... cost a full tank for up and back... naturally I filled it right up to the top when I got back....and I ran it through the car wash so the outside was clean with all the salt residue from the roads...

Got home and locked in the chickens... got another brown egg. It is the same as the one the other day... and different from the one I was getting before so I think one of the other hens is starting to lay. No white ones lately... I was getting at least 1-2 white ones and a brown one before... Oh well, not the end of the world... At least they seem to be happy enough and they o right in the crate at night with no big deal...

I did get all the laundry off the line yesterday so that was great. It smells so good in the basket.... Snow day folding job.....

So, about the sale on Wed. Met DS at the barn and he got the cows in and we took 8 of the 10 that were on the "sale list". The one of mine that is still there he is going to probably keep for a beef in June.... 3 were mine, 5 of his. Got up there about 5 and DS said he had talked to owner and that they didn't start til 6 so that was good. They all weighed in the 9-1100 lbs... and they looked pretty good since they were eating silage at the barn for a couple weeks. He said that he wanted at least $.50 / lb for them and that they said that they were bringing in the upper 40's to low 60's... they all brought over $.61/lb. So on average they brought around $600 a piece which was a little better than he had hoped.... So that was good.
There were some pretty fat cull cows and saw a couple in the 15-1700 lb range that were FAT... and several brought in the 70's and one hit .80..... and the cull buyers were gobbling them all up.

So then at 7:30 they started the cows w calves and the breds.... DS bought one cow with a pretty new little calf, and a bred one (7 mos) and I bought 2 breds... 7 mos ... One is just a little 780 lb heifer that looks like she hasn't had a lot to eat.... not skinny, but not very fleshy... paid 450 for her and another cow that is older for 610. weighed like 1100... so 2 open cows bought me 2 breds ready to have calves in March/April... DS's 2 are a little bigger cows and he paid like 800 each... and he bought a steer that was sorted off a cow... the cow was bought by a cull/packer buyer and the steer brought 1.40... DS thinks he will go in with one of the groups of steers he is has been putting together... I think he will do okay on him.... the steer is a little crazy... but without his nutty momma to follow, he ought to calm down in with the ones here, that know the routine and he will want to follow them enough to eat and all.
Could have gotten a few others but decided that we did okay. Plus we were thinking that we still had an awful lot of cows in the barn lots that we did not want to pull their heifer calves off so the calves didn't go to bawling and walking fences out in the wet and damp, and get sick with the upcoming "weather" due in.....

The upcoming predicted storm now is saying 9-15 inches of snow and some possible freezing stuff on top. So, not wanting to take cattle to the sale on Saturday because of the trucks not going to be able to load and transport.... it does affect the prices....BUT.... he talked to the guy who worked for us part-time when he was in school... and he is working for another guy part-time, along with his job at the state dept of ag as a cattle grader.... who buys alot of heifers, and for a pretty good price, he is going to take a load tomorrow..... SOOOO.... no commission, about as good a price as they have been bringing in the stockyard.... delivered to his barn which is no further than the stockyard so no extra travel expense... weighed on his scales...and they will be out of our barn before the snow comes in on Sunday.... and possible future sales.....
So we will do this load tomorrow and see how it goes. We have done direct sales before and have done okay... a couple times not as good as we wanted because of no competition of buyers... but that has been mostly on steers... and if he is paying upwards of 1.40/lb. for these..... that is as good as the sales and not having to pay a commission then we will be ahead. I told DS sure, why not.
I made up a list tonight of the heifers that should be at the barn, counting the ones that have been there and the group he just brought home on the group of cows... and a few that I am not sure if they are still there or not because he doesn't always tell me when they are sold or what they bring... especially when I had the knees first done... but it will give me a reference to look up when he starts looking at them and asking me who is out of who, and stuff like that.... There are several there that are mine.... a few I don't want to sell, and a couple that he said are like nutcases that can go...The good thing is if they weigh them there, then I will know what mine weigh and get paid for their weight, not an average of the group....he can take about 20 I think and there are probably 35 there at the barn counting the ones we had weaned and decided were keepers awhile back...

So, I am going in to take a shower and relax... the knees are aching from the nearly 8 hours of driving with only like about a 45 min break inbetween....need to stretch them out a bit.

PT tomorrow at 9:15 and then I will come home, load the sample bottles and all in the truck, meters are already in the back... and go to the barn. DS said he will take off the day after he has a dr appt for the headaches with a different neurologist (I think that is what he said)... and he will come to the barn and we will sort through the heifers some.... Then I will have to leave by 12:30 to go to work to set up and he can do what he needs to and load and deliver the heifers around 5 p.m. he said... and he might go to the one pasture and see if he can get that group of weaned animals in... there are a couple of heifers there and a couple steers I think... they have had plenty to eat, since there was nothing out there this summer and he moved a bunch out there then brought some back and sold them in Dec.....and left a few out there so they have about eaten all the good stuff and he needs to bring them home. There are 2 of mine I think; and he said the one is always looking for a way "out" so she will get sold most likely.
He might go on and sort the pregnant cows out of the barn and move them out into the calving field.... and then they can holler for the calves for a day or 2..... They are mostly in the 5-6 month bred range, so could use the break. They will go out in the back field where the "autumn olive" trees are... and he will feed out there during the winter. But they will have some eating now out there....nothing back there for a couple months... and these cows won't need alot... 2 are short bred so they can go out there too and then in the spring, when the others have had calves and go out to pasture, those 2 can get moved into the calving field there at the barn. He wants to get the calving field emptied out and give the ground a rest for a couple of months... it probably ought to get limed too....

Getting all these out of the barn will open it up for the next group to come home from pasture, and get preg checked. And make sorting alot easier, with alot fewer in there....

I guess that is about it for now. I think I am going to get a hot shower, make a cup of hot cocoa as it is damp out there, maybe 'doctor' it a little, and hope I can sleep better tonight. Next 2 days of testing and all will be enough... and then the upcoming snow.

 

[Baymule]

Up to 15 inches of snow? Ugh. I have a whole new respect for people who have real winter. I never experienced it until last year. It's made worse by no equipment to clear the roads.

 

[Mini Horses]

The reports here are saying 12-15 inches in your area. Not good to hear but, good to know ahead if ya gotta have it happen. Sounds like a few days of "after" to deal with. Lotta hay! Looks like it's outer edge is either very close or barely on me. I expect mainly rain with possible slushy mix but nothing else. We all know things change! But I am back to full schedule of work coming week....don't need snow!!

Good on auction! The checkup ordeal, like you say, just the price you pay. At least you know all is x-rayed out ok. That's important for this procedure. Glad you have that . Now you can push on with confidence, especially with the right side soreness.

 

[Baymule]

Jan, you are inspiring me to get this durned left knee done. The right knee is kicking up a storm, it hurts like the devil, but it can wait. I'm looking forward to surgery!

Hunker down for the storm, get as ready as you can. I know you and DS will put out plenty of hay for the cattle and get them ready too. Don't forget to have plenty of hot chocolate!

 

[Mini Horses]

Do that knee soon, Bay. While you aren't doing garden, only sheep & dogs...smaller place to work...round balers, big water tubs, less work and walk. Otherwise, a new place "might" be an issue -- cause I know you'll look for a fixer upper bargain!!! . I would!