Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Mini Horses]

Great idea on the milk!! 5 gal water jugs from ? Camping area. I have a couple just to carry hot water out in winter.

I have job assignment I don't want/care for tomorrow & maybe thru Wed -- depends on how many show up. Yeah, one of "our" do I really want to keep doing this? Jobs.

Occasionally a benefit...your milk, used to get chickens, etc. By the way, what happened to those meat chickens? Farmers quit or the butcher guy who stopped. Hey, I'm still cooking them! . None of those bennies at these stores. Occasionally some steep discounts on something by a mgr, for me. Uh, damages happen.

 

[farmerjan]

@Mini Horses ... I get it on the "jobs we don't want to do "......
I like the 5 gallon (or any size) buckets with lids that snap on.... for the milk; because you can clean them... small neck things don't work... never really get them clean from the oils(butterfat) in the milk... get the film all that... but they are good for carrying water and such...
The one farm lost his contract with the chickens... the other one seldom has many and doesn't call me for 10 or so even though he is only a few miles away... then the guy who did the butchering sold his equipment and went out. Have not been able to find anyone else... so not pushing the broilers right now. I have A LOT in the freezer too... but would like to be able to get some more; could sell at the poultry swap. Used to take 10-25 down before we started meeting up and would get $10 each back then and make money on them. Now they could still make me money at $15 easy... but if I don't get them sold, then there is the "where do I get them done".... and in quantity it is just not something I want to do anymore... sooooo, that is on hold. If I could find someone to do them with, then investing in the plucker etc might be worth it... wish we had a co-op of sorts like some of the mennonites do with the canning kitchens that you can go and rent it for a day and do up stuff.... or a bunch of like minded people who could jointly own the scalder/plucker... or like there used to be some that did it "on the side" for cash money...
What ever happened to the neighbors that moved in near you that were wanting to do more in the "self sufficient " line... weren't they talking killing chickens? Wasn't the husband a mechanic also??

I am going to watch a movie that I keep saying I am going to do then get sidetracked and never do... still need to fold the socks

 

[Mini Horses]

Well one has/had the plucker. Another raised theirs and they got together on butcher day...shared the fun for both families. This year I didn't see the chicken tractors, or the garden, actually. I had stopped in & introduced self but nothing went further. Her DH is military, he may be on deploy and she cut back farm work. So. Don't know. Both families had kids approaching teens.... Things may change.

Like you, I'm not looking for all alone butcher days anymore. I thought of it as I was getting some things from the freezer and saw a couple of them. Curiosity overcame me. Eggs are easier, if you have a market!!

Hope you finally watch that movie.

 

[farmerjan]

Monday morning. 38 overnight. Up to 50. Partly cloudy, some sun.

Calves fed and back home. Bacon and eggs for breakfast. I buy the "ends and pieces" packages, at Sharp Shopper when I go if they are looking like alot of meat in the packages.... Bacon has gone way up in price, but I can still get this for 3.00/lb or so... better than the 4.99 and more for other brands. So there are several in the freezer.
Have to run down to co-op and get some feed. Have a heifer at the nurse cow pasture... one that was bred this year, that is limping on a back leg/foot. Got to get her in the catch pen up there and probably have DS take her to doug's to run her up the chute and check it out. Although, I might be able to get her in the smaller head catch here and him be able to look at/work on it.

I watched 2 movies last night and did very little else. One was Santa and Pete.... cute but a good movie... James Earl Jones narrates a story on how the "original St. Nick" came from Holland and all the good will and how he eventually "evolved into Santa Claus" in the US... and had to watch the movie Holiday Inn... which was where the White Christmas movie came from.... Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.... I watched the colorized version... because life is in color....

So, in to pack the samples. DS wants me to go by and check cows and take some salt to them. I will do that when I take samples to the vineyard to go out UPS, since those 2 pastures are in the same direction. Do all the stuff I need to when I make a trip out. I need to go by and check on the explorer and stop and see about when it might be the best time to get the oil changed in the car and all... then need to take father's truck. I got in it after it sitting a week and it started right up... so the hood light and/or the inside brake control box that the little light stayed on were drawing the battery down... I have to go out and try it again... and let it run for a little bit. It needs a complete oil change, fluids checked etc and so on....

I went out to check out the plants in the greenhouse... and WOW.... there are new sprouts coming up in several of the spider plant pots that got frosted/frozen... all sorts of new spider plant leaves coming up... so it looks like it was a good move to trim them way back and give them a chance....will be interesting to see how much/how many of them come back...

So, time to get things going around here... need to let the chickens out. I forgot when I came back from feeding the calves... I got a bucket of feed from the feed bin yesterday so need to carry that out there for them too.

 

[farmerjan]

Calves fed and bottles washed. It was 32 this morning, we have some sun, rather decent out there... some clouds and supposed to cloud up more.
Got to go back to the one pasture and open a small section up to the cows to eat, and then DS is going to move them over in a couple days to the front field there, and then they will come out. There are a couple of other places that need to be moved out sooner then them....
Been mixing the milk in with the replacer and they are doing fine on it. Upped the milk for the holstein a little last week as he is so much bigger than the black one. He has really done good. Plus with giving him another pint, the 2 finish their bottles at the same time so that makes it easier feeding them. I had a 3 qt bottle here so that is working out pretty well; just add a little more to it when making them up. Put more grain in the bunk feeder... most was gone... so I assume they are eating it...They were laying in the doorway area when I got there this morning just soaking up the little bit of sun.

Going to see about trying those pieces of fence posts out at the shelter under the "2 by's" frame on the ground.
Then see if we can get the frame flipped up, and the cover on....The forecast is for an all day rain on Sunday...

PROBLEM is, I have 2 farms to do on Saturday....Naturally... one farm that I have trouble getting scheduled finally got back to me and said they "could do" last Sat if I had to, but that this Sat (9th) would be better... and that is the weekend that my other farmer is scheduled to milk... I always test them on the owners' weekend to milk... he always calls a few days ahead and let's me know if they are milking on Sat or Sun ( the 2 bros in law split the weekend). So I am going to do the one farm Sat morning instead of their scheduled evening this month, and then do the big, hard to get scheduled, farm on Sat aft... which is also that owners' time to milk so we get the numbers on the 250 cows right....
Therefore, I pretty much cannot help do anything with the cover on Sat .... and I would like to get it done before we get this substantial rain they are calling for on Sunday... I am going to talk to DS and see if there is anyway it could get done before... I could help a little on Sat morning for an hour or so... but I know I will be wanting to take a little break before the big farm in the afternoon... and I have to set up at that farm too....
Oh well, I'll get it figured out.

Got a couple of other texts out to farmers......don't want them to wait to last minute to get things scheduled with the holiday activities coming up.....

So, heading back out the door to get something done....while the sun is out....

 

[farmerjan]

Sun didn't last long. Clouded up and has been kinda raw out there....
Went to one pasture and the owner had opened the gate to the small lot last week... they had replaced the fence around it so when they got it finished, he decided the cows could go in there... So I will have to text DS and let him know the cows will have to get moved to the other field since they are about done in there.

Had several answers to the texts about testing... here we go, feast or famine again... Got one for this Thursday now... and then another wanted Friday or Monday... I told them Monday... I am not going to work Thursday, Friday and twice on Saturday... I'll do Thurs, Sat morning and afternoon and then Monday.
I just realized I have a dentist appt on Thursday... I can go from dentist and continue on to farm later on since I will be half way in that direction already. I will have to load meters and hoses tomorrow for the Thurs farm... I will need them Thurs, Sat aft., and Monday....

I went by the co-op and they had just finished another car and no one in line, so got the oil changed and checked the fluids and such. The rack and pinion steering has been leaking a little, which is why it it was losing power steering fluid..... so I got the Lucas brand additive that is supposed to stop the noise, and stops rack and pinion leaks... that is what JR had told me to get. Well, I did put in half the bottle as the steering fluid was not down real far, and have driven the car a little since. He said it was barely looking "wet" under there... and the fluid level was down a little so we added the rest of the bottle... JR said it looks like it really is helping... said to keep a check on it.
So that is one more thing crossed off the list. JR said to bring the truck down and he would have to see about getting any filters he needed... I said I wanted all the fluids checked, oil changed, air filter changed... since it has been sitting here and who knows when it got serviced in NH....Need to figure out what type of oil father used.... I will take it down, around 3 some afternoon, and get DS to pick me up when he gets off work at 3:30 and drop me off at the house on his way by to go to the barn... Then I will find someone to give me a ride back down in a day or 2, after he gets it done. I need to check the antifreeze in the forester and the 2wd ranger.... hasn't been that many miles since the oil and all got done...

Also got some feed and then came home. By then, it was getting cloudier/dark out so I made up bottles and went to feed calves. Then DS was coming in just as I was going out the gate, with 2 rolls of hay... so I opened gate, backed car up and turned around and went up the hill and opened the electric fence so he could go in... He fed 2 rolls to them and then coming out stopped and said that he was trying to feed a few places since he has to go back into work at 1 a.m. ; there is a "slight" chance of some snow/icing/freezing precip with high winds.... and this so with a "weather watch" he has to go into work. On top of that, his boss is out so DS will have to stay over for awhile tomorrow instead of getting off at 8 or 9, so he can get the rest of the "day crew" situated.... so I said good luck and please get a couple hours sleep before he goes in...

So, I came on home after closing gates again, and made some supper.... washed the bottles and all... and am going to do some more stuff in the LR and see about getting all the clothes put away now, after having folded them...
If it is nasty tomorrow morning, I will go feed bottles and that's it... but the latest forecast is saying it is going to clear off by afternoon... windy.... I am not really expecting it to be "wintery" ....just cold and wet and cold...

 

[farmerjan]

Up this morning, to 30 degrees and we might have gotten 25 icy snowflakes... there are a few on top of the cooler chest I have the couple of buckets of milk in. Ground barely wet... Looks like @Mini Horses is going to have the rain out of it. Pretty much talking about us getting a good soaking rain on Sunday... 1/2 to 2 inches.
The clouds are supposed to continue to the southeast and we should see sun later on today, but it is supposed to get very windy... there is some brightness already trying to come through.
So, a "non-event" last night. At least here... I think they got some snow showers west of here.

Brought in the 1/2 gal of milk to warm up a little, and add to the milk replacer when I make it in a little bit.
Ate 2 pieces of toast with apple butter, yesterday I ate cream of wheat cereal.... Cats went out, then I put canned food in their dishes for them when they come back in... that way I am not tripping over them trying to get it in the dishes. They have dry food all the time.

Already have the bottles in the trays for work, for tomorrow and Sat morning... Will get the ones for Sat evening after I pack tomorrow's herd on Friday morning to send out. Have to get the meters and hoses into the car today. Have one more herd to call on Friday... we left it that I would call the end of this week to schedule for next week... then there might be one more before Christmas... amazing how they get right back to me when they want it to get done.... oh well....

Sun's coming through so need to get going....

 

[farmerjan]

Not as productive as I wanted but the breeze had a real bite to it so I didn't work outside for very long at a time.

The sun did come out most all day so wasn't as cold as it could have been.

Got the meters and hoses in the car and the bottles for testing on the seat. Also put in the hoses for the herd next Monday since they use all the short ones... and the hoses for the herd Sat aft... they need 2 longer ones for 2 meters that are in an awkward place and further away from the stainless steel milk line.
Took the broken fence posts that are treated out to the frame of 2x6 & 2x8's and put a couple under the frame on the low end. I think it will work... needed some nails to put the blocks that were scabbed to keep the 2/10 ft 2x8's butted up together, down the sides and the places they were attached at the corners... we had taken a couple apart while moving it... so I will get them put together and then see if it will make it more level... it looks like it and this is not rocket scientist work, so not going to panic if they are not "exact"...
Used my little truck to load them and take them out to the shelter area...I wanted to run it a bit since it has been several days since I started it...

Then I started my father's truck, and took it down to the co-op for JR to look at it to see what kind of air filter it needed... and we checked on the type oil and all that... asked him if he could replace the fuel filter and he said he will look when it is up on the lift... some need a special tool to be able to reach it.... It runs fine... but I have no idea if it has been replaced... ever.... or when....plan to take it down for them to do it on Monday.... JR said he would run me home if I get down there around 7:30..... or maybe get DS to pick me up Friday on his way home from work. I just want it winterized and usable now that the new hood latch is on it.

Fed the calves late, and tomorrow they will get extra and then I will leave for the dentist and then go from there to work.... It will be a push in the morning.... I made sure they had feed in the bunk and they have hay so will be okay. I saw them munching on some hay this afternoon...

Going to quit early for the night.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday night... been an okay day....
Up to 27 degrees outside... ate some breakfast so I could take the antibiotic "pre-meds" for the dentist appt. then went up to the calves early and fed extra with the crazy schedule I had today..... Changed and put barn sweatshirt and sneakers in car to take for later. Stopped and got gas and went to Dentist appt..... took batwing x-rays.... and got the cleaning... found a small cavity and they had had a cancellation so could do it right then which worked out great.... got that done. So it was a good thing that I had that extra time today....
I did go from there to one Goodwill right there in town... found a few things, 2 pr jeans to bring home to try on... a few dvd's and a couple books... left there went by Taco Bell for some lunch, and went to the farm. Set up and we were milking before 2.... Done at 5.... computer work, and meters washed and pulled everything off the milk/wash line and came home...
It was very chilly when I left to come home and it is actually warmer here than up there... There was quite a breeze all day, some sun and clouds... and was chilly. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer and Sat also with clouds coming in Sat night. Of course, I will be in a barn Sat morning, then leave here by 12 to be in another Sat aft....

I put some jeans in to soak and will get them hung out tomorrow and they should be dry for bringing in Sat before I leave to go to the 2nd farm. Don't need them to get "rain water " DRENCHED with the forecast 1-2 inches of rain on Sunday....

I'm tired... will bring in samples in the morning to pack... have to go let the cows into the "hayfield" at the pasture where DS had said to let them into the lot in the back, since the owner had already opened that up... and on top of that... there is another calf there so another one that was called open was really very short bred when we put them up there to get "re-exposed" to a bull.... they can't tell at 30 days or less most times... and since the bull did not go in there with them until May, she was bred before... good thing is she will come to the barn, they will be out of grass in 2 weeks.... and get put with a bull to get bred back and hopefully will back up a little bit and maybe calve in Nov next year....
This is a good reason to not preg check until the bull has been out at least 35 + days.... then there is no mistake that they could be short bred (less than 30 days)....
Oh crap... just remembered there is still a bull in there... well, all according to how fast her system gets back to cycling, she could be bred back ..
And DS said there is a brand new baby calf down where we moved those other cows a week or so ago... it is my cow.... bought cow.... so she had to have been exposed to a bull before... and they need to get preg checked and calves weaned off... bull got put in that pasture in May so not possible to be from our bull... so another one new one... The problem there is she had a calf that got moved there WITH her, that was a January calf.... so she has backed up a month also... I just hope she had weaned her calf off already... DS said she is staying off to herself and her older calf is up with the other cattle... . I wanted to pull these calves but no,,,, DS wanted to just get them moved out of the other place so they can go in and out to the back to build the new perimeter fence along the one side.... the cows need to be preg checked.... but they are not getting the break they should have between calves... If they had been preg checked we would have known the calf was IMMINENT....given her a couple weeks off.... just hope she had weaned her older calf... DS said he was not acting like he was upset about her being off by herself.... oh well, the calf is up, staying with her, so I am hoping she had colostrum to feed it...

I am going in to get a shower and quit for the night... Feeding calves early tomorrow and packing samples and hanging clothes... then maybe seeing about getting the boards nailed/scabbed back together and maybe getting the frame set back up...maybe get the cover on Saturday???? before it gets real soaking wet out there on Sunday???? Still tossing around the possibility of putting cover on partway before standing up.... I might just try stretching it out to see if it would be possible....

 

[farmerjan]

BEAUTIFUL morning.. 39 to start, already at 62 at noon..... Sun mostly, and warm comparatively.

Calves fed, came home and hung 1 load of clothes; put a 2nd load in this morning, while I was at calves. Came in and ate a bowl of cold cereal. Let chickens out loose, samples in the house to be packed. Bottles in car for tomorrow. Got the 2nd load hung, and opened up the greenhouse on deck.
Ready to head up to open gates at the pasture to let cows over into hay field. Then I will get the nails and get the 2x6's put back together and see about laying the cover out on the ground next to the frame and see what is possible. It is soooo nice out today. HATE that I am going to be testing tomorrow when they are saying it is going to be nice like this again before the all day rain comes in Sunday... Oh well, take advantage of what I can today.