@Ridgetop ; The milk was only available since I could not put it back into the pipeline due to the design of the sampler... Most farms have samplers that lets me take the sample and then the rest goes into the pipeline with turning the valve; as does the milk in the meters I use for testing milk. And it just happened when I thought of getting this milk, my available 5 gallon buckets all needed a good washing... I have quite a few with lids but had been using them for potatoes and such. Since I cannot get them in the sink in the kitchen to scrub and all, I was waiting for a warmer day outside when I wasn't too busy to wash them... too busy being the "relative term".....
Most dairies use their treated milk for calf feeding... there are only a few where I can get discarded milk from... and this farm is a good one and I will make sure I have the buckets with me for the next test...all their treated cows are in a separate group, milked at the end of their milking herd, and they take the pipeline out of the tank when they milk and it goes into a separate smaller tank to use the milk for their calf feeding. So, I am going to try to remember to take buckets with me and then I can use it or freeze it for future use... the dumping from the samplers is just an oddity at this farm...one other farm has somewhat similar samplers and I dump it in a covered bucket in the barn and he sucks it up into the pipeline and it goes through the filter and all going into the tank.
There is one other dairy that does not feed "bucket cow milk" to their calves... and I have brought some home from there before in the past..
I need another fridge for things like this and for summer produce and such.
I got a 5 gallon bucket washed out today... and hope I might be able to do a couple more tomorrow while it is warm... before I go to test tomorrow afternoon.... I have to get the laundry in too. Well, I have a month to get another 5 gallon bucket or 2, washed out.
Packed the samples and dropped them off and went to the pasture to get the cows moved over. I was going to just open the gates, but they were all coming along when the first couple realized that they could go across the driveway to eat, and immediately put their heads down to eat... so I took car down in the field a little bit, and finally everyone came up... had 1 calf not wanting to walk across the asphalt, and then 2 more small calves came up the hill... and I wound up behind them in the car, "herding them " and they got right to the open gate and 1 started across and the other 2, I crowded them and the one that didn't want to go didn't have a choice... the other is a newer calf there on one of my other cows..... another one that wasn't supposed to be that far along.... but I guess I am glad. This is on a charolais/angus cross heifer of mine, and had a charolais colored calf.... pretty sure it is a heifer calf... this is out of a bought cow from several years ago...she has been very prolific... she has no teeth and came up open, so has her last calf on her now... and I think she has had 2 or 3 heifer calves that I have kept.... so a nice surprise... both these calves were not expected, both on my cows, and the new one down at the other pasture is also on one of my bought cows...
Moving them over to this grass is good. There is alot of green still mixed in with the taller stuff on the one side of the hill... we don't cut over that far... it is real steep.... although we used to cut it and I cannot believe that I used to rake on that side hill.... but there will be decent eating for a bit. The cows all look good there... in fact all our cows are in very good flesh... contrary to what that other stupid farmer that bordered the one pasture, said. I am surprised that the cows are in as good a condition that they are. The ones at the nurse cow pasture are roly poly "tub of lard" fat... on just grass. DS has just put in the first rolls there and they are really working on them but they were down back today in the warmer temps, picking through more stuff to eat. But it is getting eaten down and I do not want them to lose condition with the winter coming on. So, I will make sure he keeps them fed without wasting it. They need to clean up what he fed the other night...
Checked the water trough after I moved the others today, and checked at the nurse cow pasture; and both had water so they are set. Need to take some salt blocks out to the pastures. The smallest calf, last born, at the nurse cow pasture is starting to come in the creep gate so I will be able to catch her and her mother up one day, and DS can move her to a pasture to go with a bull to get bred back. Everyone else should have gotten bred before the bull was taken out....and the younger heifers moved in. 1 more in there to calve, she was behind everyone else... she will get held over to go with the spring calving cows; who will start in a couple of months.... and if she has any problems breeding back again, she will get sold... they get a pass the first time they don't breed back on time... no passes a second time around unless they are real good old cows that we purposely do not push to breed back.
So after finally getting them all situated, came on home. It was getting late, so I got some milk out of the cooler that still had some ice in the water to keep the buckets cold, brought it in, heated some water to make up the replacer and got the bottles made and went up and fed. Then came home and locked chickens in, closed up the greenhouse door and plugged in the heater... which I unplug when I open the door up, and came in, washed the bottles , washed the few dishes.. and am done. Have to leave at 4 to go to work.... so will go to bed at a decent hour. Got a list of a couple things that I need to get, like the nails I never got today; to do the 2x6's frame.... on the way home in the morning.
The temp got up to 71 in the sun on the thermometer... It really was nice out there.
The other farm I was waiting to hear from, called and they want next Tuesday afternoon... So everyone that needs to be done is scheduled..... until the following week when there is one that might want to test they said. I will call them Monday 18th...
I brought the boxes in to transfer bottles into the racks for tomorrow afternoon's herd.... everything else is ready... so I can just bring in the samples in the morning, and take out the racks with bottles for the afternoon and we are good to go... and I can spend as much time here outside if it is as nice out that it says it will be... before I have to go back to work.
I plan to hibernate Sunday in the house, out of the rain except for feeding the bottle babies. Cooking and baking I think will be the plan......
