Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Ridgetop]

the sheep/goat one as it is like a fleece type material.

Can you turn it inside out so the fleece is inside? DS3's first replacement heifer project was a preemie calf he got from our dairy friend. She was tiny maybe 40 lbs. Holstein calf. We put a pony foal coat on her and it worked great. She did great, he showed her at the Fair, and they bought her back from him when she started bulling.

Calf that we treated looks and acts much better... still a cough but eyes look clear, and is not droopy.

When we gave antibiotics to our calves we also gave probiotics for their guts.

the sister's 2 kids DS still sees a couple times a week... the little boy still wants to come and "help feed" on the farm.... Not fair to just cut them out because the ex is a jerk...

So sad. He would have been a great father to his own kids. You are right, not fair to the kids to cut them off from a father figure, not to mention he probably loves them too.

DS has said that he will not take her back now... that he is done and had enough... He has gotten calmer about it and so maybe he has FINALLY come to the realization that it is not going to work.

 

[CLSranch]

I have had thoughts of getting just greenhouse plastic to put on it and see how that works... just put it over the whole thing and weigh it down all around the outside.... How would I measure for how big a piece I need??? It is 10'w x 20'L x 8'H

Sorry for the delay. You'd need a 30'X40' or a 10'X60' to go around it then a 12'X 20'-24' for the top. The 2nd could overlap where you want the door.

 

[Mini Horses]

I measured the porch $500 will enclose it all. That would make an 8x50 area for winter use. I'm considering it. Direct door to house, electric outlets on porch, all overhead lighting in place. Very tempting.

Problem -- it's already too cold to "want" to do the put it up job. It may be something on hold now. Dang....2 months ago it could have been here & done!

 

[Ridgetop]

I like the idea of enclosing the porch as a kind of sunporch for the winter. It will help keep the living room warmer n winter so cut heating bills. In the summer though, it will need windows that can open to avoid getting too hot. You will figure it out.

 

[Mini Horses]

Already figured the summer...roll up under eaves. But that's part of install time and slows the project

 

[farmerjan]

Going to be a short post... I started coming down with a bug yesterday... couldn't get throat clear, then headache... feel like I got run over by a truck today.
On top of that the DA@#%D hawk is back and when I got home from the calves last night to go lock in the chickens, it had one of them in the big brush pile in the garden... heard it squawking...and went out there as fast as I could... it flew off and I could not find the hen in the nearly dark... the other 2 come in the shelter and I put them in for the night. This morning that $#@%& thing had the hen out eating it... it was stiff so figured it probably died last night...
Then on top of that next thing you know there are 3 beagles running around all over the place, chickens going nuts in the "coops" and the cats running for the house... and they are running all around.... They were there for over a half hour and finally went through the property and down the dirt road behind me....
All this while I feel like I got ambushed and everything aches tonight.

So, I am going in to take a hot shower... need to eat since most pills do not do well on an empty stomach for me... and go to bed....
At least it was mid 50's today and partly sun/clouds, and no breeze... supposed to be like that for the next 2 days pretty much....

 

[Mini Horses]

Sorry you're sick. I know you're "on it" as it's not your first rodeo. HOPEFULLY you'll be better for Christmas day. Of course, it's another day for chores. Maybe DS could get bottles & feed calves for you tomorrow, at least.

 

[SageHill]

Think it's time for chicken soup and eggnog, a cozy quilt, a good book or a good movie. Hope you're feeling better soon.
I think you need a really big hawk to snag one of those beagles.

 

[Baymule]

I hope you feel better in a couple of days.

 

[farmerjan]

Thanks everyone... DS had it first, he came by the other night and I fed him some supper... and I probably caught it from him. He said he had a scratchy throat, and I didn't get real close... but I have been out shopping and such the last few days and exposed to who knows what out there. He feels pretty rough and sounds really bad. On top of that, his boss just had something with his heart... abalation??... he is off for at least 6 weeks... so DS is it at work as far as supervisor goes....

No, he doesn't do bottle calves unless it is a national emergency.... If he was well, and I really needed him to he would... but he is no better off than I am right now.

Yeah, as soon as I felt kinda crummy I went way up on the VitC, Echinacea, and some elderberry... plus the tylenol/ibuprofen combination for the achiness.... I want to try to finish getting the frame together so I can get the cover moved over to the new frame... and I just did not have the energy today....I want to be able to keep the chickens in the "shelter" while I am trying to "do something"about this SOB that is attacking them......They were scared to death to go in the shelter this evening... so that tells me it went in there after them and they flew out to try to get away since they always come in for scratch feed.....

At least is is fairly warm out there comparably.... 31 to 58 today in mix of sun and clouds, no breeze.... not supposed to go below freezing tonight. I took the coats off the calves since it was decent out there... and so they could go out and lay in the sunshine. Still 38 out there now which is warmer than the 20-25 the other nights... and no wind...
The twins were munching on some hay and grain today after their bottles... Not playing with it but actually chewing it down... They are smart little sh!ts..... but boy do they hurt when they hit your legs or crotch when the bottles are done and you are trying to get out of there..... I will have bruises I am sure on the legs from them... Takes them about 20 minutes to stop trying to butt me to death and settle down to eating grain and hay.... I am forking some hay over the fence to the cow with the limp in the pen.... The foot looked cut yesterday, but today it looks like there might be a small wire around 1 claw on her foot... Going to have to go to dougs where the chute is safer to get her in and tie the foot up to look at it closer... she got shots yesterday for the infection it looks like she has... so at least that is good.

If the one "long tailed kitten" doesn't come in to call, I am going to have to go out and see if he has gone into the trap where the dead chicken is and tripped it... hoping that the "marauder" will go in for the dead chicken and trip the trap.... The short tailed one is in the house already....It is a big open trap that I bought when @Mini Horses and I were at the poultry swap in Sept... hoping against hope that it will want the chicken to eat bad enough to go in it...