Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[Baymule]

SIX baby calves! Why not? You really need another nurse cow!

 

[Mini Horses]

A milk cow to MILK for bottles, if nothing else . Although straight from spigot is a lot easier! At least this barn is close to her.

I'd love another beef to raise but length of time to wait to grow, cost of feed -- easier to buy and as cost effective. Spring, with dairy goats in milk, I could feed youngins. It's waiting another yr & half that killer. DH & I used to buy weanlings & raise up, sell some -- butcher 2. But 5 kids between us, with families, we shared. Also, almost 30 yrs ago! Geesh, doesn't seem that long..

There's goat meat on hoof and buy from FJ at swap meets when we visit. Perfect!!

 

[farmerjan]

SIX baby calves! Why not? You really need another nurse cow!

Amen to that.....
I need my head examined... but they wouldn't find anything and just shake their heads and say "lost cause".....

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday night. It has been a cloudy, misty, wet, light rain, and then this evening.,... FOGGY.... day/evening.
Calves are all drinking... the "Four" are eating grain and hay good... of course it will be several weeks before the newest set of twins will do much on grain eating.... But....they do come to the gate panel - in a round about way- for me to feed the bottles.... of course they are not as serious to get right on the nipple and get to drinking... but I do not have to force them to get it in their mouth or anything.... It will take a little bit for them to really go to town on a bottle, but they do seem to drink decently for only being here 24 hours.
SOOOOO glad I got them yesterday in anticipation of this rain... It would have been miserable to try to bring them home in the wet today. On top of the possibility of pneumonia with the wet and getting chilled.

The little twins were nice and dry so they are staying inside out of the rain.... we did have a break for several hours today.... cloudy and all but no precip until after 2 or 3....then just misty damp. Started getting more serious just as I was finishing calves at dark.

I see a couple places on the new cover where I need to get the pipe insulation to cover the screw heads across the top of the frame. This cover has a "fabric section" that goes along the length of the sides, and down the 4 upright poles where they attach... but not down the "peak ridge".... This is put together opposite of the old shelter logic frame... it has the pole run the length of the ridge...on top of the sections that meet to form the sides..... this one has the sides with a piece that goes over the length of the ridge pole... and the bolt goes down through to hold them in place...so the head can wear the cover where it is put together and I want to stop that before it starts. Therefore, I will see about getting some of the smaller pipe insulation since this framing is much smaller....like copper water pipe size... I do like the way this one is longer on the sides and yeah, drags the ground, but then can be held down better. I didn't use to have the old frame shelter logic one, on the 2x6's and it barely stuck out with any extra to "seal it" along the ground... then on the 2x6's it didn't seal along the ground. This one has more "extra lip" along the ground.

Got the "crates" cleaned out and one needs major washing out, so set it upended so it could get plenty of rain to help clean it out... the other one I cleaned out, and then put clean straw back in out of some straw I still have there that is dry... got the chickens in it tonight to lock up. Since I lost one RI Red pullet, I have put the 2 in together... the lt brahma is a little bit of a bully... but she is not being too aggressive. Better to be together for the cold that is coming too...

Didn't cook for tonight... DS texted this morning and said that Doc (our retired vet friend) asked us over to meet wife's family from Indiana/Iowa someplace like that... did I want to go, and could we have dinner tomorrow night or we could just do dinner... I said no problem to hold off dinner.... so I didn't have to make the chicken... stuffing made ready to go in it... so tomorrow. I was going to go, but then called him back and told him that with still having some of the cold symptoms, a cough, runny nose... that it might not be a good idea for me to go and someone get sick from exposure... he said he didn't think of it, and that he didn't have to go, and I told him to go, tell them Merry Christmas for me, and it was fine... Probably would have been fine to go, but it is so crummy out there... and then as I was getting done with the calves the fog rolled in and it was like pea soup - so I am glad I stayed in.

Called a farm about testing; and tentatively scheduled this Sat eve at the 500 cow herd....am hoping the other farm might test Thurs or Friday afternoon... we'll see....

Turned the cow with the bad foot from the wire, out of the pen area because of the rain and it getting muddy. She is walking a little better since it doesn't hurt so bad with the wire gone... and she likes getting grain so should not be a problem to get in if I need her again.... she didn't like staying inside that side of the barn, so not like she preferred to stay in and stay dry.... let's hope the foot heals up without any more problems.

We hadn't had more than about .1-.2 inch as of 3 p.m. so not much,....but it has been mostly just misty wet... this evening it started raining a bit more and radar shows it will rain most all night. Other than some muddy ground around the barn gates, it is a good type of slow rain here. Places south and east have had some harder downpours.

Time to get a few things done before I quit for the night.

 

[farmerjan]

Wed morning.... 47 for low... cloudy, foggy out. Very dreary. Supposed to taper off rain by noon... it is heading north and east so both @Mother Hen and @Mini Horses will have it to deal with most/all day, again. Tomorrow is supposed to be halfway decent and still a bit warm... then more rain/showers and possible lt snow showers for Fri night....

Going to go up to feed bottles in a bit, then run to see about getting those foam pipe insulation pieces so I can talk DS into helping put them on before I put the tiedown ropes on the shelter cover, and pull it down tighter. Really want to get that done before we get any windy weather...
Then come home and get the chicken ready to stick in oven and do some stuff in the house since the ground is soggy. Will have to go back and do bottles at about 4 as usual...

Going to call the farm back and see if they got the message about testing... would like to get it done tomorrow if possible since it is still going to be "warmer" and I have to set up 24 meters... the one for Saturday is just setting up their samplers so not as big a deal since it isn't in and out of the doors with cold temps.... need to confirm that with DS and then call that farm to reconfirm it also. That is where I will get all the buckets of milk too....

 

[Ridgetop]

Great that you thought about using the toss away milk for your calves. Saves a lot of money on replacer. Since the 2 older calves are not taking as much now, that will also help with the 4 younger ones.

 

[farmerjan]

Thursday evening. It was a nice day... started 39 up to 70 in the direct sun..(64 or so, not in direct sun).... very little breeze...
I checked the rain gauge and we only wound up with .45 inches total over the 2 1/2 days.... less than 1/2 inch... It was damp and misty wet the last 2 days.....

I let the 2 newest twins out into the lot so they could get out in the sunshine also today. Then put them back into the "hay section" this evening and then fed the bottles.
I did not put the coats on the little twin heifers although probably should have. It is down to 37 and will probably go a few degrees colder. Guess tomorrow they will get suited back up to help conserve their body heat. They are doing good though... eat grain after they get done with their bottles. They are still smaller than the twins I just got 4 days ago... although the heifer twin is much smaller than the bull twin. Another sign that she most likely is a non-breeder. But all her parts seem to be working fine, pees and poops like normal so that is good. May have to consider a coat for her also....

Weather is calling for only in the 40's tomorrow with a few rain showers and possible snow showers to pass through, although the latest radar looks like the snow will stay west in the mountain ski areas of WV.

The one farm wanted to wait for next week to test ( instead of today like I had wanted)... since the vet was coming tomorrow (Fri) and then they will be drying off a few cows; plus they have had 6-8 heifers come fresh and will be all in the "tank" by the weekend, so this gives them a chance to get going a little better and will be able to test them. I get it. I will call them Monday... they are mennonites so not like they go out on New Years Eve or anything....
Can't get DS pinned down on the one for Saturday aft, all of a sudden.... here we go again... I am going to see if Lindsay is interested.... or see if DS can do it Sat morning???? Guess I need to see if I can start managing it by myself.... I really want to be able to collect the milk we dump out of the samplers though; there probably just is not going to be enough time for me to do it all by myself.....and collect milk too...not sure that I can do it all by myself anyway.... double 12, I can manage... double 16, I am not sure...
Got a couple more to call for the first part of the New Year....they are like 6 weeks or so between tests normally so will be about time to do them.....

Time to go to bed.... Ate a couple of sliced Chicken sandwiches... always better than the deli meat stuff...

 

[Ridgetop]

I really want to be able to collect the milk we dump out of the samplers though; there probably just is not going to be enough time for me to do it all by myself.....and collect milk too.

Doe the farmer have any kids or grandkids that would be willing to help collect the milk from the samplers?

 

[farmerjan]

Doe the farmer have any kids or grandkids that would be willing to help collect the milk from the samplers?

Not this farm.... kids are not wanted in the parlor during milking due to the speed of the cows coming and going and the constantly changing of the groups etc... milkers cannot concentrate on the milking and have to deal with children there. Most of the milkers are 20's-30's or 50+.... there are several owner/partners that are close to my age and the only kids I ever see there are a couple 7-10 yr olds that are there before school; dropped off by spouses on the way to work at 6-6:30 a.m., that the kids then go to a babysitters at 7-7:30 to go on a school bus... and that is like only a couple days a week...

Got it arranged that DS is going to go help next Tuesday with me... which is fine... It is going to be cold tomorrow and he is wanting to move a bunch of cow/calf pairs to the pasture that is sorta behind me where we normally winter fall calving cows... close to the hay across the road from the house....these are the ones that have been calving at doug's farm.... as soon as they come out of the field and get moved to the barn and loaded, and moved up here, then there are cows and bigger calves that need to come out of pastures and cows preg checked and the bigger calves that need to be weaned. Should've been done already.....

Was a cold, cloudy, gloomy day today. 33 up to 43... got some misty stuff, then some snow flurries, but it stopped and cleared off. It is cold out, back to 33 and dropping a bit more tonight.
Put the calf coats on the twin heifers and they really seemed to be happier... going to have to see about getting at least one for the heifer twin (to the bull) because she was shivering this evening when I fed. She is smaller than the bull calf. I thought about making one but by the time I got material that I could wash, I can get another of the "sheep cover/coat" for under $17.00.... can't get the heavier calf coat ones anywhere close... might find one north of here in Harrisonburg at the dairy supply that is not open until Tuesday... I can get the sheep coat at the co-op tomorrow and drive 3 miles. Not worth the time to go an hour, if they have one, and I want it for the next few nights that are going to be really cold....

Going in to take a shower and get all warmed up and go to bed.

 

[Ridgetop]

Should've been done already.....

Everything here should have been done already! LOL Never enough time!

I can get another of the "sheep cover/coat" for under $17.00.... can't get the heavier calf coat ones anywhere close...

Check Amazon? Also try "foal coat" although it might be more expensive since horse stuff often is.

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