Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

If I do not get physically tired, I do not sleep as good... but I have always had lots of physical activity to tire out the body... The mind has no trouble gearing down... I tell myself it is time to go to sleep and can if the body is relaxed... one reason I could get up at different hours every day for testing... but I was physically tired too. Now if I am not physically tired, my mind will not override the body.... and I read but then next thing I know it is 2 hours later and I can relax and go to sleep and then sleep later than I should. Oh Well....

Started out at 14 this morning... quickly above freezing... the sun is out and absolutely feels like SPRING simply with the 20 degree warmer temps and no breeze... Recording thermometer hit 50 when the sun was on it, but is at a more realistic 40 now. Snow will melt pretty fast....but with the forecast of rain, it will get melted in a hurry. Forecast is for mid-upper 40's today, some clouds tomorrow and mid to upper 50's and even 60's by end of week but we have a 50-80% chance rain for 5 days.
Calves all doing good, took 1 gallon of water as there was some left last night and I got the ice out and put the gallon in and that was almost full. Fed grain and they put heads into bunk to eat. They will be out in the lot in the sun today I am sure.
Jeans and sweatshirts out in the sun to dry today. I will bring them in later and if damp they can finish drying in the house. At least it is not too cold to just wear unlined jeans for a few days.

Got the last of the split pea soup in warming for lunch.

By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to @Mini Horses ....

 

[frustratedearthmother]

By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to @Mini Horses ....

X2 Hope you have a great day!

 

[Mini Horses]

Thanks for HB wishes. And I know yours is coming @frustratedearthmother ... 30th, I think. . Yep, every year a repeat. I'm glad to still be around and counting them!!

 

[Baymule]

Happy Birthday to you @Mini Horses ! Keep piling them up!

 

[SageHill]

Happy Birthday @Mini Horses !!!

 

[canesisters]

@Mini Horses

 

[farmerjan]

Ahhhhh, @canesisters ; so appropriate for @Mini Horses ....

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday, noon. Temps got down to 29 and up to 44 at lunch. Mostly cloudy, somewhat "bright" out there but no sun. Things are thawing out and snow disappearing...
Calves were not ravenous this morning, what a difference 20-30 degrees makes...

Friend, former help, now state cattle grader, is coming around 1 to do some grading of the different calves at the barn... grouping so that DS can sell a group probably in Feb... I will go down and help or watch or whatever. I like Caleb anyway... great kid. (nearly 30 I guess now)...

Cattleman's dinner tonight and I will go to it rather than the DHIA dinner since it is alot closer and want to hear about the Longhorn tick disease that is getting very prevalent in this area; Theileriosis.... affecting the beef cattle and it is spreading... there is a % of death with it and you don't know they have it until it is often too late to treat... Not real familiar with the whole thing.

Just ate a sandwich, texted a farm about testing... gotta get on my boots and head up there I guess.

 

[farmerjan]

Home from the dinner.... did not talk about the tick disease, but did talk about some of the trends in cattle, and how to possibly improve on marketing cattle, some things going on in the legislature.. and the Natural Asset Company situation that I had brought up on here.... it has been stopped temporarily at least for now...

We got the cattle sorted around some... got 28 that weigh in the 7-800 (?) range that will be getting sold in early Feb... 2 were cut out due to ringworm, and 2 cut out because they were a little lighter... added 2 back in from another group, so of the original 30 in that group, there will be 28 total, to go to the special feeder sale... worked another group and put 16 back out into the other lot. Kept in the ones with ringworm and then worked the 2 groups in the barn lots.... had several with ringworm that needed treating... and got them all worked through the chute and treated all the ones with ringworm... they were kept at the 2 barn lots where they come in the barn to get fed in the bunk... and can easily get treated again for the ringworm. Several were ones DS and I had treated/worked about 3-4 weeks ago and most were greatly improved... hair growing back on most of the places we scraped it and used iodine and then oil on them to try to kill and smother the fungus that causes it. Cattle get it and in the spring it goes away with more exposure to sunlight and heat... but they do not sell as good with it, so no sense in shipping any with it, when we can treat it and get them over it...
I guess the next bunch of the next sized ones, to get sold, will be in late Feb or March...

He had one that has been sick off and on.... pneumonia type symptoms...really congested hard breathing; has had alot of drugs... decided to switch to penicillin and give shots for 5 days... and dex for inflamation in the lungs.... he went out and about 20 minutes later he laid over dead..... boy that was another kick... $1500 worth... but what are you going to do... nothing had seemed to be working... Nuflor, Draxxin (high dollar and potent) nothing... so I said to switch him to basics like Pen and it had to be done daily... He was too sick.....and obviously his heart gave out. Been a bad year for losses...

The bloated one is bloated back up... he still eats and all... DS has someone wanting a small beef or something... he will get killed down the road for that... Vet said it might not last more than a day or 2 when he stuck the tube down to relieve the bloating... and his lungs are scarred from a bout of resp virus or pneumonia or something.... so he will be a beef in June at whatever size he is.... as long as he continues to do "okay" and eat and act semi-normal, he will stay at the nurse cow pasture and just "be there" for now. I think I want DS to take him to the lot where we had the 2 blind calves and put him in there with someone for company since he will have to be weaned off the cow by the first of March....might move my 1/2 longhorn steer up there with him... and maybe the 2 biggest bottle calves once they are weaned... and then there will be a couple for company and being fed... I will be selling the bigger holstein calf at one of the holstein sales if possible in April or May I think... keep the one 801(nurse cow) had since it is part jersey and small stature/small boned... it won't bring alot due to the finer bone... don't want to have just one by its self... so put 2-3 in with the bloated one and then there will still be some company without too many, to be bullies....when he gets beefed.

See how it goes... There are 2 heifers that are bat-sh!t nuts, that will be sold regardless of how nice they are... not alot of heifers in there for keeping but there are a few that need to be weaned off of 2 places yet... so hope to have about 5-10 to keep to raise up... after weaning the rest and sorting into groups... He needs to get the one group sold so he has more room to sort and separate and wean and hold some... needs another actual pen to use... need to have 5 lots really.... has 4....

I am going to see about getting some Vit A & D to give some shots. Vit A helps with pinkeye, and since it is a "sunshine" vitamin... and ringworm goes away with more sunshine, warmer temps...... I think it might help. It would be cheaper than "Multi-Min" which is a multi vitamin but is only available from the vet and expensive. Used to give alot of A & D but then got away from it with DS always in a rush when they go through the chute... think I need to go back to some of the "preventative" things I used to do...

Actually sorting went well, working them also... It was nice to not get into words or anything.

Haven't heard back from the farms about testing Wed or Thurs... DS said he could go to the day long seminar on Friday.... but might have to come up separate.... he would talk to me before.
He wants to get more hay fed out tomorrow before we get the bulk of the rain on Wed night/Thurs/Fri/Sat..

Time to quit for the night.

 

[Ridgetop]

Have you ever used the "slap shot" tubing on a syringe?