Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

@SageHill ... yep keeping my fingers crossed for the cow taking the calf...
DS said that there were more cattle there after he had gotten there... said that seems alot of people were just a little later getting things loaded and taken. But still not huge numbers. Less than 1000 total with all the sheep and goat numbers... There were alot of goats and sheep and said that some of the bred does were bringing over $500 a head....
But numbers are down some, and with people selling calves off right and left, not waiting for the usual spring "rush" when there are more buyers, there are going to be fewer cattle this year when the normal run comes along.
We are thankful for the way the market has gone; because finally we are able to actually be making some money on the cows and get some things done. It has been a long road to get to this point... just want things to be done in a little more timely way... but everyone has some trials in their lives. It could always be worse I guess...

 

[Mini Horses]

Skin it? No, just thinking to rub some fluids on it but, she'd apparently cleaned too much. . Yeah, those mammas can be dangerous!! Gotta love the protective nature tho. About 48 hrs, her milk should be running out with the poops.

Wow, if a limo cross...should grow out pretty well.

Goats are a market meat "territorially" with ethnic diets. It's almost as expensive as lamb in those areas. Prices on hoof may improve if beef is less available. At least gestation is shorter than beef. Plus, mostly twins are born.

 

[farmerjan]

Sunday evening... Started at 27... up to 48 with sun hitting recorder at 56 for a bit. It was mostly cloudy early then sun came out more and was pretty nice but a little breezy.
Still, has helped to get the snow softened up and some definite melting.

Got water at the outside faucet so hope that I will get some inside in the next day or 2....

Texted DS and never heard anything back... so finally went to the barn thinking if cow got after him he could be down, hurt, or dead... Nope...no one at the barn, but could tell he had company so answering a text is not important... Seems they had gotten the cows and calves from the peterbilt field, across the field, and up into the barn... I texted him from the barn when I saw all that... said I was concerned that he never texted me back to let me know that things went okay with the calf, that maybe the cow could have gotten him down or something... and see he had the cows already in the barn...
He texted me back a little bit later, and said he was getting ready to call me to come help sort the cows and calves off to move the cows... I said, I am at snyder's doing the cow and would be about 45 minutes before I could get back down there.
Went back and of course she was there... and Colt.... so we got the calves sorted off... he asked a couple of questions about who was on who... how far bred they were... and then we took 8 of the 10 cows and put them across the driveway with the other bred cows... all due this spring... Makes about 35 or so over there... Left 2 with the calves for a few days as "nannies", then will move them across the end of the week and the calves will be used to coming in the barn for feed. Moved the 2 holstein heifers across into the small lot with the few weaned small calves that get a little TLC... because the beef heifers are beating up the holsteins a little bit... and they are not getting what they need for grain...
I guess they will go back to snyders as soon as the bull comes out, so they can't get accidentally bred... and then those heifers will get preg checked in may/june or so and go to pasture for the summer somewhere. Plan to get the steer calf off the longhorn out of there whenever he next has the trailer up there and hope he can keep him in the barn lot for a few days until he gets sold... thinking he is going to sell some pretty soon though... Would be good to get rid of more while the prices are still up there... don't have to get the top price but sure don't want to have the prices start to fall off either... which I doubt they will do anytime this spring.
So after we did that he said that was all he needed me for, there... that they were going to feed some silage and Colt was going to go with him to feed some hay at another pasture...
So I came home.
He said the cow went right in the chute and never kicked at the calf... but then he didn't listen to me and let the calf go back with the cow to see how she acted... so he said he would do it tonight and I said NO... not when he couldn't spend a little time watching her... so tomorrow morning he said he will let the calf go back with the cow into the pen and see how she acts with it. Her milk should be through the calf by then 36 + hours... so we will see. I am hoping she will take it okay... at least not want to hurt it and when it gets hungry to want to go on her... then hope she will let it nurse just in the pen. Then in another couple days, she can go out on the hill with the rest of the spring calving cows...

Little rooster was out in the yard a bit today, some of the snow is gone off of the grass... so that was good for him.
Saw the birds out picking in the grass in the garden area some so they are out scouting for food again..

8 D@%## deer in the backyard... 3 does and the 5 fawns from this past summer...at 5 pm...

 

[Ridgetop]

Sounds like the cow will accept the calf. If she would calm down and be friendly she might turn into a good nurse cow if she is willing to take care of the calf. On the other hand, breeding her and having her raise her own calf would be financially more efficient. Since she is not a dairy breed she woud only have milk for one calf. The little Jersey you picked up seems to have come into her milk and be raising both calves now The calf for $170 was a good buy - lucked out there.

 

[Baymule]

Obviously those deer are waiting on your garden. They showed up for dinner and all you have for them is snow! The does are showing their fawns where to come for spring and summer buffet, getting an early start!

 

[farmerjan]

Obviously those deer are waiting on your garden. They showed up for dinner and all you have for them is snow! The does are showing their fawns where to come for spring and summer buffet, getting an early start!

Yeah.... NOT FUNNY to all you that hit the laughing face.....!!!!!!

 

[farmerjan]

Sounds like the cow will accept the calf. If she would calm down and be friendly she might turn into a good nurse cow if she is willing to take care of the calf. On the other hand, breeding her and having her raise her own calf would be financially more efficient. Since she is not a dairy breed she woud only have milk for one calf. The little Jersey you picked up seems to have come into her milk and be raising both calves now The calf for $170 was a good buy - lucked out there.

Cow is an angus, will never have enough milk for more than 1 calf, so not nurse cow status. But even just tolerating the calf while in the chute was a big plus. Just hope she accepts this graft calf, when he puts it in with her today....
The jersey does not have enough milk to properly feed both calves, I think she was far along in her lactation when I got her, hence the supplementing the holstein with one bottle a day from the beginning.... but they are keeping her in milk, getting supplemented along with the grain they come in to eat. I am feeding the 4 calves that come in the barn 1/2 of a 5 gal bucket of feed and am going to up it now. The cow gets the other 1/2 of the bucket... They look pretty good but with this cold, they could use some more to keep growing. The weaned holstein bull is not "much" of a calf, and will get sold, which was the plan anyway... and the black one on the heifer that calved 6 months ahead of expected because she got bred way younger, does not have alot of milk; the calf comes right in and eats grain with the the "dairy calves"... and then goes back out to her... He will get weaned off and sold early too. I did see her come in heat and the bull breed her...hopefully will be preg whenever they get preg checked; so she will get a longer rest from the calf and hopefully grow a little more. Maybe do better the next time around. Sadly, she is out of a cow that was never much of a milker, so don't know if it is more genetics that has her not milking much or her age.

It only got down to 31 last night... so barely freezing... Already up to 44 with pretty much full sun out there. Snow will go away fast with these temps... that is good. We ought to be able to get into the other cows in a couple of days... as soon as the snow is gone. It is a very "shaded area" to go in that road so will take a little longer than if it was open fields...

Hoping the water will maybe thaw into the house today....

 

[farmerjan]

Tuesday morning... 32 overnight, sun is out, quite breezy but temps have hit upper 40's and snow/ice is melting away... ground was hard early, now going to get a little muddy on top with the melt.

Went down to barn early to help DS... the bred cows we put out to the pasture, and weaned the calves at the barn, got to walking the fenceline and pushing on the older board fence and broke a couple boards and DS got them stopped in the alley yesterday... So he took some hay up on the side hill and I had to guard the gate so he could even get through it with them. Then when they finally followed him up the long alley and into the field, we took some boards up and replaced a couple. The fence was built with the boards on the wrong side... so they could push against them and a couple popped off from where they had been screwed in... split the boards around the screws... One of the bad things about poplar boards... so he had some older fence boards, to match since it is next to Linda's house and fence.... and we put them up, and then put a couple on the other side so they will be pushing against them first.

Then went out back to get the silage wagon, took a roll of hay, while it was not muddy yet, and came back to the barn.
We got the cow in and it is not going to work. Last night she went half crazy and kicked and kicked and finally kicked the metal post for the head catch and hurt her leg enough that she let the calf finally nurse. This morning she was just as bad, but she caught the calf and sent him flying... we finally got her to take him after some serious hits with the one stick... she is bellowing and raising holy he// ....
I stayed in the barn with her while DS went out to fill the silage cart to take out to the cows before it got too slick...he had to use the tractor to take it up there.
I went and turned the cow back to the pen after she kicked the snot out of the calf again. He followed her and then she kept shaking her head at him and wanted no part... of course he got into the pen with her before I could get the gate shut since I was not getting too close to her. I finally got him back out when he went near the gate and got curious when I could push it open from the other end a little, and as soon as he was halfway back through, I let it swing shut on him and he is next to her but safe from her BS......
She's done... calf will be a bottle calf. She goes on the trailer just as soon as DS is going to the stockyard. Maybe Sat.... this Fri we have a grazing seminar and it is going to be rainy so not going then... Can't move the other cows until after the rest of the ice melts... DS is hoping for it to go away by this weekend...
Had high hopes for her, after the first 2 times, but she has decided she wants no part of the calf and no part of the people trying to help her. Skinning the other one wouldn't have helped this attitude. Cull cow prices are good so she will bring about half of what he paid for her and we did take a calf off her, already so not a loss...break even I guess. 2 other ones from this group, were 2 of the 3 cows that we sold with calves a week or so ago... attitudes...the third was that stupid one of ours that would not come in , but take a half dozen calves and run off towards the woods... thought this one was quieter, but obviously not.
DS is going to call his friend that usually gets a couple jersey steers every year...when DS can find them... see if he wants the bottle calf... if not, I will buy him from DS and bottle raise him up at snyder's with the jersey cow and the other 2 calves... he might learn to go on her some, and at least learn to be a calf with them... then I will have a couple jersey steer calves to sell or to beef later on.
Still no water here in the house... brought in a bucket full and going out to get some more from the spigot, to use inside.
Got a dinner for milk testing this evening, and DS wants to drop off some hay to a friend on the way so will have to leave about 4-4:30...dinner is an hour north in the next county...
Already went up to the nurse cow and fed grain and all.... DS is supposed to bring up hay to them and to the pasture next door.... at least he should be able to get in and out pretty good as most of the snow/ice is gone although the ground might be a little slick with surface mud. I will make a bottle for the calf and take it to the farm to feed before we go...
Not supposed to get below freezing for the next couple nights....

 

[Ridgetop]

We got the cow in and it is not going to work. Last night she went half crazy and kicked and kicked and finally kicked the metal post for the head catch and hurt her leg enough that she let the calf finally nurse. This morning she was just as bad, but she caught the calf and sent him flying...

So disappointing after that promising start. Luckily she did not hurt the calf.

Had high hopes for her, after the first 2 times, but she has decided she wants no part of the calf and no part of the people trying to help her.

Ugly attitude - Bye Bye!

see if he wants the bottle calf... if not, I will buy him from DS and bottle raise him up at snyder's with the jersey cow and the other 2 calves...

You can make some money with him - do you still have your milk source at the dairies you test?