Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Got up to chilly temps.. down to 30 overnight. It is cloudy but forecast to clear off in a couple hours. Then the snow to start to come in and maybe start snowing here in the 6-10 a.m. range... Southwest Va will get the snow and icyness earlier... looks like we will be a mostly all snow event... still saying 4-8 inches here.

I am going in to get a couple of boxes of bottles, and put the bottles into racks as I take a couple empty boxes with me to this farm so we have places to put bottles so I can keep the numbers together... we put all the 7000 in one box, each of the number sequences.... 7100's, 7200's, etc in a separate box, so when I go to pack them at home in numerical order, I am only looking in 1 or maybe 2 boxes for the samples instead of having them scattered in 10 boxes... boxes hold 60 bottles so sometimes have, say the 7500's in 2 boxes.. As they calve out new heifers and cull the older cows, you get fewer and fewer of the 6000, 6100 etc., sequences and more of the higher numbers... so there are empty spaces in boxes that have fewer cows still milking in the lower numbers. I will double up and put 2 or more of the number sequences in a box of the lower numbers, where there are fewer of them... just makes packing at home later easier...
Plus I will need a couple racks of bottles for the Wed and Thursday herds if we test... so this gives me the bottles already racked up, some empty boxes to use at the 500 cow herd, and then when I get them packed in exact order and fill the boxes at home, the samples will fill the boxes to send and the empty boxes will be available for the bottles that are in the racks I normally use in the barn. The 500 cow herd I can use the bottles directly out of the boxes without them getting dirty/splattered with cow manure etc., but most farms there is not the room to spread out the boxes because the parlors are much "tighter" without extra space. Luckily this farm has extra space where we set up....

Time to eat something and get started on the list for today. Hoping the sun comes out and it warms up some to work on the poultry run... I will have to have help with the roof pieces...DS actually offered yesterday when he saw me out there, when he came to get the hay across the road... of course we all know how he says he will do things and then never gets it done. Will see about getting into another box to get a replacement panel for the one the termites/mice chewed up. Then see about getting a replacement piece of board made for it, for the next "run"... but want to get this one completely done in anticipation of getting the turkeys. If I don't like them then have it ready for the next project.

Then hopefully we can get the cow and calf moved up to the barn at the nurse cow pasture later on... we'll see.

 

[Ridgetop]

But of course he did not fix the fence in the corner where it abuts the weaned steer calves... so several got in with the cows and were having a high old time running around in this field and such... I don't feel sorry for him. Seems gf told him the other day he needed to put up a couple panels/old gates, to keep the steers from going over the old fence.... it is a section of some of the fence that is supposed to be replaced.

Such a shame that the GF is such a problem in her relationship with DS. she sounds like she tells him the same stuff that needs doing as you! If she was not such a problem for him you might have been friends.

and he hates that he cannot do what he did even 5 years ago...

Aaaaah! He can join the rest of us in our Prime! If us "Primes" were 5 or 10 years younger we could rule the world!

They will weigh like 15 lbs or something as full grown... and they are listed in the "rare/endangered category"... because no one raises and shows them...so an added incentive to raise them.

Actually you might have a good Thanksgiving market for them finishing out at 15 lbs. Maybe pass out your card with prices at the apple butter festival where you work annually? Or the Farmers' Market when you take in your potatoes? So many people now like smaller birds.

 

[Baymule]

Do the Midget Whites fly?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I like the Midget Whites. Hope these turn out to be nice.

 

[farmerjan]

From what I have heard, the Midget whites do fly a little... but with the extra large breasts I don't think much... really have no experience with them so this will be a discovery ownership.
Texted the guy back and said I would like to come out Fri/Sat/Sun... hope to hear back from them maybe tomorrow...
On that vein, I got all the sides together on the "run"...... and the 2 "support rafter like pieces" attached in the center..that was trip by myself... I already see some "reinforcing" that is going to happen... The screws are okay but the whole thing is built very lightweight so will be doing some serious reinforcing. It is made out of 2x2's or something like that... The wire mesh is lighter weight but 1/2 inch so not easily penetrable by normal predators. Totally enclosed on the top once I get it finished... so NO Hawks or anything at least. Get the 4x4's on the base and it will be decent. Probably use some 2x4's along the sides to give it some strength...and I definitely want the heavy "base" so it can be moved.. will put some large eye bolts or something so it can be towed... so it will need some reinforcing to the upper part... BUT, that said, for the most part it is not bad... something that a backyard person would be okay with for a first time deal...it will work for a place for safe outside daytime space for something like growing young birds in the future... But for now, it will be home to the turkeys if/when I get them... AND any chickens I have....

So that is all good. Worked on it for a bit in the sunnier warmer afternoon today. Got all the bottles in trays for testing Wed and Thurs afternoons... and the boxes all in the explorer ready to go in the morning. Think I got everything else... the aprons and some crackers for snacks... DS is supposed to be at the house by 3:15 a.m.

He texted me this afternoon late, asked if I was going to go up and get the longhorn's steer in to pick up when he brought the cow and "adopted calf" up to the nurse cow pasture... It has dried out pretty good at the barn so getting back to it was not going to be a problem. So, I said give me 15 min... I went up there, got the jersey in and fed her and the calves on the other side.. then the black steer was alongside the fence and I managed to open the gate a little so he could go along the fence and in the barn to eat grain... Texted DS and said he was in... He said he would be up in about a half hour.
So the jersey got done with her grain, I kicked her out and left the 4 smaller calves in with the longhorn's steer so he did not get all stupid being alone. DS came, he backed the trailer up and we unloaded the cow/calf into the lot, then got the steer sorted from the other calves and he went right on the trailer... I hate him getting "weaned" with the snow coming, but hopefully he will follow the rest of the calves and the couple cows, into the barn for the feed. Jess (longhorn) needs a break, she is an exceptional mother.

The jersey came up along the fence mowing to the new calf... I was laughing... I sure hope she is pregnant now, I think she will be an exceptional nurse cow next time around... just hope she milks decent...
Then she went around to the other end to the gate she usually comes in for grain... I moved the cow/calf into that side of the barn so the smaller calves can have the other side with the creep gate to go in and out... and she acted like she was p.o.ed that there was another cow in that side. Tomorrow will be soon enough to sort it out with those 2...when I bring her in and they both get grain in the bunk... I will put it in 2 separate sections so they can both get something... and see if the calf will start going on her... AT Least, they are out of the mud and mess at the barn and are together... so hopefully will be able to see if I can get the calf to go to nursing her... we'll see how it goes..

DS then said he would take the steer down to the barn, and was going to come up and feed a bunch of hay so he won't have to go in to grant's behind my house, or the nurse cow pasture for a couple days... so I wound up opening and watching gates...good thing, after the 2nd roll at grants several cows decided to head towards the gate when he was getting a 3rd roll; he went in the gate and then "thought" they were headed "out".. I stopped them at the gate and hollered and then drove in a little bit and honked the horn and they decided that they may as well give it up... he brought the tractor up since it is so muddy there at grant's...he fed with the truck yesterday, they had eaten both rolls and he nearly got stuck . He had fed 2 rolls at snyder's and they still had 1 left.. so he fed 5 at grants and 2 more at snyder's so won't have to feed hay until Thursday or Friday....

Looks like the snow might not start until 7-8 a.m.. I am headed to bed to get a few hours... when I am scheduled for mornings like this I don't sleep good as I am "afraid" I won't hear my alarm.. so do more dozing than real sleeping.

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm getting cold rain, vice snow.....probably. I'm on "the line" of one or other. May get a winter mix but don't expect anything to stick, just the mess! Heavy work schedule all week -- reset season at stores -- so a 60 hr week for this & next 2.

 

[Baymule]

Good on sorting out the steer. You have a busy day today.