Baymule
Herd Master
There are those days you wonder why you got out of bed. I hope your day gets better.
Farmerjan's journal - Weather
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SageHill
Herd Master
It's got to get better. 
So sorry about the cat and the calf.
So sorry about the cat and the calf.
murphysranch
Herd Master
I'm so sorry for the kitty and the calf.
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farmerjan
Herd Master
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Been a couple busy days and I have to get up to go back to test a farm for their 2nd milking so am going to bed...... hopefully will be able to catch up with things tomorrow night. Been trying to get the 1st calf heifer to take one of the twins, but it is nearly a month, although small... and it wants it's own momma... BUT.... it does go on her when it is hungry and she is not kicking it or anything... not mothering it, but tolerating it... so we will see.
Did the 550 cow herd this morning..left at 3 a.m...... 120 this afternoon and tomorrow morning.. don't have to leave until 4:30..... we are supposed to get in the cows with small calves from the one field and work the calves and blackleg and move some to grass.... going to be a long day again.
I am tired.....
Did the 550 cow herd this morning..left at 3 a.m...... 120 this afternoon and tomorrow morning.. don't have to leave until 4:30..... we are supposed to get in the cows with small calves from the one field and work the calves and blackleg and move some to grass.... going to be a long day again.
I am tired.....
Baymule
Herd Master
Hope you get some rest soon!
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Sorry abut the cat and the ca;f. Hope the cow takes the heifer calf. Bad stuff comes in waves.
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farmerjan
Herd Master
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Thank you to all on my losing the cat. His sister is really clinging... she is "lost" without him. Looking for a couple kittens off a farm to bring in... will be taking another chance with the road... but maybe.... they will get smart... These 2 did good for 2 years... Silkie, the sister, has not gone very close to the road since she went near her brother that I laid near the road on the lawn... and ran for the house...she has been right around the house every time I have seen her since...
Going to bed, shortly, as I am beat. But we had a very good afternoon, bringing in the cows/calves..... working the calves, sorting them and getting most moved out to pastures... a few back up in the calving field.... GF and I compared notes on all the calvings, she had some I didn't have and I had some she didn't have... got everything coordinated.... No sense in fighting the situation...
There were more that had calved than I thought since I didn't have them all.... Which is great.
"Armed" 2 for pregnancy... one is definitely preg... and old cow of mine I am pretty sure is open... She got put back up in the calving field with one of DS's cows that lost her calf... it was crippled from a baby, and died after about a month... Make a decision on what to do with them later... won't break us to keep them a little bit longer...They are all where we can get them in fairly easy to sell if that is the decision... I think DS is going to put his cow that lost the crippled calf, back with the bull... if my old one is open as I think, she will get sold...
One of them that was "still preg" in that field, calved today which is good also.... there are 2 with calves up there... the cows came in but the calves did not...so just put the cows back up there with the other few... 9 cows total, up there now and we moved 23 out with calves.... so there will be a few more to get out to move to pasture to get bred when we get the next large group in from the other field...
There are only 3 left in that group to calve; since we got the lists cross referenced... which is great. Plus 2 that we think aborted... so only 5 without calves in there... not looking for the 2, to have calves.... might get surprised but I doubt it... Hopefully the other 3 will calve here pretty soon. The 2 that I think aborted, will get checked when we bring in that whole group to get the calves worked, blackleg vaccinated, and them moved to pasture ... probably within the next few days so we can stop feeding.....
GF was helpful in the barn today... and she has been doing alot of the silage feeding with the skid loader when he has been out going around the pasture fences to make sure the fencelines did not have trees and brush on them and such. I am not and never will be a fan, but getting stuff done when she is in the "help out mode" is smart...
DS had said, on the drive to and from the dr visit the other day.... that he realizes that she could change her mind in a few months like the last couple times... and he is not as invested as he was but for now it is working... his demeanor is a little different than it used to be about her... still catering somewhat, but maybe he has his eyes open... He said she is finding out about how she cannot spend money like she was, she doesn't have it... and he said they don't eat out much... comments on how he brings drinks and snacks with him to the kids ball games instead of buying at the food stand...especially the practices, but she will buy food..... and I realize it is for them to help make some money... but still, DS tries to save money when he can... and how sometimes he tells her she needs to be more mindful of spending so much....he does not seem to be spending the money he was, and they do not have co-mingled accounts either he said... her money is hers, and his is his... they share some expenses and I am sure he contributes with groceries and such.... but does not seem to be in a "spending on her" frame of mind anymore...
It is what it is... I can tolerate it or have a bad relationship with them both... I don't have to be around her alot.... and she has tried to keep a low profile most days with me... I guess not knowing how I would react... Like my ex husband... tolerate some of it, some days.
I'm going to bed, I ache all over from all the work hours and short nights, and today's cattle working. I also did get the samples packed and dropped at UPS late this aft, so they could go out.
Then I used the mower to go around the perimeter of the property for when ever the fence guys come back... at least it will be easier to cut again if I need to... and gives them a little easier way to line up the posts... Ran the 4 batteries out, it was nearly dark... put it in the carport as they are calling for some showers/storms..... put in 2 charged batteries and have the other 4 on the chargers. They will be ready to go tomorrow also...
Heifer is still tolerating the calf but not mothering it... If she does not let it nurse in the pen without putting her in the head catch tomorrow... I am going to dry her off, put the calf back with it's own momma and twin brother... put the heifer up to get rebred with the other heifers at snyder's nurse cow pasture... not her fault a perfectly healthy looking/acting calf, just died.... she's young so ought to breed right back.... she will get another chance. Not going to spend time twice a day to put her in the chute indefinitely... thought she would let the calf on her in the lot... she is not mean to it, so I can't get upset with her. Being a 1st time mother, she does not have that intense a reaction to want to mother... she was good with her own... but she does not "want a calf" so much as most older experienced cows seem to...Since she is my heifer, I have decided she is entitled to a second go round... and the twin can go back to it's birth mother... It is not the end of the world... would have gotten more milk being a "single" on a cow.....
Have one, a 2nd time(lactation) cow with a teeny tiny calf...about a week old.... about 40 lb size that looks like it should have been a twin... that DS is concerned is not getting enough to eat... She has milk... no one has ever seen it nurse... but it is a spunky little thing... so we moved it in the little lot where the other heifer that calved too young is, about a month ago... and the cow that had the twins that were so small (that I just took the one to try on my heifer), so she could get fed a little extra and we could keep up with them better...
I want to watch her and the calf's condition... GF says it is all sunk in, but it really isn't....to me it looks okay for the size... they aren't going to look all filled out when they are that small...not at a week or 10 days... will take a month to "look normal"... I want to see some manure too so can do that in this smaller lot. We got her in the chute and she has milk... good amount in 3 qtrs... not much in the other, but I told DS that maybe the calf had nursed that qtr....Calf is just little... might have been a twin that she lost one, and we didn't find... or absorbed it or something..... but if the calf is eating okay, she will go out in to a pasture somewhere in a couple weeks... let it get some size and strength to it...I can try a bottle, but the teats did not have a "plug" in the end so not like the calf would have trouble sucking it... We'll see.
So that was today....
Going to bed, shortly, as I am beat. But we had a very good afternoon, bringing in the cows/calves..... working the calves, sorting them and getting most moved out to pastures... a few back up in the calving field.... GF and I compared notes on all the calvings, she had some I didn't have and I had some she didn't have... got everything coordinated.... No sense in fighting the situation...
There were more that had calved than I thought since I didn't have them all.... Which is great.
"Armed" 2 for pregnancy... one is definitely preg... and old cow of mine I am pretty sure is open... She got put back up in the calving field with one of DS's cows that lost her calf... it was crippled from a baby, and died after about a month... Make a decision on what to do with them later... won't break us to keep them a little bit longer...They are all where we can get them in fairly easy to sell if that is the decision... I think DS is going to put his cow that lost the crippled calf, back with the bull... if my old one is open as I think, she will get sold...
One of them that was "still preg" in that field, calved today which is good also.... there are 2 with calves up there... the cows came in but the calves did not...so just put the cows back up there with the other few... 9 cows total, up there now and we moved 23 out with calves.... so there will be a few more to get out to move to pasture to get bred when we get the next large group in from the other field...
There are only 3 left in that group to calve; since we got the lists cross referenced... which is great. Plus 2 that we think aborted... so only 5 without calves in there... not looking for the 2, to have calves.... might get surprised but I doubt it... Hopefully the other 3 will calve here pretty soon. The 2 that I think aborted, will get checked when we bring in that whole group to get the calves worked, blackleg vaccinated, and them moved to pasture ... probably within the next few days so we can stop feeding.....
GF was helpful in the barn today... and she has been doing alot of the silage feeding with the skid loader when he has been out going around the pasture fences to make sure the fencelines did not have trees and brush on them and such. I am not and never will be a fan, but getting stuff done when she is in the "help out mode" is smart...
DS had said, on the drive to and from the dr visit the other day.... that he realizes that she could change her mind in a few months like the last couple times... and he is not as invested as he was but for now it is working... his demeanor is a little different than it used to be about her... still catering somewhat, but maybe he has his eyes open... He said she is finding out about how she cannot spend money like she was, she doesn't have it... and he said they don't eat out much... comments on how he brings drinks and snacks with him to the kids ball games instead of buying at the food stand...especially the practices, but she will buy food..... and I realize it is for them to help make some money... but still, DS tries to save money when he can... and how sometimes he tells her she needs to be more mindful of spending so much....he does not seem to be spending the money he was, and they do not have co-mingled accounts either he said... her money is hers, and his is his... they share some expenses and I am sure he contributes with groceries and such.... but does not seem to be in a "spending on her" frame of mind anymore...
It is what it is... I can tolerate it or have a bad relationship with them both... I don't have to be around her alot.... and she has tried to keep a low profile most days with me... I guess not knowing how I would react... Like my ex husband... tolerate some of it, some days.
I'm going to bed, I ache all over from all the work hours and short nights, and today's cattle working. I also did get the samples packed and dropped at UPS late this aft, so they could go out.
Then I used the mower to go around the perimeter of the property for when ever the fence guys come back... at least it will be easier to cut again if I need to... and gives them a little easier way to line up the posts... Ran the 4 batteries out, it was nearly dark... put it in the carport as they are calling for some showers/storms..... put in 2 charged batteries and have the other 4 on the chargers. They will be ready to go tomorrow also...
Heifer is still tolerating the calf but not mothering it... If she does not let it nurse in the pen without putting her in the head catch tomorrow... I am going to dry her off, put the calf back with it's own momma and twin brother... put the heifer up to get rebred with the other heifers at snyder's nurse cow pasture... not her fault a perfectly healthy looking/acting calf, just died.... she's young so ought to breed right back.... she will get another chance. Not going to spend time twice a day to put her in the chute indefinitely... thought she would let the calf on her in the lot... she is not mean to it, so I can't get upset with her. Being a 1st time mother, she does not have that intense a reaction to want to mother... she was good with her own... but she does not "want a calf" so much as most older experienced cows seem to...Since she is my heifer, I have decided she is entitled to a second go round... and the twin can go back to it's birth mother... It is not the end of the world... would have gotten more milk being a "single" on a cow.....
Have one, a 2nd time(lactation) cow with a teeny tiny calf...about a week old.... about 40 lb size that looks like it should have been a twin... that DS is concerned is not getting enough to eat... She has milk... no one has ever seen it nurse... but it is a spunky little thing... so we moved it in the little lot where the other heifer that calved too young is, about a month ago... and the cow that had the twins that were so small (that I just took the one to try on my heifer), so she could get fed a little extra and we could keep up with them better...
I want to watch her and the calf's condition... GF says it is all sunk in, but it really isn't....to me it looks okay for the size... they aren't going to look all filled out when they are that small...not at a week or 10 days... will take a month to "look normal"... I want to see some manure too so can do that in this smaller lot. We got her in the chute and she has milk... good amount in 3 qtrs... not much in the other, but I told DS that maybe the calf had nursed that qtr....Calf is just little... might have been a twin that she lost one, and we didn't find... or absorbed it or something..... but if the calf is eating okay, she will go out in to a pasture somewhere in a couple weeks... let it get some size and strength to it...I can try a bottle, but the teats did not have a "plug" in the end so not like the calf would have trouble sucking it... We'll see.
So that was today....
