Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[Rammy]

I need to trim some trees on the property line but we are going in to get another pallet of lime to do the paddocks that I haven't done yet and that takes most of the day the way I do it.

What kind of lime and how much do you pay for a pallet?

 

[Mike CHS]

What kind of lime and how much do you pay for a pallet?

It's pellitized calcitic (I think that's what is on the bag. It was just under $160 a pallet which is 60 40 lb bags. I'm only about 2/3 the way done but had to come in and drink some water. It isn't as cheap as buying bulk but bulk isn't an option the way I'm set up now. I didn't do a soil test this year but did one last summer and I wasn't to far off where it should be.

 

[Baymule]

That stinks if it's really hot out....but take a picture when your done and just pat your exhausted self on the back for getting that job done

I posted pictures on my I HATE Greenbriars thread.

And roast some wieners and marshmallows when the fire calms down a bit.

Expecting rain starting tomorrow through the weekend for east Texas. We may or may not get the great deluge, when everything is good and wet, we'll burn it. Hotdogs actually sound pretty good.

 

[Rammy]

 

[Mike CHS]

I let the sheep out on some fresh spring growth. The paddock that they have been in for the last month is starting to get some woody stems as it gets hotter so I'll wind up cutting that. We are hoping to let the 8 ewes that are in the dry lot back in with the rest in another week or so since their dams are drying up. We will be weaning the younger lambs in a couple of weeks after we bring in the whole herd to check hooves and give shots to those that are due.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

That is so green and pretty with the sheep and dog, love the rolling hills Mike...nice farm

 

[greybeard]

You definitely got better grass (or at least taller) than I have here........that or my cows are just really hungry after a dismal winter.
I see lots of comments elsewhere about the grass heading out already, (mostly in the South, SE and up the coast into Va), without much leaf growing...getting too stemmy too quick and just going to seed. KY 31 and most bluegrass. That doesn't bode well for hay production. I haven't seen it happening here yet, but it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Mike CHS]

That is why I moved them off of the field they were on. It's a mix of Kentucky 31 and bermuda under rye grass. It's getting about the time to cut the rye and let the bermuda and orchard grass come up. We are on a small enough scale that it is actually easier for us to buy hay for the winter but we don't use but 5 or 6 round bales. At $30 a bale it isn't worth it to cut any hay on our place and not use it all for grazing. At least so far, we have had enough cool season grass to not need a lot of hay but we stock it just in case we don't get the usual heavy rains.

 

[Mike CHS]

Our new ram Max is coming around and hopefully will someday be close to what Ringo is. He is really close to our smokey steer Barney but him and Fred aren't friendly. Fred is a bit of a bully but Max has shown him how hard a rams skull is so it doesn't get out of hand. I posted before that Max has had very little hands on contact but we are working on it. I go out and give the steers and Max some feed twice a day. I have three bowls out where they are and go out with a bucket of feed and make sure the steers stay off till I'm ready for them to come in. I let Max come in for some hands on contact. He has liked it since the other day when I rid him of all of that shedding hair. Several days ago I was feeding Max out of a smaller bowl by hand and Fred (Angus) came up and was going to bull (pun intended) Max away from the feed. I slapped Fred on the neck and he moved off. Max was almost immediately more susceptible to me.

I am probably adding a lot to his thought process but he went from tolerating touch to actually appearing to want it. For the last few days, I have been going out and putting feed in the three bowls out there and then moving several feet away from wherever Max is and held a small bowl of feed in front of me. Max has left the food in the bowl to come over to eat out of the small bowl I'm holding. That is the same way I worked with Ringo but Ringo had been handled more but so far it seems promising.

 

[Baymule]

Your pastures are beyond beautiful. Love the pictures!

Maxwell is in good hands. He will come along just fine. Ringo is a pretty good indication of your ram training talents.