Teresa & Mike CHS - Our journal

[farmerjan]

I would think that a couple of calves for just the summer to use the grass would be a good way to put some pounds on off the already growing grass..... Wouldn't have to keep them for 1 1/2 years for beef.... buy early in the spring, sell late fall when you are stockpiling for winter grazing....

 

[farmerjan]

Thought you would like that!!!!!

 

[Mike CHS]

Teresa and I worked the ewe lambs again this morning but we got a late start waiting on the rain to go around us. We got started on a little project in the shop around 1:00 this afternoon the temp in there was right at 97 until we opened up the doors and windows and turned on the big shop fan. It got down to right at 90 and was actually pretty comfortable with the air moving. We are making another next box to attach to the coop that will attach to the outside of the coop.

 

[Mike CHS]

This has nothing to do with BYH but it's a little nostalgia from my life way back. I was looking at a link from the USS Forrestal 1978 Meditteranean cruise book and ran across a picture that I don't have. Even though aircraft carriers are pushing 1100', work space real estate is really compressed. The ATC radar space is roughly 14' x 26' and usually has 6 air traffic controllers, 2 or more supervisors and usually 3 airmen behind the plexiglass status boards writing all of the aircraft states and profiles writing backwards. I don't remember the photo being taken but I assume it was staged since usually the only time the khakis would be that many and that close over a controllers shoulder was when a bad thing had happened. I'm working the left radar approach control console and you can see the huge console to the far left which is the first of the automatic radar systems where we could lock on to an aircraft and fly it back to the ship. That system first became operational during Viet Nam to try and get aircraft back to the ship that otherwise might not have made it back since the pilot was injured.

 

[Mike CHS]

I'm not sure where today went but we were busy. I need to spray the interior fences if it ever quits raining but they needed to be cut again so that got done. What used to be the neighbors garden spot needed to be mowed and that took an hour plus the outside lane took another hour. I have limed it twice now plus I'm hauling the sheep manure down there to spread out and it is finally starting to look great. I have been encouraging a good stand of clover there and it looks like it will be ready to fence in. That will be another acre and a half of good graze but I have been holding off to not crowd our neighbor more than needed. He is 87 and been going through a lot of medical issues so I let him have as much freedom with that section as I can without letting him abuse it. I did the mowing while I was rotating the sheep through three paddocks to get them where I actually wanted them. They get excited and come running when I call and open a gate so it makes for an easy move.

While I was mowing, Teresa rigged up a tarp over the coop that is housing the chicks. She was excited this evening when she went out to put them in the upper area since they FINALLY went up on their own. The added nest box was finished today except for the cover and we will install that tomorrow

 

[Baymule]

I hope you don't think I'm going to feel sorry for you with all that mowing--cause I don't! I mowed the yard today. I let the girls out on it and closed the gate to their barn so they couldn't go back home. Finally at 5:30 I let them in and gave them a little feed. Yard looks pretty good and they all had full bellies. LOL

 

[Mike CHS]

I took a couple of pictures today after I moved the herd for the last time today. As I mentioned earlier, we decided to be more retired than we had been. We have our breeders down to 16 with the 10 ewe lambs in reserve for a fall breeding. This spring lamb sales has already paid the expenses for this year plus winter hay so it's a good place to be. I need to take some pictures of the ewe lambs that we kept as they are nice. Way off is the ram and one of our older girls that Max was pestering all day.





girls

 

[Baymule]

That is a pastoral scene. Lush grass and lovely sheep.

 

[Mike CHS]

I don't know if this can be blamed on the virus or not but it's a first in 6 years for us. This is the time of year that we always make a run out to the Amish community to buy sweet corn and a few other things for our canning/freezing.

They were completely sold out of everything and this was a little after 9:00 in the morning. They said they had been selling out most things by 9 at the latest.

 

[Mike CHS]

We brought the adults in to do the last of the girls hooves and walked them all through the foot baths. The girls have been in that chair often enough now that they fight it more than they used to. They are going to get in that thing one way or another but there is a couple that weigh as much as I do that are more of a challenge.