Welcome to the Sh** Show

It’s been a wild few days at the ranch.  On Friday M and J had to go to Glasgow to finish signing up for the new Farm Program and pick up a sprayer and pay for another drill.  M wanted R and I to try to get some cow-calf pairs into the pasture adjacent to where all the cows are now.  That was much easier said than done although we did get 18 pairs sorted out and moved in the morning.  We thought we’d let the cows settle down a bit and then try again in the afternoon at feeding time.  It wasn’t any easier at that time and we only got 3 more pairs out.

We are doing things a bit differently this year since our herd has grown, and we have some of our neighbor’s cows on shares.  We decided to keep the heifers and their calves separate from the big herd so they move from the barn and corral to what we used to use as our calving pasture.  The calving pasture for the main herd is where we had new windbreak built and where we used to move cows to after they had calved.  So, the cows aren’t quite used to the new system and there are quite a few more of them so it just makes life more interesting.

On Saturday morning M thought we’d try to get more pairs cut out, and he found out first-hand how difficult it was trying to do it on foot like he likes to do.  (Sometimes we feel like he thinks we aren't trying hard enough so it's nice when he has the same difficulty that we did)  We had Kade with us and he may have been a distraction since he is NEVER quiet.  Eventually M and R resorted to the 4-wheelers and moved another 13 pairs.  From there we moved to hauling heifers and their calves down to a pasture near Richland.  We always try to gate the calves separately so that they don’t get trampled by the cows in the trailer.  Loading calves is a lot of work since you basically have to throw them in one by one and then try to hold them in.  We were taking 8 pairs at a time.  The first load they tried to get all 8 calves in at once and have Kade try to keep them in.  That did not work well, but we finally got them all loaded and the cows in behind them.  Then M got stuck in the mud with the pickup and trailer trying to get out of the yard and had to be pulled with a tractor.  Not a great start to the day.

While he went to drop them off R and I sorted off another 8 pairs and messed around in the barn during a passing rain shower.  For the next load they each grabbed a calf and put them in the trailer and I held the gate in the trailer until they brought two more.  That worked much better although it was probably more work for the guys.  R made me lunch and showed me how his drone works while we waited for M to drop of the load.  We ended up taking 30 pairs down.  Kade helped me get the last six pairs from one pen to the next so he felt like a good helper.  We still had to feed and tag a couple of calves and in the meantime another heifer had calved.  Busy day!

We were all beat by the end of the day and I was determined to have a lazy Sunday and get a sewing project finished.  It almost happened.  R and I saw a new calf when we went to tag a different one on Saturday afternoon.  When M went over to check on Sunday morning there was a calf crying and looking like an orphan while the cow was trying to claim every other calf she saw.  He watched them for awhile and then determined he was going to have to get them to the barn and pen them together.  He tried to get her down to the barn himself and couldn’t get her so just as I was getting to my sewing he called for help.  R and family had just left to go see friends and their new baby so I had to go help.
By the time I got there he had her close to the barn, but we had to push the heifers into a back pen and run her into the corral and to the barn.  Did I mention how much slop there is around the corrals?  It’s really hard to run in ankle-deep (or deeper) mud.  We did get her in without too much trouble.  I almost fell once and that would have been a messy fall and did fall another time but caught myself so only my glove got nasty.  We put her in the maternity pen and let the calf suck and then they were both fine…..and I went to finish my sewing project.

I was pretty happy to go to my town job on Monday….especially after M called at lunchtime to tell me how his day was going.  A sick calf, a calf out of one of my cows that couldn’t get up (and difficulty getting the cow to the barn), and then half the herd rubbed down a gate and mixed  in with the pairs we had worked so hard to sort off.  R is pretty laid back so when he gets fired up you know things aren’t going well.  I guess he was fired up.  They did get a large portion of the escapees back where they belonged.  R’s girlfriend had the day off (she and I job-share both on and off the farm) so she got in on the fun instead of me.  It was her turn!

M had me up early this morning to try my hand at feeding the weak calf.  He was actually surprised it was still alive and had moved a little.  He’s not sure if the cow had trouble delivering it or what exactly is wrong.  I never did get it to suck but I would squirt some milk out of the nipple into the back of its throat, and it would swallow so I felt like I got a little something into it.  We’ll have to try again later.  They’ve been giving the sick one electrolytes and probiotics, and it has improved from yesterday.  M always comments that he feels like most people wouldn’t try so hard to save them, but he just has to.

Today is M’s birthday so we have the boys and their families coming for supper.  I’m just hoping for enough uninterrupted hours to get a cake made, my house cleaned, and supper cooked.  So, I’d better get to it before something else happens!  I wonder if other ranchers have days like these....

Vacation is Over!

I was home from Daytona for a couple of weeks and then headed off to Phoenix for five days to visit my mom and sister.  Another sister and her husband and our cousin from Kentucky were there at that time as well so we had a mini reunion.  I’ve not have the opportunity to spend much time with my cousin so it was fun to hang out with her some and hear about her life.  We took in a Marc Cohn concert that I really enjoyed and one sister and I went to the NASCAR race because my husband said “it would be stupid for you not to go if you’re there while it’s on”.  Okay!  Sure wouldn’t want him to think I was stupid.  My guy blew a tire, wrecked and caught on fire so that was a bit disappointing, but still a fun day and great bonding time with my sister.  She’s going through a rough time so I’m glad I could be there for her.

It was hot there, though, and I was glad to be home where it’s a bit cooler.  I felt like I hadn’t caught up around my house since we got back from Daytona so the first day or so home I stayed at home and tried to get my house in order.  It smelled and looked a bit like a bachelor pad—ugh!  The night R had to play darts M and I were on cow duty so I went over with him to do a check.  We had started calving two weeks early and that was the first time I had even seen a calf this season.  Then I looked at the calving record book and counted to 30 and really felt like a slacker.  M’s comment didn’t help….”it’s like you went on vacation a month ago and haven’t come back”.  Ouch!

Hopefully, I redeemed myself last night.  Just before I was going to go to bed I checked the cow cams and saw that R had one in the pen.  I thought by the time I finished my bedtime routine she’d have progressed well, but she hadn’t.  I was willing her to hurry up so I could go to sleep knowing all was well, but I watched for an hour or more.  Finally, I called R to see if he thought he was going to have to pull the calf.  He said yes.  I asked if he wanted help.  He said sure since I was up.  Sometimes it’s nice to have an extra set of hands.  By the time I got there he already had her in the maternity pen and was putting the chains on.  I really didn’t have to do anything, but bonding with my son over a cow’s rear-end is priceless, really.  We took a walk through the rest of the heifers and I went home to bed.  M  was dead to the world and didn’t even know I was gone until I told him this morning.

Calving season always brings some interesting moments and some bad luck.  We’ve had a calf with a foot back that they didn’t get to soon enough and it died.  We also had a cow die for no apparent reason after calving several days earlier.  We have a cow that is just not healthy so we’re concerned about her calf and one that has hardly any milk.  We had one that wouldn’t take her calf for awhile so we had to get her in the head gate and tie her feet so the calf could nurse.  She snapped out of her funk quickly, thank goodness.  We’ve supplemented a few calves so I’ve gotten in on that.  Again I quote “it needs a mother’s touch”.  That translates to “you’re much more patient”.
Just as things dry up we seem to get some wet snow.  I had almost forgotten the fun of being in muck up to my knees but had to help M with gates when he was feeding the other day and came home a mess.  Didn’t help that I had to push Kade’s 4-wheeler out of a mud hole.

We’re having a little blast of wintry weather today with some rain and wet snow.  I’m hoping the roads have cleared a little because I have an appointment for a haircut and I really need one! 

Bring on the Babies

Once again, I am WAY behind on my blogging.  Not sure where my time goes.  Well, I know where some of it went.  We spent two weeks in Daytona--more on that later.  Then a couple of days after we got back I came down with the flu so didn't move far from my couch for four days.  I had it all-- fever, chills, cough, sore throat, headache, nausea.  We've had so much sickness in the county, and I was pretty proud of myself for not catching anything.  At least I made it through my vacation before succumbing.  I prayed that M wouldn't catch it , but sadly, he has.

We knew that time was of the essence once we got back to get geared up for calving.  We weren't, however, prepared quite soon enough.  We were waiting for the first nice day so we could brand the replacement heifers and get them hauled over to the nighbor's so they'd be out of the way while we're calving.  Finally, on Wednesday, even though it was still below zero, we sorted out about 20 to take to the sale barn.  Then on Thursday we branded and re tagged the rest to haul over.  It was a beautiful day for working cattle.

The trip through the fields to the neighbor's was a bit interesting.  M had a load in one trailer and I had a smaller load in the other.  The first obstacle was the lane out of our yard which was snowy and icy.  M suggested getting a run at it.  I waited until he got up the hill before I went for it.  No problem there.  Then we got to a gate and the snow had blown in.  I was prepared to turn around but M dove in.  I thought he was crazy.  It took a lot of jockeying back and forth for him to get through, but he finally made it.  I made him drive my pickup through, but he made it easily and I could have done it.  I was not taking a chance on getting stuck!  We each had to take another load and accomplished that with no problems.

The next order of business was to bring in all the cows and sort off the pregnant heifers to be kept confined while calving.  That was planned for Friday.  M had a co-op meeting first thing that morning so they didn't get started until the afternoon.  In the meantime, R found two new calves.  It took some time after M got back to find the mothers and get them to the barn and then get all the heifers sorted out.  Those calves arrived a couple of weeks earlier than anticipated.  So, now we are officially in calving mode.

I didn't get in on the sorting because I was having a day with Sawyer.  I had some time with Kade the night before and was so happy to get some cuddles and hugs from the little people who hold such a huge piece of my heart.

Spring is in the air at the farm!