Issues with Dogs and Other Stuff

Due to a faulty thermometer and a few other significant details last year we are calving our cows like ranchers this year...all in a bunch. Dairy and beef are very different in how the calf planning works best. On a dairy we want cows having calves year round so there is a fresh supply of milk on a more or less constant basis. That would be terrible on a ranch where animals are managed in groups. Having them all come at once is a nightmare on a dairy. Just now when prices are so low most of our cows are dry or drying off. (Yeah, the average dairy cow gets a much longer vacation than you or I do, somewhere around six weeks a year. This is called the dry period. All the cows do during this time is eat and rest.) There are twenty cows due to calve in in June and four more this month. And a large bunch in April too

So far there are three on the ground, all bulls, which is not a happy circumstance on a dairy farm. Normally bulls are sold to be raised for beef for between sixty and a couple hundred dollars. Now farmers are often getting bills for the beef check off and auction commission and no money at all for their calves. You used to could count on calf and beef checks to beef up the milk check. Not so much any more. Liz isn't getting much sleep these days what with checking the barn nights and milking and chores take an hour extra on each end of the day....so if posts seem sparse....

Then there is the dog thing. Mike has always been top dog. Nick has always put up with it. Now Mike barely knows he is a dog or even where up is. I guess that left the field open for some social engineering on the canine end of things.

Anyhow the other night Alan bought us Chinese. That is a huge treat around here. We were just opening those wonderful little goldfish cartons and checking out the lo mein and wontons when Nick suddenly lit into poor bumbling old Mike with the intent to kill. At least he is well trained enough to listen to me when I screamed at him to stop. He ran and hid in his crate.

Poor old Mike never knew what hit him. His tongue was bleeding and he had a small puncture on his face, but seemed quite happy to suddenly be invited to share the bounty from our favorite Chinese restaurant. We gave him a tasty batch of rice and mushrooms.

About twenty minutes later he started wheezing. He was not in the least distressed by the rattling gasps that accompanied every attempt to slurp up another grain of rice off the floor (he is not a tidy eater) but we were majoryly concerned. (It was by this time about nine thirty PM, due to the other issues mentioned below.)

It was decided that his old collar was distressing him because of swelling from his Nick bite....and we couldn't unbuckle it without causing him still more distress. Thus Alan cut it off with his ceremonial Buck knife. As soon as it was gone the old man was fine and went back to rice hoovering very happily. The next morning he popped out of his crate as happy as ever. However, the dog routine will have to change now, as I can't trust Nick and they both live in the house. So it is one dog out and one dog in and the cat out and the cat in and I feel like a pet traffic controller.....only Gael requires no extra attention, well except for her trash collecting route but we won't get into that.

Then last night the heifers that are pastured behind the barn found an open gate and went roaming. The boss got them back in while we milked, but it was worrisome. Nothing worse than cattle wandering around at night.

Basically this has been a crazy place lately and blogging is falling by the way side. Lovely things are still happening outside, with stars gleaming like cut crystal at night and sunrises that could fill in for windows in the world's greatest cathedrals.....I just don't seem to have time to do anything about them..