We had some kinda crazy storm yesterday and it's not terribly nice today. Rain at least and not snow, but there is a winter weather advisory for tonight so.....
The boss and I have been putting the cows in alone afternoons to make evening chores a little easier for all concerned. The girls both have outside jobs that take up a lot of hours and the critters come in pretty good if we only let a few in at a time.
Yesterday we were sure glad we did it that way. Not half an hour after the last stall was locked a huge thunderstorm hit. Our little creek went from about two inches of water to two feet in under an hour. Roaring, raging feet at that.
The grass liked it just fine, but if we had waited for help bringing them in we would have had to milk wet cows....a miserable job. Some of them see their hand maidens as large, cozy towels and love to lean and shove on us to try when wet. After the first couple of cows, you are as wet as they are.
Instead we were positively gloating.
We still have one left to calve, Evanlyn, a heifer of Becky's, so I drew barn check duty this morning....my turn and all...
She was fine, but my darling Betty was down in her stall, mooing pitifully, and staring at me with big, sad eyes. She has just a little pinched nerve in her pelvis from delivering that large calf and although she has been getting up and down fine up until now, she was in a bind.
I tried to help her up myself. Sometimes if you hang on to their tail to steady their feet they can stand where they can't quite make it alone. I used to be strong enough to throw off a load of baled hay as fast as a guy....faster than some guys...but, alas, those days are gone.
So I went down to the corner of the barn where there is cell phone reception and called the boss who was over at the house. Just as I hung up he came in the door...
That amazing farmer ESP thing at work again. He just KNEW something was wrong and followed about five minutes behind me. While I was leaving a message because no one answered the phone he was coming through the milkhouse to help me.
With his superior strength on tail duty she hopped right up, but she is going to have to have a fuller bed of sand shoveled into her stall today.
Oh, and we got one egg yesterday to Charles' 26, but then we only have two hens.
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5 comments:
I love farmer esp...sure has been a good thing now and again. I'm glad she is up.
Your creek sounds wild and rugged...I'm so glad you were able to get the cows in BEFORE the storm! Good for you and THEM!
Our cows never liked to have scary things first and then have us milk...milk production would always drop.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
This weather sure is horrible. I am glad that I have been bringing in the horses. At least they get to be dry for a few hours.
Linda, it is funny how that little niggling feeling will awaken you in the night and send you out to find what's wrong....
Lisa, I am already very tired of it. Ugh!
ESP is real. In my family - there is no questioning it.
As for this weather . . . well . . . I'm glad it's helping your grass along.
That business about cows using you to dry off . . so glad you shared that . . it's quite a visual and something a townie could never have imagined :)
Cathy, runs in our family too, sometimes to a scary degree. lol. The weather is horrid and so tiresome. Not so much today. Glorious sunrise today. They shake like dogs too sometimes, and although they are not built to be quite as vigorous and don't have the same range, they are bigger and contain more extraneous water. lol
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