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| Dark-eyed junco |
I'm not dead. Just busy again. We did something yesterday I have been dreading for a very long time. We shipped the two beef steers to the meat plant.
Mr. Swords on the Head, who lived to hook at either me, the vacuum line, (which is plastic and vulnerable) or the poor heifer next to him.
And Mr. Tall as a Tree-Kick at Random, who stood on a corner near a walkway into the manger, and terrorized young and old ever since he got tall enough to get his feet head-high.
The good news is...we have a new trucker. After years of an old gent who COULD NOT BACK UP TO THE BARN DOOR ever, no matter what, and who had no skill with cattle, we have a man who is capable. He knows his ABCs
A) He can drive. Right up the hill, right back to the door. Perfect.
B) He can handle stock. Actually helped load and did the right thing, at the right time, every time. No muss no fuss, just down the alley and into the trailer.
C) He is a really nice guy. Brought his wife along to meet me, as she likes the Farm Side. Had a real nice chat with them after the deed was done.
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| Downy woodpecker |
You should have seen little Laramie, the heifer that stood next to the horned steer, when we went to the barn last night. She had this look of delicious bewilderment on her face as she stood there with nobody harassing her, and the stall divider not shoved half way into her stall, but with lots of comfy room instead. Gonna be a LOT easier to milk her this morning.
The bad news is, Bailey is sick. One of our very best cows, just calved a little bit ago. She has a touch of mastitis, which we are treating, but something else may be going on too. She was feeling pretty sorry for herself last night. Didn't want to eat the hay we have been buying. I had the boss save back some of his own hay for just this sort of time.
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| Dawn, yesterday |
Dunno what it is. He only has one tractor, ancient equipment, and he works in the fields virtually alone....yet he makes some of the best hay you ever saw or smelled or fed to a cow.
She stood there, mumbling over the round bale hay, which the other cows were devouring as fast as they could cram it down their gullets. And then looking at me all sad and sorry.
He put a pile of his own, small bale hay in front of her
She picked up a whole chunk, shook it out and began to chew. I am hoping all the medicines we gave her yesterday pick her up......
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7 comments:
Glad to see that the trouble-makers are gone, and I hope that Bailey recovers quickly.
Hope that Bailey is feeling great in no time at all! Glad that the trouble makers are gone and that the new truck driver seems to be tops!
Relieved to see you're back . . . and able to share the beauty of a rosy dawn, despite being a little care-worn.
Hope things get sorted out with Bailey.
( we've currently got thunder and lightening
Hope Bailey is on the mend and I hear you on the sigh of relief when the Troublemakers head out the driveway!
Terry and I never ever want to keep a trouble-maker. It just never works out, they don't grow-up or out of the mischief. I hope Bailey gets back to herself quick like!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
Excellent sunrise pic, cows can be a pain in the butt to load..:-)
Rev. Paul, it is so good not to have to work around them. Bailey had a real rough go for a bit yesterday. The boss doctored on her and she was back up and eating by chore time, but she gave us a heck of a scare.
Sarah, thanks, we are grateful as well. It is hard enough to send animals to the sale or the meat plant, without sending them with a bad driver. We sold a real good cow last fall for beef. Didn't want to, but we simply can't afford to feed them forever when they aren't milking. She was fine when she left the farm, but we KNOW she got hurt on the trailer. She only brought 300 dollars for a large, healthy beef cow. I put my foot down at that point and said that bad driver was not coming on this farm again. Bad enough to have to sell them. Unacceptable to put up with incompetence like that.
Cathy, supposed to be coming our way today. Weird weather, more March-like than February. Poor Bailey is having a rough time. It's always your favorites, and she is one of mine. such a nice old girl...she is 11
Nita, it is never hard to let the beef steers go. They are always so miserable to work around in a dairy barn. I'm sure they would be fine in a system that was designed to handle them
Linda, these were a pair we raised for beef for our house and for Liz and Jade. They just got too big and strong for our old, tired barn. It is a relief not to have to work around them for sure.
Ed, that is sure enough the truth. I always dread moving our house beef steers out. they are much harder to handle than dairy cows.
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