Still Farming

Only slower and smaller. More time for details. The boss turned several of the little bulls into steers yesterday and dehorned a couple. 

We have been having issues with Bruce, Broadway's most recent bull calf. He was pretty oxygen-deprived at birth and has always been kind of backward. After he was put in his own little stall, even though he had a big heifer next to him to show him how things work, he would not learn to use his water bowl.

This simply requires that the animal push a paddle with their nose to release a stream of clear, cold water.

Twice a day I had to hold his paddle down with a stick so he could drink his fill. In the time he has been there several other little calves have been taught to drink, but he just wouldn't learn.

The other day he got sick...no big symptoms, but off...I was sure it was related to his unwillingness to drink. Since the outside pen, which used to be our sawdust shed, and then became a heifer pen, is now clean and empty, as the heifers that lived there were all sold, we put him out there.

We cleaned the 150-gallon watering trough that serves it and filled it with fresh water, gave him some tasty hay and corn meal, and put him out there.

He was actually too ignorant to even drink from the watering trough. I had to hang a pail of water next to it until he found it. Now he is drinking and eating and doing better, but I am thinking maybe keeping him until fall might be unwise.

If he doesn't take hold and thrive we may just sell him.

Baby Pics

 Blitz's new one by Morty

Rockin' her purple calf coat

Foolish's bouncing baby boy

Between bouts of bookkeeping I offer you pics of some of the recent additions to the herd.

The Cow Whisperer and Strawberry Shortcake

Liz and Strawberry

Our Liz. Walked right out, tossed a halter on Northstar the other night and brought her in to be milked. You don't normally do that with a first calf heifer. Norry walked in like an old show cow. It was pretty cute. She has been led a couple times before, but still.


 BTW, June named Norry in a name the calf contest a while back. Northstar baby pic

High comedy around the place yesterday morning. Norry had the tiniest little heifer the other day...so small we spent some time looking for a twin but didn't find one.

And a few weeks ago, Velvet also had a mini calf...a bull. Although the girl is red and the guy is black, they are brother and sister on the male side, both being sired by our Checkerboard Magnum's Promise bull of old.

At the moment the big heifer pen at the back of the barn is empty and Shortcake, as Liz named the bull, has been living there in splendor. We decided to put Strawberry, the heifer (aren't we cute?) in with him for her own safety. She had already been nearly drowned in the mud by the big heifers out in the barnyard, curious to see anything so tiny in their domain.

Is that my bottle...do you have my bottle, buck, buck, bunt, bunt, bunt

Well, just as we started to let the cows in for morning milking, Strawberry shot out of the pen like a blob of red toothpaste and began to bolt around the barn.


Liz grabbed her (she only weighs about thirty pounds) and stuffed her back in


She came back out


Lather, rinse, repeat.


Then Shortcake, deciding that this all looked like a lot of fun, hopped through the wall himself.


We were all laughing so hard we could barely catch them. (And isn't it just like a guy to not figure out for himself how to get in trouble but to embrace it so gleefully once somebody shows him how).
 

Since we did have to get some chores done rather than play with calves all morning, the boss put up some gates and plywood to keep the little miscreants in the pen...and so far Strawberry has only gotten out one more time when the big beef steer opened the gate, but who knows what we will find this morning.

Twins

Born this morning to Detroit, one of Liz's older cows. Sadly one was a tiny little heifer and the other a mammoth bull. All three are doing okay though.

Such a Starry Night

Another calving last night around nine-thirty. Booth had a heifer calf by Leadfield Columbus. It was one of those times when things went south fast. It was a good thing we knew what she was up to and Becky went over and checked after supper. 


The calf wasn't too big, no difficult presentation, but delivery slowed down right after the head was born and the baby inhaled some amniotic fluid. We laid her over a bale to drain her lungs and worked hard at stimulating her to breathe.


 Mama worked hard too, licking her and nudging her.


I thought she was a goner, but then she took a couple of gasping breaths and shook her head, always a welcome sign. We went through a lot of paper towels cleaning out her mouth and nose and a lot of hay rubbing her ribs and ears and head, but by the time we left the barn she was trying to stand up.


Booth was gobbling hay as fast as she could stuff it into her mouth and licking the baby in between bites. Hopefully they will both come through all right.


On the way back from the barn we stopped to admire the stars and planets. With Mars, Jupiter and Venus all showing their stuff each night it is quite a show. The latter two are so bright they are like a big neon sign in the sky.....I don't know what they are selling, but I had a glass of wine when we got it.....seemed well earned somehow.

It's Puppy Day

Not my puppy, but my first grandpuppy. Details and photos to follow. Meanwhile here are some pics of Broadway's new daughter who remains nameless.

Feel free to leave suggestions for names in the comments if you would. I need help here....calf name burnout going on. Her sisters are named Scotty and Rose Magnolia BTW.

Have a good one.

Redeux

Two calves born at the same time last night. Right at milking. Suffice to say that even with six people running around like beheaded chickens, it was just insane. 


Broadway started first. She always has huge calves for some reason. Even her first calf, Scotty, who is half Jersey, was a giant. This one was no exception and she would NOT settle and have it lying down. 


While we were watching her, Lakota started calving too. Both of them had really big calves and needed some help.


When Broadway's big, red baby finally slid out into the world the boss declared, "It's a bull."


I believed him. He's seen a calf or two in all his years of farming.


Liz is not quite so trusting and checked later. Nope, a heifer, by the Select Sire Power milking shorthorn bull, Poker. The new baby is a full sister to Rose Magnolia...and I will welcome names from you folks, who named her big sister for me.


Lakota, alas had a bull and not a real healthy one. A real shame as he is a beauty, sired by the ABS bull, Force. I am really hoping he makes it.


Anyhoo, by the time we got to the house after dealing with all the stuff new milkers need, plus milking, plus discovering that Licorice had a temp and needed some doctoring, and passing out extra good hay to all the fresh cows, it was late as heck. And of course the sick heifer I am taking care of in the green house decided that she was really, really thirsty, but must dump every single pail of water I lugged up from the house....I had to have Becky and the boss both help me take care of her.


French toast (Becky makes the best ever) sausage and bacon for dinner. Totally guilt free...I think we earned it.

Red Letter

Night.....


Our cow, Asaki, decided to have her calf last night at around 11. Alas, a bull, but a really handsome guy.

Between helping the boss with her and a 3:30 barn check I am kind of stupid today...but here are some pics of him plus another bull calf. The bottom calf is Licorice's Maxwell son. 


Maxwell is at ABS, as a young sire. We have two calves by him, both bulls, alas, but they are really outstanding. Of course, if you look at his mama, here, you can probably see why. Liz has good taste.

Baby Pics

Mirage, daughter of Magic and Tri-Day Valiant Gold. Born yesterday in the middle of my bookkeeping marathon.Magic needed a little help, but mother and daughter are doing fine now.

Sneak Attack

Sneak attack! Look out!!!! It's a deadly, dangerous, eyes-in-front predator!

Get her!

The cows were all turned out and waiting by the gate to be let up into the field to eat. I was just finishing up pushing up feed to Scotty, who stays in, and the bull and the steers and the big calves, when the dreaded Athena trotted down the barn aisle working hard at rat patrol.

Milwaukee saw her first. A predator! Oh, noes, and right in the barn too.

Big M lowered her head and hooked and snorted at the deadly threat so close before her. Towanda took up the cry, storming and stomping her feet and kicking her heels at the ceiling.

Next Cinnamon, Boondock, Brianna and Bling. Chrome and Lamborghini, Corolla and Pumpkin, all dashing, all dancing, all banging stalls and cupboard doors. Crash! Clatter! Kaboom and kabang.

Athena paused by the big pen and looked back in disgust. She is just an old barn cat and about as dangerous to those silly calves as air .

Meanwhile, they all shook their heads and snorted happily and stood around puffing and blowing. Another enemy vanquished and before breakfast too. Tuff girls one and all.

All the News

That's fit to type.

Got a surprising, but very welcome call yesterday, that the 4490 was not only ready, but the bill was reasonable. Didn't take the guys ten minutes to be on the road to go get it.

Tyler, Liz's old horse came home last night, to a gigantic new box stall built by Alan. We used to have a pair of almost 18 hand Belgians that lived in tie stalls in the old barn. He took down both of those stalls and turned them into one big box. I will get some pics later, but other than hitting himself with the hammer he did a real nice job.

The rain continues, so the time spent cleaning up and building stuff and flower gardening goes on....all well and good but it is past time for the crops to be planted, vegetable garden in and haying started. Will this rain ever end? We are beginning to wonder.

We are breeding cows like crazy now...if they all catch we will be fielding calves left and right next February or March. Busy, busy. We had five in heat Sunday alone.

That is Bama's new baby, Cinnamon Twist, in the photo. She is NOT that color, but rather a dark, rich mahogany color. I don't know why it is so hard to get true color photos on the milking shorthorns. Once in a while I get it right, but rarely.

She is about the smartest calf I have ever seen. She was eating grain and hay before she was two days old. Now she jumps up and down if she sees me kicking hay into the mangers. And she knows her name. She can be sleeping and you call "Cinnamon-n-n-n" and she jumps right up and starts bouncing and calling. What a little sweetie!

Orange Upstart

As far as the cardinal is concerned this is HIS feeder. He is picking up sunflower seeds and shelling them, before tenderly feeding them to his lady love. What's up with this orange guy hanging around slurping up oranges with his girl friend? ******Photo taken through kitchen window so not too clear...and I can't stand very close to the window or they all fly away in a huff.****

Much excitement in the barn last night. Bama Breeze (still with us, FC, and a big, sweet, pet) had a gorgeous half-shorthorn heifer calf and brought it right down to the barn. The new baby is the color of rich, dark, mahogany with lots of bright, white bling to flash on feet and flanks. Right about now I am kinda wishing I hadn't given Bama to Alan.

Of course pseudo-mom and hard-working calf thief, Zinnia, decided that it was hers and raised holy Hell. Wouldn't come in the barn, charged the boss when he brought the baby in. Thrashed around like a fool in a frenzy running around and making us crazy, while Bama calmly followed her baby into the barn and behaved herself.

Then big Z began to bellow.

And bellow.

And bellow.

She stands in my string and is one of the first two cows I milk, so I got the full force of it...and you can hear a cow calling for miles. You can hear one real well for feet too....and I have to actually lean on her flank to put the milker on, so there weren't even feet between us. Ow, my poor ears! She cocked a leg at me menacingly when I went in to milk her.

And bellowed some more. Normally she really likes me (can't stand the boss) and is gentle as a great big dog. Last night it was hard to even get her attention so she wouldn't kick me. She really wanted that stolen calf.

She bawled all through milking. We tried playing Sherry, but even that didn't help...although when Liz sends me the cell phone video of the boss dancing to it in the barn aisle you are in for something...I am not sure exactly what...but something for sure.

By the time milking was over my head felt as if it was going to explode and it seemed as if we had milked a thousand cows.

Twice.

If the federal government needs a good substitute for water boarding, all they have to do is come to the farm with a sound recorder and show Zinnia a calf. Add in Chrome, Liz's calf, who screams to be fed whenever she isn't eating (and she can eat as much as three full-grown cows I swear) and alleged terrorists would be falling all over themselves to confess..

April Foolishness

A bazillion and twelve geese on Summit Lake

Photos do not do justice to the numbers

The boss left early, Alan is at school, everybody else has to work and TWO cows are calving simultaneously. One of them always a milk fever problem. Eating breakfast while I give them time to settle down, then off to the barn.

Babyland

Two calves yesterday, a heifer to Hollywood, a bull to Baja.

Busy, busy. Hollywood's had a leg back, but Liz and the boss repelled it a little and got the leg up. As soon as all was clear she sat right down and got it born. Hallelujah.

Several-many moons ago I bought the boss a bull calf for Father's Day, Keeneland Astre Pat. There is quite a story about him, as I went to the sale and he was purchased for big bucks long before I could even get in a bid. Then at the end of the auction he was put up for sale again. Seems the individual who purchased him the first time thought he was a heifer. I got him bought for about a fifth the original price.

Not to be outdone, the boss bought another bull (O-C-E-C Lindy Fred-ET) from Oneida County Embryo Company, a son of the famous Stewarthaven TT Fallon cow (one of the most incredibly beautiful cows I have ever laid eyes on. We saw her at pasture when she was quite old and she was like a Bonny Mohr painting. Silky black hide over a fabulous frame with wide, sweeping ribs and a rump like you wouldn't believe....just wow!)

We raised them, had them drawn at Dependabull when they were old enough, and have been just a tad competitive about whose choice was best ever since.

KPat made a lot of heifers, middle of the road milk cows, nothing special, but sturdy and dependable. The Freds are big and black and framey like grandma, but a tad mastitis-prone.Oddly enough the best daughters of either bull were out of daughters of the other bull. Turned out to be a great cross......Hollywood is out of an old KPat daughter and her baby is by Fred. Really nice calf.

Which made our little competition kind of silly I guess.

And my new favorite milk cow, alongside my beloved Broadway, is a Fred daughter out of my old Citation R Maple cow, England.

Fuzzy little Egypt was a loon when she was young. Abso-positively nutso. When we had to do anything whatsoever with her she freaked and we had a rodeo. However, after she had her baby she turned into the bovine version of a happy puppy. When I milk her she turns her hairy black head around to be scratched and loves to have me pet and fuss with her. I can't believe she is the same cow. Needless to say she is treated like a big baby and called Boo boo and all. (Yeah, I call my cow Boo Boo, what can I say?)

Off to the barn in a couple of minutes who see who has gotten up to what in the night (hopefully they all just finished their hay, slept and chewed the cud, but you never know.) Have a great Saturday.

Bling and Chrome

Bling

Chrome

Bling's name isn't set in stone yet, but she is a brand new baby daughter of Liz's Fustead Emory Blitz daughter, Mendocino (we just call her Blitz) She was sired by Myrik.

Can you believe how big she is? Liz had to order a 2X large calf coat for her even though she was just born, because all our normal coats were way too small for her!

Chrome is closely related to her, being a daughter of Blitz's full sister, Neon Moon, but by our own bull O-C-E-C Lindy Fred ET.

Calves and Currycomb Love

Heather's baby boy. Check out his eyeliner

In the next four weeks we have around eighteen head due to calve. It is with a mixture of awe and dread that I face this prospect. Among the "springers" are my beautiful Broadway and Liz's Fustead Emory Blitz daughter (whose name is Mendocino, but who is simply called, THE BLITZ...she gets caps even in every day life.) We care a great deal for all the cows, but there are always certain special ones that cause just a little more worry and heartache when calving time rolls around. As with any birth there is a lot that can go wrong.

Last year if you remember, Broadway had a gigantic heifer calf, breech, and it was one of the toughest deliveries I have participated in. We were thankful for the hybrid vigor of the shorties that day I can tell you. It looks as if she is carrying another big one.

I worry.

Evie, Verona, Egypt, the two Whirlhill Kingpin daughters, Zobaba and Bayliner, Heather, and several others have already had their babies, mostly bulls, alas.

Does anybody who milked cows back in the sixties remember any temperament issues with the Kingpin daughters? These two are both snarky little darlings I can tell you. They are from unrelated dams, but they are like the nasty devil twins. I have been lashed with more sodden, stinking tails and stomped at more by them than by all the other first calf heifers together.

Even Egypt, who was a real wild child all through her carefree heiferhood, is a little sweetie and loves to have me scratch her exceptionally furry head. I was currying cows yesterday and didn't even try to brush Zobaba (although Bayliner is finally liking the attention.)

You wouldn't believe how the cows are shedding. I could bed them with the hair I get off with the comb. And they love it so much! Always worth a laugh to see the heads waving and the stanchions clanging while they await their turn. I like it too. I can't even see over Lemmie's rump, she is such a big girl, and normally she is flighty and a little loony. However, when I have that currycomb, she is like a fourteen-hundred pound kitten, all cuddles and love.

Kinda like cupboard love, only this time it's currycomb love.

Party Animals

As you might guess we are not. However, Becky will turn 23 on Monday and she wanted some form of celebration. As she has a job now, she and Alan headed out, bought the movie the Sorcerer's Apprentice, and some grinders and calzone from Romano's and we sat down after milking to enjoy.

Actually I had one of the last two Dick Francis books, so I really wasn't watching much, although I certainly was sitting and enjoying. (I don't know how I missed it, but he died last year. Dickiebo had a post about it or I still wouldn't know. He was one of my favorite authors all my life.)

However, as is normal when you have animals, no party goes unpunished. While we were milking, Zobaba, a Whirlhill Kingpin heifer of Alan's, was treading and nervous and holding her tail up. We bedded her up all nice and comfy and left her alone to progress. However, that progress needed to be observed a bit.

Thus in the middle of the movie Becky went over to the barn for that purpose. Feet were showing, but nowhere near enough progress for what the clock was saying, so.....

The men went over and delivered a bouncing baby boy**** to Zo, doctored her up as needed and came back.

Alan had plenty of jokes about "you know you are a farmer when you can't have a party without having a cow........"

Ah, well, they were soon back watching their movie. We stayed up late and felt delightfully decadent for a while. I'm kinda glad this is my morning off.

****Update, upon closer inspection, the bouncing baby boy is a girl.

I Can Do This

In the barn til after ten last night helping with a compromised, breech, premature, heifer calf born to Liz's dear old show cow, Mandy. Ate dinner (bowl of ice cream) and went to bed. Back to the barn now because Liz has to get on the road to her other job. No babies due today...I don't think.

A First

Most folks who spend a lot of time working on a dairy farm end up delivering a calf sooner or later. In theory every cow has a calf every year so there are plenty of opportunities.

Yesterday was Becky's day. She went to the barnto feed the calves just a little bit early, as she wanted to watch something on TV last night (for some reason we have been getting out of the barn a bit later than we like).

When she went to the back of the barn, Bailey's daughter, Booth, a Regancrest Chilton daughter, was having her first calf. Beck ran to the house for help and then ran back. Of course the rest of us had to get our boots and coats on.

By the time she got back, what had just been a pair of front feet had become a head and shoulders. The head was flopped down under the body of the baby in a very awkward position. She turned it back up and helped guide what ended up being a nice little shorty heifer on her journey into the world.

It took Booth a while to warm up to the whole idea of motherhood and she spent the first few minutes of baby's life gobbling haylage and ignoring her. However, just as I went to get some grain to sprinkle on the little one (sometimes that will get them to licking their baby), something clicked and she began to slurp the calf with her big old tongue like there was a sale and she was first in line.

I can't say enough about milking shorthorn bulls for calving ease on Holstein heifers. Other than the head being turned under the calf on the floor behind the cow, which could happen at any birth, this heifer had the calf as easily as calving ever goes. And the calf was standing up and walking around the barn within ten minutes. We have tried Jerseys, Angus and Hereford and always had one problem or another. Of course you have difficult births with every breed, but we do like the shorthorns best.

Frigid Friday

Brrr! As are several others among our favorite bloggers, I am looking for a January thaw. I hate to say it, but I don't think we are going to get one though. We moved animals yesterday making room for Zinnia's Whirlhill Kingpin daughter to have a stall in the milking barn.

She is now in my dear Rosie's stall and Rosie is up next to Boston in a tie stall. Frankly I hated putting her there because Boston's name really should begin with a "B" like it does, but end in "TCH". However, men have their agendas and sometimes their priorities are different than those of women.

Boston likes to claim the water bowl as her personal property and not let the animal next to her use it. This hasn't been too big a problem with big cows tied next to her, but Rose is only a yearling. Of course she is the granddaughter of Bayberry and the great granddaughter of Balsam, two of the biggest, toughest, meanest (to other cows that is) animals that we have, so maybe she will hold her own. If she has trouble the boss is going to drop her down a new water bowl that Boston can't reach. However, she is my very favorite among my animals and probably the best I own. I want her to be okay. I want her to go to the shows this summer maybe.......