Well, Duh

See this silly rooster? (Yeah, those are snow flakes blowing past him.) Liz' boss gave him and a couple of his brothers to us a while back. They were enthroned in the nice little chicken house Matt and Lisa gave us along with our old hens. Daily corn meal, table scraps and fresh water. Shavings on the floor, warm, and cozy, and nice for a birdie.

So what did he do? Try and try and try to get out until finally one day he evaded my hand and made it. Now he sleeps in a box elder tree with Mr. Fluff and wanders around in the snow all day. I feed them both next to the coop and he steals cat food but...... Sooner or later I will catch him, if the fox doesn't get there first, but I am calling him WD. (And not 40.)

Grace had her baby, a lively heifer. It was running around the barn when we got there yesterday (after all those barn checks). It would be nice to think we could make fewer extra trips to the barn, but now we have to start watching Zobaba, Booth and Magic, who are all due to calve in the next week or so. Then in February and March, watch out; sleep is probably going to be kinda scarce.

Have a nice, warm day!

Calving

On a dairy farm it goes on all year to some extent, but since we graze our cows in summer, we have a lot of our calves between the end of one year and spring of the next. It has begun.

It is a dangerous time...the whole having babies and being born business is fraught with many hazards. We do our best to keep them safe, and that includes checking the barn late at night, early in the morning, middle of the day....seems like all the time. Things happen though and sometimes not for the best.

We moved a heifer indoors to calve last night, and I got up about two hours before I wanted to so I could check her. She is fine so far, but I suspect that within a few hours she will have her first baby. Lots of trips to the barn today I guess.

Chrome

What do you name the new calf from the Mandy family...the one that is long and black, with bright, white stockings up to here? Yeah, Chrome.

Gratuitous barn cat...Tux again

Our two days before Thanksgiving present from Neon Moon, a Fustead Emory Blitz daughter out of Mandy. Chrome is sired by one

of our herd bulls, Keeneland Astre Pat, K-Pat for short. Sorry to be so slow to post, but between the holidays (Thanksgiving and deer season) the cows, herd health, shipping the steer etc. time has been one thing that is in short supply. Hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow and thank you all for your kind words!

First Day on the New Feet

Pecan had a new baby girl this morning. First day on the new feet, first breakfast, second breakfast, nuncheon, high tea......