Jennifer and I just finished up planting the garden except for a few odds and ends that we'll have to do after my arm heals up a little more. It really sucks being limited in what I can do this time of year. Unless it really gets better this week I'm going to have to someone to come over and shear my ewes. There are only four and the guy down the road who's retired from shearing for hire will probably do them for me under the circumstances. I've got two pretty major construction projects I'm itching to start but am pretty much worthless now.
The brush hog is mounted on the tractor. I'll probably mow during the evenings this coming week. That's nice, relaxing, one-arm work. This time of year I always wish I had the means to make hay but mowing and letting the grass rot back into the soil and buying hay is pretty cheap fertility.
Still no calf. Every day I take the time to examine Sugar's udder for lumps, hot spots, etc. Today she was trying like crazy to lick me. Maybe that's a sign that she's ready for a calf...?
Saturday 30 May 2009
Thursday 28 May 2009
May 28, 2009
Apparently wrangling sheep for the butcher can be hazardous to your health. I grabbed one of the lambs today with my left hand and the hay box with my right and ended up with a torn right biceps. I've got a little ball of muscle up near my shoulder and it's flat below that where the muscle usually attaches to the elbow. Hurts like the dickens but we went to our favorite steakhouse for dinner and I self-medicated with a couple Beefeater martinis. Jennifer bought me a sling because she knows that's the only way I'll rest my arm.
Tomorrow I'll be mowing, first the lawn then starting on the pasture. Fortunately the tractor has power steering.
Still no calf...
Tomorrow I'll be mowing, first the lawn then starting on the pasture. Fortunately the tractor has power steering.
Still no calf...
Wednesday 27 May 2009
May 27, 2009
Whew, another hectic day at work! Tomorrow should be better and I'm leaving at noon to meet the butcher at 1:00. I'll be more glad to see these yearlings go than any sheep we've ever had. They are troublemakers! Finally we'll get back to a sheep flock that minds 2 stands of electric fence.
Since these lambs have pretty much gone wherever the hell they want, we haven't bothered too much with controlling grazing. That will change after tomorrow. This weekend I'm getting the brush hog that I own in common with my brother-in-law and will start mowing the areas of the pasture that have been grazed and are now getting ripe. The entire fence needs mowed around inside and out including the interior subdivisions. Our charger will put out 12,000 volts on a clean fence and now we're doing good to get 5,000.
I worked on the area of the barn that we're going to use as a milking parlor today. It is swept and hosed down. I built a feed box but need to bring hardware home from work tomorrow to mount it to the wall. Sugar has gotten used to us and to Liberty Farm. I talked to my neighbor last night and he said she looked awfully confused the first couple days she was here but has settled in just fine. He greeted me by asking whether I knew someone left a pregnant cow in my pasture. Haha.
I sure hope the calf comes this weekend. I'm kind of on pins and needles, not because of the the actual birth but because of the potential for milk fever which is deadly if not properly treated and unfortunately common to Jerseys. I've got everything I need, though, and the advice of good friends.
There was some distant thunder before I came in to shower but it's pretty clear outside now. It's really dry here. Hopefully we'll get some rain out of this unstable weather that's in the area. I think I'll enjoy a cocktail before going out to bottle feed the lamb and close in the hens for the night.
Be well.
Since these lambs have pretty much gone wherever the hell they want, we haven't bothered too much with controlling grazing. That will change after tomorrow. This weekend I'm getting the brush hog that I own in common with my brother-in-law and will start mowing the areas of the pasture that have been grazed and are now getting ripe. The entire fence needs mowed around inside and out including the interior subdivisions. Our charger will put out 12,000 volts on a clean fence and now we're doing good to get 5,000.
I worked on the area of the barn that we're going to use as a milking parlor today. It is swept and hosed down. I built a feed box but need to bring hardware home from work tomorrow to mount it to the wall. Sugar has gotten used to us and to Liberty Farm. I talked to my neighbor last night and he said she looked awfully confused the first couple days she was here but has settled in just fine. He greeted me by asking whether I knew someone left a pregnant cow in my pasture. Haha.
I sure hope the calf comes this weekend. I'm kind of on pins and needles, not because of the the actual birth but because of the potential for milk fever which is deadly if not properly treated and unfortunately common to Jerseys. I've got everything I need, though, and the advice of good friends.
There was some distant thunder before I came in to shower but it's pretty clear outside now. It's really dry here. Hopefully we'll get some rain out of this unstable weather that's in the area. I think I'll enjoy a cocktail before going out to bottle feed the lamb and close in the hens for the night.
Be well.
Monday 25 May 2009
May 25, 2009
We're just finishing up a weekend of camping, family fun and loads of beer. It was great!
Saturday morning I picked up 20 17 week-old pullets from Meyer Hatchery up in Polk. They are Black Stars which are hybrid brown egg layers. So far we've gotten three little pullet eggs.
Sugar is well settled in her new home. Last night she had a mucus string hanging from her vulva which indicates a matter of days until freshening. We're doing our hand exercises over here in preparation. Meanwhile, she's grazing like crazy which is very nice because we have a huge surplus of grass and the butchers are coming next week to take 4 yearling lambs.
The garden is not done but should be by the end of the month. That's pretty good for us.
Saturday morning I picked up 20 17 week-old pullets from Meyer Hatchery up in Polk. They are Black Stars which are hybrid brown egg layers. So far we've gotten three little pullet eggs.
Sugar is well settled in her new home. Last night she had a mucus string hanging from her vulva which indicates a matter of days until freshening. We're doing our hand exercises over here in preparation. Meanwhile, she's grazing like crazy which is very nice because we have a huge surplus of grass and the butchers are coming next week to take 4 yearling lambs.
The garden is not done but should be by the end of the month. That's pretty good for us.
Friday 22 May 2009
May 22, 2009
I spent most of the day in the garden with frequent checks on Sugar to see how she was settling in. Jennifer went to TSC to get the necessary supplies for treating and/or preventing milk fever. If you're reading this, thanks Polly!
One thing I never realized before is just how big cows are when you're used to dealing with sheep. That and the incredible quantity of poop and pee. Wow.
Sent from my iPod
Thursday 21 May 2009
May 21, 2009
Sugar is here.
She looks thinner than she did on Monday but I think the calf is lower than it was which is stretching the skin. I found out more about her from Jennifer's uncle. She is 3 1/2 years old and this will be her second calf. She is closed in her stall for the night because she doesn't know the boundaries yet and I would rather she find them in daylight.
What a difference between the way cows and sheep eat. The sheep are very picky about hay and eat all the best leafy parts first. Sugar just mows and if she drops some on the floor she picks it up and eats it. Nice.
We worked on the garden all afternoon manuring and laying down the plastic mulch. I'm off work tomorrow so we'll hit it hard. This is shaping up to be the first year we've had the garden in on time for many years. Knocking on wood...
She looks thinner than she did on Monday but I think the calf is lower than it was which is stretching the skin. I found out more about her from Jennifer's uncle. She is 3 1/2 years old and this will be her second calf. She is closed in her stall for the night because she doesn't know the boundaries yet and I would rather she find them in daylight.
What a difference between the way cows and sheep eat. The sheep are very picky about hay and eat all the best leafy parts first. Sugar just mows and if she drops some on the floor she picks it up and eats it. Nice.
We worked on the garden all afternoon manuring and laying down the plastic mulch. I'm off work tomorrow so we'll hit it hard. This is shaping up to be the first year we've had the garden in on time for many years. Knocking on wood...
Wednesday 20 May 2009
May 20, 2009
Work was busy today. Actually the whole week has been busy dealing with 3 breakdowns on 2 different machine tools. One is fixed, one is diagnosed and will be fixed in the morning and the third...?!? Oh well, tomorrow is our short day and then we won't worry about it until next Tuesday. (We're on a 36 hour schedule - 10 hours Monday-Wednesday and 6 on Thursday).
I shallow tilled the garden today and plan to manure, mulch and plant tomorrow and Friday.
It looks like Sugar, our Jersey cow, will be arriving tomorrow!
I shallow tilled the garden today and plan to manure, mulch and plant tomorrow and Friday.
It looks like Sugar, our Jersey cow, will be arriving tomorrow!
Tuesday 19 May 2009
May 19, 2009
I came home today and put the finishing touches on Sugar's stall (clean straw, good hay, water) in the hope that she will come tomorrow. While in the red barn, I noticed that our ram, Joash, is limping. It may be that the other ram butted him in the shoulder but if it's not better tomorrow, I'll look at his hoof.
I mowed around the garden and put up a short electric net to keep out rabbits. Last year we lost almost all of our peas and lettuce to the little thieves. It just needs a shallow till and will be ready for the bulk of the planting this week(end).
When I came home today, I peeked in the white barn and saw the cat food stealing raccoon in there chowing down. I nearly drew my .38 special snubby but thought the 124 gr. Gold Dot was probably overkill. Instead I came inside and had Jennifer get me her Walther P22 out of the safe. I went back out and performed the latter part of the Mozambique Drill and bye-bye masked marauder. The P22 might not be the ultimate in home defense but loaded with CCI Stingers it's a damn fine barn defense handgun.
I was just standing at the kitchen window and saw that the lamb races have begun. All of the lambs (less the bottle baby who is penned in the barn) were running and jumping and playing along the bank of the creek. It looks like great fun.
I mowed around the garden and put up a short electric net to keep out rabbits. Last year we lost almost all of our peas and lettuce to the little thieves. It just needs a shallow till and will be ready for the bulk of the planting this week(end).
When I came home today, I peeked in the white barn and saw the cat food stealing raccoon in there chowing down. I nearly drew my .38 special snubby but thought the 124 gr. Gold Dot was probably overkill. Instead I came inside and had Jennifer get me her Walther P22 out of the safe. I went back out and performed the latter part of the Mozambique Drill and bye-bye masked marauder. The P22 might not be the ultimate in home defense but loaded with CCI Stingers it's a damn fine barn defense handgun.
I was just standing at the kitchen window and saw that the lamb races have begun. All of the lambs (less the bottle baby who is penned in the barn) were running and jumping and playing along the bank of the creek. It looks like great fun.
May 18, 2009
Last night I moved the rams into the smaller stall next door to get their old stall ready for a new occupant. We're getting a Jersey heifer this week. Her name is Sugar and she is due to freshen in the next few weeks. She was pasture-bred so we're not sure of the due date.
Jennifer's uncle is giving us the cow but we'll be giving him the calf after it's weaned. We're going to get a bull calf from our herdshare dairy for Sugar to nurse. That way we'll have beef for ourselves. We probably won't milk her until the calves are weaned.
Jennifer's uncle is giving us the cow but we'll be giving him the calf after it's weaned. We're going to get a bull calf from our herdshare dairy for Sugar to nurse. That way we'll have beef for ourselves. We probably won't milk her until the calves are weaned.
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