Harrowing

I am so behind on my blogging.  So much is going on.

A few weeks ago I completed the harrow work for the year.  I didn't harrow the entire property like I did last year.  Instead I drug the harrow around the NE and North pastures and a third of the middle pasture.

In the NE pasture I dumped the manure pile I had dug earlier this year.  http://tallpinesranch.blogspot.com/2013/02/shoveling-shit.html     The dark piles are parts of that manure pile before I drug the harrow and spread them out.


The NE and North pasture were important to harrow because the horses would use selected areas as their bathroom and these areas had lots and lots of manure that needed to be broken up.

Since the harrow work on the NE and North pastures went well and I had time left that day I also drug the harrow over the east third of the middle pasture.  The cattle 'go wherever'  so their manure is dispersed over the pasture and there is no great need to drag a harrow to break up the manure.


The cattle had fun watching me drive in circles dragging the harrow.  They can be easily amused.

New cattle video

Here is a 2 minute 8 second video of when the new cattle arrived in the corral.

The video starts with Tammy and I unloading the cattle.  I didn't realize I had the camera turned on so that is the reason for the crazy poor images.  How did you like the clouds?   Then we go to Tammy feeding an apple to Momma before ending with Daisy in the corral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUYmTV73-40

April snow showers

The end of April and the weather continues.   The weather service predicted a cold Spring for Montana and that is what we have - once again.

Today we had clouds, sun and lots of wind.  And, oh yeah, a number of intermittent snow showers.  As you can see it didn't fall straight down as the mat under the entryway roof had graupel pellets.

Here is a 22 second video of the sounds of a graupel shower:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc7yYKbCg5s

Windy day

Saturday afternoon was very windy.   Dirt from recently plowed fields blew down from the ridge.

Messing with the water hose

Once I finished the well for the water trough I will make sure the pipe into the water trough is fixed.  I don't know what it is about the water hose but the cattle insist on taking the end of the hose and moving it outside of the water trough.  Every time I fill the water trough I have to check to make sure the hose is in the trough.

Two minor jailbreaks

I was in the NE pasture when I suddenly heard one of the new steers bellow.  I looked and he had gotten his head stuck between the two gates between the NE pasture and the corral.

Ignore the chain - it was added later

His head was up to the bar and he was pushing and pulling the gates in an effort to get out. To stop him from breaking the gates I ran over to help.  To get out he needed to lower his head to the ground below the gates.  I pushed down lightly on his head and this did not work as planned.  He got more excited and before I knew it he pushed through the gate bending and popping the bar holding the gates together.

I was protected by the gate when it opened so the steer did not run me over.  Once he got through the gates and halfway to the hay shed he stopped confused at where he was.  I opened the gates completely and started to herd him back into the corral.  Momma came running over so I had to backtrack and herd her deeper into the corral before running back to the steer.  I was able to get him back into the corral and the gates shut before any more cattle escaped.

I bent the bar straighter and thought it was the end of this.

Then a few evenings later, while feeding hay to the cattle, I noticed one steer outside the gate and in the NE pasture.  The bar was still connecting the gates but it was bent and the steer squeezed through the opening between the gates.

It was fairly easy to herd him back into the corral as the rest of the cattle were busy eating.

I had to do something different so I got a small chain and wrapped it around the gates.

The other day I noticed the bar has been moved partway to one side.  However the chain kept the gates together and the cattle couldn't escape.

Another feeder replacement

The red feeder did not work out.  What a waste of good hay.

So I replaced it with an extra water trough.

Checking out the old and new feeders

The water trough finally did the trick.  No more wasted hay.

Sunday snow

The last two Sundays we got a little snow.   Certainly we don't get what my brother has seen in North Dakota last week (11 inches) or what one of Tammy's daughters has seen last week in Minnesota (10 inches).

Most lakes in North Dakota are still frozen solid with more snow - not rain - in the forecast.
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/574938/Lake-outflows-reduced.html?nav=5010
 
This all must be because of global warming. 

Meanwhile.... back at the ranch:

Sunday morning....

Sunday late afternoon...

More cattle

 A week ago Friday (April 12) Tammy and I got my new cattle.  I planned on attending the big livestock auction the previous day (Thursday).  Tuesday night I was to call Dan to check if he still planned on visiting his daughter in Seattle or if he would be available to attend the auction with me.  I forgot to call him.  I woke up Thursday morning at 9 am with a start and with the thought the auction was today.  

I called Evan my cattle hauler as he had offered in the past to buy some cattle for me if I needed his help.  Evan also works at the auction.   I reached Evan and he ended up buying five steers for me.  There were a lot of cattle at the auction and it didn't get over until almost 6 pm.

Evan had no cattle loads to the Flathead Valley and it wasn't cost effective to haul only five head here.  So I had Evan haul the cattle to his place when he returned home and Friday morning Tammy and I drove down with my stock trailer to get the cattle.

I learned later that Evan had a number of cattle loads to haul Thursday night and didn't get home until 4 am.


Before we left Daisy did a 'cat scan' as she walked from the back of the trailer to the front of the pickup looking up as she walked underneath.  She then gave everything a clean bill of health.

To get to Evan's place we drove around the east side of Flathead Lake as the road was not as hilly as the road on the west side of the lake.

We had to stop for wild turkeys crossing the road.

Evan lives between Ronan and Hot Springs, Montana.  The road turned to gravel and we were out in the boondocks.  This time Tammy didn't worry once she no longer had cell phone service.

We crossed the Flathead River.

Crossing the bridge over the Flathead River.   As you can tell from the clouding up skies... these two photos are 'on the way' and 'returning from' Evan's place.

More views of the Flathead River.

Interesting clouds.

I am sure my uncles will agree... these fences are worse than my fences.

Tammy and I got to Evan's place at 10 am and loaded the cattle.  Then it was time to go back home.

Mission Mountains

South end of Flathead Lake.

We had no problems driving back home.  In the following photo notice the orange strap at the bottom of the doors.  After I loaded the cattle at Evan's place I noticed sliding door was loose at the bottom.  The way the doors work is they can open 'large' as seen in the photo of the cattle leaving the trailer.  Or the left side of the door can slide to the right over the right side.

Notice the latch is a little over half way up.  That, and the two metal 'hooks' on the top - on which the door slides, are all that holds the door on the door frame.  Nothing on the lower half of the door, and that makes the door a little 'loose' at the bottom.  I know how cattle can push against stuff and I was worried they could fall out of the back of the trailer when I was driving 60+ mph on the highway.  Why I never saw this before in the years I owned the trailer is a mystery.

Now I need to come up with a method to have a more secure door.   I think I can have another latch welded onto the door.

Notice that on the side 'escape' door it has two latches.

The second photo show how messy the cattle made the inside of the trailer during their trip.  I had to wash it out.

The rubber mats drying on the fence.

And last but not least... the new cattle.  It took them a few days to get accustomed to one another.  The new steers are pretty mellow and took to the corral well.  Momma, the heifer and the two steers had a harder time adjusting to the new cattle. The heifer now finally seems to accept the new cattle.  Momma still has a grudge against one or more of the steers.  I think it is harder for Momma as she is no longer the largest cattle and can't easily push the new cattle around.  The new cattle have yellow ear tags.

The cattle also are mellow around me.  The only 'Nervous Nellies' are the two steers I had gotten earlier this Winter. they still run off when I get near them.  It can be a problem with the new steers being comfortable with me.  I found one of the steers in the barn eating hay a few times after I carried hay over to the wooden feeder I am now also using as they are too many cattle to feed out of the barn feeder.  I have to now remember to partially close the barn door while balancing the hay I am carrying to the feeder.


Daisy wasn't sure of what to make of all these extra cattle.  Now she had more cattle to dodge when she crosses the corral to and from the barn.

Tonight, when Tammy came out to get me in the pasture she first stopped at corral to call for Daisy.  The cattle were around the feeder and Tammy said Daisy was so cute in carefully poking her head out of the barn to see Tammy.  Tammy could see the bottom of the barn door move out as Daisy pondered when to make her move.   She carefully slinked out of the barn door and once she turned the corner out of the door Daisy went 'zoom' to cross the corral to reach Tammy.  Once she reached the corral fence and Tammy only then did Daisy look back to see if the cattle were chasing her.  They weren't.