First I had to get extra wooden pallets on which to roll the bales beyond the water. The bales are large enough I can only barely roll them on level ground. Also, since they sat all Winter they are a little flat on one side. So I had to use a chain and my pickup to start them rolling.
Once one bale was beyond the water and on a pallet I used the pickup to pull the bale and pallet out into the corral at its highest point. Good thing I have four wheel drive on the pickup as the corral is: wet, muddy, icy, and manure covered. Half of the pallet disintegrated by the time I was done. Then I had to tip the round metal feeder on its side, roll it over to the bale and then drop it over the bale. Talk about weight lifting!
I rolled the other three bales up to higher ground in the loading corral. Again I had to use the pickup and chain to start the rolling of the two larger bales, and later to get the bales up the few inches to higher ground.
The frost is not leaving and the "lake" is getting bigger.
Can you believe this is how the area looked four days ago?!
The bales had just stayed out of the water but I found some loose ends of twine frozen into ice and had to be broken. Also parts of the bale flaked off due moving and the broken twine.
I had covered the bales with tarps over Winter to keep the rain and snow off the bales. I found some areas of wet hay that was soon going to mold. These areas were at the top of two bales. Either the water found a way through the tarps, else the tarps did their job too well and kept ground moisture inside the tarp and against the hay.
The largest tarp is still frozen to the ground under a railroad tie I cannot pry loose. The other tarps are enough to cover the tops of the remaining bales. 100% chance of rain tomorrow.
I also had a large grey mouse among the hay when I worked. At the end I saw the mouse slip under the loose hay and an end pallet. For once Daisy wasn't around as she took a nap in the barn. I didn't realize she was there and when I picked stuff up at the end and shut the barn door Daisy got trapped inside. I heard her meowing later when I was trying to get the calves to move from south of the barn to north of it to join their mothers and the hay.
The cattle missed their 1 pm feeding while I worked on moving the hay. I had locked the cattle out of the corral as I worked. They behaved quite well. They hung around the corral gate and didn't moo too much. Once I opened the gate they went right for the bale with Beulah in the lead. After everyone excitedly roamed around and around the bale to find the best hay they settled down for serious eating. Hours later they were still eating. Beulah and another cow are big enough they can eat off the top of the bale.
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| Momma and Beulah |
For now I no longer have to go out and feed them four times a day. Yay!
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