Winter storm changes plans

A Winter storm was forecast for today and tomorrow followed by cold weather.  In preparation I put out two large hay bales.  I took the pickup load of leftover hay from the calves' feeder and put it out in the hayfield for the cows and bull.  While they ate that hay I closed the gate to the pasture.  This allowed me to bring out a large hay bale for them without them bothering me.  I placed the bale on the western side of the middle pasture close to the trees.  That way the cattle can rest in the trees somewhat out of the wind.  I then put out a new large bale for the calves in the NE pasture.  Let the storm come, I am ready.

The calves' water trough was partially iced up from the recent cold nights.  Saturday our high temperature was 45 degrees and I was able to break up the ice and remove it from the water trough   This way the entire water trough was water.

The storm arrived overnight.  Daisy woke me up early to go outside.  But after I opened the door to the cold and wind she wrinkled her nose and decided to stay in the house.  I went back to bed and slept late in a warm bed.  Daisy came and snuggled up against me.

When I did get up the storm was still raging.  The calves were in the loafing shed out of the wind.  The cows and bull were all standing along the hayfield fence under a tree.  There were not out of the wind and back by their hay feeder.  Oh, for heaven's sake!

I decided to put the calves in the corral south of the barn to keep them away from the bull.  I got two straw bales for bedding from the barn's hayloft.  I had to move slow and careful as the ground from Saturday's melting was ice covered and slippery.  I didn't want the ladder to slide out from under me as I carried each straw bale down the ladder.

Once I had the straw laid out, and a small bale in the barn's wooden feeder, I opened the gate to let the calves in.  They preferred to stay in the loafing shed.  Around and around we went.  I tried not to slip and not to have the calves slip on the icy ground.  I also tried - and did avoid - from getting kicked.  The calves wouldn't go to the open gate.  Eventually they ran to the back of the corral.  I then opened that gate and they went through.

Instead of going to the shelter of the barn's overhang the calves stood in the back corner of the corral and in the wind.  This was the closest they could get to the cows in the middle pasture.

I then put several small bales of hay in the wooden feeder in the main corral.  I also closed the gate so the cattle couldn't get to the NE pasture.  The cattle being in the corral is for only a few days until the storm is over.  I don't want the cattle to decide to stay in the NE pasture.

Then I went out and opened the gates to let the cattle in to the corral.  The cattle huddled under the tree and wouldn't come.  I had to walk over and call them and then walk back to the middle/north pasture gate and call them.  Finally Mama came around from the other side of the huddle and looked at me.  She realized what I wanted the cattle to do and she came.  The rest of the cattle followed her.

Once in the corral the cattle went to eating the hay I put out for them.  Speckles was being pushed away and shut out from eating at either feeder. She was going around eating the scraps of hay on the ground that had blown out of the feeder.

I decided to put Speckles in the south corral with the calves.  The calves were at the middle gate west of the barn watching the cows.  I opened the east gate to have Speckles go through.  But she didn't want to go.  She kept circling back.  While she was only getting scraps of hay she was desperate to get them before the big cows ate them too.  Around and around we went.  I was afraid she or I were going to slip on the ice.  I got my sorting stick.  Again I tried to herd Speckles to the open gate.  Finally she noticed it was open and went through it.

Speckles went right to the hay in the barn's feeder and began eating.  The red calf then noticed her and came over and started to fight Speckles.  Even though Speckles is a year older, the red calf is a chucky monkey and sometimes Speckles pushed the red calf backwards, and sometimes the red calf pushed Speckles backwards.  Then the other calves came and the two black calves started fighting Speckles too.

I left them be to sort it out.  Later I seen them eating and not fighting.  I tell ya, females are just mean.

I had spent several hours in the snow and howling wind and was ready to go inside the house, clean the woodstove and start a fire to warm up.  Daisy and I fell asleep on the floor together by the warm fire.

Late afternoon my water quit.  Overnight I had forgotten to turn on the light bulb in the well shed to generate heat.  With the warmer weather I had turned it off.  In the morning when I turned the light on it was below freezing in the shed, but the water still ran.  When the water quit I checked on the well shed.  It was still below freezing in the shed so I got a small electric heater and plugged it in.  I also shoveled snow against the north wall of the shed to help protect it from the wind.  A hour later the water ran again.

I gave the cattle more hay just before dark.  Everyone, when not eating, stood in their loafing sheds out of the howling wind.

I want my global warming back!!!

Straw bedding.

Barn feeder hay bale

Corral feeder and hay scraps

Even when huddling by the tree my racist black cattle are mean to the red cows.  Mama and Red are in the back.  They are smart enough to go on the side of the herd downwind.  Speckles is off to the right as the herd won't let her join them.

Huddling by the tree.

Of course Panda is one of the first to reach the hay.

Fat and pregnant

Speckles finally can eat some hay.

Chunky Monkey red calf wants to fight.

Now the other black calves want to fight Speckles.  Beulah's calf wants no part of the fight.

Here is a 25 second video of Speckles with the calves.  The initial fighting - once I started filming - was over and they are now getting used to one another.

https://youtu.be/xhH8j4zKAUU