Non-stop day

It was a very busy day for me.

From moving irrigation pipe when I got up I went to hauling three loads of Dan's hay to a load of his corral panels to setting up the corral panels in the neighbor's pasture to checking the neighbor's fence to letting the cattle into the neighbor's field to again moving irrigation pipe in the evening to my 12 mile evening bicycle ride.  With quick breaks during the day to eat a little breakfast, lunch and supper and to check on the calves.

It got colder than predicted on Thursday morning.  The predicted low: 37 F.  Officially it was 24 F.  My thermometer said: 28.

At any rate the temperature was below freezing.  I had my irrigation going and woke up to this...

Where a pipe valve leaks.

One sprinkler line

Another sprinkler line

Alfalfa iced

Yes... the pipes were cold to the touch when I moved them.


The hay.  I borrowed Dan's trailer to move the hay I bought from him.  I could only haul 3 bales at a time.  Each trip took an hour and a half.  It is nice to have my tractor to unload the bales so I don't have to push and roll them off the trailer anymore.

Tomorrow I will haul some more hay.  A load or two or three each day depending on how many chores Dan has at his old place where the hay is located.


After I hauled the hay I borrowed and hauled 13 of Dan's corral panels.  I didn't have enough panels of my own to fence off the neighbor's field.  This neighbor has some of his stuff at one end of his field and I don't want my cattle messing with his stuff.

After fencing off part of his field I checked his fence.  I quick repaired a section and closed a couple of gates.  Then I let the cows in the field.  Most cows understood when I called them though it took them a few minutes for most to understand what I was doing.  The gate to the neighbor's field is a barb wire string gate and the cattle didn't realize I was calling them to a gate.  Two of the heifers stood at the fence looking at the cows inside the neighbor's field.  They were too dumb to come when I called them to the open gate.  Buddy was doing his own thing and once he realized the cows were in the neighbor' field he sauntered over nearby to where the heifers stood at the fence.  I had irrigation pipe to move before it got too dark so I left it up to the three to figure things out.



After bellowing most of the night, finally in the afternoon the cattle quieted down somewhat.  Mainly because they are tired from all their bellowing.  Many calves are hoarse and several cows are close to being hoarse.

Here is a short video of the calves late Thursday afternoon.  Day 2 of the weaning.  Notice the calves are tired and many are hoarse.  40 seconds long.   https://youtu.be/gXGUWUo0W8U