Start of harrowing and extended corral build

Spring is coming off and on.  Earlier this week our temperatures were high for three days.  One day even set a record high temperature at 71 degrees. The last few days our temperatures are now back to normal.

The grass was starting to green. I had planned on putting out one more large hay bale in the pasture before setting up the extended corral.  But the recent warm temperatures sped up the grass growing. Every day was much greener.  Now the cows were spending some time nibbling at the fresh grass and not always eating the hay.  Not good to wait three more days to set up the extended corral.  The gras needs to get a start growing.

But before I can set up the extended corral I first need to put the harrow together and then harrow the NE pasture.  I need to get the harrow into the north pasture before the extended corral is set up.  Assembling the harrows went slower than expected.  I thought I would be done yesterday but it then rained much of the afternoon.  I finished assembling the harrow this afternoon.   In the past some harrow sections would come apart by the time I was done so I spent more time and effort chaining sections together.

Harrowing the NE pasture went well.  Partway through I had a short time of rain and graupel.  In the photo below you can see the harrowing areas before and after the rain and graupel.  There wasn't much of the moisture but the little that fell made a difference.  I also harrowed the fruit tree area.

Once the NE pasture was done I went out to the north pasture and harrowed where the extended corral would be, and a little bit of the north pasture.  The photo below shows the manure and snow I had pushed out of the corral earlier this Winter.  Almost all of our snow is gone.  But this was a huge pile of snow, and the manure slowed the melting down.

Then off to make the extended corral.  The past few years I made the extended corral a little smaller each year.  The reason is that the cattle obsess with eating all the grass until there is nothing left.  And that is even with all the hay for them to eat.  Making the extended corral smaller allows the grass to slowly come back in the previous year's extended corral.  I don't need a large extended corral.  The only reason for the extended corral is a place to put the large hay bale.  When I put out a new hay bale the cattle are kept in the corral so they won't get in the way or get hurt when I put out a new bale.

The extended corral is done and now time to let the cattle out to the hay.  And time for them to stop mooing at me to hurry up with my work.

While the other calves run around to check out the extended corral this calf is already starting to eat a little hay with the big cows.

Some of the rest of the calves.  The newest three calves still spent time laying and sleeping and they were still laying in the corral.

I'll see if tomorrow I will continue to harrow the hayfield and other pastures. The ground is still moist and often I could see a little indentation from the tractor tires.  I may wait a few more days.