Trees. Tree branches.

The past week or so I've been chain sawing trees and tree branches.

First I cut up the small branches from the tree that fell in January.   I hauled them back home and put on my pile of branches to use next Winter in my woodstove.   I also cut up some of the branches I had gathered and stacked last year but never cut.

Then I cut some smaller trees in the middle pasture.  These are younger trees that are growing close to one another.  The past few years I have been cutting down some of them to give the others room to grow.  I only do a few in a group each year.  Years ago I cut all but the few I wanted to grow in one area.   Then later when it got really windy the remaining trees broke off.  They weren't used to swaying in the wind.  Now I do a tree or two at a time so they can get use to swaying in a strong wind and can get a tolerance to do so.

Another group.  I left the stump a little tall.  The cattle like to rub on them when they get an itch.

Not a lot of tree trunks to these young trees.  Here are the trunks of the three trees I cut here today.

An example if I didn't cut some of the young trees.   See how these old trees are split or how two trees grow so close together.

I got 10 of these young trees cut in the middle pasture. I'm done doing this type of trimming this year. I also need to replace my chainsaw chain. The chain is stretched. They just don't last long these days.

One bicycle shift lever broke

Friday when I was out riding my bicycle I had to shift when going uphill.   The shift lever broke!    That has never happened to me in all these decades of riding my bicycles.   The lever was for the rear derailleur.    The derailleur moved to the lowest cog on the freewheel.  The hardest gear.  As most of my ride home was flat and not downhill I needed the chain to be on an easier cog to ride.  I hand positioned the chain and derailleur and then wrapped the shifter cable around my water bottle cage.  It held and I was able to ride home.

Sunday I "fixed" the problem. Kind-of fixed.  The shift lever is mounted in the bicycle frame.  It was not mounted on a band that goes around the frame.  The shift levers I have in my extra parts odds-and-ends box are mounted on a band.   But the band is for old steel framed bicycles where the frame tube is smaller in size.  The band would not reach around my bicycle's frame.

To make things work I moved the cable over to the other shifter as that still worked.  I wasn't using that shifter as I never got around to replacing the front derailleur as I never need to use that one.  Now my rear derailleur works.   On my to-do list is to see how I can replace/fix the broken shift lever.

Messed up bicycle

Broken shift lever

How I wrapped the broken lever and cable around the water bottle cage.

The rear derailleur

How the shift lever is attached to the bicycle.

Since the day was nice - temperature of 63 F and sun - I did more work on my bicycle.  The chain and freewheel is wearing out.  I've babied it along since early February as I didn't want to put a new chain and freewheel on the bicycle when it was still cold and there was snow and muck on the roads.   So I replaced them this afternoon.

I also noticed the two hard plastic cogs on the rear derailleur had worn their "teeth" down.  So I found an old rear derailleur in my odds-and-ends box and took its cogs and put it on my bicycle's rear derailleur.

Now my bicycle rides better and tighter.

Panda's calf is banded

Larry came over this afternoon and he got the second testicle to drop.  Donna hadn't arrived yet so I had to put the band on the calf.  It took me a bit as I wanted to make sure both testicles were beyond the band.  Then I had a problem removing the bander.  In my attempt to remove the bander the band started to come off the calf.  So I had to do it again.  This time it worked.   I got both testicles banded.

That's done.  I now allowed Panda and her calf to leave the corral and join the rest of the cattle.

The banding tool

The banded calf

Panda's calf still not banded

Early afternoon Donna and I attempted to band Panda's calf.  Still only one testicle has dropped.  Later Donna's daughter's husband, Michael, came over at 4:30 pm to help.  We worked and worked and worked.  We had to put Panda in the other part of the corral as she was crowding us trying to check on her calf.  Rusty and Max (Michael's dog) were in the corral also.  Panda was not happy when the dogs approached us to help.

We tried working on the calf when it was laying and when it was standing. One testicle down, no problem.  They eventually found the other testicle up high.  It is a smaller testicle.  They couldn't get it to come down.   I later called Larry.   He helped Donna and I a few years ago when I had the same thing with two calves.   Larry, Donna and I will try tomorrow afternoon in getting both testicles down.

In between the times we tried to band Panda's calf I went to Donna's to chainsaw and cut a few tree branches.  I had to climb an extension ladder to reach the branches.   I was halfway through one branch when the branch split and partially came down.  The end where I was cutting bent and trapped my chainsaw blade and chain.   The branch was still up high so I couldn't reach the end to put it down enough to release my chainsaw.  And I didn't want to do so as I didn't want my chainsaw to drop to the ground from on high.  I had to use a handsaw to cut the branch enough so it would release the chainsaw.  This was a hassle as I was up high on a ladder; I had to reach around the chainsaw to cut the branch, had to ensure the chainsaw didn't drop when released, and had to ensure the whole branch didn't drop and fall a certain way that would hit me or the ladder.   I worked slow and got it all done successfully.

I took a break and petted and rubbed Rusty.  He was so happy.  He got so relaxed he looked like he may be falling asleep as his eyes were closing.

2024: Calf 4 - Panda's

This morning I found that Panda finally had her calf.  Probably late last night or early this morning as the calf was clean and alert when I first saw him.  This calf is a boy.

Donna came over by 3 pm.  Panda and her calf were at the far end of the middle pasture.  I almost got to the calf before it jumped up and took off.   Panda and the calf then walked along the middle north pasture barb wire fence.  The calf tried to get through the fence.  Failed.   We continued to walk along the fence.  The second attempt.  Success.  The calf walked along the fence in the north pasture and Panda along the fence in the middle pasture.  When we got to a point where the top fence wire was broken I was able to get to the north pasture and grab the calf.  I sat on the calf and waited for Donna to reach us.  Panda was upset I had her calf.  She reached through the fence to her calf.  Just before Donna got there Panda jumped over the fence.  So I now had Panda and her calf around me.

The calf's scrotum was on the small side.  Normally Haynes' calves have large scrotums and it is easy for Donna to band them.   Donna found that only one ball - oopps, Donna will correct me once again - the testicle had dropped.   We need two testicles down before we can band the calf.  We tried and tried and gave up.  We will try again tomorrow.   I did put the ear tag on the calf today.

Since Panda and her calf were in the north pasture we herded them into the corral.  That way tomorrow we won't have as much running after the calf to do.  The calves get stronger and faster each day.

When I first saw Panda and her calf this morning.  It looks like the calf has Haynes' hairdo.  I should have guessed it was a boy calf before I looked.

Donna in action when we were herding them to the corral.  Panda didn't want to go into the corral.

We wanted Panda and her calf in the south part of the corral so Donna herded them out of the loafing shed.

No new babies today

No new baby calves on Friday.  Or at least, before it got dark.  After that, who knows?

Here are some photos of the cattle this morning.

This is the second born calf.  The one I had to pull to help the mother give birth.

Some cows will partially climb in the feeder to eat hay, even though they can easily reach the hay standing on the ground.

The third born calf and mother were out of the corral this morning.  But they weren't in the middle pasture with the rest of the cattle.  They were in the north pasture under a tree.  They stayed in the noth pasture most of the day.  At 7 pm when I checked on the cattle again, they were still in the north pasture under a different tree closer to the gate.  So I herded them into the middle pasture as I wanted to close that gate.  That way when the hay is eaten the cattle stay in that pasture and I can easily bring out a new bale in the north pasture.   When I herded the two into the middle pasture they didn't go to the hay feeder and instead went to the middle / south pasture fence.  They didn't want to join the other cattle.  The other cattle did watch them.  Who is the new baby?

2024: Calf 3 - 62's

Thursday afternoon another calf was born.  In the afternoon I went for a bicycle ride.  On the way I stopped and removed /changed the winter tires from Donna's car.  Then I trimmed some tree branches by her driveway near her garage.  When I got back home I discovered I now had three calves in the corral.  The cattle were in the corral today waiting for me to put out a new large hay bale by evening.  The mother had a calf before so she didn't need any help from me to have her calf.

The calf is another female calf.  That makes three in a row.  She was laying next to her mother along the east corral fence.  I was able to put an ear tag in the calf's ear as the calf was young enough it couldn't outrun me.

After I put out the hay bale I let the cattle out of the corral.  62 and her calf stayed in the corral along the fence.  So I left the gates open.  When they are ready they will go out to the hay bale.

Calf 1 went out with her mother.  Calf 2 stayed laying along the loading corral fence.  After the cattle left the calf got up.  I herded her out of the corral.  Then herded her to the gate to the middle pasture.  In the middle pasture she didn't head to where the cattle were at the feeder.  Instead she started walking south along the pasture / hayfield fence.   When she got halfway her mother saw and mooed for her.   She didn't get the 'memo' so her mother then walked / ran after her.  Once they were together I let them be.

2024: Calf 2: 11's

In the afternoon when Kari and Michael came over to help me put an ear tag on calf 1, we also looked at the other cows.  No calf yet from Panda.  But then Kari noticed something, a string-like substance, hanging out the back of cow 11.  We looked closer and then could see the tips of the hooves sticking out cow 11's backend.

So we stood and watched.  Cow 11 wanted her privacy and slowly walked away.   Cow 11 is a first-time mother this year so she needed extra watching in case she needed help with the birth.  Other cows were walking around and we lost track of cow 11.  Kari found it laying under a tree near the middle pasture fence.

Cow 11 then got up and walked off.  She eventually made it to outside the corral fence.  One could see occasional contractions, but the hooves kind-of came out, then when the contractions stopped, they would mostly go back in. 

The pasture is still wet.  I wanted the cow to go inside the corral.  I would put her in the south corral which is drier.  And if I had to help pull the calf, the cow couldn't go far away from me.   The three of us herded cow 11 into the corral and kept the other cows out.

Then we watched.  Cow 11 watched us and wanted to be as far from us as she could.  She stood for the longest time.  She would have occasional contractions.  Hooves out a bit, then back in a bit.  Finally she laid down.  The hooves came out a little more due contractions.   After a while a sack of fluid came out and then burst.   Maybe the hooves were out enough that I could go over and pull on them.   When I approached cow 11 stood up and walked off.  At least she left a dirty muddy part of the corral.

Again she stood.  Or walked around the fence as she wanted out of this part of the corral.   Kari called Donna to come over if she wanted to watch or help.  After Donna arrived cow 11 laid down.  She was laying in a way that we couldn't see the back end where the calf was coming out.  We watched and could tell the contractions were stronger.  Usually cows who have calved before don't take this long to have a calf.  The cow yesterday had her calf in minutes.

Eventually Donna walked around to see how much of the calf was out.  The hooves were, and maybe the tip of the calf's nose.  I walked over to help and the cow stood up and the calf went back inside a little.

Ok.  Let's change things.  It has been a half hour to an hour now.  Let's get it done and make it easier on both cow and calf.  We herded cow 11 into the loading corral runway.  I partially opened the headgate and the cow tried to run through and got her head caught.  Ok.  Now she can't move away from us.

The hooves were out and I could grab ahold of the legs just past the hooves. It is easier to hold as just trying to hold on the hooves doesn't work as they are slippery.  I began to pull.  No movement.  Understandable.  I would have to time the pulling to her contractions.  I waited.  Over and over we went.  I could get the calf out a little at a time.  A few times I could feel a leg move slightly.  So the calf was alive.  Finally the calf's nose started to come.  Michael broke and cleared the sack away from the nose.   It was harder to pull the calf as now I had the legs and the head coming out.  With the mouth now out I could see the tongue was out of the mouth.  The calf wasn't beathing yet.

More pulling.  And now I was trying to pull downwards as that direction helps when a cow is standing.  And gravity helps.

The head was out.  Now to get past the shoulders and ribcage. A larger area.  Once that is out the rest of the calf comes out quickly.  Now I tried to catch, hold, slow the calf, so it wouldn't fall to the ground hard.  I was able to.  Then all the fluid came out and over me and my arms and lower legs and shoes.  But the calf was now completely out.

I drug the long calf down the runway back to the larger area with grass.  The calf was breathing.  Donna, Michael and Kari then released cow 11 from the headgate so the cow would back up in the runway to come to her calf.  Which she did.

The next I watched for was if the cow would accept and lick her calf.  Cow 11's mother was cow 110.  Cow 110 was the mother who would always reject her newborn calf and Donna and I would have hold cow 110 in place so her calf could drink until the mother would finally accept her new calf.  No problem with cow 11.  She licked and accepted her calf while keeping an eye on us.  So we left them alone so they could bond.

An hour later, after her calf was licked clean and had drunk milk from cow 11, I moved both over to the south part of the corral.  They can spend the night there together and tomorrow I will let them rejoin the herd.

The calf is another female.  A big calf for a small cow.

I have three more first time mother cows to go this year.  Wish me luck.

It was like this for a while.

A few minutes after the calf was born and I had drug it down the runway.

I still had some goo from the birth on my arm.

Later the calf came out of the runway and I put an ear tag on her.

Now in the south part of the corral and taking a rest.

2024: Calf 1: 8's

Last night, around 7:20 pm, the first calf of the year was born.  I've been watching the cows closer since March 10.  I went out last evening to look at the cows.  I've been watching Panda as she looks to be the closest to give birth.  Looks can be one thing, actuality is another.

I walked close to Panda.  Especially as she was standing alone away from the others.  Nope.  No calf yet.

I walked around, to the river and back.  On the way back a group of cows had spread out.  Then I saw a small figure.  I walked over.  Yup.  A calf.  It was born a few minutes earlier.  It was still mostly covered in goo as the mother just started licking the calf clean.  Through the goo I checked, and it looked like a female.   I left mother and calf to be alone together so the calf could be licked clean and then get up to drink from mother.

The cow and calf were under a large tree, so it was a drier place and would be warmer overnight.  After midnight I went out and checked on them and they both were standing together under the tree.  So I was sure the calf already had drunk from the mother, and they were staying under the tree, a warmer place overnight.

This morning I went out and checked on them, and for any more new calves.  No new calves this morning.  The mother was eating from the hay feeder and yesterday's calf was laying among the branch debris I hadn't cleaned up after chain sawing the fallen tree.  At least the calf was in the sun.  The mother came over and the calf stood up.  Everyone was fine.

In the afternoon Donna's daughter and her husband came over to help put an ear tag on the calf.  It took three of us as I didn't want to kneel on the wet ground.  I put the calf between my legs; Michael made sure the calf didn't back out from under me; and Kari held the calf's head while I put the ear tag in the calf's ear.  I like the head held so I can made sure I put the tag in between the veins in the ear and not through an ear vein.  No minor bleeding then.

January's fallen tree cutup

A few days ago I worked on cutting up the tree that blew over last January.  I spent part of one afternoon cutting up the tree.  Then part of another afternoon stacking the cut logs.  I wanted everything out of the way when I harrow the pasture later.  Since the tree was very much alive when it blew over the cut logs will have to sit for a year or so to dry out.

Later I will rake this left-over stuff to clean the area nicely.

As you can see the tree trunk got bigger as I went along.

Enough dirt is around the roots to hold the trunk off the ground as I got closer to the roots.  That made cutting easier.

This part of the trunk was so big I had to cut from one side then the other to cut the log off the tree.   This part of the tree is out of the way from harrowing so I plan to leave it this way until it dries.

Stacked, the trunk doesn't look as much as it did when laying down.  Those are the side branches I plan to later cut so I can use as firewood in my wood stove.  The other smaller branches I got rid of.

Haynes pushing the feeder again

Haynes is back to it.  This morning I found the large metal feeder pushed into the corner of the middle pasture. And push it some distance Haynes did this time.

Lately Haynes has been good at not pushing the feeder.  But I had been using the feeder in the north pasture and I think the feeder's legs had sunk into the ground making it hard for Haynes to move the feeder.  This Spring, much more than usual, the ground is wet and soft.  Even when driving the tractor to bring out a hay bale in the north pasture the tractor's tires sink more than usual.  Usually in the Spring the tractor's tire tracks would be made.  This year ruts are formed.

The middle pasture has more snow and therefore the ground is firmer.  Therefore Haynes can push the feeder after the hay has been eaten.  And another difference is that much of the remaining snow is mainly hard ice. It can be hard to walk on as the ice is not flat and my feet can slip sideways when walking.  So much ice this Spring is odd.  But I think that may be because we had a slow melt, and there were lots of melting then freezing over and over, and the snow turned to ice.

Tree icicle

We are still below normal temperature-wise.  At least we get a few degrees about freezing these days so a little snow melt is happening.  But it is slow going.  Calving starts March 10 or shortly thereafter.  I want more snow to melt and it to be warmer for the new calves.

Here is a photo from today of my female box elder tree by my house.  It is unusual to see an icicle hanging from a tree.

Tree that fell in January

Here are a few photos of the tree that fell back on January 11 when cold temperatures and very strong winds arrived.

Here is how the tree looked back then.

After a bit the cattle started eating some the needles off the branches they could reach. Not the best thing for cows to eat if there is a lot to eat.  So I started cutting the branches with needles off the tree and put them somewhere where the cattle couldn't reach them.   Then I cut the rest of the branches off the tree and hauled them off.  I did this slowly day by day as it was still cold and snowy outside.  

I finished this task the first week of February and that is when I took these later photos.  That is why it is still fairly snowy on the ground.   I haven't raked and cleaned up the rest of the small branch pieces or use my chainsaw to cut the tree trunk into sections.  I will eventually do so when it gets a little nicer.  I want this cleaned up before I harrow the field as this tree is in the way.

Here you can see how and why the tree blew over even though the ground was frozen.  No tap root and the roots to the side didn't go all the way around.  The wind got from a certain direction and no side roots to help the tree stay upright.