Calf photos

A few days ago before the rain and cooler temperatures arrived I took a few photos of the calves.  Most of the photos are of Mama's calf.

I am still waiting on the last two cows to give birth.  Sugar looks really close to calving.  Her udder has swollen up with milk and is humongous. For a number of days now I have thought she could give birth any time now.

Last week it appeared Buster was getting milk from Big Red as over a two day period he never was hungry when I penned Red up for Buster to drink from.  So I let them out to join the rest of the cattle. Last night and this morning I saw Buster drinking milk from Red.  She stood still so he could drink.  Nice to actually know he was getting milk from her.

I bought three more large hay bales.  Dan needed more hay and he found a good deal on hay.  While I thought I had more than enough hay to last the Winter, the colder and longer Winter caused more hay to be eaten.  I have three bales left and they would have been eaten before the end of next week.  I want to extend time on hay to allow the grass to grow more.   While the warm weather last week caused the grass to grow, I want it a little taller before letting the cattle out on it.

Tulips

After a handful of nice, dry and warm days, rain and colder temperatures returned today.  While it lasted the warm weather has kickstarted the grass growing and the tulips blooming.

Donna's logs

Donna gave in to the electric company and allowed them to cut down the trees under/near their power lines.  The rub was how to get rid of the wood.  The cut tree trunks were too short to be of use to Curtis and his sawmill and too long to use as firewood without cutting them shorter.

It took 11 tanks of gas in my chainsaw and two afternoons to cut all the logs to firewood lengths.

The logs filled my pickup four times weighing it down.  I took two afternoons to haul the logs home.

As you can see I stacked the logs on pallets.  I tried to use as few pallets as possible so I made the beginning stacks high.  Then several stacks tumbled down.  So I used more pallets and made my stacks shorter.

From this view one would think all the logs were this diameter size.  Very large diameter logs are at the bottom in the middle hidden from view.  Some logs were so thick I had to cut from both sides with my 18" chainsaw.

I would have preferred to stack the logs out in the middle pasture where I have the other stacks of logs to be split, but I can't get out there right now as the temporary corral panels holding the cattle block my path.

The logs are very green and wet so it will take a year or two to dry.

Field finally planted

Today I finally got my hayfield planted.  I finished discing the field in early April but it had rained 25 of the 30 days in April.  The farmer, Chris, I hired to do the planting had other fields to plant also.  All the farmers are behind schedule due to the wet Spring.

He arrived this morning and it didn't take him long to actually drive around my 15 acres and plant the seeds and add some fertilizer.  I planted a mix of barley hay, oats and chickpeas.  I can cut and bale this and feed to the cattle this Winter.  Then next year I can replant a grass and alfalfa mix.

Next week I need to add more fertilizer: potash and more potassium.

Chris's drill that planted the seed is 44 feet wide.  Folded up it is 18 1/2 feet wide and 17 feet tall.  My hayfield gate was 16 1/2 feet wide.  Weeks ago I made the gate larger: 23 feet wide as Chris also needs to turn from the road into the field with his long unit.  I also had to add dirt to enlarge the approach to the gate.

I am very happy to finally have this done.  This is a major project and will provide feed for my cattle this Winter.  I wish it was done weeks ago as that would mean that much more growth come the time I cut and bale the crop.

16 1/2 foot wide gate

23 foot wide gate

Optical illusion: a 44 foot drill looks as wide as a 23 foot gate.

The drill folded up.

The contraption's length and the drill's width and height makes it a challenge to drive down our narrow roads, especially when the telephone lines across the road are so low.

Westerrn skunk cabbage

When harrowing my south pasture I noticed the western skunk cabbage plants coming up in the swampy far corner of the pasture.  The plants get quite large. The green leaves remind me of elephant ears.  I'll try to remember to take photos of the plants when they are larger.

Yellow skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum), a showy arum native to the Pacific northwest. Unlike some of its fetid-smelling relatives, the flower emits a slightly skunky odor. This remarkable plant is also an important laxative for black bears emerging from hibernation.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/skunk-cabbage/skunk-cabbage-facts.htm

https://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/skunk-cabbage.xml

Harrow work and Apricot blossoms

Friday I finished dragging the harrows across all of my pastures.  I also drug it across my northern neighbor's pasture.  Well... all my pastures except the NE pasture.  The grass has grown too much in this pasture, and this pasture doesn't have many cow pies to break up.

Now that the harrow work is done, and the grass is growing, I decided to hem the cattle in near the corral and not let them wander the whole northern pasture. This mean putting up a large number of temporary corral panels.  This time I pounded a metal t-post next to each panel as the cattle push against the panels when the grass grows on the other side and the cattle have moved the line of panels.

Earlier on Thursday afternoon I had to fix the northern fence.  The cattle were eating through the fence to get at the grass in that pasture.  They broke a number of old wooden fence posts.  I put in seven metal t-posts and two wooden posts for now.  I hadn't planned on rebuilding this fence this year as I have other fencing plans.  But now this fence is at the top of the list for rebuilding.  Once again the cattle re-ordered my work priorities.

Somehow when pulling the harrows across the uneven pastures this affected my tractor's fuel tank.  After my last fill of diesel I noticed a slow drip.  Even though I have used some of the diesel, the drips continues.  I looked today and tightened some hose clamps but the drip continues and I can't see from where.  It looks like I will have to take the tank off the tractor to find the leak.  That's not going to be fun.

This morning I noticed my apricot trees have blossoms.  This fruit tree type is usually the first tree to blossom.  With this cold and wet weather the blossoms are late as they usually happen earlier in April.

The blossoms are on only part of the trees.  Last year the cattle were fixated on eating the trees' leaves and got to some of them.  The lower leaves on the taller tree and the top leaves on the shorter tree.

Dang them cattle.

Falling down

This morning Daisy wanted to go outside just before 8 am.  I was half awake and got out of bed to let her outside.  At the kitchen Daisy vacillated between going left to the door or right to her food.  I was about to ask her if she wanted to eat or go outside when the next I knew was sharp pain and rolling and tumbling.

I thought: "What? Where am I?"

I thought: "I'm rolling down the stairs."

I thought: "I got to stop.  How do I stop?"

I tried to stop.  I couldn't.  I didn't know what was what, or which way was up.  Then I ended up rolling through and pushing the basement door open and rolled onto the basement floor.

I had passed out without no warning.  I had passed out once before last year when I was recovering from my shoulder surgery and that was next to the bed when I got up in the middle of the night.  This time I was out of my bedroom and almost to the front door.

So I am very sore with some abrasions.  I'm glad nothing worse happened.   I had been monitoring my blood pressure and the past few months it has been running high even though I take blood pressure medicine.  I didn't take my blood pressure after this event as the pain I was in would have elevated my blood pressure.  But I think this fainting is related to my blood pressure.

Not scours

Buster was back to his normal self today.  No more diarrhea.  His stool is back to normal.  So I stopped feeding him liquids via a tube down his throat.  He must have had some odd 24-hour bug or something and not scours.

Last night I put out a new large hay bale in the feeder in the pasture.  Today I found the cattle had pulled a lot of the hay out of the feeder and spread it around the feeder.  In effect wasting the hay as the cattle then walk and go to the bathroom on it.  I'm not sure why they do this in the Spring and not in the Winter.  Are the cows trying to get hay down to their calves?

The cattle do like to lay on hay.  When I was dragging the harrow in the north pasture I saw most of the calves and one cow laying in the old leftover hay the cattle did not eat from the previous large hay bale.  The calves looked all as snug as a bug in a rug.

I finished dragging the harrow across the middle pasture.  I got half of the north pasture done.   Making progress for a change.

Scours again?

Monday Buster's stool was solid and a good color.  Tuesday morning he didn't have an appetite and while waiting for him to get up and come over to drink from Big Red, he had diarrhea.  Projectile diarrhea!

He slowly wandered around sniffing various grasses and ignoring Red who was in the loading ramp ready for Buster to drink.  In the next 15-20  minutes he had two more episodes of diarrhea.  The color wasn't a chalky white, but it wasn't his normal color either.

I called the vet.  Calves can get scours more than once.  $29.20 later and I had more probiotic and electrolyte formula.  So... I have to go through this again.  Buster is older and spunkier than the first time he was ill.  But when cattle get diarrhea then can go downhill really fast and die.  So in the afternoon and again this evening I put a tube down his throat and filled him with water.  Buster is older and stronger now.  The second time I gave Buster the water formula I had to chase him around the corral before I caught him.

In the morning I'll see how he is doing.  Maybe he has scours or maybe he had a quick bug and is back to normal.

More extra work I don't need.  I had hoped to have completed the harrow work on the middle pasture today.  Instead I got only half of the pasture completed.


Sunday, Rusty dumped in the pasture a pickup load of cut green grass from when he mowed his yard.  The cattle loved it.  Therefore, come evening they had a little bit of the left over hay left in their feeder.  Because of Buster's diarrhea I don't dare let the cattle into the corral while I get a new large hay bale.  So, even through normally I would wait until morning, and when the cattle finished all the hay in their feeder, I took advantage of help from Curtis this evening to keep the cattle away while I moved a new large hay bale to the pasture for the cattle.

Starting to harrow

It still rains each day, but lately the time it rains each day is getting less.  So I am getting a few things done.

I finally got the south and middle pastures cleaned up of the many trees I had chainsawed last Fall.  Plus I cleaned up tree branches that broke off over Winter.  Some of the trees' wood I had cut was soft and that is not good for firewood.  So I piled up the wood against the tree stumps for later burning.

A few of the 'cleaned' trees.

Once the pastures were cleaned up I was able to finally drag a harrow to break up the cow manure.  Usually I finish this task the beginning on April, not start it the beginning of May.

First I had take apart the harrow conglomeration I used last year.  Those harrow sections were now beat up pieces.  I then put together a new harrow conglomeration from other harrow sections I have.

I no longer have a long bar, or pipe, on which to attached side by side sections.  So you can see what happens once I pull the harrow conglomeration.   It is not as 'pretty' but it still gets the job done.

In the past I pulled the harrows with my pickup.  This year I am pulling the harrows with my tractor.   The tractor's cab is higher than the pickup so I can't get as close to the trees as I could with the pickup, but that may be ok as that reduces the chance my harrows catch tree roots.   Still, the cattle often leave plenty of manure under the trees where they lay.  Over time, areas with lots of manure, can kill the tree.

Today I finished dragging the harrow across the south pasture.  This is important as I have to access the south pasture via the hayfield in order to not catch the harrows on the irrigation pipe that runs along the south/middle pasture gate.  With all this rain I still do not have the hayfield planted.  I wanted to complete the south pasture before the hayfield is planted.

Now if it continues to rain I still can drag the harrows so hopefully I will get the other pastures done soon.  The grass is starting to grow and I need to complete the harrow work before the grass gets too tall.

Calf 11

After a break of two weeks without any calves being born, another calf was finally born this morning.  Cow #80 finally had her calf.  She must have not gotten pregnant during her first cycle last year as this calf was born five weeks after my first calf was born.

A few days ago cow #7 came into heat.  Cow #80, very large and very pregnant, got all hot and bothered one evening over cow #7 as cow #80 kept following cow #7, and several times cow #80 mounted cow #7.

Calf 11, from an all black cow, looks just like his dad: a black baldy.  Calf 11 is a boy.

This evening Donna helped put a band on the new calf to castrate it.  We had to really work to find his second testicle.  Fortunately the calf didn't make a fuss as we worked to find both balls as his mother was very concerned and was circling us and sniffing her calf.

It was also time to put out a new large hay bale for the cattle.  To do so I put Red and Buster in the loading corral then let all the cattle into the corral but cow #80 and her calf.  They wanted to stay outside the corral. 

Once I got the new calf banded, and the hay bale put out into the pasture, I decided to take this opportunity to band the other boy calf not yet banded: Socks.  Panda's calf was born back on April 13, back when I was worried about spreading the scours infection.  Now it is time to band him before he gets any bigger, and harder to control and band.

First I had to get Mama and her calf out of the corral.  Earlier when I tried to get Socks into the loading corral Mama got excited as she thought I was going after her calf.  I had to run away from Mama once when she came towards me.

I let most of the cattle out of the corral, including Mama and her calf.

Buster and Red were still blocked into the narrow part of the loading corral runway.  I got Panda's calf into the wider part of the loading corral runway.  I tried to get Panda's calf down and flipped onto the ground. But he is already getting strong and I was a little tired from spending the afternoon cleaning up several pastures of fallen branches and chain sawed trees.  Rather than chance either me or the calf possibly getting hurt I asked Curtis if he would help me.

It took both of us to restrain the calf.  Curtis got kicked a few times as he had trouble holding both of the calf's back legs.  I straddled the calf and ended up holding one front leg and one back leg.  Once the calf was immobilized Donna then put a band around the calf's testicles.  Since this calf was older it was easier to find his balls.

I also put a blank (non-numbered) tag on the calf.  Blue for boy.  

I still had two heifers in the corral who I hadn't put ear tags on during the time of scours.  I got them into the loading corral.  These I didn't have to flip onto the ground.  I grabbed each one at a time, and straddling the calf, backed it into a corner.  Curtis and Donna helped hold them still, concentrating on their head.  With the head still I could look and make sure I punched the tag through the ear between the veins.

Again these tags were blank as I couldn't remember which calf was from which mother.  Orange tags for girls.

I only have two cows yet to give birth: Beulah and Sugar.

Of course, Daisy was in the corral to help us.

Cattle visit

This morning I woke up at 6:30 am to mooing.  I thought it was Big Red mooing or perhaps a cow giving birth.

When I went outside I found a brown bull calf in the backyard and a black bull calf in the plowed hayfield.  Another black animal was in the hayfield outside the corral and Buddy was interested.  I then realized the brown bull calf, while a Corriente breed of cattle, was not Mama and the black bull calf was not my animal.  I thought the black animal near Buddy was a cow but after a second look I realized it was a bull.  The bull had his horns cut off.  The other two animals still had their horns.  Another clue they were not my animals.

They came from a fenced field a half mile down the road.  The owner lives elsewhere and I didn't know who that was.  The phone number listed in the phone book for the brand inspector was not a working number.  I called the sheriff's dispatch and reported the cattle.  They could track down the brand inspector.

The brand inspector never called.  The sheriff's office called back 90 minutes later to ask if the brand inspector called me.  By then the cattle left and headed south down the road back towards their 'home'.

In the afternoon I learned from my southern neighbor that he woke up to find the three cattle in his yard outside his house.  He and his wife put the cattle into their pasture with their horses.  They were able to find out who the owner was and called him.  The owner came and got them in the afternoon.

So it all ended well.

Socks and more

I didn't notice it until the calf was a day old, but Panda's calf's back legs have white at their bottom.  So I named the calf: Socks.

No more calves have been born. I expected that Sugar wouldn't give birth until May. It appears Beulah and cow #90 missed getting pregnant on their first cycle with Buddy.


Big Red, Buster, and I have settled into a routine.  I help Buster drink from Red twice a day: around 9 am and 9 pm.  Red still has an attitude problem.


Buddy is so big I have decided to sell him in August after he has bred all the cows.  He is so big, and getting bigger, that I imagine the cows will have a hard time standing when he mounts them.

A relative of Donna's called.  He has a bull he wants to sell.  The bull is a registered Red Angus two year old bull.  He is supposed to have a nice disposition.  I had to decline buying the bull.  The owner wanted $3500 for the bull and I can't pay that and expect to make money.  So the next time you complain about the price of a steak keep in mind what bulls sell for when their only purpose is to eat and have sex for about one month out of every year.


I still do not have my hayfield planted.  It has been too wet to plant.  The past seven days have been nicer than usual; while the temperatures continue to be colder than normal, we did have two sunny days this week.  Sunny days are unusual this Spring.

Here is the 10 day forecast.  Today we got more than the predicted .02 inches of rain as we got .25 inches so far.

So Saturday may be the day I get some outside work done.

Buddy and temporary corral panels

I had a problem last night when I went out to the corral to have Buster drink.  Buddy was standing in the pathway between the south corral and the loading corral.  He pushed an end temporary corral panel to make an opening and got inside the pathway.  Then he pushed the panel shut.

I spent a long time carefully coaxing Buddy back into the main corral.  Once I got Buster and Big Red in the loading corral, Buster wasn't hungry.   I spent 50 minutes for nothing.

Early the next morning I again found Buddy in the pathway.  This time he hadn't 'closed' the corral panel.   But he wasn't interested in moving.  He just want to stand there and chew his cud.  After a bit I almost enticed him out but he changed his mind and backed in to the pathway.  He then rubbed his rear end against the south corral gate.  Fortunately this was the very heavy duty Powder River gate I installed last year.  I could see the gate straining but it held fast.

I gave up, took a shower and checked later.  By now Buddy was laying down in the pathway.

After noon Buddy came out to eat and I was able to close the panel.  This time I pounded a metal t-post in the ground to hold the panel in place.  Buddy is so strong he could bend that t-post if he really tried, but so far the post is holding the panel in place.

On the wrong side of the panels.

Buddy spent some time scratching against the metal slot that comes out where two panels can be pinned together.

Here is a 53 second video of Buddy scratching against the corral panel: https://youtu.be/kklmUDugmiE

Holstein molasses

To get Big Red to bond with Buster one thing is to get her to lick him to get her scent on him.   To encourage her to do that, over a few days, Donna and I poured molasses on Buster.  It worked as Red licked Buster.

The molasses is sticky enough that Buster usually now looks a little dirty.  The photos are after Red licked Buster.

Even though Red is bonding a little with Buster, she still doesn't like him drinking from her.  I use a bowl of grain to entice Red into the loading ramp.  Once the grain is eaten Red bounces back and forth against the boards holding her in place so Buster can drink.  Buster drinks from Red's back teats so Red can't kick him away.   So, then, she often urinates or defecates in an attempt to discourage Buster.  Red has a bad attitude problem.

Red is very stubborn.  As I write this a commercial is playing on the TV.  The commercial's song is a woman singing "You don't own me. You can't tell me what to do."    That sums up Red's attitude right now.

Buddy into the corral

It has been three weeks since the first calf has been born.  A cow can go into heat three weeks after giving birth.  Or after maybe longer.  I didn't want to take a chance so it was time to separate Buddy from the cows.

Buddy made it easy.  Last evening, after we checked on the cows and calves, Buddy came walking to the corral once Donna and I returned there.  He was alone.  So I opened the corral gate and let him inside.

Normally I would put Buddy in the corral south of the barn, but that is where Big Red and Buster are located.  They are doing fine but Red is still not letting Buster drink if she is not penned in the loading ramp.  So I let Buddy stay in the main part of the corral.  He can access hay and water and I just have to keep an eye on him whenever I am in the corral.  This I need to do whenever I tempt Red with a bowl of grain.  Buddy is curious and probably can smell the grain, and he is always on the other side of the fence when I feed Red grain.

Otherwise it is nice for Red to have adult company nearby.  Before Buddy came Red often would stand at the end of the corral and look out at the other cows in the pasture.

Buddy is a big boy.

Calf 10

Today is three weeks and one day since the first calf was born.  It appears not all the calves will be born within a three week period this year.

Late this afternoon, after Donna and I fed the last of the medicine to Buster, we walked out to look for new calves.  I discovered that cow #120 gave birth sometime today.  An all black calf.   I didn't get close for two reasons.  First, I still do not want to spread scours to these calves.  Second, the calf is already fast.  The mother moved the calf away from me when I attempted to get kind of close to the calf.

I think the calf is a heifer.


Initially Donna and I checked on the cattle from the middle pasture.  Seeing Donna, Mama was on high alert and constantly watched us.  Well, mainly Donna.  Once I suspected there was a new calf, I walked around and crossed into the north pasture so I could count the calves laying beyond one of the feeders.

Mama giving Donna the evil eye.

"Let's get out of here before the rancher does something to you."

"Don't you ever give up?!   Leave my baby alone."

"Okay.  Let's go back this way."

Buster licking salt

Buster is still improving.  Big Red and Buster know the routine.  I put some grain in a large bowl and both come walking into the loading ramp where Big Red eats the grain quickly and Buster drinks from Red.

While both spend time together I have yet to see Buster drinking from Red without my help.

This evening while Red drank water from the water trough Buster discovered the salt block.

I forgot to mention it before but the veterinarian's bill for Big Red and Buster was a little over $300.  So much for making a profit on Buster.

No new calves today.  Mama is still hyper-protective of her calf.  I got nowhere near the calves tonight when I walked out to count them and check for new calves.

Calf 6, Calf 7, and Calf 9

Before 9 am I got a call from a neighbor.  Looking out of her house window over to my pasture she thought a brown and white calf was in trouble and could not get up. Mama's calf.  Oh boy.

I went out to look.  The calf was laying by one of the feeders.  Mama was protective and trying to block me.  Eventually I made it to the feeder and jumped inside just before Mama got to me.  The calf slowly got up.  It was raining and the calf was wet and cold.  She was shivering.  But she was able to walk around.  Mama was keeping me inside the feeder.  Nothing more I can do.  I was able to slip out of the other side of the feeder.  Since I was moving away from her calf Mama did not follow me.

A short time later Mama moved her calf to be under the trees and out of the rain.  I got Donna, my neighbors Curtis and Rusty to help me, and we rode out in my pickup to check on Mama's calf.  My intention was to dry the calf off using towels.

When we arrived Mama start to move her calf away.  Curtis, Rusty and I jumped out of the pickup.  I handed my sorting stick for Curtis to use and I attempted to go after the calf.  Mama turned and charged me in full fury.  Donna later said she thought I was going to be tossed up in the air and trampled by Mama.  Fortunately, after handing my sorting stick to Curtis, I had picked up a small tree branch. 

I hit Mama really hard on the top of her head and she stopped and then turned back to her calf.  They both ran off.  Curtis and I started to chase them.  By now Rusty had my pickup door open and was ready to jump inside.  Rusty told Donna that I needed to eat Mama and get rid of her.  Rusty never moved away from the safety of my pickup.

The calf was easily keeping up with Mama and I called off the chase.  The calf was fine.  No sense risking Mama's anger any more.  And the rain has quit for a while.


Then I turned my attention to Buster.  I hadn't done anything with him before now - 10 am.  I had hoped he would now start drinking from Big Red.  Buster was trying but Red kept moving or brushing him away with a back leg.  So Donna and I got Red into the loading ramp.  It was much easily this time as we learned to bribe Red with a small bowl of grain.

Buster was hungry.  He drank and drank and drank.  He drained milked from all four of Red's teats.

After Buster was done drinking we poured some molasses on his back.  While we were there Red wouldn't go near Buster.  When we were gone she went over and licked him.  Later in the afternoon when I came outside she was licking Buster again.  Once Red saw me she left Buster and pretended not to be interested in Buster.   Typical female... she doesn't like to be told what to do by a male, even if it is for her own good. 

Otherwise Buster is doing better.  I just need Red's attitude and stubbornness to change.  Donna used to be fond of Red Angus cattle.  After Red's attitude Dona is no longer as fond of Red Angus cattle.



In the afternoon, after helping Buster drink a second time, I noticed Panda was off by herself.  She was showing signs of giving birth soon.  I grabbed my camera and my stick and went out to check on Panda.

From the video you can see Panda giving birth just as I arrive.  Watch the first few moments of the video.  You will see the calf enclosed in a thick membrane.  I went over and poked my finger through the membrane and tore it apart.  Once I did the calf was able to open his mouth and take his first breath.  The membrane hadn't torn apart as the calf slid out into the grass.

In other calf births I have witnessed the calf was slimy in goo and not enclosed in such an all encompassing membrane.  I wonder if Big Red's calf who died was also enclosed in such a thick membrane covering her head.  If Red didn't lick and break the membrane the calf may not been able to breath.  When I found the calf no membrane was in sight.  Was there a membrane and Red licked and eliminated it?

The membrane reminded me of something like the pods out of the movie, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The calf was standing within a half an hour and soon after was sucking milk from his mother.

In the evening when I checked on them Panda had gotten rid of most of her placenta as a long thick length of it lay in the grass..  Some placenta still was trailing out of her.  Panda didn't appear to have eaten any of it.

Here is a 2 minute video of Panda giving birth:  https://youtu.be/9dOrRNr0wfM