31 March 2025

Calving Season

What a season it has been. Now that we are all of one week in.

The Goblin Child has somehow managed a one day calving season with her whole herd calving today. Her heifer calved this morning. I saw a single hoof and went to check on her. She was a bottle calf. I do love very tame heifers like that. I was able to ‘check’ for a second hoof while she stood there quietly out in the pen. It was there. The calf was big. I went back for supplies. She laid there, not terribly concerned about me while I helped her deliver the calf laying out in the pen. A pretty, not little, red heifer.

Her cow had a darling little black white face calf this evening. I think it might be a heifer too. She was brand new when I was out last, I didn’t want to bother them enough to look. That cow was NOT a bottle calf.

Over the weekend one of the cows presented a single large red hoof. The kids were with me walking through the herd. They helped bring her up. Or one of them did. 8 got in there and tried. He was too scared to actually try to stop her when she wanted past him, but he tried. His sister cowered outside the fence. We managed to get her brought up to the front. They were much better help getting her into the chute. Beg safely on the other side of a fence gave them great courage.

Once in the chute they got together and managed to get the puller down off the wall. It took some team work and they didn’t drop it on their heads. I checked the cow and found the second hoof, thankfully, and the head. The calf was all there, just big. She gloved up and helped me pull while he held the tail out of the way. We ended up not not needing the puller after all. Between us and the cow we managed to deliver a BIG bull calf.

With him moved into the barn where his mom could clean him both children who had been wonderful up until then broke down. She had gotten some on her arm. A remarkably small amount all things considered. She needed a shower immediately. And could I please do a load of laundry. He had seen more than he could handle. I thought he had helped with this before. Maybe just not as closely? It was more than he could handle. He didn’t quite empty his belly but it was close. He was rather traumatized. I felt awful. Tried to huge him, but I had more than a small smear on my arm.

He seems to have recovered nicely.

Both kids have been coming with for the night check. They bounce all over the place having fun scaring each other in the dark and generally raising quit the ruckus.

Ghost and her calf got cold in the rain and snow the day after the calf was born. I was going to bring them up to the barn to get warm and dry. The calf didn’t want to get up and moving. It occurred to me that they were laying in the straw that had been put out for them to keep warm in. I covered the calk with straw. He was toasty warm in his blanket so I went to rubbing Ghost down. Trying to get her dry so she could be warm. Then I decided to give her a blanket too. She seemed to like it. She didn’t shake it off immediately.

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29 March 2025

Calving

By the time calving ‘officially’ started March 25th, we had ten calves on the ground, had pulled three and lost two. It’s been busy.

The weather had been in the 60s and up to 80 degrees. So hot, windy, and dry that dust was blowing everywhere. A welder was out to fix some of the older feedbunks. He quit around noon because the wind was coming up and he worried about starting fires. The kids spent the afternoon hauling water to dump on the hot spots that were smoldering away despite his quitting early.

Acorn calved. I brought her up front, really, leading her in a halter was so much easier than trying to push her and the calf. We have been milking her once a day. First for colostrum to save for future needs but now we’re starting to keep some of the milk. Made our first batch of caramel yesterday. It got burnt. Guess we’ll have to try again today! Dang. What a shame 😉  Then cheese, and butter, and hmm, what else can we do besides drink it?

The kids slept outside in the new tent they got. They said it was chilly, but it stayed well above freezing and they didn’t give up and come inside. The next morning we made them take it down. Snow was predicted.

We woke this morning to freezing rain. It has alternated between the rain, sleet, and snow so far today. Not complaining of course. This is beautiful weather. Going from 80 and dry to 32 and wet is hard on the animals, but so is not having grass to eat all summer.

The low pressure has brought on more calves. They had taken a break over those really warm days. Ghost calves first thing this morning! A big healthy bull calf 🙁 Oh well. She does tend to have bulls. We were pulling for another heifer. Maybe next year.

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27 March 2025

Why Are My Cows Wet?!

It may be slightly hard to tell, these pictures are of my pet cow Ghost from last nights check.
The night was gorgeous. Perfectly still and clear. A million stars shining overhead. Dust kicked up with each step I took. I love night checks. Ghost came over to visit as she so often does while I walked quietly through the herd in the dark. Following along while I walk she demands her share of scratches. I need to remember to bring a curry comb.
As I scratched her itchy spots I noticed my wrists, above the gloves on my hands, got damp where they touched her. I turned on the light to see her glistening with water drops.
She was covered in a fine mist.
I went looking for another cow I could get close enough to see the water drops on and found Rose laying nearby. She was wet too.
I rechecked the sky. Still clear and bright. I kicked at the ground. Still dusty.
The going theory is that the cows were warm from the very nice day. The dew point was 27 degrees. It was no where near that, still well above freezing. But maybe the added warmth from the cows cooling after a hot day caused condensation/dew to form?
I stopped and checked the horses on the way back to the house. They were dry.
Why were my cows wet?!?!
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24 February 2025

Happy Birthday 8!

And what a birthday it has been. Hopefully it gets better from here.

8 decorated his own cake and did a wonderful job at it. We had the neighbor boys over for lunch, cake and ice-cream, and playing out in the snow. It was a perfect dya for sledding. Warming up enough the snow was starting to melt, but it wasn’t gone yet. The boys had to go, but cousin Cade showed up and the play continued. The drove out to the big hill in the pasture and tried to sled. It must of worked a little. Then they came home. Stuck the 4wheeler on the way. Got it unstuck. Then The Goblin Child and Cade dog piled poor 8.

That drove his arm hard into the ground and hurt really bad.

Their father and I went out check to check cows. I looked up and say the three of them and the 4wheeler silhouetted on top of the hill. I started pondering how impressive it was that we had made it this far without breaking an arm. Oh well, the streak had to end sometime. They would be missing the robotics tournament the next day. Then the day dream was gone and we continued out to the cows.

Where we were when we got a phone call. The Goblin Child was calling to say 8 had hurt his arm. Where were we?

So we rushed home. She had already gotten him ice for it. There was no swelling, no bruise, the bones all felt very straight. There was just hurt. Bad hurt. I got him Ibuprofen. He seemed to be ok. Unless he moved. We gave it until morning.

By morning it still hurt badly. I had had enough. We hurried to get to the clinic before it closed at noon. He was a good sport, happy and interested in the whole thing. Xrays showed a ‘buckle’ fracture. The best kind to get according to the doctor. Everything was held in place still, no need for a cast. All it would need is pain control and rest. That was the end of wrestling for the year, and with his first tournament coming up next weekend. Not prescription pain killers, just plenty of aspirin and ibuprofen and keep it iced. Nothing we hadn’t been doing already.

He was doing better yesterday and went off to school today. Hopefully the arm will keep feeling better and the rest of his birthday will be better!

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20 January 2025

Cold

It’s officially cold out. Yesterday was chilly but the temp did climb above zero and the wind didn’t blow. Today we are up to -4 with a stiff wind.

The cattle are eating as much food as we can get to them. I’m taking a short calving course from the extension office. They were just saying that 17 degrees is when a normal healthy cow starts needing to put in a bit more work to stay warm. Today they were bunched behind windbreaks looking decidedly chilly as they soaked up what warmth the morning sun had to offer.

No school today. which means the kids get to go break ice! Lucky they let them stay home from school so they don’t have to go out in the cold. Usually on weekends they take a fourwheeler and drive out to the tanks. It’s to cold to do that. Yesterday I said they could take my pickup and drive themselves out there. But it was to cold for the old girl to start. No point in even making an attempt today. That’s the only vehicle they’re allowed to drive so I went along the last couple days to drive. And help out a bit.

The feed truck can get around the fourwheeler. With a suburban parked in the middle of the lane I need to move around to get out of the way. When I got back from maneuvers today I looked over to see my son picking ice chunks out of the water with his gloved hands! I ordered him to the vehicle immediately. He may not be feeling the cold yet but it wouldn’t take long to set in. His sister and I finished pitching the ice out, with a pitchfork this time. Then we all headed back. When I got in the car he showed me his snow pants, frozen solid and stiff already from the knee down where he had been playing in the water.

They went inside. I went to check horse water. They are heated and had only a ring of ice around the edges. The horses were sleeping in the sun or grazing on their hay. They looked happy. Hopefully there wont be anything to trigger Rusty’s random cold induced lamenitis.

Their father finally made his way inside after finishing feeding the cows. He did get to ride a fourwheeler and was nearly frozen. Now we will all fight the dog for a seat in front of the fire. It’s a good day to spend looking through garden catalogues and ordering seeds for next summer. It’s nice to be reminded that although it is so cold outside seed starting time is coming soon. Spring not too far behind that. We are grateful for a toasty warm house and plenty of feed for the animals.

Category: 8, Cows, Family, Goblin Child | LEAVE A COMMENT
4 January 2025

Creativity

The children have been building things. One of them more than the other but they both got in on the biggest build.

8 has been working on a little scooter thing. No one is really sure what to call it. He thinks maybe a three wheeler. Which it is. He found the pieces and has been assembling it himself. He’s doing a very good job with what he has available.

 

He had a friend over to spend the night. They went outside and didn’t come in until dark. I was starting to get a little worried. I needn’t have been. They were removing the wheels from the, thing, whatever it’s called. They never did do a whole lot with them. But they rolled them around a lot. I was just impressed that they got the wheels off.

 

Along with cousin Cade they created a sledding contraption. We don’t know what else to call it. 8 and his friend added on a little. The one piece I think is going to need to go. Sharp tin to land on seems like the worst of the bad ideas here. The black tube, culvert? The kids and I drug home in Nov. I thought it was going to be a horse toy. I was wrong. The kids took it off immediately and began improvising ways to hurt themselves with it. Or play. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. They slid down it off the swingest frame. They slid down it off their other toys. They rolled each other down the hill in it. Apparently that one hurt too bad.

When they ran out of snow to sled down they created this. You go through the tube, land on the mattress springs, then continue down the hill? I’m happy not to have seen it in action. But I’m proud of the things they are coming up with to do with it.

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