Views of the farm...and more LONG READ

Our girls from one herd (71 cows)

On to the next herd....

36 girls here

Awww too cute I love this next picture!

67 calves so far! Today we found a cow with a "tag" showing us that she has calved, however her bag is huge, teats haven't been sucked and no baby in sight....we looked but never found the baby. Its such a large area, and they often calve in the woods, and with all the limbs down from the Ice Storm we had last month it's much harder to find where the momma has laid her calf down at...

I'm really tired of problems with our animals.

When I went to feed today King was limping something terrible again....*sigh*....we cleaned hooves, and placed him in the dry, straw bedded, barn for the night. Josh comes tomorrow at 7:30 am to trim his hooves and take a look at him, then it will be off to the Vet. Luckily it looks like he can be trailered tomorrow. If not, we'll have to call Dr. Mike on out again. I'm so disappointed, for one I want my boy to be feeling good and happy, for two I wanted to try riding if he was up to it.

This week has been a rough one. When I get off my sleep pattern I take awhile to get back on track. I take some meds that make me sleep and when I don't, its still in my system, so a deviation from routine is really hard. Besides being emotionally drained makes it even harder. I've had a hard time getting up and going back to sleep at night the last 2 days.

The stud muffin (aka Douglas) wrote Carlie (the girl he likes) a note and gave it to her:

Carlie,

I really like you.

Do you like me? (her answer was YES)

Douglas...insert phone number

(Calie left:)

Calie...insert phone number

I'm surprised he didn't have a check yes and no box! ;-)

Norm went to lease 3 bulls today (Angus), they will be delivered May 1st....to be added with the 3 we already have. I sure hope they are gentle.

I got some information and an order form for Chickens today. Now I have to decide on what to order! Now to decide what kinds to get.

Here is what they got:

NEW HAMPSHIRE'S - A profitable bird that is not quite so large. They lay for 12 months excellent livability during the growing and laying season; 245 eggs per hen per year.

RHODE ISLAND REDS- the preference for country-style eggs. Produces brown eggs (more profitable) 1 -being in most places, brown eggs bring a premium of tow to ten cents a dozen over white eggs. 2- the salvage of a heavy hen after she is through laying increases the total new profit per bird.

GOLDEN SEX-LINKS (COMETS)- Their best selling brown egg layers. Mature hens weight 5 1/2 lbs. 245-255 eggs per hen per year. Shell is a rich brown with excellent interior quality. Pullets hatch out a beautiful golden brown color but the cockerel chicks are a creamy white. They dress out clean with no dark pinfeathers to detract from the appearance of the dressed bird.

WHITE LEGHORNS- Fast maturing, early laying. Excellent producers over long periods of time. require less feeds per dozen than the larger breeds. Shells are strong smooth and white. interior quality is unsurpassed. 98% free from blood spots means that the eggs are solid with pride and confidence. Producing 254 eggs per hen per year.

BUFF ORPINGTONS- Big beautiful gentle birds are a long favorite..brown eggs.

GOLDEN LACED WYANDOTTES- Similar to the Silver Wyandottes except coloring. Golden bay laced with greenish-black.

BLACK SEX-LINKS- dual purpose farm flock type breed. Mostly black when hatched, pullets mature into excellent layers of large brown eggs. Black with some red color on neck and breast. Cockerels resemble Barred Rocks.

ARAUCANAS- rare breed known as the Easter Egg Chicken. Not a large bird but in much demand for beautiful eggs..they actually do lay tinted eggs in the most surprising colors! - hmmmm I'll have to get these for the fun!

BLACK AUSTRALORPS- beautiful shiny black bird with greenish tint. Hens mature at 5 - 6 months and weigh approx 6 - 8 pounds, makes a nice fryer.

CORNISH CROSS- rapid-growing and efficient broiler. may expect a few black flecks in their white plumage. Brown Eggs.

BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS- Average lay 250 eggs per hen per year. Weighing 6 1/2 pounds at maturity. Big brown eggs of superb quality, those who raise declare they make the most delicious Sunday dinners over any other breed.

WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCKS- fast maturing, heavy bodied pullets, top production of large, brown premium grade eggs, when laying season over enjoy quality meat at low cost.

You can tell spring is closing in!

The March Lilly's have begun to bloom!

Soon I'll have a carpet of yellow covering my wild flower garden back in the woods.

Well, that's all I can think about for now to write about...OHHH thought of something else..I'll save that for tomorrow, this is long enough already!

Rae

Comment Answers to barn possibilities posting yesterday...

What a view this morning! That picture is unaltered in any way and totally georgous!

This is the picture I took about 30 seconds before the 1st picture I posted!

You can see the sunrise in the garage door windows! Too Cool!

Anyway with that said....that was the only bright spot to the weather today...it warmed up a little this afternoon, but tonight its going to be VERY chilly! Wind Chill getting to negative 10 below 0! brrrrrrr TOO cold for me!

Okay so on with the farm report for today:

I was too sick to do anything until sometime after noon, so Norm had Josh help feed. He can drive the tractor but needs someone to get the gates and wade through the mud.

He also put up some hot wire across the street where we are keeping the 5 bulls for the winter. He placed some feeding troughs near the gate entering the field, but placed some hot wire so they wont muck up around the gate and keep them out of reach of us when we feed.

Neil and Doug helped him with that, and then of course they had to cut some wood.

We got a nice surprise today! Our friends Don and Susan came over with a pick up load of wood for us! What a pleasant surprise! I wish I was feeling better and could have gone out to say hi and thanks! But I was running a mad fever in the morning and getting out of the recliner would have taken more effort than I had at that time!

So thats it for today....seems like so little, but Norm has just come in here at 6:44 so he has been working hard. Fencing takes time....so does cutting wood for this cold spell we are having this week.

Did I mention its just too dang cold outside?????

Okay...onto yesterday post about the barn.

I'm going to answer your comments here:

The barn is very old, it actually has real corner STONES....pretty cool, and very solid.

It was built on what we call the Jennings place....our farm has been added to over the many years buy purchasing surrounding farms...Jennings, Poodles...so we just keep the names so we know where the other is talking about! LOL 1000 acres is hard to give directions to without some sort of order! LOL

So anyway...in the second picture you can see in the background a pile of wood and metal roofing...that was the old farm house. Everywhere around here was accessed by dirt roads and horse drawn wagons until times finally caught up with us here. Norm's Pap drove his horse drawn wagon for many years!

With the dirt country roads, it made more sense and was easier I guess.

anyway

To get there I have 2 options.

1st - I drive over to the other side of the farm where Norms mom lives, the shop building and tractors are kept there also. I can get there from there by tractor, 4-wheeler, or 4 wheel drive truck....except in the spring...the area I'd have to cross to get there is flooded. Nolin Lake rises in the spring and drains all the way to our property until early summer. (Nolin Lake is about an hour from us!)

Winter...mud and snow.

Can a road be built there....probably not without a bridge...or it would only be passable in summer, fall and winter.

2nd- I can again drive the 4-wheeler from the house here to it.

Both ways would take me about 10 - 15 minutes since I cant just drive straight to it. Even though the barn is within sight, if not for some trees.

frustrating.

problems I need to solve, besides how to get their easily

is transporting the goat milk quickly to a fridge.

Of course more risk of the milk getting dirt or dust in it due to the way I will have to get there.

It was originally used as a horse/farm animal barn.

Norms family used it as a tobacco barn.

Access is the main concern...you all are right about that!

And Elaine your right about if I get a sick animal or birthing problem...no fast access for a Vet, myself...I'd prob end up staying the night in the barn if that happened...I had thought of that problem as well.

The barn is perfect...if it was accessable.

Now I have to brainstorm about how to make it accessable. I just dont know if its possible.

I hope there is SOME way I can fix it up and make it accessable.

The space...perfect....we'll see.

Now I'm off to read about everyone's day today!