What??? Another Farm???

I don't know what has gotten into us, but we looked at another farm.  The last one we were told they really wanted to sell and get out of farming but when it came to the price, I'm not sure they will be selling it any time soon.  They laughed at J and told him he was never buying any more land if that's what he thought it was worth, and they would just keep it and be buried on it as to let it go for any less.  So we are at an impasse. 

 So that lead us a little further down the road to this one.  About the same size, a much nicer view, lays much better, only about 20 acres of woods instead of 70 (that was going to be cutover as the timber had already been sold) and priced at less than we were willing to pay for the other one.

There aren't many extras, this old corn crib, 

and some interestingly patched fence.  There are some good fences too, and it is sectioned well into different pastures.

 There are some unusual formations like this old canyon.

 And who doesn't like a rock wall. 

 It is mostly watered by a well with waterboxes, but there is a little creek on part of it.

 And the best part, it joins the National Forest.  So no annoying neighbors on that side anyway.

It is very peaceful, no man made sounds, 360 degree views.  The biggest drawback is the distance from our house.  It's a 20 minute drive in the opposite direction from our other farm, so that would spread us out even more.  Decisions, decisions. 

Quick Cattle Job

I have a running joke with J that any cattle related work always takes at least half a day.   But today was a nice surprise.

 The fall calving cattle were on the pasture rotation that was right at the pens, so they were very easy to get up. 

We sorted the cows right out and had the calves left to deworm.

 J got those done in short order. 

 Then there was a head count as we turned them back out.

E's calm, quiet manner was a big help.  All done in record time, 2 hours, not half a day.

Coupon Saturday #43 and Kit Kat Sunday #154

A two fer day.  Kit Kat is up first.

 Wonder what he is looking at, the view?

 Or maybe that field full of goats, Kid Count 92 (but getting ready to give away 3, J doesn't want to fool with any bottle goats this year.)

 Then I had a scenario too good to pass up, even though I really didn't need any of it.

But when they pay you 25 cents (toward tax anyway) to take it out of the store, how can you refuse?  I did do another scenario that included some actual things I needed plus got some more of the same above for free. 

Like Wet Dandelions

We have had a lot of showers in April.  

 Everything gets wet and drawn up, even the dandelions.

 I think the wet baby goats look very similar to the flowers.

Wet and drawn up.

The Replacements

Yesterday was the day to get up the yearling replacement heifers for their pre breeding work.

 23 head to run through the chute, vaccinate and deworm. (plus a couple of extra cows with calves that were with the group)

 But we had some good help.  E is still home on Covid19 leave from her job so we are trying to take advantage of the extra help.

 She is a pro at the headgate.

 J's job was pushing them up the chute.

 I kept the shots drawn up.

 Everything went smooth as silk.  But it is amazing how much dust there is considering all the rain we have been getting.  E improvised a dust mask when we turned the heifers back out.

Another group down, several more to go.

Hearts and Mouths

We have had several babies with heart spots. 

 I guess this is what is known as "wearing your heart on your knee."

 This one may be a little better heart.

 No heart here.  This one was collapsed in the barn this morning.  It was one of the first triplets born 10 days ago.  I thought everything had been fine, it was growing well and keeping up with the nanny until today.  I brought it to the house and tube fed it and warmed it up.  Once he was moving around I tried to get him to nurse a bottle but he was having no part of it.

 That's when I found all of this packed into the back of his throat.  Yuck, and you can't imagine the smell, it really stinks.  I have no idea how long that stuff was packed in there.  Hopefully, he will get back to normal.

Then, just to end on some cuteness.

Kit count, 84

Guest Photographer #2

E is still on Covid19 leave from work, but working hard at birding. 

Today's fare are mostly waterfowl, and all found here on the farm except the one noted. 

Common Merganser

Great Egret, very rare for this area

Red Breasted Merganser (taken at R R Lake)

Solitary Sandpiper

Lesser Yellowlegs, migrating through

Blue winged teal

Eastern meadowlark (love how it just looks photoshopped over the cattle)

Eye spy with my little eye...

spotted sandpiper

Coupon Saturday #42

Not much shopping as of late for obvious reasons.  But when you run out of M&Ms it is an emergency.   And I am never sure what will be in stock anymore.  At my Dollar General it looks like they have given up on every stocking the toilet paper and paper towel sections because they have just started putting garden supplies there.

 But luckily, they did have the M&Ms.  I usually get a 38 oz bag at Walmart for about $9.  4 bags of the Sharing size adds to 43 oz. 

So, success.  Once again, lower price for what I was getting anyway and some good free stuff.  And another plus, I didn't have to go to Walmart.

Mas-ta-titis In Her Titty

When I was doing large animal work in West Virginia, I had a farmer call with a cow problem.  He kept saying, "she has mastatitis in her titty."  I'm sure it was somewhat embarrassing for an older male farmer to try to describe things to a young female vet, but this one still makes me laugh with I think about it.  

 And what made me think about it was a goat with mastitis.   It started about 3 weeks ago.  We got her up and treated her for a week.  She felt better but that side is now swollen and hard.  At least it's not painful anymore.  We were hoping that she would just have a single, but no luck there, triplets.

 And no way is something going to nurse from that even if it had milk.  We ended up taking her to the barn where we could keep a better watch on things.  Fortunately, she is a former bottle goat so pretty easy to work with.   While we were moving her another goat was kidding and trying to steal someone else's kid.  By the time we got the triplets that far, she had her kid and was cleaning it off.  J snached this one of the triplets, rolled it in the afterbirth and left it with the nanny that had the single. 

This is her pre graft, (no picture with the graft yet).  So far so good.  They were separated this evening but we got them back together and she still like her adopted kid.  So fingers crossed on that one.  Meanwhile, I am supplementing the other two triplets while we wait to see if she will have enough milk for two, which is pretty unlikely.  I am also supplementing two others from two other sets of triplets.   Triplets help with the kid count but sometimes they are a lot of extra work.

Kid Count - 45 (21 nannies)

Too Much Rain

Sunday night it rained, and rained and rained. 

 We didn't have a rain gauge out so I don't know how much it rained, but it was enough to flood Cripple Creek again.

 And to fill this feed tub up to overflowing.

We had several nannies kidding at dark so we got the barn opened for them and the ones kidding separated from the others.  TI turned over a barrel from the riding ring for the set of twins born that morning.  They were happy with the shelter and have stayed in it every night since.

 The cows and calves J had turned out onto new pasture in the bottom were bawling so we went to go check on things.  The creek had jumped the bank and cut across the bottom stranding the cattle on an island.

 It looked like the water was starting to recede and we thought they would be ok if they just waited.

 No way were they coming out across this mess.

 And needless to say, all the water gaps are washed out again.

 It's hard to imagine this being ankle deep and riding my horse across.

 And here, there is suppose to be a fence.

We went back in the evening to find the fence flat on the ground.  This was a new fence, then replaced again when it washed out a couple of years ago, now it will need to be rebuilt yet again.  Farmers don't just do things once and done, they have to do things over and over again.

Kid Count - 34 (16 kidded)