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Barnyard Buddies:  All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep)  |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 04 2013 : 08:15:21 AM
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howdy farmgirls. i was happy to see posts on here of what your up yo. yu will have milk a flowing soon kris. i like it a little better when my babies are spread out a little. we are waiting on 2 cows to calve. maudie cripple cow and a heifer white park. we are going to bring the white park in this weekend. i want her close to the squeeze shoot incase she needs help. i dont know about you all but i am dog tired today. i am still helping some other folks too. so yesterday was a big one. i am still in my jammies this morning. we have been very cold 5 degrees and such. the snow is froze slick as ice sheets. i worry for the cows when coming in to milk. we have a light on the milk machine to keep it running. the tree chippers left me a pile of chips. so i am going to fire up the tractor and put some more in the barn. we are going to get a break in the cold this week i am soooo tired of hauling hot water. our no freeze pipes are not deep enough. so they are froze. we are on a lava shelf. so no digging deep here. i had a sick spell and was down about 10 days. the porphyria is an evil sickness. i still have turkeys and fryers to do. LOL the fryers are now roasters. so i hope today i can get stuff done with out having to beat my body into submission. the pain is not fun and slows mr way down. on a brighter note the sun is out and it is beautiful out there today. linda i bet you are missing your milk for sure alicia how is it going for you these days? natalie are you going to milk a sheep? i need a machine for milking my hands are kinda bent. hope your mud dries out kris. i remember you hating it last year. i am ready for some mud and less ice and cold. happy days to you all sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2013 : 08:21:36 AM
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Bright blue sky and sunshine here today! I am loving it. And the mud is frozen so a lot easier to walk. If you go to my blog, you'll see our sky here today. So pretty out there. Be careful, Sherrye, you don't need to fall.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2013 : 08:47:25 AM
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Morning farmgirls!
It's getting so hard to get my butt out there these past few mornings to do chores, or even get out of bed. -17 this morning!! We'll warm up to 10! Ugh! We *DID* get a few good snow storms before christmas. Haven't had a white Christmas here in a few years, so that was nice. We desperately need the water come spring in this area!
Linda, I hear ya on the winter power bill. Ours for December was $250 ish. I always expect a winter increase tho. Partly it's the 2 trough heaters and the space heater in the barn, especially this year. They never turn off! We've got a heat lamp over the water pipes by the well. This is the first year I've put a heat lamp in the coop too. My sons' little Japanese banty rooster is going to loose most of his comb and waddles to frostbite, but he's finally decided that being in the coop is a good thing. Silly Bird!
Kristin, I hope you get your girls all bred. Seems they always have other plans for us.
My plan when getting a second, and then third, cow was to stagger calving times so I could stagger dry off times. Not going to work that way this year! Sunny and Nellie are bred within a month of each other and Cinnamon is still open.
Right now I'm only milking every other day. They seem to have adjusted to it just fine. Each girl gives me 2+ gallons a milking.
Milking in this negative or barely over weather has been torture! The girls don't mind, they get their grain and warm beet pulp. I've kept a very close on eye on teat health. I am just amazed that the teats don't freeze off in this weather! Or...I've just been lucky? I've tried to keep them a nice bed to snuggle into, have to try to get more straw today. It's only a 3 sided lean-to, no stalls or such, but they don't seem to mind.
I don't know that I could go back to every day right now, in this nasty bitter cold. Yesterday my toes got sooo cold, in my snow boots, in front of the space heater in the milking parlor, oh it hurt!
Ok, I better suit up and brave the cold.
Stay warm ladies! 
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2013 : 06:22:19 AM
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I took the 2 rams to the butcher yesterday. Which freed up the whole front lot. I put Arlo Guthrie out back with John Henry and Zeeboo. At this point, I don't care what she breeds with, as long as one of them does the job. So they are in the back yard lot. The rest of the does are in the back pasture. And the ewes will stay on the bigger pasture next door til I see lambing signs early next month. So the front pasture will rest til then.
Alicia, are you making cheese with all that milk? Do you have milk customers? I am calling Atlanta today and getting them to walk me through all the steps I need to take to get certified to sell goat milk for pet consumption. I want to be legal here so that's what I need to do.
It's going to be warm all week, with lows in the 40-50 range at night and 50-70 range during the day!!!! So I'm letting the fire go out and saving a week's worth of wood, which I am running low on and need to get lots more.
I hope y'all are having a great week so far.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2013 : 07:01:07 AM
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i was thinking of you Alicia today. we are warmer here for a spell too. so i thought maybe you will get a break from the cold. gotta run check for a calf being born. stay warm girls. happy days to you all sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2013 : 2:10:12 PM
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Oh Alicia I wish I had milk right now. I am paying $6.50 a gallon for organic milk. I sure due miss my goat milk. My first babies aren't due until the beginning of March so I have awhile to wait because I let the moms raise them.
Sherrye hope you are feeling better and stay better. I wish I lived close to you. I would do your chores for you when you were feeling bad. Hope the pipes stay thawed and life is a little easier on you. You always amaze me what you get done even when you don't feel good.
Kris I love lamb meat and use to have it when I had wool sheep. I miss having leg of lamb. If I lived closer to you I would buy the whole lamb. I am planning on getting some meat chickens this year.The hatchery near us sells a meat bird called a red ranger. I have been trying to do some research on them and I know their kinda like the freedom rangers except the freedom rangers are double breasted. I may end up ordering those instead of the red rangers from our local hatchery. I just don't want to raise the cornish x-rocks ever again.
We have had sunny days the past few days. Its been nice seeing the sun finally. We went down to 19 degrees last night and all the mud was frozen........yay!!! I trimmed 3 does feet yesterday and the 2 bucks.....they are such a pain and they still stink. I also gave 19 shots yesterday and by the time I was done I was pretty worn out. I managed to get the barn raked out and a few other things. I still have 9 more does to trim. Its only been a month so they are on the schedule next.
I like this time of year when the holidays are over and I can start working on organizing things in the house before kidding season and garden and lawn work start. I have about 8 weeks to get alot of indoor things caught up and done. Hope everyone is getting a little time to themselves now thats its January.Well speaking of animals mine are yelling at me to feed them their dinner. They sure keep my hopping.
Take care.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2013 : 3:55:06 PM
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Sherrye, do you have a calf yet? How exciting! Can't wait to hear about it.
Linda, I haven't heard of the Red Ranger. Sounds a lot like the FR. I'll be getting more of those again in the spring. I want some chicken tractors though this time. It's been nice here the past several days. A;most dried up some too. And we are in for a lot of rain. By next week they are calling for at least 2". Yuck!
I need to be doing some inside stuff here. I am working on a quilt for hubby. Almost halfway done quilting it now. Had to take a break because my fingers have been stuck way too many times. And I am looking forward to gardening and farmer's markets again.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2013 : 8:29:14 PM
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Hi ladies!
Sherrye, do you have a calf yet?? How exciting! I could never do a winter (or late fall/early spring) calf until I get a full barn with stalls for the animals to go in.
We have warmed up, today, and hopefully it stays for a few days! It was 36 today, everything was melting and dripping. It thawed enough today to chip up some frozen cow patties in the pasture and lean-to, then Hubby and I put down a new layer of deep straw for the girls to lay in. Sunny sniffed for a minute and layed right down to chew cud and nap. Nellie followed her example a minute later. Cinnamon found me and the frozen poo much more interesting and wouldn't lay down until I left. Only 26 so far tonight.
Kris, glad to hear you are warming up! Hope you get more wood before you get another cold snap. Hope your girl gets bred soon!
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4263 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4263 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2013 : 04:46:10 AM
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Hay everyone. Alicia all my critters love a freshly cleaned and bedded area too. It has warmed up here for a few days. Then it is supposed to get cold again. Kris I hope you don't get too much rain again. I hate dealing with mud. Linda, hope you get your inside chores caught up. Chores in general never seem to end. By the time you get caught up, its time to start over.
Got a pot of milk sitting for cheese this morning. Milking is done, and morning chores will get done once it gets light out. My husband said he read that out west they are having trouble with people stealing hay. It sure is high placed in different places. Glad we have enough.
Michele |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2013 : 3:48:21 PM
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It's been raining most of the day today. Nice squishy slippery mud all over! I see Texas is getting rained on too. Maybe they'll have a lot of hay this year.
I do believe my Abby IS pregnant! Tonight on her stanchion, I noticed her udder looking a lot bigger than it has been. Then I felt it and yep, it is quite bigger and filling up. So I should have all the goats bred now. I have got to get certified to sell raw milk now. I called a lady in Atlanta but had t leave a message and she's not called me back. I'll call again tomorrow.
I also need to check into getting a business license for selling at Farmer's markets and insurance too. There is SO much to do and a lot of money to spend to be legal. I need to ask at H$R Block when we go to get our taxes done about this farming business. I'm sure it's totally different in each state so I'll not ask what each of you do. I just need to do this myself.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4263 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4263 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2013 : 04:33:16 AM
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Hay Kris, sounds like you will be busy. Good luck with it all. Your goats look great too. We file a schedule F with our taxes. We do pay an accountant to fill out the forms. With depreciation and such it is well worth the money.
We warmed up and had rain. What a mess that has created. All roads that were snow packed are now skating rinks. I got extra barn lime to through out in the cow yards. Today the temps are dropping and having highs in the teens I believe for next week.
Michele |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2013 : 08:51:14 AM
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we have a white park heifer calf born jan. 10 at 8 p.m. she is soooo cute. so she has a coat on and flax bags to help keep her warm. we are 7 degrees right now. mom is a first time heifer. she is doing great with baby. i just need to keep her warm. we are going to close the hut up more today so the heat lamp will work better. she is the sweetest little calf. probably only weighs 15 to 20 pounds. i will try to get pics posted. happy days here
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2013 : 09:47:39 AM
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Congratulations Sherry!! I hope you can keep her nice and warm. She sounds TINY!!
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2013 : 10:07:39 AM
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Aw, a new calf! She does sound very small for a calf. Can't wait to see some pictures!
Michele, it's so hot here right now. And it's wet and muggy, water all over. Just weird. Stay warm up there!
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2013 : 11:07:56 AM
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well we had to redo the hut. we lined it with 4 inch insulation foam boards and a concrete blanket. mama is letting baby out of hut. so she gets chilled. it will take a few times for baby to learn where its warm. it is 10 degrees right now. brrrrr... we brought baby in to warm up. we hung 2 lamps over baby just this minute. she has my GD warm coat on. i still will watch body temp with a thermometer. if mom does not keep her warm she will e a house calf. we might have another one coming later. pasture bred maybe. you have all been busy. boy winter just takes longer for everything. i see linda alicia kris all you girls have warmed some. nope not here. butt cold here. i will post a pic as soon as i can get help. i know there are other girls too. i am just not thinking clear today. happy days ahead fr you all with the goaties. i think kid goats are amasing. so sweet loving happy smart and boy can they jump. happy days to you all. need to check sweet pea the pig.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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wooliespinner
True Blue Farmgirl
1311 Posts
Linda
Manchester
Ohio
1311 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2013 : 11:08:23 AM
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Awe Sherry she sounds so cute. I bet she is the cutiest calf and such a wee one at that. Can't wait to see pictures of her. Hope you all stay warm.
We are warm right now which is weird for January. It rained yesterday and my farm is a horrible muddy mess. Its hard to walk on hillsides in this mud. I end up on my bottom at least once a day and my underware end up muddy brown. This evening we are suppose to get a ton of rain lasting into Sunday. I am praying for colder temps. again and snow. I truly hate the mud when its gets this soupy.
My girls are hanging out in the barn most of the time. They are sick of the mud too. They go up on the back hill... get bored and come back to the barn to eat more hay. Its hard to do anything outside when its this yucky out.I managed to swap out clothes in my bedroom closet and drawers and threw out enough old clothes to fill a giant garbage can. Now I have room to put my clothes in the drawers.The next day cleaned out the hall linen closet because it was so packed I couldn't get my new towels in that I received for Christmas. I also threw out enough to fill another garbage can. I saved some of the old towels for birthing towels and the older flat sheets for covering garden plants when we have chances of frost. I am slowly plowing through this house. I am trying to make some room and get rid of some of the clutter. Its amazing how its creeps up on you.
Well I am off to mix up some sourdough starter that CJ gave me a recipe for. I let mine go and want to get it started again. You all take care and stay warm or dry depending on where you live.
Linda
Raspberry Run Farm
Nubian Dairy Goats |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4263 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4263 Posts |
Posted - Jan 13 2013 : 04:12:40 AM
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Cold here again..brrrr. 7 when I got up to milk. It usually drops a few degrees before the sun comes up. So after our rain, we are dealing with alot of ice. The rain took care of alot of our snow, so no more cross country skiing for a while. sherrye your new baby sounds so cute. Good luck. Linda and Kris I know how you are feeling dealing with mud. Makes everything harder. Hi to Alica too.
I am going to make hot pepper gouda cheese today. My peppers are all dried out now, and my boys have been asking for some. Got the farm receipts all in order, so once we get W-2's will be set to get the darn taxes done.
michele |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 14 2013 : 06:41:52 AM
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we are still cold here for another day or so. then a warm front will move through. we need the break. baby girl is not wanting to be out of the hut. hence no exercise.. i brought her in last night at midnight. i have a dog ring so she slept in it. right by the fire. i took her to mom just now. she went right to nursing. michelle i was raised on the oregon coast. its part of the rain forest i hate mud hope you warm up soon. looks like this warm front might head your way. so i have been reading on foundering. i think that is part of maudies girls feet is this. she is the rescue jersey (knock kneed) i still dont know if she is fat or pregnant. i will not run her into the chute. she has a very hard time staying upright. the chute pushes her legs in to far. other wise i would do a tail bleed for bio-pryn. i will be watching for udder development. how did the pepper cheese turn out? linda did i read your drinking store milk how sad for you. alicia i for got how many cows your milking. i am thinking you said two. i am milking 2 right now. only belle is pregnant and deep into lactation so she gives 1 gallon and a bit. she is a 2 teat rescue girl. my favorite girl. i know i need sleep bad this getting up in the night sucks. just gearing up to go out is hard. yuk so when it warms up a bit maybe i can sleep. right now its baby girl watch. so 12 and 4 a.m. checks. hope you all have happy days ahead sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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wincrestnubians
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Jennifer
Ohio
USA
76 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2013 : 03:45:03 AM
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I cant wait for my girls to freshen. I am so tired of store milk. But of course I will have to wait a while, because the sweet little ones will need it for a while, before I get any.. Hopefuly I will have no problem deliveries and wont have to bother my good friend Linda.. :) Heres to keeping my fingers crossed!!
Only those with an open mind can learn from ones own mistakes. |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 15 2013 : 6:31:03 PM
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Hi Jennifer. So you know Linda? I have talked to her several times and she is very goat smart. I call her when I have a problem I can't figure out. She's helped me a lot. How many does do you have and how many are bred? I'm still milking my 1 Nubian right now. I had to skip last night though because there's a creek between the barn and the milk room. And my goats have not been out of the barn in several days now. But it did let up enough tonight for them all to come get their evening feed and for me to milk Sandy. She's the only doe I'm just not sure of being pregnant yet. I'm very upset with her. So I'll continue milking her til I see some signs of kids. And she's my only source of milk right now. I have a few does ready to kid in Feb.
Sherrye, how's the mom and calf? You better be careful out there.
It's STILL raining here. And I am tired! It's like walking in quick sand. And going up hill with a wheel barrow full of hay doesn't make it any easier.
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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wincrestnubians
True Blue Farmgirl
76 Posts
Jennifer
Ohio
USA
76 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2013 : 09:58:14 AM
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Kristin, I have known Linda for almost five years now, and have become good friends with her. Yes she is a diamond in the rough. She has helped me with many things over the years, through good and bad... Couldnt ask for a better friend.
I have four does bred, now three, one gave me the three I posted the other day. New Arrivals, I think its called. Feel free to check out my web page if you want to..
www.wincrestnubians.webstarts.com I am also on Facebook.
Only those with an open mind can learn from ones own mistakes. |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 22 2013 : 4:04:45 PM
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It's going to be 22 tonight. And the rest of the week in the 20's. I am so afraid Penelope will kid at night and the kids will freeze to death. I don't know why I bred for so early this year. I will not again. This is too scary. Plus I have 4 ewes due any time as well.
Jennifer, you kids are beautiful!
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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cajungal
True Blue Farmgirl
2349 Posts
Catherine Farmgirl Sister #76
Houston Area
Texas
2349 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2013 : 5:24:45 PM
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@Kris....I hope kidding goes well for you. The area I live in doesn't get that cold, so I don't know what you're going through. But, I can imagine you're a bit anxious waiting.
One of the best compliments from one of my daughters: "Moma, you smell good...like dirt." |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2013 : 6:42:55 PM
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Right now at this moment it's not that cold to me. I still see the moon and some stars. But schools all around have been closed for tomorrow due to some ice-snow-slush stuff in the morning changing to rain later in the day.
I have all the does in the barn locked up for the night and day tomorrow. I am tired of getting them all back inside the fence. I just wish they'd all have their kids and get this waiting over with. Sandy is not wanting to get on the milk stand the past few days and so I am drying her up. So that means no milk til Penelope kids. I have a friend with Jerseys so I can get milk from her til then.
So on we go here. I love playing musical animals. Seems I am doing that a lot lately.
I hope everyone else is warm and dry. have a great weekend!
Kris
Happiness is simple.
www.kris-outbackfarm.blogspot.com |
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AliciaNak
True Blue Farmgirl
405 Posts
Alicia
Elko
Nevada
USA
405 Posts |
Posted - Jan 27 2013 : 08:05:33 AM
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I'm feeling so defeated today ladies.
Nellie dropped dead on me.
She was fine on Friday, cleaned up all her grain, her usual self at milking. Yesterday morning she was not feeling well, looked like a mild case of bloat. No pooping, burping or cud chewing. No interest in food or water. Won't walk/lead much.
Got her through that, some burping and tiny interest in food but wouldn't eat any or drink.
Cold ears and droopy head, I'm thinking a case of ketosis all of a sudden, with our nasty cold weather (-20 most nights!) and then a warm snap of days into the high 30's and 40's.
And then Sunny won't stop mounting Nellie. Don't know what set her off, haven't seen any heat signs, was hoping Sunny was bred, almost time to preg check her.
So Nellie lays down and I'm thinking she's exhausted and not feeling good. Sunny won't let her lay down, or even stand in one place very long. Had rammed Nellie into the side of shed trying to mount her and making her move.
I moved Sunny to another paddock, I was afraid Sunny was going to hurt her, driving her into the ground while she was trying to lay down for a moment.
I was out there checking on her about every hour most of the night. I lay down for some sort of sleep myself, expecting to be trying to walk a cow and call the vet today.
I go out at 5 am to a dead cow.
Nellie wasn't the sick one!! She was the youngest, great breeding, AI'd to a good bull, she wasn't supposed to just up and die!
Cinnamon still isn't well, I was going to sell her as I'm pumping and dumping her milk, and just have Sunny and Nellie for now.
I'm upset. At myself. I'm out there with them all the time, what the hell happened? I'm feeling very defeated, my dream (and my beautiful dream cow).....
I'm sad. I'm shocked.
Thankx for letting me vent...
Time to pull my "big girl" pants on and go do chores.
Alicia
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.~Ralph Waldo Emmerson
www.blondenak.blogspot.com
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Barnyard Buddies: All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep) |
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All Things Dairy (Goats, Cows and Sheep)
