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maryjane
7072 Posts
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 Posted - Feb 15 2019 : 4:17:31 PM
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I know. It isn't Monday yet but I've written off so many HJO days thus far, I might as well write off this coming weekend.
So, happy Monday! (a couple days early:) In case I forget. Or in case I end up doing nothing but shoveling sh#@ and sn@* We've been getting buried in non-stop snow and are running out of places to put it all.
My girls are bored out of their minds with so few places to go.
"Hey, Maybelle want to walk to the office water cooler one more time with me?"
And poor Maggie hangs by the door of the parlor hoping I'll still come and milk her (it's been 7 days since I started drying her off.)
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 05:12:27 AM
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Happy Snow Days!
We have had so. Much. Snow. Like MaryJane said. We do have a crazy orange farm kitty that doesn’t mind the snow at all!
And my view from the cow barn ... thankful for my 4-seater side-by-side that goes through all the snow!
It’s been a challenge to keep our driveway open but we’ve succeeded!
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I do have a question here. I AI’d both my cows in January. It was a last ditch effort after a very rough fall due to family needs, specifically my daughter’s medical needs. So yes I realized it would mean a very late fall calving which isn’t ideal but life hasn’t been ideal. I drew blood on day 28 and Clover needs a recheck next week but is looking promising. I’m hoping her hormone levels continue to climb. However, sweet Betsy is still open! This was her third AI, but first with a CIDR. I no longer have a live bull here on the farm. Clover was AI’d with his straws (We collected before butchering). Betsy was AI’d with Guernsey sexed semen the first two times and with a British White semen the third time (thinking a beefier calf would be raised for meat and give us more meat. My question is what can I do to help Betsy settle? If we try again, I’m thinking about waiting so the calf would be born in spring and not the middle of winter. I can easily use straws from Tony but I’m concerned that Betsy isn’t settling. Any advice for me? The cows have grass hay, wicks minerals, Redmond salt, fresh water from their barbarA waterers and have the best shelter they’ve ever had in the new barn! I’m still milking both of them but Betsy gives me only about a gallon a day. Suggestions??
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Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 06:56:07 AM
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Good morning Charlene! Hopefully, Clover took. Didn't you say your heifer took quite easily? Annabelle? That's a pretty good record for AI. I think Janet has had to try as many as five times. Try, try, and then try again seems to be the AI protocol for backyard cow keeping. AI on a dairy is different. Things are more mechanized in general and they don't keep their cows for as many cycles, etc. In other words, I can't think of any suggestions for how to help Betsy settle other than something to help you endure the uncertainty, hassle, and expense of it:) Any ideas? Spa day for mom? Do you have WSU doing your AI? With your new barn, perhaps you could come to terms with calving whenever you can get it. Or waiting. I know that part is hard. It's nice to map it all out. An onsite bull facilitates that better than AI in my experience. The woman from Montana who is providing a home for M'lady, Ester Lily, and Sophie (plus a couple other cows) is talking about a bull because of how much effort AI has turned into for her small operation.
For those reasons, I'm in the business of bulls. I have a package of Samson burger thawing for this weekend and even though he was close to 6 years old, his hamburger is the best there is. So that's five years of keeping (plus quite a few easy pregnancies) as opposed to five years of AI hassle. Plus, I've just recently discovered that a bull, well, Ian at any rate, does just fine when kept alone. In fact, having a steer in with him kept him riled up somehow. He's adjacent to Buttercup and O’Mally and seems perfectly fine living alone in his own apartment shelter/summer pasture. I'm thinking a bull doesn't need to be harvested for seven, maybe eight years. Maybe I'll try for 10 and let you know how vital he remains as well as what harvesting him gives us. I'm also thinking that since I'm in the business of milk and meat for my family and a few milk customers, I'm not opposed to putting Buttercup in with him when her time comes this June/July (he's Buttercup's sire). There's a stigma to that when you're trying to sell a heifer, but it isn't a problem if your goal is milk and/or meat.
And lastly, in order to keep Betsy's milk up, you could give her a bit of alfalfa hay or alfalfa pellets every day. In addition, she'll be getting the calcium she needs to be productive. I'm not sure a cow in production can get enough calcium from minerals or just grass hay. Maybe. My two first-time heifers Maybelle and Lizzy are due to calve in April. I noticed that both Daisy and Maggie had beads of moisture on their noses any time I looked at them--a sign of adequate calcium according to Dr. Parish (that I witnessed first hand when Anna went down with milk fever; as soon as he gave her an IV of calcium, sweats beads started to appear on her nose). Daisy and Maggie were getting alfalfa hay once per day plus a scoop of alfalfa pellets during milking (and about half a scoop of grain). So I started giving Maybelle and Lizzy a small flake of alfalfa hay twice per day early in their pregnancy and it worked--wet noses (beads of sweat whenever I checked). |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 08:17:49 AM
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Good morning! Snow here too, and more to come this afternoon and tomorrow. We've been in the single digits and currently at 10 degrees. The cows/steers have frosted whiskers.  It's not been enjoyable for them I'm sure. They're all wearing good heavy winter coats. They take advantage of the sun when it shines.  Thankful for the greenery inside of the greenhouse, a break from the snow and cold outside.  Hope all goes well with your AI Charlene. Even knowing that the percent of success with AI and dairy cows are only about 40%, it works for us and our little operation. We are still milking Darla, she is giving 1.5 gal. I intend to dry her at the end of the month. So now I'm enjoying work on the house. Catching up on some reading and waiting for spring, gardens, calves and whatever else comes along. Have a good day ladies. Oh, a really neat book, Gardening with Chickens, by Lisa Steele, I think you would enjoy it. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 10:25:27 AM
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Enjoying today's snow pics, kitty cat, oasis greenhouse, and cuddled-up cows, everyone wearing their finest winter coats.
Layla has a super thick coat and prefers outside over inside. She frolics in the snow so much I've watched her jump straight up into the air, dive into a pile of snow and then roll around after. She's covered in tiny snow balls stuck to her hair along her tummy and the backs of her legs.
It's snowing again, big, lovely flakes. Because of the depth of the snow, Nick and I are no longer wheelbarrowing our loads of straw/manure to a particular place. Although before the snow started to pile too high, we did get most of our roadway mulched.
Here's our growing pile in the distance, nothing the tractor can't handle come spring.
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 10:44:53 AM
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I love the cover shot on Gardening with Chickens, Janet. That girl owns that pathway.
Here's what we're all reading. I heard it's the best-selling book worldwide in the last decade. Meg LOVED it. Stella started it right after Megan and she's almost finished.
For contrast to our snow pics, the Raes fit in a trip to Hawaii. Lucas' brother lives in Hawaii (with a wife named Megan) and their three children, so The Raes paid them a visit. Lucas' parents (who moved within 30 miles of us so they could see the grand girls more), flew there with them. The photos Megan sent were gorgeous.
Here's Mia about to be greeted by a sea turtle.
Perfectly clear water and beaches for swimming.
And the place where they stayed.
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 10:47:52 AM
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| Layla looks like she is in her element. It's fun to watch the dog's antics at play in the snow. Ranger wants to stay out much longer than what I want to stay out. He still wants to fetch ball but it's so cold I can only stand it for a short bit. So glad they enjoy it. 6 more inches predicted tonight into tomorrow and then more on Weds. Wouldn't it be grand if they were wrong. Oh well, think of the moisture our spring plants will have. What a welcome respite from the winter weather for the Rae's. Looks pretty inviting. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
Edited by - NellieBelle on Feb 16 2019 10:51:25 AM |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 1:11:37 PM
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Thank you for your advice, MaryJane. I think I’ll go ahead and try AI on Betsy another time, this time using CIDR and Tony’s straws. At this point, I don’t feel comfortable keeping a live bull here on our farm. I have a gal who is helping me with the AI process (she’s very experienced with it all) and I’m learning how to place the CIDR. I already pull it and give the necessary shots. This way the expense is lessened and I don’t have to haul my girls over to WSU each time.
I’ll add alfalfa hay to their diet today as we already have some for my goats. MaryJane, how much do you give each cow each day?
We bought a large feeder (new to us) and hauled it a few hundred miles this week inbetween snow storms. Hopefully it will cut down on hay waste! The littles eat out of the tray on one side while Betsy and Clover munch from the other side.
Last month I made the difficult decision to sell my BlueBelle. It was one of those hard farm decisions but it was made so much easier as a vet student who helps me out on the farm bought her! BlueBelle was AI’d last fall and it took first try but she miscarried a couple months later. BlueBelle is being boarded here til late spring and the plan is to try to AI her before she moves.
I have just a few more weeks til goat kidding starts up. This year I only have eight does expecting as last year was a bit much for me to handle. |
Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 2:02:32 PM
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My three pregnant cows (all of them due in April) get a 4 to 6 inch flake once/day of straight alfalfa hay (the width depends on how it pulls apart). Daisy, who is still giving me 2+ gallons/day (I dried off her problematic front quarter) gets a healthy 4-inch flake (probably more like 6) every evening plus the alfalfa pellets and bit of grain she gets every morning during milking. All of them get grass hay twice/day.
I forgot about your flower theme with Clover; BlueBelle, not Annabelle. I was close.
I do think about trying my hand at AI in the future. I have all the gear and a tank full of semen. Maybe by the time July rolls around and I start thinking about getting Daisy pregnant again, I will give it a try. After all, I did take WSU's three-day course. But for now, I have such a nice set-up for keeping a bull, that seems easier than embarking on AI. He loads in the trailer super easy and once a year I run him down to Lewiston for a hoof trim and trich test. While he's on the table, I give him his annual vaccinations. Given we all milk cows every day, you know how inviting a routine can be. Well, I have a bull routine that has worked for many years and I suppose it could be said, I do that rut pretty well. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 4:11:47 PM
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| MaryJane, I was wondering if you are familiar with products from Standlee. I see they have organic alfalfa and alfalfa pellets. From Kimberly, ID. I haven't compared the products next to Modesto, but wondered if you have tried them. https://standleeforage.com/products/organic-alfalfa-pellets |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
Edited by - NellieBelle on Feb 16 2019 4:12:41 PM |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 16 2019 : 5:29:35 PM
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| Yes, I used to buy grass hay from Standlee until I found a better, more local source. I think pellets are a new thing for them. I'll have to check it out. How handy would that be for me. Thank you so much! There's a Standlee dealer only a half hour away. |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 17 2019 : 03:36:53 AM
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| Enjoyed watching your thorough videos for prepping and milking your cow gals. Very nice. I think it will be a valuable help to anyone wanting to know how to prepare for milking and maitenance of parlor. Thank you for all that you do. A lot of work went into making all those videos and it's much appreciated. I know I could improve on some of my routine. Always tweaking. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 17 2019 : 06:55:15 AM
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Yes, always tweaking. The beauty of that is the satisfaction that comes from making your system more and more efficient and consequently more joyful over time. Milking a cow has plenty of moving parts, ups and downs, and hiccups that keep us on our toes, that I do know. But those buckets of milk sure do satisfy, right down to a person's very core.
Here's a work-around you'll appreciate, not in the cow realm, but plant realm. Many years ago, I brought home five hydrangea "snow ball" bushes. They're 7 to 8 feet tall now and by far hardier than any of my other hydrangeas. I looked and looked online to figure out what variety of hydrangea they are so I could buy more of them they're so awesome. Unlike all my others, they never need watering (some of my hydrangeas need to be watered every couple days--their roots must be one inch below the surface), the leaves turn a brilliant red color every fall, and in the spring they are loaded, just loaded in white snowballs twice the size of my fist--my kind of care-free landscaping plant. But, I couldn't find all their traits specifically in anything I looked up. Oak-leaf hydrangea comes close, but yet not. Mine are better. So. On a whim one day last summer, I clipped several branches, stuck them in water, and put them on my kitchen counter for a bit of greenery to admire, changing the water weekly. The leaves never did tire out. About four months into my "bouquet", I started to see little white roots and a couple of them actually bloomed while in water. A month ago, I went to my garden shed, found some potting soil and planted all ten of them in pots. Guess what? One of them surprised me again last week with white blooms! And there are new little red buds showing up on all of them.
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 17 2019 : 08:56:35 AM
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| Good morning MaryJane. Yes the milk is awesome and so is the getting things worked out so that it's easy to manage. (or easier). Oh your hydrangeas would excite me so, as I love taking cuttings and getting things to start from the mother plant. You did good! How very pleasing to see. My house is fast getting full of flats of this and flats of that. Last night we really got the snowfall, and it continues. More scooping and getting dug out again. It's quite beautiful though and the temperature is up to 22 which feels so good. Nellie isn't convinced at all, but the other gals don't seem to pay any mind. The grove is so pretty. I love walking through it when we get a good snow. Just breathtaking. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
Edited by - NellieBelle on Feb 17 2019 09:01:26 AM |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 17 2019 : 6:45:31 PM
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Our temps are supposed to get down into the single digits tonight and tomorrow night. I gave my chickens a heat lamp and the girls extra straw.
What trees are in your grove, Janet? Pine?
Charlene, I've been thinking about your hay waste comment. In our main feed bunk my girls noses can push a little bit back into the area that I feed from, but it isn't very much. Every couple of days, I rake it up and feed it back to them since it hasn't gotten soiled. And they can't pull any out to where they're standing. In the photos in the link below, you can see some hay on the ground where we feed from but that's mostly from me dropping some and then the little bit they push with their noses. Hence, the rake. Our answer to rein in the waste culprit has to do with the galvanized pipe that runs above the bridge of their noses (if you look close, several photos show the pipe). In the end, nary a blade of greenery is lost in our main bunk where the girls eat.
https://www.heritagejersey.org/chatroom/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=39392
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 18 2019 : 07:53:00 AM
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Good morning! All kinds of trees MaryJane, in answer to your question. Pines, oaks, crabapple, fruit trees, and a pine grove to the west. Just so pretty when covered in snow. .jpg?v 18842742) Winter Wonderland.  More snow on it's way. Don't need it, but it's coming anyway. Heading north to Dr. P and hoping for good roads. Enjoy your day! |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 18 2019 : 2:31:50 PM
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On the way back from doing the chores, feeding the animals, I managed to get my snow angel made.  And was able to get back up out of the snow. Smiling. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 18 2019 : 3:20:01 PM
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Home safe home and with a bit of time to play. I don't think I've made a snow angel in years. 'Bout time I follow your lead.
Many a great poet found inspiration in a grove of trees. Such amazing creatures, trees. I can almost hear the muted silence of your snow covered walk. Look up Judi Dence's tree crusade/passion that aired recently on PBS.
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MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 18 2019 : 4:26:16 PM
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| Thank You MaryJane! I will do that. I love Judi Dench. I will see if I can bring it up on IPTV Passport and watch it. Just watched the weather and it looks like we are to get another 8" of snow, so bye-bye snow angel. May have to do a repeat. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 19 2019 : 08:15:25 AM
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| Good morning! Enjoyed watching Judi Dench: My Passion For Trees. I couldn't find it in it's entirety, but found some in a few different places. I too have a passion for trees, especially oaks. It was instilled in me from early childhood by my dad. So he comes to mind when I walk amongst them. The two pictures above, each one of those trees were planted there by us. When I first moved here, nary a tree on the place except some large walnut trees out front of our house, and the pine grove out west. Plus some cedars that surround the north and west sides of our house. The trees down south, as well as bushes were all planted by us through the years. Most in the first two three years after I purchased the place, before I married, and the rest followed. A peaceful haven for sure, for animals and us. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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CloversMum
3486 Posts
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Posted - Feb 19 2019 : 2:12:03 PM
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Hello,
Thank you MaryJane for your helpful links to your milking videos and the feeding set up. I had originally wanted to build something; but, hubby found the metal hay feeder, he wanted to go that route. We will see what happens.
My cows are now getting daily alfalfa flakes along with alfalfa pellets mixed in with their chow at milking time. No change yet in their production but we are having incredibly cold weather with more snow forecasted. So if I can keep them at the same level of milk production, I’ll consider it a success.
Here’s Clover’s nose ... wet! So perhaps enough calcium now?
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Loving life and family on our Idaho farm, Meadowlark Heritage Farm; A few Jersey cows; a few alpacas; a few more goats, and even more ducks and chickens |
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maryjane
7072 Posts
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Posted - Feb 20 2019 : 07:00:08 AM
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And just like you would one of your children, Charlene, take a towel and wipe that adorable nose of Clover's off and then watch to see if tiny sweat beads form. It's easy to confuse a licked or recently submersed-in-drinking-water nose with the wet Dr. Parish pointed out. It's a certain kind of wet we're after. Dr. Parish wiped Anna's nose to demonstrate the sweat bead principle to me.
Janet, my father was a tree planter also. Once our place had all the trees it could hold, he planted them in nearby parks and neighbors' yards. I think trees that we plant from seedlings and wait 20 years to behold, know us, and communicate with us in a language that isn't English. Plus, when you hug a tree or sit back and lean against one, you're grounding (Dr. Koniver's go-to for fixing inflammation issues).
Snowing here. Nick and I have our version of a Dr. P visit today. And a milk delivery.
How's your attic coming along? |
MaryJane Butters, author of Milk Cow Kitchen ~ striving for the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain ~ |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 20 2019 : 07:59:42 AM
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| The trees do become like family. You nurture and care for them for years, watch them go through good times and bad as it shapes the tree and gives it the unique character it has. Nothing more comforting, sitting at the bottom of a tree you planted years ago and just enjoying the scenery. I am getting my share of grounding in. Now for warmer temps and not 2ft. of snow. Had to dig out the BarBarA, completely covered and the steers couldn't find it. It took us a while to locate it too, but finally did and got it scooped out so they can get a drink now. Probably have to do it again the way it's snowing and blowing. You two be safe on your way to and from your Dr. Attic is coming along, slowly. He is ready to tape and finish walls, but working on all the bookcases first. Lots to do yet. And he started a new job so will only be here once or twice a week. |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 24 2019 : 05:20:34 AM
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Beauty can still be found, even in blizzard warning.  Good morning all! 9 degrees, wind blowing, still in blizzard warning, and just beginning to get light enough to see what's what. Things are buried, roads are blocked, so it's dig out time, again. Need to check on all the animals. Enjoy the day! |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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NellieBelle
11214 Posts
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Posted - Feb 24 2019 : 07:17:20 AM
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Just back inside from doing chores. Takes a bit longer. No sense scooping until it quits blowing, which they say will be this evening around 6:00 p.m. Animals are all okay. Carried water to steers as the BarBarA is covered and will have to be found and dug out again. Going to have to build a wind break around that one. Other than deep snow and wind blowing, not so bad. Just have to wait the storm out.  Drifts are the worst, trying to walk through them to get to animals. .jpg?v 48453236) Path to horses. .jpg?v 5437171) |
To laugh is human but to moo is bovine. Author Unknown |
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Week of Feb. 18, 2019
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