Crunch Time...

Yesterday was crunch time.

On Monday, Jim had mowed the rye  fields, and was trying to decide whether to bale the rye at high moisture, or chop it for in the silo...

The forecast was for rain yesterday, with the possibility of showers in the morning, and more rain in the afternoon.  The sky was already looking threatening, and Jim was determined to get the rye in without it getting wet.  After weighing the options, the decision was made to bale.

So...yesterday during morning milking, Jim headed out to rake the rye into windrows. Now we needed to wait for the round baler to arrive.  Many farmers do not own all of the equipment that is needed in the farming operation, but hire in custom work for some things, such as harvesting.  In this case, a local Amishman owns this round baler and wrapper.  He was busy yesterday!

This baler would normally be pulled by a team of six horses or mules, but since we are "English", we are permitted to pull it with a tractor, which Jim is driving.  The platform the Amishman is standing on holds the diesel engine, which powers the baler through a PTO shaft.  He rides on the platform, and when the bale is complete, he yells for Jim to stop, and pulls a lever which opens the back of the baler, and the bale rolls out...

(just pretend that picturesque tower isn't right behind the baler!)

Because the rye was baled at high moisture, after the baling was finished, each bale needed to be wrapped tightly in plastic to keep out any oxygen and to cure properly. 

I enjoy watching this process...the bales are scooped up and placed on the platform to be wrapped.  The bales spins and rotates until it is completely covered with plastic...

...and then it is lowered into it's resting place in the great "marshmallow" line...awaiting consumption by those hungry cows and heifers!

We are very thankful, that the rain held off until this particular job was finished.  The sun actually came out in the afternoon, and other than strong winds, we ended up with a beautiful day...the rain held off until this morning.   Now we will wait for about two weeks until the rye bales have cured, and will hopefully have some good forage for the cows and heifers to eat!

I'm linking up today with Farm Friend Friday and Farm Girl Friday

Rye...

Just a week or so ago, I posted about the rye field that we were planning to section off for the cows to graze to their hearts' content. 

 They spent several days grazing, but then the rains came...and then it rained some more...and some more...

Sometimes things just don't go as planned.  The ground was too soft and wet for more grazing...and now it's time to be thinking about planting corn.  So... the rye needs to come off.  We've had to resort to Plan B...or is it Plan C?

Today Jim mowed the rye.  It will either be chopped and put into the silo at the other farm for the dry cows and heifers, or baled at high moisture into round bales.  The final result will depend on how much more rain we get this week.

Jim is quite pleased that the thirty five year old Haybine worked like a charm!   

As he was mowing, a fox went running through the field...but he was too fast for my camera!

The newly mowed field...

Now we just need to wait and see what the weather holds...several sunny, warm days would be quite welcomed!!

More Kids...

It's just been a few days since we've expanded our horizons into the goat world, but so far it's been going well.  The "kids" have been adjusting to their new surroundings and the dogs have become resigned to the fact that they aren't getting all the attention anymore!  Snickers lays outside the pen with her backside towards the goats.  I guess that's her way of saying, "I know they're here to stay, but I don't have to like it!"

Of course they're still a novelty, so the camera has been busy.

Don't you know?  Hay tastes much better if you climb into the rack to eat it...

Eating from the back side of the rack also makes it taste better...

The hay rack/feeding station we have was originally intended for calves, and it's much too high for the kids to reach the feed box.  So...my Dad made a little stand out of scrap wood for the goats to stand on. It worked a little too good, however.  Now they think that standing inside the box is fun!  We had to move the rack away from the fence, because acrobatic walking along the wide rail on top of the fence would have been just too tempting...



We've been enjoying getting to know the kids these past couple of days.  Their very distinct personalities are beginning to show...  I wonder what they think of us?   Do they like us?  Do they think we do crazy things?  One can only wonder...

New Kids on the Block...

Well, we've done it...we've become goat owners...or at least Jenna has!

Yesterday afternoon, we picked up her two Boer goat kids and brought them home to their new pen.  When she got off the bus after school, she saw that the pen was no longer empty, dropped her violin and her backpack on the porch, and went running!  Finally!

We've already learned a few things...

Goats can get out of almost any kind of pen if they so choose!  Over and over again!

(thanks to Eric for some last minute pen-reinforcement!)

They eat sticks!

They love company!

They are irresistably cute!

The dogs are quite jealous...especially Murphy!

We've got LOTS more to learn.  The goats are Jenna's 4-H project.  She will be responsible for their care and training, and will show them at the West Lampeter Fair in late September.  For now, though, we're just enjoying getting to know them and watching their amusing antics...

This is April...

...and this is Chuckles...

How could anyone resist those cute faces?!!

So...we are now not only married to the cows, but to the dogs, the chickens, the cats, and now the goats as well!

I'm linking up again to Farm Friend Friday and Farm Girl Friday. 

Herd Check...

One of the things that is important to successful dairy farming is overall herd health management. 

We do a lot of diagnosing and treating of minor problems on our own...Jim gives medications  through injection, orally, or through IV when necessary...we do our own vaccinating, and he can usually diagnose things like a twisted stomach by listening to the cow's rumen with a stethoscope.

One valuable asset that we do use, however, is our veterinarian.  Jim can call him for advice, or have him come out to check on an animal when necessary...and one of the vets is always on call for after hours emergencies.

There are some things that we aren't able to do.. so we have a regularly scheduled "herd check".   During herd check, the vet will normally do pregnancy checks and "GYN" exams on cows.  It's also a great time to ask questions, stock up on meds or have him examine an animal that's not doing well.

Here, Jim is getting ready for herd check this morning.  He's checking the Herdex for cows that have been bred at least 40-42 days, which is when we choose to check them for pregnancy.  He will also have the vet check cows that have been fresh for over 60 days that haven't yet shown a heat.  The vet can tell if they are cycling normally or if they are "cystic" (have a cyst on their ovaries)

Below is the Herdex chart...Each cow has her own line on the chart.  The AI technician puts a green X on the date that she is bred.  When her green X reaches the second green line from the right, it has been 42 days since she's been bred.  If she is confirmed pregnant, the box is colored in solid purple.  It's a great way to keep records!

This is Dr. Ellis, the vet that we see most often on our farm.  He is checking this cow to see if she's cycling normally after freshening.  He does pregnancy checks in a similar fashion...he can feel the uterus with (hopefully) an embryo the size of a marble inside if she's pregnant. 

His truck is stocked with supplies and medications...if we need anything we get it from him before he leaves.

Then, when he's finished, he disinfects his boots and is on to the next farm.

This is just one more aspect of life on the farm...it takes working together to keep the animals healthy and the dairy running smoothly.

*Coming soon..."New Kids on the Block"...Jenna's 4 - H goats arrived today...it's already been an adventure!

Milking Time...

It seems like every time we turn around, it's milking time!

It's routine for us...and sometimes we get asked questions about milking that we never really thought about much before.

Today we were over visiting our neighbor before evening milking, and he asked: "How long does it take to milk a cow?"  I had to think about that for a bit...and guessed that it's probably around five minutes per cow, on average.  Then we headed out to the barn, and I decided to time a few cows just to see if I was right...

Here, Jim is washing off "the Twin", preparing her for the milker.  We wash and dry each cow's teats with an individual, biodegradable paper towel.  The end of the teat needs to be clean and dry in order to keep the milk clean and to prevent infection from entering the udder.  The stimulation of washing her also causes the cow to "let down" her milk.

Now the milker is on "the Twin"...and I've started watching the clock, just to see...

She's a good milking cow, about 120 days into her fourth lactation. (She's had her fourth calf)  

When the milker came off, I looked at the clock.  Five minutes and ten seconds!

She's likely milking around eighty pounds per day...but we don't know for sure, since we don't weigh the milk individually for each cow.  The herd as a whole is averaging seventy pounds per day, per cow.

I timed a few other cows as well...and came up with milking times anywhere from four + minutes to seven + minutes for a new first calf heifer who milks out hard (and who kicks the milker off whenever she's tired of it!) 

It's interesting what little details we learn from the questions we are asked, so go ahead and ask... 'll try to find an answer!

After the Rain is Gone...

After the rain is gone everything's new...

The sun comes out and the sky is blue...

Birds take wing from their hiding place...

And would you believe that it's God's grace...

These are the beginning lyrics to a song that I used to know word for word...by an old local Christian rock group called Daybreak.

For those of you who are familiar with the group, I guess I'm showing my age!   I can't remember the rest of the lyrics...and google didn't help me with this one...but those first two lines just about sum up today!  After several long, dreary, rainy days...

Today was breath taking!  Thanks God...we needed that!

I'm linking to Farm Friend Friday and Farm Girl Friday, sponsored by Verde Farm and Dandelion House.  Stop by for some more interesting reading!

1886 Barn...

The barn over at the other farm, where we keep our dry cows and bred heifers, was built 125 years ago, in 1886.

It's a beautiful barn...and serves it's purpose well.  But as we all know, buildings need upkeep.  Several years ago, the family had the barn repainted, and Jim had some repairs done to reinforce the barn floor where the hay wagons back in and out and are stored when they're not in use.

Over the winter, Jim noticed that the foundation wall on the north side of the barn was in disrepair.  The combination of age, and of cows rubbing against the stones had loosened many of the stones, and they began to fall out.  Something needed to be done to reinforce the wall before it got any worse.

On the morning the men came to do the repairs to the wall, I fully intended to get over to take some before pictures.  But they were too fast...by the time I finished up with my work at home and headed over, they were done!

Here's a shot of the end of the south wall to give you an idea of what the north wall looked like...

This is the finished north wall...they pressure washed the wall...then sprayed wet cement over the stones to create a solid wall of concrete.  This process, called shotcreting, should last for years to come!



This is the finished end of the north wall.  We wrote the family name and year in the wet cement...

We're pleased with the results!  Jim cleaned away the mess, and the cows were kept out of this side of the barn while the concrete had time to dry.  When they were allowed back in, they were a bit skeptical...cows like things to be the same, and this definitely looked different.  But after a short time, they've adjusted quite well to their "newly remodeled " accomodations!

I'm linking up to Farm Friend Friday, and Farm Girl Friday, sponsored by Verde Farm and Dandelion House!

* If your comments don't appear today, please be patient...I'm having computer issues at home!  Thanks! 



Cows + Rye = ....

Last week  I posted some pictures of the cows going out onto the rye field for the first time this spring.  They were beside themselves with excitement...yes cows can get excited!  They enjoyed several hours of grazing before we brought them back into the barn.

Then the rain came...

The ground became too soft to let them out.  Their hooves would have made horrible tracks in the meadow and rye field, destroying the tender new growth.  So...they were forced to be patient.

This is what they have to look forward to when it dries off...



Jim seeded this field of rye in the fall with two things in mind.  First of all it's a cover crop; it helps to prevent erosion and puts valuable nutrients back into the soil.  Second, we can graze the cows on it this spring until it's time to plant corn.  At that time, the corn will be no-tilled into the ground.

For now, he will section the field off into small areas where the cows will graze on a rotating basis.  I guarantee you...there will be no complaining from them on this arrangement!

Neither will there be complaints from the farmers!  After two short days of grazing on the rye, the volume of milk in the tank had increased by an average of four pounds per cow, per day!

COWS + RYE = MILK  !!

There's a Chicken in My Laundry Room...

"They're establishing their pecking order!"

I'm sure you've heard that saying before...but once you've seen chickens in action, it takes on new meaning...

A few weeks ago, we acquired three Americauna hens that lay beautiful, pale green eggs.  At first I thought the chickens themselves were nothing much to look at, but now, after a few weeks, they've grown on me!  I like their personalities!  They're rather shy, and hang out together, away from the "oldies", taking their dust baths at the far side of the pen and cleaning up the leftovers when I toss goodies over the fence. 

And it's no wonder!

As chickens adjust to newcomers, establishing their pecking order is just what it sounds like.  They will peck, squawk and chase away "anyone" they think doesn't belong.  And...if they draw blood, they will continue to peck until the injured bird is mortally wounded.

Thus, the chicken in my laundry room...

I fed the chickens yesterday morning before breakfast, and at lunch time checked the nesting boxes again for eggs.  I found this poor chicken injured from being pecked in the face. 

Now...anyone who knows me well, knows that as much as I love animals, I don't want them in my house.  But...this chicken deserved some special attention.  We put her in a box with clean straw, water and feed, and brought her into the laundry room overnight.  This afternoon I checked her out, and saw that her face was dried and beginning to heal, so I cautiously re-introduced her to the chicken pen. 

After milking tonight I checked her again, and she's doing fine.  No fresh injuries, and she was settled into a nesting box for the night.  We'll watch her closely, and separate her again if we need to, but I'm hoping for the best...I really don't care for chickens in my laundry!

Maybe tomorrow I'll even find another beautiful green egg!