Free Ranging...For Real...

If you were to look inside our chicken pen this winter, you'd wonder if the grass will grow again once it's spring!  I think the lack of snow cover this winter has actually hurt the grass.  The chickens are constantly scratching and pecking at the ground, looking for that elusive worm or grub, or kernel of corn that might've been missed.  Even though it's big...50' x 60', twenty four chickens are hard on it.  It's a mess!

So, I decided to let them out.  I let them out a few hours a day when the weather is nice.


And they're thrilled! 

They have the run of the yard...

And the flower beds...
 

They scratch away all the mulch they can, looking for food underneath...
 

They're actually cleaning up around my perennials.  Just so they don't uncover the roots too much that a hard freeze harms them...

And they have the run of the garden...
 

For now.

However...they'd better not get too used to it!  When spring comes and I'm planting my garden and mulching my perennial beds, they're out of luck!  Then, the ownership of the grounds goes back to me!  I really don't want to share my garden seeds and blossoms with them.  

Sorry.

Naughty Heifers...

Heifers are notoriously curious...and notoriously head strong.

They do what they want to do...how they want to do it...and when they want to do it.  If they want something on the other side of the fence...chances are, they'll find a way to get it.

Sometimes they get this look in their eye...

And curiosity takes over...

 

One thing I didn't get a picture of, happened last night while we peacefully slept.  If only we had known what they were up to!

Somebody worked the latch open on the door to their pen.

When Jim went out to the barn this morning, the west side of the barn looked like a hurricane had blown through.  They had overturned a trash can full of bale ropes, played in them for a while, spread out what was a neat pile of sawdust, and left heifer patties as evidence of their escape!

We make a habit of closing all the gates in the barn whenever we aren't in it, to minimize damage if animals get loose/out. In the event that they do get out, they are confined to a particular area, where they can't get into things they shouldn't.

Within the last year, we had my Dad make us this small grain bin where we keep calf feed. Rather than stacking the feed bags along the side of the pen like we used to do, we dump it into this bin, and religiously keep that latch fastened...

 

Last night was the first time that the bin actually "earned it's keep"!  Jim had just dumped 100 lbs of calf grower into it last night. Had those heifers gotten into it, they would've been very, very sick this morning!

Thankfully, no harm was done.  One thing I would like to know, though...is why weren't they sleeping?  Who in the world gets up in the middle of the night, just to wreak havoc in the barn?

Fun Things To Do...

Just the other week, I was asked to share a few stories from life on the farm with a women's group at Church.  I was asking Jenna what stories I should tell, and she gave me a suggestion.  I never got it written until now, and instead read a few of my favorite older blog posts, like  "What's In A Name" and "Expect the Unexpected".  Here it is, finally...Jenna's idea, with a few of my own ideas added in.

"Fun things there are to do on the farm"

First, from the kids' perspective...

Ag bag tag... 

 

Jumping into the sawdust pile from the hay mow...

Riding dirt bike.  It's most fun with cousins, and after the corn is off there are so many more places to ride...

 

Walking in cow patties in your bare feet...  (WHO'S CHILD IS THIS?!)  I must confess, I think I did the same thing when I was a girl!!

Raising goats for 4-H...

Throwing a dead rodent at your mother...  (like I just said...WHO'S CHILD IS THIS?!) ...and laughing at her when she shrieks!

 Having air-soft wars with siblings, cousins, or friends...

And now for some of my own...

Watching the antics of the animals...especially the goats, which we had for the first time last year...

Riding in the air conditioned combine when it's 95* and humid outside, asking all sorts of questions to get info for a blog post...

Watching kitties grow up...

 

 ...and gathering eggs...

This is one job I never get tired of!

Of course there are lots more fun things to do...and of course not nearly all of the things we do are fun!  We get tired of doing the same barn chores day after day...and we wish we could go on vacation...just for a weekend!

But it's good to take time to think of the fun we can have.  We've been given a great opportunity to live and work on the farm, and we thank God for the good life we have!

And before you leave...here's an opportunity to read another blog.  4R Ranch  recently gave me a blogging award, and I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to her! 

Snow...

Here we are nearing the end of January, and we've finally had some snow! 

Overnight we had about 3" of white stuff...just enough to get out and play in... just enough to have to scrape the driveway... and just enough to chase the  wimpy chickens inside!

They were nowhere to be seen this morning when I was feeding...

Oh...there they are! All 24 of them...clucking and crowded inside their shed...
 

 

They will be outside scavenging in the coldest wind, and in the cold rain, but step onto the snow?  No chance!  Who cares that it's barely below freezing...


Silly chickens!

Bummer...

We lost something important today...

 

That line of trees that you see in the distance provides the only shade that we have in our meadow.  The trees are along the southern edge of the meadow, and are, in the summer, where the cows gather from the time they deem it too hot to be outside, until we bring them back into the barn.  They've been there for as long as we can remember.

Here is the problem...

There is a major power line that runs right through the middle of the farm that is owned by PPL, the utility company.  This winter, as part of their line maintenance, they are removing any trees that are growing within the 75' right-of-way of the power lines.  

These trees are mostly maples or oaks, and are 69' from the lines...so all but one of them needs to come down...

This morning they began cutting...and chopping debris...and sawing large branches into smaller manageable pieces.  Although we understand why they have to come down, we sure wish it didn't have to happen!  The cows won't be able to spend nearly as much time outside this summer.  :(

Thankfully, they will remove anything we don't want to keep, and they've also told us that they will replant several trees of our choice, anywhere we would like outside of the right-of-way.

It's going to look a lot different...the fort Grandpa built for the kids will look a bit odd sitting along the fence line alone.  

Here's hoping that the new trees do get planted, and that they grow quickly!

Sale Day...

This morning, Jim and I went to an Amish neighbor's sale...

This was as close as I dared to take my camera.  Well, it was in my pocket, but it stayed put!

PA Farm Show...

It's January...and that means it's time for the Pennsylvania Farm Show...

Jim and I had a not so busy day planned today, so we decided to head up to Harrisburg for the Farm Show.  It's been a few years since we've been there...

We only had a few hours, so we walked fast...or as fast as we could with the crowds.  This was one of the first things we saw...

There were definitely some educational things there.   This "cow" allows kids to see where milk actually comes from...minus the swinging tail, flying hooves and the sweet smell of manure.  :)

Of course there were lots of real animals as well.  When we walked through the sheep area, it was clear that a competition would be happening later today.  This sheep was being clipped...numerous others were being washed, and others were in their pens wearing protective "clothing" to keep them clean...

We saw some herb and veggie displays...

And this was my favorite...the Butter Sculpture...

It was in a refrigerated, glass case.  Every year it's something different.

And before we headed for home, of course we had to go to the food court for lunch.  Lots of other people had the same idea.  What would you choose...french fries, pulled pork, fish, baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, pizza, waffles and ice cream, milk shakes, mozzarella cubes, deep fried mushrooms, potato donuts, etc...

My baked sweet potato tasted great despite the crowd..and so did the potato donuts I bought to bring along home!  There might even be some left for breakfast tomorrow.

I could have taken so many more pictures...of cows, huge farm equipment,  4-H exhibits, baked goods, horses, the arenas where the judging and contests take place...but there just wasn't time to see it all.  

If you've never been to a farm show, it's a fun way to spend the day...or even an afternoon.  Just be ready to maneuver in a crowd, and take your appetite!

On another note...I was honored to receive another award..this time from Eileen at Little House Quilting.  I met Eileen a few years ago...she's a good friend of my aunt, and I met her when they both came from Colorado to visit my parents.  You should see some of the quilts and things that she makes...she's amazing!  And generous...she gifted my mother with some beautiful fabric, which Mom then turned into a huge, beautiful quilt!  Thanks Eileen!




 

Raising Calves...part 2...

The new babies are now five days old, so it's time for them to be drinking their milk out of buckets!  


I started yesterday morning.  Two of them put their heads down into their buckets like pro's, and drank every drop.  This one took a little bit of persuading to tip that head down...

This morning I got this response...

This little one put her head right in today, but she's so short, that she needed a little extra help to reach the bottom of the bucket.  She'll grow quickly, so we won't be doing this for long...
 

We like having the calves outside in the individual hutches for a couple of reasons...

First of all, they're healthier outside.  They have better ventilation and aren't sharing their germs with a pen-mate.  We can also tell how much each individual calf is eating.  If she doesn't act hungry or stops eating, we know that she's sick.

The hutches each have their own hay/feed rack.  Now that the calves are drinking from buckets, we'll offer them water buckets, hay and calf starter...
 

This calf starter is a purchased feed that is a blend of great tasting (and great smelling) feed for the youngest calves.  It has molasses in it...how could they not like it?!  We offer this to them until they're about ready to be weaned from milk completely, between seven and eight weeks old.  Then they graduate to calf grower...a step up for older calves...

These two calves are about one month old, and have been "bumped" from the individual hutches to this pen where Jenna kept her goats last summer.  They've already begun eating hay and munching a bit on their calf starter.  If it were summer time, they would have a water bowl to drink out of, but over winter we carry buckets to them instead, since the water line to the calves has been turned off to keep it from freezing...
 

If a young calf gets sick, this is often the time...around the time they get weaned to a bucket, so we'll be watching them carefully.  Any lethargy or scouring (diarrhea) warrants special attention, and if caught early, they usually recover quickly and completely. 

Raising Calves...part 1...

Raising calves is one of the most important jobs on a dairy farm.  Without healthy calves, there would be no good replacement heifers!

When a calf is born, we allow it to remain with it's mother for a short period of time.  For example, if it's born at night, it remains with her overnight until morning milking.  She spends a lot of time cleaning off her calf and getting it up and walking.  I'm always amazed at how quickly a calf is up and tottering around after birth.  Sometimes it's as soon as twenty minutes or so.

It's crucial that the cow gets plenty of water and good food, usually dry hay, as soon as possible...if she doesn't want to eat, that's the first sign of trouble.

The first thing we do to the calf after separation is spray the umbilical cord with iodine.  This disinfects the cord and helps it to dry up, preventing infection.

Next, we milk the cow and feed the calf some of her first milk, called colostrum.  It's full of nutrients that boost the calf's immune system.  We us this two quart  bottle...

Why do we separate the calves and feed them by bottle rather than letting them drink directly from the cow?


It's fine if they drink from the cow while they're together.  However, by feeding them by bottle, we know exactly how much milk they are drinking.  And as we all know, bacteria grows in damp places.  We can minimize infection in the cow's udder (mastitis) by cleaning and drying her teats thoroughly by hand before milking.  The health of the cow is very important, and we also want the milk to be of the highest possible quality.


What does a calf's diet consist of?

For the first week or so, they get only milk.  Some farmers feed calves with milk replacer, a type of formula for calves.  We used to use milk replacer, but found it to be very expensive.  So...we now use the milk that drains from the pipeline after milking to feed the calves, and have found them to be just as healthy!   We warm the milk by setting the buckets or bottles in warm water...just like you would do to a baby's bottle.

This yellow looking milk is colostrum from yesterday's fresh cows...

For the first few days, we feed the calves from a bottle.  After they're off to a good start, I'll teach them to drink from a bucket.  Sometimes that's tricky, because to drink from a bottle, they tip their head up...and to drink from a bucket they have to put their nose down.  Most of them are fast learners...some of them...well...let's just say they're a challenge!

How long do we keep the calves?

If the calf is a heifer, we hope to raise her to be a replacement heifer who joins the milking herd at age two, after the birth of her first calf.

If it's a bull, we only keep him a few days.  A bull calf is of no use to a dairy herd, since we do most of our breeding artificially, so he will be sent to market.  Occasionally we will castrate one of these bull calves and raise him as a steer for our own use or to share with friends.

As this last group of newborns is raised, I'll try to update you on what they're eating and how they're doing!

A Maternity Ward...

Apparently it's a good time to be born.  Spring January 2012...
 
For a month or so this fall we have had a couple of empty stalls in our barn.  We've been shipping less milk as a result, but have also been enjoying shortened, uncomplicated milking times and earlier supper times.


This week, that all changed.  Rather quickly.


It started last week with twins, and it's been a maternity ward ever since.  We've had to move some calves around to make room in the hutches for the new babies, which have (since the twins) all been heifers.  This hummie was moved today to the corner hutch, where she enjoyed kicking up her heels, and then settled down in the lush (in January?) green grass in the warm, near 50 degree (in January?)  sunshine...

She will likely be joined by another hummie tomorrow, because...yesterday this heifer was born...

...and this morning this one was born...

...and Rosie had a nice heifer calf just an hour or so after this picture was taken at noon...

...and 272 joined in the fun over supper time tonight!

Now for larger farms, this is a regular occurrence...six fresh cows in one week...but for us it's a bit unusual.  It will keep us busy...bottle feeding the babies, weaning them to a bucket in about a week...and making sure the mothers get off to a good start.  If a cow gets sick, it's often soon after calving, so we'll be watching them closely.


It's a regular maternity ward out there!

Winter Has Arrived...

It feels like winter's finally here...

10:00 pm

And this is warm compared to last night...and warm compared to many places that I'm glad I'm not!  This morning when we went to the barn it was only 11 degrees.   Temps inside the barn were just about perfect for milking, however, at a balmy 50 degrees...the cows keep it warm and cozy.   A few cups of steaming hot water poured over the water bowl valves opened things right up.


We've been so spoiled by our mild winter so far, that this seemed like bitter cold to me.  At least it wasn't windy like yesterday.


On another note...I was given an award by a fellow blogger the other day...

 

 

The Liebster is awarded to spotlight up and coming bloggers who currently have less than 200 followers. 

 Bees, Birds, Berries and Blooms was kind to give me this award.  I don't remember how I found her blog, but I thoroughly enjoy reading it.  I've tried to find bloggers from different parts of the country and beyond, and enjoy reading about how life is in their corner of the world.  She is from South Dakota, one of those places that is certainly colder than it was here today!  She shares a variety of posts...gorgeous scenery, gift ideas, gorgeous scenery, recipes, and did I mention gorgeous scenery?  Just click on the link above to visit her blog.


Now...I don't do well at passing on awards, but I will highlight a couple of other blogs that I especially enjoy...


Easy Living the Hard Way is one of them.  Holly is from Wyoming...another place where it's much colder than it is here...I can't imagine taking care of animals in that kind of weather!  She and her husband have quite a variety of animals, she gardens frugally, can make just about anything and some of her posts remind me of Little House on the Prairie. 


Another one that I enjoy reading is Window On the Prairie.  Suzanne and her husband live in Kansas.  I'm not sure how cold it is there right now, but I suspect the wind is blowing!  If you stop and visit her, you will likely read about their cattle, savory recipes ( I love her molasses oatmeal bread ), the adventures of Kitty, and you won't be disappointed by her beautiful photography.

Teresa, from  Eden Hills   lives on a farm in Iowa.   (and I knew it was going to be cold here this week, because we get her leftover weather, almost always!)   She teaches full time as well as running her farm...caring for her herd of goats and many other animals...and gardening...and making goats milk soap and much more.   I feel very lazy after reading her posts!  :)




So...grab a cup of hot chocolate and check out these blogs for some interesting reading.  And keep warm...I hope it's warm enough for you wherever you are.


It's to be in the 40's here tomorrow, and this fair weather fan is looking forward to it!

Happy New Year 2012...

Here we are again, January 1...  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It doesn't seem like all that long ago that I was traipsing out behind the barn on New Years Day morning with my camera to take a picture of the first sunrise of 2011.

I didn't have the luxury of a leisurely morning like that today...Sunday mornings here are a bit hectic.  Usually, Jim and I get up and get started with the milking and feeding, and the kids come out a little later to help with bedding up and calves before we all run for the shower and shovel in some breakfast before Church.  It's hectic but do-able.

Yesterday we had my family's big Christmas get together, and the cousins had a sleepover afterwards on our living room floor.  Of course they wanted to stay up to see the New Year in, so this morning it was a little harder to roll out of bed and head to the barn.  They did, though, and we made it to Church with a few minutes to spare.

Then we all gathered at my parents' house this afternoon for one last family meal before we had to begin scattering.  It could be a year until we're ALL together again...(but hopefully not!) Two families live out of state, and with young adult cousins who now have college and work schedules to juggle, our time together is limited.

We did manage to get a picture of us four milkmaids girls this afternoon...

It was a great way to welcome the new year today...how did you celebrate?