Greetings everyone! Sorry I have not be writing as often, but with no internet at Six Mile, it's a bit tough to keep caught up. It is what it is. :)
This time I thought I'd back up just a hair and explain a bit more about our calving routine. Each ranch certainly has their own ideas, methods and environment to work with, but so far, this has been working for us. It is certainly labor intensive and I'm exceeding jealous of our neighbors sandy south facing slopes, but we have to work with what we have. Soon enough we'll be able to climb back aboard our horses......
Ideally when a cow starts show signs of calving, she
is put in to her own pen. Here she is monitored to be sure the calf is
born as it should be, and then is strong and healthy. We actually help a
very small percentage of them, and our main reason for putting them in to pens
is to provide a clean environment for the birth. We can
also be very sure that the baby is being mothered properly. Once we are
positive that the calf is strong and vigorous, the calf is tagged and the pair
is put into another pen with the other pairs. From here, we pull out the
strongest pairs to go to Three Circle and they go into a big pasture there.
Eli takes a trailer load down every morning as he goes down to feed and
there will eventually be more than 300 pairs there. During our busiest
periods, he will often have to take several loads in a day.
If there is any sort of problem suspected with any pair, they are
kept at Six Mile. This could be anything from a weaker calf to a
mother with too much milk for her baby to take yet. (The milk can spoil
in the udder and ruin it.)
During calving season, and actually most of the year, the cows
having either their first calf or their second calf are kept separate from the
main herd. The reason for this is that they are still young and growing
themselves and need extra feed and monitoring to be sure they are keeping up to
being new mommas. The first calvers are often the ones that might need
assistance with the birthing process as well.
Breakfast of champions.
So our morning routine...
The first lot of cows cows go into the feed pen at first light
(currently around 7). We use a 'time feeding' system, where each group gets a specific amount of time 'free choicing on round bales in feeders' during the day.
Big ranchers breakfast (eggs, homemade sausage, hash browns.....)
around 8.
Shortly after, everyone wanders out and first priority is to go
through all of the pairs, get everyone up and make sure they are having, or
have had a good breakfast. We are very conscious of anything not able to
take on all of their mothers milk, as being off their feed is often the first
sign of sickness. Or perhaps momma just has too much milk and that is
noted as well.
The milk cows are let in with their orphan babies (all those extra
twins!).
Good old Black Velvet, with Roy and Itsy Bitsy Betsy.
Any cow or cows that have too much milk or a 'bad bag' is put in
the chute for Sizzle the Hired Hand to have breakfast on. Sizzle is an
older orphaned calf that we got from our neighbor at the beginning of the
season.
All the calves born the day before and during the night are
written down (carefully noting their location) and the mommas let out to feed.
We then usually sort off a load of pairs for Eli to take to Three
Circle and he heads off for the day. It can take him easily all day to
feed and do chores, especially if any calves are getting sick.
By now it is probably around 10, so the cows in the feed pen are
swapped for the second group.
As soon as possible, all the tags are made up and organized and
calves identified with their mommas number and their personal RFID button.
A real selfie! I'm heading out with my carpenters belt and hand full of bagged tags.
Of course in the middle of this all, there are many other bits and
pieces to be taken in. Other cows calving, perhaps a calf needing help
for his first nurse, checking waterers, rolling out bales for the meadow group, cleaning pens, sorting for those
animals nearest calving, filling hay feeders, perhaps doctoring a sick calf,
sorting for another load to go to Three Circle, filling water tubs and occasionally assisting with a birth.
Sometimes we are done our first round by 11, and sometimes it is
more like 2 before we get in for lunch. Ideally there is time now for a
nap, especially if someone had an extra long night shift.
After lunch, any pens not cleaned in the morning get done, and new
shavings put out as necessary. We then start the process of putting all
the mommas back with their newly tagged babies and making sure they are once
again vigorous and nursing well. Those that pass the test get moved into
the bigger pens with the other pairs. Anything needing help or more
monitoring is left in again.
Bree has an odd habit of doing complete inspections of every calf, from ears to tail. Ting is overseeing the process.
By 5:30 or so, the milk cows have started to voice their
displeasure at their full milk bags and the orphans are frantically agreeing to
help with that. So the evening barn chores begin. Sometimes that
is fairly quick and sometimes it can take a couple of hours, just depending on
what we have to deal with. Last thing is always to walk through all of
the pairs again, making sure everyone is feeling up to snuff.
Generally we are back in the house around 7 or so, have supper, perhaps
have a game of cards and then go to bed. Dad stays up until about 11 for his
check, Eve does 1 am, Eli and I do 3 and 5 and then the process begins again.
Yesterday, my fancy watch registered 13 miles of walking and I was
never more than 300 yards from the house. And it just that I'm wearing the watch, certainly everyone else is putting on just as many miles! Ah, but we are over half way now and with our twins, are still way over 100% so really can't complain. I do have to wimper just a little at the weather lately.....we were drying out so nicely....but not so much any more.
Yuck. Just yuck.
All the best,
Punky
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