Post by thystledown on Feb 2, 2023 14:32:51 GMT -5
And we will have wind chills to -30 tonight and tomorrow. the beefers have brush and run-in sheds, but the stupid weather has gone from 60 day to zero overnight once already and we are hovering in low 40's to just below freezing with freezing rain and ice for weeks. Then we dropped to single digits last two nights. I am so sad because Carmella is our best beefer and has produced outstanding steers for years. This was her first heifer and from our great Galloway bull. If it had been a bull calf, it would have replaced him as herd sire. Carmella is 10 years old, our herd boss and oldest cow. I'm just hoping she cleans and survives! Calf was due in May. We only have 3 beef cows now (not counting steers, calves, &bull) so this is a serious loss in such a small herd. I have had trouble with feet where the ice and snow form a crust over mud. We keep moving the hay ring to help, but it is still mud withing 24 hours. I'm so sick of this. it is so stupid hard. We have never had weather this erratic and bad. I've fallen. Hubby fell 3 times one day. Putting on ice cleats doesn't work on a tractor deck. We have chains on everything. The jersey slips, but hasn't fallen, though it jerks me around when I have a hold on her halter. I put down ground corn/corn meal as the best solution we have found for anti-skid outdoors where she has to walk. But so scary. And I don't have room in my barn. It is 30 by 30, but I have 7 horses and the dairy cow and calf and one box stall has chickens. Tonight and tomorrow I will have animals tied on the barn runway. But the beefers have to cope. The other two beef cows are galloway crosses and super shaggy. The steers are all heavy coated. Carmella is a herford x charolais. I may try to bring her in--but that may be too warm with all the animals in. It will be above freezing in the barn. I don't know what to do for her. She seems fine, but obviously she's stressed. AAAAARGH!