Going into Spring - Update
Feb 7, 2019 11:37:32 GMT -5
simplynaturalfarm, Shawn, and 19 more like this
Post by Debbie Lincoln on Feb 7, 2019 11:37:32 GMT -5
Quick update:
Harriett, Sophie’s heifer from 2017, aborted her calf on Christmas Day at about 6 months. She’s been vaccinated for everything. Vet could not find a cause, so we are NOT shipping her. She gets another chance and has been in heat twice since. I will re-breed her next heat.
We had 4 calves born this year - 2 heifers, 2 bulls. THe last bull calf was touch and go but now all are healthy, fat and doing well.
Heifers received their weaning rings last month (see pic below) and have adjusted well.
Elvira and Aggie (descendants of Abbey) are both due late March, early April. Aggie was AI bred. Elvira bred by her own energetic 10 month old bull calf...we decided to let her carry it.
25 days ago Sophie came into heat, followed closely by Cici (both cows had calves in late October) - both right on time - and both got AI bred back to an outstanding Red Angus.
Sophie has not come back in heat and I feel 95% certain Cici was a good breeding, too, which makes me feel good, since I only bred 2 cows last year after an 18 year hiatus.
I think we are going to make it through winter with the crappy drought hay we managed to find. There IS moisture in the ground, ready for spring weather and rain is forecast for this weekend.
The big garden is plowed and ready to be tilled and will probably be planted exclusively to black eyed peas and potatoes. The smaller, enclosed raised bed garden is full of spinach and English peas with several beds prepared and ready for tomatoes and other spring stuff.
All but 5 chickens have been grabbed by predators (likely foxes), but all but one is old and I’m planning on getting all fresh chicks in a couple weeks. We have shot 2 foxes, but evidently there’s more.
The three cats, three dogs (2 old) and two horses (one geriatric) are still enjoying life.
The DH and I are getting creakier, but we’ve both eliminated sugar from our diets and are loosing weight and feeling ready to face another year on the farm.
My 3 grandchildren and their parents (our daughter) are thriving down south (300+ miles away) with good jobs and happy plans for the future. We only see them about 3 times a year, but FaceTime regularly.
Our son, Ben, had a NRS brain implant installed in his skull this past September and we make regular trips to his Baylor Dallas Neurosurgeon to make adjustments on the device. His seizure frequency and duration have lessened, and we have great hopes that it will continue to get better as this technology is improved upon. He is one of less than 2000 people in the US with this thing, and is a pioneer in epilepsy research and discovery. Please keep him in your prayers. He continues to both work from home and use Uber to go into his office 3 days a week.
The DH’s parents are in their 90’s and still live at home, 100 miles from us. Needless to say, we are on the road a lot now.
OK - so if you don’t hear from me for a while, you know why! I do check in periodically to see how you all, my cow family, is doing and I pray every one of you is blessed with health, better weather and happy animals!
Harriett, Sophie’s heifer from 2017, aborted her calf on Christmas Day at about 6 months. She’s been vaccinated for everything. Vet could not find a cause, so we are NOT shipping her. She gets another chance and has been in heat twice since. I will re-breed her next heat.
We had 4 calves born this year - 2 heifers, 2 bulls. THe last bull calf was touch and go but now all are healthy, fat and doing well.
Heifers received their weaning rings last month (see pic below) and have adjusted well.
Elvira and Aggie (descendants of Abbey) are both due late March, early April. Aggie was AI bred. Elvira bred by her own energetic 10 month old bull calf...we decided to let her carry it.
25 days ago Sophie came into heat, followed closely by Cici (both cows had calves in late October) - both right on time - and both got AI bred back to an outstanding Red Angus.
Sophie has not come back in heat and I feel 95% certain Cici was a good breeding, too, which makes me feel good, since I only bred 2 cows last year after an 18 year hiatus.
I think we are going to make it through winter with the crappy drought hay we managed to find. There IS moisture in the ground, ready for spring weather and rain is forecast for this weekend.
The big garden is plowed and ready to be tilled and will probably be planted exclusively to black eyed peas and potatoes. The smaller, enclosed raised bed garden is full of spinach and English peas with several beds prepared and ready for tomatoes and other spring stuff.
All but 5 chickens have been grabbed by predators (likely foxes), but all but one is old and I’m planning on getting all fresh chicks in a couple weeks. We have shot 2 foxes, but evidently there’s more.
The three cats, three dogs (2 old) and two horses (one geriatric) are still enjoying life.
The DH and I are getting creakier, but we’ve both eliminated sugar from our diets and are loosing weight and feeling ready to face another year on the farm.
My 3 grandchildren and their parents (our daughter) are thriving down south (300+ miles away) with good jobs and happy plans for the future. We only see them about 3 times a year, but FaceTime regularly.
Our son, Ben, had a NRS brain implant installed in his skull this past September and we make regular trips to his Baylor Dallas Neurosurgeon to make adjustments on the device. His seizure frequency and duration have lessened, and we have great hopes that it will continue to get better as this technology is improved upon. He is one of less than 2000 people in the US with this thing, and is a pioneer in epilepsy research and discovery. Please keep him in your prayers. He continues to both work from home and use Uber to go into his office 3 days a week.
The DH’s parents are in their 90’s and still live at home, 100 miles from us. Needless to say, we are on the road a lot now.
OK - so if you don’t hear from me for a while, you know why! I do check in periodically to see how you all, my cow family, is doing and I pray every one of you is blessed with health, better weather and happy animals!