Dehorning Day #TBT 6/1/15

The "kids" before the visit from the vet.

After all the unneccessary drama of Weldon's last few days on the farm, we decided that it was time that the girls were dehorned.  And also Mooster was going to have a "close encounter with a few rubber-bands"

So our vet, Dr. Becky came out with a chute and a helper.  The girls, being addicted to sweet feed, had no issues going into the chute.  Then Dr. Becky just snapped the horns off (I say it like it was neat and easy, but OH MY!!!  I almost had to go in the house, my babies!!)

 

I only took pictures of Franci in the chute as I was so tramatized by the whole thing I couldn't take pictures after seeing the procedure.  I did get some  "after" pictures though.  I wish I could have gotten a video after she put the bands on Moosteer's bull parts.  He was walking around "Very FUNNY!"  Mooster is what is known as "Naturally polled" meaning his genetics doesn't have horns.

Franci & Moosteer resting in the hay after their hard morning!

Miracle with a big bloody mess all over her head-UG!

Farm lesson number 552: Get those horns off ASAP when they are young!

I'm back....REPOST!

Hello my beautiful bloggy readers....

I've been long absent, for that I am sorry.
I don't have a good excuse (oh, I have a zillion excuses, just not a good one!)

I've been overwhelmed with trying to get all the posts "caught up" and doing them in past order so you didn't have to scroll backwards.  But life goes on and I am just getting further and further behind.  Add to that, the mild midlife crisis ("Why am I doing ANY of this anyway?"), an unexpected epic trip, and the mundane of keeping animals feed and watered in extreme temperatures,
 and well, you get the idea.

It's been an adjustment figuring out "what next" for man since his health issues and surgery.  And now that it seems he's come up with something, I've been trying to figure out if this is the path I want for my "what next"  Don't get me wrong, I love the farm.  I love my critters.  But I also have a debilitating disease that is progressing, as well...and I'm not as young as I think I am!  

Until I come up with another plan, though,
 I'm going to keep on doing what I am doing...and doing my best. 

I also need to kick my 101 into gear.  And that means...consistent blogging.  Including new theme days!  New classes for friends (and strangers) at the farm.  4H and animal adventures.

Thanks for sticking around!
Oh, and if you would do me a favor? Could you comment so I actually know that there is more than one of you out there.  If no one is reading, then it might make my decision about the blogging easier!

So be sure to check back often!
 I have 6 months of posts to get caught up and am determined to do it in record time!

Originally posted 3/24/15

The story of the Moo-Steer T-Bone *TBT**

One of the things I need to do is get some posts caught up, so the current plan (we'll see how this goes) is that I'll do a "Throw Back Thursday" and get some of these old posts done and then after awhile, I'll put them where they belong chronologically...

So at the beginning of the year when I did my 101 list, I put "Go to Arizona" on the list never thinking it would become a reality so soon.  Things developed and it became apparent that we needed to go out and visit with Man's Mom sooner rather than later.

So, what to do about the farm??  Luckily, I have a friend down the road a piece that is also "homesteading" and she was willing to come over and take care of the critters while we were gone, but what to do so I wouldn't lose my milk production.  Then, despite the fact that it is very difficult to find bull calves right now, I had the opportunity to get a week old calf for a very reasonable cost (or so I thought...)The idea was that since the twins were mostly weaned, we needed a calf that would be nursing frequently so we wouldn't lose our production. 

On 1/20 I drove an hour north to pick up the calf.  After debate, and hitch hiking one name after another, he was named "MooSteer T-Bone" (Mr.T)

Why yes, I do often travel with a cow in the back of my car!

Mama & MooSteer!

Hershey is a wonderful foster / nurse cow.  She immediately took him and was protective of him from the dogs.  He nursed great...too great and overate.

Unfortunately, within about 24 hours, MooSteer developed scours (cow diarrhea).  When they have scours, they can dehydrate quickly and die.  I brought him inside to get him warmed up and gave him a bath.  Once he was warmed and clean...back out to the barn. 

Three hours later, he couldn't stand up and was scouring much worse, so back into the house and the bath tub.  Another shower.  Started feeding him with a bottle and give "cow Gatorade".

Then started the feedings every few hours. 

And multiple showers a day.

And keeping the baby warm (1/26/15)

The vet was called and more medicines were given.

I got the calf to make things easier for the trip, but at this point, I didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time for about 4 days. Thus the haggard pictures!

Just keepin' it real, people.

My bathroom has never been so clean.  Every few hours he got a shower and the tub was bleached out.  Family laundry went by the wayside and only cow laundry seemed to be getting done.

He seemed to be getting a bit stronger, so I took him outside for a walk.  A good friend of mine gave us an outgrown coat for him to wear.

1/27/15

Another night of feeding him via syringe every two hours, and medicines and electrolytes.  I knew that if he didn't turn soon, I was going to need to intubate him (Feed via tube straight into the stomach-not easy and very scary)

The next morning was gorgeous (cold, but sunny)

He seemed to be eating better, and so I took him outside.  He actually walked half way to the barn with me, so we decided to let him have a few hours of fresh air.

And then I did 'tube him to get some food into him.  Scary or not. 

 By chore time, he was laying in a really small stall made of hay bales with a heater on him.  It was not looking any better.

It was youth group night, so I left him for a few hours.  When I returned, no sign of a messy bum.  So according to the vets instructions, I needed to tube again.  

Shortly thereafter, (like within 20 minutes) he was groaning.  I held him in my arms and was patting his tummy.  He gave a little moo and was gone. 8 days of nursing him, and he was no longer.

And I was left wondering, did I do it?  Did I tube wrong?  

What more could I have done?  I still don't know.

I am a BAAAD blogger....

This summer/fall has been crazy busy with the normal, and the not so normal stuff going on.  I haven't blogged, I've barely facebooked.  Now that things are starting to wind down on the farm, I am going to try to retro post all that went on this summer and fall!  And it's been a lot, so be sure to page back occasionally.  The current plan is to work oldest to newest, but keeping this reminder post at the top.  So I will be going back to August time frame to post.

You may or may not remember that I have a looming "101 in 1001" deadline (23 days to be exact.)  And one of the goals is to have the blog caught up by then.  We're looking at almost 50 posts going up in the next 23 days.  Hold onto your hat!  And I will also have some "guest posts" from my Man.  He has spent a bunch of time this summer stuck in his chair, and he HAS been updating what he's been doing on a Homesteading board we are a part of on Facebook.  So I will be reposting his pictures and commentaries too!

And as Jackie Gleason used to say...And away we go.....

Summer Time is Camp Time!

 Because I am so far behind on blogging, I have an older post to share now, and then in a bit, I will move it back where it belongs, back in June.  June 8th to be exact.

As you may recall, Weldon had discovered how to get out here and caused all kinds of chaos in the barn.  Well, it didn't stop there. That afternoon, he got out, but Boy was able to get him back into the field.  Then that night, Danny Dog started barking his fool head off, in a way that was VERY insistent. Luckily I was still up "Pinteresting" and enjoying the cool night air coming through the window. (It was about midnight)  CRASH...what was that...was that the Gas grill?!? The next day we discovered that his "playthings" included a gas grill (that Thank God didn't have a gas tank on it) my mother's day wishing well (that is now in approximately 9 pieces), and the corner of the red VAN, Yes there are horn marks and dents on the one corner.  Glad it was the red van and not the delivery van that we are still paying for!  Or the little car, he could have likely pushed it across the yard!

I threw on shorts, my boots and a headlamp and ran downstairs and out towards the workshop...A very scary pair of red-reflecting eyes and horns greeted me.  He wasn't really mean, just playful.  And a playful bull (with horns) doesn't make the best playmate!  I turned and ran for the house, in the meantime, Man had gotten dressed and came out in time to see me run through the gate with Weldon on my heels.  I ran through the other gate and towards the barn.  Seriously, if you see me running, you should run too! Cause I only run when being chased!  But that night, at midnight, in the dark, I think I may have had fast time to the barn than most track runners.  Man cam up behind, we had discovered that Weldon doesn't like being sprayed with the hose, so he grabbed the hose and we managed to get him back into the pasture.  Now the little Houdini had somehow gotten out of the lock pasture 4 times at this point, and the barn, so I grabbed his pasture rope and we tied him to the post for the night.

I went in and emailed our friends that run beef cattle.  This is the same family that saved my behind when I walked Bess home.  I'm sure my 1 am email after being chased by my bull was a bit..um...interesting.I asked them to help me get Weldon to "Freezer Camp" early, if I could get him an spot. The next morning, I got an email back telling me to call...well, I felt kinda like an idiot for panicking.  I called the meat processor and they couldn't get him in until the end of the month appointment I had.  By this time we had gotten Weldon locked into the box stall, and I thought maybe we could keep him there for the month and then take him on on scheduled day.  But he was pacing and BELLOWING in a way he never had before.  You would think that Hershey had gone into heat or something, (She was definitely pregnant-like 7 months!)

Weldon sharing his last meal with a very brave chicken!

I called the processor, they couldn't get us in.  So I sent another email to our friends.  She said, You need to call D!

So finally I did call and explained that he was contained, agitated but contained.  D told me that he had called his friend, you know the owner of the meat processing place, and that we had an appointment for the following day (Sunday) to drop him off and then they would take care of business on Monday. He had told Hoffman (the processor) that this crazy bull was likely going to kill me)  D takes 30 ish steer/bull in per year to Hoffman's and I trust his opinion.  What?  Oh, I complain that we are out here and we don't have much community and are very isolated from friends to the pint that we feel very alone...this day proved that I do have "people"!!

The next day D came to load him up...

We used gates to make a chute to get him into the trailer, and D with his broom handle.

Heading down the road.

D "coaxing" him out of the trailer and onto the scale.

Our pretty boy weighted 689 pounds...not bad for a 14 month old that wasn't "finished out".

In his holding stall for the night...

And his new neighbor, and 1200 pound black Angus Bull that looked like he'd just as soon eat your face as look at you.

Weldon's response "Umm..moo?!?"

I only cried "a little bit".  

On a post on Facebook, I got a lot of "How can you eat something that you raised?"  

Well, honestly, it was hard to take him knowing that it was the end.  However, I know what his life was like.  He was loved and petted.  He was played with and had toys.  He ate well and had pastures to play in.  

He didn't live on a feedlot, grazing in a bunch of other cows poo.  He wasn't a "Number".

He was loved.  

And I don't take his "sacrifice" lightly.

But, ultimately, that's what being a farmer is all about.

And I'm only crying "a little bit" as I write this....

Farm animals-Picture Heavy!

Grandma Arizona came out to help with chores.  Man was "photographer" and took TONS of pictures of us with the animals.


Danny, Kristl, Rea, Bess, Weldon

Bess, Weldon, Rea, Iona, Kristl

Bess, Weldon, Rea, Iona

Bess, Rea, Iona (pay attention to ME!) Weldon

Bess, Weldon, Rea, Danny, Boy, Iona, Gma AZ 

Boy, Iona, Gma AZ

Grandma Arizona and the Meat Chickens

The harvest is almost ready!

Iona

Weldon, Bess, and Ta-Da, the Rooster

Gma AZ and Man
A boy and his Mom!

September was a blurr.....

I apologize for not being on and blogging in September.  It's all a blur right now, but luckily I took pictures, so I can at least go back and give some highlights.

Be sure to go back a few pages as I am going to "retro-post" some stuff from the month.