Hello Hello,
So, lets see, where to begin? Well first off, we're a little more than half done calving so things are starting to slow down again that way, which is good because there are starting to be other things demanding attention.
As far as calving goes it's been not too bad. We haven't lost too many, although we have had three breeches, which are nasty affairs, firstly because there is no outside sign of the calf and secondly because to get the calf out of the cow, you must get your arm through the birth canal and into the uterus to bring the back feet into the canal. A task made more difficult by the fact that the cow will likely be pushing the other way, squishing your arm.
But I haven't been the one handling those. The ones I help out more with are just basic front feet and head when the calf's coming too slow, or two back feet. Although that's a bit tricky too, because you have to loop chains around the calf's feet while they're still mostly in the cow, so you can't see what you're doing and you can only work with one hand at a time
The other thing we do is sick run, where we go out and find the sick calves and doctor them, which is made more entertaining by the fact that not all of them are necessarily feeling sick and can still just about out maneuver a quad.
My vlog from March 26, if you can't view the video
this is the link: https://youtu.be/obddBtY2GY8
Then yesterday we parted the yearling heifers and steers, which was a bit of a rodeo because yearlings are spooky, and really fast. We got 'er done with minimal damage to people, animals, fences and equipment though, so that was all good.
Today, as I mentioned ever so briefly in my vlog, we vaccinated and weighed the yearling heifers which was also interesting but also accomplished with no damage done.
In other news, I have gained a new respect for the wives of farmers, because try as I might I cannot keep up with my own mess, and trust me, when you work on a ranch, the mess is substantial some days. Not that the all carpeted floors in my house help cleaning any, but still, I would have thought I could at least keep my dishes clean, but some days I can't even manage that...
Ah well, messes gonna mess I suppose.
Stay awesome.
So, lets see, where to begin? Well first off, we're a little more than half done calving so things are starting to slow down again that way, which is good because there are starting to be other things demanding attention.
March 25 vlog
If you can't view it here, you can try it on youtube: https://youtu.be/YGia7L-dVUM
As far as calving goes it's been not too bad. We haven't lost too many, although we have had three breeches, which are nasty affairs, firstly because there is no outside sign of the calf and secondly because to get the calf out of the cow, you must get your arm through the birth canal and into the uterus to bring the back feet into the canal. A task made more difficult by the fact that the cow will likely be pushing the other way, squishing your arm.
But I haven't been the one handling those. The ones I help out more with are just basic front feet and head when the calf's coming too slow, or two back feet. Although that's a bit tricky too, because you have to loop chains around the calf's feet while they're still mostly in the cow, so you can't see what you're doing and you can only work with one hand at a time
The other thing we do is sick run, where we go out and find the sick calves and doctor them, which is made more entertaining by the fact that not all of them are necessarily feeling sick and can still just about out maneuver a quad.
My vlog from March 26, if you can't view the video
this is the link: https://youtu.be/obddBtY2GY8
Then yesterday we parted the yearling heifers and steers, which was a bit of a rodeo because yearlings are spooky, and really fast. We got 'er done with minimal damage to people, animals, fences and equipment though, so that was all good.
Today, as I mentioned ever so briefly in my vlog, we vaccinated and weighed the yearling heifers which was also interesting but also accomplished with no damage done.
My April 10 Vlog
https://youtu.be/9DLXBVbyZrg
Ah well, messes gonna mess I suppose.
Stay awesome.
