Eggs

Yesterday was a good day. We brought the cows home and we got seven, count 'em, seven eggs! We've had  no egg days and one egg days and two and three egg days, four egg days and twice we had five egg days, but never did we imagine a seven egg day. I don't know what got into those chickens, but we like it. :-)

Cows

Well, the cows came home.

This is Frank, the bull.

This is Honey. She should calve soon.

This is Sunny.

This is Rita.

This is Rhoda.

This little guy is Rambo. His mom is Rita. We did not name these cows. They came to us already named, so don't blame us.

Here is the whole bunch including Le Beef. We think he's happy for the company. They all are unafraid and seem somewhat friendly. Some of them are going to the market before winter, just not sure which ones yet. These are Galloway cattle and they grow long hair in the winter. They are also noted for their ability to use marginal pastures and other forage that many breeds won't eat. They are a docile breed. So there ya go. Look them up and learn something you didn't know before. We are happy.

Cow shed

It started like this.

And then went to this.

Continued to this.

And here's where it's at now. Now there is some shade for the cows. Bringing them home tomorrow. There needs to be boards and a gate on the other side too, but I think I'll wait till I get back from "The Swamp". I had to divide the fence and wire it for electric, but since it's a shed and not a gate I could go up and over instead of digging a trench. I'm getting too old for this stuff. Taking this next week off and resting for the job down south. Looking forward to seeing everyone. Not looking forward to the weather.

It has been brutally hot and humid here. M. Le Beef cools off by standing in the water tank and dipping his head in the water. We set a record for dew point and heat index the other day.

The boy and his kids came up the other day and when we were in the barn Bubba stepped in some chicken pooh and then he scratched at his legs with his shoes and guess what? Pooh legs. He was not a happy boy. When you go into our barn you must expect to step in some kind of pooh. Chicken, horse, or pig. Gonna happen. No avoiding it. Don't like the pooh? Stay out of the barn. And whatever you do don't go to the FD's, cause she's got GEESE. Just kidding honey.

Farm stuff

Ok, ok, I know, two posts in one day. Well it's been awhile so........so what! Here's a Goldfinch that landed on Gramma's flowers the other day. They are so pretty I had to snap a pic.

 The pigs are going soon so I set up the trailer to get ready They just walk right in. Here's Pinky yelling at me for not giving them some food.

 Here's Perky guarding the door.

 Here's both of them looking for the food they expected to find. No matter what you do a farm animal is never satisfied.

We are making a loafing shed for the cattle. We don't have any shade in the pastures so this will help. Gramma and I put the posts in today. Very hot and humid. Came in to cool off and take a shower and couldn't get my clothes off cause they were stuck to me. We are calling this Cow Henge. Ancient farmers came here to figure out what time of year it was and when to plant crops and tap Maple trees. REALLY! We found really old rocks in every post hole proving that this site has been here for a mellennia. Well this ancient farmer will keep you posted on the shed and the cattle. Expected arrival is next weekend. Stay tuned.

Fawns

Last year we had no fawns for the first time. We know for pretty sure that it was because of the coyotes. We heard them a lot and the local coyote hunters told me they got quite a few around our place this winter and I got three or four myself. The fawns are back.

 Here's twin fawns racing.

 Here they are just eating with Mom.

Here's a single fawn. We've seen at least four different fawns so far for sure and maybe more. It's really nice to have them back and really fun to watch them run and play. We are happy.

Hay and chickens

Sunday and yesterday Gramma and I worked on getting all the bales picked up. Thank goodness she could help or I still wouldn't be done. She hauled them with the truck and trailer and I loaded and unloaded them. We could only do six bales at a time and there were 71, so it took awhile. Next year I will have the hay hauler done and will be able to haul at least eleven at at a time

 We put them outside.

 We put them inside. I'm picking up a hay tarp tomorrow to cover the ones outside. Of course last night at about 2:00 in the morning we had some huge thunder storms. Actually shook the house once. Lots of rain, so now I have to wait for the outside stuff to dry before I can cover it. It' not supposed to rain now for about a week or so, so that will help. Always something.

The new chickens have finally ventured out of the barn. So far what you see in the pic is as far as they have gone. Down to seven now with just one rooster. That's him in the foreground. "Jack". I still pick him up and pet him everyday and I think he likes it. Their peeps are starting to sound more like clucks a little bit and so far none of the other hens has beat anyone up as far as I can tell. In about three months they should be laying eggs. Gramma is collecting eggs for the County Fair this year, so that should be fun. I'm only trying to collect my thoughts, which seems to get harder and harder as the years go by. Later.

Hay

 Hay is baled! Yaaaah!

 It was a heck of a day yesterday. 98 degrees and humid. Fog in the morning, so it took awhile for the dew to go. One of the hydraulic lines for the baler wouldn't connect. I messed around with it for over an hour. I moved the tractor and baler into the shed, out of the sun and then moved it again into the hay shed because it was more open and still out of the sun. I came in the house two times to rest and cool off, cause I was afraid of heat stroke. Finally got it hooked up and went in the field to bale. That's when I discovered that the PTO wasn't right. There is a lever to to put it in gear and a lever to engage it. When I tried to put it in gear all it did was grind. When I checked the lever to engage I could tell something wasn't right because it just moved freely. I thought I might have to borrow or rent a tractor. Well I couldn't put it in gear by hand, so I tried the next best thing......I kicked it. Went right in and I was in business. Now you always disengage from time to time for various reasons, like when making a tight turn or backing up. I didn't. Anyway I baled the two small fields by the house and then came in cause I was feeling kind of wobbly due to the heat. Stayed inside about two hours putting cold washcloths on my head and neck. I checked my pulse rate and it was 120. Normally it's about 60. Well I started to feel better and went back out to do the east field. The wind picked up and it got cloudy, so it was a bit better. Then the storm clouds came and it started to thunder and lightning. Well Gramma drove over to the field to tell me to get my butt back to the house just as I was making the last bale. Beat the rain by about 20 minutes. I was so relieved. Bales will shed water fairly well, but hay on the ground in windrows will not.When it's on the ground in the rain it's a lot more time and work to get it dry and you lose some quality too. Now I just got to get it in the shed and stacked up by the shed. Buying a hay tarp on Wednesday to cover what won't fit in the shed. We are keeping it all this time because we're getting six more cows in the next week or so and two of them are pregnant.

 Here's some of the logs I cut to put under the bales in the hay shed to keep them off the ground. I hate having to throw away bad hay from them sitting on the ground.

On another front, we opened up the little coop tonight, so all the chickens will be together. Hopefully no one gets beat up too bad. Later.