Thursday, August 28, 2014

As it goes...





At last the radio fencing is complete and the Polarbears are back on duty. The sheep were ecstatic to see them and it wasn’t a day too soon, as I went out to visit, just in time to see them go after an ENORMOUS coyote that was headed for the sheep. 



Sushi had her calf the next day. It’s a little heifer and she did a great job. She delivered her with no problems and mothered up like an old pro. She was protective of the baby without being aggressive towards me. I separated her and the baby into the alleyway that runs between the 3 pastures. There is plenty of feed there, but she can’t hide the baby away from me or make it impossible to move her to the milk room...which is my biggest challenge. She DOES. NOT. WANT. TO. GO.  I have no idea why she is so reluctant to go there, with or without the heifer. She has had only good experiences there and knows she gets goodies, but it’s a rodeo every morning. The odd thing is, once she is there and locked into the stanchion, she is perfectly behaved. In fact, she is the best and easiest cow I have ever milked. She never moves her feet, swishes her tail or anything. I don’t get much for my efforts though. A half gallon is the most she lets me have, although she has not yet ‘let down’. This is both good and bad. Good, because it means when I have a flare and cannot get to the milk room, it is safe to just skip that day. Bad because...well...we don’t get much milk for ourselves. That might improve though, once the baby is old enough to lock in for the night.




Meanwhile, the coyotes were attracted to the small amount of blood in the pasture from Sushi’s calving. The Maremmas were especially active that night and the subsequent couple of nights, but being back on duty has effectively repelled the coyotes and the calf and sheep are safe.

The ducks are quite large now and I hope will start laying eggs in the next couple of months. The 40 meatie chicks will be residing in the shed with them in another week or so. 




I’ve been dying to ride all summer. Mister has finally put the weight back on that he lost being in with the cavvy, and the swelling and bruises on his body from their attacks on him have all but disappeared.  

Because of SushiMoo's reluctance to go into the milk room every morning I used him to force her in a couple of times. It seems that she, like myself, is just NOT a morning person. We fight and push and cajole to get her in the stanchion, but in the evenings, she is waiting at the gate and once it is opened, she races to the milk room and into the stanchion of her own volition.

For now, I am healing up from an autoimmune attack on my leg. I spent the better part of a week with a very painful knee, the size of a watermelon. The swelling is down now and I am simply trying to recover the strength to get back at it. Luckily, sales were slow last week and there is plenty of inventory in both Soaps and Whipped Tallow for sale in the Etsy shop

EmmaLou was out cruising around….ever the ham…






The garden is finally giving me veggies….







And Potamus is surrounded by his sheeple, a very happy guy.

11 comments:

  1. It is so good to see you back here. :) The LGD's looks so happy to be back at work! More than I can say for myself after a summer off. ;) The vegetables look yummy, what type of tomato are those? It is wonderful news that Sushi had an easy birth and is being such a good Mommy. Just wish she would not fight you about the milking every morning. (Still a bit of a stinker after all.) hee-hee
    As you know I missed your blog, big hugs... Carol Dee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. they are just a plum tomato. I can't remember the variety…I'd have to go thru all my packs :P Sush is improving. Thanks for encouraging me to get past this hump, btw….

      Delete
    2. That's what friends are for... hugs...

      Delete
  2. Congrats on getting the dogs back out - just in time :-)

    Glad that Sushi is a natural mom and calved without incident.
    Hope she continues that trend up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's for sure! Thanks. I think she will be a great cow, as she is very low maintenance and lacks all the metabolic problems that come with a good producing Jersey like her mother and grandmother :)

      Delete
  3. So glad to see you back! I live vicariously through your blog, and check often to see if you've had another adventure. I have a new Pyr pup, Belle, to keep the foxes out of my chickens, and my old Kelpie, Babe, finally died last week - at 16 1/2! I'm happy to have a pup to keep my mind off the missing Kelpies. It was the end of an era for me. Hope your flare is diminishing.
    Judith in CO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so sorry about Babe…she was very long lived! I'm afraid my old Cider dog is beginning to fail. You will find, once mature, your pup is amazing. Hopefully you have someone to help you ensure her success! Thanks for stopping to say hi!

      Delete
  4. Good news about Sushi, and she did good giving you a heifer! Do you think you will be keeping the calf, or is she the wrong breeding for a milker? Happy you have been able to ride Mister a bit.
    For some reason I have not been able to post a comment the last few blogs. Must be some glitch with my computer, it's been behaving badly. Hope this one works! Take care Kim.
    Kristi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's good to hear from you! I can't get into TEG most of the time, not sure what the problem is with my server :( I'm not sure what we will do with the heifer. Sushi will be my milk cow but the heifer is ¾ beefer so she will either be sold or go in the freezer, as we don't want a herd. :)

      Delete
  5. Hi and good evening. Ah, you have a new baby in the household. She is cute too, for a four legged critter. Your ducks grew up too fast, but it looks like the dogs look extremely happy. It used to shock me when ranchers talked so sweetly about their pets and work animals and consigned others to the slaughterhouse without regret. It doesn't anymore...sorta. I start school on Tuesday. I'd rather not but we've got to know our Ps, Qs, and Rs and whatever else they teach there. Have a happy week and may it be a 12 or 44 year one. I was looking at a rainbow the other day and the colors simply cried out with joy. I always could see that but now I can hear it too. God bless you with strength and love, Petey. Amen. Lx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's always so good to hear from you Lx! It is hard to consign any of them to slaughter for me, but we need the meat and I try to give them the best life and the most expedient death that I am able to. It's not without tears. As Danielsan can tell you, I wasn't big on school either, so I commend you boys for all your efforts! How blessed we are to have all our different senses. Have a great week, tell Dx and Dnsn I said hello. Hope to see you in the room one of these days, if I can ever get done in time! Hugs!

      Delete