April Showers or Snow flurries?

It has been a different April. Our gardens are still too wet to get onto as much as we need to and the garlic needs some heat and good sunlight. However the pasture is doing well and we are using the new paddocks at the back for the cows during the day. They are doing very well and we have almost quit feeding them hay. [They still like a small flake to nibble on at night but they don't really need it.]

Katie has made the nutritional adjustment we had hoped she would, she has gained weight and looks terrific.

Here she is the day she arrived:

Katie January 26th, 2018

 

 Katie  April 2nd, 2018

I read  a lot about condition scoring Dairy cattle. I was used to beef cattle that have more cover naturally. A dairy cow can have more bone showing and still be in good condition. It was a learning experience. I read and watch a lot of Blogs and Vlogs that talk about grass fed dairy cows. We have decided to try to blend the two systems. Katies production effects her condition, if she is eating only grass to produce milk it is harder on her to keep condition so we supplement with a non GMO grain ration. It seems to be working as she has maintained her 4.5 gallons a day and has gained weight. Ben has grown tremendously as well. A testament to calf sharing.

The rotation through our pasture has also been a satisfactory experiment except for one unforeseen circumstance. The two back paddocks have not been grazed in years and were growing brambles and rough weeds. The bush hogging last fall and flail mowing this spring has allowed the grass to regain a good foothold. 

However the tick population is horrific. We are picking ticks off the cattle every night while we look into tick control. Our front pastures where the chickens are have not given the cattle any ticks. Since we use the milk we have to be cautious about chemical tick sprays for the animals. Well at least Katie. 

 

It is good to be using the paddocks though and the system of gates and the lane-way has proved to be very nice to use.

The other news on the bovine front is the arrival of two Jersey steer calves. One 2 days old and the other just 4 days old. We got them from the man Katie came from. He delivered the calves and had castrated them for us.He was so pleased to see how good Katie looked and couldn't get over how nice Ben is. He was quite funny, he kept repeating how beautiful she looked and how long and correct the steer calf was, a super calf....he had really turned out!

 

The two little steers will become beef in the next two years or so. Cheese making is not feasible at this time, we don't have the refrigeration space or time.

The price was right and it should allow us to have them well grown by winter and helping eat the grass to restore the paddocks.

Katie and the Boys. April 8th, 2018

 

 

Ralph has been working the gardens as he can. The poultry sure remember the sound of the Grillo. They arrived like a shot to help him with the tilling in the east garden. The Peas and Broad Windsor beans are up but he was working some of the manure and shavings mix into the remainder of the garden. We love the way it is adding organic to the heavy soil. The chickens and ducks just love the entire aspect of fresh turned soil.

They all congregate and observe or participate as they see fit. The turkeys strut and gobble. It has always been one of our favorite things about the free roaming flock.

So this is the latest news. Ralph has some new tools I will tell you about soon, after we have used them a bit more and he got headlights on the zero turn Mower. He is so thrilled to have them. Men and gadgets are such fun!

We  are enjoying ourselves so much and marvel at our little farm and how it is developing its "Character".

God Bless you and keep you safe and well.

Weighing cattle by measurements.

Well it’s been a crazy month for weather, colder than February. We have been paying attention to our cows condition and feed. Mischief and Katie need to be gaining weight to cycle properly so we need to know what they weigh.


We don’t have a scale. There are tape measures available that give you an idea of weight by  measuring heart girth. I used them years ago in 4-H but they were not very accurate but my Mother found a formula using two measurements that was much better. Heart girth and length from the point of the shoulder to the pin bones.

The formula is simple:
Measure the heart girth
Measure the length of the animal from the point of the shoulder to the pin bones.
Use this formula with those measurements.

Heart girth X Heart Girth X Body length Divided by 300.
 This gives you a weight in pounds. [Not 100% acccurate but quite close.]

We have been using it to track the weight of all three beasts. It shows us our feed is working well and they are gaining properly. We thought it might be useful for anyone with a few cattle around the farmstead.

So today Mischief got to be our guinea pig and stand for photos. She was not amused but stoic!

Stand your animal fairly square on their feet.

Here are the places you need to measure.

We used a metal tape measure but you can use a string along the side and around the girth. Then simply measure the string. They often don't like the sound and feel of a metal tape.

Here Ralph has the tape in position for the length measure. His index finger is touching the bone at the point of the shoulder. That is where the measurement is read.

Here is the hearth girth measurement. It is snug but not super tight, try to get the same tightness every time you measure them. It means a more consistent reading from weight to weight.

Mischief weighed 502 pounds from this set of measurements. She is gaining 1.79 pounds per day, just right for her age and development. We want her well grown but not too fat.

We hope this is useful information.


We are enjoying the cattle very much. They are more work than chickens but sure work well 'with' the chickens. Now the poultry has figured out cow manure we see the cows surrounded by the poultry quite frequently.

Now I have to get a glass of milk.  Oh my Jersey Milk.....cold and rich and a bit of heaven.

God Bless you all and take note  of the blessings around you!