Escaping Cows

It never fails, every year as the grass in the pasture peters out, the cows start poking holes in the fence and wandering the country side.  Luckily the only neighbour this year is Mom, since the farm down the road is still sitting vacant.  In previous years it was a daily battle to keep them out of the fresh cut horse hay.

This year, the worst they do is walk over to Mom's and trim her grass, which she really doesn't mind except for the fertilizer deposits they leave.

As the days shorten and the rains come more steadily, the solar electric fence charger weakens to the point that the electric fence is really just a suggestion, not a rule.  After several years of use the built in battery just doesn't have the oomph to hold a charge after a couple of rainy days.

Yesterday morning I discovered the mangels have been decimated.  There's been a wayward cow in the garden. 

Luckily the mangels are just critter feed anyway, and the human food is ok.  A couple of bean plants were trampled, and a couple of romaines.  A few turnip tops had been sampled, but obviously didn't taste as good as the mangels.

Today I am off to buy a new fence charger and try to get the beasts back under control.

On with the Milking

Day 10 - July 13
Again, a very agreeable cow.  Again, just a drizzle of milk.

I decided to let Majesty out in the yard for the day.  I slipped the cow halter on her like there was nothing to it.  She's so sweet.  Then I tried to lead her out of the milk room.  Ha!  Who was I kidding?  First she stood there looking at me like I was crazy, then she pulled me towards her.  Once I stabilized myself, I braced myself on the door frame and tried again.  This time she nearly ripped my hand off.  Ouch.  She was content to stand there eating with the halter on, but no way was I going to lead her anywhere.  I took the halter off of her with no problem.

Changing tactics, I decided to halter Queenie instead.  Majesty didn't budge as we played ring around the cow.  Once I got her cornered I managed to slip the rope on her without too much trouble.  Leading her over to the post took a bit of muscle.  I tied her up.  Majesty didn't seem at all concerned.

I left the gate open.  After a while Majesty finally went outside and noticed it.  She ate in the yard with Patrick for a while, then let herself into the pasture and went to visit her mom.

Queenie tangled herself up a couple of times, but no harm done.  By the end of the day she had stopped fighting with the rope.

Majesty came and went as she pleased until late afternoon.  Then she paced around the outside of the pen calling Queenie to come to her.  I was willing to let her figure it out on her own, but #1 decided he would push her in.  She gave him a run around for about an hour, but eventually he got her back into the pen and untied Queenie.

Day 11 - July 14
1/4 Cup of milk.  Better, but not much.

Queenie was out in the milk room pen this morning.  I chased her around for a bit, until she bashed head first into the fence, then bellowed.  Majesty ran out of the milk room to see what was going on.  Then we played ring around the cow for a while until I gave up.  Majesty will stay in for now.  I might try again later, or maybe tomorrow.

#1 separated the pair of them and left Queenie in the pen loose.  Majesty came back bellowing in the evening.

Day 12 - July 15

1/2 Cup of milk. Improving slowly.  Majesty was let out again while Queenie stayed in the pen.

The Next Few Days

I left with Husband for our trip south.  #1 got a job.  #4 came home from camp.

#1 let milked Majesty later and later each day, preparing for the switch to night time milking.  Not more than 1/2 Cup.  They were adapting well to being separated. 

And then, #4 went to let Majesty out.  She didn't want to leave right away, so being the impatient 12 year old that he is, he walked away and left the gate OPEN.

The first day after, #1 couldn't catch Queenie, so he haltered Majesty and dragged her back up to the barn.  Majesty went through the fence in the middle of the night.

The second day, he couldn't find Queenie, so he dragged Majesty up again and tied her in the milk room.  He left the gate open for Queenie.

Finally, the third day, Queenie was back in the pen with her mother.

I returned from my trip, and we're back to letting Majesty out in the morning and keeping Queenie penned.

Eager to reunite at the end of the day, Majesty munches some grain outside the gate while we milk.  Queenie waits impatiently inside.  I would like to build a short fence to block off the pen so we can bring Majesty in to the milk room without worrying that Queenie might escape.  This works for now.

We're taking between 2-3 Cups of milk per day now, once again without effort.  Majesty is not quite engorged when she returns to the milk pen at night. 

Milking Progress

Day 7 - July 10
Majesty met me at the gate, anxious for her buckets of fresh weeds.  The Milk Room pen is rather small and doesn't allow for much fresh eating.  She has a bale of hay, but much prefers the fresh green weeds I pull from the garden.  I gave her a pet as I walked by and took them in to her feeder.  She stayed outside while I got her grain and added it to the feed box.

She was still outside so I went out to look at the rest of the herd, who were all hiding in the back corner this morning.  A few minutes later I went in the Milk Room where she had started eating.  She backed out and looked me over.  I gave her a pet and told her I was going to wash her teats.  She went back to eating.

I started milking on her right side, which seemed fuller than yesterday, drained the front, and took 100 extra squirts from the rear.  Then I went around to her left side and she moved over for me before I even touched her.  She's a fast learner.  I drained the front and took 100 extra squirts off the rear.  I gave her a good pet and thanked her for the milk.  She was still eating when I left.

In the house, strained and measured - 3 Cups of milk today.

Day 8 - July 11
I was late getting started this morning.  PMSing and not eager to go to the barn.  This week will be a challenge for me, staying motivated while I feel so miserable.

Our little princess took advantage of my tardiness.  While Majesty was still content to comply with being milked, there just wasn't much milk there to get.  1/2 Cup today.  I drained all 4 teats.  (The extra teats at the back don't appear to be functional).  Queenie seemed rather smug about it, standing beside me watching.  She's got personality, lol.

Majesty is hungry.  She emptied her feed box overnight.  She still has hay, but isn't interested in it.  I am thinking about setting electric fence around the pig pen and moving them there while I'm away next week.  I'm not sure how she'll handle the step over the doorway though.

Day 9 - July 12
Majesty came after her buckets right quick again.  Queenie stayed outside.  No milk.  Well, just a drizzle.  Enough for two cups of tea.

I told her to eat up and stay put.  Then I closed the door up, leaving Queenie outside.  I'll go back out and try again in a couple of hours.  Her bag did not seem empty, so maybe she just doesn't want to let her milk down for me.  At any rate, it's time to start separating them for a couple of hours before milking, so now's as good a time to start as any.

Three hours later...

One happy cow, one well fed calf, one broken door.

I needed something to do this afternoon anyway though, right?

I did manage to get another half cup of milk though, and despite the separation, Majesty is still very agreeable.  If she wasn't so agreeable I might be tempted to give up.  Maybe half holstein isn't enough to make a family cow?  Time will tell.

Majestic Milk

Training the Family Milk Cow

Day One - July 4
Majesty delivers Queenie.  That's her 'official' name. She might grow into it.  Or she might be "Our Little Princess" forever.  We moved Queenie into the Milk House (aka 'the old chicken coop').  Majesty abandoned us halfway there and went to tell her mother.

Majesty came up to check on Queenie 3 times, walking over a broken section of fence to come and go as she pleased.  she stayed in the pen with her overnight.

Day Two - July 5
Queenie is extremely well fed, appearing to have doubled in size.  We go shopping for feed and supplies.  Majesty comes and goes as she pleases.

Day Three - July 6
#1 catches Majesty and Queenie in the milk room and locks the door.  We fix the fence and set up electric fence along it.  We let them out of the milk room, and Majesty stays in the pen all day.  She allows a few pets.

Day Four - July 7
#1 manages to squeeze a few squirts from each teat.  Majesty is very full, and so is Queenie.  She calls for Queenie, but Queenie does not want to eat anymore.

Day Five - July 8
Majesty is still very full.  She allows me to slide my hands across her without moving.  Her udder is quite warm.  I get the milk bucket.  She allows me to begin milking one side, until Queenie comes to the other side and begins nursing.  Once the pressure is off, she starts fidgeting and then walks away.

Day Six - July 9
I take my milk buckets and cloth out in the morning.  I feed her.  She doesn't stir when I wash her teats.  I begin milking her left side.  The front teat empties quickly.  I continue with the rear, and reach across to the other side.  It's awkward, so I decide to try moving to her right side.  She is too close to the wall.  I push her over gently, but she doesn't react.  I push her hard, and she moves an inch.  I push her hard again and she pulls her head out of the feed box to look at me.  She repositions herself and I start milking her right side.
 
Everything is going well, until #1 walks in.  When he opens the door it spooks her.  We then spend 10 minutes waltzing around the milk room, getting the evil eye.  She does not get aggressive at all, never lowering her head or threatening us, just backing away and watching her daughter.  I tell #1 to leave.

Another five minutes and she settles and goes back to eating.  I resume milking and drain the front right side.  I resume cross milking both back teats until she becomes fidgety again.  That's enough for today.

I take the milk bucket in, strain and measure.

1 2/3 Cups of milk with very little effort.  I am very pleased.  I wasn't really expecting to be bringing any milk to the house at this point.

Majesty was raised by her mother, Dorie.  Other than tagging her ear, and the occasional nose pat when she got curious, we have been completely hands off with her.  Last summer I kept asking the boys to catch her and bring her up to the milk pen so I could work on taming, petting, and haltering her while they were gone to camp.  It never happened.

I expected this milking adventure to involve wrangling a halter on her, tying her to a tree, and waiting for her to figure out there was no escape.  Then spending many attempts to milk her getting pushed around and the bucket kicked over.  I am amazed that she is being so agreeable.

We will continue taking things slowly as she learns the routine.

It's a Girl!

Our royal Majesty has given us the only girl of the season.  She took after her mother and hid in the pines to deliver her calf, the same spot where she was born.  Quietly in the wee hours of the morning, all by herself despite her small size.  Mom and babe are both doing well.

A view of her udder yesterday.  It's a little deceiving, because she has six teats.  She was bagging up really well.  Her udder was smaller than Mildred's, but much larger than the beef cows.  I'm very excited to soon be milking again!

We had not planned to keep this one, but she is oh so cute.  She's about 3/4 holstein, so we'll see how the milking goes with Majesty before we decide for sure.

I love her spots.  She's adorable.

Majesty's not thrilled about all of the attention.  I'm sure she'll be even less thrilled once we try moving them to the milk room pen.

Spring Update - Calves

Dorie calved - May 30, 2015.

It's a boy.  Tagged, but not yet castrated.

Nelly calved - June 3, 2015.

Another boy, not yet tagged or castrated.

Mindy calved - June 13, 2015.

Not even a picture.  Not sure if it's even been sexed...

Bugs - Not too bad this year.  Very light on the blackflies.  Mosquitoes heavy in the mornings and early evening.

Weather - Beautiful and warm.  Rain was excellent in early spring, a little scarce now.

Chicks - First hatch - end of May.
            - Second hatch - June 26, 2015

Chickens - all extra roosters butchered.  I bred the first two hatchlings with a roo with a smaller comb and fewer points.  The rooster I kept has the smallest comb, but more points.  I figure I'll have a bit more genetic diversity that way, while keeping in line with my overall goals.

Hens are all moved to the garden pen now, with extra space around the greenhouses.  I bought snow fence for the vines in greenhouse #3, and then decided to section off half the garden for the birds since the weeds were going crazy.

Egg production was amazing in early spring, but dwindling now.  I believe it's insufficient protein for most of the birds, and too hot in the chicken coop for the chanteclers.  Since they have free access to lots of greenery, I'm buying straight black oil sunflower seed for them now, to boost their protein.  Hopefully I'll start seeing the difference soon.

Greenhouses - Lost some brassica transplants, and the pumpkins haven't come up yet.  Otherwise progressing nicely.

Garden - started late and not doing well with lack of rain.  Peas are good, beans are just starting to come up.  Only half the garden has been tilled, so I didn't plant nearly as much as I had planned.  Weeds, of course, are doing fantastic.

Wild Edibles - Lamb's Quarters - Oh My...  Why haven't we been eating these all of our lives?  Delicious! They grow everywhere, so easy.  Tastes like spinach.  I pull them while I'm weeding, pluck off the upper leaves, rinse and cook.  And cooking- so easy.  I just toss them on top of whatever I'm making for supper for the last 5 minutes or so.

Cadets - #2 leaves for camp on Monday.  He'll be gone for 7 weeks as staff, have a blast, and come home with a tidy paycheque.  #3 will be going to the same camp, at Base Borden, for three weeks in July.  #4 will be going to Trenton for two weeks in July.  We have one more cadet night this week, and I have to finish next year's training plan and send it in by Tuesday, and then I am off for the summer.  May and June were much busier for me than I usually allow, which is partly why I'm so behind and disorganized now.

Quads - the other reason I'm so far behind.  Both Husband's and my Quad went in for repairs at the beginning of May.  Husband picked them up yesterday, not fixed, and took them to a different place.  Nothing against the first place, just personal circumstances and he doesn't have time to do the work.  But it's the end of June and I haven't really started on firewood or manure yet, so I really, really, need my baby back.

Who's Having A Baby?

Dorie most definitely looks like she won't be long now.

She was very cooperative for pictures, too.  Nelly looks bigger, but was less cooperative for pictures.  She calved first last year, on March 30th.

Majesty might be pregnant.  She's still quite small though, just 3 this year, and Toothless was her Daddy, so it would be preferable if she isn't pregnant.

Mindy wouldn't come out of hiding for pictures, though she is looking quite large from a distance.

Patrick, the little porker, looks like he might be due any day...

...except, you know, he's a one year old boy!

Princess

Separated from her mother, and finally tagged.  We were busy getting ready for the boys to leave for camp, garden, and firewood, etc.  Princess didn't get tagged until Sunday.

Princess, June 2014

She was a little harder to wrangle and tag yesterday, having gained a few pounds and a whole lot of muscle!

Princess, August 2014

She went to the auction yesterday morning.  The price of beef is running high, too high to even think about keeping her. 

Princess in the auction ring

I got $2.20/lb for her.  I probably could have gotten more, but I chickened out on the bidding.  At 190 lbs, I really can't complain.  She paid for her mother's hay last winter, plus a little profit.

Fresh Pasture

Since I started using the solar electric charger this year I slowly moved the fence to the side yard, out behind the house into the backyard, along the second driveway beside the garden, between the garden and the raspberry patch, and to the far side of the garden.  We've only had one escape- right down the road to Mom's place- when they were in the second driveway section.  There were some awkward corners in there, and somebody knocked out a post. 

They're averaging 4-7 days per section, based partly on the condition of the grass, and partly on the weather.  I've left them an extra day, or moved them a day or two early because rain was forecast.

I haven't gotten brave enough to cut them off from the pasture yet.  They have a walkway back at all times, and then we close the gate overnight to lock them in- except once.  One night #4 forgot to close the gate when he put them away, but still shut off the electric fence.  They were out grazing in the morning, and may have been out all night.  Amazingly, no escapes!

We still haven't got the second solar charger repaired, so the pasture is still not divided.  It's obviously not as stressed as it usually is though.  The grass is growing slowly, about 3" high.  Normally it's cropped off just above the roots in the open sections by this time of year.

Friday I moved the fence to the first clearing behind the house.  It's a bigger section than they've had to date, and the grass is longer, though thinner.  The cows are all looking lovely.

The calves like to duck under the fence and munch ahead of everyone else, or just stop to nap.  I've kept the fence well back from the trees, keeping a cleaner fence line.  The cows will duck their heads under the fence to get most of the edges, and there's less risk of the fence grounding out.

This is the trampoline section.  The trampoline doesn't get used much because the bugs get kind of wild in the long grass.  #4 is happy to have company out back, and soon the cows will have the grass eaten and trampled down, reducing the bug population.

The cows like to be let out of the pasture early in the mornings to graze, then return to the barn to chew their cud, hide from the sun, and nap in the afternoon.  Around supper time they head out again, and graze until nearly dusk.  They usually put themselves to bed then, but occasionally need some prompting.

I have one more section that I can fence off and maintain the pathway to the pasture without buying more supplies. 

The horses come out to graze from time to time, though they're a bit skittish through the pathways where the fence is narrower, and seem to prefer the openness of the pasture.  They're also adverse to change.  They tend to leap before they look, and skid to a stop when they see the fence line has been moved. 

The last time we tried using electric fence out back was just for horses, and it was a total fail.  They always wanted the grass on the other side of the fence, would knock it down or ground it out, and escaped regularly.  Now that I see the behavior differences I'd really like to separate the pasture to keep them in at all times.

It's a Girl

The cows were all out in the back yard mowing down the lawn. Except Mindy. Mindy was missing. What mischief was she up to now? #1 went looking for her.  He found this.

That little brown spot in the trees.
 
 Cute, isn't she?
 
 Following mama.
 
 Out of the trees.
 
 Up by the barn.  Finally, she gets some milk!

She was probably born on Sunday morning.  Mindy appears to be mothering well.  Baby is small, but walking and nursing well.

So- Mindy calved in June this year.  I think that cow is determined to drive me crazy. 

Last year she calved mid August, far too late, and the calf was lost to winter weather.  She had to have rebred right away to provide us with a June calf.  I was expecting another late August or September calf.  I was thinking that I would butcher her after she calved and take the calf to auction.

Now what?  She hasn't escaped at all this year (knock on wood), and she had a June calf.  If she rebreeds right away again, that should put her right on schedule for May next year.  And if she's not escaping and causing trouble, there's really no need to cull her.

And she had a girl.  The only girl this year.  Keep her?  Eat her?  Sell her?  I'll have to think on it a bit.

For now she needs a name.  Starting with the letter P...  Suggestions?

Greenhouse Repairs

Greenhouse #1 suffered some damage over the winter.

Just one beam snapped.

Leaving the roof sagging.

The boys put in another post to patch it back together for this year.  I don't expect it will make it through next winter. 

The plan for now is to build greenhouse #3 this summer, so it will be ready to plant next spring.


#1 started tilling along the fence line.  I planted the peas yesterday, in the opposite direction of previous years.  dad used to alternate the direction on the garden from year to year.  I don't know if it'll make much difference, but I don't think it will hurt anything.  We'll see.

Meanwhile-

• Goats are going to the auction today.  
• Calves are doing well.  
• Grass is starting to grow.  
• Chickens and Gackle are living in the turkey pen. 
• Firewood is under way.
• The snow is almost gone, just a bit in the plow piles, and along the edges of the woods.
• New closet in my room.
• The bug died.  Cracked block.
• New roof over the wood window.
• Manure on the move... 

Parker

Black is easier to spot in the trees. 
 
He was born Tuesday night.

Clean, up and nursing.

He's almost as big as Patrick, Nelly's calf.  Not that Patrick hasn't grown a lot, just that he was a tiny calf. 

Dorie's doing well, as usual.  She just can't hide him very well.

The Boy Gets Messy

 **Graphic images will follow.**

Plans changed again.  We will have beef this winter.  Perhaps a lot of it.

Sharlotte is making her way to the freezer.

We had initially planned to keep her for future breeding stalk.  She was, after all, the first girl born here on our farm.  However, if you recall, there was some confusion about her birth.  We really don't know who her mother was, Mindy or Dorie.

So, we had a long summer filled with fence repair after fence repair, and we nearly put Mindy in the freezer, because we just could not keep her contained.  And then she calved, buying herself a reprieve.  She still gets out from time to time, though not nearly as often as she used to.  We debated making Mugsy a bottle baby, and butchering Mindy anyway.

But here's the thing- When we got Dorie, she escaped a couple of times.  She went looking for a bull.  She got out a couple of times in the spring when the grass was still short.  We had to trailer her home from a far neighbour's place twice.  And then she calved.  And then she pretty much stayed put.  She was out once, with Majesty and the whole herd this summer, but mostly, so long as she has her calf, her bull, and plenty to eat, she's a good girl.

We bought Mindy and Maddy as yearlings.  They escaped with Dorie a couple of times.  Once they got separated in the woods and Mindy came home on her own.  Maddy went to northern neighbour's with Dorie and spent the summer there.  We ended up trading her for stud fees and summer boarding.  It turned out to be an excellent trade for us.  Dorie came home and delivered Casper the following summer.  Maddy stayed there and stopped growing, and never calved.  Northern neighbour sent her to butcher two years later.

Maddy and Mindy almost definitely came from the same farm.  We waited years for Mindy to calve, breaking fences repeatedly along the way.  If we were real farmers, she would have been out of here long ago.

So, there is a possibility that Sharlotte was Mindy's calf.  Sharlotte is small in stature.  Of course it doesn't help that her daddy (Steaks) was kind of a runt either.  Sharlotte was breaking through the fence all the time.  Our fences do not hold goats or calves- uneven ground, so many weak points- so we were playing a waiting game.  Waiting for her to get too big to squeeze through the bad spots.  However, every time she squeezed through the bad spots, she made the weak points weaker.  She made the small holes bigger.  She stretched the wire looser.  And then Mindy or Nelly would follow her out.  She never really went anywhere on her own, just around the non fenced portion of our land, and in the ditch.  But once Mindy got loose, they'd be off to southern neighbour's causing trouble.

We'd patch the fence.  She'd find a new escape route.  Then she'd be on the wrong side of the fence, calling to the rest of the herd, come out and play with me!

We have five calves this year.  Five little calves who could easily duck under the fence or through one of those bad spots and run around causing trouble.  They choose not to.  They choose to stay with their mamas, their daddy- the herd.  Even Mugsy stays put when Mindy's out gallivanting around.

But what about next spring?  What will happen when the calves are bigger, their mamas are tired of nursing, new calves are arriving, and Sharlotte is still breaking through the fence?  If they followed her, that would be half my herd running loose in the neighbourhood.

Add to that her small stature- how long do we keep her, waiting for her to get big enough to breed?  If she does get pregnant, will she survive? 

We decided that Sharlotte is not the type of cow we want to keep, and we'd rather deal with her now before she leads the new calves off into the woods.

Now if you're squeamish, you should probably stop reading here.

**Graphic images will follow.**






 Husband dispatched her.

#2 took the lead this year, while I stood back and guided him through the process.


The gutting was uneventful.  Things went rather smoothly.

Weight Formula:
heart girth X heart girth X length  / 300
67" X 67" X 61" / 300 = 912.7 pounds

She was apparently slightly heavier than Steaks (830 lbs). 

We hung her in the garage last Monday, and I worked on removing fat and making tallow through the week.  She had more fat by far than any of our previous kills.  Saturday we started butchering.  It's a bit early yet, but the weather was a bit warmer than we'd like it (dropping fast now), and we still have two pigs to butcher, so we're in a bit of a hurry.

 
 We trimmed some of the flanks for jerky and stewing beef.  Most was cut for ground.  Blurry pictures courtesy of #4, who I believe may have been shivering a bit.

#2 got this brilliant idea to toss a bit of flank onto the wood stove.  It smelled really good, so I tossed a piece on too.  Husband, #1, and #4 thought that was disgusting.  No pan!!  lol.  They ate mine.
 
 After that little snack though, we decided to toss 5 freshly cut t-bones on.  (#3 was at a friend's).  I melted some of the fat on the stove top, then put the steaks on with just a bit of salt and pepper.  Delicious- and no dishes.

Still lots to do- ribs and more steaks today.