Cattle Call Farm Blog

Happy New Year! Sorry so late, but I just started working a new 40 hour a week job after working for myself 14 years. Having to make some changes with the new year. Hopefully I can take some time and catch everyone up. Hard to believe calving season is just a few weeks away! Hope everyone has had a great holiday season. Look forward to catching up with everyone when I can.

Winter is on it's way.

 
The festival is over, the last field of hay is in the barn and winter is just around the corner. They are actually calling for a first "dusting" of snow tonight. Seems like we just finished putting  the hay in the barn and we have already started feeding. As they say in farming, you're never finished. All I  can say is I am ready for a snow day! 

Where has time gone????

Sorry, no pics with this post. I have taken some and will try to get them uplaoded ASAP. It has been one crazy month. Glad to see it coming to an end. We finished hay, count in barn around 2400 square bales. The girls are finishing up with volleyball today, YEAH!!! I have tried to keep up with my blogging buds but with a schedule of out the door at 7 AM and not back in until 9PM I haven't been able to keep up. Hope you are all doing well  and I am looking forward to some good reading this winter. Maybe I will get snowed in and be able to get caught up. Have a great day everyone!

Updated pics from around the farm.

 
Little Britches first baby! Meet Freckle.

 
My garden pond has became the local watering hole. Good for the animals, bad for the fish.LOL

 
Pee Wee has done nothing but get fat.

 

Bo & Fluff are always close by.

 
Remember when we were trying to figure out what these guys were? They are Buff Cochins. They started laying a couple of weeks ago, you won't believe where I found their nest.

 
Can you believe this is where they were hiding thier eggs??

 
The Walnut Festival is in 3 weeks and the girls have really grown well.

 
The heifers always greet us while we are waiting on the school bus.

Fall Cleaning

Homer has started brushhogging.  I try to get him to let me help, but he refuses. He will be 84 this weekend and still refuses to turn over the tractor  to me. I just let him go about his way, if not he just wouldn't be happy.I am still on weed eater duty. I asked him how many years of service do I have to put in before I get to run the equipment. You would think 40+ years would qualify. LOL

How my day got started.

Well this morning while we were waiting on the school bus I was doing a head count on the heifers that I have been keeping by the house. They are due to calf this month so I have been trying to keep a close watch. One was missing, Little Britches my bottle baby that I raised from 4 days old. After Amber got on the bus the search was on. It has been so dry this month that Homer has held off on the brush hogging, so it was like a game of hide and seek. When I finally found her over the hill in the far corner I knew something wasn't right. Just on the "other" side of the fence stood a baby calf. I crawled through the fence and helped him back to the side where his momma was. I wasn't expecting her to calf until next week but I guess she decided it was time. He was a nice bull calf weighing about 60lbs. A nice calf for a 1st time heifer. I took her and the baby and walked them to the barn. I put them in the lot  behind the barn, watched him nurse, than it was nap time for him.I have already given him a name,"Freckle". He has a cute little freckle under his left eye and the name just popped in my head.

Jim has made himself at home.

 

Jim acts like he has been here his whole life. Hasn't given us any problems. I took a couple of bred cows to the sale this weekend and they were right on time with when they should have been bred. I guess he is getting  his job done too. Hardly ever know he is on the place except when the young heifers are bulling. He will stand by the fence and paw the ground, moan and groan. We run electric between the fields where we keep the heifers and the rest of the cows. So far, so good. He acts like he doesn't want anything to do with the electric. Hopefully I can keep him out a few more months, then everything will be ready to breed and be in time with the rest of the cows.

We started our 2nd cutting of hay today. Just a small field, 54 bales. We will be starting in the far field as soon as we can. Tractor was broke down most of the summer so we are a little behind. We have been holding off on the brush hogging because it has been so dry. Hard to believe after all of the snow and rain we had earlier in the year that it is so dry now. Crazy weather.

Up and Running!! Pass it on!

We have gone hi-tech and went on-line with the Primitive shop! Check us out, refer our site to your friends, leave me a comment and you will receive a Thank You gift from the shop. Make sure you put in your email when leave your comment so I will be able to reach you and get your mailing address. Thanks!

http://www.stillmeadowsfarm.com/

More pics from today

I have been trying to catch things up around the house and snapping pics of the animals. Here's the youngest calves, they are 3 months old, a few of the older calves will be leaving this weekend but I couldn't find them today, probably off in the shade somewhere.

 

The Roane Cty Livestock show is fast approaching. The lambs have to weigh at least 100lbs to sell by the 3rd week in October. We took them last week for a "check-in" weigh in. They were at 107 and 115. Thank goodness. It has been so hot here this summer the girls haven't got to do much, except get them out late in the evenings. They have gotten used to taking baths though. When the heat index is 100, who wouldn't like a cool shower.

 

The girls spend the biggest part of their day in front of the fan. They venture out into their lot in the evenings and they have them broke to lead. They are more like dogs than sheep.

Well, there's a few more pics and updates. Get back with you when I can.

Updates around the farm

As you know I am still in the land of dial up, so I can only bring you up to date slowly. Here's a few pics from this morning.

 

These guys are always into everything. I never knew turkeys were so curious. Final count, 1 gobbler 3 hens.

 

And we have a few more additions, picked these up on vacation. Never know what I might drag in.

I am going to try and get some pics of calves and have them uploaded this weekend. You won't believe how they have grown.
On my way out the door, more pics to follow.