A Barn for Me

This week begins the holiday season and for this large family mama that can mean only one thing:
This house MUST get cleaned!!!

Okay, I know that is not the most important thing I could be doing with my time, but I seriously just need the open spaces cleaned. I don't mind if junk is crammed into closet and drawers. Cleaning out nooks and crannies can be a goal for the New Year.

I started this week with turkey processing. Monday we processed what we had, which was 9 very large turkeys. They processed easily and our home made Whiz Bang plucker  did a fine job plucking feathers. The lightest bird dressed at 14 pounds, several dressed at 15-16, and 2 birds at 23 pounds!

I admit that they were fun to raise, until they started dropping dead at 13 weeks of age. I am still puzzled as to why this happened. After the financial loss of losing big turkeys, I understand why there are very few farmers raising pastured turkeys.

I also must admit that I really enjoyed these birds. It was more difficult to see these guys go versus meat chickens. Turkeys have much more personality, especially the gobblers, and I enjoyed watching them go about their day.

Now, I have to indulge to ya'll the really exciting part of my week.
I have a barn!

Last month I was able to purchase a metal carport with two sides enclosed. After it was installed, Devin turned it into my new milking barn.
First, he moved my milk pump and milking equipment to one of the enclosed sides. Those posts holding the stanchion are in solid concrete. Cows have a tendency to scratch their heads on posts and they can really move posts around if they are not solid.

My stanchion is actually a two cow set up, so technically I can milk two cows at once if I upgrade my milk pump and get another surge milker. Devin set up electricity into the barn so everything could be connected easily. Penny was the first to test the new set up out!

Of course, dairy cows are creatures of habit and it took some coaxing to get the ladies away from the old milking set up. This old set up has served me well for the last 2+ years, but it was always meant as a temporary area (more on that later).  The cows stood for quite some time in the old area waiting to be milked. We will tear this set up down and burn it next chance we get.

The other enclosed side is not finished yet. Devin will be building me two 10 foot stalls on this side. Each stall has a large gate and will be a nice area to lock up animals when needed. We positioned the barn so that the walls block the north wind in the winter.

Devin put me an outlet over the stalls so I can plug in any equipment if needed or even a heat lamp. Sometimes it is necessary to house a young calf and heat lamps keep them warm.

No more working on animals in the dark either! I have lights!

At milking time, the cow comes through this gate to milk and out the other gate when finished. No more cows running over each other to get in and out!

This is a perfect barn for my location in Georgia. The weather is most often hot and humid and this open barn allows for air circulation that is needed in my climate.

Another perk is that metal carports are relatively inexpensive. We did not have to spend tens of thousands to get a nice barn set up and that is a bonus for any family on a budget. When you start farming well meaning  people will try and tell you that you must get a big, expensive barn set up. Do NOT believe them.

Let's get back to my temporary milking area set up. Temporary set ups are really nice when you start a farming life, especially for fencing and buildings. Having a temp set up or fence allows you to use that area and really decide if it works for your needs. The temp area I had for milking was nice, but the ground was lower than I like and therefore it stayed wet, very wet, after a rain. I also had 2 years to decide how I preferred to milk cows and where I wanted equipment to be set up. All of the *kinks* were straightened out before I had my barn set up.

This is also true of fencing. If you can use temporary electric fencing first, you will be able to decide if a particular area works for your needs before investing thousands into wire and wood fencing.

I will post pictures once Devin is done with my stalls. Today he is working and tomorrow we will be stuffing ourselves sick with food.

Today I clean!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!!

All Bull

The cold has arrived and boy is it ever chilly, especially for a Southern girl who prefers the heat.

We busily made sure all the animals had plenty of hay and fresh water before the cold snap hit and each morning we are bundled up doing farm chores.

Part of dairy farming is making sure the ladies are bred each year, and this task can be difficult when you do not have a bull.

Bulls can be dangerous and dairy bulls are notorious for being especially mean. Since I have children who like to roam, I have never been comfortable keeping a dairy bull around.

Thank goodness for great neighbors with bulls to spare.

This isn't a dairy bull, but rather an Angus bull. He is young and still docile. In fact, as one would expect from a beef cow, he is rather scared of people and runs away when we approach his fence.

He is shorter than my Jersey girls and tends to sire small calves. He will be the daddy to my next round of calves born here next year.

My neighbor told me I could keep him as long as I wish, so I will keep him at least a few months. He is in the far paddock to himself. I expect at least two of my girls to go into heat this week or next.

I find him rather handsome.

This spring there is a class offered at Mississippi State in artificial insemination of cows. It is a 3 day course and I am seriously considering taking the course. If I keep raising dairy cows I will need to either get a bull or learn how to AI. The bull would be easier and likely cheaper, but AI is a skill I have always wanted to learn.

Finally, my turkey raising adventure is about to end. Monday we will process the very few birds we have left. One actually dies last night. I am totally baffled as to what is causing the birds to suddenly die. I had to turn down several customers, but this was a year of learning curves...I just haven't maneuvered the curves well yet.

 

Whoever said farming was easy never farmed.

 

Happy Hump Day Ya'll!!



Super-Sonic Speed

This past weekend was a marathon weekend for farming.

Penny had her calf, a bull calf. He is a small calf but very healthy and playful.

I was worried at first because they spent so much time laying down, but I think the little guy just needed a good rest.

He eventually stood up, nursed and started walking around with Penny. He's an active calf now.

He's also eating quite well. Here we are feeding him while Willow photo bombs. We haven't named him yet, but since he is a bull he has one fate. We will think of a food name for him.

Next we sheared sheep. This was a late shearing and I am a bit concerned about the cold air that has moved in today.

Devin and I took turns helping hold the sheep down. It always amazes me how strong the booger can be at shearing time. If you do not follow me on FB, please do! I posted a video of the sheep and the new calf.

All of the sheep had a nice layer of fat to help keep them warm, except Flicka the House Lamb. She's still quite small. We actually put her in with the calf this morning so they could both stay warm and dry under a heat lamp. It has really gotten cold today and tomorrow will be even colder!

We also got good, seasoned hardwood firewood this weekend and will likely be starting the stove fires this evening. If you are in the path of this artic blast, please stay warm!!!!!

It is difficult to believe that the holidays will soon be here. I usually have a list of gifts to make and crafts to craft, but my recent health issues have taken a toll on my energy levels. Tomorrow I am going to see my doctor and hopefully figure out why I am not healed from the miscarriage yet. I am hopeful that she will help me heal and I can get back to my normal super  sonic speed!


In the meantime......

Happy Hump Day!!!

Super Fly Birthdays

Monday we celebrated 2 birthdays in the house! To this day it amazes me that I have two kids that share a birthday.

Journee turned 19 and Rose turned 9.
Usually we have family parties at the house but this year I decided to do something different.

This year we had a party at the local trampoline park called Super Fly.

I must say that everyone had a very good time and it was worth every penny to have a party there.

It was a solid hour of jumping, swinging, and running. There was even an area for playing dodge ball. the kids had a great time throwing balls at each other and dodging the balls too

 The boys jumped and jumped and are asking when we will take them back. They also slept very well that night!

Rose and Willow also brought a friend and they enjoyed hanging out and jumping.
Super Fly had a nice party room set up for us and we brought pizza, a cooler with drinks, and 2 cookie cakes that Willow made for her sisters.



Of course the girls were showered with fabulous and thoughtful birthday presents.

The girls always ask for their own box of goldfish crackers and jerky. Grandma always accommodates with those gifts. Rose is always extra exuberant when she gets the crackers!

Happy birthday Rose! I hope you always remain energetic and witty.

Happy birthday Journee. I hope you never lose your sense of compassion and service.

We will be going back to Super Fly soon. They actually have a family night on Mondays when the entire family can jump for one low price. Devin and I are also thinking it would be a great date night as well as a great place to gather with friends.

On the farm front, it has been busy and hectic and a bit overwhelming. I will update ya'll soon, but for now it's all about the Super Fly birthdays!

Happy Hump day Ya'll!