Been a long time

Hello all. Been quite a while since I have been around the forum. Been busy getting a business going and being the semi gentleman farmer. Business has involved selling vintage auto parts. Getting old cars, stripping them and selling the parts. Not making big bucks, but it brings in a bit of spare cash. And its got me some livestock and helped me with some of the upkeep on the ol place.
Got several head of cattle now and a small flock of sheep. And got plently of meat in the freezer from the few animals we have slaughtered. And now raising up a batch of turkeys and geese and some new layers. So things are at least looking up. Alot more so than this time last year.

The photos are a couple snapshots I took of a few of my sheep and one of the calves. The calf is a young heifer that we had to bottle feed after she lost her momma. Neighbor brought her over to me. He didnt have time to mess with taking care of a bottle calf and he knows how I am with animals. So she has become a pet. She is small for her age though she is fat as the dickens. And follows me around like a puppy. And enjoys getting her ears scratched and her belly rubbed. She is about 2.5 months old in the photo. I guess we will end up keeping her and breeding her down the road. Hopefully she will gain a bit in size and get more normal sized otherwise that could be a problem unless we can find a small breed to breed her to.

And lost several sheep last month to a dog. The dog is history, but it tore up two of my younger sheep so bad that I had to put them down. What was worse though, it got my young ram. So I am having to raise up a new ram. Hoping it will be old enough to do its job this fall. Otherwise, spring wont be bringing me a new crop of lambs. Already having some of the younger ewes trying to ride the others. Oh well...will see. So what have I been missing?

Well glad you made it back, and nice critters you got there. Too bad about the dog killing the stock though. Were you able to find the owners of the dog or was it just passing through?

Sure doesn't sound like much of a retirement. Sounds like you've been doing work. Now don't be parting out any old snowcats.

Welcome home! It's good to see you posting again. It sounds like you are enjoying it there.

And seeing your avatar, I'm reminded that you have excellent taste in tractors!
I spent most of the day on my elderly Yanmar. Looks like it was left out for 30 years (it was); runs like new.

fogtender said:

Well glad you made it back, and nice critters you got there. Too bad about the dog killing the stock though. Were you able to find the owners of the dog or was it just passing through?

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It was a stranger. Happened about 7 in the am. I thought I heard something. I was in the house, stepped outside and saw commotion in the corral, grabbed my shotgun and a couple of extra shells and got out there as quick as I could. Saw the dog, a german shepard type grab one sheep by the throat as I got there. Yelled at it and it split out of the corral and soon as I had a clear shot, I nailed it. Buckshot does wonders on predetors..at least when its fairly close range.

Then I just let it lay for a while while I went in and took care of the sheep. Had a bit of stitching to do on a couple and to put down the two that it tore up too much for me to save. Wasnt one of my happier days.

Dug a hole with the tractor and burried them all in the one hole. Finally got done about noon with all the doctoring and other chores. Made for a bad Sunday.

Bobcat said:

Sure doesn't sound like much of a retirement. Sounds like you've been doing work. Now don't be parting out any old snowcats.

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We dont see many snowcats in this area though they do have em up in the mountains. So doubt if I get the chance to part many or any out.

As to my retirement?? What is that?? I think I spend more time working now than I did when I held down a full time job. The only advantage is that I can do it at my speed. Well....sorta...the critters kinda set the times and speed and such. My problem is I end up making pets of everything. So when I go out to do the chores, they all want their share of attention. The calf is the one that really demands it. If I dont scratch her head and pet her, she will get behind me and give me a butt with her head....in the butt. Now...it isnt so bad right now....but I been thinking...how about when she gets to 800 pounds or so. Could be a mite painful then.
And even the one hog we have at the moment, (the other just hit the freezer) is more pet than food on the hoof.
My wife says I must be a relation of Dr Dolittle. I love animals, but I am a realist. And NOT a vegetarian so its a distance relation.. Even if he is just a character in a book.

California said:

Welcome home! It's good to see you posting again. It sounds like you are enjoying it there.

And seeing your avatar, I'm reminded that you have excellent taste in tractors!
I spent most of the day on my elderly Yanmar. Looks like it was left out for 30 years (it was); runs like new.

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Yep...and it looks just the same. Never did get a chance to paint it. Been too busy using it. And mine was left out in the weather for years too...till I got hold of it and rebuilt it. I had figured to paint it as well but heck....I needed it too much. Going to get me a bigger one though. keeping this 155D but want to get one a bit bigger to deal with some of the heaver duty work that crops up off and on that is difficult for the 155. I have hit its limits more than once.
Such as when I had to load a 7 foot bushhog on my flatbed to haul it to a friend. Wish I had my wife take some pictures. me on the tractor, my one son helping guide the bushhog onto the trailer while I kinda sorta lifted it with the FEL and my other bigger son on the backend of the tractor helping keep the rearend on the ground. I had to lift it in stages. But I did it...and without bending the tractor or anything else..including my offspring.

Glad to see ya back and I'd love to visit the farm!

Big Dog said:

Glad to see ya back and I'd love to visit the farm!

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Visitors allways welcome. We dont cook fancy but there is always plenty for seconds. And while here you can always feed the chickens, geese,ducks, turkeys, hog, sheep or some of the other critters that call this place home. And relax. There isnt much to see in this part of the country unless you like a whole lot of nothing. Few trees...most just fields and sky. The closest town is 15 miles away and we can see the buildings from our farm...few hills. The nearest neighbor is a mile away. After that its..well...a few miles before anyone else. My neighbor surrounds my place. He has about 8000 acres that he farms. He started with a 1/4 section 25 years ago. My place we bought from the family that first homesteaded this place back in the late 1800's. So we are only the second owners basically. They had farmed 640 acres until several years ago. My neighbor bought up most of their land and I bought the original homestead site and 40 acres of land. And that was more than I really wanted. But the place suited me and the family. Had good buildings and corrals and no near neighbors, which tickled me pink.

So we moved in just 3 years ago..actually a few months under that and havent regretted it since. First couple of years we really didnt have much in the way of livestock and what we did raise went into the freezer. But with the gas prices going skyhigh and the way the economy seems to be heading along with food prices going up, we decided we might just want to be a bit more self sufficient. Its just taken time to get equipment, tools, etc and then start getting the livestock. Some of the livestock we just ended up with. Animals that friends and neighbors needed or wanted to get rid of for various reasons. So they have just kinda accumulated. One or two just showed up. Dont know where they came from or how they got here. Like our big male gander. He was just here one day last year. And there have been others.

goldchaser said:

What was worse though, it got my young ram. So I am having to raise up a new ram. Hoping it will be old enough to do its job this fall. Otherwise, spring wont be bringing me a new crop of lambs.

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I guess I don't ever remember being too young to do my job. Fun aside but can you not borrow or rent a Ram for this first time around this fall or would it be too expensive?

Oh and by the way welcome back.


murph

goldchaser said:

The calf is the one that really demands it. If I dont scratch her head and pet her, she will get behind me and give me a butt with her head....in the butt. Now...it isnt so bad right now....but I been thinking...how about when she gets to 800 pounds or so. Could be a mite painful then.

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My uncle used to raise Purebred Brahman cattle. Imagine a 2,000 pound Brahman bull wanting to be scratched....if you're in the pasture, you WOULD pay attention to him! Out in the middle of a 50 acre pasture, you could set 2 or 3 kids on his back, & the ol' bull loved it.

thcri said:

I guess I don't ever remember being too young to do my job. Fun aside but can you not borrow or rent a Ram for this first time around this fall or would it be too expensive?

Oh and by the way welcome back.


murph

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Same with me. <laugh>

Only problem with borrowing or renting a ram, is that in this area there arent alot of folks raising sheep which kinda limits things and those that do need their rams for their own flocks. Not too many have spares, at least those that I know. I might be able to borrow one for several weeks later in the summer from a friend of mine. He has alot larger flock than mine but he said he might be able to spare his for a couple of weeks. Just been surprising seeing these young ewes seems like they are maturing awfully fast. And they arent much older than the ram. Actually rams. I have two but one I think I am going to tix and turn into meat on the hoof. He is smaller and doesnt have the agressiveness displayed by the other one. Plus his package is not as pronounced. Size does count, ya know.

urednecku said:

My uncle used to raise Purebred Brahman cattle. Imagine a 2,000 pound Brahman bull wanting to be scratched....if you're in the pasture, you WOULD pay attention to him! Out in the middle of a 50 acre pasture, you could set 2 or 3 kids on his back, & the ol' bull loved it.

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That would surely get my attention, for sure. I had told my oldest boy about the calf doing that and he didnt believe me. He discovered different the other day when he was putting some grain out for the flock. He came up to me afterwards and told me the calf had butted him almost hard enough to knock him down and then stood there making sure he petted her and scratched her. I had a good laugh about that. But like I said...when she gets up there in size it isnt going to be quite so funny.
But thats part of the fun of living in the country.

Welcome back Goldchaser. The country life isn't bad, is it?

Be careful about making pets of cows. You are right to be concerned. It's something my S-I-L and I disagree on all the time. She has all the cows at the farm "trained" and it does make handling them a lot easier but over the years we have had a couple of mean, ugly, nasty cows. One was just a downright killer. There was a reason for it but she did hate people with a passion. I was so glad to get rid of her.

Also, they can change as they get older, especially bulls. We had one Hereford bull that was raised as a pet. He was the kindest sweetest friendliest thing you ever met. Loved to come up and get his forehead scratched and yea, he would bump you if you ignored him. One day I was out in the pasture and here he comes as usual. There was just something about his body language that was different. I don't know what it was but I was watching him carefully. He got within less than a 100 feet and charged - as fast as a Hereford can, I suppose. Since I was watching him, I got back in the truck pretty easily but it could have been ugly if I had my back turned to him. I suppose his place in the herd heirarchy had changed and all of a sudden I was in HIS pasture. So be careful.

goldchaser said:

He is smaller and doesnt have the agressiveness displayed by the other one. Plus his package is not as pronounced. Size does count, ya know.

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I was always told it's not the size of the ship but the motion of the ocean I am unlucky and had to live on that premises all my life. just kiddin.

What about artificial or would tha cost to much

EastTexFrank said:

Welcome back Goldchaser. The country life isn't bad, is it?.

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Nope, I enjoy it each and every day.

EastTexFrank said:

Be careful about making pets of cows. You are right to be concerned. It's something my S-I-L and I disagree on all the time. She has all the cows at the farm "trained" and it does make handling them a lot easier but over the years we have had a couple of mean, ugly, nasty cows. One was just a downright killer. There was a reason for it but she did hate people with a passion. I was so glad to get rid of her. .

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Yea...I know...but it can be hard not making a pet of one. Especially when you have to hand raise it. I tried not to but it didnt work out that way. But when she started getting agressive about getting attention, I started working with her to show her what was acceptable and what wasnt. She isnt as bad about it as she was at first, but it is easy to get taken by surprise because you get oh...I guess accustomed and comfortable with an animal and then you dont watch them as close. And THAT is usually when things happen.

EastTexFrank said:

Also, they can change as they get older, especially bulls. We had one Hereford bull that was raised as a pet. He was the kindest sweetest friendliest thing you ever met. Loved to come up and get his forehead scratched and yea, he would bump you if you ignored him. One day I was out in the pasture and here he comes as usual. There was just something about his body language that was different. I don't know what it was but I was watching him carefully. He got within less than a 100 feet and charged - as fast as a Hereford can, I suppose. Since I was watching him, I got back in the truck pretty easily but it could have been ugly if I had my back turned to him. I suppose his place in the herd heirarchy had changed and all of a sudden I was in HIS pasture. So be careful.

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People dont realize that animals, unlike humans, live and act totally upon instinct. With a cow, making them a pet, they accept you as part of their "herd" but as they get older, instinct tells them to start fighting for status in the herd. As part of the herd, YOU have status and such are fair game to them. Similar to your bull. His status likely had changed and he had to establish dominance over his herd, his pasture. You were part of the herd in his eyes that he had to dominate.

With this little heifer its too late to do much other than to train her and try to modify her behavior. And then try to modify the thinking of the rest of my family so that they understand and will keep their eyes open around her and not get overly accepting. Like you say. They can change. My neighbor had a bull that was pretty tame and was a good within his herd, but then it took a liking to breaking out of his pasture and coming over to my place and camping out in my barn. He was a big guy. Like any black angus, he was solid muscle and huge. Anyway, the first time I discovered him I had gone out to the barn at night and heard some noise inside, went inside and actually walked into him. It was dark and I hadnt turned the light on. I was lucky. All he did was snort. That was enough to almost give me a heart attack. I backed out quick, shut the barn door and called my neighbor. He came and got him the next morning but that ol bull had got it in his mind that he liked my barn. Maybe he was raised in one like it...I dont know. So he wouldnt stay with the herd and his size, there wasnt a fence that could hold him. My neighbor ended up selling him before someone ended up hurt or dead. I was happy when that happened. I hated having to check around corners and peaking into my own barn to make sure the coast was clear.

thcri said:

I was always told it's not the size of the ship but the motion of the ocean I am unlucky and had to live on that premises all my life. just kiddin.

What about artificial or would tha cost to much

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Well, maybe with us humans...or at least thats what those of us like me who arent so ...well endowed...want to believe.

With sheep though, its a way of judging the fertility of the ram. The size of the sack, how it hangs are the most visible indicators. The size of the other...well...I guess that would be subjective...to the ewe.

Hadnt really thought much about AI, although that is a possiblity I guess. Cost would likely be about 25 per ewe, if there is a vet nearby that does it. Considering the price of lambs, not something that is really cost effective. In our area, lambs weighing 50 pounds and under bring about 50 to 65 bucks a head. And I personally dont know enough about it, AI on sheep, that is...to know more than the technical aspect as how to do it.

it's been a while. . .