Clear, calm, and sunny skies all day. We still have not gotten above freezing-maybe tomorrow. No straw for cows today. Alfalfa day (every 3 days). No change with calves and 2’s. Corral water is thawed out, but Ryan still needs to replace broken float. Grateful for a mostly problem free day, as the Rankin roller switch broke.
0 Comments
Subtle trend to warmer conditions. Less straw to cows and more grazing out. I hope to get back into BLM this weekend. The plan was to have the cows in NG7 by the 15th to use up our BLM TNR AUMs. All groups doing reasonably well.
Continue improving weather. Remarkable how the warming has moved in with mild SW winds. There was a softness at the end of the day that simply cannot be fully appreciated unless you had experienced the hard bitterness of the previous week. No moves. Still feeding every group, yet I am starting to back off on the straw as cattle venture out to graze.
We climbed above zero today. It felt good. More warming in the forecast. Cows were actually lying down in the morning. Things are stable, yet much to be done to get all the wells running again, and to start filling the pit. We had a rough-legged hawk hanging out in the yard in the morning, and a lone magpie showed up, along with a fly over prairie falcon. Hard to imagine we are just a bit over a month from the spring equinox and the welcome arrival of the meadowlarks.
Mostly clear skies with light SW winds as a very slight warming trend begins. Are water woes worsened, as Ryan found his well house flooded soon after he woke up. Fortunately, Ryan had thawed out the pit housing freeze up earlier, so both groups could rely on Pit water for the day. With feedback from Dennis Vidic, (our well guy) and BJ, it was determined the drain out pipe had broken (not sure why) and the escaped water flowed back into the well house. By dark, Ryan had the well back running. Throughout it all, we have remarkably stayed a just few feet away from disaster. Not that bad, as our adaptive skills have been above average. Cows are back in SBW1 after 2 days in WL5 due to water issues. I let calves drift into the rest of WL2, as I did not have enough time and energy to build a split.
More of the same, yet the wind remained mercifully calm. Warm weather is coming, yet warm temperature likely arrives mostly on the coat tails of SW winds. The transition I suspect may not be friendly to we warm-blooded sentient beings. Otherwise, all animals finished the day fed and watered, nothing new broke, and no one was hurt. Yet, a sad note, Ryan’s dog and good friend Shay succumbed to an unexpected, we suspect, heart attack, and died very quickly.
Usually I avoid looking at what the temperature is, especially in cold weather. The looking can create and attitude, a projection, of what the reality will be this day. Yet, I was compelled when I was warned it was just a little colder than it has been. Minus 42. Yes, that is cold. We had challenges. The cows trailed back to the tank without sufficient water. Dana and I trailed them back to Ryan’s. Fortunately, the slight bitter SW wind abated for the trail. Ryan sent most of day attending to the 2’s. I was able to feed the cows. The bulls trailed on their own back to the corrals, as I purposely left the gate open. In the end, now one got hurt, the equipment worked, and everything was watered and fed.
Very cold with nice sun and no wind. I will take it. Day began well but turned south by mid-day. Generator at 2’s blew out an oil seal again. Fortunately, the tank is full. Then the cows lost water because the housing for the pit lines froze up. Not sure why, unless housing insulation was not sufficient for the very cold. I trailed the cows over to Ryan’s to water opposite the calves. Days like this make look forward to when I can move from essential to supportive in this business.
Just a touch of breeze can be painful with this cold. Animals and people alike are feeling the effect. Poured the straw to the cows. Everyone doing ok, but some of the 3’s losing some condition. Ryan is making the water work with the 2’s at Todd’s. One heifer aborted. Some sun and calmness end the afternoon.
Not much change. Everything getting attended to. Ryan’s new floats with the calf water need little checking. Not so the float where the cows water. I have been checking it 4 times a day. Technology and design can offer great opportunities to meet the needs of the cattle.
|
Bill Milton
|
Milton Ranch LLC | Daily Ranch Journal |