***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[NanaKat]

Morning. What is everyne doing today?

The boys are hauling hay today. Found 71 round bales in Bethel for $65 on craigslist. They are prairie mix in tight rolls. This with what they got off one of our leases will bring our hay for winter up enough to not have to cut back 15 more of our breeder cows. Whew! We are still going to be cutting the herd, but you need bred cows for calves next spring. Last year we fed 106 head...this year may be down to 70 which include 25 young replacements that will be first time calvers and 15 young fall calves that will be ready to sell in the spring. That leaves 24 seasoned spring breeders and 6 bulls. We had 76 calves this year and will have less than 50 next year.

Two little single comb Columbian Wyandottes from the Jarvis. We bought their lf CW wyandottes and these two were hatches from their eggs.So far I think we have a roo and a pullet.....

Not the best picture but is a close up of the little combs...pullet on the left, roo on the right

They are three weeks old and feathering out nicely...sitting pretty on their litte roost inside the brooder.

 

[prairiehen74369]

Having an egg sandwich and a cup of coffee for breakfast. Itakes three silkie eggs to make a sandwich. yum:

 

[Kassaundra]

I really wanted to go take fall tree pics at either Oxley or Robber's Cave this week, but it didn't happen

. So I took a few pics of two of my prettiest fall trees in my yard.

I may get some time to go to Deep Fork later today since it is onlly 5 miles from my home, we'll see how it goes.

 

[jcatblum]

Nanakat glad you are able to hold onto more cattle than expected, if we recover from this drought in 2012 I expect prices to be high, since so much cattle has left Oklahoma.

The guys worked on our hay last night until it was pitch dark. They are finishing it up now, looks like less than half of what they got when they cut in June, in a normal year I bet they wouldnt have spent 2 days out there to get the dozen or so bales they are getting now, but this is far from a normal yr!

Lots of pretty pics as always kass!

DD has her first basketball game today, so that will be our activity for the night.

 

[Ksane]

NanaKat, I can't imagine having to feed that many cows-oh my. When we all start griping about the cost of chicken feed and dog food....remind us again what you're feeding

Quote:
I've got the COOLEST little bantam Dark Cornish pullet, a stout little thing that fits in my hand. OMG we love that bird! She lays the tiniest little eggs every 18 hrs (she's an over-achiever). Makes a huge production out of it going in and out of the coop and squawking before she finally lays it. Then she's so proud. It takes 3 of her tiny eggs to make 1 egg sandwich, too lol But I love her so much it's always the best tasting egg sandwich I ever ate

Quote:
Thanks for the gorgeous pictures-wow. I'm going to use this 1st one for wallpaper on my iPad.

 

[Kassaundra]

Thanks, that first one is an extremely rare pic for me, the sunrise. I am not a morning person and generally if I am up to see the sunrise I am not awake enough to hold a camera! lol

 

[Grace'sDad]

Quote:
You can resolve that problem by only shooting sunsets and just not telling anyone.

 

[NanaKat]

Great photos Kass..would make great inspiration colors for a fall quilt

Jacatblum...hay harvest this year was really low. We got 25 bales off a meadow that last year produced 90 bale...Finding good hay at a low enough price has really been hard too...not paying hijack prices of $110 and 140 a bale.

Ksane...thanks....cube feed for the cows and creep feed for the calves has really risen in price too.

Thought I'd post a few chicken pictures:
Free ranging on a foggy morning

Select birds: I'm a sucker for Large Fowl and beautiful birds
Bonnie Blue and Lacey are hatchery birds. Lacey was one of the little black chipmunks I bought in the spring. Beau is a CW as is the pullet beside him. That's a buff Minorca hen. Beau and the pullet were hatches from Carl and Stephanies breeding stock

BLRW...Jarvisroo and Faith and Hope. They are selections from Carl's BLRW project

Cochins Delilah and Jezabel and Lacey the SLW

Here is most of the 2 year old layer flock with Samson the Cochin roo. Most are Australorp, Sex Link with a few Delaware, EE and some RIR and NH.

The teen pen has started laying now...a mix of Minorca, Wyandotte, Cochin. There is one hatchery BLRW splash too

Close up of Samson...Just recently got from Stephanie and Carl. He is a gorgeous hunk and so good with the hens

Had to show the two guard dogs too. Gracie and Red

 

[Kassaundra]

Love your varied flock. I think it is soooo cool having so much variety, like a box of chocolates trying to pick which one first.

I wish my dogs were chicken gaurd dogs. The two bigger ones could be trained pretty easily, but the little doxy is hopeless.

 

[NanaKat]

Thank you. For several years, my flock had little variety...mostly Australorp and RIR....then simply had to expand.
We used to have a dachund...all she wanted to do was dig for gophers.