Washingtonians

[Stumpfarmer]

Oh.StumpFarmer what a beautiful Cow and a gorgeous baby (hidinf as it is)
And I agree, and awful windy rainy days to have a babe in the woods!

Two calves today, although the one I was looking for was born after I was back in the house, and Margo found it. I'm really, really happy with this bunch of calves- I'm up to six, three and three, in the first week of the season, out of 16 cows. The littlest one was yesterday's little bull, but his Mom had the lightest birthweight last year and weaned the heaviest steer, so I'm fine with that. The heifer in this picture was probably 120 lbs and close to a yard high at the hips.

I'm just slammed with work, though, although every minute longer the days get the easier it gets. I have to find time to shuffle pullets around this week: Tertia and Quinta, the two eldest EEs, are bright red in the comb and starting to squat, so the two young Wyandottes need to go in with Ian and Sylvia and the EE pullets get introduced to Bjorn... I am greatly desirous of doing that at dusk and NOT in the pouring rain!

 

[KMoran]

My husband teases me all the time. He is always like thank goodness we are in the city otherwise I would come home to a house full of chickens. As it is we have 4 in the living room and 19 in the bathtub. I have been writing a list of breeds I am interested in getting and reading up on incubators . He says he created a monster LOL

 

[Chickielady]

Two calves today, although the one I was looking for was born after I was back in the house, and Margo found it. I'm really, really happy with this bunch of calves- I'm up to six, three and three, in the first week of the season, out of 16 cows. The littlest one was yesterday's little bull, but his Mom had the lightest birthweight last year and weaned the heaviest steer, so I'm fine with that. The heifer in this picture was probably 120 lbs and close to a yard high at the hips.
I'm just slammed with work, though, although every minute longer the days get the easier it gets. I have to find time to shuffle pullets around this week: Tertia and Quinta, the two eldest EEs, are bright red in the comb and starting to squat, so the two young Wyandottes need to go in with Ian and Sylvia and the EE pullets get introduced to Bjorn... I am greatly desirous of doing that at dusk and NOT in the pouring rain!

These are the rented Bull's babies you showed us last summer , correct ?

 

[OvertheHenHouse]

I am hoping that today is the day I get the wettest during this calving season
I went out and stumbled around in the cold rain for an hour and a half this morning, and got soaked through a weatherproof Carhardt hoodie over a boiled wool jacket looking for a calf that wasn't born with- of course the cow thought she had a calf, too, no wonder I was confused. Apparently she and her half-sister were laboring close together in the copse of trees at the north end of the hill (The tallest trees just right of center in this photo, sunset two nights ago)

Also known as The Bovine L&D suite
Apparently when the first calf was born, or soon after, one of the big widowmakers in the tallest of thosse trees came blasting down as only Doug fir branches can, and that cow and her calf took off to the sand pit where the other cattle were feeding- this according to my neighbor, who called right after it happened. The noise and the birth-smells confused poor Dora, and she took off to the top of the hill, looking for her own (unborn) calf. The neighbor thought she'd seen two calves- it's hard to see one of them under the trees, thus (Roseanne and her daughter, yesterday):

(I've always liked Bev Doolittle a lot )
So I ended up going up and down the hill a couple of times, with the wind blowing the big trees around and new broken branches everywhere. Came home wet to the skin and had to clean up, go out to lunch, and then do my quarterly extra errands- I was out of Madras Curry, peperming oil, and other things easier to get down-town than anywhere else.
I'll be glad when this winter's over and the broken limbs are all down!

Cow and calf are beautiful, although I almost didn't see the calf for all the camouflage. Your property is gorgeous - love your L&D set up

 

[Greg Richardson]

Anyone watch Northwest Backroads tonight?
That solar chicken like fence was a great idea.
They had more chickens then I would have liked in that area but still they certainly didn't have a lack of food.
For those that didn't see the show they repeat it on Sundays.
What they had was a fenced area that moved very slow during the day.
Solar powered predator proof they have no labor during the day moving the chickens.

 

[Chickielady]

I am so exhausted from driving all the way to Seattle to drop off Rain Wolf's new giant incubator...mostly die to the wind & the storm last night, dog barking every 10 minutes and this small herd of deer took refuge here & he knew it....
But I am so excited to see how the incubator is doing...we'll see what RW does with it.
if anyone can, she can.

Eggs to gather, but no shipping Monday, so buyer's get a few more than normal extras.

 

[Chickielady]

Anyone watch Northwest Backroads tonight?
That solar chicken like fence was a great idea.
They had more chickens then I would have liked in that area but still they certainly didn't have a lack of food.
For those that didn't see the show they repeat it on Sundays.
What they had was a fenced area that moved very slow during the day.
Solar powered predator proof they have no labor during the day moving the chickens.

Really ? Like a line sprinkler moves by itself ?
Wheeled ?

 

[Chickielady]

RainWolf:::::
Are you selling any Quail eggs ?

 

[Chickielady]

My husband teases me all the time. He is always like thank goodness we are in the city otherwise I would come home to a house full of chickens. As it is we have 4 in the living room and 19 in the bathtub. I have been writing a list of breeds I am interested in getting and reading up on incubators . He says he created a monster LOL

That is good, that way you can blame it all on him !!!

It is good to read up on all the breeds & write issues down, and there by make an informed decision....even still, You may find yourself drawn to different breeds for years to come.

 

[Rainwolf]

RainWolf:::::
Are you selling any Quail eggs ?

nope. no quails at this time. have to get setup better before I start again.