New (potential) herd bull

There is a new little bull at our farm.  He was bought at an exotic auction, so he will bring in some new blood lines to our herd.  He is red but has the black nose and will most likely turn brindle as he ages.  The cute little guy is only about four or five months old. He is already a favorite of my youngest daughter and leads alright for a young animal.

Indian Summer

Here it is October already and the weather is terrific! Second crop hay was wonderful and very plentiful. We were planning on doing much more small square bales but the baler had different thoughts and broke down, so we had to roll it up in large round bales.  They will get used just the same but not as easy to store as long term buffer for other not so good years. We could have gotten third crop this year if all the equipment was working with us.

third crop growing and second crop down and raked

all raked and ready to bale

The animals are all enjoying the dry and warm weather.  The young turkeys are  doing fine. They are a cross breed but look like local wild ones, all but the one poult.  One that hatched out here is showing the royal palm lineage and is white with dark markings.

odd hatchling

Mama turkey and her babies

 Ruby, the sow likes to root in the mud with her babies and mine too. The swine are also enjoying the warmth and putting the feed to extra meat and some fat. I hope the old farmer's tales are incorrect about a cold and snowy winter.

My 'Piggies'

 

a warm spot to enjoy the day

The calves are all weaned off their mothers and now quiet and happy in the corral. A few have gone to new homes and a couple more will spend the winter at other new homes soon.  We are trying to make time to get the 'boys' castrated. This will make keeping them in the big fenced in pasture with all the other Scottish Highlanders much easier. They will fight with each other less and use their feed to grow rather than compete and chase one another. This will make for faster growing steers for future meat.  It will still take three years to make a large beef steer, good thing we have patience.

 


I awoke to excited kids a couple mornings ago.  My sheep usually lamb in January but we now have a fresh little ewe lamb named Jill.  Still trying to figure out why so early but the lamb doesn't appear 'early' so I guess we just had strange cycles this year. The sheep are enjoying the warm weather and fattening up too. Now I will have to watch and look closer as we might have not just fat sheep but more babies coming at unusual times. It will make for a strange lambing year.  

I have changed some settings on this blog and was wondering if anyone can now make comments. I had a few people say they tried and couldn't.  I hope this is now working. It is nice to have all the options this page has, but I now have to learn how to use them all and that will take me some time.  'Till next time.....

Summer Vacation ?

Summer Vacation?  I don't know where the time went! It seems like the summer is when we are the busiest.  We are home and doing something all the time.  We hay almost 100 acres of mixed grass/clover/alfalfa hay and get two crops. Now that the big kids are back to school, the last of the second crop hay is going slowly without their help.

We went to two local county fairs and showed our Scottish Highland Cattle and also entered various items like fleece from our sheep and hand made items. The fairs are alot of work and time but I believe they are good at letting people know about the options they have and that there are other kinds of cows out there.

just relaxing at the fair

Bath Time!

In the Judging ring

Bluto, the bull of the fold

found a soft pillow

time out for the tractor pull

entering the Judging ring

lining up

cow / calf pairs in the ring

We also take a week to play around at a history re-enactment event.  It is fun to go back in history and spend time with people you know and get to know over the week.  There are two main time periods. The fur trade era and the medieval era. Our family crosses the ages so we have two 'tents', or shops and then the base camp for all to gather.   We took the Scottish Highlands this year. It was fun and educational but wish we had permanent fencing at the fest.  The gate panels look out of place. The Highlands would have been the most likely breed that the medieval mercenaries would have brought with them for food. They traveled with everything they needed. Almost a traveling village. There was always a blacksmith or two to make and repair weapons and armor and other tools. Everyone had several chores to do to add to the  efficiency of the encampment. They traveled with families and when the men were off fighting a battle the families were expected to defend the camp and prepare for their return. We had a great week!

adjusting the skirt at the medieval tent

Soldiers practicing spear throwing

our Fearless Leader in full armor

waiting for the formal dinner to end, then I can eat

the mobile milk machines and their calves, (future dinner)

medieval camp

medieval blacksmith row

Last weekend we weaned off the calves and Wow what a weekend of cacophony! There were two factions of  'protest groups'  in the fields. The cows and the calves both  letting everyone know they were uncomfortable and complaining. It makes for a loud couple of days but they all adjusts in a short time.

My littlest cowgirl was 'helping' to round up the calves with her little pony.  It was really a sight!  She did much better than I had imagined and she enjoys it. It will be great to have a little helper now that my big helpers are starting to move on with their own lives.

Calves on one side of the fence and cows on the other

Kids and Calves, both cute

making friends

Round them up!

little cowgirl and her pony

Good job , Well done !

School days - history event

The Camp, complete with Scottish Highland skull and horns. The hide is inside the tent.

a wider camp view

teaching about the trade axe

We participated in the White Oak school days, history learning days.  It is a fun event and the school children get a chance to actually do things. It has several stations of learning through the ages. The time frame is from the 1500's up until the fur trade era of 1798.  My son told them about the history behind the trade axe or tomahawk and demonstrated his throwing ability.  The children also got the opportunity to try their hand at throwing the trade axe at targets. This is a fun and entertaining event for children to learn history and try things they only read about in books. There were medieval mercenaries and a fur trade era fort complete with store and bakery, and just outside the fort was a story teller and blackpowder shoot and trade axe or tomahawk throwing.  It was a beautiful day for adventure.

The Scottish Highland cattle were imported to the US just after fur trade era, but they were very well know and used by the medieval mercenaries.  They would travel with their own herds to be used as beef and milk and dairy products such as cheese and butter. Not to mention their hides for warmth.

  We hope to get a permanent fence put up on site so we can bring the Scottish Highland cattle and hopefully Red Wattle pigs and Dorset /cross sheep too!  White Oak also does a much bigger and week long event in August.  This event brings in many traders from all over the US.  It is a fun time to get together and swap goods and stories of adventure. Especially for those of us who rarely wander far from home.

warm at last...

Today was great! The sun was out and the air was warm. Not sure how hot it got but saw the thermometer over 80 at one point. I like being warm and today was nice.  The buds were popping and everything looked greener by the afternoon.

the Fold ...greeting (eating) the new green grass

The turkeys were strutting and Hamlet, the pet potbelly pig, was looking for his vanished puddles.

two Tom s

Hamlet

 

 

 

 The sheep were out nibbling the new grass faster than it could grow. It's hard to see them but good to see the green grass and the normally smaller pond.

This old cow is one of two in the nursery. Eighteen of the other calves are now out on pasture with their mothers.  Two more cows are due shortly and two heifers are waiting it out.   

They usually take a little longer to calve. 

Old Penny

 Penny is our oldest cow. We bought her in the spring of 1999 from a slaughter plant that knew we liked highland cattle.  She was bred and days from calving. The place thought it was a great loss to butcher a cow so close to giving birth, and I agree. She was an old cow with large horns when we first saw her She had her baby three days after we brought her home.  Penny has had a calf for us every year since, two were even white.  We have only seen three white calves in our red and blond herd since we started in 1997.

Today was so nice that my #2 son, even got the planting bug and tilled up the tomato and pepper garden.  The wild asparagus was thatched today too. Ready for the shoots to come up, it won't be long now.  The morel mushrooms are up too.  Friends have collected some but I haven't found any yet.

Now the day is done.  Looking forward towards more beautiful days.

My Little Helper

Almost friends

Shoot them turkeys!

Fresh Milk !

Lamb kisses

Ready for the Fair !

Good Kitty !

Hunting what?

This is my littlest helper. She has been in the middle of everything since the day she was born.  Had to look through the pictures and find cute stuff. She was being an un-helper today and I got nothing I had planned, done.We as parents just have to learn to be flexible and enjoy it all.  One day soon she will be grown and living her own life.

almost dry again

The snow melted but it's still not warm and green yet. This spring is having a hard time breaking through. Everyone is doing well and enjoying the sun when it does peek through.

This is the red wattle boar just standing in the sunshine. He has two sows and is the father to all our little piglets. My daughter, Eva, sold three little ones at the (almost) local chicken swap in Carlton last weekend. The weather was cold and rainy but many people came out to see all the various animals brought to the swap.  It is always a good time, no matter what the weather brings.

A quick shot of the new white bull calf. Yesterday he got a new ear ring and was out running with the other older calves in the bigger pasture. We ear tag them when they go out of the nursery pen.