Milk sample #6 sent in and once again it tested positive. Cows that aren't feeling well don't metabolize antibiotics very quickly. Until we get a negative test we will continue to milk her after the pipe has been pulled out of the tank. Making the mistake of milking a treated cow can be expensive. The first option is to dump our tank when we realize it. If a treated cow would accidently get picked up by our hauler we would be responsible for contaminating the milk on his whole load and have to pay for it. For this reason we sample every cow, we don't take any chances.
Once again the county had end loaders moving our snow banks back. Bruce went out and cut our fence wires along the road where he has a splice just for this situation. It is better to control where it has to be fixed than to have the fence tear off elsewhere. With all that snow it's a guarantee the weight would snap all the insulators off the posts if the wire were left intact. After 2 days with 2 huge end loaders the neighborhood is finally open!
Bruce officially started a manure pile today. He was headed out to an area where he had been able to spread but got off track in the snow on the way there. When you stop moving with a 160 horse 4 wheel drive tractor with chains on and it's in deep enough to be hung up, it's time to abort the original plan and do what you have to so you can get back out. Now there is a pile that he will have to clean up later. We have always wondered what we would do if we got that tractor stuck, and we are content to continue to wonder and not have to figure it out.
Believe it or not Bruce found more snow to move today! The area involved today is where our hutches are supposed to be. All I can say is "amazing" and I will try to do pictures tomorrow. He still has to find the actual hutches but slowly they are coming out from under the snow as it settles. We didn't really need them until now and it is time to get serious. We have 9 calves due yet this month, 5 on the same day, 7 within 3 days. As frustrating as it is when cattle don't read the manual, this is one situation I am thankful they don't! We breed our cows by artificial insemination. When you breed a group of cows within 15 minutes of each other you know the exact date of conception. The good thing is they will have their calves anywhere from 2 weeks before their due date to 10 days after....basically within a 3 week window. That is why 5 due on the same day isn't a crisis....unless of course they actually follow the manual : )
It was too windy today to fill the feedbox at Ed's so Bruce got a half dozen buckets out of the silage bag and put them in the wagon. Hopefully that will tide them over until he can get it out of the silo again. He is on a mission to get that silo as empty as he can. It's only 16 ft in diameter but 60 ft high like ours. It's going down fast but there is always more feed in the bottom of a silo because it's packed more from all the weight above. He can't put the new augers in until the unloader gets to the bottom and spring is coming even if the thermometer says -10 tonight : )
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