This mornings early wake up call was once again the phone ringing but this time it was because the power went out. It was only off for about 1 1/2 hours and since it wasn't horribly cold or hot Bruce didn't bother to hook up the alternator. When its really hot we need to start the alternator right away to keep the fans blowing and the air circulating to keep the cattle cool in the barn. A few years ago a power line snapped when it was -28 and getting the alternator going became urgent since all our cattle waterer's have heaters in them. At that low temperature it would be a very short time before everything froze up. In that case, dealing with the alternator in the cold is better than thawing and fixing pipes. Having our own alternator comes in especially handy when it's needed during the times we have to feed and milk. It's one of those pieces of equipment that we would prefer to own but never use, just like a snow blower
By the time we milked this morning it was 40 degrees and raining sideways. There was random thunder and as the day went on we could see the yard turn greener! I have said that I prefer 10 degrees to this kind of weather when it comes to dealing with calves. Already this morning I had one that is sick and one that didn't eat as would be expected. Bruce gave the sick one a shot of antibiotics and we tied a storm fence over the front of her hutch so she couldn't get out and get rained on. Generally by this time of year we don't put coats on anymore but now that this one is sick she got one anyway. We were glad that by the time we were ready to sort the heifers and get them in the barn the rain had stopped. Wind we could deal with. Sideways rain is just miserable. Getting the heifers in went relatively smoothly. Depending on the temperament of the animals and the excitement of the people handling them, a process like that can be a cross between a circus and a rodeo. In today's case, no one gave us much trouble, bribery with corn is always helpful. They usually settle in pretty quickly once they figure out the food is delivered and the mattresses are comfortable. We have found that working with them all the time and moving them grazing seems to help. We think it's because they have learned we don't do them harm and life is always better when we show up since there is new feed. The last 4 heifers that freshened adjusted quickly, lets hope these do also or it could be a very long month!
This afternoon we actually managed to find a couple hours to do nothing. It was definitely a nice break for a change. Tonight the sick calf is worse but holding her own. She got 1 1/2 bottles of electrolytes tubed into her since there is no "optional", she has to have them. She has drugs and a coat and the wind quit so that's the best we can do. There are no bets on this one, we will see what the morning brings. The other calf that didn't drink did fine tonight so I will just watch her. She is bigger, way past the point that they generally have problems, so I will just keep an eye on her. The calves that we moved in are doing fine and seem to have figured out the drinking cup already. The new heifers were eating and didn't seem to care that they were in a new place so that's a good sign so far. I found it funny that 8 out of the 10 are mostly black and seemed to darken the barn with them in there. After spending most of the winter in the cold their hair is really long. Soon they will shed like crazy and look like a mess for awhile.
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