We woke up to a beautiful day this morning. Sun, snow, blue sky and green grass peaking out here and there. The cowyard bank where the goats graze is really growing. They are the first to go out since this area has a south exposure and grows fastest. It was nice to be "greeted" by the calves this morning. They were all standing in front of their hutches complaining. I talked to another farmer that was also having trouble with pneumonia in new calves so while this information didn't eliminate our personal frustration it did verify just another random spring dilema. Everyone ate well today and it was nice to be back into what would be considered a normal routine with them.
As much as we try not to pile manure, this time of year tends to make doing so our only option. It is nearly impossible to keep the cattle bedded and dry without the help of freezing and when you add spring rains and snows to the situation it just gets "ugly" as Bruce calls it. We need to do pregnancy checks but in order to do that the barn needs to be cleaned to be more user friendly. That was Bruce's mission today, to clean out everything he could and pile it. He managed to get the lower building back under control so both the heifers and the goats are dry and bedded again.
A few weeks ago we bought a new dog comb that the neighbors had recommended to use on Mike. Having a dog in the house is not my first option but the last 2 border collies we had both got arthritis as they aged so Bruce is hoping keeping him inside, warmer and dryer will keep him healthier. Although he is considered a "short coat", it certainly doesn't seem like that in the house. We really liked this new comb called a "furminator". This time of year the cows start to shed and are full of dander and dirt from being in all winter so we decided to try this comb on them also. We have tried a number of other types of combs and brushes but this works better than anything we have ever had so lately I have been on a mission to get all the cows combed. The cows tend to get nervous when you start but it doesn't take long and they just stand and definitely like having it done. I think I have about 12 left to do. Not only do they feel better but the barn in general looks better with cleaner cows.
I would look into an endorsement deal with the brush company. "Works so well we even use it on our cows!" The big smilling picture for the package or website would have been better when the teeth were being worked on, but I guess you can't have everything work out at the same time...
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