New Norm Farm

A Family Farm Making Local Food Production the Norm – Again!

Cattle

A Bearded Farm Journal – Day 6

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Saturday November 11th started off nice cool and crisp morning. Daisy was happy to see me as I came to get her for the morning milking. The thought crossed my mind of how people go to the store for milk, I am blessed to get to go to the freshest market everyday. After the milking was done, it was time to get the normal chores out of the way. Let the chickens out/feed them, feed Penelope, check the cows and rabbits.

Once back to the house it was time to plan out the big cattle move latter in the afternoon. I wanted the dew to get off the grass before heading out in the field (actually for the sun to warm it up a bit to be honest). We had a family visit the farm. The family was in the area and wanted to stop by to see the farm since they found us online. They are planning on getting their own chickens(dual purpose meat/egg). It was a very nice and refreshing visit.

We had the beef cows in the back paddock and we used up the last day and it was time to move them to the front SW paddock. We had to layout a new lane to the pond for the cows to be able to get a drink of fresh water. We put the fence so the cows can get their head to the water but are not able to go for a swim that way the water stays fresh. We decide to cut the paddock in half then to cut that in half. We then have a checkerboard so to say of cattle moves. This has made it easier for us to keep up a daily rotation. One side of the temporary paddocks or set but we have one side we move at will. This makes it where we can set up for multiple paddocks ahead of time but keep just enough flexibility that if we see they need more or less grass we can accommodate easily.

I thought I might list  the tools that we use for our rotation.

Well, till next time. Get in the Dirt & Get Growing!!!

 

Kyle – a bearded farmer

A Bearded Farm Journal – Day 3

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Today is Sunday October 22nd and it was the first day that we decided to milk Daisy. The night before we re-watched the videos on how to hand milk a cow and got our make shift supplies together. A stainless steel pot since we haven’t got our milk pail yet, a wash rag to clean the udders, and a bucket to sit on. I was ready to go.  It was going well especially since this was my first time milking ever. We had put a piece of cattle panel to separate the stall in half so Daisy could see Poppy but he could not nurse. It worked out great. It was nice and easy to go get Daisy and leave Poppy still in the stall. I took Daisy around the corner to try and milk. Gave her a bucket of hay with some minerals to keep her busy while I tried to milk.

I had everything set up and seemed to be going great. Started by wiping the udders down which went smooth then squeezed a couple squirt from each teat to make sure there was no dirt clogged in there. It was time to milk. (took me a little longer than planned to get started milking. I put my pot down and began to milk. It started okay but by this time Poppy started calling out for momma and that made Daisy a little antsy. She started moving and kicked up dirt into the bucket. I had to pull her back into place, calm her down and start again. It went on back and forth for a little bit. I made sure to end the milking process on a good note with a steady milking and her standing still. I finished and told her good job and gave her a little rub and scratch after moving the milk to a safe distance. I then took her out to the pasture and brought poppy out with here as well. I could tell Poppy was definitely not use to this arrangement as he went straight to nursing like crazy(he must have been in the routine of playing during the day and nursing at night) because he normally didn’t do that.

All in all it was a good and valuable lesson learned for me and Daisy. The things we both learned was the new routine of being milked in the morning and that I needed to pick a better spot out of ear shot of Poppy. I learned that I needed to choose a place with a solid floor and wall. The floor so there would be less chance of dirt getting in the milk and the wall so I can press against Daisy into the wall and it will come her down. I didn’t get this entry wrote til after day 2 of the milking experience so I will tell you a little about the new area I chose. On day 2, I chose to use our processing area where we normally process our chickens. The reason for this is that it has a solid floor, roof, and now walls but a deep freezer that acted like a good wall. I set up a feeder on one side of the freezer so that I would bring Daisy’s head to it putting her side against the freezer. I used a rope to pull around from the front to her back end so that it would act as a squeeze and would resemble the milking station she was use too. It worked a lot better than day 1. She stood still except for one time she moved but with the rope and wall I was able to give a little squeeze and she stood still. We are both learning each other’s expectations. I have included a little video of the results of day 1 & 2 for your viewing pleasure. You will see that we have made progress. Penelope was very happy, as she got day 1 & 2’s milk.

Well till next time. Get in the Dirt & Get Growing!!!

Kyle – a bearded farmer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full of Blessings

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“Children are a blessing from God…” I am reminded of this almost everytime I go out with all five of my children.

“Oh wow! You have your hands full…” This I am told every time I take out five children with me.

This evening I am reminded of both statements. Just this Monday, we brought home our newest member to our farm – Daisy & her baby Poppy. Daisy is going to be our milk cow. We are all very excited about this, but are also very unsure of what we are doing, so it is a little worrying for me.

Since Daisy & Poppy were going to a new farm & new surroundings we thought it best to stall them both in our barn. And it really has helped to keep them both calm and more accepting of this new change.

However since the barn stall is fairly small, we decided to let Daisy out to graze the field’s grass for a few hours. She was relatively easy moving to the field, just very strong (causing my nine year old to be drug all over the field until I was able to catch her.) Poppy, well he was not as thrilled about going into the field, especially on a lead line. But, we managed to get them both out and Daisy enjoyed her “salad” while Poppy tried his best to get loose of his line.

That evening putting them back up was relatively easy, just took some patient and waiting on Daisey to mosey back “home.

Now, let’s talk about today’s rotation…

Again, the kids helped me get Daisy and Poppy out, but this time it went so smooth. I walked in, hooked Daisy up and Elijah opened the gate and out we went… all the while Poppy is crouched in the back corner of the stall.

We hooked up Daisy to a different area and she goes to work eating her fill. All the while Poppy is bawling from the stall to his Momma who is contently eating her grass.

So, we go back to the stall and Elijah opens the gate for me and I go in with the dreaded “lead line.” ( I am certain he now recognizes what this means and is not thrilled about being “hooked”) And then Poppy and I begin our dance around the stall. I do eventually manage to hook him, all the while he is pulling against me with all his strength. But, as soon as I get close, Elijah opens the gate and Daisy calls to him and we are off. The tables have now turned and he is dragging me. Once he finds Momma he settles and I hook him to her. Easy-peasey.

Next, we shovel in saw dust over their night’s messes — which luckily is now mostly been smashed by my shoes. And we refill her hay feeder, with the kids helping pull hay from our round bales at the pole barn.

Then they stay, grazing the field for several hours while we go finish our other chores consisting of picking up acorns for our sow, Penelope and enjoying pony rides courtesy of Sugar our pony.

However, by six o’clock this Momma is getting pretty low on energy and we decide it’s time to put Daisy and Poppy up for the evening and bed them down. Already dreading this task, I start planning a strategy on the walk over there. Unfortunately, sometimes all the planning in the world cannot prepare you for the unexpected.

Upon arriving, it is discovered that cow poop is everywhere in the area…. Guessing they are really enjoying all that nice, green grass. So, I turn to all the kids and repeat several times… “whatch where you step, please do not step in cow poop.”

And as surely as I had finished telling them, Nehemiah is the first to plant his flip-flop right in Daisy’s fresh pile. Everybody in unison….”eeeewwww”. Flash forward to less than thirty seconds later, Elijah plants his flip-flop foot in a huge, heaping pile.

So, I have now again reminded everyone to wear their boots or tennis shoes around the animals from now on and “what where you step”. Only for me to then turn around to watch Abigail plant her jelly shoe into one of Poppy’s piles of manure. At this point, I have now turned into a broken record and again repeat the infamous words… “WATCH WHERE YOU STEP”. No sooner that I finish “step” Noah has landed his tennis shoe into the same pile as Elijah and while trying to “get it off” smears the warm, brown mush all over my calf and covers my tennis shoes with it. I am now, barely holding onto my religion and send Noah, Abigail and Nehemiah to wash their feet at the water hose.

The only reason I believe the cows went so willingly and peacefully is because they could feel hold tightly I was holding the lines and were afraid for their lives. … because it was far too easy to put them back “home” tonight.

Which now brings me to the statement… “Wow! You have your hands full.” Yes, people I surely do, as a matter of fact, I need at least three more hands to “hold” all of them.

But, “children are a blessing”…more than you know, because without my kids I could not have done anything tonight. Nehemiah playing with Maryam in the wagon while I caught Poppy helped me tremendously and without him I could not have caught him. And if Elijah was not there to help open & close the gate for me, both the cows would have been running around in a huge field and it would have taken us hours to catch them. And Abigail helping keep Noah at bay so he was not playing near the cows, keeping both the cows calm and less tense while we moved them.

So you see both these statements are so very true… my hands are full, but my heart is even fuller.

Kassy – Homesteading Momma

We are already blessed in this New Year!

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As most of you know from our previous posts, we have been somewhat frustrated in trying to grow our cattle herd since all three calves born on the farm have been bulls. Oreo was the first and he is a great blessing because no bull = no babies (unless you go the AI route, which we do with our pigs, but is a little more difficult with cows than pigs.) The next two being bulls makes growing the herd a slow go for obvious reproductive reasons.

So we have been hoping and praying for more heifers, and as of the first of the year the herd consisted of one bull, two steers, and three heifers. And one of those heifers has come up open(no baby) twice. So, we don’t think she is going to be able to breed at all.

Then comes the first week of January and there’s a new calf on the ground and she’s a heifer. Woo hoo! Then February rolls in a there’s another heifer calf in the pasture!

 

 

 

 

 

So, this year God has blessed us with two new heifer calves, moving our birthing potential from three to a possible five calves per year. Combining the heifers we have with the heifer calves we plan to buy this year, Lord willing, and adding the power of multiplication, we are a giant step closer to offering grass feed beef to our friends and family on a regular basis.

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