Oy vey, what a day I had, and after last night !
On trying to get the girls up to the milk parlour last night, Daisy May didn't want to come so I had to go round her up out of the main pasture, and all the girls went up the temporary channel, and as it was getting dark, one of the youngsters ran over the post pulling the electric wire down so all dashed off between the house and shed. By the time I got there, they were in the apple orchard on the other side of the sheep ! All except Dolly, who was quietly waiting in the lower barn enclosure. Such a good girl, but it's probably more an issue of her feet than anything else.
So I grabbed the buggy, as chasing 5 cows on foot is just not practical. Through the new pasture, up around the veggie garden. Exciting the boys, who ran with them but inside the fence. There was no way I could get in front of them to open the next gate. Little Red hovered at the gate, her 2 calves with her, but Daisy May took off with Eleanor close behind her, so Little Red, Immanuelle and Seasaidh followed. I let them go, went in that gate so I could get in front of them, as the 2 gates into the hayfield I've spent the last 3 days cutting and raking were open so the tractor and equipment could move freely. Damn, the Scottish Highlands ran straight into the hayfield, Daisy May and Eleanor, missing. Chased them back out, probably messing up my neatly raked rows, then success, after a bit of a detour through the path to the neighbours fields, driving fast on their right to keep them from continuing around the hayfield I headed them off. It was now dark, so they ran through the fence into the hayfield, again. All 5 of them. This time I had the gate to the main pasture open, and eventually got them all out of my hayfield.
So, tried again. Kept hard behind Daisy May, pushing her towards the gate to the lower barn. Managed to get her out while keeping Eleanor in, still not sure how I managed that. Everyone was panting from all the excitement of the evening, me included.
On to today. Daisy May had mastitis in her one front quarter, the other front quarter is too hard. Dolly has mastitis in all 4 quarters. I wonder if her standing in the pond has something to do with it, and if yes, how am I going to keep her out of the water ? Damn the Scottish Highlands for teaching her that.
I called the vet on Thursday as I hadn't heard the results of the milk sample I took in last Friday. After much fumbling around, and holds on my side, they needed another sample. I can't figure out what happened to the first sample which was over a cup in size, but no testing was done. I was raking the hayfield so couldn't get a new sample to them until this morning. While on the tractor yesterday, the one nose piece of my glasses fell off, so the metal part was digging into my nose. Stopped at the ophthalmologist after the vet and they replaced it, for free !
Was given 2 boxes of mastitis meds, one for each cow for a 3-day treatment, followed by a 3-day milk withholding. OK, so have to advise the herdshare owners that there won't be milk this week, but I still have to milk plus insert the meds. The cows aren't fond of squirting stuff UP their teats. Did it tonight. Wash them with bleach water, dip with alcohol / water / tea tree oil like I do before each milking, then wipe with the little alcohol pad that comes with the meds, then insert meds. Sort of difficult sitting under the cow trying to find the hole in the teat, but I managed, 2 for Daisy May, 5 for Dolly - did 2 in the back quarter I haven't been able to milk all year. Keeping them separate from the others overnight, then let them join the others in the morning so Eleanor doesn't suck all the meds out of Daisy May. They came fairly easily tonight. Must know I had a very frustrating day and wasn't going to put up with cow nonsense.
I went out to rake hay, and the chain came off and I couldn't get the nut off the bolt. Walked back to the house and Teri arrived to get eggs, Herbie arrived home from work and Rex and Chad were already there when I got back to do whatever to the air conditioning unit. Seemingly they left part uninstalled which is why the air conditioning didn't work when we had 90 degree weather a week ago ! And my dad phoned while I was trying to figure out which spanners I needed to fit as the 19mms' round end wouldn't fit, I couldn't find a 20mm and the American sizes of 15/18 etc just confuse me. Sorry dad. And the rake had a flat tire ! By this time I was ready to throw in the towel, pour an ice-cold drink and lie in the hammock ! The haybine broke on Wednesday and it took Herbie about 3 hours to fix it. The rake broke today, but we got it working again in about 2 hours. I whizzed around the field, but it still took about 3 hours. Texted Herbies' brother Brad, asking if he and his son Jake could come help me bale on Sunday as I can't bale and pick up all the bales from the field by myself before the expected rain on Monday. Really need a bale kicker and a hay wagon, preferably bith younger than me.
Then I took the grease gun and put grease on all the nubbies of the baler which I'll need on Sunday. I had stopped at Tractor Supply for more baling twine this morning too, so put these in place, tying the ends to the end of the ones still inside, plus I removed the last bale from last year from the chute, it was all mouldy and yucky. Got that all done, but was now covered in grease :). Fun. After washing with that gritty garage soap, went to fix the fence separating the boys from the girls, fed Gabriel the apple I had on the buggy. OK, all the green lights are working on the charger, so no additional shorts in the fencing. Yippee. Walk back to the tractor, drive up to the shed, put the bale spear on and go take out a bale of hay to the boys as the back pasture is eaten. Lift and roll the feeder ring out of my veggie garden part into the grain garden part. Just about took my arms off ! Took 3 tries but I managed, then lowered the bale, tipped it over, got down from the tractor to remove the netting, peel off the yucky outer layer then dropped the metal feeder ring down around it. The bulls and horses lumbered up to check it out, and I drove down to the gate and closed off the bottom pasture so it can regrow. Need to fix a channel from the barbed wire pasture to the triangular pasture so the boys and horses can graze that pasture without mingling with the girls.
Collected eggs, gave the dogs and cats their treats after rescuing another goose egg I saw Rosco steal. Put the 2nd load of washing into the drier, and went to close up the milking parlour.
Hauled my weary bones upstairs for a hot shower and hair wash before climbing into bed next to my sleeping husband. That was part of my day, hope everyone elses' was smoother.