Have separated Seasaidh from her mum and ½ sisters, and she's an unhappy heifer. Bawling her head off. She's in the lower barn enclosure with Daisy May and Junebug as I moved the 3 boys into different pastures, and allocated them their girls. Funny to watch them when they realise they have a girl or 2 :). Eleanor was in standing heat today, mounting Little Red, who wasn't amused. Sort on amazed that I can move the bulls where I need them without resorting to frustration and threats. I just call them by name, and walk in the direction I want them to go, opening and closing the necessary gates until we're where we need to be. Gabriel is probably the easiest, although I'm careful around his horns. Didn't get Eleanors' calf to follow her, so left her in the lower barn enclosure after milking tonight. She'll be chomping at the bit to nurse IRS in the morning. Didn't get Taxes to follow Dolly either, so expect him to pass under some fence-lines to get to her. Otherwise he's going to be starving in the morning so should be easier to move.
Not many mosquitos so far this year due to the drought, but the flies, oy vey, killed close to 40 in the house today. I swear they multiply as I'm swatting them. And it's not as if I'm just stunning them, as I re-hit them on the floor to ensure their demise. I have 8 fly traps spread around the farm, and they fill quickly. Each holds about 300 flies for the smaller ones, the larger ones about 500 and I've already replaced 2. I open the fridge and they fly in !!
Fixed fences for the 5th time this week, but hopefully the bulls will keep the cows busy and I won't have any more fixing for a while. Think the past 4 days the fence hasn't been hot as I couldn't find where it was being grounded. But found it this morning after fixing a snapped part, a gate broken last night when Immanuelle didn't appreciate Eleanor being too close, another broken gate which the girls went through this morning to get to the pond, a corner that had come undone, and where the woven fence was touching the hot wire was where it was being grounded. Nice, flashing red light on the box now :).
Tonight is the 2nd night Lisa is tethered. She has been going into the pastures and nipping the cows and calves. Saw her catch Seasaidh, and heard Taylors anguished cry when trying to get Little Red back in the pasture yesterday. Rosco seems to be the instigator, Anni follows barking, with Lisa doing the nipping and barking. It has to stop.
Talking to a woman interested in Immanuelle and Coco, offering hay, so maybe our needs for Winter will be covered, although with the drought I've already fed 12 of our 13 first cutting round bales :(. But have had some rain, so maybe it'll be enough to let the pastures grow. Talking to another about 5 lambs, also bartering for hay. Also have Seasaidh on CL for sale, and contemplating butchering Parrot once Dolly is preggers. That will bring us down to 4 cows with 4 calves and 2 bulls, a more manageable number to feed through another Winter. I wanted to butcher Dolly once she's weaned Taxes, but Herbie wants to rather keep her as she's a great mum. I'm not milking her as she has had such issues with mastitis, but Herbie thinks she'll only be good for hamburger. I think her steaks, especially her fillet mignon, will be excellent. She is still my favourite cow, although Daisy May is fast taking that spot.
The ducks have managed to keep 5 ducklings alive from the 7 they started with (I don't count the 8th one I took out to them as it never incorporated with the other babies), and the mama hen has 13 chicks out of the original 14 I counted. A mama goose is sitting in the window well again, think it's the 3rd one.
Need to sleep, it's 2:30 am.