Tuesday, October 4, 2011

It's Autumn Already!

And, strangely, I am so very happy! It has been a crazy-busy summer and I am ready for a break. Our hay is reserved and the money is in the bank tomorrow so I am finally going into winter with all the hay I need to see me through! Yippee!!!
I went around taking update pics of the farm today and I forgot the coolest thing. We hung a zipline off the barn, going down to Cody's pen so that I don't have to haul hay to him. I just hang a bale on the trolley and let it go. We tested it and it works great. The only issue is, Cody started banging it around with his horns before I got down there to put it in his feeder. Once I got down there he was very well behaved and waited until I got it untied and in the feeder before he started ripping big mouthfuls out of it. I think it will work great.Bonnie and her boy LeBoeuf. He is nearly 3 months old and weighs about 220 lbs. He's gaining about 70 lbs a month
Happy boy! I ♥ milk slobber. :)

Daisy slicked of very nicely and is busy growing her winter coat. Her coat isn't nearly as long as Bonnie's but it's definitely getting thick. I ordered the kit from Biotracking and we'll find out this month whether or not the girls are expecting. If Daisy is pregnant then I am drying her off at the end of November, just in case Lulu managed to impregnate her before he was butchered. I hope not because that would mean a January calf!

Sweet Pea and LeBoeuf, big sister and little brother. Sweet Pea is almost 7 months old and weighs almost 300 lbs. For those who don't know, that is not very much. I am a little worried about her being 500 lbs by July, when I want to breed her. I hope that better nutrition and being on mama's milk until she's 8 months old will help her with the weight. She is only2 inches taller than LeBoeuf, at the hip and 4 months older than he. I think shes' going to be a very petite cow.


Cody's feeder is a deli case that Dad scrounged many years ago. I used it for a hothouse for awhile, then she moved it and it just laid there. I wanted to use it (and may still) as a broody house for hens. For now, it works fantastically as a cow feeder. We almost have his pen done so for now, he is tied to the big birch, inside the pen. He shares a side with the girls so he's much happier and not so noisy.

The Bourbon Reds are growing great. It looks like we have at least 5 toms but the two younger ones may be toms as well, just behind in growth. I'm not closing them in this year, like I did last year because that much testosterone cooped up all winter is begging for catastrophe. When they are 6 months old they are going to be transitioned off the commercial grower ration and go onto sprouted grain, organic corn, suet blocks and clabbered milk.



Bacon and Pork Chops have a date with the freezer on October 25th. For some reason Bacon passed Pork Chops in growth and he will have no problem reaching 250 lbs before the 25th. Pork Chops has something wrong with him and isn't growing as fast. He may be a bit under 250 at butcher time but we can't let him grow any more because it would be too cold. All his calories would go to warmth, not growth. I can't wait to have two freezers full of yummy pork and organs to make things like, head cheese and scrapple! I'm going to make gallons and gallons of pork stock and I might make some gelatin powder so I can make my own Jell-o! Ooo yummy. I'll be documenting the processes and will be posting pics and recipes and taste reviews. :)

~Pam

About Me

We're a family that came to Alaska in shifts. We've been here since 1995 and don't plan to leave any time soon.

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" The government that is big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have."

Thomas Jefferson President 1801-1809
Died on JULY 4th, 1826

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