Preg Testing

Last Saturday we preg tested our cows, it was actually a beautiful day...no wind and above 0!!!!  Jared had spent many long hours through the week getting everything ready. He and Emry finished building a new alley that would hold all the cows. He tore out dead caraganas so he could reroute the cull cows to a different field. He bought panels and a gate and installed all those. He got new tags ready for the heifers who had the same number as their mom. He worked for hours on the computer making sure everything was in order for each cow, referencing it to his birth logs.  He got needles and more deworming spray so we wouldn't be caught short.  All his hard work and long hours really paid off.  The alley was amazing and worked like a charm.  The vet didn't have to wait for us to bring the next group up nor did he have to help us!!!! 

We had the whole Puzey clan there to help this year.  The day worked with Char and the girls basketball schedule!! Dave brought cows up through the alley in smaller groups while the kids helped push them along through the shoot. I recorded whether the cow was pregnant or open (I'm not sure why this term is used when a cow isn't pregnant), and any other notes I thought were relevant to the cow.  Jared ran the squeeze, tagged the cows who needed new tags, vaccinated those who needed vaccinated and sprayed the pregnant cows with the deworming medicine.  Char found the right tag Jared needed and got the tagger ready for him.  We all worked together and we were able to wrap it up in just 2 hours!!!!

I had made hamburger soup and Myrna made buns and we all headed back to our place for lunch, including the vet!!!! Arren was watching the boys so that took my mind off how they held up through us being outside!!!  It was a good day with great results.  100% of our main herd tested pregnant.  We had 4 open heifers out of 17, and we ended up selling 4 cows from the main herd because of their behaviour.  So we only culled 8 cows, not bad at all!!! It was a great day, with great weather and great company!!!!!

Stuck Heifer

Yesterday Jared went out to open the gate for our main cow herd so they could eat their hay! (They had been locked in the corral after we preg tested until the cows we are selling settled into their pen). After the gate was opened Jared walked through the calves to see how they were doing, it was then he noticed something amiss in the bale feeder. A heifer was stuck, and stuck quite bad. He tried to get her to back out up by getting into the feeder with her but that wasn't working, he tried to get her to bring her other leg inside to see if she'd have a better chance of becoming unstuck, but her hips were butted up against the bars on each side, she was going nowhere.  I could see Jared from our kitchen window looking at the feeder in deep contemplation but a gate was in the way of what he was contemplating!!! I called out and asked if he needed help and that's when he told me there was a stuck calf in the feeder.  I went out to see if I could help.

Before we cut a bar out we decided to see if we could pull her through by lifting her up with the tractor.  For some odd reason you can lift a cow by the neck without hurting her....??  We tried lifting her but she seriously didn't budge. The only other option was using the skill saw to cut one of the bars off and hoped she would back out.

We got the bar out and tried to get her to back out but instead she climbed all the way into the feeder...she circled inside a few times, even tried to get out through a couple of different spots, almost getting stuck again before she finally went back to where she was originally stuck and zoomed through the bigger opening.  Cows really do boggle my mind, they have no common sense at all, and they always seem to do the opposite of what you want them to do.  They go against the best intentions we have for them!! Thankfully we got her unstuck and she seemed no worse for wear, she limped a little as she walked but that cleared up after loosening up her joints by walking a bit more. 

As I was sitting waiting for Jared to get the skill saw some of the calves circled around me, one even came close enough for me to touch.  He smelled my hand and I gave his nose a nice scratch!! It was peaceful sitting there amoungst the calves and neat to see just how curious of an animal they can be. Times like these really do renew my love for them, even when only a few feet away one was stuck inside a feeder she shouldn't be able to get into...

My Sister

I was able to spend the day with Arren yesterday!! We did crafts all day, so much fun and so totally needed!!!! I even impressed her by using her table saw while still keeping all fingers intact!!! She had made these burlap pictures to hang in her kitchen and I LOVED them! So I made myself some too!! It was so easy to do too! All we did was iron some freezer paper on to some burlap (I had never heard of freezer paper before, one side is shiney and this side is put on the burlap). This paper helps feed the burlap through your printer, just a regular every day ink jet printer!!! We found a printable online for the picture we liked and away we printed!!  We then made a frame with some old corral fence boards!!! Very rustic!!! I also made a family rules sign printed on burlap too, but it's quite hard to see the words, I might have to do it on something else, maybe a cheese cloth or something!! 

Arren made some cute arrows to hang in her basement, they turned out really good!! 

We didn't even use her newly organized craft room, just the garage and power tools!!!! 

I so love my sister, she really is my best friend (next to Jared, of course!!) it was a really great day!!

Meet Carl

There is a snowy owl who has decided to claim a power pole near our farm as his own!!!! Cora decided to name him "Carl"!!!!!  I'm very thankful she gave him a name, I can oficially say hi to him each time I drive by!!!! If you find yourself down our road and see a snowy owl perched on a power pole please say hi to Carl!!!!!!!

Weaning Calves

A Saturday, a very cold Saturday, we weaned the calves from their momma's!!!  Jared, Emry and I got a head start rounding up the herd to get them into the corrals and Dave and his family joined just in time to get the last of them moving through the gate!! It went really well, it's so good to have everyone out there helping, many hands make light work!!!! Separating went well too!!! Dave ran the gate for the cows to go out and the calves to go in!!! Char and Blake relayed the message to Dave if Jared wanted the animal in the corral or out in the field!! Jared took a group of animals into the alley and sorted them.  Cora and I made sure they didn't go the wrong way!! 

Emry and Leah took pictures!! Everyone had a job!!! I actually think the biggest job was Cora's, she was the dog whisperer!!! She would pet Gibson and Fender to prevent them from chasing the cows, Fender's favourite pastime!!!! 

It was so cold Jared's beard was frozen, pretty cool!!!!!

All our toes were frozen we had to do little tap steps to get the feeling back!!!! And my face, oh was it cold!!!!  I thought this picture was very fitting for how cold it was!!!

Jared and I fed the cows and moved a feeder into the calves pen before heading in for lunch and some hot chocolate!!!!!!

After lunch I made a mad dash for Claresholm to get more bands to casterate the Bulls and make them steers!!!! Boy were there some big guys, it took both Dave and Jared to get the band around the Bulls testicles!  Jared had to put the elastic, which is really quite thick, around his pinky finger and thumb and band 27 animals!!!!! His hand is still sore today!! Everyone again worked hard and we got everyone through the squeeze before it got dark!!! 

Then we went out and rounded up a sick cow. All summer she would go off by herself but didn't show any signs of being sick but recently she would hunch up her back and just looked unwell. So we brought her in and Jared treated her with some antibiotics. We brought her in again the next night after Jared talked to the vet and they suggested he make her swallow a magnet. Doing this would pull any type of hardware, a nail or wire, out of the lining of her first stomach, which could be making her uncomfortable. Unfortunately she was just too far gone, Jared went out the next night to check on her and he had to shoot her. He felt bad, he always hates how he tries to help the animals and it never seems to work in his favor. But he also couldn't let her suffer anymore.

Despite it being a cold day, it was lots of fun and restores my love for the cows when we get to be out there working with them!!! 

Emry

Our daughter really is amazing!! The kids had Junior Curling last night, their first one of the season, and I had just mentioned to Jared that he will have to tell them he will pay the registration fee for the kids next week after he gets paid. We didn't think anything of it until Emry left an envelope on the island with $50 cash inside, the amount needed to cover the registration fee, and on the envelope was written "keep it"!! I showed it to Jared and both of us teared up and told her she didn't have to do that. She said she knew but wanted to. Jared told her she would be paid back on Friday and we thanked her for what she did!! I didn't think it was a big deal to pay next week and I didn't think the kids were even paying attention. Little do I know what they take in. She really is an amazing girl, so full of love and concern and compassion for others.  I love her so much and am very grateful to have her as a daughter!!!

Calum informed Jared after curling last night that he didn't like curling....he LOVED it!!!!! I'm happy he had such a good time, I'm afraid it's like watching paint dry for me!!!!

New Year's

This New Year's Eve and day we spent with the Puzey's!!! We started out by having a super yummy soup made by Myrna, a very creamy potato and chicken!!! Rachel and her sweet little family were there too!!! We were later joined by the rest of the Puzey clan and also my dad!!! We started our celebrating with yummy finger foods...meatballs, cocktail wieners wrapped in bacon, mini buns with pulled pork, fruit and chips and punch...all put together again by Myrna!!!! Jared set up the ping pong table and ALL the kids loved it!!! Armin even got pretty good at it!!!!

The little kids rang in the new year at 10ish and then were put to bed!! The big kids stayed up and watched an episode of Dr. Who while the adults visited!!!

The next morning we were treated to a yummy pancake breakfast and more visiting!!! Some of us headed over to Dave and Char's and got the grand tour of their new house!!! It sure is beautiful and the finishing touches are coming along!!!!  After the tour the grandkids opened their cousin presents and their gifts from Grandma!! Everyone was super excited for their gifts and had fun assembling Lego and having nerf gun wars!!!!  While it was still light out we went outside and shot off Calum's rocket he was given by grandpa Glen for his birthday!!!! Again it was quite spectacular with how high it went!!!

By mid afternoon we were all ready to eat again so we enjoyed some super delicious sour cream enchiladas!!!!! Myrna really is a fantastic cook!!!! After the dinner we all got to listen to how very talented the Puzey's are!!! Each family took part in a talent show!!! Emry sang What child is This while Jared played the guitar!!! Little Jonas sang Santa Claus is Coming to Town! Cora and Leah sang an old folk song while Dave played the guitar. Bowen sang while Lalainia played the piano, what a sweet little voice he has!!! Myrna and her girls sang, which left quite a few with teary eyes!!! And Lalainia sang Grown Up Christmas List, again leaving many with teary eyes!!!! 

I was so happy to have my dad there with us for those two days, Armin played ping pong with him quite a bit!!!! It was great ringing in the new year with those I love so much! A great start to the year!! I look forward to what this year has in store and for the memories that are sure to be made!!!