Puppies hit the one month mark.

Koko's puppies are one month old and doing well. They all have their eyes open and are walking well. We even get a little bark now and then. They are definitely getting more energetic and playful as well. We are starting to wean them with some puppy food and milk "mush" that they love.

In other "farm news" the baby chicks are growing fine as well as are the three new steers. With the almost daily rain it has been hard to keep up with grass cutting and bush hogging but this weekend is supposed to be sunny so maybe we can get caught up a little.

And then there were three.

From the shyest cow comes the shyest calf. Petunia had her calf on Sunday the 17th and he is very shy. The other two were very friendly the first couple of days but not this one. He has been running from us since he was born. All three are boys and all three have been "steered" We had planned to put any females back into the herd but none of the three are female so at this point it looks like one will go in the freezer and the other two will go to the sale. I've got to do some research about when is the best time to do all that. All three had their calves without any trouble or assistance. They all get an A+ for birthing ease.

New Calf Number Two!

Our second calf was born early this morning. It's not often I get to "steer" a bull before going to the office, but that was the case this morning. It was the first one I had ever done by myself so I was a little nervous about doing it but it seemed to go well. So we now have two male calves and Petunia looks to be ready to have her calf at any time.

As a side note, a female is a heifer until she gives birth and then she is referred to as a cow. We now have two cows and one heifer...at least for another day or so. A male is a bull until he is castrated and then he is a steer. Both of our newborns are now steers.

One of our steers will eventually end up in the freezer and all others will go to the sale. First generation females will go back into the herd. I would like to have 10-12 cows at some point. That is about all our pasture will support. My brother was telling me over the weekend that Angus are know for birthing ease and that has sure been our experience so far. My plan is to stay with Angus for the cows and use our Hereford bull.

Our first calf ever!

Our first calf ever to be born here on the 2811 was born early this morning. Sweet Pea is the momma and both seem to be doing fine. I just had a conversation yesterday with a friend who raises cattle and he said how much trouble heifers can be with their first calf so it is truly a blessing to just wake up and see a beautiful baby calf standing there next to its Mother. It is a boy so now I have to figure out this "steering" procedure!

The Puppies Are Here!! (All 12 of them)

Yes, you read that right...all twelve of them. Wow! Koko is doing a great job as a first time Mom cleaning and feeding her brood. We had no idea that she would have this many. We are first timers at this as well. We have never had a dog that had puppies before so we read alot, but nothing compares to the real thing! And just to complicate matters a little we are going out of town tomorrow. Melissa's parents are coming in to house sit/puppy-sit while we're gone. Right now we are contemplating whether it will be better to go ahead and have their tails docked tomorrow, wait until we get back, or try to get the inlaws to take them to the vet while we are gone?!? On another note, the insurance company FINALLY contacted us about storm damage. Looks like the wait will be worth it. No major arguments about their assessment. I am looking forward to this Florida trip but it couldn't have come at a worse time. I guess the icing on the cake will be if at least one of the heifers gives birth while we are gone LOL!

The week of waiting

This week we have been waiting. Waiting for our dog, Koko to have her puppies. Waiting for our three heifers to calve. Waiting for the insurance adjuster to call. Luckily the bees have kept our minds off of all the waiting by swarming.

When bees get crowded inside a hive, they make a new queen by feeding one egg a special diet. The old queen gets the hint and takes about half the bees and leaves. They don't go far at first and if you catch them before they move on you can get another hive of bees out of the deal. That is what happened today. My daughter Savannah saw the bees forming their swarm cloud and we watched them until they settled on a tree and then I cut off the limb and put them in another hive. They are very docile when swarming (not like in the "killer bee" movies). They are full of honey for the trip and stinging is the last thing on their mind. I was able to cut that limb and carry them to their new home without even disturbing them.

The downside is that the new hive will not in all likelihood make and surplus honey for us this year, but they will be in great shape to make honey next year.

Post Tornado Clean-up

There's nothing quite like the diesel power of a Caterpillar! My good friend Jim let me borrow this machine for a couple of days and we have moved the world with it. It will pick up a whole tree and never flinch. It will even finish breaking off half broken trees for you.