Farm Chores

A day spent doing farm chores.  Last Thursday I moved the four yearling heifers from the bull pasture to the west barn pasture expecting them to join the herd in the south pastures.  For some reason, they went north instead and ended up hollering across the fence to the herd.  I went looking for them and led them back and around so they finally joined with the cows and other heifers in the south pastures.  It had taken a while to move them from the bull pen because it was late evening and the west sun was in their eyes.  I had to wait until the sun was set to move the last one. My Bramble went along nice and easy with some grain to coax her way.  The shorthorn and the bigger Angus finally figured it out, but the little Angus that I bottle fed all last Spring was very confused by the sun. I'll take a good Limousin or Limi-cross animal any time over these Angus. Too  much in breeding in the breed, I think.

Coming back from church this morning I noticed the cows were eating the south pastures  too close. Though I'd been bringing the herd to the barn for grain and had given them access to both the north and south pastures, they have continued to return to the south pastures all last week.

I was determined to move them to the north or back pastures and woods.  I moved the feed bunkers to the entrance to the north pastures, filled them with grain and called the cows.  They all came except the two fall heifers and one cow, but that was OK since I want to wean those two heifers anyway.  This time the cows moved out and up to the north pastures with no problem and I shut the gates to the south pastures to keep them out.  If all goes well, the north pastures will hold up for about three weeks. Then I can move the herd back to the south pastures for three weeks.  This pasture rotation works well and helps extend the time I can keep the cows on pasture.  My goal is to keep the cows on pasture through November with a minimum of hay fed up to that time. 

The bull pen pasture has been empty since Thursday.  I'm giving it a rest before I move the two yearling bulls there for the spring.   If all goes well I will summer my yearling heifer, Bramble with the yearling bull Bobbi while Thor is busy breeding cows. 

I have been working up the garden beds for the last couple of weeks and today I planted four kinds of lettuce and a couple of rows of spinach.  Some of the lettuce seed was from 2010.  I always seem to misplace seeds and then find them a year or two later.  I planted them along with some 2012 seeds so hopefully I'll get some lettuce out of it.

I'm on the look out for straw to cover the strawberries.  The feed store is out, but expect more soon.

For the first time in my memory I mowed grass in March!  There was no help for it. In the last 48 hours the grass has taken off and I had to mow now before it got any worse.

There was some asparagus up Saturday evening when I checked the garden.  I ate the first two spears I picked  raw, right there in the garden. They were so good and sweet - green sugar.  I picked about a dozen spears all together and simmered the rest on top of the stove in a little water.  They just needed a little salt and pepper and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to make them heavenly.

Weeds are everywhere.  Nothing seemed to die off this winter. There were not enough continuous days of hard freeze. The asparagus bed was nothing but weeds, so I picked all the spears and mowed the rows close. I've never done that before and I am hoping the asparagus will be all right.  It is colder today and no asparagus had come up since yesterday, so I'm thinking the mowing won't hurt and the spears will have a chance to grow again when the temperatures get back in the seventies.

And that was my day of chores on the farm.  When I shut up the chickensthis evening I collected 11 eggs. Not bad. They should average 10 a day.  Yesterday I only got three but the nest boxes were all messed up which makes me think something - raccoon probably - stole most of those eggs. I've not had that happen since last Spring.