Pictures of Classic Silhouette Farm, my little piece of heaven.

[1911sw45]

The first picture is of my hogs. The second is of me milking Buttercup. She is a Guernsey and this is her first freshening. She produces almost 5 gallons of milk a day. She has one bad quarter so I this she is producing great for only three good quarters. She has a lot of patience for this being her first freshening. I am not the fastest milker.

Adam

[jcwit]

Fantastic. When I was growing up my Dad always had a couple of pig he raises, usually picked up a couple of runts from an Amish farmer, also had a milk cow, name was bossy even tho she was replaced whenever needed. He had the cow breed Jersey one time then Guernsey next time we needed to replace the older milk cow. Also always used to buy 50 chicks from Montgomery Ward in the spring, they came in the U.S. Mail back then, I remember going to the post office in the sppring and hearing all the peeps, unsexed, so about half were roosters, and the other half turned into laying hens. He kept a fairly large truck garden and mom canned all kinds of veggies. Was a lot of work I'm sure, I know I had to help with with chores, not like todays kids, but we were pretty self sufficient.

Was Dern Good Food To, not like todays processed fare.

[JeffinNZ]

5 gallons a day! What does one do with 5 gallons of milk. Ohhhhhh. Please don't say you bath in it. ;-)

My dad always reckoned the best way to milk was to hold onto the teats and get the cow to leap up and down.

[MT Gianni]

I started millking @ age 5 and I can honestly say I don't miss it. It wasn't the activity as much as the every night and morning duty. I do remember some kid in 8th grade asking what I used to build forearm strength if it was curls or something else and how much weight? He lost all interest when I told him it was pulling teats and bucking bales.

[blackthorn]

5 gallons is a top milker, especially from a Guernsey. Guernseys are good cream producers too. Growing up my dad had Guernsey/cross cows (eight) to be milked (by me) morning and night. We put the milk through a separator to remove the cream for sale and the skim milk went back to the calves and some went to the pigs. We had an old rusty steel drum out by the turkey pen where we dumped any surplus milk so it turned into 'curds' (cottage cheeze). I still wont eat that stuff! We lived much as JCWIT describes.

[jcwit]

blackthorn, remember turning the seperator crank at the right speed so as the weight didn't go click, click. click?

Dad sold the cream to our local creamery and the skim milk went to the pigs.

Man alive this brings back memories.

[letsmeltlead2693]

Never seen a pig, cow, or no farm animals because I live in the city and I'm 19. I have seen animals but never been close.

[1911sw45]

Right now the milk is going to the calf and the hogs. Waiting on my SS milking pail. As today she has produced 37 gals. I started milking her a week ago last Monday. 2 weeks ago I butchered 10 Cornish-rock hens avg dress weight was 4.5lbs. Got 10 Buff Orpington pullet chicks that are 2 weeks old and 2 cockerels, 15 RIR pullets, and 2 cockerels, 15 Barred Rock Pullets and 2 cockerels all 2 weeks old. 20 RIR hens, 2 White Rock hens, 1 Barred rock hen, 5 heize 57 hens, that are being replaced by the chicks above. 1 Royle Palm Tom, had a royle palm hen but lost her last week, 1 Spanish Black hen, and 1 Narragansett Hen that are just started laying. 7 Guinea Fowl that are 3 hens and 4 roosters. 1 gilt due in May, 1 sow that is open, 2 gilts that are getting ready to breed. 2 barrows, 1 getting butchered next week, the other in a month. 1 boar at the neighbors servicing his sow. 3 calves on bottles, 7 weaned ranging from 200lbs to 850lbs. 4 NZ white rabbits being butchered this weekend.

So I have a full day at Classic Silhouette Farm. Feeding and milking takes about 2 hours in the morning and evening. I grow most of my hay, but have to buy some. The feed I get from the Amish, and I mix my own feed. Getting ready to fertilize the fields for the hay crop. I manure goes on the fields from the time of the last cutting of hay till it starts growing in the spring. In the fall I get my neighbors tobacco stalks and spread them on the field too. My ground here has very thin top soil. That is why I keep adding all the organic stuff to the field to build them back up. It's alot of work but the pay off is the meats, and eggs I get. I raise some hogs and cattle on shares for my wife family in Saint Louis, MO. Well that is just about it all. Time to go to bed and start it all over again in the morning.

Adam

[1911sw45]

letsmeltlead2693,

Nashville is not all that far from me. It's about 1.5 hrs away. 95 miles. Your more than welcome to come and check them out as is any other Cast Boolits members that are close.

Adam

[leftiye]

Thems silhouettes? I envy you buddy. I grew up on a small farm.

[Rick N Bama]

letsmeltlead2693,

Nashville is not all that far from me. It's about 1.5 hrs away. 95 miles. Your more than welcome to come and check them out as is any other Cast Boolits members that are close.

Adam

Adam what county do you live in? My son lives in Grayson County (Leitchfield) & if you're close enough, I think we would both like to see your farm. It sure sounds a whole lot like the way we lived when I was a youngster, except that we milked (by hand) 5 or 6 cows. We sold the milk, except for what we used ourselves, as Grade 'B' which was used in making Cheese.

Rick

[Bret4207]

Nice to see other farmer types here besides myself. I'm working green draft horses at the moment, waiting for lambing to start and wondering what to do with the pigs I have on hand. Sold the steers last fall when money was tight.

[blackthorn]

jcwit--Yes! I remember the cream seperator well.

1911SW45--You mention bottle feeding. My dad never let the new born calves suck on the cow. He milked into the bucket and then held his fingers in the milk and got the calf to suck on them. A few times and he had the calf drinking out of the bucket. Much easier than bottle feeding.

We did not get electricity on our place untill 1948 and no phone untill 1954.

[Mk42gunner]

When I was a kid, our last milk cow was a tall rangy Holstein. She would give close to ten gallons a day when she came fresh, I remember carrying two milk buckets to the house in the evening. Mom or my brother did the morning milking and I did the evening one. Dad said she had to have some Guernsey in her because she gave so much cream.

We sold milk to three or four families, plus what we and our animals used. It isn't a big trick to feed a cat directly from the cow. After we sold her, we were buying about five gallons of milk per week at the store, and I didn't even like the taste of homogenized and pastuerized milk; it was more like white colored water.

Robert

[1911sw45]

Rick N Bama,
I live in Lyon Co, just on the southern edge of Caldwell Co. Litchfield is about 2 hrs give or take. Just hop on down on the WK heading West not East till exit 13 then I am about 15 miles south of there. You and your son is more than welcome to visit.

leftiye,
You know the silhouettes of the Chickens, and Turkeys ..lol

Bret4207,
I am not going to work behind a horses rear, at least not yet. One day I might have to but until that day comes it's going to be gas powered horse power. Around here there is no where to sell hogs to, they closed all hog handling facilities about 10 years or so ago when the hogs prices dropped and corn went out of sight. There is a little auction I go to every 2nd and 4th Sat of the month over in Todd Co that is ran by the Amish. That sells hogs and, chickens, goats, sheep, and calves. Some good prices for your stuff most of the time. I mostly raise hogs for myself and family and sell some privately.

blackthorn,
I like to bottle feed my calves, like to get the calves to know me and be tame. I have bucket fed them and they get more wild that way. I hand milk then pour into the bottle. Finally getting rid of the hand cramps...lol I plan on next year training her to be a nurse cow too. Her calf is the only one that gets her milk. The other two gets milk replacer because they are just about weaned and I need to use up that high priced stuff.

Mk42gunner,
Talk about the cream from her! That is why I got the Guernsey is because of the butter fat content in their milk. Wish Lehman would hurry up and get me my milking pail. It's been ordered since the first of March. Plus waiting on the milk filter and the strip cup from them too. Planning on making butter, cream, cheese, yogurt, and of course milk from her milk. The hogs have really loved the past almost 2 weeks getting all that milk and cream.

Adam

[jcwit]

By Golly, I just did a google for "milk cream seperator" and they still make them, less than $200.00 bucks for the hand operated ones even.

Hey, don't you know all that butter fat is bad for you?





Joking, just joking. Real cream over peaches can't be beat! Oh the memories.

Oh, BTW Don't know is they still make them or not but my dad always used a bucket with a rubber nipple on it to feed the calf.

[letsmeltlead2693]

My dad when he was little,he was born in '57 lived on a farm. They had no power or TV or fridge until the '70s. They grew all they had and killed their own animals for food. Only thing they brought was sugar, molasses, and coffee, everything else they grew or killed.

[birdadly]

Your first picture sure looks like a relaxing place to spend your days. Very neat. -Brad

[shdwlkr]

As a kid growing up in the late 50's early 60's we were still allowed to work on a farm and go to school. So I learned how to work starting at age 12 when I went to work on a neighbors farm. We had the power go out a couple of times because of thunder storms and milking 65 cows by hand was well shall we say painful for both the cows and the humans doing the milking.

We had 65 milking head year round and at times more, we had over 350 total head and several bulls on the place. So there was never a lack of something to do or needed done.

Now almost 50 years since I walked away from farm work I am hoping to get back to some of it like the hay, wheat and maybe a few critters. Now as to milking again not sure I want that task ever again as you are tied to the place twice a day every day of the year if you have very many animals and once you start they just seem to find your place.

I might have a few beef cows as they are not so hard to work with and maybe a pig or two until fall each year when they would be sold or put in the freezer or both. Winter is no fun to be out looking for a lost animal at my age or a broken fence to fix or manure to be gotten rid of or milking in a cold damp barn because you don't have enough animals.

You sure bring back memories good and not so good but I think I was happier on the farm and working with animals than with people many times as animals let you know where you stand with them, don't play games and for the most part are always happy to see you.

[x101airborne]

Your first picture sure looks like a relaxing place to spend your days. Very neat. -Brad

I used to milk 125 cows twice a day in a H pattern 2x2 barn. Yeah, its real relaxing until you HAVE to do it when it is freezing rain, or the cows are all wet coming in, or they have been eating oats and the tails are all soaking in poop and pee, then you get slapped in the face with same tail. Or you are taking off the milking machines and they give ya a good ole splattering poop on the concrete.

Then the only time they want to give birth is when it is 22 degrees, raining, and blowing about 50 miles per hour.

Wow, just thinking about it makes me so relaxed...... I think I may start drinking. Heavily.

Just kidding. If I didn't agree, I wouldn't have chickens, and quail, and goats, and a calf. It is nice to tend the animals and enjoy life.

[JeffinNZ]

Never seen a pig, cow, or no farm animals because I live in the city and I'm 19. I have seen animals but never been close.

It saddens me to hear this. I have been around farms and animals my whole life and still have links. Nothing like letting lil' kids bottle fed a lamb. They love it.

[1911sw45]

I hear ya Jeff. Way to many kids grown up in the cities. Most have not a clue about animals or where their meals come from.

Adam

[Boz330]

I hear ya Jeff. Way to many kids grown up in the cities. Most have not a clue about animals or where their meals come from.

Adam

Sure they do,,,,,,,, Krogers in those cellophane wrapped packages.[smilie=l:

I'd like to come up with something to raise for extra money and or food when I retire. Don't want to go back to cattle, they were work enough when I was young and the fences aren't ll that good or the corral for that matter.

Bob

[19112TAP]

Good luck with your cow. My wife and I have been miking our Jersey for almost a year now and we also have 6 milking goats, two butcher calves and several chickens. We had some butcher hogs last year but havn't raised any this year and will probably wait until fall. It is alot of fun and makes a person fill good about themselves when they know that they were a major part of what they eat.

Tom

[Bret4207]

I'm glad some folks have better luck than I with cattle. I've had some real nice girls that were well mannered and gave lots of milk. So, of course, I sold them! Then I'd get some knot head that would kick the blazes out of anything, including her own calf. You haven't lived till you've had to rope a cow to a post, pin her against the wall and hold one leg up so the calf can drink 4x a day! That witch went down the road poste haste. Last cow we bought was full of cancer. Heart breaking. Maybe someday I can get another so we have some milk. Sure would come in handy.

I have 2 cream separators, one hand cranked model, an American IIRC, and an electrically driven DeLaval fromt he late 20's or early 30's. Bought t at an auction for $5.00. The motor was seized so I ran it over to our local repair shop. They had it fixed in no time and told me the motor was "a classic" and really only needed cleaning and a new power cord. So, should I ever get a cow again I'm set for cream. The only problem with either of the units is a little rust on the tin plated parts. I'm always intending to look into getting them replated.

[oneokie]

Then I'd get some knot head that would kick the blazes out of anything, including her own calf. You haven't lived till you've had to rope a cow to a post, pin her against the wall and hold one leg up so the calf can drink 4x a day!


Hobbles will break most cows from kicking when their calf tries to nurse or one is milking. How ever, if milking, one needs a clear escape path so the witch does not fall on you.

[10x]

5 gallons a day! What does one do with 5 gallons of milk. Ohhhhhh. Please don't say you bath in it. ;-)

My dad always reckoned the best way to milk was to hold onto the teats and get the cow to leap up and down.

Butter, Cheese, Cream - you would be amazed at how quickly home made butter cheese, cream, skim milk, and real buttermilk can be traded off for stuff you need.

In the days of way way back, we used to take 6 dozen eggs to town twice a week, 5 gallons of cream once a week, and the skim milk and the whey would get feed to the pigs and calves.

My mother grew many of the spices in her garden and even now I grow basil, dill, and cilantro and give most of it way, plus give seeds to friends in the spring.
I' considering rebuilding a Case A6 combine so I can fire it up and harvest ten or 12 bushells of seed in a batch.....

Not to mention that my mother in law sells a pound of wheat (for wheat "salad") for $5.00 a pound. - That works out to $300.00 a bushell.

[Crash_Corrigan]

Back in the late 50's I can recall spending the summers up at the family place near High Falls, NY. It was an active dairy farm until the end of prohibition. At that point Grandpa (a bootlegger) no longer needed to maintain the pretense of running a diary farm and got rid of all the animals.

However for a teenager to be surrounded with city kids from Brooklyn who all practiced a different faith and more importantly whose daughters were inculcated with the admonition not to play hanky panky with Goyim boys....it was torture.

Look but do not touch....so my social interactions with the opposite sex were minute unless I could contact some local people.

My younger Sister, bless her black Irish heart made friends with some local kids finally and I was invited along on some local social events for kids. A high point was a hay ride on a hay wagon covered with a thick layer of hay and about 25 teenagers.

We would be towed around by an older brother of maybe 20 years of age for a few hours on dirt paths and lonely backroads by a Farmall tractor that chugged along at maybe 8 miles an hour. It was fun.

Later during the summer we got to spend some time with the local kids on a diary farm and we all pitched in with the chores. Milking the cows and goats and gathering the hay by pitching bales of hay into the wagon and then unloading into the barn etc.

We got to share meals with these folks and the best part was drinking their cow's milk from a glass bottle. It had Two inches of cream at the top and tasted wonderful.

Trader Joe sells something like that for big bucks and if I remember I buy it and it brings back rich memories.

Forty years later I went back to visit and was re-introduced to some of our teen age cohorts who now were in their late 50's and 60's.

The gals who looked the best back in the day were dogs today. And the dogs of yesterday were absolutely great looking today. Who can figure?

[1Shirt]

When I turned 18 and graduated from high school, I headed for Parris Island, with a pledge to myself that I had milked my last cow. I particularly hated it when Niagara Falls froze over, and ice broke off and messes up the turbines below and we were without electricity for 3-4 days. Milking by hand, twice a day, 115 holsteens, and 10 gurnseys was no joy even with 6 people doing it. Never looked back! Dairy farms are hard work that you can never get away from. Ya gotta love it to do it!
1Shirt!

[10x]

Back in the late 50's I can recall spending the summers up at the family place near High Falls, NY. It was an active dairy farm until the end of prohibition. At that point Grandpa (a bootlegger) no longer needed to maintain the pretense of running a diary farm and got rid of all the animals.

snip.

My younger Sister, bless her black Irish heart made friends with some local kids finally and I was invited along on some local social events for kids. A high point was a hay ride on a hay wagon covered with a thick layer of hay and about 25 teenagers.

We would be towed around by an older brother of maybe 20 years of age for a few hours on dirt paths and lonely backroads by a Farmall tractor that chugged along at maybe 8 miles an hour. It was fun.

snip
Who can figure?

I got to go on quite a few hay rides. My dad and I would put up loose hay in Hay cocks, then after it had cured we would load the wagon, I was on the wagon placing the hay so it wouldn't slide off in sheets. Then the ride home on the hay. There is nothing like the smell of cured alfalfa hay on a hot July afternoon. At home my dad would pitch the loose hay onto the stack and I would place it on the stack so it would shed water, yet not fall over.
Most of my hayrides I had to load the hay myself, then I would be sitting on the top of the load about 12' off the ground holding on to a pitchfork jammed into the hay.
A way of life that not even the Amish live any more.

One of my sharpest memories is quickly sliding down the front of the hay on the wagon, then climbing down the front and sitting under wagon while a thunderstorm rolled through. The smell of the hay, the rain, and the rain hitting the dust will live for ever in my memory.

[Mk42gunner]

A lot of the older tractors around here have a valve brazed into the intake manifold to provide vacuum to run a milking machine. I don't know if it was done before electricity, or as a backup for when power went out.

Robert

[1911sw45]

10x,
We have a Amish community about 10 mile from me that still put up loose hay in the barn. I prefer square and round rolls of hay. I got me an hay knife that I cut blocks of hay off the round rolls. I bet it is at least twice the age I am. Some things I like to do the old way, but then there are a lot of things I like to do the modern way too.

Adam

[1911sw45]

Here is some more pictures, excuse the mess. It's a work in progress. In the hog barn I use gravity flow hog nipples in the black barrel. The feed bins will hold 1000 lbs laying mash, 1200lbs of cracked corn, and 1200lbs of distillers grain. The blue barrel on it's side holds 15 gals of molasses. I need to build another set of feed bins for the soybean hulls, soybean meal. The cages in the back of the room with the feed bins are my breeding pens.

Adam

[Bret4207]

A lot of the older tractors around here have a valve brazed into the intake manifold to provide vacuum to run a milking machine. I don't know if it was done before electricity, or as a backup for when power went out.

Robert

I was going to mention that. When we lost our power for 15 days in January up here in 98 a lot of old Farmalls, Cases and Deeres were runninng day and night for vacuum for the milk line. Of course they could only run one of two milkers instead of 8-10 or more, but it was better than hand milking 150 head.

[Bret4207]

I got to go on quite a few hay rides. My dad and I would put up loose hay in Hay cocks, then after it had cured we would load the wagon, I was on the wagon placing the hay so it wouldn't slide off in sheets. Then the ride home on the hay. There is nothing like the smell of cured alfalfa hay on a hot July afternoon. At home my dad would pitch the loose hay onto the stack and I would place it on the stack so it would shed water, yet not fall over.
Most of my hayrides I had to load the hay myself, then I would be sitting on the top of the load about 12' off the ground holding on to a pitchfork jammed into the hay.
A way of life that not even the Amish live any more.

One of my sharpest memories is quickly sliding down the front of the hay on the wagon, then climbing down the front and sitting under wagon while a thunderstorm rolled through. The smell of the hay, the rain, and the rain hitting the dust will live for ever in my memory.

All our local Amish still use loose hay, at least to the barn. Some unload the hay into a baler at the barn and bale it there. Just their way and that's fine with me. These days the trolley systems for getting loose hay into the barn are non-existent, any that are workable are working for the Amish and most were tossed into the scrap pile back in the 50's. So a young Amishman starting out might have to bale at the barn as a method of getting it up into the mow. Others do it that way so they can transport it or sell it.

[Charlie Two Tracks]

Nice farm Adam. We milked cows from the time I can remember until I was 17. Growing up on the farm was good, but it got awful old milking the cows. Every morning and every night. Cold, rain, snow, didn't matter. It really got bad when you wanted to go someplace. We used bleach water to clean the udder and trying to get that smell off your hands before you went out on a date was a real pain. That kind of farm you have, keeps a guy grounded in what is really going on. Glad to see you have it.

[Rick N Bama]

Then I'd get some knot head that would kick the blazes out of anything, including her own calf. You haven't lived till you've had to rope a cow to a post, pin her against the wall and hold one leg up so the calf can drink 4x a day!

A band of leather or even rope tied around a cow's belly will keep her from kicking while being milked, etc. We had a couple on our farm that gave wonderful milk, but discouraged anyone taking it from her:)

Rick

[jcwit]

1911sw45, you have quite a set there, keep the pictures coming, super interesting, at least to me, and by the replies seems to be to many others as well.

Not to go way off topic but in regard to the Amish, I live in one of the largest Amish communities in the U.S. and I believe the largest in Indiana. They put up hay in many different ways. Some use a tractor drawn bailer "steel wheels of course", others use a horse drawn bailer, some pick the bail from the machine, others are required to let the bail drop to the ground before picking it up and placing on the hay wagon, and then there are those that do it the old way with loose hay.

It all depends on the Church District they are in and their local rules. So as long as it works for them its just fine with me. There are many, many rules that they have to go by depending on the District one is in, say as in regards to bicycles, power lawn verses hand mowers, rototillers ect., ect.

[Alstep]

Sure brings back a lot of memories, every kid should be brought up on a farm. Learn life's values there. Only about 3% of the population are rural any more, the rest have no idea what it takes to produce food. We had a rack in the springhouse to set milk cans on to keep cold. By morning, all the cream rose to the top and mom would skim it off. I grew up on raw milk, when I left home I never could get used to processed milk. My other interests after shooting are collecting old hit & miss engines, and a few old two cylinder John Deere tractors. I get them all running and putting and popping at our 4th of July picnic every year. Still cut my firewood on a buzz saw belted to an engine or tractor. Anybody else here interested in old iron?

[jcwit]

Oh Ya, I don't have any but wife and I go to a few Tractor/Steam Shows every year.

[Bret4207]

A band of leather or even rope tied around a cow's belly will keep her from kicking while being milked, etc. We had a couple on our farm that gave wonderful milk, but discouraged anyone taking it from her:)

Rick

Yeah, we tried that and the metal "Kant-kick" device. She still kicked the calf.

[starmac]

Yeah, we tried that and the metal "Kant-kick" device. She still kicked the calf.

Some cows are just made for the slaughter house.

[starmac]

Mom bought a brown swiss cow, that was coming fresh pretty quick. When I came in from work she told me to hang around and help dad go haul it home. lol

The very first thing that cow did was duck her head and charge me. Thinking she would balk, I stood my ground (big mistake0 She hit me in the bread basket and threw me probably close to twenty feet. It knocked the wind out of me, with dad laughing until I could breath again and asked him just who did mom expect to milk this crazy cow. lol

[DIRT Farmer]

I grew up on a dairy (85 head of holstin) hog and poltry farm. There are "fond" memories of thawing every thing out to start milking at 4:30 am, getting the 640 Ford started to load silage in the bunk from the trench silo, scraping manure then starting over at 4:30 PM. In our spare time we took care of the chickens and hogs, 2500 layers and 20 to 35 sows Durocs. The 640 had an 1/8th pipe fitting in the side of the carb that we would unscrew and put in a nipple that hooked to the vacum system on the milking equipment. It required opening up the load fuel setting so it would run at full speed. We baled around 25,000 bales of hay and 20 acres of silage. Then in our resting time we raised a few acres of tobacco.
I do not regret a bit of it, I always knew where my parents were, I was working along side of them. Mom bought flour and sugar, and in the Summer,tea for the seasonal treat sweet iced tea. I have not had a good dish of ice cream since we sold the cows.
By the way, we did not go to the gym to get in shape.
Now I raise a few brood cows and help my brother who has a CSA. He raises mule foot hogs, several kinds of turkeys chickens, ducks and geese plus the usual heritage produce. I had to rent the farm crop out the last two years I took care of Dad, and have gotten used to not chasing planting and harvesting (not)

[1911sw45]

Got my 13qt SS milking pail, strip cup, SS strainer and filters from Lehman's today. Not happy with the quality of the pail, pretty thin SS and made in china for 70 bucks. The strip cup and SS strainer looks good. Now I can start keeping my milk. Buttercup is still producing right at 5 gals of milk a day. She sure is a good cow. Loves her brushing and utter massage to bring down her milk. She fell a sleep on me while I was massaging her started leaning on me more and more. Was going to refloor my flat trailer today. I had some red oak cut to 6/4 x 6 by the Amish 10 miles away from me. I ordered 16 boards and only 7 are any count. Some had very bad bark spots have the width of the boards. Some dry rot 2" in the width. Some split over half the length of the boards on the diagonal. Then some 2" on one side and 1.5 on the other side. Just wasted money. I only needed 13 boards to floor it. I got extra just in case Some was not to my liking for the floor. There is no way I would have sold these for some one that was flooring a trailer floor. It was the first time I use this guy, not again. He had them banded so I could not see all the lumber before I bought it. I will use some of it now on the shade structor for the calves in the field. Live and learn I guess.

Adam

[jcwit]

Tip here, do a google search for Stainless Steel mail pail om E-Bay, lots there.

[Bret4207]

Yeah, Lehmans is about the most expensive place you can go to get stuff like that. Look at Hoegger supply or just google "dairy hardware/supplies" or something like that.

Red oak is great furniture wood, but white oak, locust, heart of cedar do better exposed to the weather. Or just get treated yellow pine. I mistakenly built a bob sled out of red oak. Lot of work, not lasting at all, and my stuff is all at least 4" through.

[Bret4207]

http://hambydairysupply.com/xcart/home.php?cat=

[1911sw45]

Thanks, Bret for the link to the site.

Adam

[starmac]

I noticed a fresh milk cow on craigslist this morning, some thing you don't see in this neck of the woods very often.

[1911sw45]

Got my first cream this morning. Made some scalloped taters with it man was it good. I have forgotten what fresh cream and milk tastes like. There was about 4" of cream in a gallon milk jug. My daughter always laughed at me when I would take a gallon of milk and shake it before I would use it with store bought milk. I just have done it by habit. But now she knows why. I did not think it was that long ago that I had an milk cow. But now thinking bad I got rid of her 2 years before she was born. So that was 17 years ago. My son was raised on fresh milk from 7 months till he was weaned. He would not drink any other kind of milk except fresh milk.

Adam

[1911sw45]

Lost my first pail of milk this morning. She stepped in it.

Adam

[Beagler]

It saddens me to hear this. I have been around farms and animals my whole life and still have links. Nothing like letting lil' kids bottle fed a lamb. They love it.

Its all the dam video games and social sights these days! Kids have no clue about the real world unless it pops up on facebook or comes across there smartphone. When I was little my parents scratched together 100.00 to buy the original Nintendo for christmas. I didn't even ask for it. So it sat there for two weeks still in the box. I told them I love them and appreciated it but return it and use the money for food.

[Bret4207]

Lost my first pail of milk this morning. She stepped in it.

Adam

You didn't lose a pail of milk, she just turned it into hog feed.:bigsmyl2:

[starmac]

You didn't lose a pail of milk, she just turned it into hog feed.:bigsmyl2:

Very good hog feed, about the only thing as good to slick up a hog is raw eggs.

I knew a guy that gathered up the spilled beer from the taps at a couple bars.
It would do wonders for the runt pigs.

[Ozarklongshot]

I don't have dairy cows. I think we are at 32 beef cows and about 12 calves right now. We bale into 6x6 round bales. Got 50 laying hens and trade eggs for fresh produce or pork. Eat a lot of venison. Rarely butcher a beef for ourselves. O ya this is my "57" it's a John Deere 4020 converted to 12 volt and thats my 10' rotary mower. Hay season is right around the corner now. The first hay I ever put up as a young boy was baled in the barnyard after hauling it in on wagons and that was in 75. Not that long ago to me...
Raised broilers 50,000 at a time but no more, gave that up about 15 years ago

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g363/Skyshot1/Farm%20pics/sep11041.jpg

[1911sw45]

Bret,

I did loose the pail of milk, when she stepped in it it spilled all of it from the front to the back wall of the milk room. Almost cried over spilled milk..lol

Ozarklongshot,

Nice tractor. Never seen an 4020 with a cab before now. Is that hay in the picture Sudan or Johnson grass?

Adam

[Mk42gunner]

Adam,

I noticed in the first post that you are sitting on a four legged stool to milk, but didn't think to say anything until today. We always used a couple of 2x4's nailed in a tee for a milk stool. It is pretty stable once you get situated and put your head in the cows flank.

It allows you to grab the bucket and go when the cow wants to step around. If there is time you can grab the stool too, but the important thing was to save the milk.

Robert

[10x]

I don't have dairy cows. I think we are at 32 beef cows and about 12 calves right now. We bale into 6x6 round bales. Got 50 laying hens and trade eggs for fresh produce or pork. Eat a lot of venison. Rarely butcher a beef for ourselves. O ya this is my "57" it's a John Deere 4020 converted to 12 volt and thats my 10' rotary mower. Hay season is right around the corner now. The first hay I ever put up as a young boy was baled in the barnyard after hauling it in on wagons and that was in 75. Not that long ago to me...
Raised broilers 50,000 at a time but no more, gave that up about 15 years ago

http://i1098.photobucket.com/albums/g363/Skyshot1/Farm%20pics/sep11041.jpg

I worked down breaking for a neighbor in his 4020 John Deere in 1968. I also spent part of my summer using one to plow fescue that summer as well. They were a great tractor, no leaks and the hydrolics were excellent.
You raised 50,000 broilers at a time? We never had more than 200 chickens and I still can't stand the smell of chicken coops or a birdcage. When I went to U. they would serve chicken for in Residence. Compared to the home grown "organic" chicken I, the coyotes, hawks, and owls ate at home the commercial chicken did not measure up. I was 20 years old before I ever tasted Col Sanders as well. That was a surprise.

[Love Life]

This is a greta thread. I didn't see it mentioned here, but about how much property does it take to run a farm like you have OP?

[oneokie]

Adam,

I noticed in the first post that you are sitting on a four legged stool to milk, but didn't think to say anything until today. We always used a couple of 2x4's nailed in a tee for a milk stool. It is pretty stable once you get situated and put your head in the cows flank.

It allows you to grab the bucket and go when the cow wants to step around. If there is time you can grab the stool too, but the important thing was to save the milk.

Robert

Someone, (Lehmans?) sells a one legged milking stool that is a strap on.

[1911sw45]

Mk42gunner,

It is a step stool from Harbor Freight. If I was paying attention to the cow she would have not stepped in the pail. It was at the end of the milking session.


Lovelife,

I got 9.6 acres. I do have to feed hay later than most and start feeding earlier. But grazing rotation is the key. The Chicken/Hog barn is small, then I got another two about the same size. One is in very bad disrepair so I am going to tear it down. Then I got what they call a 3000 bale barn that has 7 stalls in the middle two 16' bays on each side of it. Then attached to one of the bays it has a front room, cooler room, milking room with 4 stanchions, then the wash room. The bay next to the milking side houses my bottle calves. The other bay on the other side of the barn I use to store my round rolls of hay and tractor. I got the farm crossed fenced in to 6 fields. One field is a hay field only. Then the other 5 are pasture/hay fields. Every thing gets hay cut off on the first time but one field. Then on the second cutting 2 fields get cut. Then only the hay field on the last cutting.

oneokie,

Lehman does sell that one legged stool with the strap.


Adam

[starmac]

This is a greta thread. I didn't see it mentioned here, but about how much property does it take to run a farm like you have OP?

This depends greatly among other things to what part of the country you are.
There is parts of the country that will support 3 cows to the acre and parts that won't support 1 to a hundred acres.

Some of the folks here do a cow share type of deal, I'm not sure how it works, but it makes it legal for several people to get the milk from one cow.
Most farm animals are one thing and very enjoyable, a milk cow or goats is a whole nother ball game, that is suited for very few people.

[10x]

snip
Most farm animals are one thing and very enjoyable, a milk cow or goats is a whole nother ball game, that is suited for very few people.

Way back when a widowed neighbor decided a "housekeeper" would be appropriate he got one mail order - hey it was the early 1960s there was no cyberweb dating. The lady moved in and took over all of the domestic duties. She then started to acquire livestock. She was active in the local Women's League as well and my mother would go to quilting bees at her house. Well his house.
Long story short, she decided to get goats and one day when delivering my mom for an afternoon of quilting - after my mom had gone in the house and my dad and I watched the goats climbing on everything, shed, barn, granary, outhouse and cars.
My dad turned to me and sad "Beware of women who raise goats!" Took his advice and have yet to regret it.

[Pigslayer]

I used to milk 125 cows twice a day in a H pattern 2x2 barn. Yeah, its real relaxing until you HAVE to do it when it is freezing rain, or the cows are all wet coming in, or they have been eating oats and the tails are all soaking in poop and pee, then you get slapped in the face with same tail. Or you are taking off the milking machines and they give ya a good ole splattering poop on the concrete.

Then the only time they want to give birth is when it is 22 degrees, raining, and blowing about 50 miles per hour.

Wow, just thinking about it makes me so relaxed...... I think I may start drinking. Heavily.

Just kidding. If I didn't agree, I wouldn't have chickens, and quail, and goats, and a calf. It is nice to tend the animals and enjoy life.

I hear ya. Farming is a wonderful life if you like it. Lot of work and no time off. Grew up in northern PA. Tioga County. The only work around for kids was on the neighboring farms. Used to work for a dollar an hour bucking hay, milking cows or working at the neighboring chicken farms shoveling chicken poop into wheelbarrows & hauling it out to the spreader. It paid my way into the high school dances & basketball games. Paid for school clothes that "I" wanted. It was a good way to grow up. Had a lot of fun with a rock & a stick.
Never any crime. Wouldn't think of it. The guns stayed on the rack unless we were hunting or target shooting. House was always unlocked & the keys in the car. It was a good way to grow up & I miss it.

[Pigslayer]

Its all the dam video games and social sights these days! Kids have no clue about the real world unless it pops up on facebook or comes across there smartphone. When I was little my parents scratched together 100.00 to buy the original Nintendo for christmas. I didn't even ask for it. So it sat there for two weeks still in the box. I told them I love them and appreciated it but return it and use the money for food.

Wow! That was pretty noble of you. We never had things like Nintendo. That technology wasn't available. Staying in the house would have been punishment for us kids. Although I did like watching old movies on TV like Charlie Chan, The Falcon & The Road movies with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby & of course, Dorothy Lamor.
We always played baseball in the summer & hockey in the winter when the ice was thick enough on the pond.

[DIRT Farmer]

Ref post 65, Pigslayer, One of the highlights of my EMS career was my answer to a mandatory call in. The service decided every so many shifts all employs had to be avatible for call. It was almost freezing, snowing hard and one of my cows decided to try to calve breach. I was lying in what could be called mud, if in polite company attempting to turn the calf. My superviser told me I had 45 minuites to report for shift complition.I said fine come out and finish my job. she ask what I was doing and I told her in graphic detail. I couldn't belive she hung up on me.

[Ozarklongshot]

Ozarklongshot,

Nice tractor. Never seen an 4020 with a cab before now. Is that hay in the picture Sudan or Johnson grass?

Adam

It's johnson and orchard grass with white clover underneath. It's the only 4020 I've ever seen with a cab and it is factory. You can't take it off without replacing seat,fenders everything

[starmac]

4020's were very popular in nm and quite a few had cabs on them. Sadly I think most of them wound up going to mexico.

[pmer]

I grew up on small farm too and one of the memories I have is being chased by the rooster from the barn almost all the way to house. He would leave me alone when mom or dad were there but he was quick to give chase!

In the fall I can remeber helping dad picking corn with one row corn picker. It was a Farmall tractor pulling the corn picker with a wagon trailing behind the corn picker. In the summer it was the small round hay bales from a Allis Chalmers Roto baler. The bales weighed about 60 pounds and it would drop them on the ground behind the machine. We would put up about 2000 bales for 25 beef cows.

Dad's 87 now and he remembers going down to the lake to cut blocks of ice to bring back for storage in a ice house. It was insulated with sawdust and would keep ice well into summer. He started farming with horses and then got a new Allis Chalmers C.

I'm still on the farm and it's in its 4th generation of family ownership. The old barn is still here and it still has the cast iron (trolly?) that they used to bring loose hay up in the barn. The first crops were potatoes. Now there is no live stock and I have a renter plant corn or beans every other year. He says you need to plant about 1000 acres make things work these days. He plants about 60 acres here and he is so efficient with the modern equipment.

[Bret4207]

Someone, (Lehmans?) sells a one legged milking stool that is a strap on.

NASCO has them too.

[Bret4207]

This is a greta thread. I didn't see it mentioned here, but about how much property does it take to run a farm like you have OP?

I had more or less the same thing as 1911 on 6 acres, plus a large garden, plus horses, plus I cut fire wood off it. But, I bought all my hay. Now I have a little under 350 and I'm not as well organized.

[oneokie]

Now I have a little under 350 and I'm not as well organized.

You are still organized, just not enough of you to do everything that needs to be done. Should'a been triplets, ( me, myself, and I)

[Ozarklongshot]

I worked down breaking for a neighbor in his 4020 John Deere in 1968. I also spent part of my summer using one to plow fescue that summer as well. They were a great tractor, no leaks and the hydrolics were excellent.
You raised 50,000 broilers at a time? We never had more than 200 chickens and I still can't stand the smell of chicken coops or a birdcage. When I went to U. they would serve chicken for in Residence. Compared to the home grown "organic" chicken I, the coyotes, hawks, and owls ate at home the commercial chicken did not measure up. I was 20 years old before I ever tasted Col Sanders as well. That was a surprise.

50k chickens is a small operation now days. Most broiler farms exceed 100k or more. Big chicken operations require you to be there every day like a dairy farm, Not for me. I raise about 100 yard chickens a year now mostly for entertainment. I keep about 2 dozen for us and sell the rest locally when they get to laying age. Mostly RIRs and Golden Comets. We raise Angus and Limousine beef cattle. Mostly to help provide for retirement. We are planting a half acre garden right now. We have just under 200 acres and it's tough to make a living at it. I still work a full time job, so when I get home, I don't get home, till well after dark. I wouldn't trade it for anything except maybe a bigger farm. My vacations are hay season and wood cutting. Our house is 100% wood heat and if I don't do my part we get Coldddddddddd. I've been blessed to land in the life I have.

[Certaindeaf]

Fresh squeezed whole milk sure put some much needed meat on my bones fast long ago.
About a quart three times a day with piles of other vittles.

[10x]

I grew up on small farm too and one of the memories I have is being chased by the rooster from the barn almost all the way to house. He would leave me alone when mom or dad were there but he was quick to give chase!

In the fall I can remeber helping dad picking corn with one row corn picker. It was a Farmall tractor pulling the corn picker with a wagon trailing behind the corn picker. In the summer it was the small round hay bales from a Allis Chalmers Roto baler. The bales weighed about 60 pounds and it would drop them on the ground behind the machine. We would put up about 2000 bales for 25 beef cows.

Dad's 87 now and he remembers going down to the lake to cut blocks of ice to bring back for storage in a ice house. It was insulated with sawdust and would keep ice well into summer. He started farming with horses and then got a new Allis Chalmers C.

I'm still on the farm and it's in its 4th generation of family ownership. The old barn is still here and it still has the cast iron (trolly?) that they used to bring loose hay up in the barn. The first crops were potatoes. Now there is no live stock and I have a renter plant corn or beans every other year. He says you need to plant about 1000 acres make things work these days. He plants about 60 acres here and he is so efficient with the modern equipment.

When I was six or seven one rooster would decide to harass me. If I stood my ground - he was only a chicken- he would run up and jump up to attack my face. I ran away a couple of times which only encouraged him. Early one Sunday morning I took a walk across the barnyard and I was carrying a 2 foot long 3/8 steel rod. The rooster attacked once more. Revenge was served that evening with stuffing, carrots, peas, and dumplings....

For the first years I can remember we put up loose hay and used a binder to do oat bundles. Then dad got a square baler and did oat bales. Those bales weighted 80 to 110 pound each and I got to handle them four times from the baler to finally placing them in the stack.

The tractor was a McCormack Deering WD6 - a diesel that had to be started on gas then switched. Batteries were expensive and short lived so we usually started it with the crank.

We would spend two days in the fall putting up potatoes. That is how long it took to dig and pick an acre by hand.

In the 1950s and 60s you ate really well if you lived on a farm, you just did not have any money as it all went back into the farm.
I have part of it rented to Ducks Unlimited - they built two lakes that add up to 38 acres and rent 80 acres total. This year it looks to be the only standing water available for wildlife in several townships.

[shooterg]

We musta been rich - we had an electric motor on our cream separator ! Had 100+ Angus, a dozen Holsteins, 1200 chickens, 40-50 hogs , grew corn to grind in a David Bradley mill, wheat for sale, John Henry the mule still used for the garden until he died, then we got a tiller ! Ate the "ceacked" eggs, sold the rest . 2 chickens for dinner EVERY Sunday - ate canned steak year round. Like said above, never saw money, ate really well ! Still live on 78 acres of the original 270. And yeah, oughta be mandatory for every kid to spend 6 months on a farm...

[geezer56]

You guys are giving me flashbacks. We grew up on a small farm with delusions that it was a big deal. We grew our own veggies, raised chickens, rabbits, pigs and a calf for beef every year. Plus 2 milk cows. I milked twice a day from age 12 til I escaped to go to college. I was born in 1951, we were dirt poor, but didn't know it. Heck, everyone we knew was as poor as we were. I still raise the veggies, but my animal husbandry consists of 2 cats and hunting deer for the freezer. Plus the odd wild hog I can come across. I make my own sausage, burger, etc; from the game I kill. Haven't bought any meat other than chicken in 20 years. Can my own beans, corn, and tomatos. The store bought equivalents of these taste like mush, only with less body.

[Certaindeaf]

When I was six or seven one rooster would decide to harass me. If I stood my ground - he was only a chicken- he would run up and jump up to attack my face. I ran away a couple of times which only encouraged him. Early one Sunday morning I took a walk across the barnyard and I was carrying a 2 foot long 3/8 steel rod. The rooster attacked once more. Revenge was served that evening with stuffing, carrots, peas, and dumplings....

For the first years I can remember we put up loose hay and used a binder to do oat bundles. Then dad got a square baler and did oat bales. Those bales weighted 80 to 110 pound each and I got to handle them four times from the baler to finally placing them in the stack.

The tractor was a McCormack Deering WD6 - a diesel that had to be started on gas then switched. Batteries were expensive and short lived so we usually started it with the crank.

We would spend two days in the fall putting up potatoes. That is how long it took to dig and pick an acre by hand.

In the 1950s and 60s you ate really well if you lived on a farm, you just did not have any money as it all went back into the farm.
I have part of it rented to Ducks Unlimited - they built two lakes that add up to 38 acres and rent 80 acres total. This year it looks to be the only standing water available for wildlife in several townships.

I think when Elmer Keith was a grub or so, he got about killed by some rooster spurs. Cowboy boots and all they filled up with blood fast.

[Rick N Bama]

we were dirt poor, but didn't know it. Heck, everyone we knew was as poor as we were.

I've told a lot of people that I was just about a grown man before I knew how poor we really were. Like others, we didn't have any money to spare, but we dang sure had plenty to eat!

We milked 5 or 6 Gurnsey & Jersey cows. We also raised hogs, chickens & should a cow drop a bull calf we would have some beef to eat. Meat was a real treat & normally reserved for Sunday lunch which was normally "Gospel Bird"[smilie=l:

Rick

[Bret4207]

Just bought two of the worst looked, starved Jersey cows you ever saw. Why people keep animals around when they can't feed them baffles me.

[1911sw45]

Bret4207,
Jersey's are poor looking any ways. Don't feed them to high of a protein diet either. They can founder just like a horse. Alfalfa is to rich for them. So when you get them back in health are you planning on hand milking them? Wish you luck with them.

Adam

[Bret4207]

They're on 2nd cut mixed grass and clover right now, with just a smidge of corn and oats to keep them interested at milking. I'm only taking about a gallon once a day just to slowly work them into drying off. Just hand milking now, but i have a bucket setup. It's not worth the set up and cleaning for the little I'm doing.

Jersey cows do tend to be bony, but friend, these girls are awful looking. My wife votes for naming them "Poverty" and "Ignorance" in honor of the former owners!

[1911sw45]

Sounds like they got a good home now.

Adam

[Bret4207]

Vetinary just left. The cow just has some scaring in her lungs from past pneumonia. She's fine other than being underweight. AND she's about 5 months bred with a healthy feeling calf! So, we'll get her fed, keep up her vitamins and minerals, work no to over condition her till the calf comes and after that let her eat all she wants.

Will wonders never cease?!

[1911sw45]

Just an update. Buttercup is now producing 6.25 gals of milk a day. Got an milk pasteurizer over the weekend for 50 bucks. The hay and pasture fields are really growing, over knee high. Lost a clutch of turkey eggs that I set under a hen, she would not stay on the nest. My Spanish black turkey hen is now trying to set. Got an dozen eggs to set under her, but will wait till this weekend to set them as the moon will be right then. Not like it was when I tried setting them under the hen. All my calves are out side now and weaned except Buttercup's bull calf. The black flies are getting bad. Had to but out the rubber Saturday for the calves. Plan on butchering 2 hogs this weekend or at the first of the week. The chicken eggs are coming in heavy now. Got to work on the bush hog tomorrow so I can start bush hogging. Still have to work on the haybine that I have been butting off all winter, running out of time now. Hay will be at least two weeks earlier this year if not more.

Bret,
How's them Jerseys coming along?

[Bret4207]

Sounds like spring has sprung!

The Jerseys are doing fine, much better than I expected. I'm in the process of drying off the older cow "Hope" (as in, "I hope she doesn't die!"). As it is I'm milking every 2 1/2 days now and getting over 2 gallons. The pigs and chickens and cats love it. The other cow "Jessie" is putting weight on and I have plans to breed her in June or July.

Lost a pig a couple days back, about 5 months old. I think the other pigs savaged her, (attacked and hurt her). That's the bad part about this time of year, it's too wet and cold to put them out quite yet. Soon though.

Horses are doing fine and shedding heavy. I'm still trying to work with them but there's just too much going on. Just got in parts for a pump on my big Case. Lots of fun trying to find parts for a low production 1959 tractor!. I have at least 3 others to fix along with my round baler, a haybine to paint and set up for the summer, several garden tractors to fix, a tiller, a couple Gravelys, my machine shed needs serious roof work, there's fencing and drain work to do, firewood, corn ground is drying too which brings the planter to mind. Then there's the house, yard, new bedroom, downstairs bath and of course a load of work to do at my daughters.

Oh yeah, and I just lost the rear end in my truck after putting over a grand into the exhaust!!! I hate automobiles. Nothing but money pits.

Dang, no wonder I'm tired all the time.

[1911sw45]

I know the feeling of being tired all the time. But I would not give it up for any thing.

Adam

[1911sw45]

Just updating again.

My milk cow is slowed up on her milk production. Only get getting 4.5 to 5.0 gals of milk. Had to sell five of my calves a couple of weeks ago. What went from looking like a bumper crop of hay, turned in to a hay shortage. It got very hot and very dry way to early in the year and every thing quit growing. So Now I have to buy hay for what cows I do have and sold they rest off. I lost all the timothy hay I planted last fall, because of the hot dry weather. 2 fields I normally cut I did not and pastured them. Cut the other 2 and they did not even make half of what they should have. But I did get the old haybine going again to cut 1 and 1/4 of the hay fields before it went down again. Had to switch over to the old trusty Ford 501 mower. They haybine is now going to the scrap pile. Did buy a new to me New Holland 275 Hayliner baler. So the old JD 14T will be parted out and sold on ebay. Have not had any luck hatching any turkeys or guineas this time. Only had one turkey egg to hatch and it died a week later. The Opossums have been eating the guinea eggs. Finally got rid of one of them last night. I did get them two hogs butchered one weighted 379 and the other 502, so got plenty of pork for a while. Got my garden filly half planted. The cauliflower was to old before it was set out so it wont be any count. Having to replant beans and corn. Did not get a good stand on them. Tomatoes are looking good as the squash plants and peppers. Had my first litter of pigs on the farm in 15 years today. She had 11 with a litter weight of 37.75 lbs not bad, only had one mummified pig. I say not bad for her first litter. Will work them up in the morning. So that is what has been happening on the farm. Oh we finally got some much needed rain 1 6/10ths. Will it help the next cutting of hay we will just have to wait and see.

Adam

[10x]

Just updating again.

My milk cow is slowed up on her milk production. Only get getting 4.5 to 5.0 gals of milk. Had to sell five of my calves a couple of weeks ago. What went from looking like a bumper crop of hay, turned in to a hay shortage. It got very hot and very dry way to early in the year and every thing quit growing. So Now I have to buy hay for what cows I do have and sold they rest off. I lost all the timothy hay I planted last fall, because of the hot dry weather. 2 fields I normally cut I did not and pastured them. Cut the other 2 and they did not even make half of what they should have. But I did get the old haybine going again to cut 1 and 1/4 of the hay fields before it went down again. Had to switch over to the old trusty Ford 501 mower. They haybine is now going to the scrap pile. Did buy a new to me New Holland 275 Hayliner baler. So the old JD 14T will be parted out and sold on ebay. Have not had any luck hatching any turkeys or guineas this time. Only had one turkey egg to hatch and it died a week later. The Opossums have been eating the guinea eggs. Finally got rid of one of them last night. I did get them two hogs butchered one weighted 379 and the other 502, so got plenty of pork for a while. Got my garden filly half planted. The cauliflower was to old before it was set out so it wont be any count. Having to replant beans and corn. Did not get a good stand on them. Tomatoes are looking good as the squash plants and peppers. Had my first litter of pigs on the farm in 15 years today. She had 11 with a litter weight of 37.75 lbs not bad, only had one mummified pig. I say not bad for her first litter. Will work them up in the morning. So that is what has been happening on the farm. Oh we finally got some much needed rain 1 6/10ths. Will it help the next cutting of hay we will just have to wait and see.

Adam

Welcome to farming. That is why Ducks Unlimited now farms my land along with a neighbor. I got fed up with getting good crops 1 year in five, mediocre crops 2 years in five, and crops that paid the expenses 2 years in five. That was 30 years ago.

It is funny how when you plant a crop you get attached to the land. It is like you put down roots. No matter what I can not bring myself to sell the land...

[19112TAP]

1911SW45, Why do you pasteurizer your milk? Raw is so much better for you.

[1911sw45]

19112tap,

My wife is the reason why it is pasteurized. She is a city gal and in the health care field, will not drink raw. I on the other hand love raw milk.

Adam

[1911sw45]

Just another update on the workings here. 2 weeks ago, baled my second cutting of hay if you want to call it that. Made 52 bales off of 5 acres. Since Feb we have only gotten 3.8" of rain. So it has been very dry around here. High of 98 today don't help matters either just cooking the ground here. Still getting about 5 gals of milk from Buttercup a day. I believe since I last posted I have taken 2 other hogs off to be butchered, one went to family in Saint Louis area. Have another ready to go this week. Lost 7 of the 11 little pigs, the sow either stepped on or laid on them 7. Needless to say she is going to sausage in about a month. Sold all my old hens now waiting for my pullets to start laying. Got 40 of them. Hopefully in a month or 2 I will be taking the 2 oldest steers to be butchered. That will leave me with 4 calves and the milk cow. Should have another bunch of pigs in Aug. A fox has gotten in the turkey shed and killed my two turkey hens I had, and 3 guinea hens. I seen it leave the turkey shed the night it got the last hen. Seen it's tail going out the hole. Bought a used hay wagon 2 weeks ago for 150.00 not bad. 8'x20' steel bed. Just can't pull it very fast going down the highway. 25 mph it wants to get squirrely, but that is ok it for the farm. The garden is coming on strong with water. Cabbage, and broccoli is just about done. Will fallow with sweet tatters behind them. Green beans coming out of my ears, as is the yeller squash. Starting to get grape tomatoes. Goliath tomatoes are starting to turn this week as the Roma's. Tatters need dug and canned. Sweet corn is about a week out. Banana peppers and bell peppers are coming on real strong. Wife canned some pickled peppers today as I done the green beans. The dang Japanese beetles are here for the past 3 weeks any thing not sprayed is skelotonized. For got to spray the rose bush out front last week and there is not a bud nowhere they have not eaten it to nothing, they are working on the leaves now. Just have to mow the yards every 2 weeks to so I wont forget what it is to mow grass and to keep the dust stirred up...lol So that is about it since the last time I checked in. My God bless every member here.

Adam

[1911sw45]

Hey Bret how is thing in your neck of the country?

Adam

[Bret4207]

We're haying first cut. I do all dry hay so we have to wait for weather. Found out the tedder I thought I fixed last year isn't, but the replacement round baler is doing good. Got some tire work to do on 3-4 things. Lost a ewe to gangrene/blood poisoning from a wire, bunch of lambs to coyotes. Have a half dozen building projects going, fire wood to cut, the garden is a wash and I have no PU Truck. Taking care of my MIL for 5 weeks really set me way, way back. But we do get rain and hot here is anything over 80.

[10x]

You guys are lucky. My alfalfa winterkilled from lack of snow cover. And because we are so far North, haying usually begins mid July. One surprise is that creeping red fescue mixed with the alfalfa is coming very nicely. I may get a seed crop....

[Bret4207]

One of the the cows I mentioned in pot 81 freshened yesterday with no problems so far. Dropped a bull calf, looks like daddy was likely a Holstein.

[10x]

One of the the cows I mentioned in pot 81 freshened yesterday with no problems so far. Dropped a bull calf, looks like daddy was likely a Holstein.

Holstein??? Wasn't that the cop in American Graffiti who gave Milner the ticket?

[1911sw45]

Bret,

Good to hear every thing went ok with the Jersey you had taken in. Now you get some good fresh milk.

[Bret4207]

Yup, eventually, The cows are up at my daughters place at the moment, so I'm hand milking! Got to fix some fence down here and move my wifes new horse and his buddy and put the cow in the paddock.

Sheesh! It never ends. I've got a trailer to finish fixing so we can go 150 miles and pick up stuff from my in laws home, the Burb needs shoes and inspected before we go, I have to finalize plans for a loafing shed build, the sheep need to be banded and moved, the hay is still standing, the rake I just fixed is busted again, there's foundation work to do and the skid steer has a flat.

Farming, there's always something to do.

[1911sw45]

I feel your pain Bret. It's been 100+ for I don't remember how many days now. No rain in sight or not in sight either..lol Got a gilt due in 4 days. This heat is not going to help her at all. Hope I don't lose both her and the pigs because of the heat. Got fans blowing on them now. Bret hand milking is not that bad. Been hand milking since the last of Feb twice a day. My hands still hurt after milking.. lol

Adam

[Bret4207]

She's a real easy milker, a sweetheart to work with. But the arthritis in my hands is the issue. The old Universal bucket milker is a lot easier on me and probably for her too.

[1911sw45]

I want to publicly thank God for the rain we received this fine evening. We got 1.8" with it still drizzling out now. Most of it rain off, but some did soak in. Thank you, all loving God!

Adam

[Bret4207]

Good for you! It's a little dry here, but the NE seldom has prolonged dry spells and never a drought. OTOH, winter can last 7 -8 months.

BTW, my "bull calf" is a heifer, gotta get some glasses.

[1911sw45]

Bret,

How in the heck did you get a bull out of an heifer? Was it pitch black dark? lol Congrats on the heifer. Your on your way to having a milking herd now..

I have forgot what this stuff is that sticks to your boots is after a rain. Mud!!!!! But it wont be mud for long its drying up fast.

Adam

[Bret4207]

To tell the truth, all I saw was Holstein, not my favorite breed at all, and must have mistook a tuft off hair for his gear. I was a whole lot more concerned with the afterbirth I couldn't find and getting the vet there to make sure she was clean. Wasn't till a couple days later I really looked at the "bull calf" and said, "What the heck?!!".

Like I said, the whole world went fuzzy some years back.