It is gray and rainy here this morning, for the first time in a month or so and contrary to what most people might believe the weather and particularly the precipitation has resulted in a vast improvement in my attitude. When you have a cowherd that depends on summer moisture for its year-round feed source, any rain at all is appreciated. Gray, rainy mornings make me smile these days.
Things have quieted down at the ranch for now. The cows are on their summer pasture across the road, almost all our calves have been born and are growing nicely, only Bertie is yet to calve, but she should be done in a month or so. We’ve got a dozen calves this spring and they look really nice right now. It is perhaps our best looking, most uniform bunch to date and I’m happy to report that we finally have a little heifer calf from Kate, who in five previous attempts has only managed to produce bulls. Needless to say, her calf will be staying with us. Kate is perhaps our best looking, most feminine female and we have waited a long time for this girl to arrive. In fact, at 8 years-old, we were starting to worry that we wouldn’t get a female from her, but now her line will continue here at Cherry Creek.
Kate’s heifer also marks one of the very last calves we’ll have from Gosar the Destructor. He left Cherry Creek in April and was replaced in late May by G2, from the Lazy H Ranch Bull Sale. He’s really a great looking bull and has an excellent disposition. Mark was out from Kansas to deliver G2 and breed the cows in mid-May and when we turned the new bull out with the cows, he blended in immediately with the girls and we haven’t seen any jostling at all between them. It was really a relief, as you never really know how herd dynamics will change when you add another animal to the bunch. In this case it really went well.
It has been just over three weeks since we bred the cows artificially and I am very pleased with the results so far. Typical AI success for us has been a little dicey, averaging between 0 percent success in our worst year to 40 percent success last year. After the first round of heats, it looks like we’ve had about 75 percent of our cows take the artificial breeding, which is really exceptional for us and towards the top end of the results that are seen even in the best-managed herds in the country, so we’re pretty proud of the improvement over the past year. Mark is an exceptional breeding tech and we’re lucky to count him as a partner and friend in this business.
There are still things that could result in lower numbers of AI calves come next spring, but for now things are looking good and the ranch is in good shape overall, so I’ve had a chance to focus on some other projects over the past couple of weeks, which has been a welcome break after a long winter of work. However, some of the tasks that have occupied my time were less than desirable. We’ve had an influx of migratory skunks here on the ranch and that has kept me occupied, battling them. Unfortunately, the number of rabid skunks in the county is estimated at somewhere around 30 percent of the population, so it is a bit of a bad deal. Since the snow first started melting we’ve had regular and unpleasant reminders that we live in skunk country. All our animals have up-to-date rabies vaccinations, so that’s not much of a concern, but the skunk funk is something I could do without. Paige tangled with one early in the spring, but only got a minor hosing. We managed to wash her with enough lemon juice, tomato juice and other assorted remedies to get most of the stink erased, but when she gets wet, the ghost of skunk still reappears, even if just faintly. The skunk that got Paige was probably looking for a place to nest. The spring that Wyatt was born, we had one nest in a small hole between an old gym locker and the house on the back patio which led to my first skunk battle, which ended, surprisingly, about as well as any first battle with a skunk possibly could. Since that time I have been crafting an arsenal of anti-skunk techniques in the event we have another infestation. This spring was the year. There is a big, ugly Juniper tree about 75 yards above the house that has been fenced off from the rest of the pasture to preserve the historical hole in the ground that was once the root cellar. That Juniper tree has hosted a strange bevy of nesting visitors over the past five years or so including ducks, calves and probably many other animals that have passed through the ranch. This year, the skunks nested under it. For weeks, skunk stink has been wafting down to the house on the southerly summer breeze. For weeks, I have been trying to decide which of my battle skunk techniques I would employ. See, the trick is not to kill the skunk outright, which is relatively easy, but to get the skunk to depart voluntarily. Sorta similar to the problems faced on the Korean peninsula I imagine. It would be easy to employ the nuclear option, but the end result would probably be worse than the current stand-off. So, for the past several weeks, we’ve had almost nightly psychological warfare skirmishes with the skunk while I have put off dealing with the matter. I had finally settled on attempting to gas the skunk out, which is the most commonly suggested answer among old-time skunk warriors. You toss enough gas-soaked rags in around the hole that the skunk decides to vacate the premises in search of less explosive environs. However, dry grass pastures and potential Molotov cocktails don’t mix. So, I’ve been waiting for a rainy afternoon to gas the skunk. We haven’t had one. So, today was going to be the day. But over the past week, there haven’t been any messages from the skunk. No funk whatsoever. It seems that maybe the skunk has moved on. At least, that’s what I am hoping. I’m willing to face the skunk battle, if I have to. But maybe, by waiting him out, by not engaging in war, I’ve managed to win. Maybe the only way to win is not to play the game….I’ve heard that somewhere. Keep your fingers crossed that battle skunk has been averted.
In addition to battle with new animals, we’ve added another one to our bunch here on the ranch. A small Ewok-looking dog named Milo. Amy and Wyatt have been wanting a new house mongrel for quite some time and I finally relented on the subject, figuring it would be good for Wyatt to have a little pal that didn’t smell like a skunk or point him while he was playing hide-and-seek. So, Amy and Wyatt searched high and low for a small house mongrel for several months before they found Milo, who happens to be a four-month-old male Shih-tzu, who was being re-homed because his owner was moving. I’ll admit, he’s pretty cute, sorta in the way a used Swiffer Duster is cute. But honestly, I never knew that such a small animal could make so many strange and unusual sounds. That four-pound dog is the gruntiest, fartiest, snarliest animal you can imagine. Even when he’s not moving, which isn’t very often, he’s making noise. It’s a strange thing. The good news is that after a bath, if you’re quick you can drag him around the kitchen and get in a quick wet-mopping. We were going to let Wyatt name him, but it quickly became apparent that we were going to end up with a dog named Spiderman, or some such thing, so Amy took over and she and Wyatt settled on Milo, far more appropriate in my opinion, because if there is one thing that dog isn’t, it’s a superhero.
Aside from being busy with summer activities and adventures with Milo, Amy and Wyatt have had a busy start to their summer vacation. Wyatt finished his first year at preschool and is looking forward to one more year before he starts Kindergarten. I can’t believe he’s going to be old enough to start school in another year. Amazing how fast he grows. He’s been busy riding his ATV around the pasture with his Mom, who has procured at small Honda dirt bike so she can ride with him. Amy on her dirt bike and Wyatt on his electric ATV makes a pretty interesting picture. The bike would be right at home in Thailand with a small hog bungeed to the back platform. It’s even yellow, so it’s a little comical to see her riding it around, being pursued by Wyatt through the fields. Every time she starts it up, I swear I here the Wicked Witch theme from the Wizard of Oz on the wind. It might just be my imagination though.
Wyatt has also finished summer day camp too. It was a fun week for him and I think both Amy and Wyatt were sad that it only lasted a week. Perhaps next summer we’ll find one that is a little longer. I think they both enjoy the time, but obviously for different reasons.
Summer is always a great time on the ranch and we’ve got lots of good stuff planned to keep us busy. As soon as it stops raining, we’ll be loading up the camper, there’s some trout calling my name. Where ever you maybe, I hope this update finds you enjoying long summer days and sunny skies, unless you’re a rancher, in which case, I hope it’s raining.
All the best,
John, Amy, Wyatt and the rest of the ranch crew
Monday, June 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Fun with heifers
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about updating the Ranchland News, mostly when I am doing things that I’m not enjoying. It seems that the idea of writing usually pops into my head while I am feeding cows in hurricane force winds, chasing a heifer that has a gate stuck on her head, dragging the pasture with the harrow or doing some other task that I’m not enjoying. But unfortunately, on the ranch, all those little things need to be accomplished before I can do the things I want to do. Fortunately for everyone, I’ve checked those things off my list and can now move on. That’s really the nice thing about spring. All the day-to-day tasks that take up so much of my day are nearly wrapped up and I can look forward to the slower days of summer ahead when the cows are bred, they are grazing green grass and drinking from the pond.
Just the rounds of daily chores take up two hours of my day, and that’s on the days when nothing has gone wrong while I was at work and during the winter, those days are few and far between. During calving season, which has just wrapped up, the days can be much longer and by the time I drag myself inside, it’s dark and I’m tired and the last thing I want to do is share that with the rest of the world, trust me you’re better off for it.
But now, we’ve turned the cows and their calves out of their calving pens, the grass is turning green, everyone has had their spring vaccinations and been wormed and we’re all ready for a break from one another. The cows, I am pretty certain, get just as tired of me messing with them and the calves as I do by the time winter ends. They are tired of being poked, prodded, moved, disturbed, confined, etc. About the only thing they haven’t gotten tired of is the pat on the head and the treat bucket. Those two things—well, mostly just the treat bucket—so that one thing, still seems to bring them happiness. They will still come for treats, but that’s about it.
So, it was with that treat bucket that I lured them into the sorting pen on Sunday for vaccinations. I was working by myself, which is sometimes the case, and I managed to get them into the chute alley without too much trouble. In fact, I managed to work almost the entire cowherd without any real problems. The only hiccup came when it was time for Big Gert to leave the chute after I’d worked on her. She’s a little wider than the average cow and far bigger than any 1950s cow, which is the era our chute was built. I thought for a minute that I might have to take the side off to get her out, but she calmly managed to wriggle herself free through the headgate. She’s been there before, so it wasn’t a big deal for her other than shedding off about a half-bushel of winter coat in the process.
We managed to get everyone through the chute, including second-calf heifers who up until this run have been a little snakey about loading up. One in particular has an amazing knack for karate and a quickness that would make Jackie Chan look like he belongs in a wheelchair. Last year she managed to clear the top of the seven-foot high, 32-inch-wide alley from a standstill, but even she processed through without much fuss. She tried one quick poke at me, but I was fast (lucky) enough to dodge it.
There was really no trouble until the last yearling heifer came to bat.
I normally try to move the heifers in first, because they are young and pretty dumb. They haven’t been through the chute more than a couple of times, so it’s pretty new to them. They are going to be through there a lot over the course of the next month as we prep them to breed up, so it’s good to get them a little experience. It’s even better to let the rest of the older cows push them through. This new heifer, (she’s been named Mini-Belle) was born on the ranch last year and has matured pretty nicely through the winter.
She’s probably pushing 850-lbs., so she’s not small, but she’s also a long way from being fully grown. She’s also small enough that I misjudged her size when I set the head gate and she managed to squeeze through the first time I pushed her into the chute. As a result, I had to run her back around and I left her in the holding pen for last. I figured it wouldn’t be a problem, but apparently, I figured wrong.
After I got the rest of the herd done, I pushed Mini-Belle back into the pen and down the alley, which I might note, I spent the better part of Saturday repairing, she bolted in front of me, took a hard left turn toward the chute and then surprisingly, another hard left where there is a small man-gate and proceeded to shear the gate off its’ hinges. With her head poked through the gate, she proceeded to spend the next five minutes or so strength testing the pens. Had it not been for the fact that she had the gate around her neck, she probably would have found a hole and let herself out, but I will say that a four foot gate makes a pretty good shock absorber. Or at least good enough that it kept her inside the pen long enough to calm down.
I let her work herself back around to the bottom of the pen and then slowly, I pushed her back up the alley, hoping that she’d be able to get the gate down the alley to the chute without tangling herself up and getting hurt. She didn’t. She went back down the alley, and took the same left turns again and went right back through the hole she had created. All reasonable enough I guess. So, I figured that was a pretty good time for a break to allow me a little time to create some new cuss words that would adequately fit the situation. I had about five or six picked out when she finally managed to shake the gate off her head. I figured maybe it was my lucky day. But, I figured wrong.
I used a couple of tie-down straps from the truck and strung up the gate as best I could figuring that she might be able to shear the hinges, but not the straps, which turned out to be true. But the straps were far stronger than the gate itself. The next run down the alley was no more successful than the three prior to that, she hit that gate and lumber it’s made of completely disintegrated. It flew like shrapnel and more or less finished off any hopes I had of getting her processed. But, I managed to piece enough wood together with those straps and some spare pieces of baling twine (there’s a reason we don’t throw it all away) to block off that hole enough to give it one more shot.
I pushed her back through one more time, for what I swore was going to be the last go. She wasn’t really much worse for wear, a little cut on her head was the only sign that there was anything amiss at all. She wasn’t really panicky, she wasn’t panting, or surprisingly, even very upset. I on the other hand was a mess and I knew it was this time or nothing.
So, I ran her back down the alley one last time, but this time I stayed close on her heels, risking getting a pretty good kicking and she went right past the hole she’d created earlier into the chute, sorta like she knew all along what the goal was. Sometimes I think that the cows are toying with me just a little, just to see how much I can take. I felt a little like this was one of those times.
So, Mini-Belle got her vaccinations and is ready to go for breeding. The pens and alley on the other hand are going to need a little rebuilding work before they are ready. This time I think we’ll be using steel. Wood—like plastic and sometimes people—just doesn’t cut it when it comes to ranch stress-testing. Anyway, That’s the chore that is now moving it’s way up the list, but I don’t feel much like doing it today, so I figured instead, I’d write to you.
I hope this finds you enjoying warm weather, green grass and sunny spring days, where ever you are.
Just the rounds of daily chores take up two hours of my day, and that’s on the days when nothing has gone wrong while I was at work and during the winter, those days are few and far between. During calving season, which has just wrapped up, the days can be much longer and by the time I drag myself inside, it’s dark and I’m tired and the last thing I want to do is share that with the rest of the world, trust me you’re better off for it.
But now, we’ve turned the cows and their calves out of their calving pens, the grass is turning green, everyone has had their spring vaccinations and been wormed and we’re all ready for a break from one another. The cows, I am pretty certain, get just as tired of me messing with them and the calves as I do by the time winter ends. They are tired of being poked, prodded, moved, disturbed, confined, etc. About the only thing they haven’t gotten tired of is the pat on the head and the treat bucket. Those two things—well, mostly just the treat bucket—so that one thing, still seems to bring them happiness. They will still come for treats, but that’s about it.
So, it was with that treat bucket that I lured them into the sorting pen on Sunday for vaccinations. I was working by myself, which is sometimes the case, and I managed to get them into the chute alley without too much trouble. In fact, I managed to work almost the entire cowherd without any real problems. The only hiccup came when it was time for Big Gert to leave the chute after I’d worked on her. She’s a little wider than the average cow and far bigger than any 1950s cow, which is the era our chute was built. I thought for a minute that I might have to take the side off to get her out, but she calmly managed to wriggle herself free through the headgate. She’s been there before, so it wasn’t a big deal for her other than shedding off about a half-bushel of winter coat in the process.
We managed to get everyone through the chute, including second-calf heifers who up until this run have been a little snakey about loading up. One in particular has an amazing knack for karate and a quickness that would make Jackie Chan look like he belongs in a wheelchair. Last year she managed to clear the top of the seven-foot high, 32-inch-wide alley from a standstill, but even she processed through without much fuss. She tried one quick poke at me, but I was fast (lucky) enough to dodge it.
There was really no trouble until the last yearling heifer came to bat.
I normally try to move the heifers in first, because they are young and pretty dumb. They haven’t been through the chute more than a couple of times, so it’s pretty new to them. They are going to be through there a lot over the course of the next month as we prep them to breed up, so it’s good to get them a little experience. It’s even better to let the rest of the older cows push them through. This new heifer, (she’s been named Mini-Belle) was born on the ranch last year and has matured pretty nicely through the winter.
She’s probably pushing 850-lbs., so she’s not small, but she’s also a long way from being fully grown. She’s also small enough that I misjudged her size when I set the head gate and she managed to squeeze through the first time I pushed her into the chute. As a result, I had to run her back around and I left her in the holding pen for last. I figured it wouldn’t be a problem, but apparently, I figured wrong.
After I got the rest of the herd done, I pushed Mini-Belle back into the pen and down the alley, which I might note, I spent the better part of Saturday repairing, she bolted in front of me, took a hard left turn toward the chute and then surprisingly, another hard left where there is a small man-gate and proceeded to shear the gate off its’ hinges. With her head poked through the gate, she proceeded to spend the next five minutes or so strength testing the pens. Had it not been for the fact that she had the gate around her neck, she probably would have found a hole and let herself out, but I will say that a four foot gate makes a pretty good shock absorber. Or at least good enough that it kept her inside the pen long enough to calm down.
I let her work herself back around to the bottom of the pen and then slowly, I pushed her back up the alley, hoping that she’d be able to get the gate down the alley to the chute without tangling herself up and getting hurt. She didn’t. She went back down the alley, and took the same left turns again and went right back through the hole she had created. All reasonable enough I guess. So, I figured that was a pretty good time for a break to allow me a little time to create some new cuss words that would adequately fit the situation. I had about five or six picked out when she finally managed to shake the gate off her head. I figured maybe it was my lucky day. But, I figured wrong.
I used a couple of tie-down straps from the truck and strung up the gate as best I could figuring that she might be able to shear the hinges, but not the straps, which turned out to be true. But the straps were far stronger than the gate itself. The next run down the alley was no more successful than the three prior to that, she hit that gate and lumber it’s made of completely disintegrated. It flew like shrapnel and more or less finished off any hopes I had of getting her processed. But, I managed to piece enough wood together with those straps and some spare pieces of baling twine (there’s a reason we don’t throw it all away) to block off that hole enough to give it one more shot.
I pushed her back through one more time, for what I swore was going to be the last go. She wasn’t really much worse for wear, a little cut on her head was the only sign that there was anything amiss at all. She wasn’t really panicky, she wasn’t panting, or surprisingly, even very upset. I on the other hand was a mess and I knew it was this time or nothing.
So, I ran her back down the alley one last time, but this time I stayed close on her heels, risking getting a pretty good kicking and she went right past the hole she’d created earlier into the chute, sorta like she knew all along what the goal was. Sometimes I think that the cows are toying with me just a little, just to see how much I can take. I felt a little like this was one of those times.
So, Mini-Belle got her vaccinations and is ready to go for breeding. The pens and alley on the other hand are going to need a little rebuilding work before they are ready. This time I think we’ll be using steel. Wood—like plastic and sometimes people—just doesn’t cut it when it comes to ranch stress-testing. Anyway, That’s the chore that is now moving it’s way up the list, but I don’t feel much like doing it today, so I figured instead, I’d write to you.
I hope this finds you enjoying warm weather, green grass and sunny spring days, where ever you are.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Merry Christmas from Colorado!
Good morning and Happy Holidays to each of you,
It's a bright, sunny, Cold morning here on the ranch. I just looked at the calendar and realized that there are only a handful of days left before Christmas and I am running behind on getting things done. I know that's really nothing new, but there are a few things in life that I really enjoy doing and keeping all of you up-to-date on the latest ranch happenings is one of those things. This year it's also going to have to serve as our normal holiday letter as well, since I'm not sure I have time to get one written and mailed rapidly enough to get it to you before February. Mostly just because the mail from the sticks where we live is pretty slow though, not through any fault of my own.
It has been a busy fall/early winter for all of us here at the ranch. We have weaned and shipped our biggest calf crop to date and retained a few more head to grow our herd. We'll breed around 20 cows in the spring, which will be a big increase from last year. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure where we'll calve them all in 2011, but I'm sure we'll figure it out down the line. We'll worry about the dozen calves we have coming in February and March first. Gosar the Destructor has been very busy this year and is now taking a well-deserved holiday break in the pens down here by the house. Quite frankly, I think he appreciates the break from the rest of the herd. He's made his hay bale nest by tearing apart most of a 1,200 pound bale of hay and doesn't move far from that spot most days unless he moves to stay in the sun. It's really pretty funny to watch. We will be saying goodbye to Gosar this spring to move in a replacement. Wyatt is a little distraught about the fact that Gosar might be going to a new home. He loves that big brute. We've discussed the plan to ship him and Wy is adamantly opposed to the idea. So much so that he brings it up every time we do chores together. He's just now starting to understand some of those "ranch facts of life" and so I've had to work on my explanations of why sometimes there are fewer animals in a given pen than there were the day before. For the most part he accepts it and moves on, but not with Gosar. I'm not sure we'll be keeping a one ton pet around, but I'm also not sure I can gracefully avoid it at this point either.
The rest of our herd is also doing well. So far, after an early stretch of cold, snowy weather, it has been relatively mild here and it has been pretty nice for ranch work for all of us. We just stacked our second semi-load of hay yesterday and now should be set through the winter. It's taking about 50 tons +/- worth of hay a year now to winter the herd and I have to say it's awfully nice to be using big bales rather than trying to stack that many small bales by hand into the barn. I wouldn't mind a few, but putting in all the hay like that would be a back-breaker. It's nice to look up in the lot now and see the two big rows of bales stacked there.
The rest of the animals are also doing fairly well. Other than an ongoing strike by the chickens over the temperature of their coop, we're all weathering the winter in good shape. The hens are a little upset about the fact that the days are short and the nights are cold, but I suspect that will sort itself out in due time. For the time being though, we're down to about one egg a week. I mentioned to them yesterday that we will get food out of them one way or another, so we shall see if that proves to be any kind of a motivator for the 24 birds who are wandering around and eating, but doing little else. I bet stubborn employees taste pretty good with dumplings.
As for the two-legged variety of ranch inhabitants, we're also doing nicely. Wyatt has been doing great in his preschool program and is growing up so fast, it's amazing. Just the change in the past four months has been unbelievable. He's now out of school on Christmas break and is really excited about it. This is the first year that he truly understands the holiday thing and it's really fun to see it through his eyes. Since we put up the tree, the weekend after Thanksgiving, he's been growing more excited by the day. So far we've managed to divert his attention from the big pile of presents under there, but it's becoming a little more touch and go now as we get closer. I think we'll manage to keep him from them until Christmas day, but it's going to be tight. I'm sure all bets are off for next year though.
We had a chance to see Wyatt "perform" last week in his Christmas Pageant and we were very proud of him. Although he didn't perform in the traditional sense, he did participate and managed to stay up on the stage in front of about 200 parents and didn't cry or bolt like a couple of the other kids in his class. Amy and I were pretty proud of him for that little accomplishment. It was a pretty intimidating thing for those little kids and they all did very well at it. Considering that he's a year younger than most of the kids in his class, I'd say he did remarkably well, just going through with the plan, even if he didn't sing.
Amy has a really good group of students this year and is enjoying the challenge and variety of teaching both Language Arts and Science. She loves both subjects and the chance to have some different lessons in her day has been a lot of fun for her. She is also the head coach of the Forensics team(speech, not the CSI kind). They had their first meet a couple of weeks ago and most of the kids did pretty well. I think the only trophies the school has collected over the past two years (beyond the awards for also ran) are the direct result of the efforts of the forensics team. It's become a bit of a running joke among the sports coaches actually. The school's trophy case would be mostly empty if not for Amy's team.
There's a pretty good deal about what the future holds for Amy's school and that's cast a bit of a pall over the staff this year. Unfortunately, the school board has voted to turn the school into an elementary school and cut staff, so there is some concern about what that will mean for Amy next year. For now though, she's doing the best she can to be positive about the situation and is working to be the best teacher she can for the sake of the kids. I'm pretty sure that being a public school teacher may be the toughest job she'll ever love.
For me, I'm still at Western livestock Journal as managing editor. In fact, at the present time, I am the only editor, so there is a lot of work to do. It's been a pretty challenging road to put together copy every week to get a paper out and as the busy spring sale season is ahead, I am sure it's going to continue for a few more months. At the same time though, the spring is really the most dynamic time of year to live, work or write about ranching. It's always busy and tough, but it's also the time when all the big decisions get made. Starting in early January with the National Western Stock Show in Denver, one of the biggest livestock shows in the U.S., through calving in February and March and running into breeding season in May, it's non-stop work but it's always the best time of the year. There's nothing more satisfying about the work than seeing those first calves born in the middle of a dark, cold February night around my birthday. The spring bull sales are a good time of the year to see old friends and make new ones as we decide the genetic future of the herd and breeding season paves the way forward for all of us. If you ever want a chance to see what it's all about, the next five months are when it all happens.
So, that's our life on the ranch. It's still a challenge, but it's still satisfying for all of us and we're looking forward to the year ahead as we close out the year behind. We hope that this note finds you all doing well and loving your life wherever it has taken you over this past year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, wherever you may be.
Best wishes,
John, Amy, Wyatt, Allie, Paige, Roofie, Merlin, Koko, Mr. Skinner, Sam, Orion, Oliver, Gosar the Destructor, Reka, Delta, Gertie, Kate, Rosie, Lady, Bertie, Bella, Tenderfoot, Posie, Fuzzy, Aspen, Willow, the calves, Dexter, the hens and the rest of the crew here on the ranch.
It's a bright, sunny, Cold morning here on the ranch. I just looked at the calendar and realized that there are only a handful of days left before Christmas and I am running behind on getting things done. I know that's really nothing new, but there are a few things in life that I really enjoy doing and keeping all of you up-to-date on the latest ranch happenings is one of those things. This year it's also going to have to serve as our normal holiday letter as well, since I'm not sure I have time to get one written and mailed rapidly enough to get it to you before February. Mostly just because the mail from the sticks where we live is pretty slow though, not through any fault of my own.
It has been a busy fall/early winter for all of us here at the ranch. We have weaned and shipped our biggest calf crop to date and retained a few more head to grow our herd. We'll breed around 20 cows in the spring, which will be a big increase from last year. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure where we'll calve them all in 2011, but I'm sure we'll figure it out down the line. We'll worry about the dozen calves we have coming in February and March first. Gosar the Destructor has been very busy this year and is now taking a well-deserved holiday break in the pens down here by the house. Quite frankly, I think he appreciates the break from the rest of the herd. He's made his hay bale nest by tearing apart most of a 1,200 pound bale of hay and doesn't move far from that spot most days unless he moves to stay in the sun. It's really pretty funny to watch. We will be saying goodbye to Gosar this spring to move in a replacement. Wyatt is a little distraught about the fact that Gosar might be going to a new home. He loves that big brute. We've discussed the plan to ship him and Wy is adamantly opposed to the idea. So much so that he brings it up every time we do chores together. He's just now starting to understand some of those "ranch facts of life" and so I've had to work on my explanations of why sometimes there are fewer animals in a given pen than there were the day before. For the most part he accepts it and moves on, but not with Gosar. I'm not sure we'll be keeping a one ton pet around, but I'm also not sure I can gracefully avoid it at this point either.
The rest of our herd is also doing well. So far, after an early stretch of cold, snowy weather, it has been relatively mild here and it has been pretty nice for ranch work for all of us. We just stacked our second semi-load of hay yesterday and now should be set through the winter. It's taking about 50 tons +/- worth of hay a year now to winter the herd and I have to say it's awfully nice to be using big bales rather than trying to stack that many small bales by hand into the barn. I wouldn't mind a few, but putting in all the hay like that would be a back-breaker. It's nice to look up in the lot now and see the two big rows of bales stacked there.
The rest of the animals are also doing fairly well. Other than an ongoing strike by the chickens over the temperature of their coop, we're all weathering the winter in good shape. The hens are a little upset about the fact that the days are short and the nights are cold, but I suspect that will sort itself out in due time. For the time being though, we're down to about one egg a week. I mentioned to them yesterday that we will get food out of them one way or another, so we shall see if that proves to be any kind of a motivator for the 24 birds who are wandering around and eating, but doing little else. I bet stubborn employees taste pretty good with dumplings.
As for the two-legged variety of ranch inhabitants, we're also doing nicely. Wyatt has been doing great in his preschool program and is growing up so fast, it's amazing. Just the change in the past four months has been unbelievable. He's now out of school on Christmas break and is really excited about it. This is the first year that he truly understands the holiday thing and it's really fun to see it through his eyes. Since we put up the tree, the weekend after Thanksgiving, he's been growing more excited by the day. So far we've managed to divert his attention from the big pile of presents under there, but it's becoming a little more touch and go now as we get closer. I think we'll manage to keep him from them until Christmas day, but it's going to be tight. I'm sure all bets are off for next year though.
We had a chance to see Wyatt "perform" last week in his Christmas Pageant and we were very proud of him. Although he didn't perform in the traditional sense, he did participate and managed to stay up on the stage in front of about 200 parents and didn't cry or bolt like a couple of the other kids in his class. Amy and I were pretty proud of him for that little accomplishment. It was a pretty intimidating thing for those little kids and they all did very well at it. Considering that he's a year younger than most of the kids in his class, I'd say he did remarkably well, just going through with the plan, even if he didn't sing.
Amy has a really good group of students this year and is enjoying the challenge and variety of teaching both Language Arts and Science. She loves both subjects and the chance to have some different lessons in her day has been a lot of fun for her. She is also the head coach of the Forensics team(speech, not the CSI kind). They had their first meet a couple of weeks ago and most of the kids did pretty well. I think the only trophies the school has collected over the past two years (beyond the awards for also ran) are the direct result of the efforts of the forensics team. It's become a bit of a running joke among the sports coaches actually. The school's trophy case would be mostly empty if not for Amy's team.
There's a pretty good deal about what the future holds for Amy's school and that's cast a bit of a pall over the staff this year. Unfortunately, the school board has voted to turn the school into an elementary school and cut staff, so there is some concern about what that will mean for Amy next year. For now though, she's doing the best she can to be positive about the situation and is working to be the best teacher she can for the sake of the kids. I'm pretty sure that being a public school teacher may be the toughest job she'll ever love.
For me, I'm still at Western livestock Journal as managing editor. In fact, at the present time, I am the only editor, so there is a lot of work to do. It's been a pretty challenging road to put together copy every week to get a paper out and as the busy spring sale season is ahead, I am sure it's going to continue for a few more months. At the same time though, the spring is really the most dynamic time of year to live, work or write about ranching. It's always busy and tough, but it's also the time when all the big decisions get made. Starting in early January with the National Western Stock Show in Denver, one of the biggest livestock shows in the U.S., through calving in February and March and running into breeding season in May, it's non-stop work but it's always the best time of the year. There's nothing more satisfying about the work than seeing those first calves born in the middle of a dark, cold February night around my birthday. The spring bull sales are a good time of the year to see old friends and make new ones as we decide the genetic future of the herd and breeding season paves the way forward for all of us. If you ever want a chance to see what it's all about, the next five months are when it all happens.
So, that's our life on the ranch. It's still a challenge, but it's still satisfying for all of us and we're looking forward to the year ahead as we close out the year behind. We hope that this note finds you all doing well and loving your life wherever it has taken you over this past year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, wherever you may be.
Best wishes,
John, Amy, Wyatt, Allie, Paige, Roofie, Merlin, Koko, Mr. Skinner, Sam, Orion, Oliver, Gosar the Destructor, Reka, Delta, Gertie, Kate, Rosie, Lady, Bertie, Bella, Tenderfoot, Posie, Fuzzy, Aspen, Willow, the calves, Dexter, the hens and the rest of the crew here on the ranch.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Awake before the sun
Good morning to you all. As Wyatt frequently likes to point out this time of year, the sun is not awake yet this morning, but I am. It seems to be a common theme for me in the fall. There is always too much to be done this time of year to allow me to sleep in comfortably. So rather than toss and turn in bed or harass the animals before the sun is awake, I thought I would take the time to update you all on ranch life.
This is a busy weekend for us here on the ranch. We have been readying bull calves for shipment to Kansas for the past several weeks and they will begin their journey today with a short trailer haul over to the ranch where they are being consolidated for shipment to Hays, KS. All of our spring calves have been weaned for three weeks now and they are doing well and looking good. The process for shipping calves to Mark out in Kansas is a long one, but one that is well worth it in the end. The bull calves calves receive two rounds of vaccinations, a dewormer shot and an ear tattoo. They also get inspected a couple of times.
Earlier this week they were inspected by the brand inspector who issued shipping papers and yesterday afternoon the vet inspected them and issued health papers that allow them to be shipped across state lines. He also gave our heifers a brucellosis vaccine, tattoo and ear clip which are required ahead of breeding. So, it takes time to prepare our bulls for shipment but it's also a very rewarding process. It allows me to get some outside perspective on how our animals stack up against others. The vet and brand inspector see a lot of other cattle at a number of ranches and both commented on the quality of our cattle. They also offer some valuable insight on the places we might make improvements to our herd, particularly the veterinarian which is also beneficial for us.
So, after one more trip through the chute this morning to swap ear tags, three of our bulls will load up and head for the feedlot in Kansas where they will be developed for sale next year. We have a number of other calves that didn't quite make the cut this year due to age and they will be sold privately as steers for either show calves or into the beef program next year. We also have a few heifers that we will be holding back for either show calves or for breeding next year. The herd is growing pretty quickly now and we are nearing the upper limits of what we can carry on the ranch without leasing more grass in the summer. So, as a result, we'll have to start making some strategic decisions about any future growth and how we want to proceed.
One of the big limiting factors for us is time. With two full-time jobs, Wyatt and all that goes with it, we are nearing the limits of how much we can accomplish on our own without outside help. It's a point that I think all ranches reach eventually as they grow, but I never thought we'd hit that point this quickly. I've done enough work on the facilities to be able to work cattle on my own most of the time, but even those improvements have been tested this year with the 30 head we've been running through the summer. I'll keep you posted on where we go from here. It's always an interesting ride though.
We have a few more fall chores that have to be finished soon, so those are the items waking me up in the morning. I have to finish the bull pen to contain Gosar the Destructor along with making a few improvements to the calving barn to make sure it's ready to go come our February calving dates. We have our first semi-load of hay coming in next weekend and after those things are done, we'll be close to ready for winter here. We've already had a taste of that and I have to admit I'm really not looking forward to the real onset of weather. I never minded winter until I had a job that forced me to go out regardless of the conditions. It doesn't matter how bad the weather is, or how cold it gets when you have animals that depend on you.
After we ship calves today, we'll be heading over to a club calf sale at Spruce Mountain Ranch. Spruce Mountain is the reincarnation of the Lazy H Ranch in Colorado that Mitch built. For those of you that don't know the story, we bought our initial foundation cows from Mitch four years ago. Since then he has been partnering with a new guy who's built an incredible facility and herd program. They have a show barn and newly finished sale facility that will be seeing its first use this afternoon. I've been following their progress and am excited to see the sale this afternoon. The guys over there have been working hard for a couple of years to build the herd and facilities and it has been very interesting to watch them grow in both size and reputation.
They now have the ninth largest registered Angus herd in Colorado, a big accomplishment for them. They are broadcasting the sale on the Internet today starting at 4:30 mountain time at: http://cattleinmotion.com/event-spruce-mountain-ranch-091017 if any of you are interested in taking a look. Internet sales have become a big new trend in the cow business and the Lazy H Ranch bull sale will also be online next spring. I'll post the link for that after the first of the year for anyone who's interested in seeing it. Most of you probably don't find cattle sales as interesting as I do, but you never know. If you like it and you're looking for an unpaid internship, I'd be happy to provide room and board for you. :-)
Aside from the cow business, it has been a pretty nice summer and fall for the rest of us here. We had a lot of fun camping in the new trailer this year and we're looking forward to more next summer. Wyatt is a pretty good fisherman and we're still eating the trout that we caught. I think there is a limit to the amount of trout a human can eat in a single month and I think that limits is about twice a month. After that, I start looking for hamburger or pretty much anything but trout. I think we have enough to last us until spring at that rate. However, trying to explain the benefits of catch and release to a three-year-old who just waged the fight of his life with a ten-inch trout is impossible so, we have a freezer full of fish. If you take that internship, you'll need to like trout...or at least pretend to as your picking through those little bones.
Wyatt is in preschool this fall and doing very well. We made the decision late this summer after some challenges with daycare last spring. He wasn't enjoying the daycare he was at, mostly I think, because he wasn't learning or being challenged. So Amy did a lot of research in late July and early August and we decided to send him into the preschool program at Palmer Ridge High School. They have a small program with just six kids and two teachers. Wy is one of only two three-year-olds there and doing very well. He really thrives when he's around kids who are slightly older than he is and this turned out to be a great fit for him. Amy had a conference with his teacher this week and he's doing very well. He is at or above his age level in all tasks and his teacher, Ms. Heidi, said he is a joy to be around. That's always nice to hear as a parent, especially when your child is going through the terrible threes at home. Two was no sweat for us, three has turned out to be another matter altogether. That said, he's still a great little boy and he amazes us every day.
He's already very excited about Christmas and spends a lot of his free time developing his Christmas list. If it was written down, I am pretty sure it would stretch several pages. We have at least twice weekly talks about how Santa is going to come to the house and bring him whatever toy he has singled out at the time. I'm trying to shift his focus toward Halloween first, and it has worked to a degree, especially when he's wearing his lion costume around the house, but it's short-lived at best. Normally he reverts back to the Christmas list while he's wandering around in the lion costume. You have to love the three-year-old's ability to multi-task.
Amy's school year has gotten off to a mixed start. She's very happy with this group of kids. She has said they are near the top of her list in terms of favorite classes which has been very nice for her. There are, of course, budget problems this year and talks of more for next year. That resulted in a tough start to the year as they were understaffed and had too many kids and too few teachers as a result of having eliminated teachers last spring. Now that they have brought another teacher on and re-split the classes things have become much more manageable for all of them. She's getting ready to coach forensics again this year. She was the assistant coach last year and they did very well. This year, she's taking over as head coach and I expect the kids to do even better. She'll be starting practices next week and has been looking for good speeches and performances for the kids routines. I think it allows her to fulfill her need to be a part of the drama and performance world that she's missing here.
The sun is awake now and so is Wyatt, so I need to get to work. For us, life is busy as always, but also very good these days. We'll be enjoying these last warm days of fall while we're working our way toward the white, icy gap of winter. I hope this finds you well and enjoying your last days of fall, where ever you are.
All the best from us on the ranch,
John, Amy, Wyatt and the rest of the crew
This is a busy weekend for us here on the ranch. We have been readying bull calves for shipment to Kansas for the past several weeks and they will begin their journey today with a short trailer haul over to the ranch where they are being consolidated for shipment to Hays, KS. All of our spring calves have been weaned for three weeks now and they are doing well and looking good. The process for shipping calves to Mark out in Kansas is a long one, but one that is well worth it in the end. The bull calves calves receive two rounds of vaccinations, a dewormer shot and an ear tattoo. They also get inspected a couple of times.
Earlier this week they were inspected by the brand inspector who issued shipping papers and yesterday afternoon the vet inspected them and issued health papers that allow them to be shipped across state lines. He also gave our heifers a brucellosis vaccine, tattoo and ear clip which are required ahead of breeding. So, it takes time to prepare our bulls for shipment but it's also a very rewarding process. It allows me to get some outside perspective on how our animals stack up against others. The vet and brand inspector see a lot of other cattle at a number of ranches and both commented on the quality of our cattle. They also offer some valuable insight on the places we might make improvements to our herd, particularly the veterinarian which is also beneficial for us.
So, after one more trip through the chute this morning to swap ear tags, three of our bulls will load up and head for the feedlot in Kansas where they will be developed for sale next year. We have a number of other calves that didn't quite make the cut this year due to age and they will be sold privately as steers for either show calves or into the beef program next year. We also have a few heifers that we will be holding back for either show calves or for breeding next year. The herd is growing pretty quickly now and we are nearing the upper limits of what we can carry on the ranch without leasing more grass in the summer. So, as a result, we'll have to start making some strategic decisions about any future growth and how we want to proceed.
One of the big limiting factors for us is time. With two full-time jobs, Wyatt and all that goes with it, we are nearing the limits of how much we can accomplish on our own without outside help. It's a point that I think all ranches reach eventually as they grow, but I never thought we'd hit that point this quickly. I've done enough work on the facilities to be able to work cattle on my own most of the time, but even those improvements have been tested this year with the 30 head we've been running through the summer. I'll keep you posted on where we go from here. It's always an interesting ride though.
We have a few more fall chores that have to be finished soon, so those are the items waking me up in the morning. I have to finish the bull pen to contain Gosar the Destructor along with making a few improvements to the calving barn to make sure it's ready to go come our February calving dates. We have our first semi-load of hay coming in next weekend and after those things are done, we'll be close to ready for winter here. We've already had a taste of that and I have to admit I'm really not looking forward to the real onset of weather. I never minded winter until I had a job that forced me to go out regardless of the conditions. It doesn't matter how bad the weather is, or how cold it gets when you have animals that depend on you.
After we ship calves today, we'll be heading over to a club calf sale at Spruce Mountain Ranch. Spruce Mountain is the reincarnation of the Lazy H Ranch in Colorado that Mitch built. For those of you that don't know the story, we bought our initial foundation cows from Mitch four years ago. Since then he has been partnering with a new guy who's built an incredible facility and herd program. They have a show barn and newly finished sale facility that will be seeing its first use this afternoon. I've been following their progress and am excited to see the sale this afternoon. The guys over there have been working hard for a couple of years to build the herd and facilities and it has been very interesting to watch them grow in both size and reputation.
They now have the ninth largest registered Angus herd in Colorado, a big accomplishment for them. They are broadcasting the sale on the Internet today starting at 4:30 mountain time at: http://cattleinmotion.com/event-spruce-mountain-ranch-091017 if any of you are interested in taking a look. Internet sales have become a big new trend in the cow business and the Lazy H Ranch bull sale will also be online next spring. I'll post the link for that after the first of the year for anyone who's interested in seeing it. Most of you probably don't find cattle sales as interesting as I do, but you never know. If you like it and you're looking for an unpaid internship, I'd be happy to provide room and board for you. :-)
Aside from the cow business, it has been a pretty nice summer and fall for the rest of us here. We had a lot of fun camping in the new trailer this year and we're looking forward to more next summer. Wyatt is a pretty good fisherman and we're still eating the trout that we caught. I think there is a limit to the amount of trout a human can eat in a single month and I think that limits is about twice a month. After that, I start looking for hamburger or pretty much anything but trout. I think we have enough to last us until spring at that rate. However, trying to explain the benefits of catch and release to a three-year-old who just waged the fight of his life with a ten-inch trout is impossible so, we have a freezer full of fish. If you take that internship, you'll need to like trout...or at least pretend to as your picking through those little bones.
Wyatt is in preschool this fall and doing very well. We made the decision late this summer after some challenges with daycare last spring. He wasn't enjoying the daycare he was at, mostly I think, because he wasn't learning or being challenged. So Amy did a lot of research in late July and early August and we decided to send him into the preschool program at Palmer Ridge High School. They have a small program with just six kids and two teachers. Wy is one of only two three-year-olds there and doing very well. He really thrives when he's around kids who are slightly older than he is and this turned out to be a great fit for him. Amy had a conference with his teacher this week and he's doing very well. He is at or above his age level in all tasks and his teacher, Ms. Heidi, said he is a joy to be around. That's always nice to hear as a parent, especially when your child is going through the terrible threes at home. Two was no sweat for us, three has turned out to be another matter altogether. That said, he's still a great little boy and he amazes us every day.
He's already very excited about Christmas and spends a lot of his free time developing his Christmas list. If it was written down, I am pretty sure it would stretch several pages. We have at least twice weekly talks about how Santa is going to come to the house and bring him whatever toy he has singled out at the time. I'm trying to shift his focus toward Halloween first, and it has worked to a degree, especially when he's wearing his lion costume around the house, but it's short-lived at best. Normally he reverts back to the Christmas list while he's wandering around in the lion costume. You have to love the three-year-old's ability to multi-task.
Amy's school year has gotten off to a mixed start. She's very happy with this group of kids. She has said they are near the top of her list in terms of favorite classes which has been very nice for her. There are, of course, budget problems this year and talks of more for next year. That resulted in a tough start to the year as they were understaffed and had too many kids and too few teachers as a result of having eliminated teachers last spring. Now that they have brought another teacher on and re-split the classes things have become much more manageable for all of them. She's getting ready to coach forensics again this year. She was the assistant coach last year and they did very well. This year, she's taking over as head coach and I expect the kids to do even better. She'll be starting practices next week and has been looking for good speeches and performances for the kids routines. I think it allows her to fulfill her need to be a part of the drama and performance world that she's missing here.
The sun is awake now and so is Wyatt, so I need to get to work. For us, life is busy as always, but also very good these days. We'll be enjoying these last warm days of fall while we're working our way toward the white, icy gap of winter. I hope this finds you well and enjoying your last days of fall, where ever you are.
All the best from us on the ranch,
John, Amy, Wyatt and the rest of the crew
Saturday, August 8, 2009
End of summer?
Good morning to you all,
I found myself awake and about much earlier than I had wanted this morning and it took me a little while to figure out why I couldn't go back to sleep. I think the light streaming through the shades this morning felt a little like fall. I'm guessing the my brain was telling the rest of me that the rich slant of light meant here is a lot to do and not much time left to get it done. I've been thinking about the old children's story about the ant and the grasshopper since I turned out of the rack. I've definitely taken on some of the characteristics of the grasshopper this summer and the to-do list has grown out of control as a result. The good news is that we've had a chance to get out and explore and have some fun off the ranch this summer, which was much needed by all. The bad news is, summer is nearly over and winter is on its way before long.
We really have had a great summer, so I don't feel at all bad about taking a little time for ourselves. We have taken our new camper out a few times and seen some great places. We've managed to catch some really nice fish in some of Colorado's mountain lakes. We've explored and had fun and it's been good for all of us. Now, however, it's time for all of us to get back to work...maybe just as soon as this weekend is over.
Amy heads back to school on Monday and is having some mixed opinions about it. She's had a lot of fun with Wyatt and her friends this summer. She's spent days with friends at the country club pool. Explored farmers markets far and wide, been camping and fishing and just generally relaxing. I'd be hard-pressed to drag myself back to work after three months of that too. But, she's handling it pretty well. Once she gets back into it, I am certain she will slip right back into teacher mode. She's a great teacher and I am certain that most of our teacher friends experience the same issue every summer. It will be Christmas break before she knows it.
One of the things that is adding to the back to school issue this year is continued uncertainty about what we are going to do with Wyatt. We had planned to send him back to day care for one more year, but he seems to be growing tired of the daycare routine. He had the opportunity to spend a week at a preschool summer camp this year and now he wants to go to preschool instead of daycare. For our part as parents, we have felt that he's probably ready for a bit more challenge in his days, but we also don't want to push him too hard, too soon either. After all, he is only three years old. So we're on the horns of a dilemma. We've found two good options for preschool. Now, we just have to decide what's in his best interest. And, we have to do it by Monday, so, needless to say, that's adding somewhat to Amy's back to school stress. We'll keep you posted on that one.
On the ranch, it has been a mostly quiet summer. The cows are across the road gazing on the in-laws place and it has been nice letting our grass recover this summer. To say nothing of being free of having to fix fence and all that goes with keeping the herd confined. That's not to say that we've been entirely free of having to deal with loose cattle. Some of the neighors don't maintain their fences in as good a condition as we do, so about once a week, random passersby drop in to let us know that there are cattle loose on the road a mile distant. Because we live in the only house that can remotely be called a ranch house, the automatically assume the cattle belong to us. These random visits happen at all hours of the night and day, so it has been rather inconvenient. I started out being a nice guy, running down the road and pushing cattle back into their proper pastures. Now, after about 20 trips to do this, I mostly just call the sheriff to report it. I make about a call a week to the dispatch office and am now on a first name basis with most of the El Paso County Sheriff's office dispatchers. My attitude has taken on a "Hmm, I hope nobody hits those cows," tone. I really think that people who run their cattle using the Columbus method (Going out twice a year to rediscover their herds,) probably ought to find other means of making a living. I'm not saying that people need to visit their cattle and scratch their heads three times a week like we do, but stewardship of some kind is paramount to being successful in this business and having neighbors who could careless about making sure their cattle are securely confined rubs me the wrong way sometimes. The fact that I watched the sheriff chase those same cattle back into their pasture just this morning, adds to that ill will somewhat.
We have, of course, added to the livestock here at the ranch this summer. We have a really nice bunch of 11 healthy and growing, rambunctious calves here at Cherry Creek Angus, along with a half-dozen beef animals who are also growing well. It's always a satisfying feeling to watch the young calves grow during the summer and I am particularly happy with our calf crop this year. All of them are half-blood siblings and you can easily see the resemblence in them, both in genotype and in demeanor. Wyatt in particular has taken an interest in spending time with them this year. He loves to ride over to the summer pasture in the truck. After we park, he climbs into the back and chucks handfuls of apple treats to the cattle. Sometimes, I think beaning the cattle is almost the only reason he likes going over. He's got a pretty good arm and even better aim, so he delights in pinging the cattle with the treats. The cows could care less as long as they get their snacks.
We've had a number of ranch tour guests this summer and have another bunch visiting later this morning. It's something Wyatt enjoys, intorducing guests to his cattle. I sometimes forget how much fun it is for city kids to visit the farm. I take cow visits for granted. For people who don't do it every day, just riding through the pasture in the back of the truck is a delight. Feeding a bunch of cows by hand is even better for them. It's always a fun thing to see and it reminds me how lucky all of us, particularly Wyatt, are to be able to experience these things on a daily basis.
We have also added to our barn cat herd. We lost another cat to coyotes early this summer, bringing the total now to three, and launching an all-out war between me and the song dogs. So, needless to say, we needed to bring in some new mouseketeers to control the critter population. So, after some neighbors had a batch of kittens, we were lucky enough to get first pick of the litter. So now, Merlin and Cocoa have moved to the ranch. They have become good roommates for our two dogs until they grow old enough to move to the barn with Roofie. They are already showing signs of being good hunters and have been a lot of fun to have around. Wyatt has also claimed the cats as his own.
Our other, final summer addition has been a new batch of chickens to add to our aging flock. We purchased 10 day-old chicks (five Buff Orphingtons and five Araucanas) this spring and after a couple months living with them they finally got too big for household living and were moved to the newly refurbished Chicken Taj Mahal in June. I'm always amazed at how fast chickens grow. They are now just 20 weeks old and we were surprised with our first two blue eggs this week. Araucanas are also known as Easter Egg chickens and they lay pastel colored, blue, green and sometimes pink eggs. It's a lot of fun to see those little pastel colored eggs in with the rest of the big eggs. Newly laying hens start out laying small eggs, about the size of a quail egg and they progressively get larger, the longer the chickens are laying, so by the time Easter rolls around, we should have a good supply of naturally colored Easter eggs. We've already had requests for them, so I think they will be popular among our customers.
So, it's been a great summer here on the ranch, but it's quickly coming to a close. The mornings are coming a little later and they are a little cooler when they do arrive. It will be time to lay in our winter hay supply soon. Calves will be weaned later this month. I always love fall, but it always makes me a little nostalgic. Maybe it's just the richness of the light slanting through the shades in the morning.
For me, it's time to get on with my morning chores, so I'll sign off for now. I hope this post finds you well and enjoying what's left of your summer, where ever you may be.
All the best from us down on the ranch.
I found myself awake and about much earlier than I had wanted this morning and it took me a little while to figure out why I couldn't go back to sleep. I think the light streaming through the shades this morning felt a little like fall. I'm guessing the my brain was telling the rest of me that the rich slant of light meant here is a lot to do and not much time left to get it done. I've been thinking about the old children's story about the ant and the grasshopper since I turned out of the rack. I've definitely taken on some of the characteristics of the grasshopper this summer and the to-do list has grown out of control as a result. The good news is that we've had a chance to get out and explore and have some fun off the ranch this summer, which was much needed by all. The bad news is, summer is nearly over and winter is on its way before long.
We really have had a great summer, so I don't feel at all bad about taking a little time for ourselves. We have taken our new camper out a few times and seen some great places. We've managed to catch some really nice fish in some of Colorado's mountain lakes. We've explored and had fun and it's been good for all of us. Now, however, it's time for all of us to get back to work...maybe just as soon as this weekend is over.
Amy heads back to school on Monday and is having some mixed opinions about it. She's had a lot of fun with Wyatt and her friends this summer. She's spent days with friends at the country club pool. Explored farmers markets far and wide, been camping and fishing and just generally relaxing. I'd be hard-pressed to drag myself back to work after three months of that too. But, she's handling it pretty well. Once she gets back into it, I am certain she will slip right back into teacher mode. She's a great teacher and I am certain that most of our teacher friends experience the same issue every summer. It will be Christmas break before she knows it.
One of the things that is adding to the back to school issue this year is continued uncertainty about what we are going to do with Wyatt. We had planned to send him back to day care for one more year, but he seems to be growing tired of the daycare routine. He had the opportunity to spend a week at a preschool summer camp this year and now he wants to go to preschool instead of daycare. For our part as parents, we have felt that he's probably ready for a bit more challenge in his days, but we also don't want to push him too hard, too soon either. After all, he is only three years old. So we're on the horns of a dilemma. We've found two good options for preschool. Now, we just have to decide what's in his best interest. And, we have to do it by Monday, so, needless to say, that's adding somewhat to Amy's back to school stress. We'll keep you posted on that one.
On the ranch, it has been a mostly quiet summer. The cows are across the road gazing on the in-laws place and it has been nice letting our grass recover this summer. To say nothing of being free of having to fix fence and all that goes with keeping the herd confined. That's not to say that we've been entirely free of having to deal with loose cattle. Some of the neighors don't maintain their fences in as good a condition as we do, so about once a week, random passersby drop in to let us know that there are cattle loose on the road a mile distant. Because we live in the only house that can remotely be called a ranch house, the automatically assume the cattle belong to us. These random visits happen at all hours of the night and day, so it has been rather inconvenient. I started out being a nice guy, running down the road and pushing cattle back into their proper pastures. Now, after about 20 trips to do this, I mostly just call the sheriff to report it. I make about a call a week to the dispatch office and am now on a first name basis with most of the El Paso County Sheriff's office dispatchers. My attitude has taken on a "Hmm, I hope nobody hits those cows," tone. I really think that people who run their cattle using the Columbus method (Going out twice a year to rediscover their herds,) probably ought to find other means of making a living. I'm not saying that people need to visit their cattle and scratch their heads three times a week like we do, but stewardship of some kind is paramount to being successful in this business and having neighbors who could careless about making sure their cattle are securely confined rubs me the wrong way sometimes. The fact that I watched the sheriff chase those same cattle back into their pasture just this morning, adds to that ill will somewhat.
We have, of course, added to the livestock here at the ranch this summer. We have a really nice bunch of 11 healthy and growing, rambunctious calves here at Cherry Creek Angus, along with a half-dozen beef animals who are also growing well. It's always a satisfying feeling to watch the young calves grow during the summer and I am particularly happy with our calf crop this year. All of them are half-blood siblings and you can easily see the resemblence in them, both in genotype and in demeanor. Wyatt in particular has taken an interest in spending time with them this year. He loves to ride over to the summer pasture in the truck. After we park, he climbs into the back and chucks handfuls of apple treats to the cattle. Sometimes, I think beaning the cattle is almost the only reason he likes going over. He's got a pretty good arm and even better aim, so he delights in pinging the cattle with the treats. The cows could care less as long as they get their snacks.
We've had a number of ranch tour guests this summer and have another bunch visiting later this morning. It's something Wyatt enjoys, intorducing guests to his cattle. I sometimes forget how much fun it is for city kids to visit the farm. I take cow visits for granted. For people who don't do it every day, just riding through the pasture in the back of the truck is a delight. Feeding a bunch of cows by hand is even better for them. It's always a fun thing to see and it reminds me how lucky all of us, particularly Wyatt, are to be able to experience these things on a daily basis.
We have also added to our barn cat herd. We lost another cat to coyotes early this summer, bringing the total now to three, and launching an all-out war between me and the song dogs. So, needless to say, we needed to bring in some new mouseketeers to control the critter population. So, after some neighbors had a batch of kittens, we were lucky enough to get first pick of the litter. So now, Merlin and Cocoa have moved to the ranch. They have become good roommates for our two dogs until they grow old enough to move to the barn with Roofie. They are already showing signs of being good hunters and have been a lot of fun to have around. Wyatt has also claimed the cats as his own.
Our other, final summer addition has been a new batch of chickens to add to our aging flock. We purchased 10 day-old chicks (five Buff Orphingtons and five Araucanas) this spring and after a couple months living with them they finally got too big for household living and were moved to the newly refurbished Chicken Taj Mahal in June. I'm always amazed at how fast chickens grow. They are now just 20 weeks old and we were surprised with our first two blue eggs this week. Araucanas are also known as Easter Egg chickens and they lay pastel colored, blue, green and sometimes pink eggs. It's a lot of fun to see those little pastel colored eggs in with the rest of the big eggs. Newly laying hens start out laying small eggs, about the size of a quail egg and they progressively get larger, the longer the chickens are laying, so by the time Easter rolls around, we should have a good supply of naturally colored Easter eggs. We've already had requests for them, so I think they will be popular among our customers.
So, it's been a great summer here on the ranch, but it's quickly coming to a close. The mornings are coming a little later and they are a little cooler when they do arrive. It will be time to lay in our winter hay supply soon. Calves will be weaned later this month. I always love fall, but it always makes me a little nostalgic. Maybe it's just the richness of the light slanting through the shades in the morning.
For me, it's time to get on with my morning chores, so I'll sign off for now. I hope this post finds you well and enjoying what's left of your summer, where ever you may be.
All the best from us down on the ranch.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Chicken Taj Mahal
Yearling bull 8265 It has been a little while since I've updated the Ranchland News, so I wanted to take some time this morning while it's quiet to write one and update all of you on our lives here at the ranch. It is most definitely summer here and it has been a very good start for us. The weather has been perfect for good grass and the top of the divide where we live is lush green. It's always very nice here this time of year, but with the combination of abundant rainfall and warmer than normal temperatures, the grass is emerald green and growing well. I never really concerned myself with grass growth other than as a gauge for mowing the lawn...now, it means the difference between lafe and death for us at least in terms of the cow herd. Needless to say, I pay close attention to each rainfall and forecast like only someone who's livelihood depends on it can understand. In fact, I've become something of a junior meterologist. Need to know the current weather or forecast in Colorado? Just give me a call.
With all the grass this spring, we have moved the cows across the road to the 120 acre pasture at my in-laws for the summer. We bred them May 19th and are hoping for good conception but Gosar the Destructor is out with them now to clean up after seven months of forced celibacy and much happier for it. He always seems relieved in the fall to be locked up in solitary confinement, but gets restless in the spring. This year as we were synchronizing the cow's heat cycles he got a little destructive and broke through his fence, so he spent the last few days of the breeding season locked in the barn, much to his chagrin. His name is still very fitting. He's very gentle, but he's got strength beyond comprehension... Anyway, when he was finally out, I don't think I've ever seen an animal more pleased with himself. So, now the cows are out on their big summer pasture and seem to be enjoying it a great deal. We are down to just a handful of animals on our side of the ranch now and I have to tell you, it's very nice to give our pastures and our staff (me) a little break. We have just two horses, three beef heifer calves and two alpacas here now, down from more than 30 just two weeks ago. It's sometimes tough to find the animals now that there are so few. It's a lot easier for them to hide now.
So, now that things have quieted down some, I have started the spring project list. There's always a lot of cleanup here after winter winds down, but there seems to be a lot more than normal this year. Part of that is the size of the cowherd....more cows equals more damage... but that's just part of the territory. I've also taken on a couple of larger projects, including building a new chicken coop for our expanding flock. We purchased another 10 laying hens this year as day-old chicks and they have been living in a small room off the garage for quite awhile. They are now at the point where they need to go outside. But, the rest of the hens need to be kept separate until the young ones get a little older. So, as a result, I have been constructing the newly dubbed Chicken Taj Mahal in the old homestead barn....formerly known as the Hantavirus Barn. Now, before any of you panic...I assure you there's no Hantavirus in there, or at least I am 90 percent certain there isn't. After two weeks of working in there the only hazards I've come across have been of my own making. Needless to say, construction is not my forte. So, I am pretty proud of the new hut.
The barn was originally built around the turn of the century and has just been sitting unoccupied for years...mostly due to it's name, so I decided it was a perfect new home for our chickens. I've built new walls for the pen, put in new nest boxes and roosts and by the end of the day should have the new outdoor run constructed for them. It's going to be a pretty nice shack when it's all done. Plus Amy and Wyatt like it, so that's an added bonus.
Speaking of Amy and Wyatt, they are enjoying summer vacation now. Amy finished school last Wednesday and is looking forward to the break. They have lots of activities planned and have started out doing a little gardening. I think that swimming lessons may also be on the to-do list this year for the little guy. In the meantime, he has a brand new fancy life jacket to keep him safe around the water. He and I went last week to get him a new fishing pole and tackle for the kid's fishing derby at Palmer Lake next weekend. It's his first time fishing, so he's very excited about it. I'm hopeful that there are enough trout stocked in the lake that there is a little action to keep him occupied. I am not sure that bobber watching will hold his attention for more than a couple minutes if it's slow. I'll post pictures soon though if we manage to catch anything.
We also have a camper now, we've joined the ranks of weekend RV families, so we're hoping to squeeze in a few weekend camping trips this summer. We found a very nice, gently used pop-up camper on CraigsList and have got it all outfitted and ready to go. We are very excited about the chance to go out as soon as the weather in the high country warms up a little. I think that the second or third weekend in June will be our first outing and we are very excited for it.
Needless to say, we've got lots going on this summer and a great deal to look forward to....as soon as the Taj Mahal is complete. Speaking of which, my construction buddy is already outside calling my name, so I'll leave you with that. We hope this letter finds you doing well, wherever you may be.
Best wishes from all of us in ranchland.
With all the grass this spring, we have moved the cows across the road to the 120 acre pasture at my in-laws for the summer. We bred them May 19th and are hoping for good conception but Gosar the Destructor is out with them now to clean up after seven months of forced celibacy and much happier for it. He always seems relieved in the fall to be locked up in solitary confinement, but gets restless in the spring. This year as we were synchronizing the cow's heat cycles he got a little destructive and broke through his fence, so he spent the last few days of the breeding season locked in the barn, much to his chagrin. His name is still very fitting. He's very gentle, but he's got strength beyond comprehension... Anyway, when he was finally out, I don't think I've ever seen an animal more pleased with himself. So, now the cows are out on their big summer pasture and seem to be enjoying it a great deal. We are down to just a handful of animals on our side of the ranch now and I have to tell you, it's very nice to give our pastures and our staff (me) a little break. We have just two horses, three beef heifer calves and two alpacas here now, down from more than 30 just two weeks ago. It's sometimes tough to find the animals now that there are so few. It's a lot easier for them to hide now.
So, now that things have quieted down some, I have started the spring project list. There's always a lot of cleanup here after winter winds down, but there seems to be a lot more than normal this year. Part of that is the size of the cowherd....more cows equals more damage... but that's just part of the territory. I've also taken on a couple of larger projects, including building a new chicken coop for our expanding flock. We purchased another 10 laying hens this year as day-old chicks and they have been living in a small room off the garage for quite awhile. They are now at the point where they need to go outside. But, the rest of the hens need to be kept separate until the young ones get a little older. So, as a result, I have been constructing the newly dubbed Chicken Taj Mahal in the old homestead barn....formerly known as the Hantavirus Barn. Now, before any of you panic...I assure you there's no Hantavirus in there, or at least I am 90 percent certain there isn't. After two weeks of working in there the only hazards I've come across have been of my own making. Needless to say, construction is not my forte. So, I am pretty proud of the new hut.
The barn was originally built around the turn of the century and has just been sitting unoccupied for years...mostly due to it's name, so I decided it was a perfect new home for our chickens. I've built new walls for the pen, put in new nest boxes and roosts and by the end of the day should have the new outdoor run constructed for them. It's going to be a pretty nice shack when it's all done. Plus Amy and Wyatt like it, so that's an added bonus.
Speaking of Amy and Wyatt, they are enjoying summer vacation now. Amy finished school last Wednesday and is looking forward to the break. They have lots of activities planned and have started out doing a little gardening. I think that swimming lessons may also be on the to-do list this year for the little guy. In the meantime, he has a brand new fancy life jacket to keep him safe around the water. He and I went last week to get him a new fishing pole and tackle for the kid's fishing derby at Palmer Lake next weekend. It's his first time fishing, so he's very excited about it. I'm hopeful that there are enough trout stocked in the lake that there is a little action to keep him occupied. I am not sure that bobber watching will hold his attention for more than a couple minutes if it's slow. I'll post pictures soon though if we manage to catch anything.
We also have a camper now, we've joined the ranks of weekend RV families, so we're hoping to squeeze in a few weekend camping trips this summer. We found a very nice, gently used pop-up camper on CraigsList and have got it all outfitted and ready to go. We are very excited about the chance to go out as soon as the weather in the high country warms up a little. I think that the second or third weekend in June will be our first outing and we are very excited for it.
Needless to say, we've got lots going on this summer and a great deal to look forward to....as soon as the Taj Mahal is complete. Speaking of which, my construction buddy is already outside calling my name, so I'll leave you with that. We hope this letter finds you doing well, wherever you may be.
Best wishes from all of us in ranchland.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Newborn calves and big, bad Gert
Just a short progress report on calving season today. I will try to get some new pictures of the calves posted this weekend for all of you.
As of our last update, we had two calves on the ground and doing well and I am happy to inform you that as of this morning, we had doubled that number. We are up to a grand total of three bull calves, Rosie, Gertie and Gracie have all had boys, and Aspen has produced our only heifer calf to date. It has been a lot of fun to see the new calves arrive and there is much anticipation on every trip out to the barn that the next calf may have arrived. We have Bertie and Lady in the barn now and Delta still to come in this week, so by the end of the week numbers will have increased again with any luck. So far, our weather has been pretty mild and sunny, just right for calving and three of our mommas and their calves are outside now, able to stretch, play and enjoy the weather. Gracie and her calf which was born this morning will be able to head out in a couple days to make room for the next bunch if the weather holds. Keep your fingers crossed.
I have already made a mistake this calving season, one that will need to be rectified this weekend. Since they are all in the calving corral down by the house, I didn’t bother tagging the calves before I turned them loose. Now, as they are all running around, it is very difficult to tell who’s who. Three all black calves, all similar in size are hard to differentiate. We’ll have to bring all of them in this weekend and sort it out before the problem is multiplied by adding more to the mix. In the past with only one or two at a time it wasn’t a problem, but now, I will need to make sure I get that done before I turn them loose.
One of the reasons I passed on it this time, was the fact that with some new momma cows in the mix, I wasn’t sure how they’d react to me piercing their calve’s ears. It turns out they are all pretty tolerant of the process, with just one possible exception. Gert, who just had her first calf on our place is a little snakey with a newborn calf. She’s hippo-big and a little unpredictable under the best of circumstances. If you catch her in the wrong mood, it’s best to steer clear. She’s never malicious, but she is moody and doesn’t have much patience for people. Add a newborn to that mix and for the first 24 hours, she’s very menacing. Her bull calf was born on Saturday afternoon and after a couple hours was up and nursing, doing fine. Since he is the first calf sired by our bull, I wanted a better look at him and let myself into the pen. I had no sooner closed and latched the gate, effectively locking myself in her stall, then she began tossing her head, snorting and pawing with a mean sounding growl. She backed the calf into the corner and started inching toward me. I tried to stand my ground, but decided quickly that the risk wasn’t worth the reward and backed out of there.
After a few more hours, I went back out to vaccinate the calf and dip his navel with iodine. Standard procedure with all newborn calves at our place.
Amy accompanied me back to the barn, mostly as a witness in case things went bad. Fortunately, Gert was laying down and is very slow to get up. For those of you who haven’t met Gert, imagine a 2,000 pound black hippopotamus with curly hair and you’ll be pretty close. She’s slow at everything she does, particularly getting up. I managed to dart in, vaccinate and dip the calf before she managed to rock herself onto her feet and got the job accomplished unscathed. I did notice afterward though that she now backs her calf into the far corner of her stall and lays down blocking him in. There will be no more monkeying with her calf without climbing over the top of her, something that I am certain will speed her reflexes quickly. Needless to say, tagging her calf this weekend ought to be a lot of fun. Fortunately, she has eased up a little and now that he’s a few days old, she is less concerned with my being around, so it should be okay. Rest assured though, she’ll be locked out while I am working on him.
As of our last update, we had two calves on the ground and doing well and I am happy to inform you that as of this morning, we had doubled that number. We are up to a grand total of three bull calves, Rosie, Gertie and Gracie have all had boys, and Aspen has produced our only heifer calf to date. It has been a lot of fun to see the new calves arrive and there is much anticipation on every trip out to the barn that the next calf may have arrived. We have Bertie and Lady in the barn now and Delta still to come in this week, so by the end of the week numbers will have increased again with any luck. So far, our weather has been pretty mild and sunny, just right for calving and three of our mommas and their calves are outside now, able to stretch, play and enjoy the weather. Gracie and her calf which was born this morning will be able to head out in a couple days to make room for the next bunch if the weather holds. Keep your fingers crossed.
I have already made a mistake this calving season, one that will need to be rectified this weekend. Since they are all in the calving corral down by the house, I didn’t bother tagging the calves before I turned them loose. Now, as they are all running around, it is very difficult to tell who’s who. Three all black calves, all similar in size are hard to differentiate. We’ll have to bring all of them in this weekend and sort it out before the problem is multiplied by adding more to the mix. In the past with only one or two at a time it wasn’t a problem, but now, I will need to make sure I get that done before I turn them loose.
One of the reasons I passed on it this time, was the fact that with some new momma cows in the mix, I wasn’t sure how they’d react to me piercing their calve’s ears. It turns out they are all pretty tolerant of the process, with just one possible exception. Gert, who just had her first calf on our place is a little snakey with a newborn calf. She’s hippo-big and a little unpredictable under the best of circumstances. If you catch her in the wrong mood, it’s best to steer clear. She’s never malicious, but she is moody and doesn’t have much patience for people. Add a newborn to that mix and for the first 24 hours, she’s very menacing. Her bull calf was born on Saturday afternoon and after a couple hours was up and nursing, doing fine. Since he is the first calf sired by our bull, I wanted a better look at him and let myself into the pen. I had no sooner closed and latched the gate, effectively locking myself in her stall, then she began tossing her head, snorting and pawing with a mean sounding growl. She backed the calf into the corner and started inching toward me. I tried to stand my ground, but decided quickly that the risk wasn’t worth the reward and backed out of there.
After a few more hours, I went back out to vaccinate the calf and dip his navel with iodine. Standard procedure with all newborn calves at our place.
Amy accompanied me back to the barn, mostly as a witness in case things went bad. Fortunately, Gert was laying down and is very slow to get up. For those of you who haven’t met Gert, imagine a 2,000 pound black hippopotamus with curly hair and you’ll be pretty close. She’s slow at everything she does, particularly getting up. I managed to dart in, vaccinate and dip the calf before she managed to rock herself onto her feet and got the job accomplished unscathed. I did notice afterward though that she now backs her calf into the far corner of her stall and lays down blocking him in. There will be no more monkeying with her calf without climbing over the top of her, something that I am certain will speed her reflexes quickly. Needless to say, tagging her calf this weekend ought to be a lot of fun. Fortunately, she has eased up a little and now that he’s a few days old, she is less concerned with my being around, so it should be okay. Rest assured though, she’ll be locked out while I am working on him.
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