Our local Farmers Market is going well! Vendors have increased & more people seem to be coming weekly. We have lots of repeat customers & many new customers weekly! We are so glad that people are questioning their food and where it is raised!
So, we have added a lot to our farm lately! We have our breeding cows, our replacement heifers, our stock for freezer beef and lots of babies. We got a new bull almost three months ago. He is just now old enough to start doing his job. We are always studying cattle and breeds and finding ways to better our herd. We always have docile animals and polled cattle. (Polled cattle are cattle that are bred to NOT have horns.) This is a bit safer for us. 😉
We also have our laying hens. We have five layers and 1 rooster. I love my chickens! I never thought I'd be a chicken person, but I love that they eat our veggie scraps and give us tasty, delicious eggs in return!!!
We also have our two Tamworth pigs. One pig has had 5 babies. They are so sweet!!!! Again, I never thought I'd enjoy pigs, but I do! (Side note...I love all animals!) 😜 Our piglets are growing so fast!
We also have 3 baby bottle goats that I JUST weaned, whew! Four babies taking bottles at the same time every day takes some coordination! Ha! I was so glad when the kids were out of school for Summer vacation to help more with the feedings! We also have 1 billy goat. They are great little weedeaters! They actually prefer the weeds to grass! So they are great to put on hillsides or anywhere that it's hard to weed eat!
We also recently got a new dog. We already had a Great Pyreenes, but added another one!
As you can see, we are more old-fashioned farmers, where we have a little bit of everything and are not focused soley on one production method.
I got to help with a heifer birthing process this past Friday night! I am almost always at My Farmers Sid when a cow is having a difficult labor and delivery. Usually my father in law is also present. He has years of experience and is always so helpful on the farm. So I'm always there, but never too hands on since My Farmer & my father in law are helojg the Momma.
This past Friday night though, my father in law was out of town. My Farmer got home from his other farming job and noticed a heifer was in the field, having what seemed to be a difficult labor. I was just serving up supper when he walked in the door. So I threw it back in pans, threw on my boots and headed out to check on the Momma. We cut her from the herd and were walking her up to the corral. (She was in the furthest paddock/field from the corral.) We got her about 1/2 way there when she decided she didn't want to go. So she turned and went back with the herd. After much walking in the field, My Farmer was able to lasso her and get her to some shelter. I got to be hands on and help deliver this new baby calf. Oh and side note again...it was raining, no pouring while all of this was going on! We were drenched, slipping in the mud, hip height in water at times, it was not my idea of a fun Friday night! 😉 right as we get the calf delivered, our cities tornado sirens start going off! So we made sure Momma and baby could see each other and bond, then we headed back to the farmhouse.
My Farmer later went back to check them. The Momma had decided she wanted no part of being a Momma! So we checked her day & night, with not much luck in getting the Momma to give this baby any attention. So we took it back up to the farmhouse. We built a small pen for is 102 lb baby and started bottle feeding it to ensure a good, healthy start.
Today, My Farmer and my father in law worked cattle and put the Momma and baby together in the corral. Momma cow decided that she wanted to try to be a Momma! She let the baby nurse! So, we turned the rest of the herd back out to the field, took one cow to the processor and left Momma and baby in the corral pen to bond. 💗
Some of our piglets and one of our Mommas.
