Young Moose, Belle's calf, is learning to eat biscuits from my hand. While I don't need the steers to be halter broken I do like to be able to approach them and give them a scratch. Some flight zone is useful, but a panicky steer is a dangerous steer when I handle the herd so closely. Like Beanie, Belle's last calf, he's curious about humans and a real sticky beak. I think most of the calves figure out early that the dairy is the place everyone wants to be, but they can't fathom why, as they are not fed in there like the milkers are.
Cows are creatures of habit, and when I let Moose take over all the milk from Belle (I was only getting 3 litres a day) and I weaned Annie's Ernie, it took a week for them to figure out that Annie was to come into the dairy and Belle was to have her snack in the stock yards. Previously it was the other way around and there was quite a bit of indignation about the reversal.
I put out a bale of silage this morning, I am working on the bales where the cows tore holes in the wrap as the holes start the silage going off. I will leave the intact wrap ones as long as possible. I've put a battery charger on Bessie's battery and will hopefully get to move some hay bales into position tomorrow.
I sprayed the sheep's feet for the second dose as well, all but one went willingly into the race for the snack. I use calf starter muesli, which has lots of big tasty grains plus molasses. Last dose tomorrow, might keep them running through the race for a couple of days after so they become trained to the activity.
I also put my phone number on the farm biosecurity sign, which says please ring before entering. Now they can ring. And while down by the gate I cut some sections of a split hose ready to cushion the wire that will bonsai my apple tree. I guess if I do one step a day of my projects sooner or later they will get done. Most of the afternoon before work was spent getting my tax info together for a meeting with my accountant. Not loving EOFY.
No comments:
Post a Comment