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I'm not tough enough for this country.

B

Brad S

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
3,022
Location
west of Soapweed
This morning I fed and caught the horses and went back into the house to warm up (eat breakfast) and call Soapweed. Soapweed sez he's processin heifers today because its sooo nice. First thing that crosses my mind is "so nice?" my frozen backside! - I'm not tough enough for this country. If +8 with a crisp breeze is nice, I'm afraid of not nice.
 
Brad S said:
This morning I fed and caught the horses and went back into the house to warm up (eat breakfast) and call Soapweed. Soapweed sez he's processin heifers today because its sooo nice. First thing that crosses my mind is "so nice?" my frozen backside! - I'm not tough enough for this country. If +8 with a crisp breeze is nice, I'm afraid of not nice.
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We did a little caking early and got the heifers in about 10 o'clock. By then it was warm enough that the vaccine needles didn't freeze. We ran 132 heifers through, and gave them each three shots, a pour-on, a new big number Ritchey tag, a Y-Tex number button tag in the other ear, and a "6" year brand on their left shoulder. The chief cook and vaccinator had sandwiches at the corral, so we only took about ten minutes to eat dinner. We got the last heifer processed right before dark. Glad that job is done. I guess officially our cattle working through the chutes is done for the rest of this year--at least until time to give Scourgard shots to the cows right before they start calving around the first of March.

We did the rest of the heifers last Monday, and had planned to finish up on Tuesday. It was too cold and windy. Yesterday was also too cold and windy. Today was cool but the winds were calm. It was actually rather a pleasant day until shortly before dark. The breeze came up and it got cold quite rapidly. I think the high for the day was at least 40 degrees. Now the thermometer has slipped to 5 degrees.
 
We had our first "real" snow last night, about 2 inches, but real wet. I felt sorry for our replacement heifers and 1st calvers. I go load up a couple of small bales and feed them out. The precious princess's looked at me like,"What are you doing out here?"

I don't mind it once it gets cold as long as it doesn't get warm enough to take my scotch cap and scarf off.
 
With a 6 brand, they're bred heifers? I just assumed weaners.

I always take instruction from the Soapweed way of livestock management. Wait for opportunity instead of force inopportunity is a plan - I'm too seldom that savy.
 
Brad S said:
With a 6 brand, they're bred heifers? I just assumed weaners.

I always take instruction from the Soapweed way of livestock management. Wait for opportunity instead of force inopportunity is a plan - I'm too seldom that savy.
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I bet yearlings(breed)
 
Brad S said:
With a 6 brand, they're bred heifers? I just assumed weaners.

I always take instruction from the Soapweed way of livestock management. Wait for opportunity instead of force inopportunity is a plan - I'm too seldom that savy.
Click to expand...

They are bred heifers, born in 2006. Being kind of a pansy when it comes to nasty weather, I am only too eager to postpone a corral job running cattle through the chute until a nicer day. :roll: Being the "boss" I can allow this to happen. :-) Fortunately, the vet who does our preg checking and bangs vaccinating feels the same way. We are both quite "flexible" and on a cold nasty morning it is a toss-up who will call the other guy first. :wink:

This morning as I write this, it is two below zero. That is another reason we really wanted to get the heifers done yesterday, knowing the weather was probably going to get worse before it got better. Speaking of two below, if you say it real fast it's twoblow. Isn't there a town in Mississippi named that? :wink: :-)
 
Have worked cow in below zero, vet didn't want to take his arm out of one cow to bring in the next. Oh and keeping the vacc , needles and sryinges inside your coat between shots.
about 6 inches of snow here , and 6 degrees this morning going to have to strat forking hay one of these days. Cows are working the ruff course grass in swampy parts of the meadows.
 
We have a wooden box with a shelf in it on the table by the chute. We put an interior heater from our old car in there to stop things from freezing. If we wait for warm weather, we'd never get anything done. :shock: :shock: :shock:

Preg checking on Thursday. We were going to do it last week, but didn't want to kill the vet. :roll: :D If it's windy, I'm thinking we should set up the portable ice fishing tent next to the chute for him to hide in between cows. Hope we don't have to. 8)

Hubby is out moving the portable electric fence in the corn right now. He takes the rechargeable drill out with him to drill holes in the ground so he can get the temporary posts in. The things we do to deal with the cold....... :roll: :roll: :roll: :D
 
It's a little brisk up here today too, about -26C, -38 with the wind chill. Wouldn't be bad at all but for the wind.
I didn't have my heat light pointed just right in the pumphouse and froze the dang waterline on the suction side, which meant no water to about 200 calves til I got that figured out. But we're all good now, so I believe I'll put another log on the fire!
 
Silver said:
It's a little brisk up here today too, about -26C, -38 with the wind chill. Wouldn't be bad at all but for the wind.
I didn't have my heat light pointed just right in the pumphouse and froze the dang waterline on the suction side, which meant no water to about 200 calves til I got that figured out. But we're all good now, so I believe I'll put another log on the fire!
Click to expand...

I may have drove by your place. Left 100 Mile House Sunday morning and saw those same temps south of there. I was clear up to Smithers and followed 97 to Omak on this trip. Did a little side road to Barriere on the way up,

PPRM
 
PPRM said:
Silver said:
It's a little brisk up here today too, about -26C, -38 with the wind chill. Wouldn't be bad at all but for the wind.
I didn't have my heat light pointed just right in the pumphouse and froze the dang waterline on the suction side, which meant no water to about 200 calves til I got that figured out. But we're all good now, so I believe I'll put another log on the fire!
Click to expand...

I may have drove by your place. Left 100 Mile House Sunday morning and saw those same temps south of there. I was clear up to Smithers and followed 97 to Omak on this trip. Did a little side road to Barriere on the way up,

PPRM
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Man, Smithers is way out in the boonies :wink: What the heck drew you up there?
I assume you went through Prince George to get to Smithers, if so I am about 5 hrs NE of Prince George.
Hard to believe it could get that cool down in the 100 mile / Kamloops area but I guess it does on occasion. Mother lives in Kamloops and said it was pretty cold the other day with snow, but then it shot up to +10C and it all went away.
 
Silver said:
PPRM said:
Silver said:
It's a little brisk up here today too, about -26C, -38 with the wind chill. Wouldn't be bad at all but for the wind.
I didn't have my heat light pointed just right in the pumphouse and froze the dang waterline on the suction side, which meant no water to about 200 calves til I got that figured out. But we're all good now, so I believe I'll put another log on the fire!
Click to expand...

I may have drove by your place. Left 100 Mile House Sunday morning and saw those same temps south of there. I was clear up to Smithers and followed 97 to Omak on this trip. Did a little side road to Barriere on the way up,

PPRM
Click to expand...

Man, Smithers is way out in the boonies :wink: What the heck drew you up there?
I assume you went through Prince George to get to Smithers, if so I am about 5 hrs NE of Prince George.
Hard to believe it could get that cool down in the 100 mile / Kamloops area but I guess it does on occasion. Mother lives in Kamloops and said it was pretty cold the other day with snow, but then it shot up to +10C and it all went away.
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:shock: Hay! I happen to like the 'Boonies'. Not too much riff raff here yet. :P :wink: Its still pretty quiet and I hope it stays that way.
Met with PPRM for dinner the other night on his way through to Smithers.
Hopefully everything works out for him here in the area. :D
 
Got the map out to see where you'all are talking about. Man you are way up there. Curious when you go traveling this time of year up there what kind of vehicles do you use and what kind of road conditions do you encounter ? Five hours NE of St. George sounds like it should be in the tundra.
 
Low temps. seem to go with age?Can't complain at moment -practally a chinook at -20 Celsius.But every yr have to buy better coat or boots??
 
efb said:
Got the map out to see where you'all are talking about. Man you are way up there. Curious when you go traveling this time of year up there what kind of vehicles do you use and what kind of road conditions do you encounter ? Five hours NE of St. George sounds like it should be in the tundra.
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I suppose it does sound like it should be up in the tundra much like Texas seems like it should be drifting sand dunes and bones bleaching under the hot sun.. :wink:
Highways are generally clear with some compact snow, we drive pickups just like everybody else, just make sure the tires are good and you drive appropriately.
 
LOL......I always get a kick out of perceptions... Actually, Simthers is pretty similar to where I grew up in NE Oregon except at the time we had no Moose...Or Wolves. I have heard of some Moose sightings and the Wolves are likely around or nearby....

Yes, 100 mile house had to be miserable until I drove through it, LOL....

I think lots of stuff is working out for me up the BTW JB....Just not sure your nieghbors association will or won't. If it doesn't, usually something else will...


Yep, I am not used to local customs. When Someone grabs the check, we say thank you.....One of the table mates said something quite different to JB, LOL...
 
PPRM said:
LOL......I always get a kick out of perceptions... Actually, Simthers is pretty similar to where I grew up in NE Oregon except at the time we had no Moose...Or Wolves. I have heard of some Moose sightings and the Wolves are likely around or nearby....

Yes, 100 mile house had to be miserable until I drove through it, LOL....

I think lots of stuff is working out for me up the BTW JB....Just not sure your nieghbors association will or won't. If it doesn't, usually something else will...


Yep, I am not used to local customs. When Someone grabs the check, we say thank you.....One of the table mates said something quite different to JB, LOL...
Click to expand...

PPRM, I'll try and make sure that its mentioned at the next farmers association meeting.

As for our 'table mate',... its quite alright, he always gives me a 'bad time', and I do the same to him. Its like that most of the time between us :) . :lol: I'm sure he expected to pay for his own. :wink:
He paid for dinner the other night just to 'get even'
 
Jigger Boss said:
PPRM said:
LOL......I always get a kick out of perceptions... Actually, Simthers is pretty similar to where I grew up in NE Oregon except at the time we had no Moose...Or Wolves. I have heard of some Moose sightings and the Wolves are likely around or nearby....

Yes, 100 mile house had to be miserable until I drove through it, LOL....

I think lots of stuff is working out for me up the BTW JB....Just not sure your nieghbors association will or won't. If it doesn't, usually something else will...


Yep, I am not used to local customs. When Someone grabs the check, we say thank you.....One of the table mates said something quite different to JB, LOL...
Click to expand...

PPRM, I'll try and make sure that its mentioned at the next farmers association meeting.

As for our 'table mate',... its quite alright, he always gives me a 'bad time', and I do the same to him. Its like that most of the time between us :) . :lol: I'm sure he expected to pay for his own. :wink:
He paid for dinner the other night just to 'get even'
Click to expand...

Thanks, and I did get that he was just kidding,

PPRM
 

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