2008-07-24T16:26:56Z RED Copyright 2008, RED SPHPBLOG We had another calf. Wilma, our red/white Warhorse cow had a beautiful little red heifer out of Habanero. She will defiantly be tested since I know Wilma is a THC and there is a chance she’ll be a PHA carrier also. She is a very nice calf though.
Of course that makes 5 heifers for us this year! Still have 2 more to go. Rose Marie is starting to bag up quite a bit & is due in another week. Habie is still a month off.
Spoke with Ken, who bought Sami, she was in her first show in Texas. Won both her classes. Very proud momma! They bred her this week to their bull Wizard. He is a white Gizmo/Double Vision son.
We bred 2 cows so far. Mariah is bred to Triple Play & Dilly to Hard Core. Both have not come back in heat.
I have been starting to work with the new calves on breaking them. Have tied up both Tami & Trixi. Tami did very well, Trixi was a little more of a jumper! but she will settle down once I work with them more.
I have been very busy working in the yard lately. Have been doing a lot of weeding & have planted some of the garden. Going to try more vegetables this year.
The guys are starting to plant & work ground. They have had to battle rain delays quite a bit. Did get some alfalfa reseeded. They will have about 330 acres of hay this year. Also are planting more corn than normal. With prices being were they are can’t blame them! Started on the new grain bin too.
We are having the OSU vet clinic out today to check the bulls for breeding soundness. Since it was such a cold winter & they are getting up there in age thought it was a good time. They will check their sperm counts, body condition & general health. I’ll have a little bit on it on next blog.
Hope all are well! Take care & always keep a song in your heart & a prayer on your lips.
Red

for updated pictures, go to the link:]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070501-101134 2007-05-01T00:00:00Z 2007-05-01T00:00:00Z
We left Wednesday morning for Columbus. The temperatures were up around 70 degrees. It was wonderful. We got everything unloaded just fine. I set-up in the tie-out area & Mark & Adam got the spot in the barn ready. We were right on the end so thought that was a great spot. Everything went real well & we got done in good time.
Thursday we woke up to torrential rain. It was unbelievable how hard it was coming down. They had flood warnings up all over the state. Of course the temperatures also dropped. We got Sami checked in & they didn’t have a problem with her hair at all. She was looking pretty good actually. There were some really nice bulls & heifer at the sale.
Friday, while I was washing Sami, she tried to ride a Hereford bull. Oh fun, she was in heat. We wanted to make sure she kept away from the other bulls. Friday was display day. The crowds weren’t very big but they usually come on Saturday.
Saturday morning or sale day: It started off bad. While bringing Sami to the barn, she got spooked & got away from me. Luckily she only ran a little ways & we got her caught. A nice young man helped me bring her back into the barn. Did I say that she also tried to mount Mark? She jumped on his back luckily he wasn’t hurt. While I was at the trade show something spooked her further. I guess she got excited & tried to jump the fan cage’s stand. She cut her back leg & hurt a place on her front shoulder. GREAT! I was at the point of pulling her but Mark & the sale manager said no. We figured we’d take a beating in the sale.
Sale- she sold first in the second group of heifers. By this time she had calmed down quite a bit. She was also walking fine on her leg. I told Craig that we would guarantee her after the sale. She sold to some people in Texas. I was very pleased with the price. I think she will have a very good home.
I confess that I cried on her when we left. Texas is very far for her to go. I followed-up already & spoke w/ her new buyer. She hasn’t gotten there yet but they are excited about her. All in all, it was an exciting week. We came home tired but happy. I came home without a heifer but with an ear infection!
Have a good week! It’s still raining here. We have the wedding this weekend.
Red
]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070321-083703 2007-03-21T00:00:00Z 2007-03-21T00:00:00Z We’ve decided to take the heifer to the Expo to sell. Mark trimmed on her Sunday & she is looking pretty good. There are still a few areas of hair missing but very small. Also most of the hair is staring to come back.
I’ve now got to get things packed & ready to go. We’ll be gone from Wednesday till Saturday. May end up having to stay until Sunday, depends on the people that buy her, if they want us to help fit her for the show.
I made some peanut butter bars the other day & froze them. Today, I’m making Adam’s favorite, cream cheese brownies. Still want to also make some German Chocolate bars too.
After that I need to pack the show box, get feed, make sure all the things are clean & that I have all my paperwork. Also need to get our stuff packed. Since I always travel with my coffee maker, I need to have that ready too.
Mark still wants to clip on her a little more but she is looking really nice. She’s such a big baby; I’m really going to miss her.
Jessi is taking care of King Kitty & Poolie while we are gone. I didn’t want to have to battle with him at the Expo.
Looking forward to the week! Will let you know how things work out for us!
Red

]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070312-144508 2007-03-12T00:00:00Z 2007-03-12T00:00:00Z Rosie, our red cow had her calf Thursday. She had a little heifer. Well, maybe I should be a little clearer, it was a 120-pound calf. She actually had it on her own & a couple of days early. Just about a first for her. Both are doing fine, the calf is really very vigorous & has a huge appetite. The new calf is black with a white belly & a little white spot near her hip. We named her Trixi.

I took some pictures of some of the farm’s heifer calves. They are both out of our herd bull Jake. The red & white one is out of a daughter of Mariah. She got her ears a little frosted during the cold spell. They’re having about 3-4 calves a day. So far things have been going pretty good. They did lose a heifer that was born unexpectedly & was too big for the cow.

Our weather hasn’t warmed up much at all. We’ve been in the low 30’s & 20’s most of the week, a lot of wind & some scattered snow. Where is spring????
Getting ready for the Ohio Beef Expo. Have about 10 days until we leave. Can’t wait, although I’m going to hate selling Sami. Speaking of Sami, she is doing much better. Her hair is slowly coming back, it won’t be all back but it looks much better. We trimmed her hooves Saturday, so she is about ready. Either Mark or Jeffry will trim her this coming weekend. I want to take some pictures of the cattle so I can put together some marketing materials.
I saw the doctor; he is recommending that I get my muscular skeleton checked out to eliminate any problems there. If that doesn’t help, then he’ll probably do the surgery. Which is fine with me, I wasn’t going to do anything until after the Expo anyway.
Went to a bridal shower Sunday for Jeffry’s fiancé at Gary & Janet’s (Mark’s brother). Leisha is a really nice girl, who shows horses. She has helped us at a couple of shows. I think she’ll be a nice addition to the family. Plus she shares my love of Corgi’s!!! The wedding is March 24. They waited until after the Expo to get married. Sometimes you feel life does revolve around cattle!
Have a great week, I’ll be busy working with Sami & getting things together for the Expo. Will have to think of some goodies to bake also since I won’t be able to go without bringing them.
Red


]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070305-075648 2007-03-05T00:00:00Z 2007-03-05T00:00:00Z I made homemade potato soup for dinner & it really hit the spot. Mark ended up going to the shop. He’s working on fitting the braces onto a new pair of boots for himself.
I just came back in from the barn after blowing Sami out & putting her under the fans. She’s looking much better. No more raw spots & the hair is coming back . Hopefully she’s have a good regrowth by Expo. She had some discharge on her tail, so she must have just come into heat.
Rosie, my big red cow, is starting to bag up some. She is due March 3. I’m hoping with Cowboy Cut she has a smaller size calf than normal for her. We have three more cows due in March also.
Adam has had about 13 calves on the ground at the farm. I guess one of the heifer’s we raised has a really nice heifer out of our herd bull Jake. She is red & white & really nice boned. She would be a ¾ Maine. Told them they need to register her for sure.
It hasn’t been a good week for my family & their cats. My sister Sally had to put their 18-year-old cat Sammy to sleep. He was in a lot of pain. Susie, in Connecticut said their cat Sebastian might have cancer in his jaw. She said that of her 3 cats he’s the nicest. As you can tell, we are quite a cat family. Janey also has 3 cats & Sally has 2 more. My mom & dad have a cat also. Plus there are the various dogs including an Australian Shepherd, a Bichon Frise & a beagle. We have a Australian Cattle Dog or a blue heeler named Poolie. He is extremely spoiled & does not herd cattle very well. Of course the main ruler of the family is King Killer Kitty, our 16-pound cat. He is a living terror & thinks he is lord & master of the house.

Well, have a busy week coming up. We have a supper Monday night for Blanchard Farmer’s. It is a customer appreciation type thing. Also see my doctor on Tuesday for an ultra-sound & to find out if I’ll need surgery. Started giving myself injections of Forteo this week. It is supposed to help rebuild my bones. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. Will have to do that for only 2 years.
Have a good week & everyone stay safe.
Red
]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070225-134447 2007-02-25T00:00:00Z 2007-02-25T00:00:00Z
Expect the unexpected when you raise cattle! That has always what Mark has said to me & last night we found that was really true.
We had the vet out to check Sami (red heifer) out for the Ohio beef Expo Maine sale. I also wanted him to look at her skin issues. He said that was caused by a bacteria & creating hot spots in her hair. He recommended giving her 20 cc’s of penicillin for 4-5 days. Keep her dry & not use any ointments on her so the areas can get air. Great!
Mark & I that night gave her the shot of PCN & went to the big barn to bed down the cows. We also were bringing back a bale of straw for the heifers. When I came back to the heifer’s barn I could see Sami was in trouble. She was hardly able to breathe & was panting quite hard. Her eyes were ½ closed & she was in distress! She could hardly stand up & after a while collapsed. She was drenched in sweat too. I was beside myself. She was having an allergic reaction!
Mark called the vet & he said to give her a shot of banimine. Adam came down w/ the shot & he gave it too her. I was holding her head on my lap the entire time & crying. She was able to breathe a little easier but still was staggering.
Dr Skidmore came out & to make a long story short, gave her a shot of epinephrine to counter-react the attack. She was immediately better but still very shaken up.
She was back to her old ornery self this morning. I blew her out & put her under the fans to keep her dry. A very rough night!
It was extremely foggy this morning. We had some black ice where the snow has melted & then frozen up again. It’s about 37 degrees outside. When I washed Sami yesterday, I had to shovel the snow out of my wash rack. Someday I’ll have an indoor one!
I’m thankful for some many things in my life. I’m still here; I have a wonderful husband, good friends & a great support system through a lot of people. I’m truly blessed, but I would have felt terrible if I had lost that heifer. Sometimes you need a little shake up in your life.
Take care & keep dry!
Red
]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070221-135259 2007-02-21T00:00:00Z 2007-02-21T00:00:00Z Saturday I did watch DeRouchey’s auction via the live-tv site. That was really interesting being able to sit in the comfort of your own home & watch a sale 100’s of miles away. The high selling bull went for $80,000 for ½ interest & the high heifer went for $35,000. I really liked the red bull in lot 5 (of course) & he brought $16,000. There was a Money Man heifer that was the talk of the chat room on the auction. She was expected to bring a high price but she only brought $4,600. I’m sure a lot of people where kicking themselves afterwards! Gidget & I instant messaged each other during the sale. It was a great sale. The video feed was very good although the sound could have been a little better.
Rosie, my big red cow is starting to bag up some. She is due the first week of March. Hoping for a smaller size calf from her. Tami or Timmy as Mark insists on calling her is doing fine. I think she is going to be a really nice feminine heifer.
Sami had another spot of missing hair. I’m about ready to pull out mine over it! Spoke with Michelle & they missed having her at the show. Jake did real showing his own calf though. It’s good experience for him to get his own out in the ring.
Had a little heart problems Sunday. It was nothing to get too excited about. I couldn’t get my pulse regulated & just felt really winded & lightheaded. Had a little tightness in the chest but think that was just nerves from the pulse & irregular heart rate. I see the cardiologist in March.
Well, need to pull the body together, since I’m still in my bathrobe & slippers! LOL, I can be very lazy when I want too.
Have a good one & talk later!
Red

]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070219-080656 2007-02-19T00:00:00Z 2007-02-19T00:00:00Z

Wow, winter has finally hit Ohio! We were under a blizzard warning yesterday & this morning. Not sure how much snow we got, they were calling for up to 14". The drifting snow is the worse. We have parts that have no snow & then you have a 3' drift.
Mark turned off the alarm this morning. Said he figured no point of rushing until some came & plowed us out. Last night we did chores a little early & it was really hard. Had to shovel snow just to get his truck in the garage. Luckily the farm has large tractors (green of course) and a snowplow. Leon, one of the brothers, plowed us out this morning & the barn lane. He said that the township had called & asked them to take care of the roads. They will be busy the next day or so.
I fed the heifers this morning. Normally the barn is nice but the snow has blown in through the open side. The heifers were glad to see me & were hungry. I treated Sami's spot. It is actually looking better. I keep applying the ointments.
Since everything around here is under a level 3-snow alert, there is nothing going on. We are expected to get a couple more inches today & then zero degrees tonight. Sounds like winter in Ohio!
The farm is still having calves. All have done OK so far. Adam is probably wishing it would warm up a little.
I love my high speed by the way! Watched a little live auctions on the net yesterday from the Iowa Beef Expo. It is great to be in the 21st century!!!
Keep warm & safe out there!!!
Red
]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070214-102824 2007-02-14T00:00:00Z 2007-02-14T00:00:00Z I'm still struggling with the raw spots on my red heifer Sami. I think it is lice/mange that just got the better of me. I found some ointment in the pet aisle called Rosemary Skin Balm. It is for cats & dogs but looks like it will protect & soothe her skin.
Dilly, our Iceman x foreplay cow came back in heat after having her calf exactly one month. We AI'd her to Hard Core. Should give use a 3/4 calf. He is also TH/PHA clean. Should be an interesting combination. This was the quickest I've ever had a cow come back into heat. Will give us a Thanksgiving calf if it took.
Now, for the bad news. The little red calf that I posted earlier must have gotten trampled or kicked by the cows. I found her dead late yesterday afternoon. With the cow in heat, the other cows were chasing her around & I figured she got in the way. I can say it broke my heart. She was just starting to nurse on the back quarters of the cow & I was hoping she'd be OK. The momma cow is bellowing like crazy looking for her calf. As I said, the circle of life continues.
They are posting a winter storm warning for Tuesday. We are supposed to get 8-10" of snow. The temps are a little better today. It was 25 degrees this morning. May try & wash Sami today if it gets above freezing.
Hope everyone else is having a better day! Keep calving & living!
Red
Oh yes, if you want to see any pictures of my cattle, go to:
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIn ... 904&f=
]]> http://www.steerplanet.com/red/index.php?entry=entry070212-072341 2007-02-12T00:00:00Z 2007-02-12T00:00:00Z Sami, my red heifer has more spots on her. I treated her with a pour-on antiparasitic product. I treated the other heifers too. Also putting Vaseline on the raw area. Thought that would help with the cold weather. It is really bumming me out. She was looking great & the hair loss is major for me.
The farm is starting into calving now. We have about 60 commercial cows. They are calving the heifer first. They lost one the other day. She was born just not quite right. Cow wouldn’t nurse her & Jessi was going to bottle fed her but she didn't make it. Had a calf born yesterday. Adam (nephew) thought it was a very small calf but it started to nurse so he thought everything was OK. When he came back to check, there were feet sticking out of the cow; but the back feet. It was a really hard pull & the calf was born dead. Not a good start.
We did have a really nice red & white heifer born. She is out of the "Tanks" daughter & our herd bull Jake. Adam thought she looked really good. The cow's calf last year died when she stepped on its head. Her genetics are so good we kept her. She's doing much better this year.
Our new calves are both doing fine. I scratched them both on their heads yesterday. Amazing how tame they can be. I watch the momma cows very carefully. A man was just killed in NE Ohio last week by a cow protecting her calf.
Jeffry, another nephew, had a weed eater fall on his head Thursday. He had to go to the ER & have 5 stitches put in. He may in the running for klutz of the month award! We have 3 nephews working at the farm full time, all are good kids.
Well, today I'm supposed to have high speed installed for my Internet connection. I can't wait. I hate this dial-up, it's sooo slow.
Mark is going to take me out for Valentine's Day. Can't wait. Looking forward to a nice juicy steak!
Have a great one & keep warm!
Red
red@steerplanet.com
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