Saturday, August 15, 2015

Meet Taz!

The Moo girls here on the Backwards Homestead are very happy these days! They are entertaining a handsome bull and they are all trying to catch his eye!. We were a bit nervous about having a bull here on the farm after the craziness that was MooGurgles! He kept us all wondering when he was going to break out and chase us across the farm! Buckets died, and fences suffered under his tyranny! He made beautiful babies, but he was ruthless!
But when we went to pick up Renee and SweetPea we talked to Sara and Earl about their bull Taz. He is beautiful, and seemed to be much calmer than our last experience. I was still nervous..But, we have several girls, who need a man..
So, what do we do? We borrowed them a man. Meet Taz!

Sara and Earl delivered him yesterday, and the girls were so excited. Especially Ellie, although I am not sure how it went since she was actually AI'd on Wednesday. but, then came in full bellowing, standing heat on Friday morning. So, we shall see! Either way, Flossie, and SweetPea are still open and he looks like he is just the bull to do the job! WooHoo! Let there be calves!

Taz and Ellie
 Here is is with Ellie, they  seemed to hit it off, even if they did have to engage in a bit of head butting at first!
Of course, as calm as he seems, we must remember, as we do with ALL livestock, to be very careful. Always respect the fact that they can change in an instant, and are very large! Luckily, Taz is very calm tempered, and has been a wonderful guest! We are really enjoying having him here on the Backwards Homestead.
Taz Keeping watch over the girls



He sure looks smug here in this picture! Even though he is usually with way more girls, he seemed really happy to be here!







Bae was a bit unsure about the new visitor, lol At first he was trying to run him off, but Taz was unfazed..He was like what'ev!
Bae says "WHAT?!?!"







" HELLO!!! We have ENOUGH cows!!"







 But since he actually likes the cows, it wasn't long before they were all grazing together. I guess he thought he had to check him out, and Taz wanted no part of the whole deal! He had a job to do!

Pigs...are unconcerned
Wilbur and Charlotte were not the least bit impressed. Wilbur was too busy trying to get through the fence to visit with Charlotte..She was busy laying by the fence to give him inspiration. Ugh..Pigs!
As an ending note, here is a video of Sweet Pea and Renee running to supper. Not the best, and ignore the constant clanging of the gate, lol I initially made the video to show Sweet Peas LONG moo that she belts out when you call her to supper!


So, there you go, that was my yesterday. Today...I have 10 dozen ears of corn I need to do, plus grapes to pick! So I better get busy! Leave a comment to let me know you were here if you like! :)
**Again, Shout out to Sara and Earl for loaning us their amazing bull! You guys are the best!**

Friday, August 14, 2015

Cows, Cows, Cows!

Things have been so busy around here, and quite frankly, I am having a hard time adjusting to some of the changes that have been happening lately. As most know, my Mom has Alzheimers, which is progressing. Some of our family also moved far enough away that visits are not possible very often. So, as much as they are having positive things happening, here we feel the fact that they are not here deeply. I am happiest with my family close..lol It is just who I am.
With Mom, this disease is just brutal. Watching someone you love, slowly lose their entire life of memories is just rough, no matter how you look at it. So many times I am just not fit for man nor beast as they say..
Hopefully I can get back into writing here for those who are interested in the crazy happenings here on the farm. Lots of things HAVE happened, and more are sure to be in the works!
I will start with a few happy things, like new cows! I mean really, who doesn't want more cows?! We found two really sweet girls at a local dairy, and they were a perfect fit for our farm! The best part, is we not only found cows, but we also made some friends. Nothing like finding friends who are honestly GOOD people. Shout out to Sara and Earl! They have been a HUGE help with all the questions that I have about cows in general, which if you know me...is A LOT of questions!
Well, here they are! The new girls, in all their cuteness!
Renee!
This is Renee! She is due in October and I cannot wait! Nothing like a little calf to make your day brighter. We are just so excited to see what she is going to have, Yay! 
SweetPea

This is SweetPea, and she is a real beauty! She is open, which means she has not been bred yet. Or at least we are pretty sure she is not bred. We will have to take care of that soon though, lol Hmmm...Where to find a man for SweetPea?! Right now, she is "in milk" so she is quite hungry as you can tell by her head stuffed in the food pan!
Squirt
And...Here is Squirt! She is a little heifer, who is just beautiful! The best part, is the is actually SweetPeas baby! So yea, keeping the family together, lol Well, sort of together, as they are separate since Squirt was just weaned when we got her and to stay that way she will have to be out of the pen with her milky mama!
We still have the rest of our little herd, and Eleanor was just at the vet yesterday being "AI'd", or Artificially Inseminated. I am really hoping that it all went well and she will bring a little calf into the world next summer. Go Ellie!
Eleanor
Here is the little beauty! Hasn't she grown! Seem like only yesterday she was a little bitty thing flying around the round pen kicking her heels up in the winter sunshine! She will hopefully be a Mama soon! I love this cow!!
Well, off to take care of farmy things, more later, so stay tuned!  Leave a comment to let me know you were here, I love getting feedback!