SPRING STORM

Robins and Meadow Larks have been chirping and singing the past few mornings, when I first step out just before sunrise.  Not this morning.

Last night it rained.  Puddles worth of rain.  Then it snowed.

I'm glad I don't have naked sheeps yet!  They are too.

 Robert has started to shed and finds the cold wind just too much.  He grabs a mouth full of hay and scurries back into the shed.

These little guys aren't impressed at all.  But they are out of the wind, nestled down in the willows.

This is the newest one, born yesterday.  He/she thinks  the hay makes a good place to stay warm.

Tonight is supposed to be really cold.  If it clears, I wouldn't be surprised to see it near zero by morning.  Just hope the girls hold off on any more calves till after this storm goes away!

Working a Calf

I try to keep up with working calves so that each is vaccinated, castrated, and ear tagged within a day or two of being born.

Gail manages to look horrified.

Her little guy isn't real happy about being on the end of my rope either.

No! I don't want 

a shot!

Gail keeps a close watch on Dan as he applies the rubber band that turns this little bull into a nice steer.

Next, Dan gets the ear tagger...

and

applies the ear tag with the calf's number to the little guy's right ear.  Heifers get their tags in the left ear, leaving the right ear free for the vet to tattoo when with the Bangs vac number.

And there we have it.  Vaccinated, castrated, and tagged. He can spend the summer growing and turning into a nice 600 pound calf.

Neighbor Gary was managing the camera this morning.  Thanks Gary!

The birds are saying that spring is here.  The robins are back and the blackbirds are starting to show up.  The cranes are scouting out nesting sites and the magpies are still building like mad.  The meadow larks are fussing about having cold feet and this evening I heard a killdeer.  Eastern king birds showed up this morning.  And, the weather forecast indicates that there might be rain.  Maybe.