prairiegirl...ramblings from our little farm

[prairiegirl]

Hi Prairie girl. I was wondering if I might pick yer brain here for a moment.??

Hmmm, are you sure about that? I'm not an expert, but I will share our experience and what we've learned - or think we've learned.

The first year we raised a couple of beef calves on a little over an acre. That's all we had fenced. But, we had access to free hay. They also got grain. They did fine and the meat was great. One was a Holstein steer and the other a Jersey steer that made into all ground beef, except for the tenderloin.

Are they easy?
To be honest, at first no. I'm sure it was our own fears that got in the way. We were inexperienced and the folks around here don't care to share much information. Seems that being a farmer is top secret for an elite group......but, that's another story. We did gain a lot of info from books and the internet. There really are some very friendly people willing to share their knowledge and experience on the internet. After the first couple of weeks it was easier. It might be better for a beginner to get calves that are a bit older and weaned. But, then they are more expensive.

Are they expensive?
The first group were about $100 each. The second group were from $90 for Jersey bull to $150 Holstein bulls. The two we brought home at Christmas were $25.00 each. We got those straight from the farm. All of the calves were just days old.

Grains
In the summer when the pastures are lush and green, we don't always grain them. Now, we give grain each evening. I'd have to ask my DH the amount. I'm usually milking then or like now, I'm bottle feeding. And, they know they'll get grain from me if I need them to do something or move somewhere.LOL

I'd say that it is doable. If you have a good support system to go to for advice that's putting you way ahead of the game. We do get a lot of advice from my Dad.
Hay prices are high, so I'd check that out first. It might not pay for you to have to purchase all the hay. We barter for hay. We've traded a Holstein steer for hay, bartered work, and our processed meat. We've had to buy more this past Fall and Winter.

Hope I've helped some.
Sorry to ramble on...........

 

[prairiegirl]

Today was another busy day.

The morning started with a change of plans. My DD wanted me to ride to the mall to help her pick out a new dress. I had a lot to do, but I didn't want her to go herself. We did have a good trip and she got a very pretty dress at a really good price. Was $50.00 marked down to $12.00. We stopped at Joann fabric store and I picked up 4 different fabrics, 2 yards each, to make some new cloth napkins. It's 100% cotton fabric and it was on clearance for $1.00 yard. Everyday use and all the washing is showing wear on some of them.

Once home, I had eggs to wash. We had a dozen freeze out in the garage fridg. I got that fridg all cleaned out. Got the rest of the milking supplies gathered, cleaned and stored away.
The tv room upstairs got picked up. All the Christmas wrapping was done in there and it was still a disaster.

I've been working on paperwork from last year (2008). Sorting, filing, and tossing. Next, will be gathering all the tax info. It sure would be nice if someone would do that for me this year.

I got the 2009 calendars ready and the envelopes all marked.

My DD swept the floors. I cleaned the kitchen and bath and that was it.

I didn't even cook or bake today. We had leftover chili for supper.

Since I could once again see the floor in tv room, I cut out 8 new cloth napkins tonight. I started pressing the edges and had a hard time seeing. I'll finish those tomorrow when the sun is shining in - makes it easier for me to see.

Not very eventful around here today. Except for a family situation, but I'm trying to put that aside. Actually, I'd like to forget it.
The family behaved, the animals behaved and nothing broke. The weather wasn't too bad either. Just windy and cold doing chores.

 

[justusnak]

Hey prairirgirl....thanks for the info on the cattle. Unless we have lots of snow...the pasture stays pretty green most year around. This year..its still green..some brown. I checked into hay prices...$7.00/square bale. Hmmm, how much does one cow need a day? Can I do ONE or is 2 better? I dont think I can sell the other, lots of people around here have thier own...and I SURE dont have the freezer space!If I have sheep, can I put a cow in there with them? Or is that a big no no? I would like this to work...but, if I have to decide one or the other...I guess I can buy my beef..LOL

 

[Beekissed]

Sheep and cattle do very well together!

 

[keljonma]

Once home, I had eggs to wash. We had a dozen freeze out in the garage fridg. I got that fridg all cleaned out. Got the rest of the milking supplies gathered, cleaned and stored away.

After church today I'm tackling the refrigerator too. I haven't cleaned it since October and it is a mess! (Where's the hold your nose smilie?)

 

[prairiegirl]

The holidays are over here. Today, we are back to the routine. Grandsons were here today and they'll be spending tomorrow and Wednesday with us. We did a lot of drawing and coloring today.
DH spent the day cutting down a tree at a friend's. Always a nice feeling to see the woodpile grow.

I got a few things done - laundry, floors swept, kitchen cleaned up and the weekly menu. Someone on another thread mentioned menu and I was inspired to get back into that routine.
Thanks - sorry can't remember who.
Here's a look -
Sun- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham, peas and Peanut Clusters for dessert
Mon- Leftovers
Tue- Beef roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, applesause (Bread baking day)
Wed- Crock Pot Garlic chicken, rice, green beans, applesauce
Thur- Taco casserole, corn
Fri- Special Macaroni and Cheese, salad, garlic bread
Sat- Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

I had planned to try the peach cobbler recipe shared here tonight, but chores took a bit longer. The calves are getting bottles 3X a day now. The chicken water dishes needed some attention as well as the general area.

The weather has been cold, but nice. We had sun today. And, as always the case here - wind! Snow is in the forecast for Tue-Sat.

I hope to get a couple more napkins done tonight. Usually I can sit down and get a whole set done at once, but too much going on now.

 

[2dream]

Oh - I need to get back to the weekly menus so bad. Thanks for the inspiration. Not sure it will happen but at least you have me thinking about it again.

Your menu for the coming week sounds really good. Maybe I should just come to your house to eat and DH can cook what he wants everynight. LOL

DH and I share the cooking chores so menus don't always work. Most of the time we have different ideas about what to eat on any given night. When my kids were small I did the majority of my cooking on Sunday put it in containers and marked each container with the day of the week it was intended for. That way all I had to do was heat and serve with very little cooking involved. Anything not marked was fair game for them to eat after school.

 

[prairiegirl]

I am so very glad it's the end of the week - the end of the day. I need a break!

The menu I posted above is moved to next week as I didn't do much cooking this week. My DH came down with a flu bug and it hit him hard. Our DD wasn't home for supper so I didn't see any need to cook. Anyway, when I'm caring for someone with a stomach bug, I don't have much of an appetite myself.
Thankfully, DH is feeling much better today.
Good thing, too. We had a lot to do today. Pick up pork, check out 2 more bottle calves (only brought one home, the other had scours), drop off meat at 2 places, get straw, return livestock trailer. Then we came home and did chores. I'm pooped.

I made the appointment with the tax man. Now I have a deadline to get everything sorted and ready for him. Not a favorite chore of mine. Glad it's only once a year.

Brrr, it's cold here in Indiana. We got 5 inches of snow this morning with up to 11 inches total by Sunday. Plows didn't get out until this afternoon. It's clear now, just cold.

Stay warm!

 

[FarmerChick]

Pick up pork, check out 2 more bottle calves (only brought one home, the other had scours), drop off meat at 2 places, get straw, return livestock trailer. Then we came home and did chores. I'm pooped.


*********Hey that is my life.....what are you doing living my life? LOL---I do all that kind of running around and stuff just like that each and everyb day....and I saw you write---"I had to wash eggs"---LOL-LOL----I know!!!!!

 

[OkieJonesClan]

Glad your DH is feeling better