The girls' get a new home

This year's heifers left for their new home today.  They looked great and I'm sure they will adjust quickly to their new surroundings.

It was a learning experience getting their paperwork ready to cross state lines, but it all came together smoothly. A farm call from the vet earlier this month for their Bangs vaccine and ear tags, their first trailer ride earlier this week to get a health certificate from the vet, and a visit with the brand inspector for their final paperwork.

  FYI... health certificates are good for 30 days, import permit for California (called in at the same time by the vet) is good for 15 days, and a brand inspection is good for 8 days (at least in Oregon). We could have saved a trip to the vet if we had planned the timing a little better, but it was good loading practice for the girls which made this mornings loading easy.

Followed

Ever get the feeling your being followed...

by the whole herd, hoping you have a treat for them!

Heifers for sale

Our Spring heifers are ready for a new home. Asking $1200 each.

Clockwise from top left: Fiona born 4/12; Dam of Fiona; Sire of Fiona & Fuschia; Fuschia born 6/3; Dam of Fuschia.

Highland beef still available

We still have 3/4 of a beef available, sold by the 1/4 or 1/2. Butcher date is set for end of November. $3.25/lb price is based on hanging weight plus cut/wrap and other fees paid to butcher. Cow is grass fed, no grain or antibiotics.

**Update 11/5 - Only 1/4 beef left!!!

A happy anniversary!

I know it probably wouldn't appeal to some, but I loved spending our 16th wedding anniversary working around our little farm. It was a beautiful sunny day with rain in the forecast. We got the pastures fertilized, barn cleaned, and cows moved. With our crazy busy life of work, kid's sports, hunting and the lost goes on; it was great to spend time together.

Sparty gets a new home

Our bull Sparticus got a new home this week. He'll have a large pasture to roam in and some new ladies!

Aeromotor Windmill

We finally got the old windmill from my Grandparent's homestead installed on our farm.  My husband had to completely rebuild the inner workings and a new tower, but the rest is original.  My mom and uncle remember it as kids pumping water for their cow trough. 

My dad brought over his versa-lift to hoist it up on the tower, along with help from a few others.

4 days old and playful

This little calf had us worried because Mama didn't seem to have enough milk in her udder. I was ready to bottle feed, but really didn't want to intervene unless necessary. We've been keeping a close eye on him, and I'm feeling much better after watching him romp around this evening. A big thank you to everyone that offered advise!

The last calf of the season

In sticking with the naming convention of the American Highland Cattle Association, (which by the way really helps) all of our calves this year start with the letter 'F'. So without further ado, I introduce Flank, joining his half sisters Fuschia and Fiona.

Hay in the barn

Hottest weekend of the year... must be time to do hay!

A miserable 100 degrees last Sunday while we bucked hay for ourselves and friends, about 26 tons worth total.

More leash time

We've been trying to spend a lot of time grooming and walking our new bull Henry and our yearling Emma.

Both are doing well.

Emma's been spending lots of time with her goat family.

She enjoys their scratching brush.

Henry meets the ladies

After spending a week in the weaning pen by himself, Henry was more then ready to meet the ladies today.

Introducing Henry

Introducing the newest addition to our farm, Fat Cow Henry. Yes that's his official registered name, and after a few days on a nice green pasture he is living up to it! He's halter trained and is enjoying being brushed.

We our very excited to have a new bull after deciding to start switching back to registered stock. It was a very hard decision since we had a very nice looking bull with a great temperament. We are still hoping to find a good home for that one, otherwise he'll be hamburger for us.

Newborn calf

I checked on Mama cow before I left to run a few errands yesterday, no eminent signs of labor (or so I thought). When I got home two hours later there was a new fur ball in the pasture.

Farm pictures and happenings

The grass is growing faster then the cows can keep up.

The new chicks are getting big, and all the chickens are anxious to get out into their new run.  They've been cooped up for too long. 

We've created a new chicken/calf weaning paddock that's almost ready. The new grass is growing, and we just have to add a bit of chicken fencing to the gates so that they don't escape where our dog can play with them​. The chickens have a small door from their coop that opens up into a barn stall attached to the new pasture. 

Mama cow Agnes is enjoying the barn and fresh grass with her girls.  Fiona was born last month, and Emma was born in 2016. We decided to keep Emma as a replacement heifer and replace our bull this year. She has great potential, and her coat coloring is beautiful.

Bull for sale - SOLD

We have decided it's time to switch the genetics in our herd, so we are selling our bull.  We would like to see him go to a nice farm.  He is an unregistered purebred Highland bull, born December 2010.  He has beautiful red coloring with slight brindling, great temperament, and loves being scratched.  He has sired lots of nice calves for us.  We are asking $1300.  Contact us if you would like more details on his pedigree.

NWHCA meeting update

It was nice meeting so many Highland enthusiasts at the annual Northwest Highland Cattle Association meeting. It's always interesting to hear other's stories of how they got started and where they are today. 

A big thanks to the hosting farm as well. Their farm and cows were beautiful... and their living room was very comfortable as we watched the rain and hail come down outside!

I look forward to next year's meeting, and hope we can fit it in our busy schedule.

Cow walks

Out for an evening walk with Emma... pretty sure the neighbors think it's a little strange.

Nursing calf video

Here's a short video of our first calf Fiona nursing, hopefully it works. This mama cow always has more than enough milk for her calves, and you can easily milk her. Fiona is doing great. Still waiting on our others. Guess I missed their gestation dates by a month!

Emma

Getting her​ shots and a brushing.

Halter time...

First calf of the year!

We welcomed our first calf of the year yesterday!

Spring time

We're expecting our first calf any day now. The cows are on fresh pasture and loving it. Still some fertilizing to do and the winter paddock to clean up, but very nice to have some warmer weather... though the rain doesn't seem to want to stop completely yet!

Horned cattle hay feeder

This is the first winter season that we are using our new hay feeder.  In years past we have hayed the cows on the ground and in old tractor tires, but they always wasted so much of it.  We already had a hay loft in the barn and thought it was finally time to make winter feeding easier and more efficient for us and to hopefully cut down on the amount of hay trompled and wasted.

We covered the back wall of the barn with tin to help protect it and my handy husband built a feeder out of long metal bars that look like rebar.  We cut a hole in the hay loft, and now we can drop a bale of hay right down into the feeder... no more carrying them across the yard!

There is still some waste and we wonder if the bars shouldn't have been slightly closer together​, but it is a vast improvement over ground feeding.  The cows can reach their noses and tongues right through the bars. Cleanup has been easy this winter too with the addition of concrete in the barn area.  

UPDATE: We added a wire cattle panel to the back side of the metal bars and it helps prevent even more waste!

Northwest Highland Cattle Association meeting

The 2017 NWHCA meeting has been scheduled for Saturday​, May 13th in Mollala, Oregon.  The information came out in the last addition of The Fold newsletter, but I haven't seen it on their​ website under the events tab yet, so I just wanted to send out an FYI so you can put it on your calendars.

Since the meeting is close to our farm this year we are planning on attending.  We've never attended in the past and are looking forward to meeting and talking with other highland breeders and enthusiasts.

Cows love their carrot treats!

Winter weather

We've had a cold start to the winter with freezing rain expected later today.  The mama cows don't seem to mind... because it's the only time they get a little grain!