Update

Winter has started again on Hat Trick Farms, and a wacky start it is too.

First, it snowed about 12 inches in October, warmed back to about 50-60 degrees then snowed again back to a balmy -4 degrees at 9:30 on Dec 31.

Second, we had to start feeding the cows early, however it seems we will make it to March or April.  

On the happy side, my dad fixed the automatic chicken door so we do not have to go out in the morning. It is set on a timer, so we can decide when the chicken door comes open and closes.
The timer is also connected to a light because the chickens lay more eggs in when it is light, or if they are out side when it gets dark, instinct tells them that they should go to shelter so they go hide under the pine tree. If the light is on then they can see where the door is and they will go inside. As well we have the light so when we go to feed them and gather the eggs we can actually see.

Last is an update on Little orphan Annie, who really isn't an orphan anymore. First of all the next day my dad was woken up early because heard a lot of ruckus. He got up and checked on the cows to see what was wrong. He opened the curtains and saw Farlow (the surrogate) trying to kill Annie. She probably realized that Annie was not her calf so she chose the stronger one which was Henry. As the story plays out when we moved the bulls down from the back separation pasture and the girls dow the road to summer grazing they knocked our shed down and Eleanor injured three of her ankles. When we moved the bulls and since then made steers in with the cows and calves we moved Annie in as a pasture buddy for Eleanor. Annie soon figured out that Eleanor could not get away very well or at all because of her ankles so she kept her persistence and succeeded in nursing off of Eleanor. One day when we went out to milk we did not get a drop so from then on Annie is now our little fatted calf. SOOO.... when life gives us a calf with no mother and a mother with no calf (who's story will be in the next post) we put them together for a match made in heaven.

Chick's Hatched

It's a girl and another girl oh, and a boy one more girl!!!! It is so hard to keep track and I don't know what genders we are having (I wish). We had 27 hatch but 1 chick did not make it. Since we have the incubator and the eggs we decided to hatch more, and they will hatch on the 30 and 31of May.  These chicks in the picture are younger then they are now.  The other chicks hatched today.

The Story of Little Orphan Annie

It has been a very fun and interesting day at Hat Trick Farm. Today one of our first time mamas, Suzette (not the one pictured) delivered a beautiful heifer calf. Unfortunately for the calf, the mother abandoned her. While we tried to get Suzette to let the baby (who was named Annie--as in Little Orphan Annie!) nurse, another mother tried to take it. Now we know that Farlow, the other mother, was in labor and probably thought that we took her calf.  In the end we wound up letting Farlow have Annie as her own. The picture above is of Annie (left), Farlow (middle) and Henry (right and who was Farlow's actual calf).

A little more news since Molly was born. We have lost another calf and had 3 more living calves. All the babies names are Molly, Zagnut, Bella, Noella, Annie and Henry.        

It's a Girl

Welcome and introducing......Hat Trick Molly. 

After losing the calf on Friday the joy now abounds on Hat Trick Farm. 

First Calf

First calf of the year was born sometime in the middle of the night on either May 1st or 2nd. We had
 a bull calf with a belt that went from his front legs all the way on to his back legs.The calf was stillborn for reasons we can't identify. After about 1 day Sunburst, who was his mother, had not gotten up. So we did a more detailed examination of her and found that since she struggled while delivering, one or more of her nerves got damaged. Sunburst is now getting medicine to recover.

Spring Fever is Here!!

We moved the cows to a new and drier pasture.  The spring fever is definitely showing.  We feel that the cows and last year's calves get bored in the same pasture all winter and enjoy a different view.  Also, we were checking the cows to see if we could see any signs of calving.  Stay tuned--baby pictures are on the way!!!

Candling Eggs

Today, middlest and I candled all 41 eggs to see how development was coming along.

We found 31 eggs that have movement in them!  3 were discarded because they had a ring at the bottom that indicated a bad egg.  1 was discarded because it was infertile.  We still have 5 eggs that we are keeping an eye on but we're pretty sure they are no good/infertile and 1 that is probably bad.

We will check those 6 again when we take them off the egg turner and put them on the bottom of the incubator in preparation for hatching.  Now I can relax for a week until May 8 when they are supposed to hatch!