Monday, January 24, 2011
us department of agriculture farmer's bulletin number 1419
originally published in 1924, this edition was revised in 1940, when draft horses were probably already on their way out: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89098654833
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
visionquest
My co worker is going on vacation for four days. To type that out doesn't seem like such a big deal. I work two days a week by myself every week and seldom are their problems I can't handle.
But still, I wonder how this will go. The days I work solo are between 13 and 14 hours not counting the break I take at lunch. The next day I usually sleep in until 7 or 7:30 and spend the morning hanging out in my pajamas. I have been known to change into my pajamas in the morning because I passed out fully clothed on top of my covers with the lights on when I get home. And how many days in a row can I wake up at 4am?
The last few days I have been psyching myself up for my upcoming challenge. I made a menu for each day and went grocery shopping. This is a change from my european style - go to the co-op every day and buy what looks good eating habits. I won't have time for that commie bullshit. I bought some ace bandages for my wrists since they have been giving me a hard time lately and I know they will not appreciate extra work. And of course I bought a bus ticket to go visit my friend in Boston, because after my co-worker gets 4 days off I will get 4 days off!
I think about it as good practice for when I have my own farm. My friend has taken to calling it my visionquest. I wonder if I will see my power animal at the end of it and will my power animal be a cow?
But still, I wonder how this will go. The days I work solo are between 13 and 14 hours not counting the break I take at lunch. The next day I usually sleep in until 7 or 7:30 and spend the morning hanging out in my pajamas. I have been known to change into my pajamas in the morning because I passed out fully clothed on top of my covers with the lights on when I get home. And how many days in a row can I wake up at 4am?
The last few days I have been psyching myself up for my upcoming challenge. I made a menu for each day and went grocery shopping. This is a change from my european style - go to the co-op every day and buy what looks good eating habits. I won't have time for that commie bullshit. I bought some ace bandages for my wrists since they have been giving me a hard time lately and I know they will not appreciate extra work. And of course I bought a bus ticket to go visit my friend in Boston, because after my co-worker gets 4 days off I will get 4 days off!
I think about it as good practice for when I have my own farm. My friend has taken to calling it my visionquest. I wonder if I will see my power animal at the end of it and will my power animal be a cow?
Happy New Year!
My farming new year's resolution was to rectally palpate more cows - at least one every week if possible. That's right dear readers, in 2011 I want to shove my entire arm up more bovine asses.
I've written before about AI and how I'm really not very good at it. I'm also not good at all sorts of other farmer things that have to do with feeling a cow's reproductive tract through her large intestine. Our vet can tell if a cow's in heat or if she just had a heat or is going to have a heat, he can tell if her ovaries are releasing eggs, growing CL's, cystic, or sitting around doing nothing at all. He can tell if a cow is pregnant and for how long. I won't get good at these things palpating one cow a week but I do aim to move beyond the "hrm ... feels like warm mush ... that might be her cervix ... oh wait ... i think it's her pelvis ... bleh my arm is tired" stage, which is where I am now.
Week 1: Felt cervices of 2 cows who were having a hard time breeding back. The vet gave them an acupuncture treatment to help increase their fertility and then I gave them a Lutalyse (prostaglandin hormone) shot to bring them into heat. When they were showing a strong heat, I felt each cow's cervix. They were easy to find a very firm.
Week 2: Palpated a heifer about to calve to check presentation of calf. In the afternoon the calf was still quite far down and I could only feel one foot. By evening the calf was in the birthcanal, properly arranged (front feet first, then head), and alive. Heifer calved that night.
I've written before about AI and how I'm really not very good at it. I'm also not good at all sorts of other farmer things that have to do with feeling a cow's reproductive tract through her large intestine. Our vet can tell if a cow's in heat or if she just had a heat or is going to have a heat, he can tell if her ovaries are releasing eggs, growing CL's, cystic, or sitting around doing nothing at all. He can tell if a cow is pregnant and for how long. I won't get good at these things palpating one cow a week but I do aim to move beyond the "hrm ... feels like warm mush ... that might be her cervix ... oh wait ... i think it's her pelvis ... bleh my arm is tired" stage, which is where I am now.
Week 1: Felt cervices of 2 cows who were having a hard time breeding back. The vet gave them an acupuncture treatment to help increase their fertility and then I gave them a Lutalyse (prostaglandin hormone) shot to bring them into heat. When they were showing a strong heat, I felt each cow's cervix. They were easy to find a very firm.
Week 2: Palpated a heifer about to calve to check presentation of calf. In the afternoon the calf was still quite far down and I could only feel one foot. By evening the calf was in the birthcanal, properly arranged (front feet first, then head), and alive. Heifer calved that night.
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