A place to find resources, discuss and learn about beef cattle farming and all its nuances. Okay, a place to joke around about farming, I guess.

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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Do Not Feed Avocado to your Chickens and others


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Innocent looking foods can be deadly to chickens and other animals.

Avocado & Wholemeal Bread
This avocado (top right of photo) may look like a nice leftover treat to give to your chickens but please DON’T!

Avocado is mildly toxic to your chickens and feeding the skin and/or pit will possibly cause your chicken to suffer symptoms ranging from mild gastrointestinal discomfort to vomiting, respiratory distress and in severe cases death. 

Caged birds are more susceptible to illness but I don't take any chances with my free range chickens. I figure it's better to be safe than sorry and do not give my chickens avocado.
 
And, think your cat might like it too? - NO, even if they do, wrong again, don't give it to your cat.

I read somewhere that Cats get very sick on avocados too especially if they are lactating. Avocado can cause necrosis and hemorrhage of mammary gland epithelium. It's the toxic fatty acid persin that apparently does the damage.

Even cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, budgerigars, canaries, turkeys, fish are susceptible and the list goes on. Remember my blog post on horses not being able to vomit up bad foods, well what foods might seem yummy and healthy for us humans may not be good for our chickens, dogs and cats. 

If you are not 100% sure then don't give it to your animals - better safe than sorry.




New Rooster on the Block, and then One...





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There's been so much happening on the farm.



 
We have two new roosters, a few new calves and some new season chickens. There's a long story to go with these new chickens. More to come but for now enjoy the photos.


This is Red & MG2


MG2, Red & Little Big Horn


Red (or Ginger)


    
What's this got to do with anything?




AND...

























Friday, December 02, 2011

Murphy Has Brand New Shoes...

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Murphy has taken to wearing shoes!

Now this is not uncommon for horses and like all, ladies, she has decided she wants to get up there in the fashion stakes much to my dismay.


Here I am, a farmer that hardly ever wears jewellery or fancy dress or any of that girly stuff really, and now my dear husband’s horse wants the latest fashion items. 

So, the Farrier came up yesterday and hot shoed Murphy. 

Yeah, she’s not just getting any old set of horse shoes, no Murphy’s getting the very old fashioned and expensive hot shoeing. I can’t really show you what her new shoes look like because they are on the bottom of her feet but I can tell you she’s a much more comfortable horse now than she was yesterday and over the past few weeks. These shoes are very specifically fit for purpose so yes, they are not just a fashion statement after all.

You see horses get sore feet like humans if we don't maintain them.

Murphy split one of her hooves and this caused her considerable pain and the beginnings of what could become a really nasty infection. Imagine sticking a sharp object up your finger nail, ouch! Yep, it feels like that. And, as the old saying goes, 


So, really, it’s not only a fashion thing for Murphy. She really needs these shoes to keep her running around, happy and pain free. The only problem is that hot-shoeing isn’t cheap and it should be done every six to eight weeks at around $100 a pop! That adds up pretty quick. And, sadly the fine art of hot shoeing is a dying trade.

Anyway, as I said I don’t like to wear fancy fashion so I guess I can give up this year’s Christmas present (chances are I'd only loose it in the paddock anyway) and Murphy can run around in her new shoes instead. 

As they say about farmers and their animals; the animals have better quarters than the farmer. There’s some old saying about farmers being, asset rich and cash poor. Well, now our horse has better fashion sense than the farmer too.

Gotta love her though…



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Thursday, December 01, 2011

Calving time is done...

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PHOTO says it all, doesn't it?
    Proud mother is the brown one.




All the calves have been born for this year and now the fun and games begin.


The calves love to run around at night, skip and play there funny little games; tails in the air, jostling and working out who's gunna be boss. 

It's so much fun!



Friday, November 25, 2011

The Rain's are here...


The rain is here again, Hooray!

Although the rain is welcome and I do not want to sound like a winging farmer but it does present a whole new set of challenges.

Having experienced drought conditions for over seven years here it’s nice to see the rain but the cattle need special treatment to keep them alive and healthy. The drought might be gone for now but the real battle of keeping cattle in tip-top condition really begins.

We purchased a few multi-blocks today to enrich the cattle with vitamins, minerals, selenium, iron, zinc, salt, cobalt magnesium and the goodies essential for good health in cattle. 

If it’s not one thing it’s another with cattle. Since the rain the good grasses (good grass can be bad) have flourished and the lush clover is scrumptious and irresistible to the cows but deadly in the form that too much is not always a good thing. Bloat, especially in dairy cattle at this time of year is a real danger. 

So, yep we also gave the cattle bloat blocks a month ago in preparation for this coming tricky season.

My Dad always said feed the cattle dry feed in the wet and in the dry and so we do. Pretty much whenever conditions are extreme is a good time to give out hay. It can be expensive so not wasting the feed is also a thing to be careful about. 

Hay is great for cattle. It gives them roughage and when we get a cold snap it also provides warmth to keep their bodies in good condition. 

Already we’ve heard of farmers loosing cattle to bloat and mineral deficiencies so we are taking all the precautions we can.

So, Springtime bring it on! Let good times roll... we hope.





Sunday, October 09, 2011

Hair of the Dog or Smelly Poo Poo...

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Came home to a rather smelly dog after work yesterday.


This morning when I let Zak off the chain, the object of Zak's affection had time to ferment in his coat overnight.


All I did was, unleash him and I had to fumigate my own arm. Phew! 

What is it about dogs rolling in cow manure and this time I think Zak rolled in a dead carcass - Oh boy, unless you've smelt this smell yourself sometime or got smell-a-blog you've got know idea. It's putrid!


I love my dog but oh boy, no cuddles today!

Even white dog looks a tad disgusted.


Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Farming Update...

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A lot's been going on lately and it's calving time again.


So far we have six live calves on the ground and one had to be pulled this year because it was breach. Unfortunately the cow rejected the calf and even though we tried to save it ourselves, mother knows best and it died overnight. We have five silver calves and one brown colored calf. Sexes are yet to be determined but I know Elle has a bull calf and Teena has the brown heifer. They are so cute running around together. It's fun to watch the little guys bullying with each other and working out who's going to be boss.


We have one lamb born on the hill, a little girl. S'pose I should say ewe. Our Wiltshire Horn sheep live on our neighbors property and we don't see a lot of them except through the binoculars so it's always a treat to visit and feed them. Our neighbor will be buying those sheep from us soon and we will concentrate more on cattle, as the, dh, believes cattle are easier than sheep. I don't do the hard yakka so I am happy to let him make those decisions.

I have a chicken sitting on eleven eggs and due to hatch out in just over a week or so. Last nights storm may have affected her though so I'm about to go check.


Yes, last night the weather turned to heavy thunder, lightning and heavy rain so this morning I'll be out feeding the cows some hay. I'm very nervous around lightning after being hit in 2007. With ruminant animals it's a good thing to give them dry hay when there's a lot of new green grass around and when they have newborns feeding. Our paddocks consist of clover, rye and native grasses along with weeds of course. We have never had any problems with bloat and we don't give out salt blocks or bloat blocks. This year may be an exception because this is the first year out of drought and with my, dh, now working at a produce store means a bit of a discount on products.


It will be interesting inspecting the property today for fallen trees,  water damage and the individual animals to see how they have all coped. Because we are on such steep hills water tends to do a lot more damage than it does on the flats.

Benson, (our dog, white) was a nervous wreck this morning. He hates thunder! Zak, (our other dog, black) loves the thunder and spends his time chasing it around and barking. Thinks it's so much fun and poor old Benson just sits there shaking and whining.

Well, best go check. 


Have a great day!


Zak.


Sunday, September 04, 2011

Utes, Bonfires and Slabs...

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Where are those guys from, *Top Gear, when you need them?

I'm sitting in the 'old girl' wondering how my, dh (dear husband), will get to work on Monday, since I bogged the old Hilux Ute in our paddock. 

Seems I picked the boggiest section of the paddock immediately over the top of a Spring.
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Now I'm not the first to mention that my, dh, has done this many a time, and I've taken great pleasure in bagging him out big-time-every time. 

But now I've managed to get three wheels under and the axle too. There's no way forward or back without building a road (which is what those sticks are for).


Anyway, in true Aussie fashion I'm NOT going to let this minor problem set me back, so I'm going to set fire to the 3 year old pile of old wood today and whoever can get the Ute out of the paddock wins a slab. 

If I can't get the bonfire alight I'll set fire to the Ute instead. Either way it should be a good night.




It's funny just this week my mechanic gave me some advice. He said, "ASBO". I'll tell you later what that means next post...

 





SEE: *Series 3, Episode 5 (2003)
Fire, water and dropped caravans all fail to stop our indestructible Toyota Hilux...

Hah! I can show those, Top Gear, guys how it's really done.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Update on Benson...

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Benson is on the mend!

It's weird owning a three legged dog. Something I thought I'd never have to do. But after seeing the joy on Benson's face and that waggy tail going constantly I now know it was the right decision.

He's a happy happy dog and even runs and plays with Zak again. He's appetite has improved too.

I wanted to post some photos but the wound is still very raw looking and I don't really think I need to post that on the web for all to see. Just trust me that he's happy and healing and that's the main thing. When all the hairs grown back I'll post a photo of our happy little man.


Zak.

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Thursday, January 13, 2011

For the Love of Australian Animals...

I posted this article on my writing site and I thought it a good idea to post it here too.

Please feel free to retweet, blog about or spread through Facebook ~ whatever it takes to get the word out...

WRITERS!!! Help Needed Downunder ~ Queensland Flood Victims, writers unite...

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By now you may have heard about the huge floods that have devastated much of Oz.

It is heart wrenching and many people are today going back to homes that are seriously damaged by flood waters that is, if their homes are still there at all.

What this means to the people who still have their houses is that they will be going to see what was their homes covered in mud, all types of contaminates, oil (from nearby factories etc), sludge, sewerage and the list goes on and on. Most likely all their furniture and personal possessions will be gone, swept away and dumped either on the banks further down the river or maybe swept out to sea.

If we thought it was hard seeing the floods approaching and it was, the real hardship will actually come in the weeks, months and possibly years to come as it takes time, money and effort to rebuild what was a vibrant and fast growing city back to it's former glory and hopefully make it even better. 

If you are a writer and wish to help (or even if you just stumbled upon this blog) don't feel there is nothing you can do, because you can. At the very least you can write about the situation and comment on blogs and generally spread the word around the world.

Please go to:

          Kate Gordon's Blog and read the article...

If you are concerned about the animals go to:  Queensland RSPCA

If you are concerned about the people and the State as a whole go to: Queensland Government

Most of all just show you care by posting comments and offering charity where you can. Spread the word that parts of Australia needs your help today.

Thank you my dear subscribers, and passers by,

Zak.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Osteosarcoma in dogs ~ Bad News ~ Benson

Benson and silky at front of house
Benson and Silky Smooch (not so friendly)Benson (1)

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We had some very bad news this morning about our dog, Benson, and we know Zak, the Writer and Zak, our other dog, will take this badly too.

Benson has Osteosarcoma and we had to make a big, bad and hard decision this morning.

Luckily we have the best Veterinarian in the world looking after, Benson so we feel happy about that.

There were many choices to choose from varying in heart ache, heartbreak and financial cost and we have chosen the one that hurts the dog the least and us the least too. It’s a compromise.

Benson will loose his front leg today and will most likely have to be put to sleep in weeks or months to come. The prognosis for this disease does not sound good.

We love our animals and we always make choices that decide between cash-on-hand and how much pain the animal or the human can bare.

What we are hoping to achieve from this is a happier and contented dog with lots of cuddles and spoiling before the final conclusion.

We don’t know if we’ve made the correct choice but it’s made and we have to live with that, so does Benson.


Zak.
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Osteosarcoma in dogs

Monday, January 10, 2011

Coles response to consumer pressure over sow stalls…

It’s great that consumers and suppliers are taking a focus on animals welfare.
This article highlights Coles new stance on pigs in sow stalls. Coles responds to consumer pressure over sow stalls - 21/07/2010 
My only question with this stance on pig sow stalls is, how does the farmer stop the sows from squashing their piglets when they are born?
The sow stalls as I understand, are what stop the pregnant sows from fighting with each other and when the piglets are born they are protected too. I’d love to hear how farmers will handle the new set ups. What will they look like? What will be the benefits or negatives? How much will all this cost? And, how much will that add to the cost of the final product?

Farmers usually have their animals and their lands best interests at heart.
I find it hard to understand how consumers and retailers can be such a force as to change the way farmers do things that often those same people don’t even realise where eggs or milk come from, and understand even less about what it takes to get food from farm to plate .
What’s your opinion on this one?
Zak, the cattle farmer with a few chickens, sheep, dogs and cats for companionship.

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Sunday, January 09, 2011

Smart US dog learns more than 1,000 words - Yahoo!7

 

Smart US dog learns more than 1,000 words - Yahoo!7

 

As a farmer, watching your dogs, cats, cows, sheep and chickens exhibit intelligent behaviours is no “biggie”. It’s just something that happens every day. I must admit though, there seems to be degrees of intelligence between the breeds but basically all animals are smart in their own ways.

For instance, the female cattle run crèches for their offspring just as we human’s do. And, cattle can be just as selfish and lazy as humans by delegating the job to the youngest mother of the herd, like it’s a right of passage into cowhood. I’ve blogged about that before. Cattle will come to the fence and bellow if something is amiss and we farmers just go and see what the problem is. It’s us humans that don’t have enough language ability to understand what the cow is saying.

I owned an cat when I lived in the city and she used to play with her toys inside my apartment and then I’d tell her to put her toys away and in the box and she would open the lid and place each toy in her toy box. She used to play fetch and retrieve and she knew many of the words I used. I always thought this very normal.

My dog, Zak, knows a multitude of words and my husband and I often make fun of counting up all the words, Zak knows and joking about the inability of the researchers to figure it all out in their so-called “studies” for science magazines and the like. It’s not about how many words the dog can learn. It’s about how patient and persistent the human master is at teaching the animals the words. If you kept a human chained up outside and only spoke to them as you gave meals then that child would less likely to learn many words either. Why is this so hard for the “experts” to understand?

Where do they get this idea that a dog is limited to say 200 or so words? The dogs are limited by the researchers sadly.

Here at, Mountain View, we don’t very often use commands with our dogs, we just tell them as you would another human being, what we want or need them to do, and it gets done. And, just like children, at times they don’t want to do what you tell them and they get hurt feelings if you growl at them for making a mistake. It never surprises what Zak or Benson understand, it’s just expected.

The most frustrating part of owning a dog is their limited lifespan. When a new dog has to be trained it’s frustrating because you expect the new dog to be as good as your older dogs were. But alas, the new dog has to be taught all those things just as we did with Zak and Benson. It doesn’t take long but it’s very frustrating.

I usually never bother to speak (or blog) about these facts because it’s just a normal part of a farmers day and didn’t seem very significant to me. After reading this article it makes me wonder how long it will be before humans accept that animals are intelligent and stop trying to prove it to their minute little brains.

When are they going to do a study on the ability of humans to understand animals languages? I’d like to see the results of that study!

Monday, January 03, 2011

Farming has it's little hazards for both me and the bees...

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I was stung by a Bee last night while picking peaches.

The bite was under the middle of my foot. I guess it was going to happen and if I'd listen to my gut feeling I'd of known it...
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MAJOR CLUES: My dear husband said, "You should be wearing your boots". I was wearing thongs, (flip flops for those living north: NO, I don't wear a g-string in the orchard if that's the visual you got; sorry about that - *shudders*.

Thousands of of bees in our orchard. Great! We have a healthy orchard!

I saw the bees and continued to pull down the bird netting and of course the bees were falling which I found out - OUCH! Thanks to my dear husband for picking out the sting...really thanks.

Moral of this experience: 

1. Listen to your gut feeling.
2. Wear boots or closed shoes in the orchard (duh).
3. Listen to your husband.
4. If you see lots of bees on your orchard fruit - leave them. Come back later or earlier as the case may be.
5. And, again, listen to your GUT FEELING!

One day I might take my own advice...

Zak.

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