My summer students started today, and, of course, it is rainy and cold. I am trying to find a positive spin on the weather because the girls are busy today with their onboarding forms and safety training. The system seems to change every year, so it always takes time to get to the right site and menu.
I am happy to have Aynsley Teeple back for another season, and to have Serenna Cousineau join our team. Serenna was a guest at our station when she was working for the Stewardship Rangers and said she was intrigued about the station, so we are happy to have her join us! We are going to have a great year! We have a lot of planning to do with our Crop Diagnostic Day and some other intricate trials.
On Saturday, I loaded up one of our cows to head to Stratton to have her feet trimmed. I generally haven’t had poor-footed cows, but when we brought her in for calving, I was shocked to see her feet. We headed to the sales barn, where the hoof trimmer was all set up doing pedicures.
It was an impressive setup that was very safe for both the trimmer and the cow. The trimmer said she had a small crack, and when she stepped down, it pinched or hurt, so she started walking back on her hooves, which in turn made them grow poorly. It was well worth the effort because once they head out to pasture, she may have ended up lame and unable to keep up.
I then had some special guests come to the farm to visit the lambs and bring me a new bunny! Brinley and Aylana brought me a cute lop-eared bunny they called “Flower.” She is a great addition to our little farm. Maddie and Marlee are anxious to get out to meet her. I still haven’t moved the rabbits out to their summer cages, and today, with it being so miserable, I am glad I didn’t.
You may remember me chatting about wanting to grow garlic, and that is the main reason I ended up with a few raised garden beds. Everyone is talking about their garlic being up. Not me. Last year, I blamed it on my cats, but this year, the beds are fenced, and the cats cannot get in there. I will give them a few more days, but I might have to give up on that dream! I have some new pumpkins I am going to try this year, so maybe that will distract from my disappointment over my unsuccessful garlic growing.
My mom and I finished castrating and tail docking and giving the lambs their first booster vaccines. I was debating whether to put the lambs that are nursing with their moms outside and just keep the bottle lambs in, but I decided to give them another week and with the weather we are experiencing, it is likely a good thing.
We are bottling three lambs and so far, four times a day. It is a pain because you need to stick to the schedule as they are finicky. Thankfully, my mom can go over at lunchtime, otherwise I would have a fair bit of driving to do!
