First snow and cold

By the time it was through snowing Saturday we had about four inches of snow. Then it got coldSaturday night , fluctuating between -8 to 0 . Then back down to -8 where it stayed.  Good thing we had treated the diesel fuel in the tractors.  Number #2 diesel can get cold and jell up in cold usually below 0 degrees.  We treat the fuel with a fuel additive that breaks up the wax in the fuel and allows it to flow in cold weather.  We are filling 26, 5 gallon pails with cake to cake the sheep. 26 is the magic number because 26 pails is all we can find.  Cold weather always makes chores go slower.  You wear more clothes and things just don't work as easy.  Monday we went to the ridge and got the cows in and sorted off the bulls and three old cows that we will sell later and took the rest of the cows to winter quarters for them. They will have some fresh grazing for a while.  we hope we won't have to feed them hay till after Dec. 1.  Christmas time would be better yet to begin feeding hay.  Then we hurried back and got  the sheep in and sorted off a group to keep open for beeding later for May/June lambing and turned bucks out with the rest ,for late April lambing somewhere in these groups are 250 that are already bred for march lambing.  They will be ultrasounded and sorted out next week. It got really nice today 48 degrees , but still have good snow cover.

Late Fall

A truck load of cake arrived last Tuesday. Cake is a grain pressed into a cube with minerals and vitamins added for the sheep.  We have been feeding the sheep about 2 pounds per day of hay along with a half pound of the cake. The cows are still gazing out on the pastures.  We have lic barrels out for a protein supplement for them. Next week we will move some cows to their winter pasture and some fresh grazing.  They are ready to go. The first snow fell this morning.  makes one think of winter coming.  It is cold about10 degrees. 

First week of November

tore the shingles off of the north addition to the house. About four squares.  Ryan did most of the work as I don't like high places very well.  I moved hay stacks a couple of days and finally finished.  Put the stackmover away for the winter.  We got the bred heifers in Wednesday and sorted off the ones we will keep and loaded the rest on a truck Thursday morning and sent them to Philip.  Finished the roof on Friday and went to the Heifer Sale in Philip on Saturday.  Heifers sold good at $1525 but some bunches of AI heifers brought $1800 per head.

Fall work.

Been working hard. Got all the haystacks finally moved.  The New Holland tractor had to spend two weeks in town at the shop.  Had to use the smaller slower Case/IH tractor , but got done.  The bred heifers have been sorted and the ones for sale have been hauled to the sale barn for tomorrows sale in Philip.  The weather has gotten colder so we have started supplementing the ewes with corn.  The coop can't get a load of cake to us till Nov. 15, may start feeding hay to flush the ewes.  Will be turning the bucks out later in the month.  Got the north side of the house shingled this week.  Ryan did most of the work.