Feeding Hay

Daniel loading the trailer. We can fit fifteen bales on one load.

A lot of what fills our time in mid-winter is feeding out hay. We have most of the cattle in a big group, about 750 head, on one of the rental farms.
The hay comes from big stacks that we made last July. The bales are loaded onto a flat bed trailer and then hauled out to the herd. One person works on the trailer cutting  strings off the bales and pushing the flakes, or patties as we call them, off the trailer while the other person drives up and down the field.  Right now we are feeding about thirty-two bales a day with each bale weighing 600lbs. On Monday and Wednesday we put out enough feed for two days and on Friday we put out enough for three days so that we don't have to feed on Sunday.

The big stack of hay.

 Sorry some of these pics. are blurry, I took them with my phone. Also, these shots were taken on one of the two days we had snow this winter. We have had some pretty mild weather this season.

We "had" snow.....

This past weekend on Sunday evening we had snow come into the valley. It was so beautiful because it stuck to everything. By Monday morning there was about six inches on the ground.  The weather warmed up fast though and most of the snow was gone by Wednesday afternoon. 

We all enjoyed the refreshing "white stuff" though it was short lived.

Coral and loading shoot

Eggmobiles taking their winter nap, but not for long!

The snow was pretty with the clear blue sky

Logs waiting to be cut into lumber by the sawmill in the background

We had some fun pulling people around on a sled with the ATV.

Daniel's kids loved the snow time

All the Piglets

Well, three sows have had their babies, the last one coming up to bat with fifteen!! Unfortunately, not all of the babies made it.  I'm told that is normal, but it is still a hard thing to get accustomed to.

Anyway, it was pretty cool to see some of the piglets be born! Daniel, Leanna and I watched the birthing of some of the last piglets from the litter of fifteen. I was amazed just watching the whole process. One minute the babies are getting all that they need for life exclusively from their mother before birth.  The next minute they are using lungs that have never known air before. It's just a miracle!

It has been fun to see them grow and it happens fast! You watch them bite and tumble around with each other and then if mama lays down......"drop everything and run, because it is meal time!"

too cute!!!