Australian Talk.

[wbvs58]

Yeh Jilleroo, that is my sentiments exactly with most aid. It always is greatly biased to those that do nothing. With all the disasters of late the people that elected not to insure certainly got the lions share of things. My neighbour and friend does not insure anything, he has plenty of money but is just too tight to part with it on something that he does not think he will get anything back however if something did happen he would be looking for what he could get and for someone to blame.
Sounds like you will be dragging out the swag for those heifers Jilleroo.
Getting very dry here. If we don't get something within 2 wks I will dump them in the tin mine and give them a feed of grain mix once a day as it won't maintain their weight while lactating. I don't like to keep them going around my paddocks when there is not any regeneration after grazing. If I leave a bit there it recovers very quick once we get rain.
I have been going very well with the inseminations this year, things just seem to be falling into place. My hands don't allow me to do more than 5 in one session, preferably 3 and some of the big cervixes are impossible for me to grab and manipulate. Having more to do has helped a lot with the extra practice but it just seems that I am getting things through the cervix with a lot less effort. I think subconsciously you find easier ways of doing things for your situation.
I had 11 due to return the bull earlier this week and so far I have only seen one of them with him so chances are looking OK for the inseminations.

Ken

 

[jilleroo]

Hmmmm, seems like we're the only aussies left Ken....sad. There were a very small and isolated but heavy-where-they-fell storms around last night. Here's hoping there's more to come soon. The frogs have been vocal lately which is good. You might get a storm today.

I had thought of camping where the heifers are but there's no yards within coo-ee. Will see how the first twenty or so go and take it from there. Neighbour has lost the first 6 in a row of his calving droughtmaster heifers - not a good start. The heifers are in good order and certainly not too fat. Botulism is also accounting for a lot of cattle in the west, along with urea poisoning.

The feedlot heifers are doing excellently according to the manager. By the looks of the amount they're eating, they should be!

 

[greybeard]

Are any of you being affected by the Blue Mtn fires in NSW? I'm on a car forum that has some members in that region and they're pretty concerned today with the fires in the eucalyptus. I'm not sure which town this is overlooking, but one of them posted this pic just a few moments ago--Dapto I think he's from:

 

[wbvs58]

Are any of you being affected by the Blue Mtn fires in NSW? I'm on a car forum that has some members in that region and they're pretty concerned today with the fires in the eucalyptus. I'm not sure which town this is overlooking, but one of them posted this pic just a few moments ago--Dapto I think he's from:

No Greybeard, fortunately I am about 800km north of there and Jilleroo about the same north of me.
There are a lot of houses built amongst the trees on the escarpment around Katoomba, that is east of Sydney. The fires down that way get pretty nasty you get a bit of the sea breeze effect, cool air over the ocean rushes in to replace the hot air that rises and you get a pretty good updraft that really fans the fire up the escarpment. Once it gets into the canopy of the trees it is devastating.
We are in a high risk bush fire area in our state but fortunately we don't get the same conditions that they get down that way.
Ken

 

[Suzie Q]

Hi Guys, so long no see.

We don't hang on to them because we want to Ken. Last year we were flooded for over 3 months. We were bogging the tractors at the top of the hill, and there was no way we could get a truck full of cattle off the place. Brisbane got all that help with being flooded for one day. Over 3 months out here and we get nada.

Then with the drought up North and out West they sent all the cattle down here and glutted the market. The abbotoir would not take the cattle until after Winter, but was there a difference at the Supermarket? Not on your Nelly.

We got rid of everyone we didn't want and the Brahman Bull and swapped 3 of the Droughtmasters I had wanted to keep with no horns for a Bazadais Bull.

We made some hay last week. Just mainly getting rid of the weeds. We seem to have gone straight from Winter to Summer and forgot about Spring. There was a bit of lucerne in it so I am giving that to Sim.

I have put both horses back into work. I have started riding Sim and he is so quiet that hubby will be able to ride him. Twiggy pulled a muscle with airs above the ground so it will take longer before we do much with her.

We have also put the Family Home on the market which is 12 and 1/2 acres at Rochedale and has a Horse Agistment Business on it. My sister has been over from WA, so we have been redoing the Garden at Mum's new Villa as well as cleaning up the Property at Rochedale.

 

[Suzie Q]

I am sorry to hear of your losses Havingago. We blood our cattle, which you get from the DPI and get the one against 3 strains of tick fever not just 1. That means that if a beast goes down it is more likely to be 3 days sickness and they can get up again. With tick fever they don't. They go down and don't get up again.

Poisonous is fireweed and lantana. Bracken that someone else mentioned above.

 

[Suzie Q]

Geez Jilleroo and I was upset at having 6 in from next Door!!!!!!!

 

[Old_man_emu]

Are any of you being affected by the Blue Mtn fires in NSW? I'm on a car forum that has some members in that region and they're pretty concerned today with the fires in the eucalyptus. I'm not sure which town this is overlooking, but one of them posted this pic just a few moments ago--Dapto I think he's from:

That's the southern highlands fire around Bargo and Picton. That fire is only 20 minutes down the road so it's a bit smokey today.

 

[jilleroo]

How are things with you now OME? Did the scour issues settle down (with the calves I mean, not you!!) Hope those fires stay away.
Suzie you seem to be keeping busy as usual!
I hope you havent lost any more cattle Havinago....have you had some rain? If not, you could be in line for some shortly.
I saw footage on fb of them lifting drowned cattle out of a dam in SW Dakota with an excavator - and there were lots more floating in there, poor beggars.

 

[mwj]

How are things with you now OME? Did the scour issues settle down (with the calves I mean, not you!!) Hope those fires stay away.
Suzie you seem to be keeping busy as usual!
I hope you havent lost any more cattle Havinago....have you had some rain? If not, you could be in line for some shortly.
I saw footage on fb of them lifting drowned cattle out of a dam in SW Dakota with an excavator - and there were lots more floating in there, poor beggars.

Those cattle were smothered by snow in an early snowstorm that had up to 4 feet of wet snow and 70 mile per hour winds for two days!

 

[diana55]

As of this morning reports of 193 houses burnt and 109 damaged in the Blue mountains fires. Not sure of losses on the central coast. We are about 350 kilometres inland from the fires and very thick smoke has blown into our area -I hate the smell, scary. Reasonably calm now but stronger winds and higher temps forecast in coming days.

Sorry to read of the blizzard in SD. That is soul destroying. I don't think I could start again if I lost most of my cows and calves. So sad for the ranchers.

Also sorry you are still battling the drought Jilleroo. Surely it must rain soon. Enormous numbers cattle at Dubbo weekly auctions. Between 6,000 and 8,000 at recent sales. More were 'drawn for' but didn't all turn up. Friends sold aged dry cows at $1.38/kg live weight on Thursday and they averaged 600kg weight. Luckily they were fat. We need to sell some too-we decided not to rejoin them as summer is here and usually very hot and dry.

The DTD delivered 3 bulls last week to repeat clients so they must have happy with last bulls. Weighed registered angus for breedplan and vaccinated with pestigard, 7 in 1 and multimin. Join heifers next week, to our bull Thunder Down Under. His calves are excellent (better than the Ten X calves born at same time) -great structure, low birth, good growth. I joined some of my top cows to him two weeks ago to try and breed a few show calves.

Things have been a bit hectic lately. I have been away for 10 days with my mother as my father was very ill in hospital. Dear old Dad passed away on Thursday, aged 87. He had a good and happy life but we shall really miss him. During his hospitalisation we moved my mother from their farm into the 'granny flat' at my brothers house. She seems happy there and was able to take selected pieces of furniture which make it seem like 'home'. My youngest niece is doing a slideshow of photos, set to music of Man from Snowy River and theme from Dances with Wolves, for his thanksgiving service next Tuesday.. The church were quite agreeable -apparently it is quite common now. No doubt I'll be a blubbering mess on Tuesday but he is at peace now and not suffering, for which we are thankful.

Our neighbours have just baled a paddock of barley crop and rye grass so we bought 100 big round bales. Hopefully won't need it for a while but better to be 'looking at it, than looking for it' as my FIL used to say.

 

[Old_man_emu]

Diana I'm sorry for your loss, I hope it's a lovely service and that your dad is remembered as he should be.
The scours have settled now Jillaroo, it looks like it was viral and I have my suspicions pestivirus was involved. It knocked some of the calves for six but the stronger one seemed to have come through fine. I blood tested some first calvers and heifers and all but one has been exposed to pesti. So I have sent off hair samples for testing try to find any PI calves. If I find any I can test them mum and cull according.
The fire shouldn't come near us even though there are a lot of trees around and we are only a few k's from the bush. There is a lot of smoke here and some fine ash falling, the smoke seems to be getting inside it to the bedroom of all places! I can't really smell thanks to my hay fever.
We are off to broken hill tomorrow for a few days. We will take to 2 days each way, it will be our fist road trip with the bub!
Anyway, I'm off to bed, might do a rain dance on the way!

 

[wbvs58]

We got 8.5mm yesterday all told, not enough to do anything but at least it is a start.
Sorry to hear about your dad Diana.
I got to deliver a bull today too, the fellow that had the warts on his willy, they have all cleared up now. I put an add in the local paper and got a sale straight away. Things will be a lot easier around here now with him out of the way.
I was reading about things up your way Jilleroo in the CL. People defaulting on loans, property values down and people still needing money to keep cattle alive. It would be very easy to start thinking of no way out, no wonder depression and suicide is such a big issue. Words don't help much, only thing that will help is rain.
OME, the heifers are a good barometer for a PI around the place.

Ken

 

[burglar]

Sorry to hear about your Dad Diana, I hope Tuesday is a day of celebration for you.

 

[jilleroo]

Diana, please accept our condolences on the loss of your dear dad. It was 14 years this week that I lost my dad - mum moved into my brother and lovely sister-in-law's granny flat too....and she's still there! I've been to celebrations with a power point display and they're tough going - take plenty of tissues, but do try to smile and laugh as much as you can. Best wishes.

Here are some photos I took yesterday. Actually we're quite happy with how the cows are hanging on, everything considered.
Things are getting more difficult though as more calves arrive. We don't wish them away - they're our future income (hopefully!!)

 

[jilleroo]

Thanks mwj for giving details about the cattle in SD. Just incredible. The bushfires are still raging in NSW and things are worsening by the day.

The cows in the photos here are in one of the best paddocks feed-wise that we have. The main cow herd has less grass.
Cows are receiving different diets according to their paddock and condition. It varies from hay/cottonseed; cottonseed/M8U;
M8U only. All have 15% urea loose lick in tubs as well. Our northern place has less grass but only 600 cows which receive cottonseed/M8U and lick. Son has started throwing hay out there too. We've got a few hundred early-weaned calves also which are mainly on wheaten hay and lick.

 

[wbvs58]

Your doing a great job Jilleroo. Wish we could do more than just hope for rain for you.
My last cow calved last night, actually it was one of the heifers that I mucked up last year so she was a bit late. I love seeing the heifers calve, they are brilliant the way that they handle things which are completely unknown before the event.
I haven't worked out the ratio of bulls and heifers yet. The heifers were well ahead but the bull calves had a bit of a late rally so I think they may now be fairly even.
Ken

 

[jilleroo]

The paddock these photos were taken in has six bulls. Five of them are dark gold charbrays. The other bull is a homebred pure char which is only in the paddock because he won't stay anywhere else. You can see who well and truly gets more than his share of the cows!

 

[Suzie Q]

I am pretty sure it is for pesti that we vaccinate with the 7 in 1, not just the 5 in 1. That is so that we don't have dead calves.

 

[diana55]

The 7in1 is only 5 in 1 plus vaccine for 2 strains of leptospirosis. Pestigard must be used for prevention of BVD. Unfortunately it is quite expensive, but necessary.