Australian Talk.

[Suzie Q]

Interesting Ken. I often had the mechanic say that the bore was scored and not worth fixing, but of course I never saw the machines to know if he was right or not.

Hubby used the David Brown and FEL to remove her from the lagoon and take her away from our Neighbour's house and ours and he cremated her.

Hubby finally put up the smoke alarms. I only bought them when we first moved in!!! Nearly 10 years ago. He then put the vertical grill on which smoked and set off the alarm. That will really wake you up. He will have to remove it from the kitchen as there is no button to turn it off and we don't want it going off every time we use the vertical grill.

He also fixed the kitchen draws. They are like new and I really thought that it was a case of us maybe needing a new kitchen as they were unfixable!!!! So I am very happy.

 

[wbvs58]

Suzie, when I haven't used my wood stove for a while and the flue is blocked I usually fill the the house with smoke and the smoke alarm never goes off. If I try and cook sausages it will go off in a few minutes.
Ken

 

[wbvs58]

I went to an auction today and picked up a grain feeder for $1000. It's not in bad condition, holds 4 ton. The idea is, over the next couple of months while I am feeding bulls if I want to go away for a break I can put them on the feeder in a paddock with good water and just get someone to check them every couple of days.

Ken

 

[Suzie Q]

Good idea Ken.

Well I have finished fixing up the problem with my blog for my online store. That took a week but it is fixed and should be set for 2 years.

Hubby has fertilized and ploughed the paddocks.

I have put some of my too big clothes on Gumtree.

So now we can start our weekend!!!!! of no work!!!

 

[Old_man_emu]

Do any of you have any experience with private kill? I am looking at having a steer killed and packaged but I don't know what exactly to expect in the breakdown. I know my butcher says a carcase will yield about 70% in saleable product so I can roughly work out the weight of what I will get back but I don't know much about the breakdown. I did find a chart from Aus-meat that had a carcase broken completely in to primal cuts with approximate percentages and weights but no mention of mince or anything of the sort.

 

[Old_man_emu]

Do any of you have any experience with private kill? I am looking at having a steer killed and packaged but I don't know what exactly to expect in the breakdown. I know my butcher says a carcase will yield about 70% in saleable product so I can roughly work out the weight of what I will get back but I don't know much about the breakdown. I did find a chart from Aus-meat that had a carcase broken completely in to primal cuts with approximate percentages and weights but no mention of mince or anything of the sort.

 

[Suzie Q]

We organise everything with our butcher OME. However the Transport is paid separately, however the beast is picked up with other beasts also going to the abattoir for the butcher.

We fill out a form as to what cuts we want. Whether fat sausages or thin sausages, whether you want the offal or the dog bones, etc, etc.

 

[wbvs58]

OME, I have never had any butchered, just too much meat for me. I did do a 100kg calf a few years ago that had broken a leg and I did not mess with it, I slaughtered it and dressed it and took it in 2 halves around to my mate Mario who has a cold room and so were able to hang it for about 2 weeks. I split it the best I could but the cuts were fairly small but OK. We did a lot of chops, forequarter leg chops and a lot of small roasts from the hind quarter just using Marios band saw. It was very easy to do and had very little wastage and the meat ate real good, very tender it lasted me about 12 months, an amazing amount of meat really. Around here most people use a mobile butcher who brings a portable coldroom to hang the carcase in however they usually will only hang it for a couple of days which is enough for it to set so it can be split but just not enough to allow it to breakdown a bit and unless it is a high quality carcase ends up a bit chewy.
We still haven't seen any frosts here yet, minimums only about 7-8 C though a bit colder in town. The grass is still growing here so pretty good really.
The older bull that I hope to sell in July has a bit of a problem. He was out with 40 heifers earlier this year and he picked up a few genital warts, quite a few really, right on the end of his willy, very grotesque. They will usually resolve by themselves but I need it to happen well before the sale. Tomorrow I am going to cut one off and make up an autogenous vaccine and inject him with it hoping to stimulate his immunity.
Ken

 

[jilleroo]

Well we all survived the trip to Singapore....I managed to get my 85 yr old mum back in one piece.
I held her right arm all day every day so she didnt fall. She had a walking stick in the other hand. As well, I carried all her shopping .... and she did lots....I did virtually none as I wasnt able to! But that's all right, the trip wasnt about me, it was for her. The Stamford was magnificent and afforded a picture-perfect view of a lot of Singapore's attractions such as Marina Bay Sands, the Merlion, Gardens by the Bay etc. Singapore was impressive, very clean and neat, the people very well-mannered and friendly. It was straight back into work after getting home yesterday, hubby and I spent the day mustering, drafting, weaning and branding. We were sitting in the dirt having a corned beef sandwich for lunch - that time last Saturday Mum and I were at Raffles Hotel dressed in our finest! No more 5-star for me now, we're trying to get as many calves as possible off the cows, weaning down as small as we can without having to feed milk. Exactly what we're going to do with several hundred calves remains to be seen.

Congrats on the new bub OME! Hope you're getting some sleep at night!

Would like to write more but need to get some sleep ready for tomorrow.

 

[wbvs58]

I've just been a couple of days in Brisbane. I had to install the wardrobe doors and hang a few more curtains and blinds plus a few jobs at Pam's.
Back here the weather is still relatively warm, have not had a frost yet so the temperate grasses are still growing pretty well. I plan to go down to Glen Innes this week and pick up a bit of super plus they have a good range of cold season grasses down there. I gave the truck a service today, found a small diesel leak on one of the delivery pipes at the pump that goes to an injector, I hope it just needs a new seat fitted and that I will be able to pick that up myself and fit it. I am a bit wary about undoing anything around the pump, if it is not supposed to be undone it can lead to having the whole pump overhauled at great expense.
Here is a link to the new cow that I bought the other day, there is a photo of her.
http://abri.une.edu.au/online/cgi-bin/i ... 9=5E5D5150
Ken

 

[Old_man_emu]

Very nice young cow there Ken and from a solid background. Was she sold just weaned or with calf?

 

[Suzie Q]

LOL at the mud on her Ken. It sounds like Pam needs some training with her own cordless drill!!

My friend has asked me to help her show some Birds in the Boonah Show. I said of course I would. She is thinking of putting some parrots in and maybe a rooster, however if the hens of the parrots are nesting she doesn't want to upset the apple cart so it will depend on them.

I will get some beer bottles from my brother. Then if I have a nice dahlia I might put that in. I will probably put my carousel (made out of paper and when you turn it the horses and gondolas go around and up and down) and I might put in a couple of photos as well. LOL they also have a section in the garden section for a vase full of weeds, so I could probably go in that too.

 

[wbvs58]

OME, just weaned the calf. She is due to calve early August to Tuwharetoa Regent.
Ken

 

[burglar]

Getting ready to plant some winter oats tomorrow. Went to Warwick today and bought a spreader. Threw out some fertilizer this afternoon and borrowed my uncles seeder to plant tomorrow. Hope to get some moisture up here soon to get them going.

Ken, is your new cow in the tin mine? Love to pop by and take a look next time I'm up your way.

 

[wbvs58]

Dale, I've got her down the front paddock out here with my heifers, yeh drop around.
I've been at a bit of a loose end lately, I have a lot of work I want to do around the paddocks but it has been just a bit wet to do what I want to do. It is starting to dry up a bit now, still some very wet soaks but I can avoid them. First off I'll go down to Glen Innes and pick up a load of super to spread however I am waiting for the seals to arrive for my truck, I expected them to come today in the mail but no luck so hopefully tomorrow. I have a paddock that I want to rip and drop out some seed, some stacks to burn, slash the lovegrass at the other place and then some fence work in the yards.
One of the bulls I want to sell in July has a bit of a problem, he was out with about 40 heifers down at Dalveen and has come home with a big bunch of warts on his willie. I got to hope that they disappear before I have to have him tested. I have made up an autogenous vaccine and gave him the first dose last Thursday to try and stimulate an immune response. Things don't happen too fast when your looking at it twice a day though.
Still no sign of any frost out here yet.
Ken

 

[jilleroo]

I think you'll get your frost soon Ken.
No good news from out this way. Most beef producers, except a lucky few, are in survival mode with very few options available.
It's hard to have any sort of a plan, most people are just going day to day and hoping for a miracle. A big hit of rain would go a long way to relieving the problems but Mother Nature has the taps firmly turned off. Some people are on the road with their cows, no real plan as to where they're heading, just doing their 10kms a day to keep the authorities happy.
We've had a lot of the cows through the facilities this week and have taken off the bulk of the calves. They all look pretty good at this stage - we're handfeeding a few small calves, a set of twins, half of twins etc but nothing much - yet.

 

[Sean M]

I think a lot of people are wanting some rain. I went to the Armidale saleyards on thursday with my dad and it's the worst prices I think I've ever seen. A lot of them didn't look in too bad a condition so it doesn't look like forced sales but the market just seems flooded with cattle at the moment. Not a good time to be selling.

 

[wbvs58]

I'm sure I sent a post on Saturday but it doesn't seem to be here.
I got the parts for my truck and fixed it on Saturday, was a fairly easy fix and a total cost of $6 so that was a lot better than having to have the injector pump overhauled. I will probably leave the trip to Glen Innes till Wed as a bit of rain forecast for tomorrow.
This morn I got the bulls in to give the fellow his 2nd dose of vaccine for his warts so I hope something will start happening soon. I also had to do an ear notch on him for BVD. I bought a box of 10 test kits for them so I can do them myself, saves the hassle of sending away. The other 2 sale bulls I branded with their numbers, I have reverted to just fire branding them, the RAU came in handy to hold them still to get a nice clean brand.
Very warm again tonight though they are talking some cooler stuff as soon as these showers clear.
Ken

 

[Suzie Q]

It is raining here this morning.

Well I spent the day yesterday on photos. I am very disappointed with my laser printer. The photos were not good enough. I don't know whether it is the printer or maybe the imagin drum, but they were not good enough as I wanted to put them into the Local Show.

I went to my Friend's place where her husband had bought her a printer and I have been over to print things for them as they don't know how to use it yet. I am teaching her. She was delighted that she was able to help me for a change. I printed the photos and then came home and mounted them on card and took them in so they will go into the Local Show this weekend.

I am not off automatic and we are just entering for fun. So My carousel is now in for paper craft and the photos are now in. On Friday morning I will go around the garden and see what flowers are out and put some in as well. Again I am not professional and my friend and I are just doing it for fun. We don't expect to win anything.

I am going to help her take some birds in on the day of the Show as well.

 

[Suzie Q]

A Job Interview today, so wish me luck. I think I already have it. I saw an advert saying that a Nursery wanted a Picker. I rang and he sounded jovial and like me. He said it was picking up aquatic plants, LOL, I told him that for the last 4 months I have been pulling out water hyacinth up to 5 hours a day. He set the time for after he had raked so I told him I do all the raking and baling here, so I knew what he was talking about.

He said it is a lot of bending but that doesn't scare me with the Pilates I have been doing I know longer have aches and pains and I touch my toes every day so my muscles are prepared for it. I did write about it yesterday on my Blog if you are interested. http://www.suesonlineshoppingstore.com/ I have already updated it today with free samples so you will have to go down to the third post that has Pilates in the title.

He said that it was 8 hours a day, 4 hours a week and over $20.00 an hour. PERFECT plus I can work on staying fit and healthy. Wish me luck!!!

I had a look yesterday and there is a dahlia out, some chrysanthemums which really are not exciting and some geraniums. The dahlias have really finished. I will go over to the orchard and see if there is anything else out over there, but other than that I can also put in a vase full of weeds!!!! I didn't pick a fire weed the other day when I saw it. I will pick it today and add it to the vase of weeds.

So I won't be putting much in but it will be more than none. That has to be in by 10 am and the job interview is after 11 am so that ties in nicely. I will go ready to work.