Front field

[Dave]

80 cows moved to the front field late yesterday afternoon. This morning I walked down the driveway and opened the gate. No cows close. Walked back and got in the feed truck. Turned down the driveway and there was a cow standing in it. I figured she would follow the feed truck. I figured wrong. Only fed one bale and the battery on the feeder was dead. Drove back and parked leaving the dogs in the truck. Hopped on the quad and easily pushed her back across the bridge and into the field. Closed the gate. Went back and hooked up the battery charger and fed some hay to two in the corral. I could hear that cow and she was still by the gate. The dogs were with me this time. I planned to just push her out to where the herd is eating. Started to open the gate so I could go through (it is a wire gate). As I stepped through the gate sagged and at the same time my dog decided that this cow needs to be pushed. I tried to lift the gate in front of her but too late. Down the driveway she goes again. I set things up again. Take the dogs and put them in their kennel. I take a flag with and this time when she goes through the gate I push clear to where the herd is eating hay. She goes to eating like that was the plan all along. A 20 minute job turned into an hour and a half.

After church the battery was all charged up. I fed the cows the second bale. Here is 80 cows in the afternoon feed row. One shot looking west and another looking east

 

[Mrcopier]

Things always take longer than they should

 

[uplandnut]

If memory serves, you bought a big square bale flake feeder. How are you liking it?

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Mechanics have a saying "every 15 minute job is one broken bolt away from being a 3 day job".

The same applies to cows. All it takes is one uncooperative cow to turn a 20 minute job into half a day. Ha

 

[Dave]

If memory serves, you bought a big square bale flake feeder. How are you liking it?

It is the best thing since sliced bread. Just drive along pushing the button the flakes fall off. The most time consuming part of the entire operation is cutting the twine off the second bale. And that don't take long.

 

[Dave]

In the two pictures you can see it is the middle of December and there is no snow. The hill behind the house in the first picture is 4,700 feet tall. In the second picture there is a peak to the right. That is Lookout Mt which is 7,100 feet. Normally there is plenty of snow on both of them by now.