by Texas Homesteader
When our yearling bull was sold, our young granddaughter had a hard time saying goodbye to her ‘Little Buddy’.
~TxH~
Wordless Wednesday: Saying Goodbye
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Tag Archives: ranch life
Wordless Wednesday: Summer Beauty
by Texas Homesteader ~
Wordless Wednesday: Natural summer beauty – sunflower, windmill & old barn.
~TxH~
Milking My First Cow: Using FRESH Milk!
by Texas Homesteader
Recently we had a cow give birth to a calf. Although she gave us a fine, healthy heifer calf, she was having a difficult time with her calf emptying one of her teats.
Each day that one teat grew bigger and we’d hoped that the calf would eventually latch onto it like she was the others. (we’ve had that circumstance in the past and it’s always worked out fine)
But the teat began to get so full it was large & tight and too difficult for the calf to attempt to nurse it. So she just didn’t.
I was worried about the cow developing mastitis so I knew I needed to take action. I’ve never milked a cow before. Ever. Until now. Ain’t nothin’ to it, y’all! I feel like an official country woman now!
Come With Me For A Day At The Homestead
by Texas Homesteader~
Summer is officially here and WHEW it’s really heating up lately. We’ve already endured one the the wettest springs in history around here so many of the routine tasks we typically stay on top of have been pushed back for drier weather.
Although there are still plenty of muddy areas around the Homestead, we’ve got lots to do today. So we’ll do whatever we need to do to get the job done. Did you ever wonder what a typical day at our NE Texas Homestead really looks like? C’mon with me for A Day At The Homestead…
Successful Obedience Training For Our Ranch Dog
by Texas Homesteader~
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We adopted our sweet mini-Schnauzer Bailey from a local no-kill shelter a year ago and we adore her. But oh she needed some obedience training!
She didn’t sit/come/stay at all, she lunged & growled at the cows & chased the chickens. And oh my goodness any time the door was opened she skirted around our legs & busted outside, running as fast as she could for the highway with no turning back.
Now these are all bad behaviors that needed to be corrected, but out here on the ranch it’s super important to have immediate obedience from her.
Life can be dangerous for her out here. For instance in the very recent past we’ve had to call her in from the back yard as a coyote was trotting toward the house. If not for her immediate unquestioning obedience she could have easily gotten injured.
Or what about her curiosity about a copperhead snake? Or potentially rabid skunk? Immediate obedience from her is non negotiable out here. It’s a MUST.
Wordless Wednesday: “The BOY”
by Texas Homesteader ~
RancherMan refers to our beefy bull as “The Boy”. LOL
~TxH~
C’mon by & sit a spell! Come hang out at our Facebook Page. It’s like sitting in a front porch rocker with a glass of cold iced tea. There are lots of good folks sharing!
And you can also follow along on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram or Instagram.
Helping Other Ranches with Artificial Insemination
by Texas Homesteader~
We utilize bovine artificial Insemination on our ranch when we want to mix up our herd pedigrees, blend breeds, or perhaps have a special cow deliver an extra-high-quality calf, etc. I’ve written before about various ways AI is very beneficial to the rancher, especially for smaller ranches where it’s often more difficult to buy & maintain a high-quality bull for just a few cows.
RancherMan is a certified A.I. technician. And we also have all our own AI equipment including medications, nitrogen tank, bull semen straws, etc. So we sometimes perform A.I. jobs for local ranches from time to time. We recently received an email asking for help with a local man’s heifers. After a few emails & phone calls the schedule was set to begin in a few weeks. We prefer to use a 10-day timed synchronization program & we wanted to follow the heifer protocol to offer the highest possibility for successful breeding.
Come With Me For A Day At The Homestead
by Texas Homesteader~
I’ve had many people tell me they wonder what a typical day at a Texas ranch might be like. So last year I published a post detailing a day in our lives here in our NE Texas paradise. But that was during the heat & drought of summer, a very different kind of day than in the cold of winter.
So I thought it would be fun to let you walk around with us today to see what a day at the ranch is like when it’s c-c-c-cold outside! C’mon, put on your mud boots, bundle up in your heaviest coveralls, grab your gloves & follow me – it’ll be a blast!
