WHoOpS! Dial 000

There are lots of things on the farm that are dangerous especially for little people like ME.

BUT ALSO

for big people.

You have to be a clever girl like me to play safe on the farm. There are dangerous places all over the farm. 

Dams, creeks and water tanks, silos, tractors, trucks, motorbikes, electric fences, chemicals, sheds AND ANIMALS.

Yesterday one of PopPop's steers proved to be a little dangerous. PopPop, Dad and the stock agent were about to load the steers on the truck to take them to market when one decided he didn't really want to go.

He 'bucked' his back legs in the air and accidentally hit PopPop.

PopPop landed on his back in the cattle yards and was in alot of pain.

Dad called the ambulance straight away, and they took PopPop away to hospital.

The doctor took special photos of PopPop's tummy and arms to see how bad he was hurt.

LUCKILY he has only a broken rib!!

He will spend a couple of days in hospital, the doctors can look after him best.

Weekend Work.

A week of school and learning, and then time to get out and get dirty.

There are more cattle to scan, a busy day in the cattle yards.

Lots of noise as calves call for their mothers, gates open and shut, and motorbikes move.

Dad and PopPop work the cattle in the yards, I watch everything going on with my baby doll Annabelle!

My job starts when the man has finished a mob. We will take the mob back to the paddock. One of my aunties has come home to help, so I am going to ride with her.

Mum will be on her own.

A big job for a Saturday morning, but by lunchtime all the cows and calves are back in the paddocks and happy.

PopPop is also happy. Nearly all his cows are going to have baby calves in August.

All hands on deck Sunday, a beautiful morning for blackberry picking!

Dad is very clever at finding things to do, so on the way home from picking blackberries, we do a little bit of fencing.
Dad says many hands make light work so we ALL get busy!

Down with the OLD....

and UP with the NEW

It will be so much better, it will keep the sheep and cows in the right paddock.

AND maybe even keep the kangaroos out too!

My job is to pick up all the old timber posts, then Mum will drive along and pick them up, they will make good firewood.

Dad says we have done really well...and thanks us for our help.

Teamwork!

Playful Poddys

My pet calves have grown up so much. Do you remember when they first came, they were babies?

September 2011

This morning as I was leaving for the school bus they were having alot of fun chasing each other.
I think they are very happy to be alive!

Freckles was not playing with the others, he is not feeling so well.
He is laying down, I think he may have a pain in the tummy, perhaps he ate a little too much OATS.

I will have to check on him when I get home from school.

Don't you think they would be fun to ride? 

You would have to hold on tight.

YEEHHAAAA!

One, Two or Empty!

Time to take a peek inside and see how many baby lambs the ewes have inside.

A big day mustering up ALL the ewes on the farm 2400 of them. The sheep yards are packed full of sheep.

Every ewe has to walk up into a special box......

and the man hiding in there scans her tummy to see how many lambs are inside...

a screen shows him how many lambs are hidden deep inside...

the ewes are then put into different groups, ewes with one lamb, ewes with two and ewes that are empty.

The empty ewes will be sold, they will not make us much money.

It is a very big days work, at then end of the day everyone is weary, even the dogs!

The work is not over yet.....all the sheep have to go back to the paddocks!

AND

We have to prepare for the 3268 lambs that will be born in 2 months time.

OH MY GOODNESS .....that is alot of baby lambs!

Successful Lessons.

Farmer's blog aims to connect city pupils to the paddock

- ABC Central West NSW - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/02/08/3425986.htm

All ABOARD!

More lambs fat and finished, ready for sale.

The money is not that good but they are ready.....we cannot keep them forever!

There are loads of lambs on other farms too, so it might take a while for the money to get better!

Too many for our truck, so a bit bigger one has come to pick them up and take them to sale.

All aboard......up, up and away.

Off to sale they go....fingers crossed.....that the money is OK.

Dad and Mum are a little disappointed that the money is not better for lambs,

BUT

things have to keep moving... in just a few months time there will be new lambs born.

We need to make room for them!

Empty or In Calf?

Back to school for me today, my second week of many to come.

BUT

first things first......

A dozen pelicans flew onto the dam behind the house last night, so Mum drove me down to see them gliding on the water and feeding on PopPop's golden perch.

 He won't be HAPPY!

They are beautiful birds!

Off to the cattle yards to check on things, before going to the bus.

A man is coming today to scan the cows to see if they are all going to have calves.

All the cows are put into the crush and held there while he takes a peek inside.

Can you see the eyepiece hanging from his cap?

He sees a picture of what is inside the cow there. Then he lets Dad know if she is empty or in calf. Empty cows have their eartag number recorded and they will be sold once their big calves are weaned from them. They will not make us any money this year so they will leave the farm. The ones with calves are good girls so they get to stay!

A messy job putting your hand up there....lucky he wears long gloves!

Is it Summer?

Crazy weather....

I thought summers were meant to be hot and dry. I think we are having a winter summer. It just keeps raining and the grass in the paddocks just keeps growing. Mum has taken some of the shorn merino lambs to the paddocks where the grain was harvested.

It is green with grass and LOTS of weeds.....

Dad has a major project underway, that will keep him real busy!

The farm we bought has no sheep or cattle yards.

Finally Dad is building the sheep yards, it will save us walking the animals a long way.

This is where they will go....I have been helping Dad measure things.

and this is the start....

I also have a major project underway.....I have started school! It is GREAT.....

the only problem is.....

Mum and Dad will only have my help on the weekends.

The rest of the week they will have no help...I hope they can manage!