Bath and Bliss!

The biggest frost ever this morning, it really was a winter wonderland out there!

BUT

an absolutely beautiful day after the ice melted.

The farm truck has to go to town tomorrow to be inspected so it is off with the dirt.

BATHTIME!

on the top....

underneath....

everywhere!

Even the motorbikes scored an overdue bath.....

And whilst the sun is shining the first calf born soaks up the morning sun.

Welcome to the world....baby.

Due Date....Any Day!

Winter is halfway over .....thank goodness.

The chilblains on my toes are really sore!

It seems that no matter what the weather there is always something to do on the farm.

The heifers are due to start calving any time now. 

Dad and I finished giving them their needles yesterday. 

It was very cold. I am sure it was snowing somewhere!

I was Dad's right hand man yesterday...my job to close the gates behind the girls as they walked up to get their needles.

All done, time to put them back in the paddock and wait.

Any day now the baby calves could arrive.

We will check on the heifers everyday just in case someone gets into trouble.

Some special visitors to the farm today. We hosted the local trail ride.

Thirteen beautiful horses came to the farm and went for a ride through the paddocks.

I even got to go for a little ride on two of them.

I so wish I had a horse, then I could ride along with them!

Cycle of Life!

Just as I grow up and get bigger and stronger, so to do all the babies born on the farm.

The ewes have done all they can for the lambs and their milk is starting to dry up.

The winter feed is short and the lambs need more food to keep growing.

The decision is made.....

It is time for all the lambs to be weaned from the ewes.

Dad says it will be better for both the ewe and the lamb.

The lambs receive a booster needle for diseases and a drench for worms. 

They also get a purple eartag, a bit like an ear ring for sheep!

Checking whether they remembered to clean their teeth this morning!

They will get a fresh pasture paddock to eat and a feeder of grain....
what more would a sheep want!

A CUDDLE FROM ME!

The ewes will return to the paddock and rest. They will be sad for a little while.

BUT they get to have another baby next year.

Back to the Boards!

Well the school holidays are almost over....

and they have been jam packed with plenty of farm work.

I have been mustering with Dad and Bear. 

The shearers are coming this week and so is the rain, so we need to get them to the shed.

Beautiful day for a stroll....

Nearly there...

Sheep work today...crutching the one year old sheep.

It has rained overnight but the sheep are all dry as they have been tucked up in the shed.

The three shearers arrive early and have started at 7.30am. 

There are 1100 sheep to crutch today.

So it is heads down and bottoms up.

All finished by 3 o'clock. The shearers leave for home.

We still have plenty of work to do, the sheep are going to be vaccinated.

And some of them have to be drenched.

So out to the yards!

For the Dogs?

Do you know what goes into dog food?

You will never guess....triticale.

Today a big truck came to the farm

 and took the fourth load of triticale to the dog food factory!

I did not know so many different animals ate the grain that we grow. 

I feed grain to my chooks, to make them lay eggs.

Dad feeds grain to the sheep, to help them grow wool and meat.

Pop feeds grain to his cattle, to grow meat.

AND they even use it to make my breakfast cereal.

That makes the grain we grow very important for lots of different animals.

Cow OR Duck?

Not long now...2 weeks to go, and the baby calves will begin to arrive.

All the cows have been to the yards to receive a needle.

It will protect both them and their baby calf from lots of different diseases. 

Pulpy Kidney, tetanus, black leg disease and leptospirosis...

WOW...that is a mouthful of words!

The cows have very big tummies, and they waddle along like ducks.

On the way to their new paddock they walked through a dam....

maybe they think they are DUCKS?

The weatherman says that there is big rain coming this week, 

so time to get busy while the weather is nice.

The weaner cattle are back in the yards to be drafted into boys and girls.

  

My mates are going with them, Clover, Queenie, Stinky, Stella, Freckles and Curly.

I am not sure whether they like their new friends?

See you all later... I will miss you!

Clover and his new friends

They will not be back for sometime now, time for them to grow up bigger.

"Lookout Lambkins!"

A new day,

 a winters day

and the first day of the school holidays!

Finally all the lambs on the farm have been mustered into the sheepyards.

And all of them have been picked up and given their needles and had a few other operations carried out!

All 2358 of them!

BUT WAIT A MINUTE....there are still six lambs left to go.....

Time for Decker, Squirt, Mrs Brown, Racer, Rocket and Coco to visit the surgery.

My lambs are very cheeky, they wander around everywhere....even in Mum's garden!

Cheeky lambs!

We have to trick them.....first all we will give them their milk.... 





They sure do drink fast......now for the operations.....first the needles

Decker you are first1

That wasn't so bad....
oops.....they are a bit sore. 

BUT it is for the best in the long run!