How to Recognize Heat (Breeding, Not Temperature)

When I went outside this morning, I watched in amazement as one of the cows mounted one of the calves over and over again. Obviously that baby was in standing heat (which means the cow will stand still for a bull to mount her).

Two-year-old Fern, though, is the one we need to watch. Phil said that, when I was out of town, one of the cows mounted Fern over and over again. And she was giving a little sign of heat. Usually she’s the cows least favorite, but today they sniffed her backend, and one put her head over Fern’s rump. These are both interesting, and good to note, but not definitive, it seems to me.

I spoke with the friendly local vet, and she said that they can store straws for me. That is a great relief. She also said that we’re heading in to a bad time of year to try AI, since the hot weather makes the animals listless. And her husband, the AI technician, will be out of the country in three weeks. Oh, well—it can’t be helped. Until earlier this week, we were planning to get a bull. Phil even went and looked at bulls while I was out of town.

Then we decided to try AI. I take encouragement from our sermon a few weeks back: Be careful for nothing (as in, full of care, or anxious). Do what you can, and give it to God. That’s how I feel about this: I’ll order what I can, to arrive when it needs to, and line up storage and technicians (maybe the man who sold us our first sheep could do AI when the vet’s husband is out of town), but in the end, it’s up to God.

I guess it always is.

To reassure me that Fern is, truly in heat, she went into standing heat this afternoon! Three weeks from today, then, we’ll try to be ready. And if not in three, then in six. The Lord knows.

Phil went to look at John Deere Gators, the one larger vehicle we think we will need. It’s a bit like an ATV, but has a bed on the back like a mini-truck. He came away unsure of what we should get. It’s tricky because if you over-buy in power or design, you’re out some money, but if you under-buy, you’re out the total purchase price. (But no pressure.)

We picked up some old hay bales for cold frames, though it’s getting a bit late in the season for that. Maybe I can still use them, though.

After the two inches of rain last night, we were amazed to see another thunderstorm roll in. This one brought an incredible inch of rain in less than an hour. Phil said the water ran across our land in sheets. (One of the things we will hope to change over time: better water absorption!)

It knocked out our power, too, for a few hours.

And we think it may have panicked the sheep. Phil noticed that they kept bleating, so he went to check on them. He had left the fence off at one point today, and all three babies had gotten out, and one of the larger lambs had also entangled himself in the fencing. I’m thankful he went to check.

Our life is exciting, all the time!