WATCH US GROW
Another busy year full of firsts! We're growing, learning, and having so much fun!!
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5 calves born; 4 bulls & 1 heifer
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Quilo was the first 2021 baby, born during February's blizzard and becoming our first bottle baby. He was also the first calf born to a heifer (Jasabell) on the ranch
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Sabik's birth in March gave us our first calf conceived on the ranch via AI (to Reckon So). Sabik is the 2nd calf out of Angel Eyes since she's been on the ranch (Dinner was first, born February 2020)
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Nash was born in May - the 2nd of Reckon So's calves via AI and the 2nd calf out of Rachel while she was on the ranch (Nelson was first, born February 2020)
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Neno's birth in November gave us the first calf sired by our bull, Nelson and was also mom Vega's first calf
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Lia was born in December - the 2nd calf out of Heartbreaker while she's been on the ranch (Mali was first, born April 2020) and the 2nd calf sired by our bull, Nelson
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5 calves sold
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Quilo & Sugar were the first to find new homes - just down the road with the Garretts​
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Carina and Rachel went second. A necessary move to prevent inbreeding with Nelson. Rachel went to the Noels at Horns Up Ranch. Carina is just across the pasture from Rachel at the ranch neighboring Horns Up Ranch
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Nash went last - also to the Garretts
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With Nelson having learned his job, our AI journey has come to an end​
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We've mastered the egg incubator
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Looking forward to 2022
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Lyra is due any day - she will likely calve sometime the first week of January (probably in the middle of the night on the coldest day of the year). Her calf will be the 3rd sired by Nelson and her first delivery ever
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Jasabell is showing obvious signs of late-term pregnancy. I predict she'll calve in February. If that prediction comes true she'll calve almost a year exactly after giving us Quilo last year. Her calf will be the 4th sired by Nelson
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Dinner will fill the freezer in February. We're still anxious about this...
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We've got lots of heifers that are just reaching sexual maturity. Given Nelson's proven effectiveness I suspect we'll have quite a few calves born mid to late 2022
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Buck hasn't had any interest in Bree since late spring / early summer 2021. Is there a foal on the way?
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Hopefully a successful introduction of keets
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Potential rehoming of Nelson through sale, trade, or temporary bull swap if we decide to keep Lia
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Introduction of mason (spring) and leafcutter (fall) bees to help my struggling garden. Attempts over 2 seasons have resulted in 2 tiny green peppers, 6 lunchbox red peppers, a couple dozen jalapenos, a handful of tiny, tiny tomatoes, and tons of frustration
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2021 in Review
FINALLY a heifer!!!! We knew Heartbreaker was expecting - she'd been showing some small signs of late-term pregnancy for a few weeks, but we didn't expect her to calve so soon. We'd been watching Lyra much more closely (she still hasn't delivered as of this update), but while eating dinner with the herd on the evening of 12/29 Heartbreaker suddenly ran toward the gate and seemed very agitated. We let her out, she briskly walked into the woods, and within a half hour Lia was on the ground. Another half hour and mom had her up nursing. And the next morning mom had her at the hay ring for breakfast.
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Lia is the 2nd calf sired by Nelson. Conceived about a month after Neno, when Nelson was about 13.5 months old. We named her Lia, of Greek origin meaning 'the bringer of good news'. Hopefully her birth is the start of a 2022 heifer streak that parallels the 80% bull rate we ran in 2021!
LR Awesome Lia
12/29/21





LR Awesome Neno
11/11/21
Neno's story is funny!! We attempted to AI mom Vega to Reckon So in December '20 for a 9/25/21 calf, but she escaped as we were loading her into the chute. We called her a few well-deserved names, threatened to eat her, then decided to leave her open as practice for still-young Nelson. At the time he was only 10 months old, so we never even considered a 2021 calf.
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In mid-October we started to see a bit of an udder and by late October it was clear there was a calf on the way. Mom delivered in the wee hours of the morning on 11/11. We were alerted by Michelle and Ginger who were standing in front of the house sounding the alarm. By the time we got outside, Neno was on the ground and Vega was busy cleaning and drying him. Within the hour he was on his feet and nursing - such a smooth delivery by first-time mom Vega!
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Neno is Nelson's first calf, conceived just after dad's first birthday and born just after he turned 21-months old. That crafty, crafty bull was laughing at me while I was teasing him about how long it was taking him to learn his job!
Given the unexpectedness of his arrival, we've named him Neno, a derivative of the Slavic name Nenad, which means 'conceived unexpectedly; sudden appearance of somebody without a hope of expectation'.
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The sunsets and stars have been magnificent recently. Vivid colors and bright, bright stars with planets in alignment. And the pigs are back!!







More Chickens!
July - September '21
They say chickens are addicting... and they're right!!! The girls went broody again in mid-July but were killing the chicks in their shells. I think the heat and lack of humidity contributed but after disposing of half-hatched eggs for a week or so I couldn't stand any more and intervened, as is my nature. I bought an incubator, moved the remaining viable eggs inside, hatched them, then put them back under the sitting hens when they were about a week old. The moms happily accepted them and it was such fun watching a half-dozen or so hens running around the yard with their chicks.
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But the addiction had taken over and I then hatched a few more (I lost count of how many!!) clutches of chicks & ducks. The result was a very, very full coop that then had me talking about expansion. Fortunately I came to my senses and quit (for the season). I did, however, take a stab at keets... an abject failure - sorry keets!! I'll try again in the spring... With all the extra chicks in the coop trying to sleep in the nesting boxes we had to come up with a way to keep them out at night. Solution - a set of boards that could be placed down at night to cover the nesting boxes and raised during the day to allow the hens to lay.
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In our ongoing attempt to get out name known in the market we designed a yard sign and bought advertising space in the TLBAA's Trails magazine.
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AND MORE RAIN!!!
















The rain just kept coming and coming and coming! Our property was a mud pit, the creek was roaring, and the pond was nearly over its banks, but we were luckier than many others who were underwater. We finally enlisted some help in the form of dirt work to get the rain to drain better and tons of new rock in the places that were the worst off, including the horse stalls where the horses were sinking up to their ankles while eating. With all that rain came the bugs, so we started fly control with a vet gun, which was much less stressful for the cows and more enjoyable for Mike.
Rain and Mud
Mid-May to Mid-June '21











Respected Rachel was AI'd to Reckon So on 7/31/20. The result is LR Tuff Nash - a beautiful Mother's Day gift! He's the 3rd bull born this year, following Quilo (2/13) and Sabik (3/12). Rachel last gave birth to Nelson 2/4/20 on a bitterly cold, windy day. This year's weather was so much nicer, making his birth and the several days after much more relaxing for her and us.
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Nash was named after the Gamma Sagittarii star, which is located in the Sagittarius constellation. Nash is located exactly on the spout of the ‘teapot’.
LR Tuff Nash
5/9/21


Broody Hens & Chicks
5/6/21
I did some research and made some adjustments to the coop in the hopes of getting some of the hens to decide to hatch eggs. I noticed some staying in the nest longer than usual in early April then we had our first chick hatch May 6. As of today (5/9) we've had 6 total eggs hatch from the first clutch with 1 other casualty. There are 2 other hens sitting seriously. Their clutches should start to hatch next week then the week after.

Dad did it again - a beautiful piece of art disguised as furniture. A BIG project, but the end result is gorgeous, giving us much-needed storage space. We built it in the shed then moved it into the house for finishing work. The electrical had to be relocated, too.
Pantry
4/11/21 - 4/26/21





























Sabik
3/12/21
Sabik was late - 13 days to be precise. So late we'd begun to think we had the wrong dates, but several record checks showed mamma Angel Eyes was in fact due 2/27. So we waited and waited. He finally arrived early in the morning 3/12. We first saw him at about 6am. He was cleaned up and looking handsome but clearly had not been on the ground long.
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Sabik, also designated as η Ophiuchi, is a binary star system composed of two white subgiant stars located in the constellation Ophiuchus. In Arabic it means 'one who comes in first'. A fitting name because his is the first calf born on Lemonade Ranch who was also conceived here.
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Just like brother Dinner, born to Angel Eyes 2/24/20, Sabik shares his mom's design. His brown coloration is unique to our herd.

Sabik at 2 months, 5/9/21:


A wild, crazy, uncomfortable couple of days that hopefully we'll never, ever, ever see again! We knew cold weather was coming and took precautions, but we never really expected it would get as bad as it did. We were miserable, but we were very lucky.
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We stored up on extra hay and other animal food and started double feeding on 2/9 to get the animal's engines burning in high gear so they were creating as much internal heat as possible. We bought and installed extra heat lamps for Phil and the chickens. Then it started to get cold, and windy. That was followed by even more cold, wind, snow, and ice.
The hoses on our auto watering system froze first - we expected that and were prepared to fill the water troughs manually using a hose. But the hose froze even in the pump house, so we had to bring it into the house between uses to keep it usable. Then the water in the troughs started to freeze - we didn't expect that... they hold 100 gallons! So we started going out every hour, day and night, to keep the ice at bay. Even that wasn't enough. We fortunately came across a posting on one of the TX Longhorn sites we follow suggesting putting a milk jug filled with water and salt in the trough. By the time we read that we were down to one usable trough - talk about just in time. It worked like a charm and kept the remaining trough in service through the storm. Dad suggested putting a heat lamp in the pump house to keep the lines above the ground from freezing - great idea! The pump house was probably the warmest place on the property!
TX Blizzard 2021 and Quilo
2/10/21 - 2/20/21




Then the propane ran out on Friday. I for some reason thought we'd just had it filled, but boy was I wrong. Without propane, we had no heat, no hot water, no stove/oven. Local propane companies didn't have any supply... when the cold came in all the machinery in the plants shut down and it wasn't possible to get out-of-town supplies in due to the poor road conditions. Fortunately, we own our propane tank so we're able to get filled by any company, and finally after spending hours on the phone with dozens and dozens of companies we found 1 that was able to help. Unfortunately, they couldn't get out until Monday. We were facing 3 days without heat - days with highs in teens and negative lows. Again, luck was on our side. We had a heater in the barn with the parrots - not very big, but big enough. We hauled the parrots and Phil into the house along with their heater. The heater requires a 220 connection - again we were in luck! We have a first floor laundry and the dryer plug is 220. Unfortunately, it was too far away for the cord to reach. What to do? My brilliant husband spliced the dryer cord to the heater cord to give us just enough length to get it out into the main living area. We taped our windows, doors, and vents with insulation tape, closed off all but the critical rooms on the first floor, shoved towels under all the doors, and were able to keep a portion of the house at a very reasonable 65 degrees. Upstairs was a different story - it didn't take long for temps to drop. I wasn't checking often, but I saw temps upstairs at 34 degrees! Meals were prepared in an electric skillet and the microwave.
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Propane was finally delivered just before sunset on Monday night. I hadn't been so happy to see someone in a long time, and we did a happy dance when we heard the heater kick on!




All the while, we were keeping a very close eye on Jasabell, our heifer who was long overdue. We knew she'd need to act fast if she had the calf in the cold and also knew her ability to do that would be limited given her inexperience. Mike had last checked on her at 2am Saturday morning, 2/13 - no sign of labor. When we went out at 6am to feed the herd, there was something clearly wrong - everyone was acting strange. Then I saw Jasabell walking out of the woods - back end covered in blood. She'd had the calf. I found him alone, icy under a tree and made the call to intervene. Mamma gave no fight - barely seemed interested in the fact that I'd snatched her calf and was running away. We defrosted him then got him to take a bottle of colostrum, which was a fight at best. We tried twice later in the day to reacquaint him with his mom, but they just wouldn't click. With temps starting to fall, we declared defeat and brought him back to the house, knowing we were committed to bottle feeding for months. When he was still alive the next morning I gave him his name - Quilo, meaning North Wind. Feeding remained a fight for the first few days then like a light going off he finally realized he liked to eat!





And just when we thought the end was in sight Mike saw some blood on Ivanka's face. A closer look showed a gruesome puncture wound below her eye - probably a 1/2" deep and 3/4" long. I looked like she'd been gored by one of the longhorns... they'd been spending some time in the horse stalls, so maybe a fight for space, or maybe a fight for food. Whatever it was, she got it good. A call to the vet revealed that it wasn't just propane in short supply. Horse antibiotics were also difficult to come by. A few hours later we got a call that he'd found some - what a relief! A few pics to the vet and he confirmed the wound was in a pretty safe location. Assuming the the antibiotics were successful in keeping the infection at bay, she'd likely heal with time.
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Two other items in short supply:
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Gas - none at any gas stations within a 45 mile radius. Thank goodness Mike had filled all our gas cans
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Food - shelves at our local Walmart were bare; even worse than last spring when folks were making a run on the stores due to COVID).


We were cold, we were tired, but we were lucky.
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None of our water lines froze and none of our pipes burst
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Our electricity stayed on
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We had a backup heater we were able to rig to provide warmth when we ran out of propane
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We found our rejected calf before he froze
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All our animals survived
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We had no long-lasting / permanent animal injuries

Adventures with Quilo
Having Quilo inside was fun, but he grew FAST! We realized he would need to go outside sooner than later so started looking for some young friends - other cows he could form a herd with until they were all released out to the larger herd at weaning time. On 3/14 we brought Sasha & Sienna home and Sugar joined 3/17.
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AI and
Preg Checks
1/25/21 - 2/4/21
Vet came out 1/25 to preg check the 12/16 AI of Lyra, Dixie, and Heartbreaker... not good news - only Lyra conceived. Her calf is due 9/24/21.
We re-started the AI process on Dixie and Heartbreaker: CIDRs In 1/25, CIDRs out 2/1, AI 2/4. A new vet did the AI and really struggled with Dixie. Once he was done he told us that Dixie's cervix is very small and full of tight bands, making conception difficult. Fingers crossed!
Phil outgrew his house - AGAIN! We built him a much bigger box so he has room to roam when he has to be locked inside to protect him from the cold. This upgrade should keep up with his growth for the next several years.
Phil's New House
12/22/20 - 12/26/20







AI
12/9/20 - 12/14/20
12/9: Pregnancy check for Rachel - she was AI'd on 7/31 and preg checked on 8/31, but the result was inconclusive. This time around it was positive. Her calf is due in early May '21. CIDRs in for Heartbreaker, Dixie, and Lyra. Vega was supposed to be part of this AI cycle, but she escaped from the chute. Maybe a blessing in disguise? Hopefully she will mate with Nelson. Carina got her first black leg shot. Gemini was supposed to get her black leg too, but she also escaped. We've got some work to do on our fencing and chute loading process, but we learn every cycle!!
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12/14: CIDRs out in the morning for Heartbreaker and Dixie. Lyra's had to stay in for 8 additional hours since she's a heifer. Rather than have the vet come back out we did it ourselves - pulled the CIDR and gave the shot. Next cycle we'll put the CIDRS in and take them out by ourselves. Pretty big learning accomplishment!
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12/16: Heartbreaker, Dixie, and Lyra were AI'd with Reckon So. We'll do a preg check in January.
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Also learned a trick for securing horns this cycle. It makes the process much easier and safer for everybody!



We helped Frank find the path to doggie heaven today... tough, tough day. Frank was very, very sick when we bought him and spent the first 6 months of his life at the vet during the day to receive breathing treatments. Kristina would drop him off on her way to work and pick him up on the way home. He eventually got over the nagging pneumonia and was relatively healthy until two days ago when he stopped eating. Frank has NEVER missed a meal, so we knew something serious was going on when he missed three. Then to top it off he wouldn't 'go to work' when called this morning - he'd been Kristina's office companion for the last 2 years, sleeping all day at her feet. Everybody on her team at work knew him by his snore, which was the backdrop of most conference calls. He'll be greatly missed.
RIP Frank
12/4/20



In the continuing coop saga... the 'basement' wasn't working out so great so we decided to dismantle the box and repurpose the material into roosting bars and nesting boxes. Since the chickens won't be inside the box at night, we needed to secure and weatherproof the front, so we closed in a portion with metal then built shutters. I think we've finally landed on a long-term solution!
Coop Expansion
11/7/20 - 11/15/20





Buck
10/19/20
Buck stood vigil at our fence line for 6 weeks (this time)... then we woke up this morning to find him on our property. He'd finally figured out how to squash the barb wire and bend the posts enough to get over. He's persistent if nothing else! Mike talked to the family that was housing him and they were frustrated - in his quest to get to and stay by our fence line he had been breaking through their fencing. So he went to talk to the owner himself, who had no way to house him. Next thing we know he's been signed over to us for only a promise that we'd take good care of him.


Not too bad for our first attempt! No blistering, no bleeding - just the perfect copper color.
Branding
10/16/20


Several weeks ago, somebody trying to do us a favor by telling us the cows were out pushed the electric gate opener so far that it broke. A few days ago, somebody delivering hay ran the trailer into the gate so hard the weld broke AND the gate opener arm came off. We had some folks out today to repaire all the damage. A few hours of work and we're set to rights with some enhancements.
Gate Updates
10/14/20



Plus... Mali has figured out how to get into the chicken coop! She loves chicken feed.

We attended our first longhorn auction and were fortunate to come away with a few. It was quite the experience - once again a huge learning curve.
First Auction
10/4/20

Jazabell is a 3-year old heifer bred to a very handsome, multi-colored bull named Mud Slide. Her calf is due in January and will be the first born to a heifer on the ranch.


Sweet Cricket is a 5-year old bred to a beautiful brindle bull named Jerimiah (we bought a few of his straws at the auction). Her calf is due April '21. She came with a calf born in May (6 months old) who we'll name Gemini Crickett.



Update: Sweet Cricket jumped the fence and broke our water line after being unloaded - that was a mess. She was also doing a lot of 'farting'. When the vet came out to do a health check we learned that she's an 'air sucker' - official diagnosis: pneumovagina with a 2nd dose of pneumocolon. Symptoms: constant sucking in of air with loud fart-like noises upon expulsion of said air. Funny? Yes. Also gross. The seller was very gracious and agreed to unwind the deal. He picked her up and replaced her with JJ Ocean Darlin', whose coloration is gorgeous. JJ was born April 2020.

I read chickens are addicting - and I can confirm that's true!! A batch of 15 arrived today and there are 15 more on the way... We recently started free-ranging and have lost a few, so we're building up the flock in anticipation of more losses. A small price to pay as it's obvious how much they enjoy wandering the property, scratching and pecking away. This batch hopefully has a few roosters! They're spending their early weeks in the greenhouse - a big change from the original batch last year that I kept in my office. I think everybody will be much happier with this arrangement.
More Chicks!!
9/24/20




Our brand is registered and we've got business cards!
Setting up Shop
9/21/20


Plus... Buck is back!! He's been hanging out at the fence for a few days now. He might go home if the girls stopped teasing, but the fence is holding (so far!).

After Echo passed, Bree seemed lonely so we got her a new friend. She's been here a little more than a week and seems to be adjusting nicely. She and Bree are ALWAYS together.
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Ivanka came from a racing operation in Kentucky. We got her race card with the purchase. It lists zero wins and has a note stating that she will never race. She should fit right in on our laid-back ranch.
Ivanka
9/17/20

It finally cooled down enough for us to finish putting up the wood in the horse stalls. Working in the stalls was difficult given we're still grieving for Echo, but it was work that needed to be done.

I ordered a new batch of chicks who will be arriving at the end of the month. The current coop won't hold the growing flock, so we added a basement.
Coop Expansion
9/10/20


Weaning
9/4/20
Udder success!
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Mike and I typically learn by trial and error... a comedy of errors worthy of a comedy troupe.
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But today - whether because karma decided to step back inl ight of the horrific, terrible, awful events of earlier in the week (maybe) or by pure, dumb luck (probably) - we executed a textbook-perfect low stress (NO stress) weaning separation. Neither the mamas nor babies even knew what had happened until at least a half hour had passed since the last mamma was out of the pasture. 2 of the 3 mammas walked away without a single glance back and there's been very little crying and carrying on.
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It's early... things might take a turn for the worse, and the fencing may yet be tested, temper tantrums may be thrown... but for now we're going to celebrate a small win.

Update:
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Fencing was tested - the calves escaped several times and we had to do a lot of reinforcing
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Temper tantrums were thrown
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There was crying and carrying on
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But we learned a lot and all the calves came through it without getting sick. When we finally let them out 6 weeks later, none went back to nursing, so overall a successful first try.
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RIP Echo
9/1/20
Some days are bad, some days are awful, then there are days like today that are so beyond there isn't a word. RIP Echo and baby Shai.

Castration
8/31/20


Poor, poor Dinner!
Rachel and Heartbreaker were preg checked today - a maybe on Rachel and no on Heartbreaker. Mali, Nelson, and Dinner got their final round of calf shots. Echo got her pre-foaling shots - we're in the final countdown to a new baby!!
More Chicks
8/19/20
Our neighbors gifted these chicks to Kristina for her birthday. They're so cute!

Speaking of cute... how often do you see a longhorn being pet or a tortoise being taken for a walk?


The Beast
8/5/20
Rolling 800 pound round bales around the property is hard work! We bit the bullet and upgraded the tractor. Life is much easier now!!


AI
7/31/20
Biggest production to-date on Lemonade Ranch - 5 through the chute! Nelson, Dinner, and Mali got calf shots. Rachel and Heartbreaker were AI'd

Carina
7/20/20
Carina hit the ground at about 1:30 on a very hot Texas day. It was the most difficult delivery on the ranch so far, but mom Dixie did great. She was VERY vocal! Carina was slow to get going, needing help from mom, Rachel, and Willie to get on her feet. It took about 90 minutes and we were starting to get a bit concerned. Then she made an unsuccessful attempt at nursing before both laid down for a rest, which was really alarming. About 3 hours after her arrival we finally saw her nurse and were able to breathe a little easier. Sire is Awesome Skeeter - same dad as Nelson (Rachel's 2/20 calf). She's got interesting colors - none of our other cows have anything like it. I think in time she'll be a real looker! Carina is a special addition because she's the first heifer born on the ranch that is able to be registered. She'll become part of our foundation as we grow the herd in coming years.



7/21/20

7/23/20

8/5/20
(2 weeks)

In other ranch news... We found out on 7/9 that the AI done on Rachel and Angel Eyes 5/21 was successful for Angel Eyes. 50% isn't so bad... Her calf is due 2/27/21 - special because it will be the first calf born on Lemonade Ranch that was also conceived here. Sire is donor Reckon So. We're starting another round of AI on 7/22 for Rachel and Heartbreaker. Hopefully we'll have at least as much success with this next round.

Watch Us Grow
Dad came for a visit on 6/2. We always plan a project, but this year the project was going to be small - a 'Chicknick Table' as a coop decoration. Something cute my sister in law found on Facebook... We never did build the Chicknick Table because we got distracted with several VERY LARGE projects.
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Project 1: The Greenhouse
We turned the 2nd loafing stall into a greenhouse complete with water, grow lights, raised beds, 2-tier shelves, and a beautiful dutch door. Work on the greenhouse spilled over to the chicken coop we setup last year in the other loafing stall. It got a rebuilt front and its own dutch door.
Greenhouse, Water Lines, Electricity, and Fencing
June 2020











Project 2: Water Lines and Floats
We dug yards and yards of trenches off the well and ran PVC pipe to the greenhouse and to several watering tubs for the animals. We also installed water floats in the tubs so they fill automatically as the animals drink throughout the day. This will eliminate the daily watering chore - a huge time savings and less 'all at once' demand on the well pump. After the trenches were back-filled we got tons of rain that washed all the dirt right back out and we had to do it all over again...





Project 3: Cross Fencing
We added cross fencing to the fenced area we created at the back of the property earlier in the year. This will make loading the cows into the chute easier. - they'll be herded into the large area, then to the new, smaller area before finally being coaxed into the alley and chute. We've been feeding the cows in the larger fenced area, so this new space also gives us the ability to keep the feeding routine once we need to isolate the calves for weaning - the calves will occupy the smaller space while the adults come and go in the larger space.

Project 4: Electricity to the Horse Barn
We ran electric lines from the shed to the horse barn then mounted fans to help keep the air moving. Heaters may be added as the weather cools down.



AND...
The male ducks were terrorizing the females - causing actual physical harm. Never again will I buy straight run - another lesson learned. We tried to relocate the males to the pond, but they wouldn't stay!!! We'd load them up, release them at the pond, and they'd swim happily for a few minutes before exiting and walking back to the coop. So we sectioned off their coop and created a new entrance/exit into Phil's pen. It took a few days to get everybody adjusted to the new sleeping and feeding arrangements, but we're settled in now.


Echo has officially entered her last trimester, so we switched her to Mare & Foal food. She's HUGE - can barely fit through the stall entrance - but if she conceived when we think she did she's still got 4 months to go.


1st AI
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CIDRs in 5/11/20
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CIDRs out 5/18/20
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AI 5/21/20
Respected Rachel & PK's Angel Eyes were AI'd to Reckon So. This was the first time we'd really used the chute and we learned a lot... herding them into the alley, getting them into the chute, securing and orienting them once in... Lots of mistakes and lessons learned (how in the world does a massive cow escape through the tiny hole created when the head lock is opened???) that we'll apply next time!
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Also had the vet pregnancy check Echo while he was here. She'd been getting awfully wide since the neighbor's stallion broke through the fence last November, and although we were assured that horses couldn't get pregnant during the winter it just didn't seem possible that her hay belly was growing and growing and growing... SURPRISE!! Horses CAN get pregnant in the winter! We'll welcome Echo's foal this fall, sometime around mid October.




What's a barn without horse stalls? We thought they'd be up the same day they arrived given the company's promise of 'easy installation' and the sales person's discussion with Mike about routinely putting them up for horse shows in a 'few hours'. NOT! First shipment was missing parts. They were expedited and we got them a few days later, but then found we were missing hardware - lots of hardware - and the instructions were terrible. After a lot of swearing and ad-hocking they were finally up and ready for use about 10 days later.
Horse Stalls
5/3/20 - 5/13/20




Mali
4/13/20
Mali arrived in the wee hours of the morning the day after Easter. The first heifer born on the ranch, Mali is 1/2 Longhorn (dam is PK's Heart Breaker) and 1/2 Angus. We'll breed her Angus and use her offspring as our meat supply in the years to come.


As much as we love that the animals let us get up close and personal, we decided it was time to create just a little bit of distance - mostly because Bree decided that tapping the window with her hoof was an appropriate way to let us know we were late with dinner. 43 9' railroad ties @ 200lbs a piece and ground as hard as concrete made for a tough job, but the end result is beautiful.
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And just after the fence was up, Lemondrop got tangled in barb wire and almost lost her leg as a result of the injury. We made the difficult decision to keep her closer to home and added a line of electric to help with the training process.
House Fence
4/6/20 - 4/21/20







There was one barn on the property when we bought it, but it was full! We needed some space to store hay and for the animals to use as a bad-weather shelter. Mike stumbled across a model that was being sold at a very reasonable price so the owners of the company didn't have to move it to their new location. The catch? We had to tear it down and move it ourselves. We could do that, right?? Well... some things are better left to the professionals. A trip to the emergency room and 5 broken ribs later, we did what we should have done from the start and got somebody that knew what they were doing involved. The end result is perfect and another lesson learned.
New Barn
3/14/20 - 3/21/20






Sprigging
3/11/20 - 3/12/20
Hay is expensive! With the herd growing, we decided it was time to produce our own hay... and were introduced to sprigging: the planting of sprigs, plant sections cut from rhizomes or stolons that includes crowns and roots, at spaced intervals in furrows or holes.
Apparently the type of grass we needed to produce hay (bermuda) is most commonly planted via sprigging rather than via seeds like our yard grass in Ohio. Who knew???
Hopefully next year the cows will be eating hay grown on our property!


Dinner
2/24/20
1/2 Longhorn, 1/2 Angus - Dinner is the 2nd bull born on Lemonade Ranch. He's the calf of PK's Angel Eyes and looks almost exactly like her. We knew before he was born that he would be slaughtered once he was old enough, sometime around 2 years old. Knowing my attachment to all our animals, Mike wanted to create some disassociation by not giving him a name, but we needed a way to talk to and about him so named him Dinner.
Deciding to begin raising our own cattle as a source of meat was a difficult choice, but in the end one that made sense for our family. We'll know each from birth - what they're fed, how they're cared for, how they spend their days - and we'll know how, when, and by whom they're slaughtered. They'll be cared for and live healthy, safe, comfortable, peaceful lives.

New Pasture
2/13/20 - 2/17/20
We'll need a place to wean calves and decided the cows deserved to eat their dinner in peace - without being harassed by Bree. We're fencing off about an acre at the back of the property.






He's finally here!!! Butch Cassidy, AKA Nelson, is the first calf born on Lemonade Ranch. Respected Rachel is his dam, Awesome Skeeter is his sire. We bought Rachel bred and were able to watch her progress through her pregnancy. The weather was AWFUL - vicious winds, bitter cold, snow and sleet that went on for days. At one point Rachel hid him on the neighbor's property and we couldn't find him after hours of searching. Did you know a cow will hide her calf? We didn't!! Did you know cows can't talk? We did, but it didn't stop us from asking her what she did with the calf - over and over again. Willie has been a huge help - quite paternal - at one point even helping Nelson figure out how to nurse.
We were hoping for a heifer, so have some decisions to make given he's a bull!
Nelson
2/4/20




Moving Day for the Parrots
11/17/19

We own 6 very loud parrots: 2 umbrella cockatoos, a scarlet macaw, 2 amazons, and a Moluccan cockatoo. They've always lived in the house, but we decided the barn would be a better option. We started building them a room inside the barn 11/2 thinking it would be a weekend project. Wound up taking us a few weeks. Finished product may lack in craftsmanship, but it's functional. We finally relocated them to their new home 11/17. I think we've all been much happier, and we got our spare bedroom back!





Bree & Echo
10/27 & 11/19/19
We adopted Bree in October. She was skinny and very sick. We had to carefully feed and exercise her in the beginning as she regained strength and health. But as her ribs and snotty nose disappeared, her personality started to appear. She's strong willed to say the least, but so loveable!
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Echo joined the family a few weeks later and she and Bree were inseparable.


My son purchased Phil, a Sulcata tortoise, as a hatchling in late 2014. He first came to live with us in November 2018 when he outgrew the terrarium he'd been in since birth. We moved him in with the chickens at first but quickly realized they were eating all his food so we started giving him independent grazing time in a mobile enclosure behind the house. When he outgrew that enclosure, we moved him into a new home behind the chicken coop.
Moving Day for Phil

10/20/19





9/22/19
Rachel & Willie
Our first longhorns - Respected Rachel & Sundance Kid (AKA Willie) - were delivered today.



7/21/19 - 7/30/19
Screened Porch & Electric for the Barn
My dad is a G.E.N.I.U.S. There's nothing he can't do. During his visit he helped us screen in our porch (bye-bye bugs!) and ran permanent electric to our barn.








Pigs
4/24/19
What to say about the pigs... We were totally unprepared! Nothing we did to keep them contained worked - we spent weeks chasing them back into their pen. Then on day just stopped the chase. They wandered free for a few days then disappeared altogether. A totally failed experiment!

4/7/19 - 4/28/19
Ducks
Ducks are cute - and NASTY. Just plain foul (fowl, ha!) I though the chickens were bad, but they had nothing on these guys. I was so happy to get them outside!!!



2/4/19
Lemondrop
A dog nearly got hit outside our home 2/4. She was terrified, skinny, and had been sprayed by skunk. We made sure she wasn't hurt then loaded her into the car and headed to the shelter. On the way I looked at her trembling in the backseat and decided that even though I really didn't WANT another dog, I also couldn't abandon her. We headed back home, cleaned her up, fed her, and gave her a name: Lemondrop - the dog dropped at Lemonade Ranch. She's a runner, but she comes home every night and is sweet as the day is long. She's stolen my heart!





We started building the chicken coop 12/5 and finished the initial version 12/10. We built it in a loafing shed that had seen better days, so the first step was to make updates so it was structurally sound. The coop itself followed - built in the barn due to the cold then moved into the loafing shed. Chicks (12 Rhode Island Reds) arrived 12/13 and were housed inside, first in a red bucket then to a much larger but still indoor pen in my home office. They finally moved outside 1/28/19, long after they'd worn out their welcome and after the coop was expanded 12/26 - 12/30. The outdoor pen was added 2/5 - 2/9 and the chicks ventured into it for the first time 2/10.



12/5/18 - 2/10/19
Chickens & the Coop










When we bought the property, the barn was standing. BUT it was missing some major components - like a front and back... Dad to the rescue. We enclosed the back and built a beautiful barn door... all while battling bitter cold.
11/16/18 - 11/26/18
Barn Repair








Ginger and Michelle
The first large animals on the ranch! Ginger was owned by our neighbor, who didn't live on the property. She was alone with no supplemental feed or water access. We fed her at the fence line for awhile - she got to know the sound of the tractor and would come running each night - then got in contact with the owner and he allowed us to adopt her.
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Michelle came 2 days later - a surprise! Mike had mentioned to another neighbor that we were looking to adopt a donkey and he showed up with her in his trailer. Her prior owners intended to ride her, but she had other plans. When they realized she wasn't going to cooperate they decided to rehome her, which was lucky for us!
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Prior to their arrival we had a big problem with wild boar. We haven't seen one since!
11/2918 & 12/1/18

