Hay and Babies
Friday, May 18th, 2007Finally got around to putting in the sheared roll pin in the PTO lever on the 6000. Turned out to be a real simple fix. Just Loosened the bolts that serve as stops for the lever and drove the old one out with a 1/4 inch bolt. Then just drove the new one in while BJ held the lever in the spot I needed it. I’d a lot rather be replacing a bolt or roll pin than replacing or troubleshooting an electro unit. Now that I’ve serviced the tractor and got the roll pin replaced I should be good to go for a while.
Hay season has begun here in Kentucky. We took advantage of the warm weather to get a few rolls done. Just like every year I’ve already broken something though. This time it’s the tines on the Sitrex tedder. Looks like about 5 of them will have to be replaced. It too should be a simple fix. All the other equipment seems to be in good shape.
Spring brings new babies to the farm. I picked up a couple bottle calves for the kids. They are Jersey bull calves. Now if I can just get them to feed them once the new wears off. Right now it’s not a problem. They love to give the babies a bottle. Garett’s rabbits are beginning to multiply too. He has 2 new litters, one of 6, and one of 5. That’s 11 babies and the 6 grown rabbits. It’s time to figure out what to do with them once they aren’t babies anymore. One thing is for sure, it’s time to build some cages. I picked up the wire to line the bottoms and have enough hemlock left to do the sides and dividers. Now if I can just somehow find the time to build them. I’ve got a list a mile long of things to do.
We took a trip to the local Tractor Supply Company to pick up milk replacer for the calves and the girls found some of the cutest shirts. I was opposed to buying them because they are John Deere shirts, but they insisted. I told them we don’t have anything John Deere, but they pointed out I have Harley Davidson stuff and I don’t have a Harley. Marketing genius on both these companies parts. At any rate the shirts are very cute. Madison’s says “Girls Just Love Big Ol Tractors” and Kaylee’s says “I’m a Farm Angel”.
We’ve all spent quite a bit of time in the garden pulling weeds this week. It’s such a hoot because as we pull the weeds we put them in a wheelbarrow and take them to the fence for the goats. They will run fast as they can and even fight over weeds. Standing belly deep in fescue and orchard grass and fighting over weeds. Just seems crazy to me. Everything is doing really good in the garden except the potatoes that were just coming up during the big freeze. The ones we had left from last year in the basement are doing much better. We still have not gotten the corn and beans in the ground. I put about 40 more tomato and pepper plants in the ground in hopes of selling some at local farmer’s markets. The plants were grown at Oakwood, a home for people with mental disabilities in Somerset. I like to try to support their greenhouse program when I can.
Not anything new on the poultry houses. The excavator is over a week late and Cobb obviously isn’t happy. The builder we will contract with and the production manager for Cobb were here early last week explaining that they have pullet farms coming online and have to have hen farms for those pullets as they mature. I guess nicely saying “get moving”. I’m giving the excavator until Monday and then I’ll have to go to plan B.
Well I better go take the tedder apart so I can get the replacement tines I need. Be sure to check out the pics I’ve added.