In and Outs

 

We are experiencing a real fall for a change!  It seems like we usually move directly from summer into winter.  We're taking advantage of these perfect days to start getting ready for winter - draining and putting away hoses, finding tank heaters, getting the chimney cleaned....  Soon enough it will be fireplace evenings season!

So it's been a lovely few days outside.  Today we finished gathering all the blood for preg testing and did our fall worming.  The girls were all easy to move into the corrals - a little hay spread out like crumbs through the forest worked like magic.  They followed the hay and the ATV right into the corrals:  into the chute, halter on the head, a few squirts of Safeguard, halter off the head, lift the tail, insert needle, pull blood, fill the pre-labeled tube, open the chute -  then NEXT!  The cooler weather made it seem like it went faster than usual.... and maybe it did!

Baby portraits for the fall kids were in order as well:

Moosters Dance'nQueen.  She is such a little beauty already.  Momma Seana is fat and sassy too!

Here's little Surprise; aka Glue (as in he stuck right in there!); aka Nemo (thanks for a "real" name for him Callie!).  He's adorable and still a surprise every time we see him.  He was definitely born wearing his winter coat.  He's going to need it!

And the oldest of our fall babies:  Moosters GypsyDance.  She's going to be a real looker.  She's already wearing her winter coat too.  Sure hope the winter coats mean a winter with lots of precipitation.  As you can see, even our meadow grass is pretty well dried up.  We'll be feeding hay pretty early this year.

And sweet goodbyes to two of our weanlings.  Eclipse left this week for her new home in Colorado with Tomi and Karen.  We know she'll be spoiled!  Moosters Bambi left yesterday for her new home at Silver Sage Dexters.  She's amazing...and it was hard to let her go.

There will be a few more "outs" when the Missouri Dexter Breeders Show and Sale takes place next month.  Crossing my fingers, I've promised that there will be no "ins" from the sale!  Really!

The Biggest Surprise - Ever!

This is Woblommy - and her new black bull calf born yesterday.  He'll need a name, but Surprise even seems to be an understatement. 

You see, we were certain that Woblommy was never going to deliver a live calf.  She'd been tested as pregnant for the last two years - at every season!  It appeared that she was afflicted with a "mummy calf" and her body always believed it was pregnant.  So sure were we (and the vet and the sonogram) that there was a mummy in there that she was given a shot of Lutalyse a few months ago in an attempt to expel the mummy.  No mummy - no heat.  We just gave up and decided to schedule her for a trip to the freezer.  Sadly so, because she was a very nice heifer.

 



She's always been slightly out of sync with her body condition.  Often she looked too round, so we didn't give it a second thought as she continued to get rounder.  In fact, so conditioned were WE to her odd look that when I noticed her getting a bit of an udder a few days ago, I even commented that she was getting a little "fake udder" to go with all of her other issues!  Just shaking my head and thinking Poor Thing.  Not Once did I even consider that she was carrying a live calf in there and that her udder wasn't just another permanently pregnant issue. 

What an amazing surprise!  He's just adorable and really IS our last calf for 2012!  Really.

Utah State Fair - One Week Later

One of the great things about going to a new show venue is meeting Dexter breeders that we haven't met before.  Utah State Fair was no exception and we're delighted to have made so many new Dexter friends. 

We were also thrilled by the sheer numbers of people who came through the cattle barn.  Traffic was non-stop and we had many opportunities to introduce our wonderful little breed to so many truly interested people!  Along with all those new folks came a whole new set of germs -- and I've been pretty well out of it all week with a massive head cold.  Since I'm rarely afflicted by the common cold (hurray for that!), I'm a total wuss baby when I do have one.  Thanks to Nyquil, Dayquil and Puffs Plus, I think I'm going to make it!

 Not many pictures were taken in the barn; seems like we were always busy!  There are actually five head of cattle in this photo.  Poor Stewie always seemed to be buried in the corner - no matter how many times we rearranged.  We continue to discuss how to make our display area look more inviting.  Ideas are always welcome.

We were very fortunate to have our helper and friend, Callie, along with us.  She is becoming quite the showman and is more help than we can ever say.  She won the Junior Showmanship class, then went on to show for us and for other friends as well.  We're really proud of her!

What a little professional!  She was competing with adults here; she and Stewie brought home the blue ribbon for bull calf in his class.  Stewie went on to win the Rosette for Champion Bull Calf.  We're really proud of them both.

Carnival also graced us with several Rosettes - she was Champion Junior Heifer and Reserve Grand Champion Female, despite her on again/off again bad behavior in the show ring.  We practiced earlier in the day so that she was comfortable with the ring.  When we were done, she was walking sweetly.  People, evening lighting, who knows?  She behaved well enough, but certainly wore me out!  We competed against some wonderful Dexters and breeders, so we felt really fortunate to have done so well in a few of our classes. 

And finally, we want to mention the activities and learning sessions that were sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Dexter Breeders Association.  This fledgling club (we are now members) is not a new association - we already have two of those nationally.  Rather, it's a group of folks dedicated to the breed.  You don't even have to be a Dexter owner to join.  It's a great way to meet and learn about how other breeders are doing things.  At the Fair, there were several classes that would benefit anyone.  Above is the class for the junior exhibtors on showmanship skills.  Lots of tips and practice.  A good time was had by all!

We can't wait to go back again next year!

What a Way to End the Calving Season!

When we returned home from the Utah State Fair yesterday (more on that later this week), we found Seana in the corner of the pasture - and we knew what that meant!  Her calf was on the way!  We watched her pace and get up and down until it was too dark to see.  We found a newly svelte Seana this morning.  Tucked away in the milk weeds was this little gift:

Definitely red, definitely a heifer and although last this year, she's certainly not least!

Checking on her through out the day, we saw more of her rump than her face (but it's a cute face!).  Seana is very easygoing about her calves, so in a day or so, I'll get to go rub that sweet little head.

And just for fun, tonight's picture in the weanling corral:

Lots of little shining eyes peering through the fence - waiting so impatiently for their evening snack. 

 

 Cuties.

So much stuff!

We filled the trailer full, then we hang things from the outside as well!  It's hard to believe that it takes so much stuff to take six Dexters to the Fair!

And just in case we forgot anything, there is always my favorite place - just outside the cattle barn - Sullivan Supply.  It's like a beauty supply store for our Dexters!  And they carry all the furnishings for their "home away from home" as well. 

Stewie and Luna liked their home away from home just fine.  Filled with a foot of pine shavings, an anti-stress mat for their feet; special hay just for the fair; a shower and a blow dry every day.  What more could a Dexter ask for?

 

 

Most everything got unloaded today for use or clean up or clean out.  Trailer is washed, filled with fresh shavings and hay and  ready to go.

 

 

'Tis the season!  After the stuff is cleaned up, cleaned out and reorganized, we'll pack it all back up and do it all again!