You do not want to be one of these people -

WHO DROPS THEIR RUBBISH ON A SKIFIELD

because it ends up in all kinds of unexpected places.

This had been chewed by cows after it had blown from a neighbouring skifield, and the head of the river coming off the mountain is full of rubbish.  SO DON'T DO IT PLEASE!!!!

Farmers are not perfect always with their rubbish, but the majority of us do try to keep things clean and green.

NZ Bellbird (Anthornis Melanura) thinks it's Spring

All puffed up and trying to attract a mate - bigger must be better in the Bellbird world

( or it's Maori names - Korimako, Makomako) and I sure hope it's right as the weatherman doesn't seem to think so.  Another 30mm of rain in the last 2 days.  What is worrying is that we have had so much over our average rainfall that the tap is sure to just turn off and not give us anymore for the year.

The Cows come down

and a much easier job than it was in the rain, fog and snow of last year.  We had 2 whole days of sunshine last week - one for scanning, and the next for mustering the Spur.  The cows come off the steep hill at this time as they tend to slip and get stuck when they are in the advanced stages of pregnancy.  The first year we came here we left them too long on the hill, and several were bogged, or slipped and jammed legs in the creeks (and died).  So we've learnt!!

But first we had to get the bike over the river

This is the usual "ford", but we'll drown the bike today, and I think I'll just walk across anyway - that way the worst will be wet feet

Made it successfully (with Don's help of course)

and with a bit of rock stacking made it to this point

not quite on the track though

now we're right

but still debris to shift - I'm still walking, so we don't get bogged!

Now to business - this little mob has been living in a very sunny little basin

and joined up with my bigger mob to drift quietly around the gully then up onto the main track.  You just have to let them set their own pace so nothing gets stuck or slips.  And so long as Maid gives the occasional bark they do keep moving

Then bringing more cows down the face to join up with the others

The "lucky last" or perhaps that should be "ignorant last" coming down

Job finished, just the river to ford again

But as you can see - a truly wonderful day.

Although not so for everyone!  Looking East to Kaikoura, where it has been a grotty day with coastal fog.

And I finished the day with dry feet, so all good.  There must still be some cows further out, which is quite usual, but given a few days they often turn up as they hear the tractor feeding the others - saves the Boss a steep climb if they do.

Pregnancy Scanning the Ewes

 The first of the ewes back out on the grass after going past the scanner.  Only 3 1/2 hours until they were all finished and about 4 hours later they are all out on grass again, so not too traumatic for the girls.  Why do we scan?  We identify - the dry ewes (non pregnant) to sell so we don't waste grass feeding them;  Ewes with single lambs (1) that don't need quite so much to eat - if you grow their lambs too big they can have problems at birth; and the twin bearing ewes that we give as much feed as we can too, so they grow their lambs as much as possible to increase the lambs' chances of survival at birth.  They twinners also get the priority with shelter too, for the reason that they are smaller and Mum doesn't always clean up the first lamb before she has the second so they are exposed for longer, although the ewes don't always choose to lamb in that shelter!!

 The scanner - Daniel Wheeler - of Daniel Wheeler Ltd in action.  Daniel can scan for far more than we get him to do.  We don't worry about identifying the triplets as we do not get many sets.  But the lambs can also be aged in utero so you could put ewes in mobs to lamb at approximately the same time.

The ewes come up the race until they are stopped in the crate beside the operator,  he's lucky nowadays as we have the covered yards.  It used to be a little black tent, and not pleasant  in bad weather!

               Then the non-invasive procedure takes place, at least this ewe isn't daggy, but there is a reason for the glove.  Who fancies this job day after day??

 This handpiece is the scanner, and it just rubbed under the belly on the skin, so does not hurt the sheep at all.  Just like us humans having our Ultra sounds.

                                 The singles taking off through the gate and heading for the new paddock of grass

 You just have to stand at the gate to ensure not too many try to get through at once, as they will pile up on top of each other if you are not careful - no dog required on this mob, much to Cruise's disgust - he's had no work for months.

Out on the break, and a happy Cruise as he did have to do a bit.  And we were SO LUCKY WE HAD A FINE SUNSHINEY  DAY!!

A deluge and one stuck Bull

63mm (21/2 inches) of rain in 12 hours, 105mm for the event which wasn't even 24 hours, so things are very wet AGAIN, but thankfully the river is going down.

 But this poor bull was caught on the wrong side of the river, and poking about for feed he has become stuck straddling a fallen tree.

Just can't get enough traction to get over the log, but at least it's not our problem as this Hereford belongs to the neighbour.

                          Here are "the cavalry" pondering the problem and deciding there is only one way to solve it

                                           Use the chainsaw and cut both sides to drop the log, and take some pieces out

Success

Quite a substantial log as you can see, and the "Hero of the Day" was Cruise as he was very insistent on the morning wander down the drive that CC&B really did have to come have a look at what he could see over the bank.

Calves' Breakfast time

They've heard the tractor so they are all lined up and waiting

Here it comes



When we wean the calves off their mothers they live beside the yards (with a fence between them and Mum) until they are settled and eating hay well, this means the all will come quickly to the hay in Winter and eat well.  It's very important when it snows that they eat a good quantity of hay, for warmth and nutrition.  We find the hoggets only really get "onto hay" (eating it not lying on it) when there is snow on the ground and they can't dig for grass, although when they get further into the winter the majority do eat some of what is offered.

And the calves REALLY love that baleage we made in desperation at the end of the hay season.  Will get some tested to see what nutritional value it has as it really was not at all what the experts tell you to use.  It was flowering, setting seed and drier than normal, but our contractor had the correct chopper and got the bales really tight, and as I say the calves just love it, and even the hoggets have been enjoying it more than the usual hay.