Quake

All thoughts of blogging went out the door very rapidly last week, when Christchurch was shaken to the core.  But Facebook was invaluable tracking family and friends down as we have no cellphone coverage up here.  Only one we know of so far has been seriously injured, but at least alive, and all the family ok physically.  Just feel for all the poor people still awaiting real news about missing loved ones.  For many it will now be a case of  just hoping to get them back so they can mourn and bury them properly.  2 minutes silence today at 12.51 NZ time.

A Sustainable fibre - as natural as you can get.

Just starting - belly wool off

Weaning over, shearing done.  As we run Perendales which are notorious for escaping (new fence, can't go under, can't go through - oh well no probs just jump it!) we shear all the ewe lambs we are going to keep, then we cull any that are found shorn in the wrong paddock - sort of works.  By the time they are a few years old there are always some where they're not supposed to be.  Anyway -
The day after the ewe lambs are weaned they are shorn - so they go into sheds overnight to keep them dry, and the shearing gang arrives at 7am next morning. 




Almost finished



But I don't want to go down that hole!



Classing the wool



Down the hole you go



On the 2nd side



Removing impurities

Oh Noo don't like waiting for my turn

Wool into the woolpress



All baled up

 Looks easy doesn't it, but believe me it's not and shearers and most shedhands really earn their money.

You look a bit different now, I'm sure I don't look like that!



And contrary to what some people believe the sheep does not die so the wool can be harvested.  It is a truly sustainable fibre.

Whew!! A busy week

Weaning the lambs is always a busy week, and thankfully it wasn't too hot,  yesterday we were at 40 degC and today its over 30 again. 
But wasn't good on the Wednesday when everything had to come down to the yards for drafting (separating the ewes and lambs) that evening.  It was blowing a gale - Norwesterly wind getting up to about 120 - 130 kmph, you really appreciate just how terrible a cyclone at 250 - 300 kmph would be, as what we get are bad enough.  Luckily the wind didn't last all day, and by the time I had to go out in it things weren't too bad.  The Boss already had half the sheep down, before  I had to do anything which was good.  Anyway the last half were into the yards by 5.15pm and Drafter (our Stock agent) arrived at 5.30pm.  His son came with him, so saved No 3 Daughter from yard time - or should I say DUST TIME!!

The work's about to start

Not rain, but dust



Drafting



Two trucks and an escapee

 By the time all the drafting was done, and the cryptorchid lambs were all resorted into those that were going to the buyer on the trucks next morning, and the ones staying were in different yards it was 10pm.   Then for The Boss it was out the door early next morning to load the trucks. 

We then drafted off all the ewe lambs, sorted them up into those being kept for breeding, and those we'll fatten or sell as stores to someone else, and by the end of the day the ewe lambs were into the shearing shed for shearing the following day.

Cryptorchid lambs - have their testicles remaining, but pushed up into the belly slightly by the purse being removed by a rubber ring  at tailing time.  This makes them infertile, doesn't cause any pain after the initial few minutes as the blood flow to the purse is stopped, and provides overseas markets with the lean meat they desire.  A Wether lamb - has purse and testicles removed - tends to be more fatty.

Store Lambs - are not heavy or correctly conditioned enough to be killed at the Meat Works so they are onsold to Fattening farms to grow out.  Our growing season is too short to allow us to do that with any large numbers.

Oh - the escapee did make it onto the truck!

Bolar Roast of Beef

Bolar Roast of Beef - a long slow cook so don't do it if you're in a hurry

Rub the roast with a spicy garlic salt (mine has a smokey taste).
Place in a casserole dish with a tightly fitting lid.
Place in oven preheated to 125 degC, and leave to cook for about 6 hours.

Juices come out of the meat, so no liquid added, and you can make a yummy gravy with them. 

Weaning Muster

Come on it's not that steep



Almost down

 It's time to wean the lambs, so after a slow start this morning (out the door at 7am not 6) due to screaming Nor'Westerly winds we got the sheep down onto the paddocks off the higher, bigger blocks. 

Now to locate Mum again, she's more interested in the grass than me!

But it turned into a bit of a race to beat the rain and cloud.







Will we get wet?



Looks like it!

Definitely!!

Clear test

Thankfully a clear TB test was had of the 70 steers, so away they go on a truck on Tuesday.

2 Down 1 to Go

Two paddocks of baled hay are now in the barn - a good feeling.  Plus 1 Unit load (truck and trailer) of rye grass straw we bought as we won't have enough of our own hay to get through the winter.  SO NOW only one little paddock of our own to cut - yahoo.  And best of all No 3 daughter is home and did the carting for me (that's worse than raking and you can't lose concentration or you lose the load!).
Now the next job is TB testing the yearling steers.   Weighed and drafted them today,  they get their injection to see if they are sensitised tomorrow, then on Friday the Tester feels the injection site to make sure there has been no reaction.
Fingers crossed nothing will react as if they do the Feedlot won't accept them, and we're running out of grass.  Although have just had 2" (50mm) of rain which should at least give us some grass for the winter, and to finish a few lambs.
Bovine Tuberculosis can be spread to humans from infected animals via the meat or milk.  If you cook the meat properly and pasteurise the milk there is no danger.  And NZ is getting well and truly on top of the problem.  We have been clear for the last 10 years, but as wild animals such as wild pigs and opossums carry it we have to test all our cattle every year.  If we have to sell some outside the 60 day period after a test  those animals have to be retested before leaving our property.