So yesterday we had a pretty mammoth day on the farm, most are pretty uneventful, but yesterday was probably worth writing about...
We were up shortly after 5am, due to Ant and Suzi being away for a couple of days, for morning milking. Ant's cousin had come round to get the cows in and set up the shed, so we started just before 5:30. About halfway through the herd of 360-ish cows and a few bulls we normally swap positions in the shed, so one of us is cupping the cows and one is round the other side making sure they don't walk off still attached to the gear. While Robyn was cupping I nipped off to feed the calves and chucks (chickens), and round up any calves that had got out. After the herd has been through the shed I fetch the lameys (cows that are a bit gammy and what not), then lock everyone away until afternoon milking.
After a break for breakfast we popped into Hokitika to do our weekly food shop, then drove the 25KM back to the farm. Before lunch we just had time to clean lots of poop off the walls in the milking shed, have a wipe round in the dairy office, and drop the three fresh eggs on the floor we had collected that morning.
After lunch Robyn set up the shed for afternoon milking while I rode off on the quad bike to fetch the cows in, which takes about 25 mins as they don't walk very fast when the sun is out. Another 90 mins of milking later it was time to hose the yard down, and it seemed like every other cow had dropped its guts on the way to the milking platform.
Vat-wash done and it was time to lock away the herd again, but not before chasing one of the bulls back towards the paddock he'd escaped from. It looks like he'd just walked through the gate as it was hanging off its hinges. While chasing him back he decided the gate wasn't for him and ran through the elctric wire, snapping it in the process. A second bag of feed for the calves and another escaped one put back in its paddock and we were done, roughly 12 hours after we had started.
To be fair we are being rewarded today with fresh home made pizza for tea and possiblyy a trip to the local pub which services all of the valley, so not bad.
