Steaming Piles

Manure is nothing new for the farm. If there are animals around, manure is sure to follow.

Barn cleaning day is more about equipment than actually getting down to cleaning. The chore takes two tractors, the honey wagon (manure spreader), trips up and down the County Road, several locked gates to maneuver through and shuffling animals around so they are not in the way when the work is being done.

Just cleaning the bull barn and the show barn is an all day task. On this day we were in a hurry because rain was forecasted for afternoon and we had morning chores to do before we could get started.

Beginning in the bull pen, Mike scraped and dumped with the loader tractor into the honey wagon. This wagon full was all that had to be done for the bulls and was the quickest barn to do. Next we moved the equipment to the show barn.

I was in charge of moving the two senior cows along with the calf Uproar out of the barn and keeping them from returning while Mike had the tractor in their loafing area. My Complainer Cow is nearing her due date and she was slightly miffed that she couldn’t lounge in peace. She is walking pretty slow these days with the calf inside her putting a lot of weight and pressure on her back and hips, but she is doing fine.

Mike got that side of the barn cleaned and made the second trip up the road to the far, far field for dispersal while I readjusted the gates to let the cows back into the barn if they wanted. They didn’t want, since they were all resting comfortably in the grass toward the trees at the lower end of the pasture. Just as well because we were not yet completely done with their side of the barn.

We moved equipment again then started cleaning the side of the barn that had two steers in one pen and three heifers in the other. The steer were released out to nibble grass in the field where the tractors were sitting while the heifers were shooed into their outside pen. Once again I guarded the entrances so Mike could scoop with the tractor while he filled the honey wagon again.

Another trip up the road to empty the manure out creating eventual fertilizer as the winter weather dissolves the matter into the soil. With the honey wagon empty, Mike set it up next to the pile of wood chips.

This pile is why I ply the road crew with baked goodies, it is very magical. I supply the crew with pear upside down cake or apple bread and the next thing you know I have a steaming pile of freshly made wood chips dropped off!

Mike loaded the empty honey wagon with fresh chips and used the spreader to make a nice layer in both sides of the show barn. The bull barn did not get the layer of chips this time around, we would rather those stinky bulls spent their time loafing out under the tall fir trees than hanging around in the barn all the time.

Back in the show barn, the very pregnant cow along with the other critters have a clean and comfortable place to rest.