Kimball Ranch

01/14/2025

New baby! Congratulations Baldie on bringing another little one into the world! Arrow and Little Cloud seemed particularly pleased with it. 🥰🥰

01/11/2025

Another day of this snowy fluff!

01/10/2025

Birds were out this morning. 🥰

01/09/2025

MaRu! 🥰

01/09/2025

Good morning everyone! Brrr it's cold! Hah! So far everyone seems in good spirits. We just put out 10 more round bales and everyone is munching happily away. Here are some photos from today.

01/08/2025

Good morning everyone! Just a quick update on the critters and how everything is running here at the ranch!

I'm trying to keep up with text messages and phone calls. But please feel free to text again if you haven't received a reply! My mind is all over the place right now trying to make sure the critters are taken care of that I'm not sitting down to check all my messages like I should.

First off a huge thanks to Jennifer and Amelia who came out last Friday and Saturday and helped me with winter prep. What a game changer that was! They helped me fill water troughs, put out hay and molasses tubs, move animals, clean up the area a bit, and so many other things. The extra time allowed me to move some round bales up close so that when it is time to put more out it'll be quick and easy - even in the cold and just by myself! Huge huge help!

Update on waters. All the animals are doing well keeping the troughs open. We moved some animals around to facilitate this (if you only have one animal drinking from a trough it freezes over before he wants to drink more. But If you have several animals drinking from the same trough the ice doesn't freeze over the whole tank). Some of the paddocks have been reduced in size to keep the horses and cows closer to the water/hay and to help with the logistics of caring for them in this cold weather. The new chook coop is working well! Their water is not even freezing which surprises me. I didn't realize it was that well insulated.

That being said. My trusty shovel and I are going twice a day to break up the ice so the ice doesn't get too thick. It's been quick and easy so far. We have a few troughs that are set up around the farm as a reservoir in case their are water line issues so of course those need to be broken up.

We put out lots of hay and molasses tubs Saturday. The digestion helps the critters stay warm so we wanted to make sure there was a lot! The molasses of course adds extra calories too. The horses and cows have been splitting their time between happily munching hay, enjoying molasses treats, and laying in the sun. The first day was so windy they were all hunkered in the trees. Nothing like bushy cedar trees to keep the wind and cold away!

The dogs are doing so well. Alexander is most pleased with this weather. Of course they also have unlimited food to munch on and tons of warm places to get out of the cold. Where did I find Alex this morning? Out in the open pasture all stretched out just drinking in this cold weather! Crazy doggo but it's his decision. He was just so pleased I couldn't help but smile.

Pixie Dust still follows me around as I do chores. I thought she'd hide in the warmth but she doesn't seem to bothered. Must be nice to just grow a warm fur coat when you need it! 😆 I offered her to sleep in the bathroom but she was not impressed and did not want to stay in there cooped up.

So far no indication of any issues with water lines, no major issues from wind, fence lines are all good and animals all seem happy. I think we are all ready for spring to come though!

Pictures are a little scarce because it's just too cold for me to take my hands out of my pockets more then necessary 😂😂 but I have got a few over the past couple of days and will share them here. Hopefully I'm not repeating any. Lol each day just sort of bleeds into the next.

I hope everyone keeps warm and safe the rest of the week! I'm really hoping we won't get any precipitation at all but I'm sure we aren't that lucky. 🫣

-Kathryne

01/06/2025

Everyone is keeping warm in this sad weather. Lots of eating going on. Broke lots of ice. Critters are happy!

01/06/2025

Extra snacks for ponies when it is cold out! 🥰

01/04/2025

Put out 4 molasses licks and what do the horses do? All gather around the one and leave the other 3 empty. I guess it's better waiting your turn vs going off on your own a whole 50 ft away. 😅

12/28/2024

12/26/2024

It's been wet, rainy, cloudy, and muddy so I didn't take Christmas hat photos this year. But we are all happy and eating so all is well. The critters don't seem to mind the mud like I do lol and they like that the little ponds next to the hay have filled up. Life is good! Even if a bit soggy. 😅

12/22/2024

Lovely day once the sun comes out. 🥰

12/21/2024

Hard working ponies today.

Rosa and Rosie both had lessons (Rosie disappeared between those trees and over to the hay bale as I was taking this photo! Saddle still on, silly girl! She thought since I took her bridle off it was time for snack).

Then Sassy, Red, Rosie, and Rosa had an evening trail ride. It was an adventure in the dark but they did amazing as would be expected. Sassy is getting along just fine and with no issues after having her eye removed. We are so glad there have been no Complications from that. 🥰

12/16/2024

Ginger! Another beautiful calf out of Baldo. 🥰

12/09/2024

Ruby Red had her little heifer calf Friday. We were counting cows and missing her so took a little drive. We must have come up on them just after calving. Ruby had already cleaned up little Ginger but both were still obviously fresh from calving. Mama did a great job and of taking care of her baby very well. Ginger is sweet and already learning to be loved on.

Due to the rain and cold we didn't get to try any Ruby Red ice cream but next dry weekend I plan to introduce Ruby to the milking machine and get some special ice cream made up from this lovely lady. We always like to give the first few days to the mama and calf anyway unless we're short colostrum in the freezer.

Very excited that the calf is Red! Ruby has a recessive red color from her holstein mama and a recessive red from her Angus daddy. So she'll always pass on s recessive red. This is our first crop with our new brangus bull though and what a gem it is to see that he has a recessive red to give out too! So little Ginger was blessed with two recessive reds just like her mama. 🥰🥰

12/08/2024

These three ladies had work in the cold rain today and yesterday. It wasn't so bad since they were under the arena roof! What a difference it makes to have a roof and siding to keep that wind out of the way. Rosa, Rosie, and Sassy were, as always, great. Love these girls. 🥰

11/28/2024

Long day today. Trail rides and some arena time and lots of new people. 😊

Today's line up:
Rosey, Rosa, Arrow, Sassy, Kiki, Wendy, Red, Relm, amd Bullseye.