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Ranching with Kids

Raising Homeschool Kids on a Cattle Ranch in British Columbia.

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Day in the Life – July 2021

July 20, 2021

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Ever wondered what a “typical” day looks like for us in July? Each and every day looks different on the ranch, and it especially varies on the season. Right now we are haying, checking pastures, working in the garden along with many other daily chores. Here is a glimpse into a day in my life in July.

Day in the Life on a Ranch in July
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Morning Chores

Today we started the morning with breakfast and my two oldest boys each worked on a Reading Kingdom lesson. We then headed outside to unlock the ewes from their nighttime pen, feed grain to the steers, feed the boys show lambs and walk them to the pen with the other lambs and then water the lambs. 

Hereford Steers Eating Grain
Toddler Feeding Lamb Grain

We then went back to the house so that my oldest and I could water and weed the garden while the two younger boys played and rode their bikes.

Lunchtime

Next, we came in the house to work on a bit more homeschool and have lunch. I kept lunch simple and made each of us a roast beef sandwich. Since it has been so dry, I checked Facebook and the BC Wildfire Service app to see if there are any new fires close by. I also took a few minutes catch up on some beef emails and beef message replies. 

Afternoon Activities

After lunch, we hopped into my vehicle and drove to check cow/calf pairs on some of our summer pastures. We found a calf with a sore eye so we moved the calf to the corral with its mother and come home to pick up the trailer. Once we got them home, we gave the calf some antibiotics and fed his mom and him some hay. We decided to keep him in the barnyard for a few days so we that we could monitor him.  

Ranch Kids Sitting on the Fence

Next, I took the boys out to the hayfield so that they could join my dad while he baled hay. My dad had been out in the hayfield since the morning.

Round Baling Hay

He was cutting hay in the morning and then baling in the afternoon once the crop had dried enough. Be sure to check out our 5 tips for a successful haying season. The boys love helping to check the moisture content in the bales and learning about how to test the hay with their hands. 

Testing Moisture Level in Bale of Hay

Evening Chores

We then came back to the house and I made spaghetti for supper while tidying the house and doing some laundry. It feels like the laundry with three boys on the ranch never ends. Can anyone relate? We ate supper and then went back to the barnyard to do the evening chores.

Beef Spaghetti Sauce

Right now the evening chores include feeding grain to the steers, working with the boys show steer (leading, rinsing with water and brushing), catching and walking to boys show lambs to the barn where we feed them grain and then we drive down to put the ewes into their nighttime pen. 

Youth Feeding Grain to Show Steer
Youth Walking Lambs

Some days we also have to move the electric fence for the sheep, but today they had enough pasture so we didn’t need to that.

Sheep Pasture at Sunrise

The boys and I came back to the house to read some books and have a movie night in the living room! 

Day in the Life – July

A busy and fun day! We will see what tomorrow brings.  Be sure to follow along with our journey of ranch life over on Instagram!

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Filed Under: Cattle, Mom Life, Ranch Life, Sheep Tagged With: meals, Ranch, sheep

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About Me

I am a homeschooling mom to two busy boys & a baby and beef cattle rancher in British Columbia. My passion in life is family and all aspects of agriculture.  My hope is that this blog gives you some insight into our ranch life while being a homeschooling mom.  I would love to hear from you about your journey in agriculture, raising children and/or homeschooling!! Click here to read more about me.

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ranchingwithkids

Homeschool mom of 3 boys giving you a glimpse into managing the many tasks of ranch life.
Local Beef & Lamb @ogilviestockranch
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Ranching with Kids
Though I spend most of my days multi-tasking betwe Though I spend most of my days multi-tasking between all the tasks of being a mom, I tend to get my BEST work done outside in the fresh air. There is just no better place to be with three young boys than outside, running off all their energy and living life on the ranch! Who agrees?
Wow! Winter came in with a blast! We are now feedi Wow! Winter came in with a blast! We are now feeding hay once per day to our 2 year olds and a few of the older cows. We will soon start feeding the cow herd hay as well. But right now, the cow herd is grazing some amazing grass that we had saved for when the snow arrived. We also supplement them with protein tubs to make sure they get sufficient protein as the grass may not have quite enough protein this time of year. 

PS - This is one of the photos in our 2023 calendar, which we are now taking orders for.
What a busy week and it’s not over yet! Between What a busy week and it’s not over yet! Between hauling square bales, moving sheep fence, helping the boys with their show projects, checking hay, running the boys back and forth to the tractor for their “turns” baling hay, beef deliveries, tending to the garden, and doing all the other mom tasks, every day has been full. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being a mom on the ranch to three incredible boys is so special. Watching their keenness, enthusiasm and love of life is the reason why I do what I do. However. I have to admit, I am not sure how to keep up to their energy level sometimes. They don’t tire out!
We check the cattle on our summer pastures on a re We check the cattle on our summer pastures on a regular basis throughout the entire summer. This is important so that we can ensure that the animals are healthy and have adequate water and salt.  It is also very necessary to check the condition of the pasture to help us determine when the cattle need to be moved to maintain, and often to continue to improve, the land and the grassland ecosystem.
Recently I got stuck trying to figure out how to s Recently I got stuck trying to figure out how to stop some predators from continuously trying to take our lambs. I felt like I was constantly getting discouraged as we couldn't stop the lambs from getting out of their fenced pasture.  Then, I reflected on what I have been learning on social media by watching other sheep producers. This gave me a fresh outlook and I was able to figure out a new solution for all of the sheep to help better manage their large pasture and keep the lambs contained.  Everything changed, and all it took was a new perspective.  I didn't need to continue doing things the way that I had been.  Sometimes we just need a new perspective. Do you agree?
I will be the first to say that I was a bit scepti I will be the first to say that I was a bit sceptical about using electric fence for our sheep as I haven’t had the best experience in the past.  However, I am now 100% confident in using it while increasing our grazing potential for sheep on our operation. We currently use 2 sets of the electronet with the energizer from @fencefast_ .  I was amazed with how well it is keeping the sheep in, even when it is placed within tall grass. It is helping to protect the ewes with lambs from predators and allowing us to rotational graze the pasture. We are resting some areas of the pasture that have been grazed heavier and grazing areas that have a lot of grass that needs to be used.
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