These Are The Things That Will Test You

[@ruadhscottygirl2480]

On top of all the extra work due to cold and calving, you still took the time to film and edit it all for us. We surely appreciate it.

[@denisewoods6389]

You farmers work so hard I salute you all

[@neilporter3286]

The cold weather certainly adds to your workload at an already busy time. I am fortunate enough to be retired, so dealt with the sub-zero temperatures in the best way possible - stayed in bed and watched I Farm, We Farm videos whilst the house warmed up!

[@gilliantovey1014]

I can remember my mum telling me how she would teach the calves to drink from a bucket. She was orphaned at the age of 3 and was sent to live in an orphanage near Glasgow. She had to go out to work when she was 14 and was sent to a farm near Ayr. Hard old life in those days

[@patricklusk5237]

I’ve found if your using hot water to thaw things rather than use a bucket to throw the water over things and most of the water misses the target, put the hot water in a stomach tube you can aim it exactly on target and you’ll thaw a lot more with a lot less water

[@alankeyes8047]

Best part to a Sunday morning!

[@Murphycats]

My Dad was a Ham radio operator and when he would work on one of his radios, he would say he needed to make a delicate adjustment and ask me to pass the hammer. I hate that the weather has been so bad and making things so difficult for you and the farm. We've had unusual weather here in the South US with snow that actually stayed around for 3 days. Usually if we get any snow at all, it melts in the afternoon. We lost power a couple of times, but fortunately not for long. But we don't have to go outside in weather like this and you have to fight through it. Stay warm and healthy!!!!

[@stefanovepi]

I shared the part of this video with my wife (we're not farmers) where you taught a calf to drink from a bucket. She found it marvelously interesting! Then I checked out your online store and did not find any simple sweatshirts without a hoodie, else I would have bought one. Maybe some day.

[@SweetDreams-wt7vo]

Respect ever increasing for you Adrian. You are a mighty but of stuff. As a townie, I never knew you had to teach a calf to drink from a bucket. If you're lucky, every day a learning day! There is a lot going on . . .

[@marctunney3743]

It gives me a warm heart to watch you Adrian all you do I did and loved waking up every day but sadly all has changed in Cheshire with the milk bars and big parlour just not the same don't ever change mate you are brilliant and credit to farming.my brother died on 30th of December and laying to rest the 16th but you take my mind of this sad time ❤

[@briangrammer898]

🙏 🙏 brother 🙏 🙏 sorry to hear this news 🙏 prayers 🙏 that you and your family find peace

[@jdxx59]

Sorry for your loss..regards from Australia 🇦🇺

[@GaryLaurin]

Adrian your a busy man. Your girls are wonderful. Hope the weather changes soon so you can get a break. 👍🏻🇨🇦☘️

[@wtrclr83]

🇨🇦 💚

[@knelson5442]

Just a short comment to tell your mother I thought of her today. Something about the dark cold, freezing morning made me think about her sorrow. Thinking of her and wishing her comfort from Oklahoma, USA.

[@MsDoobly]

The main message from this video is when building sheds or building insulation is key, pre insulated cladding is the way to go 👍

[@pamsmith7369]

You do so much work! And get up at 4am!! You need to know about so many systems on the farm as well as the land and the animals! It’s so much!

[@christinejeffrey5994]

Love the way you farm. Wish more farmers were as kind as you.

[@Zincchromeshema]

Wow you work hard. Glad to see that all of you babies are doing well!

[@michaeloconnor9809]

Re cold air on chest area here's 2 tips from cycling world. These work. A cycling balaclava can be bought off Decathlon company. This comes over the neck area too. For chest place a newspaper inside your jumper or top. Cyclists have used the latter coming down mountains to prevent chest chills. They work to great effect.

[@tony-yp6qk]

Calfs are so cute You have so much care for your cattle Another great video has always Adrian Sinead and girls 👍

[@peterhignett9047]

Another great video Adrian, hats off to you for keeping us informed when the weather was that cold, grateful that you find time to edit the footage in the midst of your calving and day to day tasks. Thanks again and look forward to next Sunday .🇮🇲

[@jimpolk]

You're a good man Adrian. God bless you.

[@irishdancer2753]

Adrian, your calf are lovely. Another great video, so much going on, busy, busy, busy! You must fall right to sleep when you hit your pillow, and then GET UP an unGodly hour for the calf’s being born! Nice to see your daughters at the jobs ….thank you!

[@simonsweeney5708]

Fantastic video. Great to watch every Sunday after mass. 👍

[@paddy294]

Very enjoyable video as always. You are one of a kind Adrian

[@vincentandpatriciageraghty8858]

Just an observation Adrian. When straw bedding the calf pens, if you keep the straw in the middle of the pen only, that is where the cow will lie down to calf, and nothing will obstruct the calf being born.

[@fearghalmcreynolds145]

Get a thermostat linked up to some trace heating for 2 motors and pipes. Easy install. Would work a treat Adrian.

[@andyleggatt1846]

Trace heating on all your internal pipe work will be a lifesaver for you, only coming on when temps are low, if you can only get oversize insulation pack it full with expanding foam, nothing wrong with too much insulation!

[@georgerome]

Another 10/10 quality video as always Adrian ! We've had a week of minis tempatures in South West Scotland as yourself alot of extra work and all takes time. Glad to see calving going well you've some tremendous milk cows and great calves following through aswell . Take care

[@johnbudds1703]

Hi Adrian great video as always you can get electric heater to heat the milk for you, sit it in the bucket of milk heat it up to blood temperature

[@AngelaMcMenamin]

Night . Have a safe lovely week folks ,great helpers on farm.

[@garymadden2656]

Great video Adrian as always nice calves too 👌

[@damien3278]

Sawdust not good for bedding calves Adrian a good vet in cavan once told me as the will nibble at it and eat it, Condolences on the loss of your Dad, Time brings changes, The modern concrete drinkers are supposed to be frost proof and some does put a piece off timber in them to keep from cracking, All the best in this busy time off year.

[@binflynn1]

I’ve cleaned piles of milking parlours now that they are being inspected, and yours is the cleanest I’ve ever seen 👍

[@jdxx59]

Wow such a contrast to our weather in the tropical north of Australia, we are melting, not freezing! I know zero about farming but have a deep appreciation of the hard work it takes. So many different things to take care of. ❤

[@r.scotthill3082]

We all have to deal with the climate where we live. It's just part of dairy life. In eastern Ohio we experianced a little of all extremes. The first weekend we milked in our new parlor it was -12 farenheit or -23 celsius, but that was rare. I can't image a parlor without heat. We had natural gas in our area so that was relatively inexpensive heat and we kept it at 40F. We did use green sawdust to bed our calves, but they were tethered in stalls and only needed cleaning behind at feeding time. It all depends on your access and the cost of sawdust.

[@georgemorrison6689]

Never easy Adrian, girls are working hard for you now, great when new life starts fill the days again, good luck to you and all yours

[@kevinveinotte3454]

Your weather always make me smile. We live way further south(think central France) but what a difference. You folks get a warm jet stream we get an arctic jet stream. Our first snow fall will usually be in Nov. and they can come as late as April. And, being on the coast, the weather changes every couple days from above freezing to far below. A heavy wet snow changing to rain then a freeze up with everything turning to ice. Two days later it seems like spring is is the air then the cycle starts anew. We definitely have a wet cold vs. a dry cold- the humidity makes all the difference. Kevin from nova scotia

[@charlottecox7014]

You are very appreciated. Very clean farm

[@freogael6557]

Great video, Adrian. I really do not miss those bitterly cold days of fog and rock hard ground with frozen pipes. I remember trying to thaw out pipes with gas blow torches always being careful not to overdo the heat on one spot.

[@AD-hs2bq]

You understand everything mechanical, I guess so natural having grown up on the farm. But it’s a specific kind of intelligence, I think a combination of information and instinct. Enjoying and respecting your animals also is fun to watch. Thank you.

[@Alan-rn5ip]

Hi adrian. Will the salt not damage your concrete. Father alway told me never to use it on the back yards

[@samuelrobinson9012]

I was told the exact same... "never put salt on concrete. It eats the surface." Maybe in his case, it might be a blessing, in that it'll have grip.

[@alisonheppell9748]

Yes a thermostat and heating needed for your parlour pipes ,a job im sure you could easily do ,and yes pool noodles would cover your pipes ,,who needs extra work on an already hard job

[@austinlloyd9757]

Best is land drainage pipe and fill with expanding foam where it goes in concrete try n cut so tube is in ground

[@Gearoid35]

Good video, that cold snap makes a lot of extra work.

[@Krypton-jx4zg]

You can get infrareds with thermostats already on them . A hatchet is great at breaking the ice out of drinkers - chop around edges and lift out block .

[@roga8681]

In NewZealand we can get arms for our drinkers with a spring midway up them so you cannot bend/break them easily.

[@patlydon519]

A frost stat wired through the infra light , light will come on automaticially. The heater needs to be low to the ground, as heat rises. A trace heater on that water pipe would stop her from freezing

[@Dan.Whiteford]

That is most definitely the way to go using wrapped heat trace on the water pipe linked to frost stat set at about +2.5 C. If there is a particular vulnerable point in the pipework, eg over a doorway, then put the wraps closer together otherwise elsewhere it looks like a well stretched spring!

[@TifJones-p8s]

Can you buy "heat tape" in Ireland - you wrap it around any water pipe of any size and plug it into powder and it keeps the pipes from freezing

[@karolschulz48]

You need a dropped ceiling and a constant source of heat in your milking setup. Especially since this happens during calving season. You put in some long days with calving you can't be spending your time thawing things and praying they haven't burst from freezing. You are all about working smarter not harder. You have to have the ability to button things up when the freezing temps come. Good to see all those calves you are going to have lots to choose from to raise as replacements. Where will your extra heifer calves go? Do you have a sale barn to sell them at? I love to watch for your vlogs. You brighten my Sundays. I wish it would be more often but i totally get the amount of time in a day. You can fix nearly everything but I don't think you can add more hours into a day. Can you? Stay safe and warm, see you next Sunday.

[@walt9234]

I'm from Northern England and went to work in newzealand for two years through winter it got down to -12 or more, and you're right it's a different cold, nothing like the -5 of home .

[@briangrammer898]

Here it’s -17 c / 0 F .. cold is cold..

[@ronnie6079]

Adrian, your farm is well looked after. It's not a easy job doing this work in freezing weather. A pool noodle with a split down side would be a good alternative for insulation on that pipe. Take care and see you next vlog

[@SEPK09]

SUGGESTION Oil filled radiators work well have timers and cost effective Also wondering if a steam cleaner would help heat up with milking shed equipment.

[@GeoffreyMoore-i9k]

Morning Adrian and Nicole Another entertaining and educational update The parlour volume wash seems to be the future, more effective than pressure washer in some circumstances That silage feeder is quicker than a bale spreader lol what's referred to as a magic touch I respect your perspective, bull or heifer doesn't matter so long as it's healthy We had 5-6 inches of snow last weekend followed by drop in temperature, so we are still covered They always said, if snow hangs around, it'll take snow to move it Installation of heat lamps, prevention is quicker than cure -7⁰ here yesterday in North Yorkshire Snow and frost creates so much more work and adds time to every task Take great care all Geoff

[@davidhamilton3726]

Once all animals are housed you could drain all the drinkers, and turn off the water going to the fields and then in spring time you would be starting a fresh. Would save time going about tieing up drinkers and breaking ice just a suggestion keep up the wonderful videos

[@philiptyndall4968]

The frost will burst the valves then

[@Gerry2210]

Happy New Year to you Adrian, I came across your site when you started to work on the small cottage, I’m very interested in watching the renovation, and then I have watched you working away on the farm itself, and now with the cows having their calf’s, what a worker you are, a lovely attitude and never pissed off. Remarkable, somehow I can’t see you relaxing.

[@trevorsidley7697]

Afternoon Adrian. I'm in SE England and got a new Indoor/Outdoor thermometer. Also shows Humidity. Since November most days and nights Humidity has been +95% - very close to supersaturation.

[@johnbowen4525]

If you stick some salt water in a bottle about half full an stick them in the tanks. Helps stop the freezing. An for insulation for the pipes if your having trouble finding something to fit. Sheep wool with tape/ split pipe to hold it on.

[@SeanieD1968]

Always in joy the visit to your place,, calves looking greats ,, keep safe

[@patrick-rt8py]

Great to see the girls helping out

[@wtrclr83]

Hello 🇨🇦 ! Canadian ski- wear is great! Could you please mention again the name of the generator (chargeable) that you use?

[@Grandrad-Eifion]

Hi Adrian, regarding insulation for the 42mm pipe could you use garden fleece as it comes in rolls and can be doubled up to give some protection? Also a wooden cover shaped to fit the pumps with a couple of breather holes? Keep up the good work, always a great start to my Sunday.

[@Scotty7268]

I recall you are in Ireland? Not Northern Ireland? Not affected by the taxes now hitting UK farmers? Watching your videos makes my heart ache for the British Farmers who all stand to lose so much. I wish you a good year ahead.

[@tdolan500]

No, he’s from Cavan, Republic of Ireland.

[@michaelwalsh9145]

We’ve inheritance tax on farms in Ireland for years however there is agricultural relief to reduce it under certain conditions.

[@perkirkegaardlemming720]

20 years ago I built a barn/shed for five Gallaway cows and three Icelandic horses and for straw feed. A drinking cup with a float was installed. The supply line, a 40 mm plastic pipe, was dug 120 cm deep and came up through the floor in a 300 mm concrete pipe. The electrician suggested installing a 230 V heating cable on the drinking cup. A heating cable that starts to heat when the temperature drops below 0 ° C and gets warmer the colder it gets. I no longer live there, but the heating cable followed me and today it is rolled up in a spiral and is located under the chickens' drinking bucket. Such heating cables are probably also available from you. They would be a good way to protect the pump and pipes from ice.

[@brendankeane7719]

Great to see new life coming into the farms.another cracking video

[@AgriSpec4370]

I love your videos but one critique I would have is in relation to bucket feeding the calves milk. It is very important that calves suck their milk to allow their abomasal groove to close. When they bucket feed this groove doesn't close and the milk goes into their rumen not their abomasum. It can't be digested properly in the rumen. A simple fix is to buy the buckets with a teat so they can suckle.

[@andrewjones-productions]

As someone who grew up on a farm in Wales and have lived most of my adult life in Japan, what you say about the cold being different is very, very true! My first winter here back in 1991, I felt it very warm and was even wearing a T-shirt at 9pm as I got in my car. At a ski resort with the temperatures down well below -10C. In summer, it is very, very humid here with temperatures well above 35C and I remember going home to visit family. It was about 22C which is 'hot' for Wales and I constantly felt cold and my mother found it incredulous that I wanted another blanket on the bed. Temperatures and how hot or cold it feels is very, very relative and the humidity in the air makes all the difference. I don't think I could endure a Welsh winter anymore.

[@lewisbullock3349]

Lovely to see the fresh calves

[@goptools]

Very cool to see the new calf being born. It's not something I'm familiar with at all. There is so much to do all the time on the farm. Could you setup some sort of heat source closer to the milking parlor for if you need to heat a kettle of water? Maybe an old electric range or similar? Seems the cold really weather keeps you running!

[@Shane_O]

I’ve been there many’s a time with frozen parlours when I was dairy farming 20 years ago. It does point to the fact that (certainly in new parlours) the roof panels should be insulated to reduce the space heating requirements and keep it a few degrees warmer than outside. Not easily done in old parlour however…. Love watching this channel it reminds me so much of the best job in the world….. which is farming. ( proper farming not tillage/ cereals 😀)

[@michaelstaunton1632]

Best of luck with everything ahead on the farm and good wishes to family 👍👍👍

[@haggielady]

Thank you Adrian.

[@georgehay5929]

Great video again, Adrian. When I worked on the dairy, we had water pipes, and we built a wooden box around them and filled it with expanding foam worked a treat. We used sawdust in the new calfe boxes and had no problems and clean. They went onto straw when In the big pens.

[@PeterWard-gq5xv]

I use oil seal remover tool for getting grease cartridge out of gun

[@mallowagrivideos4156]

hi adrian i bought a cheap diesel heater for my plant room for 100 euro and best thing i ever bought for keeping it warm

[@philiptyndall4968]

The new concrete drinkers are well designed to deal with frost. We’ve 2 plastic troughs left and they’ll be changed to concrete this year. The plastic ones always seem to get pushed off level and then leak causing a muddy hole around it. I’ve never emptied our concrete ones during hard frosty weather and none have cracked

[@DeirdreHickey-nx8nt]

Beautiful little calf’s. It’s always a curse when the freeze happens. Good job everyone getting everything sorted.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@johnogorman7498]

Adrian, a workshop diesel heater on a timer plug works great in the parlour I find.

[@chrisjonesschramm5265]

So glad to have found your channel! Really enjoying your videos! Very interesting to see how different farms around the world are run!

[@sandymcghee3328]

What a Cracking video Adrian the young calf’s are looking great 👍👍👍👍

[@GreenGrass24]

Morning Adrian. We have been using wood mulch for years. About six to seven inches deep. Great sparing on straw. The water just soaks down through it.

[@johnfryer2497]

I used saw dust aswell straw chip it about 10 a bag what I do deep beds them i am used it last few years it easy clean out aswell

[@alisonfrance4804]

That was such an excellent video. Thank you!

[@oldschoolfarmer7610]

Your video reminded me of the 'joy' of the milking parlour in mid-winter. I dont miss it.😂. A great video as always Adrian.

[@lindaarmstrongjackman9788]

Great video. Sorry you are having a freeze up. Hope it warms up soon. Nice tp see calving is going well now. Happy New Year! 😊❤

[@farmerslife2612]

Hi lad that's a great job with your milking and the best of luck with your cow's calfing this year 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@charlottecox7014]

Love from Texas

[@gminehane]

Hi Adrian, when we had cows we always used sawdust. Great job. We used to dump it into slurry tank and spread it, no bother. That was with a splash plate though…... 🤔🤔

[@aidanscapeing]

if you wire in a stc 1000 temperature controller for the heat lamps, you can set any temp you want.

[@scootytamra]

It's always exciting to see new calves being born! They are all so cute!

[@tdolan500]

You can get tubular heaters which are ideal for frost protection in sheds. They look like thick fluorescent tubes, you can screw them to the wall under what you need kept warm. You’d get a 1 ft 28w one with a thermostat for about £20.

[@country_boy_2009]

We use sawdust for hens and spread it around in the garden. its good and the hens look well vs straw but its pricy

[@icryostorm3727]

it was as you say Fierce cold - i was haveing to defrost between the first 2 sides on the farm i was reliefing on - was awful

[@roomullan3050]

Your very sweet Adrian to them gals. I find it hard that the babies can’t be raised with their mums but I’m sure there’s a good reason for this. I’ve always thought this but still don’t know why I’m looking forward to my second year calving with you

[@kevinryan3475]

Hard work but you are up for it fair play to you well done and your girls are a great help to you

[@damienconnolly4231]

Great work. Good luck with the other calvings.

[@alisonheppell9748]

What a lot of extra work

[@ridersporn7515]

A salamander heater for your occasional cold spells would make quick work of defrosting your parlor. We’re in Wisconsin in the US and we have to run a small heater in the milk room and parlor all winter long, but on those rare days that the barn gets cold enough to freeze the stock tank floats I use the salamander and in minutes the water is flowing. ( and we have heat tape on the water pipes).

[@SweetDreams-wt7vo]

After thought. In relation to using a space heater. Think about what you said about -24 in Lapland and the difference between wet cold and dry cold. Get a big fan and disperse the wet cold, high humidity air, first, then put in the Space Heater. Easier to warm dry cold. I advise you speak to a space heating expert but I use this method at home. There might be a heat expert watching. Continued success.

[@sianwilliams5870]

Extra large pool noodles will cover the pipes. Love your videos 😍 Your care and consideration for your animals is exemplary . Big love to you all from moist Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 😂😘

[@kflan3342]

Outside chores in temps lower than 20 degrees F equal double the time plus repairs no matter how much someone prepares. Calf crop is looking fine.

[@JohntyNich]

This is going back 25 years when electric was cheaper, a couple of heaters over the pit left on over night stopped the parlour freezing. But probably still worth it for the odd time it really gets cold. Old carpets and stuff was also good for keeping frost off pumps, tractors etc.

[@declanconway2903]

Great video again lots of Snow and Ice in Kilkenny.