Thanks to those who were concerned about me. December and January were not great months. December was lean in the pocketbook for us, plus I had the flu during the first part of the month then my DH got pretty sick towards the last part. I spent a couple of weeks on the couch with a pinched nerve in my back around the first of January. I think that I have had a little of the winter blues. Nothing much to write about and I just haven't been inspired.
However, I feel a little inspired today. As I sit here waiting on the big winter storm that is about to engulf Indiana tonight and tomorrow, I was thinking of Spring. Our groundhogs did not see their shadows and Spring is only a few snowstorms away. I know this because my hens have gotten back on their nests and gone to work this week. After months of one egg per day. We got two eggs, then six eggs, then zero eggs, then four eggs, then one egg. I can't wait to see how many eggs we get this evening.
The actual truth is that I had read somewhere that giving your hens Cayenne Pepper would make them start laying. I tried it and about three days later got six eggs. So, yesterday I fixed them up with some leftovers drowning in Cayenne Pepper. I will let you know how it goes.
Collette is huge but I don't think that she will have triplet doelings again this year. I think that she will probably have twin spotted doelings. I still have no idea when she will kid, but I do know now that the father is my black spotted young buck, Rancid. I didn't think he was tall enough or even knew what he was doing but where there is a will there is a way. He doesn't even stink yet!
I check Collette everyday when I milk Calico. She is getting ready to kid, losing her ligaments and has that dropped look, hollowing out in the flanks, carrying low. Still no udder to speak of though. She is waiting for just the right snow or ice storm or just the right sub-zero temperature.
My plans for the rest of today are to get prepared for a winter storm. I need to find a way to store some water. If our electricity goes out we have no water because we have a well with a pump. We do have a nice spring in case of emergencies but it is easier to store some from the well than hauling it to the house from the spring.
We do have heat from a ventless gas heater that provides our heat during the cold months. We do not have lights or a way to cook unless we run our generator. I miss having a woodstove because you always have heat and a way to cook. I suppose we could always build a campfire outside to cook on, I am a pretty good campfire cook.
Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Poison Mushrooms
Yesterday I posted about hunting fall mushrooms, the reason that we got interested in hunting them was because of a mushroom incident that happened to our Pastor.
He recently took his little dog out for her morning walk in the yard when she grabbed up something white in her mouth in a playful way. He realized that it was a mushroom and yelled at her to drop it, she did drop it but I guess she didn't drop it quick enough, the damage was already done.
Within 15 minutes she was vomiting and then the bloody diarrhea began. He rushed her to the Vet. They immediately started an IV when he walked through the door with her, she was obviously dying.
They managed to save her life but she certainly would have died if he had not seen her pick the mushroom up and realized how serious the situation was. They later identified the mushroom on the Vet's computer. She was at the Vet's office for a week and doesn't seem to have any long term affects from her experience at this time.
The Vet was concerned that with the rainy weather that we have had this year, these mushrooms are in everyone's yard. He said that it is rare that pet owners actually see their pets eat or play with the mushroom or toadstool. Most of the time people don't know what makes their dogs sick or why they just get sick and die suddenly.
I am not a mushroom expert, so I won't try to educate anyone here on my blog but it would probably be a good idea to do a little mushroom research to familiarize yourself with some of the things that you commonly see in your area. There are some mushrooms that are only mildly toxic and others that are deadly.
As a matter of fact, one of the spring mushrooms that I have enjoyed from the time I was a child is mildly toxic. You would have to eat a lot of them to make you sick. But some of the summer and fall mushrooms that I have never thought about eating are said to be safe and delicious. I have tried eating giant puffballs that grow like pumpkins here in the fall but didn't think that they tasted all that great.
He recently took his little dog out for her morning walk in the yard when she grabbed up something white in her mouth in a playful way. He realized that it was a mushroom and yelled at her to drop it, she did drop it but I guess she didn't drop it quick enough, the damage was already done.
Within 15 minutes she was vomiting and then the bloody diarrhea began. He rushed her to the Vet. They immediately started an IV when he walked through the door with her, she was obviously dying.
They managed to save her life but she certainly would have died if he had not seen her pick the mushroom up and realized how serious the situation was. They later identified the mushroom on the Vet's computer. She was at the Vet's office for a week and doesn't seem to have any long term affects from her experience at this time.
The Vet was concerned that with the rainy weather that we have had this year, these mushrooms are in everyone's yard. He said that it is rare that pet owners actually see their pets eat or play with the mushroom or toadstool. Most of the time people don't know what makes their dogs sick or why they just get sick and die suddenly.
I am not a mushroom expert, so I won't try to educate anyone here on my blog but it would probably be a good idea to do a little mushroom research to familiarize yourself with some of the things that you commonly see in your area. There are some mushrooms that are only mildly toxic and others that are deadly.
As a matter of fact, one of the spring mushrooms that I have enjoyed from the time I was a child is mildly toxic. You would have to eat a lot of them to make you sick. But some of the summer and fall mushrooms that I have never thought about eating are said to be safe and delicious. I have tried eating giant puffballs that grow like pumpkins here in the fall but didn't think that they tasted all that great.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Diarrhea in Goat Kids
OK, I am just going to have to admit it, Spring and Summer are just too busy for me to have the time to blog. I know that I blogged last Summer but this year has been crazy. I have too many irons in the fire.
After the worming, all of my goats have picked up weight and are looking good. I will be worming them all again tomorrow at 10 days after the first worming. I will not be tripling the dosage this time, just slightly over the regular horse dosage.
I had quite a time with my two little spotted Nubian bucklings, they were just weaned when I traded for them. Weaning should be a gradual thing. Kids shouldn't just be pulled off of the doe. They should be separated in gradually increasing time periods.
If they are just all of the sudden taken away from their mothers they don't get enough fluids to sustain them well, because they haven't learned to drink an adequate amount of water. So these two bucklings got diarrhea and started loosing weight, they got lethargic and didn't want to eat or drink.
I started drenching them with Nutri-Drench (For Beef Cattle because it is cheaper), Pepto-Bismol and Pedialyte. The drenching wasn't going too well because they fought me like wild cats. So I decided to teach them to take a bottle. This is very hard, if an animal has never seen a bottle before.
One of them finally decided that the Pedialyte was pretty good stuff so he started sucking it down. The other one would only chew on the nipple and wouldn't suck. It took him forever to empty the bottle by chewing. It has been so hot here and sitting out there for 30 minutes in the sun while he chewed, got old for both of us. Then yesterday after about 5 days of this, he started sucking and downed his bottle in no time.
I switched from the Pepto-Bismol to Slippery Elm Bark Powder after the first bottle of Pepto was gone in the first day and a half, they were getting a bottle every 3 - 4 hours. Their diarrhea was completely gone after the second day of the Slippery Elm Bark mixed with goat's milk, Pedialyte and a squirt of Nutri-Drench. I am down to just one bottle per day now that they are over the diarrhea. It is so hot that I think they still need the extra boost.
After the worming, all of my goats have picked up weight and are looking good. I will be worming them all again tomorrow at 10 days after the first worming. I will not be tripling the dosage this time, just slightly over the regular horse dosage.
I had quite a time with my two little spotted Nubian bucklings, they were just weaned when I traded for them. Weaning should be a gradual thing. Kids shouldn't just be pulled off of the doe. They should be separated in gradually increasing time periods.
If they are just all of the sudden taken away from their mothers they don't get enough fluids to sustain them well, because they haven't learned to drink an adequate amount of water. So these two bucklings got diarrhea and started loosing weight, they got lethargic and didn't want to eat or drink.
I started drenching them with Nutri-Drench (For Beef Cattle because it is cheaper), Pepto-Bismol and Pedialyte. The drenching wasn't going too well because they fought me like wild cats. So I decided to teach them to take a bottle. This is very hard, if an animal has never seen a bottle before.
One of them finally decided that the Pedialyte was pretty good stuff so he started sucking it down. The other one would only chew on the nipple and wouldn't suck. It took him forever to empty the bottle by chewing. It has been so hot here and sitting out there for 30 minutes in the sun while he chewed, got old for both of us. Then yesterday after about 5 days of this, he started sucking and downed his bottle in no time.
I switched from the Pepto-Bismol to Slippery Elm Bark Powder after the first bottle of Pepto was gone in the first day and a half, they were getting a bottle every 3 - 4 hours. Their diarrhea was completely gone after the second day of the Slippery Elm Bark mixed with goat's milk, Pedialyte and a squirt of Nutri-Drench. I am down to just one bottle per day now that they are over the diarrhea. It is so hot that I think they still need the extra boost.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
I'm Back
I have finally caught up on most all of my rope halter orders. I currently only have two small orders to fill. This spring has been horribly busy for us and I hope things will slow down enough for us to catch our breath.
My fingers are really sore from working on the halters and the pinky on my left hand and the middle, ring and pinky on my right hand are all starting to curl under with arthritis. Keyboarding is getting difficult for me. I can't imagine not being able to blog anymore. Getting old just stinks and I would advise you younger folks out there not to try it.
Out of 18 eggs my hen managed to hatch nine chicks. All of the hatchlings were banties, most of them have feathered feet. When we broke open the unhatched eggs, the three other banty eggs had dead chicks in them but the six standard eggs were still yolks. None of the standards had been fertilized as I had suspected. I am going to have to get a different rooster if I ever hope to raise some standard chickens.
One of the chicks got smashed by its oversized Mother. The other eight are doing well. Mom steps on their little feet sometimes and they cry and pull but can't get away until she takes another step then the poor things go tumbling. They are great fun to watch, my DH says that in her exuberance to scratch up a meal that she inadvertently buries a few of them but they always manage to dig their way out.
I was tempted to take them away from their Mother, put them in a safe place and raise them myself. But after all of the work that she did and with her knowing how to take better care of chicks than I could ever know, I decided to let her do it herself. Even with these chicks being half the size of what her biological children would be, I still think she knows best.
I am going to do my best to get back to work and blog every day. This is the best way that I have found to keep a daily journal that I can refer back to when I fail to write important dates on my calendar.
My fingers are really sore from working on the halters and the pinky on my left hand and the middle, ring and pinky on my right hand are all starting to curl under with arthritis. Keyboarding is getting difficult for me. I can't imagine not being able to blog anymore. Getting old just stinks and I would advise you younger folks out there not to try it.
Out of 18 eggs my hen managed to hatch nine chicks. All of the hatchlings were banties, most of them have feathered feet. When we broke open the unhatched eggs, the three other banty eggs had dead chicks in them but the six standard eggs were still yolks. None of the standards had been fertilized as I had suspected. I am going to have to get a different rooster if I ever hope to raise some standard chickens.
One of the chicks got smashed by its oversized Mother. The other eight are doing well. Mom steps on their little feet sometimes and they cry and pull but can't get away until she takes another step then the poor things go tumbling. They are great fun to watch, my DH says that in her exuberance to scratch up a meal that she inadvertently buries a few of them but they always manage to dig their way out.
I was tempted to take them away from their Mother, put them in a safe place and raise them myself. But after all of the work that she did and with her knowing how to take better care of chicks than I could ever know, I decided to let her do it herself. Even with these chicks being half the size of what her biological children would be, I still think she knows best.
I am going to do my best to get back to work and blog every day. This is the best way that I have found to keep a daily journal that I can refer back to when I fail to write important dates on my calendar.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Morel Season
Let me just begin by saying that it is not my intention to provoke any feelings of jealousy here, I am only trying to once more offer my services for the betterment of my reader's lives.
On Sunday afternoon I took less than 30 minutes of my valuable time to run down the hill to the old sink hole to find some mushrooms for my breakfast on Monday morning. This sink hole is not located on our farm, so don't get any ideas! As a matter of fact, we have never found even one mushroom here. This is the first farm that I have ever lived on that doesn't have mushrooms.
I have been a avid mushroom hunter all of my life. I spent hours everyday during the season when I was young and I am talking about from Elementary to High School and beyond. I went alone, no one shared my desire to bag the big ones.
Somehow my life has gotten to complicated to have time to hunt for mushrooms. My priorities are really messed up. For the last several years I have promised myself that I will make the time to go but when the next season arrives, there are too many other commitments that demand my attention. Foaling, kidding, Spring halters sales, tomato plants, shoveling manure, fixing fences, laundry, dishes, new websites, etc...
I am sure that I am not alone in this dilemma. So in order to inspire you to forget all of the other demands on your time and hit the woods, I offer you these pictures and the memories of my Monday morning breakfast. I only found 9 but they were of decent size and extremely flavorable. I find it impossible to eat mushrooms without eggs of course.
Please get out of the house, rearrange your busy schedule and go find some Morels. We have always called our edible shrooms; Black, Gray or Yellow Sponge Mushrooms, also we are never disappointed in finding Snake Heads and Elephant Ears, they are just as tasty. The word "Morel" was just a little to sophisticated for us Hill people.
If you don't take the time to go this year, you may not get another chance next year. Things can change, you may be living in the Antarctic, you could be sick or injured next season. It is important to put the best things in life first. Forget about fixing meals, going shopping, doing laundry, mowing the grass or taking a nap.
**Remember to use a very large mesh bag to bring your bushels of Mushrooms home in, so that the little spores will happily fall all over the ground as you walk about to ensure Mushrooms for future generations.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Twister
As far as I know we were not even in a tornado warning area but when the storm hit this afternoon, you could just about feel it in the air. The thunder and lightening, the hard rain followed by dime sized hail, then very strong wind gusts.
When is started to calm down I called the neighbors to check on them and even though they only live a little ways up the road they didn't get the hail. They were not even aware that they had been in any danger at all. They hadn't heard the severe thunderstorm warning.
The small town on the other side of us didn't fair as well. Several homes were destroyed, several injuries but nothing life threatening. We had to drive through the area for an appointment in town. We were nearly late because of the amount of sightseeing traffic. We passed car after car full of people just driving out to see the damage.
The Police closed the roads that were hardest hit, so other than one barn with it's roof peeled back, there wasn't much to see. When we came back through the area tonight after dark, we could see a large area with flood lights and you could still see the flashing lights on the police cars.
The people who decide whether it was a real tornado or not will be here tomorrow but since someone actually got a picture of it, I would say it was.
This is only the second time that we have had one come close to us since we have lived here but I was raised in an area that had them pass through on a regular basis, so I won't let two scare me too bad. Just another sign of Spring in Indiana.
When is started to calm down I called the neighbors to check on them and even though they only live a little ways up the road they didn't get the hail. They were not even aware that they had been in any danger at all. They hadn't heard the severe thunderstorm warning.
The small town on the other side of us didn't fair as well. Several homes were destroyed, several injuries but nothing life threatening. We had to drive through the area for an appointment in town. We were nearly late because of the amount of sightseeing traffic. We passed car after car full of people just driving out to see the damage.
The Police closed the roads that were hardest hit, so other than one barn with it's roof peeled back, there wasn't much to see. When we came back through the area tonight after dark, we could see a large area with flood lights and you could still see the flashing lights on the police cars.
The people who decide whether it was a real tornado or not will be here tomorrow but since someone actually got a picture of it, I would say it was.
This is only the second time that we have had one come close to us since we have lived here but I was raised in an area that had them pass through on a regular basis, so I won't let two scare me too bad. Just another sign of Spring in Indiana.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Bedfast
My flu symptoms have past but now I am totally down in my back from laying in bed all day yesterday. I did manage to hobble outside this evening with a cane to look at Calico. She wasn't milked all day yesterday or today. She isn't at all strutted so I guess that she is drying up on her own. She is looking very pregnant or very fat.
For those who do not have goats or are thinking about getting goats. They can drive you absolutely mad. They do not care about your plans, they just do whatever feels right to them. They can be sweet and affectionate one minute and devious and hateful the next. Bucks are more predictable than does, at least my Buck is, he is just obnoxious all of the time.
So, at this point I am looking at kidding in 5 to 37 days for Calico. Paris was bred on January 1st. We also have two mares due to foal this spring.
That is all for now because I am still using this stupid laptop that cannot think as fast as I can type. I have a whole paragraph done before it shows the first word, which is just annoying.
For those who do not have goats or are thinking about getting goats. They can drive you absolutely mad. They do not care about your plans, they just do whatever feels right to them. They can be sweet and affectionate one minute and devious and hateful the next. Bucks are more predictable than does, at least my Buck is, he is just obnoxious all of the time.
So, at this point I am looking at kidding in 5 to 37 days for Calico. Paris was bred on January 1st. We also have two mares due to foal this spring.
That is all for now because I am still using this stupid laptop that cannot think as fast as I can type. I have a whole paragraph done before it shows the first word, which is just annoying.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Problem Persists
My two yearling does are continuing to escape their electric fenced pen. I had hoped that they were bred to kid this fall but I am now pretty sure that at least one of them is currently in heat. Since I stake Cooter out during the day, this could be a problem because she might try to go to him. There is a hot wire around the lot that I stake him out in but hot wires have lost their effect on these two girls.
I certainly don't want them bred now because that would give me February babies. I would like to breed them around the first of December, so that they would kid in warm weather.
I have done everything I know to do to fix the fence so that they can't get out but nothing has worked. They are both going under it now, Paris has stopped jumping it. The bottom strand is two inches off of the ground and it is hot. Angel has started getting out again as well, they all just put their noses under the bottom wire and push through.
I think that their hair is preventing them from being shocked. Shaving a bald patch on the top of their necks or shoulders might work but I hate to make them look so ridiculous. I have even considered making the bottom strand barbed wire. I can't afford to put up woven wire. I hate not being able to control them.
I certainly don't want them bred now because that would give me February babies. I would like to breed them around the first of December, so that they would kid in warm weather.
I have done everything I know to do to fix the fence so that they can't get out but nothing has worked. They are both going under it now, Paris has stopped jumping it. The bottom strand is two inches off of the ground and it is hot. Angel has started getting out again as well, they all just put their noses under the bottom wire and push through.
I think that their hair is preventing them from being shocked. Shaving a bald patch on the top of their necks or shoulders might work but I hate to make them look so ridiculous. I have even considered making the bottom strand barbed wire. I can't afford to put up woven wire. I hate not being able to control them.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Anniversary
Today is our 34th wedding anniversary and I am sick. My sweet husband was going to take me to my favorite Chinese restaurant to eat today. I was really looking forward to it. But I woke up this morning with a terrible headache, sore throat, dizziness and vomiting. How nice! The funny thing is that I didn't catch any forms of flu or colds this past winter but I have been sick all Spring.
I can see the goat lot from my bedroom window and Jasper is very sore today too. He is moving pretty slow, no playing and having fun today. I do feel a little guilty for putting him through this but it is for his own good. The first day is the hardest on them, he will be feeling much better tomorrow.
I can see the goat lot from my bedroom window and Jasper is very sore today too. He is moving pretty slow, no playing and having fun today. I do feel a little guilty for putting him through this but it is for his own good. The first day is the hardest on them, he will be feeling much better tomorrow.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Excuses
It wasn't all my fault, I would have blogged yesterday but some loser cut our phone line. Not just ours but the whole neighborhood's, they stole 150 foot of it. I guess it has value somewhere. I hope that they don't get in a habit of stealing it in our part of the woods.
When we finally got our phone and internet service back yesterday evening we were in the middle of a little birthday party for two of the Grandkids. Then of course, I was too exhausted to blog and went straight to bed. Now that takes care of the excuses for not blogging on Thursday.
On Wednesday, I was busy all day making halters that I am so far behind on, I am getting tons of e-mails from people wanting to know where their halters are. My poor hands can only make a few per day without cramping up on me, I have callouses on my callouses. Sometimes I even bust blood vessels in my fingers. Spring is always crazy like this, right when I am my busiest with foaling and kidding, I get tons of halter orders and people wanting updates on their websites because they have new foals as well. I haven't even had time to put my new foals on our website yet.
I worked hard to get caught up on halters on Wednesday, then the rain started and it rained and it rained. Our house/barn is sitting at the base of a hill and we do not have any guttering on it yet because we haven't been able to save enough money, all of our savings went into our horse's bellies this winter. So, we spent most of Wednesday evening trenching and sandbagging. Actually my DH spent most of the evening trenching and sandbagging. I just stood out in the rain with an umbrella trying to figure out where the best places would be for a trench. We did have some success in rerouting the water but it seems like every time we get a downpour like this one it takes a new direction and we have to change our strategy.
When we finally got our phone and internet service back yesterday evening we were in the middle of a little birthday party for two of the Grandkids. Then of course, I was too exhausted to blog and went straight to bed. Now that takes care of the excuses for not blogging on Thursday.
On Wednesday, I was busy all day making halters that I am so far behind on, I am getting tons of e-mails from people wanting to know where their halters are. My poor hands can only make a few per day without cramping up on me, I have callouses on my callouses. Sometimes I even bust blood vessels in my fingers. Spring is always crazy like this, right when I am my busiest with foaling and kidding, I get tons of halter orders and people wanting updates on their websites because they have new foals as well. I haven't even had time to put my new foals on our website yet.
I worked hard to get caught up on halters on Wednesday, then the rain started and it rained and it rained. Our house/barn is sitting at the base of a hill and we do not have any guttering on it yet because we haven't been able to save enough money, all of our savings went into our horse's bellies this winter. So, we spent most of Wednesday evening trenching and sandbagging. Actually my DH spent most of the evening trenching and sandbagging. I just stood out in the rain with an umbrella trying to figure out where the best places would be for a trench. We did have some success in rerouting the water but it seems like every time we get a downpour like this one it takes a new direction and we have to change our strategy.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Ramble
I don't have anything in particular that I am going to blog about this morning, so I will just ramble. This morning was just beautiful, I was away from home most of the day yesterday, which is unusual for me but it always makes me enjoy home more after being away. Today is warm after a very cold night last night, I had to cover my rosebush to protect it from the frost of last night. Here it is, the end of April and I have to cover a rosebush, that is Indiana weather for you.
Speaking of Indiana weather, on Monday evening while we were feeding, it started to sleet. Then the sleet changed to snow mixed with rain, but the sun was shining and I took this picture of the rainbow that presented itself.
Now while cold temps, sleet, snow, rain, sunshine and a rainbow all at the same time at the end of April is not all that unusual for Indiana, that Unidentified Flying Object in the picture is. The important question here is, what exactly is that in the right hand corner? This is definitely a UFO, if I ever saw one. I don't know what it is, I even digitally enhanced it for your viewing pleasure.
Not to fear though as warm weather has returned to Indiana and my Son can now go camping and enjoy his short vacation. I told him that he was the one to blame for last summer's drought because he didn't do any camping. All he has to do is mention the word camp and the sky will darken and rain will start pouring. This Spring was just a little different for him, he took off work and the temperature immediately dropped to almost freezing for two nights.
Now back to this morning, as I said, it was just lovely. The birds were singing and the temperatures have returned to a more Springlike feel. When I went out to take care of my menagerie, I just needed a sweatshirt and the rooster was standing on one of the gates crowing, a perfect picture that took me back to my childhood.
Did I ever mention on here how weird it is to have a dozen or so chickens following your ever step? Their feet make this strange clicking sound as they trot to keep up with you. I try to feed them as quickly as possible to avoid their wrath.
While I was typing this I heard the Chickens start yelling and throwing a fit. I ran outside and there was another fox in the stud pen. He just looked at me and I had to stomp my foot and holler at him to make him run. He ran into the mare and foal lot where one of the mares chased him into the woods. He stopped on the other side of the fence and looked at me, so I ran in the house and got my rifle but he was gone when I got back. Unfortunately he will be back, I will have to start regular patrols again.
Speaking of Indiana weather, on Monday evening while we were feeding, it started to sleet. Then the sleet changed to snow mixed with rain, but the sun was shining and I took this picture of the rainbow that presented itself.
Now while cold temps, sleet, snow, rain, sunshine and a rainbow all at the same time at the end of April is not all that unusual for Indiana, that Unidentified Flying Object in the picture is. The important question here is, what exactly is that in the right hand corner? This is definitely a UFO, if I ever saw one. I don't know what it is, I even digitally enhanced it for your viewing pleasure.
Not to fear though as warm weather has returned to Indiana and my Son can now go camping and enjoy his short vacation. I told him that he was the one to blame for last summer's drought because he didn't do any camping. All he has to do is mention the word camp and the sky will darken and rain will start pouring. This Spring was just a little different for him, he took off work and the temperature immediately dropped to almost freezing for two nights.
Now back to this morning, as I said, it was just lovely. The birds were singing and the temperatures have returned to a more Springlike feel. When I went out to take care of my menagerie, I just needed a sweatshirt and the rooster was standing on one of the gates crowing, a perfect picture that took me back to my childhood.
Did I ever mention on here how weird it is to have a dozen or so chickens following your ever step? Their feet make this strange clicking sound as they trot to keep up with you. I try to feed them as quickly as possible to avoid their wrath.
While I was typing this I heard the Chickens start yelling and throwing a fit. I ran outside and there was another fox in the stud pen. He just looked at me and I had to stomp my foot and holler at him to make him run. He ran into the mare and foal lot where one of the mares chased him into the woods. He stopped on the other side of the fence and looked at me, so I ran in the house and got my rifle but he was gone when I got back. Unfortunately he will be back, I will have to start regular patrols again.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Rain, Mud and Wind
My husband talked to a neighbor last night while hunting for my dog. Angel had disappeared, which is not like her at all. She never gets too far away from her goats. But when it was time to feed yesterday evening, she was no where to be found and didn't come when called.
The neighbor raises bottle calves and has an abundance of them, people just keep bringing him more all of the time. He has suffered many losses this year due to the weather.
He has very nice huts set up for them with lots of straw but he says that the huts have to have a door and he just can't keep all of this rain out. Then he brought to my husband's attention that with every rain that we are getting, it is being followed by lots of wind. This does dry the ground up somewhat but having a strong wind after a cold rain is very hard on young animals. His bottle calves are getting pneumonia and even with antibiotics, vitamins and minerals, he isn't having too much luck saving them.
Not having a dry place to bed down is hard on any animal but especially the young and with the weather that we are having there just isn't any such thing as a dry spot. Which brings me back to Angel, we had called and called for her and she didn't show up. I did think that I had heard her rabies tag tinkling a couple of times inside our barn/house. I looked around but didn't see her. My husband was very upset because he doesn't want a dog that runs the neighborhood. I just couldn't believe that she would leave the goats like that.
Finally later in the evening I detected some movement in the corner of our barn/house, back behind our lawn tractor. She was hiding in a nice dry spot, she knows that she isn't allowed in this barn. My husband had mercy on her because as he pointed out, she is just wanting someplace dry to sleep to get ready for her night watch.
Our goat/chicken shed is continually wet this spring, we clean it out and put fresh straw down but with the goats and dog tracking in and out in the wet and mud, it doesn't stay dry for very long. Goats are also very indiscriminate about where they use the bathroom, they just go wherever the urge hits them. So, with the lot being nothing but a mud pit and the shed not being much better, Angel sought and found a warm, dry spot for a much needed rest.
Another dilemma that we are facing is that we don't have anyplace to put the new foal and his mother to make room for the other two mares that are overdue to foal. Under normal circumstances we turn the mares with their new foals out on pasture as soon as the mares have had a few days to recoup. But this weather makes it impossible to do that.
My DH keeps saying that we are never having March babies again but I keep telling him that this is the first year that we have had these kind of troubles. Our neighbor with the calves has never had these problems before either. It rained here all night again last night and the wind is suppose to be strong today with the temperature dropping all day down to 30º tonight.
Additional thought: I posted on the first day of March that it came in like a Lamb, yesterday was the last day of March and it certainly went out like a Lion!
The neighbor raises bottle calves and has an abundance of them, people just keep bringing him more all of the time. He has suffered many losses this year due to the weather.
He has very nice huts set up for them with lots of straw but he says that the huts have to have a door and he just can't keep all of this rain out. Then he brought to my husband's attention that with every rain that we are getting, it is being followed by lots of wind. This does dry the ground up somewhat but having a strong wind after a cold rain is very hard on young animals. His bottle calves are getting pneumonia and even with antibiotics, vitamins and minerals, he isn't having too much luck saving them.
Not having a dry place to bed down is hard on any animal but especially the young and with the weather that we are having there just isn't any such thing as a dry spot. Which brings me back to Angel, we had called and called for her and she didn't show up. I did think that I had heard her rabies tag tinkling a couple of times inside our barn/house. I looked around but didn't see her. My husband was very upset because he doesn't want a dog that runs the neighborhood. I just couldn't believe that she would leave the goats like that.
Finally later in the evening I detected some movement in the corner of our barn/house, back behind our lawn tractor. She was hiding in a nice dry spot, she knows that she isn't allowed in this barn. My husband had mercy on her because as he pointed out, she is just wanting someplace dry to sleep to get ready for her night watch.
Our goat/chicken shed is continually wet this spring, we clean it out and put fresh straw down but with the goats and dog tracking in and out in the wet and mud, it doesn't stay dry for very long. Goats are also very indiscriminate about where they use the bathroom, they just go wherever the urge hits them. So, with the lot being nothing but a mud pit and the shed not being much better, Angel sought and found a warm, dry spot for a much needed rest.
Another dilemma that we are facing is that we don't have anyplace to put the new foal and his mother to make room for the other two mares that are overdue to foal. Under normal circumstances we turn the mares with their new foals out on pasture as soon as the mares have had a few days to recoup. But this weather makes it impossible to do that.
My DH keeps saying that we are never having March babies again but I keep telling him that this is the first year that we have had these kind of troubles. Our neighbor with the calves has never had these problems before either. It rained here all night again last night and the wind is suppose to be strong today with the temperature dropping all day down to 30º tonight.
Additional thought: I posted on the first day of March that it came in like a Lamb, yesterday was the last day of March and it certainly went out like a Lion!
Friday, March 28, 2008
More Rain
I said it before and I'll say it again, the good news is that the drought it over! It rained here all night again and we are having the worst flooding that this area has seen in years. I feel for the people whose houses and businesses are under water or are watching the river and creeks rise and will soon be under water. Though we do have flooding on our property it doesn't come close to our buildings. I can deal with some rain water in the barn and a little on my living room floor because of poor drainage.
This is quite a contrast to the dry weather that we had last year, I think something somewhere must have gotten stopped up last Summer and Fall and is just now breaking loose.
I did get some sleep last night, I got up a couple of times to check my girls then had a hard time getting back to sleep because I was worrying about all of the water that was pouring in but there was nothing that I could do about it but worry, so, I finally went back to sleep.
This is quite a contrast to the dry weather that we had last year, I think something somewhere must have gotten stopped up last Summer and Fall and is just now breaking loose.
I did get some sleep last night, I got up a couple of times to check my girls then had a hard time getting back to sleep because I was worrying about all of the water that was pouring in but there was nothing that I could do about it but worry, so, I finally went back to sleep.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Easter!
Easter is as early this year as you will ever see it again in your lifetime. Everything seems early this year, we were looking forward to Spring but it came up in such a whirlwind that the temperatures haven't had time to catch up yet.
Giselle is still not doing well, she is off her feed and not getting up at all, she did go outside and stand for just a few minutes today but then went back inside to lie down and she hasn't moved since. She hasn't eaten any hay or grain, she wouldn't even eat treats. I took some warm molasses water to her at about 11:30 tonight and she drank quite a bit, but that is all she has had.
Her tail end had some goo hanging from it this morning which is a good sign that labor is close but I have been checking on her every 30 minutes all through the night and she isn't doing anything. She is just lying very still and has a glazed look in her eyes.
It is now 3:03 in the morning and after checking on her the last time I have decided that she has all of the symptoms of Pregnancy Toxemia and I have mixed up a drench for her again, karo syrup, molasses, nutri-drench, B-complex vitamins and crunched-up tums. I am giving her the drench syringe full (50 ml) every two hours, then following that up with 50 ml of yogurt. She isn't happy about it, she just wants to be left alone. No sleep for me tonight...
Giselle is still not doing well, she is off her feed and not getting up at all, she did go outside and stand for just a few minutes today but then went back inside to lie down and she hasn't moved since. She hasn't eaten any hay or grain, she wouldn't even eat treats. I took some warm molasses water to her at about 11:30 tonight and she drank quite a bit, but that is all she has had.
Her tail end had some goo hanging from it this morning which is a good sign that labor is close but I have been checking on her every 30 minutes all through the night and she isn't doing anything. She is just lying very still and has a glazed look in her eyes.
It is now 3:03 in the morning and after checking on her the last time I have decided that she has all of the symptoms of Pregnancy Toxemia and I have mixed up a drench for her again, karo syrup, molasses, nutri-drench, B-complex vitamins and crunched-up tums. I am giving her the drench syringe full (50 ml) every two hours, then following that up with 50 ml of yogurt. She isn't happy about it, she just wants to be left alone. No sleep for me tonight...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Spring is Here
Spring has arrived and we have survived the winter. The rain cleared out of here and the sun is shining just for the occasion.
My little orange Mille Fleur D'Uccle hen went missing last night and this morning. I hunted for her today and found her under the goat/chicken house all covered in mud and acting puny. I had to get down on my knees in the mud and take my handy dandy chicken catcher to get her out, it is a long metal wire with a crook in the end that will snag a chicken by the foot. I caught her on the first try and drug her out. I cradled her in my arms and looked her over but could find no injuries. She must have just had a hard night out in the cold being wet and muddy.
I put her out in the dog kennel with the other banties and they all attacked her viciously. I must admit that I don't understand chicken psychology, they don't have any compassion. They are pecking at her and plucking out her feathers and chasing her. With friends like that, who needs enemies?
My little orange Mille Fleur D'Uccle hen went missing last night and this morning. I hunted for her today and found her under the goat/chicken house all covered in mud and acting puny. I had to get down on my knees in the mud and take my handy dandy chicken catcher to get her out, it is a long metal wire with a crook in the end that will snag a chicken by the foot. I caught her on the first try and drug her out. I cradled her in my arms and looked her over but could find no injuries. She must have just had a hard night out in the cold being wet and muddy.
I put her out in the dog kennel with the other banties and they all attacked her viciously. I must admit that I don't understand chicken psychology, they don't have any compassion. They are pecking at her and plucking out her feathers and chasing her. With friends like that, who needs enemies?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Finding Time
It is getting increasing hard to find the time to blog right now. I am up all during the night checking on my due and overdue mares and does. I have to switch the goats around during the day because at this point the buck cannot be with the girls who are getting ready to kid. So I turn the girls out in the warm sunshine during the day and put Cooter in the horse trailer, he hates it!
It is also Spring which makes it really hard for me to stay in the house, plus springtime brings lots of orders for the horse and goat rope halters that I tie. I can usually keep up with my rope halter orders but right before Christmas and in the Spring, I get so many orders that I fall way behind.
We are suppose to have rain for the next few days, so that might help me to find some more time to blog. I know that we need the rain for the grass to grow but I hate to see the mud again. The ground is just getting to the place that I can walk on it without the fear of falling. More mud also means muddy footprints on my clothes, for some reason Angel, Paris and Collette cannot keep their feet off of me.
It is also Spring which makes it really hard for me to stay in the house, plus springtime brings lots of orders for the horse and goat rope halters that I tie. I can usually keep up with my rope halter orders but right before Christmas and in the Spring, I get so many orders that I fall way behind.
We are suppose to have rain for the next few days, so that might help me to find some more time to blog. I know that we need the rain for the grass to grow but I hate to see the mud again. The ground is just getting to the place that I can walk on it without the fear of falling. More mud also means muddy footprints on my clothes, for some reason Angel, Paris and Collette cannot keep their feet off of me.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Good News!
The good news is that warm days are ahead, I have seen the weather forecast and it is looking very good. Sure we will have rain but rain brings grass and grass is very important to us who lived through last year's drought with livestock.
Our horses have already started leaving the hay feeders, which means that they will start losing weight and pushing on the fences but that always happens in the Spring.
When we unwrapped Morning's leg last night, it was greatly improved over the pictures that I posted yesterday that were taken two days ago. It didn't bleed when we took the dressing off, that was a first, because it has always bled before. She didn't act any better as far as manners go but we didn't expect her too. We haven't seen her knuckle over on it for a couple of days either, so that extensor tendon is healing.
Our horses have already started leaving the hay feeders, which means that they will start losing weight and pushing on the fences but that always happens in the Spring.
When we unwrapped Morning's leg last night, it was greatly improved over the pictures that I posted yesterday that were taken two days ago. It didn't bleed when we took the dressing off, that was a first, because it has always bled before. She didn't act any better as far as manners go but we didn't expect her too. We haven't seen her knuckle over on it for a couple of days either, so that extensor tendon is healing.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Done My Part
If you read my "Doe's Secret Code of Honor" blog then you will understand this blog better.
Everything seems to be in place for both of my does to kid in the next couple of days. My house is in chaos (which is normal), my hair is tangled (new perm), laundry is piled up, my husband keeps saying, "Oh, they are no way near ready." and to top it all off, we have a winter storm watch for Friday and Saturday. I have done all that I can to make them kid early, the only thing that I haven't done is plan a trip.
It would have been so easy this year, just to put the two does in the foaling stall and have them right outside my door, maybe I haven't mentioned that we live in the barn. Anyway we live on one side of the barn and have a nice big foaling stall right across the aisle from our living room door. However since Morning had to go and get herself injured and with her being the first mare to foal this year, she has taken up permanent residence in that stall, so my goats will have to kid in the horse trailer.
Can you even believe it? We have been having warm, sunny days, Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, our horses have left their hay feeders in search of new grass and then we get a prediction of 6 inches of blowing and drifting snow for the next two days with lows down around 14º.
The good news is that it is suppose to be 49º on Monday, so maybe there is still hope. My does will both be good girls and wait until the weather warms up to kid, breaking their own code of honor. We will have to wait and see, but to be safe, I will continue the nightly checks.
Everything seems to be in place for both of my does to kid in the next couple of days. My house is in chaos (which is normal), my hair is tangled (new perm), laundry is piled up, my husband keeps saying, "Oh, they are no way near ready." and to top it all off, we have a winter storm watch for Friday and Saturday. I have done all that I can to make them kid early, the only thing that I haven't done is plan a trip.
It would have been so easy this year, just to put the two does in the foaling stall and have them right outside my door, maybe I haven't mentioned that we live in the barn. Anyway we live on one side of the barn and have a nice big foaling stall right across the aisle from our living room door. However since Morning had to go and get herself injured and with her being the first mare to foal this year, she has taken up permanent residence in that stall, so my goats will have to kid in the horse trailer.
Can you even believe it? We have been having warm, sunny days, Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, our horses have left their hay feeders in search of new grass and then we get a prediction of 6 inches of blowing and drifting snow for the next two days with lows down around 14º.
The good news is that it is suppose to be 49º on Monday, so maybe there is still hope. My does will both be good girls and wait until the weather warms up to kid, breaking their own code of honor. We will have to wait and see, but to be safe, I will continue the nightly checks.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Horse Treat Recipe
We have a dear friend who owns several acres that she keeps mowed like a golf course. She only has three horses and each Spring they tend to founder on the plentiful, weedless, rich grass. We help her out each year by taking our broodmares with the new foals to her place to help eat down the grass.
This is a great solution for all of us, her horses don't get as much grass and don't have to be locked up in her corral as much. Our mares get good grass, the babies get their first experience of being loaded and hauled in a horse trailer. They also get hand fed treats and get lots of handling and attention (she loves the babies). The extra bonus is that we just pick the mares up in the fall and bring them home to wean the foals. Usually we bring the weanlings home before bad weather sets in but this year we only had two babies left that didn't sell and Diana kept them all winter. So, both Biscuit and Diva got some extra spoiling.
We put Diana's hay up for her each year and try to help with other problems that crop up at her place from time to time, like downed fences, trees or injured horses. We have one lame mare that she always winters for us also.
Diana buys carrots in bulk from Sam's Club as treats and also has a nice apple tree in her yard that supplies treats in the fall but she was buying expensive horse treats as well. So to help out, I found a recipe online that looked good to me and started making treats for her to feed during the winter months. I don't like baking during warm weather, so I only make them when it is cold outside. All of her horses and our horses love them, my goats do double back flips for them too, my dogs even like them.
Diana's Favorite Horse Treats and My Favorite Goat and Dog Treats.
Recipe:
1 cup of quick oats
1 cup flour
1 cup shredded carrots
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup real molasses (real molasses is a good source of iron) or you can substitute pancake syrup or corn syrup
Mix all ingredients into a large bowl. Make small balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Shut off the oven and leave them in the oven for several days to harden. I always double or triple the batch, I cool them on a cooling rack while the others are still baking, then pile them all back on the cookie sheet for the hardening stage in the oven. Letting them set out in the open for a few weeks takes any softness out of them, making them crunchy and more desirable for the horses and goats. They also store better if they have no moisture in them.
This is a great solution for all of us, her horses don't get as much grass and don't have to be locked up in her corral as much. Our mares get good grass, the babies get their first experience of being loaded and hauled in a horse trailer. They also get hand fed treats and get lots of handling and attention (she loves the babies). The extra bonus is that we just pick the mares up in the fall and bring them home to wean the foals. Usually we bring the weanlings home before bad weather sets in but this year we only had two babies left that didn't sell and Diana kept them all winter. So, both Biscuit and Diva got some extra spoiling.
We put Diana's hay up for her each year and try to help with other problems that crop up at her place from time to time, like downed fences, trees or injured horses. We have one lame mare that she always winters for us also.
Diana buys carrots in bulk from Sam's Club as treats and also has a nice apple tree in her yard that supplies treats in the fall but she was buying expensive horse treats as well. So to help out, I found a recipe online that looked good to me and started making treats for her to feed during the winter months. I don't like baking during warm weather, so I only make them when it is cold outside. All of her horses and our horses love them, my goats do double back flips for them too, my dogs even like them.
Diana's Favorite Horse Treats and My Favorite Goat and Dog Treats.
Recipe:
1 cup of quick oats
1 cup flour
1 cup shredded carrots
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup real molasses (real molasses is a good source of iron) or you can substitute pancake syrup or corn syrup
Mix all ingredients into a large bowl. Make small balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Shut off the oven and leave them in the oven for several days to harden. I always double or triple the batch, I cool them on a cooling rack while the others are still baking, then pile them all back on the cookie sheet for the hardening stage in the oven. Letting them set out in the open for a few weeks takes any softness out of them, making them crunchy and more desirable for the horses and goats. They also store better if they have no moisture in them.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
In Like a Lamb
March came in like a lamb, which means that it will go out like a lion. That is why I had a hard time blogging today because I was outside enjoying the weather.
I kept a close eye on my Chickens today and am convinced that they are not hiding their eggs. I got 2 eggs early in the morning. Then around noon, one of the Rhodies went into the goat/chicken shed and set on a nest for a long time but didn't produce anything. They don't seem to be molting, so I don't know why they have stopped laying with the nice weather that we have been having.
My cousin's D'uccles have started laying eggs for him, but mine are still not laying. I bought some oyster shell to put out for all of my hens but I think they are laying less since I put it out.
My mud turned slightly solid today, it was nice to walk on top of it again. However, our driveway has fallen completely through. We have put tons and tons of gravel on that thing throughout the years and it has just eaten it up or hard rains have washed it down the hill and out into the pasture. This is the first time that it has gotten so bad that you have to have a 4-wheel drive just to get up the hill when it doesn't have any snow or ice on it. It is also starting to get ruts.
The weather forecast is for hard, heavy rain for the next few days, so we need to get gravel on it Monday, but all of our savings are in our horse's bellies and we hate to put gravel on it only to have it washed down into the pasture again. Hard rains will wash even the biggest sized stone down that hill. It looks like we have no choice but to go ahead and gravel it or some unsuspecting visitor, like the Mailman or the UPS guy, is going to get hung up right in the middle of our driveway. They both hate coming down here already.
I kept a close eye on my Chickens today and am convinced that they are not hiding their eggs. I got 2 eggs early in the morning. Then around noon, one of the Rhodies went into the goat/chicken shed and set on a nest for a long time but didn't produce anything. They don't seem to be molting, so I don't know why they have stopped laying with the nice weather that we have been having.
My cousin's D'uccles have started laying eggs for him, but mine are still not laying. I bought some oyster shell to put out for all of my hens but I think they are laying less since I put it out.
My mud turned slightly solid today, it was nice to walk on top of it again. However, our driveway has fallen completely through. We have put tons and tons of gravel on that thing throughout the years and it has just eaten it up or hard rains have washed it down the hill and out into the pasture. This is the first time that it has gotten so bad that you have to have a 4-wheel drive just to get up the hill when it doesn't have any snow or ice on it. It is also starting to get ruts.
The weather forecast is for hard, heavy rain for the next few days, so we need to get gravel on it Monday, but all of our savings are in our horse's bellies and we hate to put gravel on it only to have it washed down into the pasture again. Hard rains will wash even the biggest sized stone down that hill. It looks like we have no choice but to go ahead and gravel it or some unsuspecting visitor, like the Mailman or the UPS guy, is going to get hung up right in the middle of our driveway. They both hate coming down here already.
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