Good Morning! We finally received an inch of rain!!!!! I don't know if it will be enough to save the tomatoes. The high heat and lack of rain has caused blossom end rot to be a major issue. When this has occurred before, it has always been just a plant here and there and easily solved with the addition of land plaster. This year, however, it is every plant and nothing seems to make any difference. I don't think that we have been able to harvest more that 2 or 3 tomatoes this year. This will put a real dent in my pantry, not to mention my summer enjoyment, as tomatoes are one of my most favorite summertime offerings. I can tomatoes and use them for tomato sauce and salsa. This year I was planning on attempting to can spaghetti sauce, but, unless I can solve this problem, there will be no tomatoes. What a disappointment!!!
I love my country life. I really do. And I try to remember that when my day has chaotic events pop up like weeds. We had put Maggie and her new heifer calf into the pasture with the horse. Fortunately the horse accepted her quickly. Unfortunately the horse accepted her as her own foal and wouldn't let Maggie get near her. So they had gone back in the pen and we had put our two Angus calves out with the horse. One of these, the steer, is blind and we had kept a close eye to make sure that everything was all right with the three animals.
I had been doing laundry and was hanging out the third load when the skies grew dark and thunder was heard. The girls and I quickly took down the laundry and carried it inside. Then we put the tarps on the rabbit pens down, checked the stock, and headed inside. A few minutes later, while sitting in the den, I noticed cars on the highway were slowing down and stopping. Always alert to what changes in traffic may mean, I had just gotten up when Michaela yells that there is a cow on the road. The two older girls and I headed out at a run. Sure enough, the blind steer had somehow busted the fence and gotten out. Ever tried to round up a spooked blind steer on a highway in a thunderstorm? Normally Li'l Bit will follow me anywhere and everywhere, but not today. Up and down the highway we went, between eastbound traffic that had stopped and westbound traffic that had stopped. I was finally able to get a halter on him. Sort of. The only halter we could find was the one I use for goats and very small calves. It didn't really fit a 5-month-old steer. (Oh, yeah. Our two larger halters are currently holding pallets tied to fencing where the goats had broken through.) Finally, I get the 300+ pound steer drug back into the pen and the fence repaired, while every bit of that inch of rain fell, the lightning sparked, and the thunder crashed. Completely soaked, I ran back into the house. Just another day on the farm.
Looking back I realize that I crossed several things off my "Bucket List" yesterday. It's just that, as so often is the case with things I accomplish in a day, I had to add them to my list so that I could cross them off.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Controlling Parasites
Good Morning! We finally got some rain!! Only about 2/10th's, but at this point anything is appreciated. It's not enough to discontinue our watering schedule, however. The pens and pasture were already drying out by the time I cleaned them on Sunday morning. I am so glad that I have been taking the time to rake the pens daily. It has really cut down on the flies and, hopefully, the parasites.
Deworming is always a hot item this time of year. Since literature indicates that some dewormers are becoming ineffective due to overuse, we try not to use them unless indicated by a FAMACHA screening. This involves looking at the eyelid and determining parasite level from the color of the eyelid; a nice rosy color = no parasites. The paler the eyelid the higher the parasite level. We never just treat the entire herd on a schedule. Some of our goats have a high natural resistance to parasites, while others are less so. Since a high parasite level leads to anemia, which stresses all of a goat's systems, it is often a precursor to other problems. It is especially important that newly acquired animals be dewormed, since they may be unused to the parasites in your area.
Dry weather makes the parasite level easier to control. But any rain will cause the population to increase rapidly. The best control of parasites is in pasture rotation. Since we only have a total of 4.3 acres, with 2 acres unusable at this time, and my house occupying part of the remaining acreage, we are greatly limited in our pasture area. This makes it impossible to use pasture rotation as a method of control. Keeping several different species on the same area helps (our cow, horse, and goats share an area). But our key to parasite control is the daily cleaning of pens. This is time consuming and hard work, but definitely pays off in the end. There are currently 5 pens/areas which I clean daily. Each area is raked with a metal yard rake and then the manure is removed using a shovel. This is then transported by wheelbarrow across to the compost pile and dumped. The compost is then used the next year on our gardens or to build raised beds. Like I said, time-consuming and hard work, but necessary with our land restrictions. Manure also makes a really good fertilizer. Goat, sheep, horse, and rabbit manure can be used fresh in your garden and on fruit-bearing trees and bushes. Poultry and cattle manure must be dried first due to the high nitrogen content. We use the manure as needed and the rest is composted.
No matter what your reason for raising animals (meat, milk, fiber, etc), the end product is always better with a healthy animal.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Deworming is always a hot item this time of year. Since literature indicates that some dewormers are becoming ineffective due to overuse, we try not to use them unless indicated by a FAMACHA screening. This involves looking at the eyelid and determining parasite level from the color of the eyelid; a nice rosy color = no parasites. The paler the eyelid the higher the parasite level. We never just treat the entire herd on a schedule. Some of our goats have a high natural resistance to parasites, while others are less so. Since a high parasite level leads to anemia, which stresses all of a goat's systems, it is often a precursor to other problems. It is especially important that newly acquired animals be dewormed, since they may be unused to the parasites in your area.
Dry weather makes the parasite level easier to control. But any rain will cause the population to increase rapidly. The best control of parasites is in pasture rotation. Since we only have a total of 4.3 acres, with 2 acres unusable at this time, and my house occupying part of the remaining acreage, we are greatly limited in our pasture area. This makes it impossible to use pasture rotation as a method of control. Keeping several different species on the same area helps (our cow, horse, and goats share an area). But our key to parasite control is the daily cleaning of pens. This is time consuming and hard work, but definitely pays off in the end. There are currently 5 pens/areas which I clean daily. Each area is raked with a metal yard rake and then the manure is removed using a shovel. This is then transported by wheelbarrow across to the compost pile and dumped. The compost is then used the next year on our gardens or to build raised beds. Like I said, time-consuming and hard work, but necessary with our land restrictions. Manure also makes a really good fertilizer. Goat, sheep, horse, and rabbit manure can be used fresh in your garden and on fruit-bearing trees and bushes. Poultry and cattle manure must be dried first due to the high nitrogen content. We use the manure as needed and the rest is composted.
No matter what your reason for raising animals (meat, milk, fiber, etc), the end product is always better with a healthy animal.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Drought Garden
Good Morning! Despite the weather forecasts, we remain hot and dry. This is having a really interesting effect on my garden. With the exception of the tomatoes, which actually prefer drier conditions, everything has started producing when it is only about 6 inches tall. My bell pepper plants are loaded, as are my chile and jalapeno plants. Yesterday I noticed okra that was not far from being ready to cut. And yet none of the plants are over 6 inches in height.
The hot temperatures are also stressing my tomato plants to the point of producing blossom end rot. We have already applied 1 bag of agricultural lime to the soil. We will now try sprinkling it over the entire plant. I have never had this occur before. Since tomatoes are my primary canning ingredient, this loss could prove to be harmful to my "stocking up". We have been on a heavy watering schedule for the last few weeks, but I know that no amount of artificial watering can replace a natural rain.
We will be digging our potatoes today. With no rain, it doesn't make any sense to leave them in the ground. They are not very large, but will serve well for canning purposes. Since we don't own any machinery, we will be digging them the "old-fashioned way", with a shovel and our hands.
Canning has become my storage method of choice, my main reason being that I am trying to move as close to off grid as possible. I have learned a lot over the last 11 years and continue to learn more every day. This past year was my first time canning meat. It has made such a difference in my meal planning as I can now plan a chicken casserole without having to plan thawing and cooking time for the chicken itself. And the pressure canning has made even the 2-year-old layers I put up extremely tender.
I've also learned that not everything has to be done right away. This past winter I thawed out some of the turkeys we slaughtered in the fall and canned them. This freed up quite a bit of freezer room. In addition, I was able to make blueberry and fig jam out of fruit I had put in the freezer. With a busy garden and plenty of livestock to care for, I just hadn't had time during the summer. It took quite a bit of pressure off of me and allowed me to do it at a less busy time of year. This is something I will definitely be doing more of.
Canning is not difficult by any means. There are some really great books out there. I didn't have anyone to teach me, so I just followed the directions. By far the best book for beginners is The Ball Blue Book which is available everywhere. It gives step-by-step directions and even some illustrations for how to can the most commonly canned foods. All of the equipment is readily available now, especially the jars. There are also some kits available which allow you to get everything you need to get started canning. Don't allow your preconceived notions of difficulty to keep you from enjoying your gardening efforts right through the winter. Set a goal and start canning today.
Well, the livestock is calling. A busy day is ahead.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day.
Laurie
The hot temperatures are also stressing my tomato plants to the point of producing blossom end rot. We have already applied 1 bag of agricultural lime to the soil. We will now try sprinkling it over the entire plant. I have never had this occur before. Since tomatoes are my primary canning ingredient, this loss could prove to be harmful to my "stocking up". We have been on a heavy watering schedule for the last few weeks, but I know that no amount of artificial watering can replace a natural rain.
We will be digging our potatoes today. With no rain, it doesn't make any sense to leave them in the ground. They are not very large, but will serve well for canning purposes. Since we don't own any machinery, we will be digging them the "old-fashioned way", with a shovel and our hands.
Canning has become my storage method of choice, my main reason being that I am trying to move as close to off grid as possible. I have learned a lot over the last 11 years and continue to learn more every day. This past year was my first time canning meat. It has made such a difference in my meal planning as I can now plan a chicken casserole without having to plan thawing and cooking time for the chicken itself. And the pressure canning has made even the 2-year-old layers I put up extremely tender.
I've also learned that not everything has to be done right away. This past winter I thawed out some of the turkeys we slaughtered in the fall and canned them. This freed up quite a bit of freezer room. In addition, I was able to make blueberry and fig jam out of fruit I had put in the freezer. With a busy garden and plenty of livestock to care for, I just hadn't had time during the summer. It took quite a bit of pressure off of me and allowed me to do it at a less busy time of year. This is something I will definitely be doing more of.
Canning is not difficult by any means. There are some really great books out there. I didn't have anyone to teach me, so I just followed the directions. By far the best book for beginners is The Ball Blue Book which is available everywhere. It gives step-by-step directions and even some illustrations for how to can the most commonly canned foods. All of the equipment is readily available now, especially the jars. There are also some kits available which allow you to get everything you need to get started canning. Don't allow your preconceived notions of difficulty to keep you from enjoying your gardening efforts right through the winter. Set a goal and start canning today.
Well, the livestock is calling. A busy day is ahead.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day.
Laurie
Thursday, June 16, 2011
My Cow is Equinephobic!!!!
Good Morning! Well, we're still dry and dusty here. I really don't remember the last time it rained. Our general area is 9 inches below normal for the year. While we are keeping everything alive, a good rain would make all of the difference. At this rate what little pasture we do have will soon become dry lot.
The horse is home. And making life interesting. I had a feed/clean schedule that worked really well. But that has all changed. Maggie, my Jersey cow, is absolutely terrified of the horse. At first she was ok, but then the horse decided to get friendly. Maggie really didn't want to be friends with something so much larger than she, so she politely started to slowly move in the opposite direction. The horse followed. Maggie picked up speed. So did the horse. Maggie began a slow trot. So did the horse. Maggie moved into a fast trot. The horse was thrilled to have someone to play with and also increased its speed, cutting across the pasture in order to get to Maggie. Maggie then moved to a full gallop. For those of you, who like me, have never seen an eight-months pregnant cow gallop, it is quite a sight. As she came around the edge of the pasture, she reminded me of all of those illustrations of the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" where the cow is stretched out jumping over the moon. I opened the gate to the goat pen and in she went, breathing hard. Now you can only get her out if the horse is tied up at the other end of the pasture, eating. I've done research on the net and can only find what to do if your horse is afraid of the cow, not the other way around. I hope they sort it all out soon. My goat pen is not made to hold a 900 lb. cow and especially not a cow/calf.
I was also able to pick up almost 80 Californian and New Zealand rabbits this past weekend to help get us started in the rabbit meat business. We've had our license for processing for two years, but have yet to get it going. The purchase included several litters that are ready for slaughter as well as several new litters. I'm still trying to sort them all out. I will be keeping some to use as breeders and selling some live. Hopefully, I'll have them up on the website for sale this weekend.
Well, the work is calling and getting behind first thing in the morning is not a good idea.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The horse is home. And making life interesting. I had a feed/clean schedule that worked really well. But that has all changed. Maggie, my Jersey cow, is absolutely terrified of the horse. At first she was ok, but then the horse decided to get friendly. Maggie really didn't want to be friends with something so much larger than she, so she politely started to slowly move in the opposite direction. The horse followed. Maggie picked up speed. So did the horse. Maggie began a slow trot. So did the horse. Maggie moved into a fast trot. The horse was thrilled to have someone to play with and also increased its speed, cutting across the pasture in order to get to Maggie. Maggie then moved to a full gallop. For those of you, who like me, have never seen an eight-months pregnant cow gallop, it is quite a sight. As she came around the edge of the pasture, she reminded me of all of those illustrations of the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle" where the cow is stretched out jumping over the moon. I opened the gate to the goat pen and in she went, breathing hard. Now you can only get her out if the horse is tied up at the other end of the pasture, eating. I've done research on the net and can only find what to do if your horse is afraid of the cow, not the other way around. I hope they sort it all out soon. My goat pen is not made to hold a 900 lb. cow and especially not a cow/calf.
I was also able to pick up almost 80 Californian and New Zealand rabbits this past weekend to help get us started in the rabbit meat business. We've had our license for processing for two years, but have yet to get it going. The purchase included several litters that are ready for slaughter as well as several new litters. I'm still trying to sort them all out. I will be keeping some to use as breeders and selling some live. Hopefully, I'll have them up on the website for sale this weekend.
Well, the work is calling and getting behind first thing in the morning is not a good idea.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Turkeys and Gardens
Good Afternoon! The heat continues and, according to www.weather.com there is little chance of any rain headed our way anytime soon. Our garden, while not lush and overflowing, is holding its own and producing, thanks almost entirely to the attentions of our daughter, Tessa. We have harvested the onions and the garden peas. The tomatoes are beginning to ripen, although they are much smaller than in previous years. The sweet bell pepper plants, while looking good, are still very small. In other words, the harvest this year is not going to be very large. It is so good to know that Yahweh has it all under control and will see that everything works out according to his plan.
The turkey poults arrived last Friday. The Memorial Day holiday caused their trip to last 3 days instead of the usual two so they were extremely tired, hungry, and thirsty. Four didn't survive and one died soon after arrival leaving 25 total. These all seem healthy and happy. We are raising Broad-Breasted Bronze, Giant White, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, and Royal Palm. Ever since a couple of years ago when we slaughtered our turkeys the weekend before Thanksgiving so we could have one fresh, we have been hooked on fresh turkeys. This year I may leave some for right before Christmas, too. They are awesome!
Something else we found out is that canned turkey makes a great quick meal starter. Our turkeys didn't do well last year, for whatever reason. They all turned out rather small and we, as a family, don't generally eat a lot of whole turkey. So, in January, I thawed them out, cooked them up, and canned them. They've been great for casseroles, salads, etc. I will definitely be doing this again this year.
Well, it's back to the heat for me.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The turkey poults arrived last Friday. The Memorial Day holiday caused their trip to last 3 days instead of the usual two so they were extremely tired, hungry, and thirsty. Four didn't survive and one died soon after arrival leaving 25 total. These all seem healthy and happy. We are raising Broad-Breasted Bronze, Giant White, Blue Slate, Bourbon Red, and Royal Palm. Ever since a couple of years ago when we slaughtered our turkeys the weekend before Thanksgiving so we could have one fresh, we have been hooked on fresh turkeys. This year I may leave some for right before Christmas, too. They are awesome!
Something else we found out is that canned turkey makes a great quick meal starter. Our turkeys didn't do well last year, for whatever reason. They all turned out rather small and we, as a family, don't generally eat a lot of whole turkey. So, in January, I thawed them out, cooked them up, and canned them. They've been great for casseroles, salads, etc. I will definitely be doing this again this year.
Well, it's back to the heat for me.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Heat, Dust, and Sweat
Good Morning! It continues to be hot and dry here. Watering takes up the majority of my day not already consumed with feeding livestock and cleaning pens. A virus has also been working its way through the family with the lone holdouts being Kelsey, who isn't here long enough to catch anything, and myself. Poor Ray lost 2 days of his vacation to the bug, Samantha missed the spring goat show, Joshua was out a week with it, while Tessa was laid up for 2 days. Currently Ashley and Michaela are battling it. Kudos to Michaela for still dragging herself out to take care of her goats with Joshua and Samantha's help.
The livestock is handling the heat fairly well. The good thing about the heat and dry conditions is that it keeps the parasite level down. But any significant rain will certainly change that. I've been raking the pens and pastures daily in order to keep ahead of that.
Ray completed the pasture expansion yesterday. The expansion more than doubled the pasture area. Maggie just about grazed herself out. She especially liked being out overnight. We had planned on picking up the horse from where she is being boarded, but the family who is keeping her experienced a death, so that has been postponed. Maybe late this week we'll be able to bring her home, finally.
Well, I've cooled off from the morning chores, gotten some breakfast, and now it's time to get back out and water. I feel the same way sweating while I'm watering the plants as I did sweating in the lifeguard stand staring at a pool full of cool water. It's just not right.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The livestock is handling the heat fairly well. The good thing about the heat and dry conditions is that it keeps the parasite level down. But any significant rain will certainly change that. I've been raking the pens and pastures daily in order to keep ahead of that.
Ray completed the pasture expansion yesterday. The expansion more than doubled the pasture area. Maggie just about grazed herself out. She especially liked being out overnight. We had planned on picking up the horse from where she is being boarded, but the family who is keeping her experienced a death, so that has been postponed. Maybe late this week we'll be able to bring her home, finally.
Well, I've cooled off from the morning chores, gotten some breakfast, and now it's time to get back out and water. I feel the same way sweating while I'm watering the plants as I did sweating in the lifeguard stand staring at a pool full of cool water. It's just not right.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Knowing When
Good Morning! It's hot, dry, and dusty here on the homestead. The temperatures have been running in the mid to high 90's all week and the humidity makes the air seem too thick to breathe. We have begun our summer schedule of getting out at daybreak, getting our work done, and getting back in by 11 AM. Then we work on the indoor stuff until late afternoon. With daylight lasting later into the evening, we are able to eat supper and then go out to do evening chores, giving the animals time to cool down some with the evening breeze. It has been a while since we had any appreciable rain and watering stays at the top of our To Do List.
Most of the time here on the homestead we handle medical problems ourselves. Even with kidding, Michaela is experienced enough to handle most of the problems we have encountered. But there always comes a time when you know you just can't solve a problem. Ours came about during the last kidding in March by the matriarch of our herd, Clara. This particular goat is known for her long labors and absolutely refuses to kid if anyone is there to watch. So when her labor went 5 hours we really didn't think anything about it. But in the 6th hour, things began to change. Since she had gotten so large, we were expecting twins, but wouldn't have been surprised at triplets. Michaela did an internal check and was positive that the kid was positioned correctly and that all the parts belonged to the same kid. Labor was very intensive, but nothing was happening. So, we made the decision to call in a vet. Fortunately, he was already on another farm visit and was there in 45 minutes. It took him 30 minutes or more to maneuver the first kid out and another 30 to get the second. While both were nice sized does, the real problem stemmed from a broken tail bone that had occurred in a previous kidding. We thought it had healed up straight, when in fact it had healed in a V-shape, where the bottom point of the V protruded into the birth canal. The vet had had to gradually work both kids around this in order to get them out. This had definitely been beyond Michaela and I's abilities. Our decision to call in a vet saved both the doe and the two kids. And cost us $177, every penny of which we consider well spent.
There are several keys to running a successful livestock operation, but probably the most valuable is pre-planning. We had already made the decision to call in a vet if one of the goats had serious trouble, so we chose a vet and have been working on building a relationship with him. He knows us well enough that if we call for an emergency farm visit, he knows it's bad. His number is programmed into our cell phones so we don't scramble for the number.
The second key is knowing your level of expertise. We've had animals long enough that we know our comfort level and what we feel we can handle. We know several people to call if we get stuck on a problem. And we know when to call in the experts.
Take the time to plan out exactly what you will do if you encounter a problem you can't handle. Find a vet and build a relationship. Spend time with your animals so that you know them and can recognize when something isn't quite right. These simple steps will go a long way in allowing you to keep your homestead happy and healthy.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Most of the time here on the homestead we handle medical problems ourselves. Even with kidding, Michaela is experienced enough to handle most of the problems we have encountered. But there always comes a time when you know you just can't solve a problem. Ours came about during the last kidding in March by the matriarch of our herd, Clara. This particular goat is known for her long labors and absolutely refuses to kid if anyone is there to watch. So when her labor went 5 hours we really didn't think anything about it. But in the 6th hour, things began to change. Since she had gotten so large, we were expecting twins, but wouldn't have been surprised at triplets. Michaela did an internal check and was positive that the kid was positioned correctly and that all the parts belonged to the same kid. Labor was very intensive, but nothing was happening. So, we made the decision to call in a vet. Fortunately, he was already on another farm visit and was there in 45 minutes. It took him 30 minutes or more to maneuver the first kid out and another 30 to get the second. While both were nice sized does, the real problem stemmed from a broken tail bone that had occurred in a previous kidding. We thought it had healed up straight, when in fact it had healed in a V-shape, where the bottom point of the V protruded into the birth canal. The vet had had to gradually work both kids around this in order to get them out. This had definitely been beyond Michaela and I's abilities. Our decision to call in a vet saved both the doe and the two kids. And cost us $177, every penny of which we consider well spent.
There are several keys to running a successful livestock operation, but probably the most valuable is pre-planning. We had already made the decision to call in a vet if one of the goats had serious trouble, so we chose a vet and have been working on building a relationship with him. He knows us well enough that if we call for an emergency farm visit, he knows it's bad. His number is programmed into our cell phones so we don't scramble for the number.
The second key is knowing your level of expertise. We've had animals long enough that we know our comfort level and what we feel we can handle. We know several people to call if we get stuck on a problem. And we know when to call in the experts.
Take the time to plan out exactly what you will do if you encounter a problem you can't handle. Find a vet and build a relationship. Spend time with your animals so that you know them and can recognize when something isn't quite right. These simple steps will go a long way in allowing you to keep your homestead happy and healthy.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
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