Good Morning! Yesterday was like a sign from Yahweh that fall will indeed come. At least for the first part of the day it was cooler, there was a wind blowing, and the air felt much better. In the latter half of the day it did warm up but was cloudy and breezy. After Saturday and Sunday's 100+ temperatures it was very welcome.
Unfortunately it was also one of those days where it felt like you struggled to get nothing done. The morning chores were late getting started and so didn't get finished until almost noon. Some schoolwork with the youngers came next, but was interrupted by lunch. My goals of finishing the laundry and making tomato sauce went unaccomplished. Before I knew it, the supper hour had rolled around and it was time to do chores again. Days like that have a tendency to leave me feeling drained and depressed.
The business side of life did well as I made quite a few sales. That always tends to brighten up things.
On another note, I was notified last week that I had won a Mossburg 12 gauge shotgun in a raffle. Last May Ray, several of the children, and I attended a local gun and knife show. They were raffling off several items, including an awesome crossbow. Ray and I had been wanting to get a crossbow for some time, but the expense had held us back. So, on a whim, I bought several tickets. Last Thursday they did the actual drawing and I got the shotgun. It must be a nice gun, since several male friends are envious, but honestly you can put what I know about guns themselves into a thimble and still have room for your finger. I do know how to fire and am a pretty good shot, if I do say so myself, but just looking at guns I couldn't tell a 30/30 from a .22. And, since the crossbow was what I was really interested in, I can't even tell you what the gun looks like. But now I at least have my own gun and can join the family hunts this fall. Maybe I'll even be able to put some deer in the freezer..............I hope they won't make me dress it out.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
New Experiences
Good Morning! The heat here has been extreme to say the least. Temperatures in the 100+ range are very hard to deal with, especially when the humidity makes the air difficult to breathe. Getting up early and getting the outside work done quickly has become of paramount importance. After that we only venture outside to check the stock and give fresh water. There is a lot of outdoor work just sitting waiting for cooler temperatures. Afternoons have become indoor work time, so you would think that some would actually be getting accomplished. But way too often the morning work in the heat has wiped us out and a nap becomes a necessity.
The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are spending their last night with their mom. Today they will officially be put with the other kids full time. This was the first time that we have had Boer kids that we have kept until weaning. Several years ago we had a couple who purchased our brand new kids with the promise that they would come get milk from us and bottle feed. After about 3 weeks they quit showing up and informed us that they had weaned the kids. These kids later died from various problems. Now we do not sell any kids before weaning.
This week I will be clipping hooves, deworming, and grooming the cashmeres and Boers. Next week I hope to begin breeding. My plan is to leave the bucks in with the does August and September. The heat, however, may greatly affect my plans. Most of the goats do not begin cycling until we begin to get cold fronts moving through that drastically lower the temperature. So, depending on how it goes, I may have to leave the bucks in an extra month.
This year is the first year that we have actually had our own bucks. Before we have always used other people's bucks. This had it's own set of problems, since it is sometimes difficult to catch a doe in heat. If you did, then you had to drop everything (and hope the other person could, too) and take the doe over to the other farm. Sometimes the trip alone was enough to throw the doe out of heat. All of this hauling back and forth made the fall extremely hectic. Keeping a buck comes with downsides also. The biggest ones being housing and feeding, but we think that the convenience and control will more that offset that.
We have finally gotten at least our sow, Penelope, home. We are struggling to get a pen up for the boar, however. The temperatures make it impossible for Ray to get much done when he gets home, so it is mostly his projects that are sitting. I don't blame him one bit. It just looks like it may be closer to fall before we can get it done. Penelope is due to farrow in mid-August. That will certainly be a new experience. While we've raised several pigs for meat, this marks the first time we've actually had pigs for breeding. I can't wait to get see the baby pigs!!! Penelope is so much different from the pigs we've had before. Our main source for pigs has been the local contract hog farmers, who would donate one to various events and then not be able to take it back. We've even raised one who was found on the side of the road after having fallen off a nursery truck. They tended to be difficult to handle and less than personable. Penelope always comes up to the fence if I am close by. Since the milking stand is close to her pen, we carry on long conversations during milkings. She loves to be brushed and absolutely adores cold milk. Right now we have her in the small, off-the-ground pen that we have used previously for raising pigs, but we hope to have her in a larger area on the ground as soon as the weather permits more outside work.
So, this year is full of new experiences for us. But for now, the sun is lighting the sky and I had better get to work if I don't want to get caught out in the heat.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are spending their last night with their mom. Today they will officially be put with the other kids full time. This was the first time that we have had Boer kids that we have kept until weaning. Several years ago we had a couple who purchased our brand new kids with the promise that they would come get milk from us and bottle feed. After about 3 weeks they quit showing up and informed us that they had weaned the kids. These kids later died from various problems. Now we do not sell any kids before weaning.
This week I will be clipping hooves, deworming, and grooming the cashmeres and Boers. Next week I hope to begin breeding. My plan is to leave the bucks in with the does August and September. The heat, however, may greatly affect my plans. Most of the goats do not begin cycling until we begin to get cold fronts moving through that drastically lower the temperature. So, depending on how it goes, I may have to leave the bucks in an extra month.
This year is the first year that we have actually had our own bucks. Before we have always used other people's bucks. This had it's own set of problems, since it is sometimes difficult to catch a doe in heat. If you did, then you had to drop everything (and hope the other person could, too) and take the doe over to the other farm. Sometimes the trip alone was enough to throw the doe out of heat. All of this hauling back and forth made the fall extremely hectic. Keeping a buck comes with downsides also. The biggest ones being housing and feeding, but we think that the convenience and control will more that offset that.
We have finally gotten at least our sow, Penelope, home. We are struggling to get a pen up for the boar, however. The temperatures make it impossible for Ray to get much done when he gets home, so it is mostly his projects that are sitting. I don't blame him one bit. It just looks like it may be closer to fall before we can get it done. Penelope is due to farrow in mid-August. That will certainly be a new experience. While we've raised several pigs for meat, this marks the first time we've actually had pigs for breeding. I can't wait to get see the baby pigs!!! Penelope is so much different from the pigs we've had before. Our main source for pigs has been the local contract hog farmers, who would donate one to various events and then not be able to take it back. We've even raised one who was found on the side of the road after having fallen off a nursery truck. They tended to be difficult to handle and less than personable. Penelope always comes up to the fence if I am close by. Since the milking stand is close to her pen, we carry on long conversations during milkings. She loves to be brushed and absolutely adores cold milk. Right now we have her in the small, off-the-ground pen that we have used previously for raising pigs, but we hope to have her in a larger area on the ground as soon as the weather permits more outside work.
So, this year is full of new experiences for us. But for now, the sun is lighting the sky and I had better get to work if I don't want to get caught out in the heat.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Quiet Country - Not Today
Good Morning! My goodness! I knew that the Boer kids weren't going to like being separated from mom and each other. After all they had always been together. I just didn't expect it to be so loud so long. After they had had their grain for the morning, I put Bounder on a lead and headed for the buck pen. He was fine until he realized I was leading him out of the goat pen and then he started up. Which, of course, brought mom rushing away from the hay to check things out. Their cries blended together for most of the trip. Mom quieted down when she realized that she could still hear him. The other bucks tried to play with him, but he just stood at the gate and cried all day. Danielle, who is always ready for adventure, went to visit the other doe kids with hardly a sound. About lunchtime, though, she was ready for a good nap with momma and began to register her complaints. The rest of the day was somewhat loud. Who knew that 2 little kids could make so much noise. Poor Bounder was so hoarse he could barely make a sound when he got back to his mom. Both of them rushed to their mom and tried to nurse, but she pushed them away until she got her food. It's nice to know that mom and I are on the same page. But, somehow, I don't think they will be as easy to catch tomorrow.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Monday, July 18, 2011
Preparing for a New Season
Good Morning! The heat in our area continues. After a brief respite today's high is supposed to be back in the 90's and an increase in humidity. This is really hard on us, but especially hard on the animals. We will be going out and spraying down some of the animals at about 1-2 PM. With the high heat we may be having to do it sooner and several times. It's also important to check water supplies and even dump warm water and replace with fresh, cool water. The Alpines and Pashminas are especially affected by the high heat. Their small ears do not allow much heat transfer, as opposed to Nubians and Boers. My Black Angus calves also will probably be appreciative of a good spray down.
Faline, the new Jersey calf continues to grow, which is a wonder considering she thinks Maggie only has one teat. She seems to be getting enough, however, since she is up romping around and playing with the Boer kids.
It is now weaning season here on the farm. I have finally convinced Li'l Bit, the steer, that he can get by without a bottle. It was a somewhat loud process, with him voicing his disapproval every time he heard my voice near the pen. The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are ready to be weaned. That's my judgment call. I doubt they would agree, especially Bounder who is somewhat of a momma's boy. So this week I will be removing them from their momma during the day, putting Danielle with the doe kids and Bounder in with the bucks. I suppose I will feel somewhat like I am dropping them each at separate daycares. Then at night I will put them back with their momma. But next Monday, look out! They will be permanently removed from momma and in with the kids. The last of the Alpine kids will be weaned in the next two weeks, also.
The last two weeks of July will be spent preparing my does for breeding season. Deworming is done, hooves are trimmed up, the cashmeres are combed out well one last time. The plan is to put the bucks in with the Boers and Cashmeres for August and September for kidding in January/February. Believe it or not, this is the first year I actually have a breeding plan written down (for the next five years!). Last year I had a plan, but wasn't in control of the buck, so it kind of fell apart. This year I feel much more in control and I don't have to run all over southeastern NC to accomplish it. Michaela will not start breeding the Alpines until a little later, shooting for March/April kids. We would both like to avoid the May/June kids since we are so busy with other things by then.
Well, the day is calling so I had better run. As usual I am starting the day off behind.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Faline, the new Jersey calf continues to grow, which is a wonder considering she thinks Maggie only has one teat. She seems to be getting enough, however, since she is up romping around and playing with the Boer kids.
It is now weaning season here on the farm. I have finally convinced Li'l Bit, the steer, that he can get by without a bottle. It was a somewhat loud process, with him voicing his disapproval every time he heard my voice near the pen. The Boer kids, Danielle and Bounder, are ready to be weaned. That's my judgment call. I doubt they would agree, especially Bounder who is somewhat of a momma's boy. So this week I will be removing them from their momma during the day, putting Danielle with the doe kids and Bounder in with the bucks. I suppose I will feel somewhat like I am dropping them each at separate daycares. Then at night I will put them back with their momma. But next Monday, look out! They will be permanently removed from momma and in with the kids. The last of the Alpine kids will be weaned in the next two weeks, also.
The last two weeks of July will be spent preparing my does for breeding season. Deworming is done, hooves are trimmed up, the cashmeres are combed out well one last time. The plan is to put the bucks in with the Boers and Cashmeres for August and September for kidding in January/February. Believe it or not, this is the first year I actually have a breeding plan written down (for the next five years!). Last year I had a plan, but wasn't in control of the buck, so it kind of fell apart. This year I feel much more in control and I don't have to run all over southeastern NC to accomplish it. Michaela will not start breeding the Alpines until a little later, shooting for March/April kids. We would both like to avoid the May/June kids since we are so busy with other things by then.
Well, the day is calling so I had better run. As usual I am starting the day off behind.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
A New Member Joins the Family
Good Morning! Well, our newest addition to the farm turned 1 week old yesterday. Our Jersey cow, Maggie, calved last week and gave us a cute little heifer, who we have named Faline. She is so adorable. Baby animals are my favorite part of homesteading.
She did create a few problems, however. I've mentioned earlier that Maggie and the mustang we had been given by some friends just don't get along, but they had finally worked out a fragile treaty on the sharing of the pasture. Then, sometime in the wee hours of June 27th, Maggie calved and the mustang decided it was hers. Alerted by Maggie's low mooing I went out to the pasture to find the calf standing beside the mustang at the hay ring. Maggie was some distance away trying to call her calf to her, but every time the calf turned to go, the horse would get between them and herd the calf back. This continued even when I tried to lead the calf back to Maggie. By this time the calf was thoroughly confused and I was afraid we would be writing our own version of the child's book "Are You My Mother?". To compound the problem the farm is currently strained to the bursting point with animals and there really was nowhere to put Maggie and the calf by themselves. We had thought that the pasture would be sufficient to house the horse and Maggie with her calf.
I eventually put Maggie in with the goats, where at least Maggie was more comfortable. But the calf did not nurse well the first day. After leaving them together in the goat pen for several days, the calf has finally realized who her mother is and become a better nurser and extremely lively.
Typically, we leave the calf with Maggie for 24-48 hours, then pull it off and milk Maggie while bottle-feeding the calf. Faline, however, refused to nurse off the back two quarters. This was understandable since, historically, Maggie's back two quarters usually are slightly bloody the first week after calving. On day two, I decided to milk out her back two quarters to prevent her drying off in these two and to prevent the onset of mastitis. Indeed, her milk was bloody with several fibrous clots passing in one quarter. She tested negative for mastitis and after a few days this cleared up. Faline, however, still refuses to nurse off the back two or take a bottle. So this time around the arrangement is: Faline stays with Maggie and gets the front two quarters. I milk the back two quarters for the Angus calves and the family. For right now we both seem happy.
Well, the day is calling. Be sure to come back for more adventures of the psychotic animals which seem to inhabit my homestead lately.
May Yahweh bless you in this new day!
Laurie
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