Sunday, June 26, 2016

Goats and Turkeys and Pigs... and Hay

I'm back for another weekly farm update.  You may recall that my does have been having some problems.  We do not seem to have solved it yet.  After an upturn in appetite and milk output but no weight gain, Vinca is showing symptoms again.  So, back to the vet on Tuesday.  This time, instead of cramming her into a very large travel crate and heaving that up into the trusty old Suburban, we went sans crate in the back of the Outback.  I put down a tarp and some hay, and with Rollie acting as goat wrangler this time, we boosted up up.  She looked out the window and was pretty well behaved. 
Once at the vet's office she did cause a stir in the parking lot as we waited out there for our turn.  One older fellow just really wanted to give her a treat from the stash he keeps in the back of his van... "Sorry, I don't think she would care for any bacon treats today, thanks!"

The only poultry we have ever had is chickens, until now that is.  On Thursday, six Royal Palm poults arrived.  I was surprised at how small they are.. not sure what I was expecting but, anyway, they sure are cute.  They are also quite fearful of me and unlike chicken chicks, they never seem to relax and forget I'm in the room with them.

 We had another storm with a power outage on Saturday late afternoon.  This time the power wasn't out so long thank goodness, but it did give us an excuse to go out to eat!  Today was a beautiful day and Kevin took the opportunity to get some hay down. 
The view from the milking stand with Kevin out cutting hay


The pigs sure are growing.  Kevin moves their little pasture shelter and portable paddock every other day to a new spot out in the field.  There is tall grass out there but they turn it over very quickly.  Today I visited them with a box of soft tomatoes rejected from the local grocery store. 

They are not so big that they aren't still cute!

Until next time, be well folks.

Monday, June 20, 2016

After the Storm

If you stop by this blog regularly, you might wonder why no blog last night, as I am pretty regular with Sunday evenings.  Well, it was a really nasty thunderstorm and a lack of electricity that prevented the usual update. I am happy to report no major damage around here.  Anyway, I'm going to just put a few pictures out here and call it good for the week, as I am multi-tasking even more than usual this evening.
Yep, another lettuce picture.  I just never get tired of admiring my lettuce, it's so pretty - weeds and all!

Was it just last week or was it the week before I had a photo of the bean seeds.  You gotta love beans, they come up so fast...

This past weekend I finally got a few pots planted for on the deck- a couple of my favorites here:
Yes, that is an old chamber pot!

And lastly, a  critter picture:
The first batch of chicks
And that's it for this week I think. Barring another Sunday evening storm, I'll be back next week.    Happy belated father's day to all the dads out there!  Be well everybody,

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Getting the garden in... finally!

The garden is coming together sort of piece-meal... getting a little done here and there.  It seems a bit over-whelming at times but once I actually get out there with my hands in the soil, I am in my happy place and it's all fine. 

Earlier this week planted beans.  I just love the look of Jacob's Cattle Beans.  We love the taste of them too!

I've had a few problems with my old nemesis, the cutworm....

The Scene of the Crime
The Perpetrator
The Executioner ... the bugger got what he deserved!!! 
Yesterday we were back to the Farmer's Market.  It was a little slower than the first two weeks.  I enjoy being there and visiting with the people, but the time spent is difficult to reconcile.  We'll see.  Anyway, I am feeling good about how the soap is going.  I'm getting good feedback and return customers so that's encouraging and I made a new batch this morning.

Yesterday we sent Phil off to his new home.  He's a fine youngster and I'm sure he will make a good herd sire for his new family.  David and Stewart will be leaving this week for their new lives too.

So, enough for tonight, I have a few more things to accomplish and am really looking forward to bed!

Sleep well, and be Well friends!









Sunday, June 5, 2016

June already!

This past week sure flew by - must have been because it was a short work week.  I finally have some of the garden planted.  Not all of it yet, but will just keep plugging away at it.  I told Kevin that sometimes I feel like I am in a race that I cannot possibly win, but then I had to remind myself that this a garden, not a term paper.  There is no deadline and if I plant the carrots a week or even two too late, so what?

Deep breaths help.

Kevin wanted to show me the rye field - it's already headed out and is quite tall this year.  I couldn't resist staging a photo:

Catch In the Rye, Ole Lake style!

We have only a week to go until the kids move on to their new families.  They are robust youth, and have a way of finding mischief.  In the photo below David has figured out how to climb into the feeder and launch himself up onto the door that is held up by a piece of twine.  The kids are in their "creep" area, which has a small opening that the bigger goats cannot access.  There is some food and water there for them, and that is where they are shut up at night. 
There is a lot going on in this photo!  David looks like he is poised for a high-dive, Phil is about to climb into the feeder, Stewart is doing a little wall-climbing.  That's Echo looking over the fence while waiting her turn for supper and you can just see Vinca's head - she's on the milking stand.
Now I have a little story for you, but if hearing about my goats internal parasite problems will disturb you, read no further.  Just skip to the Be Well at the bottom.   

You have been warned.  Here goes.


Imagine yourself sitting in the waiting room of your veterinarian’s office.  It’s a busy place, people and pets coming, going, and patiently waiting and scrubs-clad staff bustling here and there, answering the phone, checking people in, checking people out, and fetching pets from treatment rooms.  One of the docs comes out now and then to explain treatment or medication to someone.  So anyway, there you sit taking this all in while you wait for your pet to finish with her teeth cleaning, or whatever.  One of the staff tells the nervous looking woman next to you that they are ready for her animal.  She rushes out to the parking lot and returns with her husband, and a goat. 

Vinca stepped cautiously but still daintily across the floor, and as directed got on the big scale that is just a couple of inches off the floor.  Then she peed.  And peed.  And peed.  Then, just for a change of pace, pooped. 

Guess we should have taken her for a stroll around the parking lot!  Vinca visited the vet on Friday because she was showing many of the same symptoms as Daisy did.  If you read this blog regularly, you know that Daisy died a couple of weeks ago.    We suspected some kind of internal parasite and were worming, but the does continued to lose weight.  Then Vinca lost her appetite.  Off to the vet we went. 

The result of the vet visit was that our does do indeed have the usual worms that most goats have in manageable quantities.  They also have tapeworms.  That’s a whole different deal.  Now all of our adult goats are on a five day medicine routine.  We have to go without their delicious milk during this time and for a week afterward.  The kids (goat kids) and pigs are ok to have it though, so it won’t go to waste.  The pigs of course, are delighted with this arrangement.

So, that is the story of Vinca’s trip to the vet.

Until next time, be well folks.