Homestead ...... From Scratch

Bullies

2012-02-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

The Guineas have started bullying the chickens lately, kicking them out of the coop when it is really cold and being general nuances around the food bowls.

Normally I rely on Leopold to be the enforcer to make sure the chickens get their fair share of food and aren't picked on too badly. Unfortunately Leopold has had troubles of his own lately. The cold has given him a bad case of frostbite on his comb and the Guineas have taken to picking at the black parts.

Yesterday I had to go out to the Coop area to rescue poor Leopold from 4 Guineas who were holding him down and picking at his comb (I don't have a picture), there was blood everywhere. I'm keeping a close eye on him and if things get any worse I will have to bring him inside.

When the Guineas stay inside the coop I think they eat the chicken eggs. I can't prove it but for three weeks I didn't get hardly any eggs at all. Next year I'm hoping to get a separate coop for the guineas, I don't like how they bully the chickens.

I'd like to thank Tayet Silverspoon for the Liebster Award.

Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award to your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger that gave you the award.
3. Pick your 5 favorite blogs with less than 200 followers and leave a comment on their blog telling them about their awesomeness and that you have rewarded them for that fact.
4. Hope that they will pass on the award to 5 more awesome blogs.

Awards are nice as they provide an opportunity for the recipient to direct a few of their readers to an overlooked or new Blogger. There are so many good blogs out there that it is easy to miss out on one that is entertaining or provides great information. The blog list on the right side of my page provides a sample of some blogs that I love to follow. The Liebster Award has been making the rounds so I'm only going to award it to one blog, JennyG over at LostArtsFound. I like how she opens her post with a quotation, and she has a uniquely informative writing style - enjoy.

How NOT to Burn a Brush Pile

2012-02-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

The brush pile on the edge of the woods has been with us a long time, and it has been growing bigger and bigger ever since the Commander wore out his chipper during the Chipper Wars.

Over time the brush pile became part of the landscape, here you can see Mama Chicken leading her baby guinea's around it looking for treats.

The chickens loved to hang out on the branches as it gave them a break from Leopold's aggressive advances.....

....that is until the guineas decided to join them. The only chicken that liked to be around the guineas was Mama Chicken, but the guineas loved her like a mother...

The wood pile grew and grew until the only way the Commander could think of to get rid of it was to set it aflame. The best time of year to accomplish this task without starting a forest fire was Winter, but I thought the pile had grown too big for even a Winter burn.....

Last Saturday the Commander went outside and found that the wind was calm, this meant he wanted to burn some brush. He started with the brush and wet hay (from the goat barn) that was inside the rock lined fire pit designed for this exact purpose.

The wet waste hay burned slowly and was heavy on the smoke....it was at this point that I left to go to the store.

When I got home the brush pile was gone! I brought the groceries inside and immediately discovered that some thing was amiss. Several of the kitchen and bathroom rugs were outside hanging on the deck railing - they were soaking wet.

A closer inspection of the huge tree that was closest to the brush pile showed it had a scorched trunk and it was still steaming/smoking!

The trunk wasn't only burned at its base, the damage extended at least 15 feet up into the branches, and several branched appeared to have been burnt clean off the tree!

It seems that WHILE I WAS GONE the Commander decided to burn the brush pile. Things were going just fine until the wind picked up and began to blow directly at the tree on the edge of the forest. The increased wind velocity apparently fanned the flames and the Commander described them as being at least 8 feet wide and 15 feet high at their peak. He said that at one point the tree bark caught fire and he worried about a forest fire breaking out and spreading from the upper branches from tree to tree.

His convoluted story had him running to the sheep barn and using their bucket of drinking water to try and douse the first outbreak of flames on the tree. At some point the Commander had recruited the kids to form a bucket brigade from the bathroom tub and kitchen sink to try and hold off a forest fire (that explains the wet rugs). The Commander said it was touch and go for about 30 minutes as to whether he was going to call the fire department. Did I mention I wasn't home for this debacle?

By the time I got home the brush pile was gone yet the ground where it rested and the trunk of the tree were still smoking. I took a shovel and dug in to the ash pile and discovered that the roots in the ground were still burning! The Commander stayed outside for quite a while to make sure the smoldering embers didn't escape beyond their ashy grave, he used a shovel and a few more buckets of water to extinguish the hottest areas. I wonder if he was staying outside to avoid me telling him; "I told you so!"

Baby Goats.....LIVE!!!

2012-02-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

Maverick has done his job here and all the girls are bred so it was time for him to go back home to Pelican Acres.

When I got him home my friend Karen took me to her barn to show me the kids that were born this week, 10 in all from Sunday through today.

While I was there one of her does decided to give birth and I was able to watch the delivery of two more kids. Karen is amazing at handling the birthing process and I was lucky/happy to be on hand to learn from her first hand!

If you want to watch Karen's does giving birth she has a camera set up and you can watch her in action. Click here to get in on the viewing action. As of tonight (Tuesday) there are still four or five more does that are getting ready to give birth, don't miss it!

p.s. When the camera is showing a single doe in the berthing stall the action will soon begin, otherwise you will get a camera view of the flock milling around in the common area .

Pollyanna

2012-01-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

I wasn't feeling too well today so once the morning chores were complete the Commander and I settled in by the wood stove and watched Pollyanna. Pollyanna is one of those classic movies that is great fun to watch even if you have seen it several times before.

Old movies are so fun to watch especially when the story is familiar so one has the opportunity to notice the background and the settings. The old kitchens in the movie were great, I loved the wood stoves and hand pumping sinks. The cars were all classics while the woodwork in the homes was breathtaking. I was just engulfed by the atmosphere, so many frilly dresses, decorative hats, ribbons and bows, when did we as a society stop dressing so nicely?

I was entertained for just over 3 hours watching this movie and there was none of the following; no murders, no gun play, no love scenes or nudity, no swearing, no car chases or crashes, nor any infidelity. I did see (or hear) numerous direct references to God and patriotism, I wonder why movie audiences at the time weren't offended the way that we are TOLD (I don't believe it) that folks would be offended today?

The movie (and book) was so successful that the title became a word unto itself.
Pollyanna — n: a person who is constantly or excessively optimistic

[C20: after the chief character in Pollyanna (1913), a novel by Eleanor Porter (1868--1920), US writer]

Since I'm talking movies, if you enjoyed Pollyanna then be sure to check out Auntie Mame. I will never forget the sick feeling I got when Patrick alludes to Mame that he is embarrassed to introduce her to his snobby fiance. A truly great movie.

Taxes

2012-01-28T10:59:00.000-08:00

The tax code in Minnesota has changed this year so everyone's property taxes will be going up. This has made me wonder, would I be better off claiming this place as a Farm instead of a normal residential property? Does anyone claim their Hobby Farm as a "Farm" on their taxes?

I have read that if I do go the farm route that I would need to sell something for a profit within three years. I'm sure I can sell something but making a profit doesn't really seem possible in the near future. The cost of hay, grain, minerals, medicine, new stock, equipment, fencing, clearing land, etc..., really puts the "hobby" into the "hobby farm".

The chickens have paid for themselves and the goats may reach break even territory this year as well, but the start up costs won't be made back in my lifetime. I figure that having some physical assets guarding against hard times my be more useful than a little extra money in the bank.

Hoss

2012-01-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

Meet Hoss, he is my new Icelandic Ram. He has great horns and Leader Sheep bloodlines, he also has a very gentile personality.

He was introduced gently to the other boys, with a fence between them for a few days. Hoss had a lot of "ewe" smell on him as he was used a the "teaser" ram at his old farm. He was kept in a stall in with the girls and when they stopped and wagged their tails at him the girls were removed and placed in with the breeder rams. I can imagine that this had to be a bit hard on Hoss....

As a result of all the stress from being the teaser ram Hoss isn't very fat, and he may even be a bit thin. I still think he is very handsome.

After a few days he was mashed into the ram pen with the other three boys. The Commander threw a few extra bales of hay in with him to prevent any full blown charging from happening. By the time they were released into the ram pasture everyone was bruised and bleeding from small scratches, but fortunately no one suffered any serious injuries.

For the next few days the other rams followed Hoss around and tried unsuccessfully to mount him. Next year at this time Hoss should be the biggest ram on the farm, I hope he has a good long memory for paybacks!

I know rams can be dangerous and they shouldn't be pampered but Hoss is such an attention hound. Whenever he sees me outside he calls and calls until I go over to him. I usually give him a bit of grain that the breeder left for him and then I rub his head or side. He wags his tail and gets so excited, a real cutie. Another oddball to add to the farm, welcome aboard.

Brutally Cold

2012-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

Temperatures approached almost -20F last night, you could hear the trees popping. When I opened up the goat shed only Becca Boo was there to greet me.

Note the igloo to the right in the picture, it isn't too big. As I called the goats they slowly made their way out of the igloo until only Addison was missing.

My heart was in my throat as I imagined the worst, but then she appeared - whew. I was afraid she had frozen to death. The goats were all shivering so I gave them a good rub down while they ate their grain on the milk stand.

I made sure they had a healthy helping of hay before I left them, they may have been cold but they were still hungry!

When I put the goats up for the night they were hedging their way toward the igloo, it must have been nice and warm in there with the body heat of five goats.

Random Acts of Artwork

2012-01-18T15:09:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful drawing from my daughter, I love the way she did the eyes in this one.

Molly the Fearless proved last night to not be too fearless after all. My dad came to visit last night and when Molly saw him she ran away and hid under the ram shed. It took the Commander and I 30 minutes in -5 F weather to get her out from under it. Sigh.

Guineas Dreaming

2012-01-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

It was 6 degrees F this morning and will be dropping down to -2 degrees F tonight. That is cold, but it gets a lot colder here.

The Guineas normally stick to the coop area on cold days but when the sun is shining they sometimes venture out into the trees to dream.

Guineas are indigenous to Africa (excerpt from Wiki): The Helmeted and Vulturine Guineafowl generally reside in open or semiopen habitats such as savanna or semideserts, while the remaining species of guineafowl mainly inhabit forests.

Not much resembling that kind of habitat here.

They are lovely, entertaining birds to have around your farm. They simply eradicate ticks and provide a summer supply of eggs to supplement the chickens production. They are excellent sentries and call out whenever a stranger or non-farm animal makes an appearance. Once one gets used to their "singing" they are wonderful additions to the homestead.

That being said I'm sure today they are thinking that it is COLD.

Fearless

2012-01-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

Molly is growing up fast and is totally fearless. I can't turn my back on her or she will be off getting into some mischief.

She has no fear of the sheep - none. She runs into their pen and hops at them, then she seemingly gets distracted and turns her back on them - no fear. I have to watch her around the rams as she runs right in with them as well, and they can be dangerous.

Today the goats were out and Molly was right in mixing it up with them. Addison was trying to headbutt and ram her but Molly was too nimble. She was no help at all, all she was doing was creating havoc. The Commander had to pick her up so Sara could herd everyone back to their pen. It is amazing to watch Sara work, she gets right under the hind legs of any goat who tries to hold their ground and literally lifts their hind quarters off the ground and runs them to the barn (like a wheelbarrow race).

Sometimes fearless crosses the line to death wish, and that line is crossed when Molly tries to herd the cats!

Molly got the drop on Chai Chai here, but since that time the claws have been out!

New Friends

2012-01-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

The loss of Jeepers and Alma had me very sad for quite a long time and I really questioned the idea of having sheep here on the homestead. Their tragic loss was followed by Kia getting very, very sick, I thought she was a goner. I gave her a full cycle of Banamine, pro-biotics, iron shots, and wormer. I had the vet come out and examine her and take a blood sample. I was afraid she had some kind of wasting disease.

The blood tests came back clean, the fecal sample showed no worms, and Kia has slowly recovered. At one point while Kia was sick I gave here a small injected dose of Selenium, that is the only thing I can think of that may have saved her. I plan on getting a bit of loose Selenium and adding it to their minerals. I am told we are not in a Selenium deficient area but I'm thinking a little extra may not hurt.

I don't think Kia is pregnant, and her baby Ava is questionable. That leaves Gardenia and Azalea who may have lambs, that just wouldn't cut it for another whole year of production so I made a big decision to add a second flock.

I added two (hopefully bred) Icelandic ewes from Sunrise Sheep, they specialize in leadersheep.

The black and white badger faced girl is Zoe and the Black and silver girl is Lara.

The purebred Icelandic sheep are about 25-33% bigger than the Cascade sheep and I'm worried about being able to handle them. They sure are beautiful though....

We really had a difficult time getting them into the barn the first night. The girls were skittish and it took three humans and little Molly (that one is fearless) to put them away. Since then they have marched right into the barn every night no problem. I hope they are as intelligent as advertised and I am looking forward to having lambs from both flocks this Spring!

This Year....

2012-01-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

The spool in the goat pen January 10th this year....

The spool in the goat pen last January. Notice the difference?

The lack of snow this year has me worried about a drought come this Spring, are you worried as well?

Molly the Mutant

2012-01-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

Molly is a mutant. She has one brown eye and her other eye is 1/4 brown and 3/4 blue.

She has somehow discovered some non frozen soil to dig up, a true miracle in Northern Minnesota in January.

She is growing faster than wet gremlins who are fed after midnight.

...and she has a mutant EXTRA toe on her back foot! It is very odd, loosely attached to nothing but skin and it even has a sharp claw.

Molly tries desperately to herd the cats, Chai Chai is not impressed. Molly will try to get on Chai or Mocha's back and usually gets a "slap" for her troubles. The goats on the other hand don't usually fight back. The Commander reported to me that he caught Molly actually riding up on Mavericks back! I knew it was true because she smelled like stinky goat buck for the next several days.

Patch does not like the new dog at all..."raspberry sound"!

"I thought the dogs were supposed to play OUTSIDE!"

Nope, the floor is littered with dog toys, gloves, shoes, anything Molly can get her mouth on. Sara is going crazy as she started out jealous and is a compulsive retriever. The extra toys and puppy love have poor Sara wound up tighter than the core of a golf ball. It doesn't help that Molly follows Sara everywhere and emulates her every action. (Note the huge bag of dog food in the background, food consumption has gone WAY up!)

Patch finds the whole thing a bit amusing but he doesn't have time for their frivolity. As the oldest he has to set the example.

Random Artwork

2012-01-06T17:48:00.001-08:00

Better eating a sandwich than one of my chickens!

Making Candy

2012-01-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

My daughter got a candy making kit for Christmas and has had a lot of fun with it! I told her she could make a few batches so long as she didn't make a pig of herself.

She loved the whole process of stirring the mixtures and laughed throughout the entire cooking process. I had an odd feeling that she was making funny faces at me while my back was turned.

This one tasted best after it had been refrigerated, especially the pink candy center.

I was surprised how good the homemade candy tasted, it was quickly eaten up. I missed my chance at this delicious morsel by a whisker, I was too slow to the fridge!

The kids hogged most of the candy but the entire creation and cooking process was very enjoyable, a real mother daughter project.

On a side note I purchased a carton of Large eggs during the Christmas cooking season as the hens production had slowed down to a trickle. I had two Large store eggs left over this weekend and decided to use them for breakfast...can you tell which two are home grown and the two that came from the store?

When I was cooking with the store eggs I felt that they were so much smaller than what I was used to that for every recipe that called for two eggs I used three. If these eggs are classified as Large I would hate to see anything smaller!

Love Stinks

2012-01-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

I have been keeping a close eye on Addison and it looks like she isn't going to come back into heat, I think she has been properly bred!

Seems Maverick has done his job to perfection! The day he arrived Addy was all over him, wagging her tail and flaunting herself.

The girls don't seem too interested in him anymore, in fact they seem to try and stay up wind from him.

Sometimes Love Stinks!

Chickens and Eggs

2011-12-30T16:41:00.000-08:00

The chickens are not getting along very well with the guineas this Winter. The guineas bully all the hens (except for the hen they think is their mother), always eat first, and take the best locations in the waste hay from the goat and sheep pens. Leopold doesn't do a very good job of protecting his girls but seems to enjoy being the King of the Guineas.

One day I decided to put a few sticks through the fence to see if the guineas would give the chickens a break by perching up off the ground. Turns out the chickens love the perches and spend vast amounts of time snuggling safely away from the guineas.

The guineas still perch above them on the fence line or in the trees, but the perches have really reduced the anxiety level in the coop area.

The chick that was born in late Fall seems to have started laying this week. I am amazed that I have noticed this - the shape of the egg gives it away.

Back in the days of store bought eggs the eggs all seemed to look alike, I never noticed much difference in the eggs in any particular carton. When I look at eggs now I can see that everyone is unique to its hen, and the hen always seems to lay eggs that look roughly the same. The new hens' egg is on the left and is smaller and light brown. The egg next to it is tall and thin, lighter in color. Lucy lays the darkest brown eggs with spots while Honey lays fat thick medium brown eggs. I am shocked that I can associate the egg with the hen, amazing!

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

2011-12-29T18:59:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year! Nothing says happiness like Christmas sugar cookies.

It is also so much fun decorating them together as a family. Those cookies that survive the frosting process (i.e. don't get eaten "raw") really look Christmas-ey! Cookies are a comfort food as well.

Young band members getting ready to play in their first Christmas concert can bring their parents a lot of joy, I know it worked for me.

It isn't the Philharmonic but I think it is quite good for the local 7th grade band.

Fading Dreams

2011-12-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday I found Jeepers and her daughter Alma dead in the barn. Jeepers was bleeding from the mouth and it looks like the breeding ram Ironwood killed them. They were both healthy less than two hours before, I have no other explanation.

He was getting more and more aggressive with the humans and the ewes so the plan was to remove him on Saturday - I was a day too late. I have never read about this type of behavior occurring yet there can be no other explanation.

The atmosphere around the ewes was oppressive with Ironwood in there, I'm not sure that any of the breeding's with the four remaining ewes took. There may be no lambs this Spring. In the girls current condition I am afraid to introduce the clean-up ram, they seemed depressed with the loss of their leader (Jeepers).

The four ewes remaining are mother daughter pairs. I only have two blood lines left, it makes me sad. Introducing new blood into the flock would be the easy solution except that the breed isn't readily available.

What is one lost breeding season? I was hoping to have 9 lambs this Spring to add to my existing 6 ewes, now I have four ewes and possibly no lambs, a lost season is a lifetime. I am pondering waiting to see if I get any lambs, or I could change over to Icelandic's or Jacob's, or maybe I'll just expand the goat herd. It is hard brightening up a fading dream, but I'm not going to give up.

Winds of Change

2011-12-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Change was in the air and the goats could sense it. Becca Boo knew something was up.

Addison was in a foul mood as she was in heat and Romea just wasn't up to taking care of the task at hand.

Romeo is a handsome fellow and should have been old enough for his responsibilities, yet the lack of "buck stink" was a clear indication that he wasn't up to the challenge of being a breeding buck this year.

So Romeo had to go and he was replaced by Maverick. The difference was immediate as Addison found him instantly alluring. One sniff and she was his plaything.

I have to admit that I think Maverick is a handsome fellow and he fits right in size wise with all the others. He most definitely has a strong "buck" smell. In fact I was sick to my stomach from sampling his distinct aroma the first morning after his arrival. The stench tends to burn into ones nostrils and stay there.

Yet it seems the girls don't mind and they accepted him into the herd immediately. Even Chip doesn't seem to mind his presence. I'm looking forward to some nice looking kids being born this Spring!

Molly Christmas

2011-12-14T17:47:00.000-08:00

Meet Molly Christmas. She is my Christmas gift to the Commander this year.

I got her for the Commander to be a counter part to Sara. Sara is great at the difficult task of herding goats, but she is just too scared of the sheep to be much help. This is where hopefully Molly comes in, when the sheep see how ferocious she is herding them will be easy.

Molly is an Blue Merle Australian Shepherd. She has one blue eye, one brown eye, and a greyish blue coat with black spots. Add in just a touch of brown on her front quarters and muzzle and you have one beautiful girl.

Right now Molly sleeps in a clothes basket. At her previous home she slept outside so she spends a lot of time panting while she is inside, I guess the house is just too hot for her.

I have just started potty training her, but since she is the Commanders gift he gets to take her out for the 2 am potty runs.....its what he wanted, really!

Find the Hidden.........

2011-12-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

Nope, not the electrical cords.

Not the hanging beads.

What is it about the Christmas tree that makes the cats want to spend their days in it?

I find Christmas ornaments all over the house every morning, Mocha and Chai Chai seem to just love Christmas. I bet they have some great TAILS to tell....ha, ha, ha......or Ho, Ho, HO!

My Favorite Christmas Card

2011-12-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Sam. We miss you and Pierson too!

Hello Livonia Michigan!

2011-12-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you don't know what you are looking for until you find it. A friend of mine who I used to work with called me today from Livonia, Michigan. We chatted about old times and she caught me up on the all the happenings at my old place of work. I was surprised when she mentioned my recent adventure with the Fox. I had no idea that folks from work were reading my blog.

Hello Everyone!

My friend, who only knew me as a city girl, asked if the Commander had a farming background....I told her he didn't. When I related the story to the Commander later he said that my answer was not true, he stated that he spent a lot of time working with a Fischer Price Farm set. We both laughed and laughed!

He later added that the See n Say was one of his all time favorites...."The cow goes - Moooo! Here is a Duck - Quack Quack Quack!" That was the extent of his farm experience, yet here we are.

My friend told me that everyone loved to hear about my adventures and that they often had a difficult time imagining me actually living this kind of life. No one there would have ever imagined in their wildest dreams that one day I would be; birthing goats, herding lambs, eating my own chicken eggs, or firing a shotgun at a rabid fox.

My mother told the Commander during her last visit that I was her city girl and she was shocked at how happy I was living in the middle of nowhere surrounded by all these animals. This was never a dream of mine and yet here I am living it, and I can't put into words how happy I am.

So once again, "Hello Livonia! I have a little advice for everyone. Don't be afraid to change course when the moment arrives. It may be safe to stay on the traveled path but what adventures are you missing just beyond the horizon? The life I am living is not one I could have ever imagined so no amount of pre-planning could have gotten me to this destination. If you aren't truly happy then you need to change course and find your way...wherever it takes you."

Anyone else out there wake up one day and ask themselves; "How in the world did I end up here and find myself exactly where I belong?"

What kind of a flock IS this?

2011-12-04T17:54:00.000-08:00

Leopold is the rooster in charge of the coop area and he has his hands full trying to keep order. Look at the picture above. In it you will see; a Rhode Island Red, Lavender male and female guineas, a Dark and Light Royal guinea, a few Golden Laced Red Wyandottes, and Leopold. A few of the guineas think they are chickens, one of the chickens thinks it is a guinea.....chaos, its pure chaos.

Little chicken squabbles break out on occasion and Leopold rushes in to break things up, but what is he supposed to do when several guineas are chasing chickens...except for the chicken that thinks its a guinea? Or how does he handle the chicken that the guineas think is their mama? Did I mention that all the guinea males follow Leopold around like he is their king?

Last year Leopold suffered a bit of frost bite, by looking at him you can see why. As it gets colder Leopold spends more and more time inside the coop and at times you can hear the sounds of wrestling going on in there. I can only assume he is trying to keep or establish some kind of order, I'm not holding my breath.

Hay

2011-12-03T17:05:00.000-08:00

In the month of November we had three deliveries of hay; they included 72 grass bales and 50 and 65 bales of Timothy mix. So divided up in the three lofts are 187 bales.

I have 6 ewes and one ram munching hay in the main sheep area.

Since there are too many sheep to fit around the hay bowl I sneak a few piles of hay into the inside bowl for the little girls.

Five goats spend their time wasting more hay than they eat in the goat shed.

The two bachelor rams are the most efficient and they eat everything I put in their bowl, except for the hay that they decide to wear. I wonder if I have enough hay to make it to Spring?

Hamm and L'eggs

2011-11-29T17:34:00.000-08:00

Some animals act just like people. Chip is such a hamm, he always wants to be the center of attention and to have his picture taken.

See how he provides a profile view. Apparently he wanted me to get his good side.

Like any good actor or actress Chip knows how take center stage. Notice in the first three pictures how he drew the attention or completely blocked out Addison, Gidget, and finally Becca Boo.

He's so shameless, he even knows when to show a little leg.........what a hamm!

A Girl and Her Gun

2011-11-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

When the Commander took Sara out this morning I was surprised when he came back inside and told me about a black fox that was hanging out in the yard. He claimed that the fox was not afraid of him and just would not be chased away. You can see the foxes glowing evil eyes in the picture above.

I know why the fox was here, he wanted to eat my poor chickens or guineas. I wondered if this was the fox that killed my guinea chicks earlier this Summer. When I took my daughter to school the fox was actually blocking the driveway and wouldn't move when I honked the horn....if my daughter wouldn't have been in the car I may have just run it down then and there.

When I got home the fox was still there so I couldn't let the animals out, something had to give. I called the local Department of Natural Resources office and explained to them that a fox was in my yard and it wasn't showing any fear of humans, I was afraid it may have rabies. The DNR officer told me that if the animal was bothering me that I should shoot it. Does the DNR do anything to help folks out?

I tried to call the Commander by got his voice mail, drat. I called my dad and got his answering machine so I left him this message; "Oh Hell, I was hoping there was someone there who could walk me through how to shoot a gun." I could only imagine what thoughts went through his mind when he got that message.

Fortunately the Commander called back and he almost went into shock when I told him I wanted him to talk me through loading the shotgun. I located the gun and he described the various kinds of ammunition that I had to choose from. He suggested some target ammo to scare the fox off but I told him the fox had to go so I grabbed some slugs.

He described the safety, the sliding mechanism, and I figured out how to load....after a bit of trial and error and a few shells laying on the ground. I was ready to go. No way I was going to let a rabid fox kill any of my precious animals.

I went out to the woods and there he was, glowing evil eyes and all. I raised the gun to my shoulder, took aim, and wondered how much of a kick this gun had. A few breaths later I fired.......miss! I figured that the fox would run off after my near miss and the loud noise but he didn't, this fox was not acting normal at all.

Mister fox moved off to the left a bit so after I reloaded he was going to be toast. I now had the feel of the weapon, I took steady aim, took a deep breath and fired.....miss! The fox just looked at me, at this point I was sure he had rabies. Nothing scared him.

At this point I figured I needed to get a bit closer, but not too close. I carefully moved through the woods, cleared the field of fire (I didn't want to shoot a passing car, the house, or one of the barns), and reloaded. I had only brought two slugs and they were gone, I now had only two target shells. I figured that a hit from the pellets would drive him off so I took careful aim and fired once more....miss! Was he wearing a bullet proof vest? I reloaded and fired my last shell.....argh.....missssssss!

I hiked back to the house and called the Commander and asked if he had any suggestions. He directed me to the buckshot ammunition, he said that if I used this there was no way I could miss. So once again I hiked out through the woods, was again amazed that the fox hadn't run off, cleared the field of fire, and reloaded.

The fox was now in a tightly treed area, it would be a tough shot but I was confident. I took aim and fired.....miss! How did I miss using buckshot? The sights on this gun must be off. I had one shot left and now began to worry about possibly wounding the poor creature, I didn't have a hatchet like OFG so I worried that I may have to find a different way to finish him off.

I wiped my brow, reloaded, took a deep breath and fired....Mister fox was down! It took only six shots but I had succeeded. I didn't want to kill the fox but he couldn't just hang around here an kill my animals. The fact that he didn't run off when chased by the Commander, was chased by cars, and was shot at multiple times made it obvious that something was wrong with the poor thing, I think it was rabies.

I called the DNR and asked the officer if he wanted to come collect the animal for rabies testing, in case the county may be in the middle of an outbreak. He told me he wasn't interested but that I should bury the body deep, just in case. The fact that the ground is frozen was lost upon him.....

Below is a graphic picture of the foxes' post mortem. He was a beautiful black fox but it was just too dangerous to let him roam around here.

I'm not happy that I had to shoot the poor animal but I'm proud that I was able to get the job done. This was the first time I even fired a shotgun, so I figure that six shots wasn't too bad.

Jealous Ram

2011-11-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

Ironwood was selected to breed the girls this year and since he was put in with them he has developed some strange behaviors. We have discovered that he will chase the girls into the barn and then lay on the ramp to prevent them from escaping.

If/When the girls try to escape he stands up and begins snorting and posturing to try and intimidate them.

I don't think the girls are impressed, I know I wouldn't be. Ava has fully recovered from whatever was bothering her and is now healthy enough to run from Ironwood - the big bully!

Note little Alma's left horn, I think it was broken off in a butting match with Ironwood. She has been limping around some and I think she is sore from Ironwoods advances.

Whenever Sara approaches the sheep area Ironwood comes to the gate or fence line in attempts to frighten her away. Ironwood has tried to ram the Commander a few times as he was feeding them or bringing in water. It has gotten to the point where we have to bring a shepherds crook with us whenever we enter the gated area or barn.

It was getting so bad that I finally decided to open the back door to the barn so the girls could escape his bullying.

Now when the girls run out the back Ironwood gets so frustrated that he snorts and paws the ground before he goes to try and round them up again. I don't feel sorry for him at all. Killarney and Alder didn't act anything like this last year, is this normal?

Are You Ready?

2011-11-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

It was days before Winter
and all through the wood house
not a creature was stirring
not even a mouse

The wood was all stacked
in rows with great care
in hopes that the wood stove
would warm up Winters cold air....

The wood shed is full and I think we are ready to go, are you?

Ironwoods' Time

2011-11-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

Ironwood was released in with the girls on Sunday 06 November, 2011. He spent the first hour chasing after first one mother daughter pair and then another until everyone was too exhausted to run. At one point he was sniffing up behind Kia when Ava had had enough and stomped her feet at him in frustration - "Leave my mother alone!"

Ironwood was not very courteous, he spent a lot of time showing his teeth, flapping his tongue, sniffing the air. He will have two months to complete his business until Wild Man (Alder) moves in.

The New Guy has a Job to Do!

2011-11-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

We have a new goat on the farm and everyone is excited to see who it is! Chip was the first to welcome Romeo to his new home.

Romeo is a shy fellow and looks to be a bit small and youngish to complete his assigned duties.

He is a handsome fellow and he has long thick hair that can be expected of a yearling.

Romeo had the wrong idea initially, thinking that he might be living in the house instead of in the barn. You can get a rough idea of Romeo's size when you compare him to Sara who is standing next to him. You can also see some important goat parts that Chip no longer has......and those are why he is here. Back in August I went in with Karen from Pelican Acres to jointly buy Romeo from a farm in southern Wisconsin. It is now my turn to house him for a while and to reap the fruits of his loins?

Becca Boo wasn't quite sure what to make of her new suitor, so she gave him a few headbutts to make sure he knew his place.

Romeo seemed to be more of a novelty than a member of the herd.

Gidget wanted to know what that horrible (intoxicating?) smell was and where it was coming from. She seemed a bit surprised to find a goat that was actually smaller than her.

No matter his size Romeo sure is a handsome fellow, note the moon spots. The other goats had better get used to him because he has a job (or three) to do and will be hanging around till he gets it done.

Wounds, Worms, Traps, and Losses

2011-11-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

When Sunday rolled around it was time to give everyone a second dose of wormer; fun, fun, fun. I decided to start with the rams and took them in the same order as last time. As the leader ram Killarney was selected to go first as he has a habit of trying to protect his buddies whenever the Commander grabs them. As we were holding him I noticed some scabs and blood on the top of his head and on his nose.

Seems Killarney has been spending some time bashing heads with his so called friends.

I sprayed some antibiotics on his wounds and finished worming him, I couldn't wait to see what battle damage the other boys were sporting. As I was feeling around on the top of his scull I couldn't help but notice how thick the bone on the top of his head is. No wonder it doesn't seem to faze him when he crashes into his fellow rams at full speed!

Alders horns are very wide yet he showed no sign of cuts or abrasions. The Commander had his normal struggle capturing "Wild Man" so I could give him his dose of wormer, these sheep are strong! I don't know how people with larger animals can handle them.

Ironwood and Albion were finished last with no problems. I didn't see any wounds on Ironwood, but his horns are so massive that he must hit with them instead of using the top of his head.

I still haven't figured out how the door to the rams shed has been getting opened but the night vision camera I set up caught this little critter crawling around into Sara's kennel.

I don't think he is the culprit but what a cutie pie!

Listen to him growl!

The girls were wormed next with the usual panic at being touched. It looks like Ava has recovered from her illness completely and will be ready for breeding next week.

Here is a shot of little Alma and her tiny horns - they are almost scurrs really. She is the smallest ewe we have so I am a bit worried for her come lambing time.

Finally one of the guinea nuggets was killed by what I think was an owl Saturday night. The guineas have gone back to sleeping in the coop since that tragic evening, it just isn't safe around here. I wonder how long their fear will keep them inside and safe before the decide to sleep in the trees again.

Accident or Mischief?

2011-10-27T17:01:00.000-07:00

Twice this week when the Commander has come inside at night after closing up the chicken coop he has discovered the top half of the dutch doors on the ram shed open. There are several ways that this could have happened so we chalked it up to coincidence or mischance.

Last night my son called me after he left for town and reported that he had spotted the rams along the side of the road and was in the process of chasing them towards home. The Commander and I threw on our jackets, grabbed flashlights (it was pitch black outside), and bolted out the door. I grabbed a bucket and filled it with grain while the Commander ran down the driveway in time to see my son and the rams thunder by.

I gave the Commander the bucket and he began to call the "boys" and shook the magic bucket to get their attention. Fortunately they stopped running and my son was able to move them homeward in conjunction with the rams wanting to get to the grain in the bucket. The Commander was able to lead them back to their barn and once they were out of the road Sara picked up the tail end Charlie herding duties. We found the door to the ram shed wide open....how did that happen? Is someone looking in (and freeing) on our rams at night? Was this another accident? How/why did the rams bypass all the grass and shrubs in the yard and make their way down the driveway and into the road? We usually secure the doors with metal fasteners yet the one for the ram door was not in place, accident or mischief?

Eggs, What Eggs?

2011-10-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

One egg today, one egg yesterday, and three eggs the day before....looks like egg production for the year is ending.

I started the year with eight laying hens and in June and July I would get six to eight eggs per day! Add to that two guinea hens who were laying one egg each per day and things around here were hopping. Like everything else in life at some point all good things come to and end and I guess this is it.

It started with the guineas. Juliette was the first to go broody and between her hatching one huge clutch and trying for two others the guinea egg production disappeared.

Next two of the chickens went broody. The first hens' clutch failed completely, fortunately she picked up eight of Juliette's keets to raise as her own. Honey was next and all her eggs failed but one, chicklet. So with those two hens not laying because they are busy being mama's and one hen dying I am down to five potential layers. By the shape and color of the eggs we are getting it looks like three of the hens are laying an egg around every other day and two have stopped laying completely.

(Mamma chicken and the guinea nuggets pictured above) I hope things pick up next Spring!

Worming Day

2011-10-24T13:15:00.000-07:00

It was very nice outside yesterday and since it is getting close to breeding season I decided to break out the wormer and hoof trimming gear. Chip was excited because he loves to be held. The goats are easy to do because the just jump into your lap and eat up all the personal attention.

The girl sheep are a bit trickier to worm as they all panic and scatter at the very idea of being handled. We have to get them all into a stall and pull them out one by one, the biggest challenge is to avoid them hurting themselves in their panic.

Ava got an extra dose of a vitamin B oral drench to help keep her energy up, she is looking a lot better today. I'm not sure what got her sick but I'm still not sure she is totally out of the woods as of yet.

Taking care of the rams is always a bit tricky because of their strength and short tempers. The Commander went into the ram shed with a shepherds crook and pulled them out one by one for their treatments. Killarney was selected first to remove the leader of the pack from the others. He is always a bit protective of the others so the Commander thought he was less likely to get rammed once Killarney was finished.

Alder (Wildman) was next. Alder ALWAYS panics when handled and he didn't disappoint this time. Once the Commander got him hooked Alder went wild and the Commander ended up wrestling him for several moments before he got him under control. After a lot of huffing and puffing Alder was finished and set free.

That left Ironwood (who tried to jump out the window last time we tried this) and Albion. Ironwood was selected and wormed while he stood side by side with Albion. It took a bit of wrestling but no buildings were damaged in the process of worming Ironwood and then it was easy to finish Albion at the end of things.

The whole process needs to be completed again next week, hopefully the Commander will have recovered by then - I know the rams will be waiting for their rematch.

Avalon is Somewhat Better

2011-10-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we took Avalon to the Vet to see if she could figure out what was wrong with her. The exam didn't reveal anything obvious so she needed to draw some blood to send off for testing.

I didn't know that the preferred place to draw blood from a sheep was from the neck! Ava has very thick wool and it was playing havoc with the needle placement and after several tries the Vet broke out the scissors and cut away a nice clear patch. The blood was finally drawn but Ava was not happy, I was afraid she may go into shock.

That night Ava wouldn't go anywhere near the barn and I had to catch her with the shepherds crook. Once again Kia had to be lured inside with grain, she is next to impossible to trick but so far bribes have worked.

Ava got a 3rd dose of LA200 and was running a temperature of 102.6F - normal! I put her to bed with high hopes. Today she looked much better but still not totally her self. At 1730 the Vet called with the blood work results and they were ..... inconclusive :( ..... Her liver and kidney enzymes were slightly elevated but nothing that was completely unexplainable. The only takeaway was that we should discontinue the antibiotics, so I decided to leave her hassle free once she entered the barn. The break from treatments might do her nerves some good. Of course Kia wouldn't go into the barn at all, not even the bribes would work. She had to be captured with the shepherds crooks, we may have to break out the tranquilizer guns tomorrow!

If she is better tomorrow I will have to credit the LA200 and banamine for saving her while she was running a 106F fever. It is good to know that she doesn't have anything contagious or some owner induced malady.

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and well wishes!

Avalon is Sick

2011-10-18T17:30:00.000-07:00

Two days ago the Commander noticed that Avalon wasn't keeping up with the flock, she has been sick ever since. I took her temperature on the first day and it was 106F, she was burning up. Since there are no local Vets who will take new clients I sent an e-mail to Pipestone Veterinary Clinic and they responded with the advice to use some LA200 if I had it. I was lucky that I actually had the LA200 (an antibiotic) so I gave her a shot along with a Vitamin B shot, a shot of Banimine (to bring down her fever), and some oral pro-biotics. She wasn't moving much and I was afraid for what the morning would bring.

The next day found her alive but moving very slowly. She was still eating and drinking, but just barely. When the Commander got home I took her temperature and she was still at 106F, things were not looking good. After looking through my 'taking care of sheep' books I thought she may have been suffering from Grass Tetany, this is caused by a magnesium deficiency. That night I gave her a LA200 shot, oral pro-biotics, and a liquid mixture that contained crushed magnesium, calcium, and a Vitamin B complex.

She was still with us this morning, but she was moving like her joints had stiffened up. I called all the Vets in the phone book this morning and not a single one called me back. Once again I fired off an e-mail to Pipestone with Avalon's symptoms and they helped me as best they could. What they really needed was to have some blood work done but with no local Vets to help there wasn't much they could do.

When the Commander got home it took quite a long time for us to get to the doctoring as Kia and Ava wouldn't go into the barn while we were around. That Kia is so smart and she knew what we were up to, I finally lured them into a stall using some grain. When I got to take Ava's temperature I was so relieved to note that it had dropped to 102.9F, much better! Pipestone recommended I keep up the same treatment so she got a LA200 shot, a Vitamin B shot, and some oral pro-biotics.

Maybe she was moving stiffly from the shots? The LA200 stings a lot at the point of the injection as well. I can tell Ava still isn't feeling too good as she is holding her head lower than normal and has a dull look about her.

When I got inside one of the local Vets actually called! They told me that if Ava made it through the night I could bring her first thing! This is an answer to my prayers as there are so few Vets that will see sheep and goats around here, I would love to get on her client list and would be happy to provide a retainer. C'mon Ava, you just have to hang on one more night!

Fall Foul

2011-10-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Indian Summer is over and the nights are getting cold. The Commander lets the birds out every night when he gets home and he relies on Leopold to bring everyone home before it gets too dark.

The mini-guineas are growing fast and are almost as big momma chicken. They fly outside the coop area during the day and then pace back and forth trying to figure out how to get back in with momma. It is funny to see them all perching on branches or the fence while momma looks up at them with a disgusted look on her face.

The mini-guineas spent a few nights out in the trees before the cold hit, we now find them snuggled in close to momma when closing up the coop at night.

The chick-let is growing fast but still has fluff instead of feathers. I hope it can survive the cold nights. Honey still sits with it in a nesting box, not big enough or old enough to perch yet I guess.

I wonder if the chick-let is a boy or girl?

Ram Shed Painted - Finally

2011-10-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

The ram shed is finally painted, I think it looks pretty darn good. I love the dutch doors on the front and back, even if I don't need to use them very often.

They certainly won't be open now that the rams have started to "sniff the air", I don't want anyone tempted to jump out the top of the door to attempt some non sanctioned dating.

The ramp on the back is a bit steep, I have it covered with a rubber mat to cut down on the slipperiness. Note the "ham", I mean ram posing in the shot.

This picture appears to have been taken by the "Goat Barn Cleaning Faeries", I hope they visit soon!

Snowball Target

2011-10-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

A few well aimed snowballs this Winter should take care of this problem. I will make sure to send the Commander out on a 10 below or colder day to do the deed, just in case.

Mothers and Daughters

2011-10-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

One month from breeding time and look at Avalon (white), she is almost as big as her mother Kia.

Here is first time mother Gardenia (left) and Jeepers. Jeepers gave birth to twins last year. Since the weather was nice recently I broke out the electric netting again and let the girls graze on the grass and leaves in the yard.

Azalia is Gardenia's daughter, she is a plump one and is bigger than all the other ewes except for her mother.

Alma is a product of Jeepers and Kilarney, she is the smallest of all our sheep.

Kia and Ava, these two are smart and wary. All the sheep just love leaves, unfortunately I think I'm still going to have to rake.

Horny Boys

2011-10-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Just like most boys these fellows have their faces buried in their food.

Alder and Albion are in the middle. Alder has beautifully wide horns.

He is a handsome fellow with his wide horns, white wool, badger face, and an orange mane. He is a magnificent specimen and an excellent example of a Cascade Ram.

Killarney may not have as nice horns as Alder, but his aren't too shabby and he is the leader of the flock.

Fall Colors

2011-10-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

Don't the goats just blend in with the various Fall colors that the leaves are showing? I love how my goats all display unique color patterns.

I really like this picture of the goats with the last rays of a twilight sun at their backs. I just missed Addison sneezing, the air all around the goats showed a slight fog. If you look closely you can still notice a bit of mist in the air.

Garden, What Garden?

2011-10-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Last year we planted potatoes and when we harvested them they were tiny! We never got around to planting the garden this year.....

Guess what we found growing in the garden this year?

Turns out that the Commander probably missed harvesting a few potatoes last year. At least this years accidental crop of potatoes was above normal size!

Determination

2011-10-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Guinea girl somehow survived the night terrors, cold, and broken eggs to hatch out a clutch of eggs earlier this summer. The odds were against the little ones so I took the survivors and gave them to a broody chicken, those lucky 8 are still alive. The 4 that stayed with Juliet were taken by a fox.

It is late in the year but I found Juliet sitting on a new nest of 18 eggs!

It is way too late in the year and getting too cold at night for her to have any chance of hatching them out so one day while she was out foraging I took up her eggs and now they are on their way to International Falls. A woman I know there lost all her chickens to a dog attack and she wanted some eggs to hatch. She knows she will be getting guineas but I'm not sure she realizes how loud they can be. I did add 4 chicken eggs that were laid on the day she visited so hopefully she can have a mix emerge from the incubator.

Juliet is back spending her nights in the coop but she still disappears during the day, I hope she hasn't started another nest!

Prey at Night

2011-10-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

I went out to the coop the other morning and saw guinea feathers on the ground and in the pine tree. I thought for sure one of the guinea boys were "taken".

Turns out the Diablo somehow survived the attack. I think he fell out of the tree into the coop, and whatever was after him couldn't get in. Note the big bare spot in the middle of his back where there used to be feathers. The bare spot is a lot bigger than it looks in this picture, you can see bare skin!

The two guinea boys spend more nights outside than they do in the coop. The are teaching the little guineas to stay out with them...much to momma chickens chagrin. I hope whatever it was that attacked them has moved on. I have to pray for them every night.

Brrrrr!

2011-10-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

This is what I saw this morning......Oct 1st it is too way too early in the year for the outside water to be freezing!

Operation Smooshhh

2011-09-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

Since we decided to keep Albion as a companion ram for Killarney this Winter he was moved into the Ram shed with the other boys. The forecast was for rain so it didn't hurt the boys to spend some time inside and dry. I took a cattle panel and put it inside the shed to cut the area into two separate areas, Albion was in the smaller of the two.

I figured that if Albion slept on the hay that had the other boys smell on it and they got to know him through the fence that they might not rough him up once I took the panel away.

Alder (Wild Man) usually decides to eat with Albion so I hope the big boys will accept him into their click. I will let everyone loose into the ram pasture this weekend, wish Albion luck!

A Gift from a Friend

2011-09-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

A very special person made this farm sign for us, I am going to treasure it and find a special place for it to hang.

For some reason Chip wants me to put it in the goat barn, I don't think so!

Good, Bad, Worse

2011-09-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

Good - Saturday morning the Commander went out to feed the chickens and look what he found, a little peeper!

Mom chicken (not to be confused with Momma chicken who is raising keets) seemed to be happy and yet a bit torn. She wanted to spend time with her peeper but she had 17 other eggs to still hatch.

Bad - Mom chicken gave up sitting on the eggs yesterday and totally abandoned them today, there were no other hatchlings. In order to make sure the peeper was getting food and water we moved Mom and her little one to the sheep stall. I put a few plastic eggs filled with dirt to give her an idea where she should nest and them set out some food and water. The two of them seemed happy when I left them.

Worse - Juliet is sitting a new nest in the woods. When last I checked it she has 15 or so eggs. It is way too late in the Fall for another hatching, the nights are just too cold. Now what am I to do?

Alarm! Alarm!

2011-09-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

The guineas have calmed down quite a bit, they no longer scream out alarms for the humans or animals that live here. It is odd to see how casual they are when Sara sprints past them at full speed on her way to where ever.

Yesterday I knew something was up when they were screaming in the middle of the day. I went outside expecting to see a fox and what did I see?

A small little yearling! I think this poor little deer has lost its mother as it is always by itself when it comes around. The deer seems a little slim but otherwise healthy.

I'm sure the poor little deer is sick of the guineas crying bloody murder every time it shows up. I hope this little one finds some other deer to hang out with who can teach it how to survive the brutal winter that is coming.

Things that make me Chuckle

2011-09-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched as the baby guineas were out free ranging with mama chicken when something spooked them. The babies decided to fly, one by one, over two fences to rest on top of the coop. Poor mama chicken helplessly watched them fly off and then had to run through two fence gates to join them in the coop. I could hear her talking to herself; "Who taught those dang kids how to fly?"

I was outside in the sheep area when I noted a chicken trying to bury itself in a dirt hole. It was cold out and SNOWFLAKES started to fall. I could just hear the chicken saying; "Snow, SNOW!?! I have got to dig faster!"

One of the hens has been broody for quite a while. At one point the Commander had to pick up her eggs because one of them had broke and contaminated the rest. He found three good ones and moved them over to a clean nesting box, he wanted to give her a chance. She now has 18 eggs in her box, 18! I looked in the coop a couple of days ago to see how she was doing and one of the other hens was laying an egg on top of her! How did all those eggs get in there? It is really late to have chicks here but the hens are really giving it their best shot. I just have to shake my head.

Sheep or Locust?

2011-09-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is what the new ram area looked like in July.

This is what it looked like yesterday.

July.

Today. I can't believe how they have defoliated the entire area. Look at how the grass stops at the edge of the fence, amazing.

This is an area where the girls cleared out the forest, not much left.

This area has a temporary snow fence and a bunch of trees the Commander cut down in July. The girls ate all the leaves and foliage, there seems to be nothing left. Looks like a forest fire swept through here. The trees will be cut up for firewood - once we have time.

This area has been vacant for a bit, I don't think locust could have done a better job of clearing the land.

See the snow fence?

While the Commander is at work the sheep are now on hay, when he is home he lets them loose into the forest to graze. These Cascade sheep do just as well on trees and shrubs as they do on grass, why not give them a head start on next years pasture expansion?

Gardenia is happy to have anything green to munch on! I was worried at first about turning the sheep loose into the woods, but when the Commander and I call they always come running. I guess they like living here.

Oh NO!!!!

2011-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Do you see those fallen leaves? Oh NO! If the leaves are falling then Winter can't be far behind. I took the goats over to see the fallen leaves and they ate them like potato chips, they must be like Lays becasue they couldn't eat just one. Saves us from some raking at least.

Fall is Here!

2011-09-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today the temperature reached only a high of 60*, Fall is here! The day was a mix of sunshine and rain with a soft cool breeze all day, it was a wonderful day to work outside.

I took this opportunity to weed my flower beds, clean up the goat barn, and collect rocks. My daughter was outside gathering worms and bugs for the chickens and the Commander was cutting and hauling fire wood.

We fenced off some of the yard for the sheep and they enjoyed grazing on the last of the summer grass. Above is a shot of Kia and her daughter Avalon (who is also her grazing buddy). Those two have different postures and personalities than all the other sheep. They seem to carry their heads higher and are more high strung, but they sure are beautiful.

Where for art thou?

2011-08-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday I jumped in the car at midnight and drove down to the Wisconsin Illinios border to pick up my first buckling! I arrived at the farm at just after 8 am, picked him up, and turned back around for the drive home. I got home at about 3:30 pm and was completely exhausted, but the trip was worth it. Little Romeo has great bloodlines and will be a great to breed with the girls.

Aren't his moonspots wonderful!

Romeo will actually be jointly owned with Karen from Pelican Acres, she will keep him with her other bucks and allow me to bring Addison and Gidget up for breeding when the time is right.

When kidding season arrives don't forget to check out Karen's Goat Cam in her birthing stall to watch goats give birth!

Hopefully next year I can build a pen area for bucks and I will be able to house one here on my own little homestead, so long as it is down wind!

More Guinea Drama

2011-08-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday daddy guinea got hit by a car, I was heart broken. I was in the yard when it happened, the car didn't even slow down - I think they hit him on purpose.

Momma guinea cried and cried for him, it was so sad.

Diablo was the male guinea who didn't have a mate, he got his name because he very mean to the chickens. Momma guinea cried for her mate for hours, after a while Diablo started to follow her around. If she accepts him I will keep him around, other wise he is toast.

The other birds were shocked at the turn of events, I can only imagine the gossip about the situation around the water cooler.

One of the guinea keets living with mama chicken in the sheep pen flew out of the barn and was lost in the woods, not good. I decided it was time to move them back to the coop.

I was worried that Leopold wouldn't accept them into the flock, but so far he has been great. He runs off any hens or guineas that bother the keets, it seems another reprobate has been reformed.

Mama chicken has been teaching the keets how to forage. She must be doing a good job because yesterday I saw one of the keets running around the coop with a worm in its mouth.

Last night mama chicken went into the coop for the evening but the keets couldn't figure out how to get up the plank and inside. The Commander and I had to go out with an aquarium fish net and scoop them up to put them inside. Mama chicken was inside screaming and even pecked my hand when I put the first of the keets inside. The round-up was a crazy scene. I sure hope they can put themselves away by themselves tonight.

Sheep Getting More Friendly

2011-08-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Last year the sheep were so shy I couldn't get anywhere near them, now when I go out to see them they flock around me. Jeepers got up close and personal in the above picture.

Azalea is the most friendly of all the lambs, she is an escape artist as well. It is not at all unusual to see her on the wrong side of the fence and eating off on her own, but when she sees me she comes running!

Avalon is still quite shy, she gets it from her mother Kia. Ava only comes round as part of the rest of the flock, never by herself.

Kia will eat a bit of grain from my hand but she still doesn't fully trust me. I still think she has a little Icelandic Leader Sheep in her, she is very wary and intelligent.

It seems the sheep have been keeping a close eye on me lately, I really enjoy it when the run up to greet me!

Not Grown Here

2011-08-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

One of my neighbors gave me a few zucchini that were huge. They live right next door and I have to marvel at what a great garden they have compared to our pitiful plot. She also gave me a recipe to try.

Cut the zucchini in half and then scoop out the seeds. Season it with olive oil, garlic, and whatever else tickles your fancy, then cover it in foil and bake at 350F until it begins to get soft. Cook some hamburger and add your choice of seasoning (I added some cumin to give it a Mexican flair), then place it in the hollowed out part of the zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini is easily cut with a butter knife. Add cheese and allow it to melt for a few minutes and then chow down.

It was delicious!

Last Years Ram Lambs

2011-08-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Alder's horns are very wide, he has the kind of horns that we are looking for.

Ironwood's horns are thick, but they are no where near as wide a Alder's.

Killarney is Albion's father (post below), his horns are thicker than Alder's and wider than Ironwood's. Ironwood seems to be telling Killarney that this Fall he gets to spend some time with the girls!

Lamb Ram Horns

2011-08-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to decide if Albion's horns are good enough for me to use him as breeding stock.

Albion was one of two lambs born to Jeepers this Spring, his sister Alma was the other.

He is a friendly fellow that likes to stick close to his mother. I like his light brown color, it is unique to my flock.

If I decide to keep him he will have to be introduced to the other rams, they may smash him around a bit so I want to make sure he's staying before submitting him to that rough treatment.

Of course if I don't keep him he will be heading off to freezer camp very soon. What do you think?

Whats for Dinner?

2011-08-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you store noodles for the chickens in the refrigerator.

Barn Cats

2011-08-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today I saw six chipmunks in the chicken coop eating the hens scratch. This morning I saw three bunnies hopping around in the yard. All these little varmints are going to start to attracting predators sooner or later, if not already. I think we need a barn cat.

How do you get your barn cats to not eat your chickens, guineas, or hatchlings? Can you have a lone barn cat or will it need a friend?

When I asked Mocha if she wanted to live outside she gave me the look pictured above, I took it as a no.

Fox

2011-08-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

The fox must have come back last night because all four of the keets are gone. Mama and daddy Guinea spent all day looking for their babies, it was very sad to watch. Several times during the day daddy Guinea would just stop what he was doing and lay flat in the grass, he seemed so depressed.

No matter how well the Guineas defended their young during the day they couldn't overcome their night blindness and lack of tree nesting. At least mother hen has her 9 keets in the sheep pen, but I hope mama and daddy Guinea don't die from broken hearts.

Good Parents, Hungry Fox, Crazed Woman, and the Sierra Club

2011-08-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I wondered, "Why aren't Guineas extinct?" The past few weeks have taught me a lot about how Guineas raise their young, and I have to say I'm very impressed. The biggest problem the Guineas have to overcome is that they don't build a nest in the trees so they end up having to raise their young on the ground in the wet, cold, and dangerous forest.

Pictured above is daddy Guinea, I have never seen a more devoted father (for an animal of course). Every morning he leaves the coop and immediately flies over to where mama Guinea spends her nights. He calls to her and paces if she doesn't drag the keets from the woods immediately.

All day long mama and daddy Guinea shepherd their younglings around the yard, catching and sharing bugs and choice bits of grass with the keets. The keets stick close to them, and one of the parents will immediately confront anything considered a danger.

I supplement their diet with noodles, mama brings the keets running towards me at lunch time.

The teen Guineas are still housed in the gazebo, I toss them long grass and weeds to let them get their fill of greens. They haven't been moved to the coop yet because they need to get a bit larger to fend off the other Guineas that rejected them last time.

This morning I looked out the back window and saw that this little Guinea had punched a hole in the gazebo screen and was loose, that meant I had to go outside and round it up. After several minutes of chasing the mini-Guinea in circles I went back inside and grabbed a lacrosse stick that happened to be by the front door. (I have no idea why a lacrosse stick would be there as I have not ever seen anyone playing lacrosse in the yard since we moved here.) The stick had a web netting so it should help gather the mini-Guinea up safely.

After a few moments of chasing the mini-Guinea around with the stick mama and daddy Guinea began screaming and creating a racket like all heck had broken loose. I looked over to where the family had been foraging and I saw a fox chasing after the baby keets!

As I raced over to help I witnessed mama and daddy Guinea take turns swooping down to claw and body slam themselves into the hungry fox in desperate attempts to save their babies. Note the claws (talons?) momma Guinea is sporting in the picture above, she was going after the fox with gusto!

When I got to the scene of the crime I was able to give the confused fox at least two good whacks with the lacrosse stick while it rooted around trying to snatch up a keet or two, simultaneously trying to defend itself from now three angry parents (I include myself). At some point during the beatdown the fox gave up and began a retreat down the driveway with me in hot pursuit, swinging the stick all the way. As we emerged from the trees at the drives end the fox and I crossed the path of three power walkers who looked to initially be in shock at the spectacle. When the fox bolted into the woods on the other side of the road I gave up the chase and started to head for home.

It was at this point that the possible Sierra Club members decided to give me a piece of their mind. "Don't you know fox are an endangered and protected species around here?" Flabbergasted, I replied; "That fox was trying to eat my keets!" Somehow I noticed that the power walkers had nicely manicured nails, an odd observation for someone who was on the verge of losing their cool. I calmly explained to them that; "Mr. Fox WILL be endangered if he ever tries to eat any of my Guineas or Chickens again."

The enviro crazies didn't seem to understand my point and wanted to argue some more; "Nature has its own circle of life and you shouldn't interfere." At this point I wondered if they could possibly be crazy? Don't they know wolves prowl this area? I wanted to ask them that if a wolf grabbed one of them while they were out for a stroll would the other two not interfere with 'the circle of life', but I instead walked away. They really would have been shocked it this had happened yesterday because I would have been dressed in my pajamas instead of sweats.

As I walked back up my drive I heard one of them say; "She must be one of those Tea Party people." This made me chuckle so I smugly turned as stated; "I'm a coffee person thank you." They couldn't have possibly been from around here, I mean going a single day without hearing multiple rifle shots would be a miracle. This area is about 70% woodland and 30% farms, who were these people?

When I got back to the yard I was so relieved to see that the keets had all survived and mama and daddy Guinea were only missing a few feathers.

Everyone got a big helping of noodles at lunch, those Guineas aren't such bad parents after all!

Artist Rendition

2011-08-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

A drawing by my daughter who visited for a few days. From the looks of the drawing she figured out what things are like around here. Click on the picture to get it on its own page and then click again to enlarge.

I Smell Like What?

2011-08-07T17:16:00.000-07:00

You know you're a (want-to-be) farmer when....This morning when I came in from chores the Commander told me not to sit on the furniture because I smelled like sheep poo! I looked at him and we both laughed and laughed.

Not Houdini

2011-08-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

We were worming the sheep the other day and things didn't go exactly as planned. I left the top part of the dutch door open to provide light, this proved to be a mistake. The girl sheep are quite skittish, and once they saw we were trying to corner them into a stall they panicked. Kia hit the Commander in the mouth with her horns on her way out the back door before he could get it closed, the rest chose a different route. As I watched three of the lambs decided to leap out the top half of the door, the drop on the other side is significant. Fortunately no one broke their leg but a lesson was learned on our part, close all doors before trying to run the sheep into a stall.

The boys were next so all doors were closed and the plan was to pull them out one by one. Killarney was taken out first, no problems. Alder (wild man) was next, he struggled but no one was rammed and he was quickly finished. That left Ironwood all alone inside the ram shed, turns out that wasn't a good idea. Ironwood is last in the pecking order, so leaving him by himself inside the shed brought on a panic attack. See that little window pictured above, it used to have a screen on it.

When the Commander went inside the shed to bring Ironwood out, the ram panicked and tried to jump through the window. He couldn't possibly fit through such a small opening but he destroyed the screen and splintered the wood frame, another lesson learned.

The sheep aren't as tricky as Houdini, but it isn't from a lack of trying.

How are Guineas Not Extinct?

2011-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

When the eggs under our broody hen went bad I had a problem, OhioFarmGirl told me that it would be best if the hen finished her cycle but how could she without any eggs? I read over at Razzberry Corner how Lynn took her Guinea hen eggs from the nests and replaced them with plastic eggs full of sand - wha-la! One fooled hen!

Back when the teen Guineas were growing up I would put them out in the grass enclosed by a chicken wire and netting fence. One of the larger Guineas would come watch them and I thought it was because he wanted to help the younglings - boy was I wrong.

Here is a picture of mama Guinea the morning after the heavy rains, eggs seemed to be hatching every 10 minutes or so.

They were so cute and she was so protective, this is why I wanted to move the whole lot to the sheep pen, for their own safety.

Unfortunately it was not to be, mama Guinea was very protective and destroyed my entire plan.

The little ones scattered, they could sure move fast for newborns.

Here are the little ones I caught and placed into the coop with the broody hen.

Note the mesh that I placed across the nest box to keep the keets in with the broody hen - once I caught her and fought off the rooster of course.

The hen was much happier having live keets to snuggle with instead of those fake Easter eggs.

Here is the sheep pen space that I had prepared to house Guinea girl and her brood.

Mama hen was more than happy to take over the renovated quarters.

The poor teen Guineas didn't last long in the coop area once Guinea girl returned with four miraculously lucky keets. Guinea girl and her mate decided the teens had to go, dead or alive - I chose alive.

So I packed them up and they are now living in the gazebo in a dog crate. Sorry, that picture will have to wait for later.

The four lucky keets try to stay as close to mom and dad as possible, often causing them to get trampled.

Last night Guinea girl spent the night in the coop, leaving the keets who couldn't climb the ramp outside! Amazingly Guinea boy called them to him underneath the coop and he cuddled them all night long.

Tonight Guinea girl took the keets out of the safety of the coop and into a nearby woodpile, thereby defeating the rationale behind my move of the broody hen and the move of the teens! Guinea boy is currently sleeping soundly in the coop, what are the Guineas thinking? I can't believe they aren't extinct in the wild.

Not My Day

2011-08-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

I took a lot of pictures today to try and help explain what has been going on around here with all the moving of chickens and keets. Unfortunately the power cord has been misplaced so when the camera ran out of juice the pictures became unaccessible - drat.

I decided to move mama hen and the unhatched eggs and surviving 12 keets to the space I had prepared in the sheep pen. When I picked her up I discovered two dead keets and one that seemed to be very weak - drat. The move went OK but the weak keet was later discovered dead, leaving 10 survivors. The extra (and now deceased) keet was probably the one that was partially hatched yesterday, I think the jostling it took in the move was its ultimate doom.

As I exited the sheep pen I noticed that the sheep had escaped the electric netting that was holding them in the backyard by sneaking under the deck stairs - drat. Attempts to get them back into the fenced area lead to disaster as Avalon decided to try and jump the net. She didn't quite make it and ended up tangled and strangling in the now twisted netting. I rushed to her side and my son helped me untangle her. Kia, Ava's mother, was in a full panic and jumped sky high over the net and began to baa loudly for her lamb. This rapidly brought on a barnyard orchestra of baaing sheep, bleating goats, screaming guineas, and a panicked Sara. As we freed Ava I could hear her struggling to breath and gurgling and when she was free of the net she just laid at my feet for several gut wrenching moments. Fortunately, once I took my hand off her she sat up and then bounced away to join her mother - whew!

Later in the day I noticed guinea mom dragging her 4 remaining keets through the woods to the back yard, this was a long haul. Fortunately for her she was joined by her mate and they slowly guided the babies along the journey. At one point guinea girl has managed to loose 3 of the keets, but between the two of them they managed to round everyone up and make it to the chicken coop! Now what, should I let them inside?

I decided to let them inside and it immediately turned into a disaster. Guinea girl and boy took an immediate dislike to the 5 teenaged keets who had spent the last two nights in the coop after being raised in the garage - drat. After several hours of watching the poor teens being constantly attacked I decided to go out and gather the 5 of them up for a move to safety.

Where could the 5 teens go to live? Sheep pen? Nope, all full with sheep and the hen and her brood. Goat pen? Nope, no way to contain them. Ram pen? Nope, they would certainly be trampled. I finally broke out a portable dog kennel and moved them to the screened gazebo on the deck. The roof of the gazebo was missing due to heavy snow last year so I covered it with some netting that I had in the garage, this should provide them with enough room to move around for a few days while I figure out what to do with them.

So that leaves guinea girl with 4 keets in the coop area, but of course they can't climb the ramp to get into the coop itself - drat. Once the teens were gone guinea boy got to work digging out what I think is a nest underneath the coop, I'm not sure how warm or safe this will be but it is a start. Hopefully tomorrow will provide fewer challenges.

What Not To Do

2011-08-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

Last night a cold front rolled through with accompanying thunderstorms and we got over 3 inches of rain, everything was soaked. For whatever reason the eggs under guinea girl decided to hatch in the middle of the storm, when I checked on her this morning I spotted several keets under her wings and one cold keet that was outside the nest. I took the poor wet and cold keet and put it under the broody chicken, I didn't have much hope it would live. By afternoon at least a dozen keets were swarming guinea girl, I had not planned on her having so many.

Guinea girl has survived several close calls with predators at night so I decided that I would catch her and gather up the keets and move her to a safer location. The chicken coop was full, I had just introduced the five keets that I had been raising in the garage - terrible timing. I decided to set up an area in one of the sheep birthing stalls, lined it with mesh and put down wood chips and hay for a nest. I was now ready for the move.

Unfortunately guinea girl wasn't ready to move. When the Commander tried to grab her she went crazy and after a short struggle she twisted herself free. The keets scattered in all directions when guinea girl screamed, for newborns they could really move. We caught ten with four escaping into the wild. I looked at the nest and one egg was in the process of hatching and several others showed no signs of life - what to do now?

I couldn't move the keets to the sheep barn without their mama, and I couldn't abandon the nest or the escaped keets even if I could figure out a way to catch their now angry and elusive mother. I decided to leave mama to round up the keets that escaped into the wild and see if she would go back to the eggs in the nest. The captured keets would join their soggy sibling who was now living happily with the broody hen.

Like the others plans I put into place today this one went poorly. When I put the keets under the hen in a nest box they ran off into other areas of the coop, ten keets were chirping in terror and now the hen was clucking madly. I closed the coop off to the other hens and had to figure out how to get the keets to think that the hen was their mama. I remembered seeing a picture over at Razzberry Corner of a hen locked into a small area with baby chicks so I figured I would give that a try.

I cut some mesh and stapled it across the front of the nest box the hen was harboring the lucky survivor from the morning rains, unfortunately this made the hen panic and off she flew. At this point I decided to round up the keets in the coop and place them in the meshed nesting box, after a bit of a struggle I now needed to catch the now crazed hen. The Commander and I chased her down, but this attracted the attention of Leopold the rooster who was not happy with our actions. The Commander fought him off as I grabbed the hen and put her in the now crowded box, one mama hen and eleven baby keets. I watched her for a while to see if she accepted them, so far so good.

Meanwhile, back at the guinea nest, things weren't going well. Guinea girl and guinea boy had found the four missing keets but had moved away from the nest to a spot down by the road. Great, what am I going to do with the eggs? The Commander couldn't get guinea girl to move away from the road, and not wanting to separate her from the babies he gave up. I had to do something with the keet that was in the hatching process so I gathered it and all the other unhatched eggs and brought them out to place under the chicken - things are really crowded in there now. As I was removing the eggs I found two dead keets that looked like they had drowned in the heavy rain, this confirmed for me that the decision to move the keets was the correct one.

As night was falling guinea boy and girl were rummaging around looking for a place to spend the night, I wish them the best of luck. Tomorrow I will move mama hen and the keets to the sheep pen that I had prepared for guinea girl, hopefully the keets will have all hatched/bonded with her so she can raise them. The sheep pen will provide more room and will be a good place to spend the winter. If anyone thinks that the guineas will somehow give my sheep a deadly disease please let me know so I can work on finding another option.

As I closed up for the night I checked on mama hen and she had all the keets and eggs tucked safely under her wings, I'm crossing my fingers.

A Place for Everything?

2011-07-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

How does that old saying go, A place for everything...and everything in its place? Whatever it is it sure doesn't apply to around here.

This morning I went to the goat barn to get the milking done and all heck broke loose. I had just gotten started milking Becca Boo on the stand in the birthing stall when into the barn marched the three mama sheep with their four now teenaged lambs. The goat barn isn't the largest of places as it also holds a dog igloo and two tables for the goats to jump around on. The goats seem to think they are above all the other animals around this place and the sheep intruding into THEIR space was an insult that they considered beyond the pale. Addison immediately jump up on the igloo while Chip and Gidget climbed up atop one of the benches. Poor Becca Boo was uncomfortable on the milk stand with all these strangers watching me work her teats.

I could not for the life of me figure out what in the world the sheep wanted and why they would ever wander into the goat barn. Sara was happy as a clam as all her four legged friends were all cooped up in one small space. At some point Chip decided he had had enough so down he jumped to challenge the mama sheep, figuring that if he reared up they would get frightened and leave. The place was so crowded at this point the sheep couldn't have backed out if they wanted to, and with Sara standing (and I would swear she was smiling) at the door the sheep were not going to go anywhere. At this point Addison decided that no way were the sheep going to cut in front of her to get grain for being on the milk stand so she jumped off the igloo and crowded her way through the goat/sheep throng to the birthing stall door. Chaos, pure chaos.

Sara was crowding everyone in, Chip was rearing, Addy was headbutting, Becca was crying, the sheep were eying the grain, something had to give and it wouldn't be long until someone got hurt. At this point I reached over and opened the latch to the side door and the sheep quickly filed out into the goat pasture area. A light rain was falling so I wasn't worried about the goats going outside, but I'm sure they were upset that the sheep dared to intrude upon their territory. I guess the sheep had been coveting their neighbor's pasture as the goats are so picky that they let everything in their fenced off area get a little overgrown, and apparently the sheep decided they wanted a piece of the action! As things calmed down I finished milking Becca and Addy, and Gidgit and Chip got their grain. I opened the side door to the goat area so the sheep could get out into the yard when they finished grazing - everything was getting back to normal....

....Until I went into the garage to feed the keets and lo and behold as I opened the door I spied a guinea keet loose on the floor staring me right in the eye. How the heck did that keet get out? Their crate was covered with netting and it was still on tight, there was no way the keet could have flown out and yet there on the garage floor it sat - mocking me! I chased that little bugger around the garage for several minutes to no avail, it was going to take more than just lil'ole me to catch this bird. I fed the keets in the crate, put down some food and water for the wild one, and figured I would come back later with some help to catch it. What a crazy start to my day.

Instinct

2011-07-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Sara has had a hard time trying to learn to be a sheep dog. First off for a Border Collie Sara is very submissive, we have to take her outside whenever people she doesn't know arrive at our house because she "piddles" on the floor when she meets strangers.

The second problem Sara encountered on her road to being a sheep dog was goats. I got goats before the sheep arrived so Sara got her first herding practice with them. She may have been better off staying in the house and trying to herd the cats for all the good working with the goats did. The goats refuse to travel in a group and often reared up to challenge poor Sara. She may be submissive but Sara has a lot of heart and she never gave up. After months of trial and error Sara learned to herd the goats, she just has to get them one by one. It is really funny to watch as she runs up behind them and tries to head them in the right direction. If the goats refuse to move or rear up she learned to stick her nose behind the goats hind legs and lift, moving them in a wheelbarrow race like mode. So long as the goats don't seek refuge on the deck I can stand by the goats pen and Sara will bring them to me one by one.

The next problem Sara encountered was when the sheep arrived they wanted to follow her around. Seems the farm on which they were born had a dog that would lead them from one pasture to another. To a submissive Sara who was now used to stubborn standoffish goats this wouldn't do. It often led to hilarious sessions of the sheep first walking and then running behind a nervous and fleeing Sara! The sheep soon lost interest in Sara, but every day she would take up her goat watching post outside and keep an eye on them - learning their ways.

The last bad break Sara suffered on her road to sheep herding was at the horns of the rams. When we would give the rams shots the Commander would have Sara come sit by them as they were held for the rams would become completely docile while Sara was there. I don't know why this was, maybe they were afraid of her. Anyway one day Sara ran into the ram area before we were ready and one of the rams rammed her into the fence a few times before we could get her out. After that experience Sara wouldn't go anywhere near the rams and initially, nothing I did could coax her into changing her mind.

The seasons changed and everyday Sara took her post outside, keeping an eye on her goats and those strange sheep. At some point instinct must have begun to click in her mind because she somehow noticed that unlike the goats the sheep liked to flock! When I moved the sheep Sara began to take up a trail position, not moving them but kind of keeping a pacing position. This led to Sara seeking out stragglers and using her "goat" herding techniques on them, sending them back to the flock. As Sara's confidence grew she got closer to the sheep and began to circle closer and closer behind them, taking notice that unlike the goats the sheep never stood their ground. The final triumph came on a day when two of the sheep refused to leave the woods when the others were on their way to the pen, Sara looked at them and ran into the woods to chase them out, it was a miracle! At some point Sara realized that the sheep are now afraid of her. When we moved the rams to their new home Sara took post behind them and nipped at their heels all the way till they were successfully moved, she showed no fear. I can now stand by the gate to the sheep area and call the sheep, if they don't come immediately all I have to do is call Sara's name and both sheep and dog spring into action - the sheep running for the gate and Sara moving to chase behind them.

Sara only knows how to complete simple tasks as she hasn't had any formal training, but the help she provides makes things so much easier. I would say she is successful about 85% of the time with the sheep and 60-70% of the time with the goats, but she keeps trying and is still getting better. Sara has good instinct but ever better, she has heart!

New Keets

2011-07-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

The five new Guinea keets are growing fast, I have just started putting them outside in a grass enclosure so they can stretch their legs a bit.

They still live in the garage, but once they get a bit larger I will introduce them to the rest of the birds in the chicken coop.

Right now being outside has them all a bid frightened, this is one of the reasons I like to get them outside to see the big wide world before sending them in with the adults.

Guinea girl was attacked by something again yesterday, this time while she was out foraging. I found a bunch of her feathers by the deck but she again managed to escape. I'm surprised she was attacked so close to the house as Sara normally is there to keep an eye on things. I think this attack came from the air. She was back on her nest last night and safe this morning, I hope those eggs hatch soon - if they ever do.

Jurassic Goat

2011-07-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

The goats are always standing on their hind legs to eat choice leaves from trees, whenever they do this it always reminds me of the segment from Jurassic Park when the brontosaurus stands on two legs to eat from the top of the tree.

Addison would hate the comparison.

Gidget got a haircut yesterday, she looks so soft and sleek in the sunlight now. Gidget will be bred this year, I hope she is ready.

Since I began milking her Becca Boo has been much more interested in being touched and hence more demanding of attention. Her new neediness now means I now have three drama queens and Chip - the King of trouble finders.

When the goats are let out the first thing they do is run to see if they can get in the coop area to get at the chicken scratch. If that door is closed they head to the entrance of the sheep area to see if they can get at their hay. As a last resort they nibble in the woods then head for the deck to cause trouble and try to get into the house. They like the deck because Sara won't try to "herd" them off it and back to their pen, it is a dog "Safe" zone.

The picture above shows Becca Boo taunting Sara from the safety of the deck, meaning I have to get her myself if she is going to get put back into her pen.

Our Home is the Range

2011-07-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

When we got the sheep last year I had no idea how much grazing land that they would need. The areas that we had ready for them were completely eaten down by the time Winter arrived and since they weren't partitioned the sheep didn't give the green growth much of a chance to blossom this spring so the areas they were living in were kinds of spots of desert in a sea of green.

With the fences going up over the summer we were able to open up more and more area until the electric netting can now be run from the corners of the house giving the sheep and goats the run of the entire (partially fenced) property. That includes the back yard.

Here is Jeepers minus her wool, notice the lack of greenery in the vicinity of the girls barn area.

This picture is taken from the deck, the lambs are in a hard to mow area right by the house and are taking care of the grass for us.

I can't believe how much they have grown.

The only real complete grassy area is the back yard, everything else is in transition from forest. Azalea is a real cutie.

Any trees that are cut down are left in place for a few days to provide a banquet for the four legged diners.

Alma is now almost as tall as her mother Jeepers.

The goats love to munch on leaves.

Becca Boo and the rest of the goat clan simply love to climb on the fallen trunks and crash through the branches.

Here is a view from the back deck, it is just so relaxing to watch the animals graze. I never would have imagined that I would one day have sheep, goats, guineas, and chickens all cavorting happily in my back yard.

Night Terror

2011-07-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

Our Guinea couple is still keeping a nest...just barely. During the day the Guinea boy keeps a close eye on his mate when she is sitting the nest, and when she is out foraging he sticks right by her side. Unfortunately at night he reluctantly returns to the coop leaving the Guinea girl all alone to face the night predators.

Guinea girls nest is located at the base of a birch tree surrounded by heavy underbrush so she can barely be seen unless you know exactly where to look.

The survival rate of Guinea girls nesting doesn't seem to be very good as both the OhioFarmGirl and Lynn at Razzberry Corner have reported that they have had their nesting Guineas taken by fox or other critters of the night this year.

A few nights ago I heard a loud crash outside and heard Guinea girl crying in terror. Everyone immediately ran outside and a fox was discovered in the vicinity of her nest and subsequently run off. I searched with a flashlight for Guinea girl that night to no avail - she was missing.

Fortunately the next morning the Commander found her outside the coop waiting for her mate to be let out with the others. After a bit of bug eating she was back on the nest and he returned to guard duty. I guess that the combination of a full moon and the security light provided just enough light for the Guinea girl to fly away from the fox attack. She crashed into the house, but at least she got away.

The boys and dogs have been "marking their territory" around the nest area and I have dropped hair clippings as well, hopefully this smell of human will dissuade the fox from returning.

It's Hard Work Being a Baby

2011-07-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

It's hard work being a baby.

If I ever meet those little pigs that are always supposed to be on their way to the market they are doomed I tell you. And what do they have to do with my toes anyhow?

When visiting my Grandma everyone fawns over how cute my "little fingers" are...how embarrassing.

....and how do I get out of this thing? What twisted member of the Spanish Inquisition created this torture device?

Why does everyone want their picture taken with me?

And now strange animals are trying to get into the house to get me! What is that thing?

Whew, good thing Patch the house guard dog stepped in or I might just have shown the crazy bird creature a thing or two...

What kind of pony is this and how am I expected to ride it?

It's hard work being a baby but it must be even harder being a Grandma, I'll just set her down for a nap before I get back on the job!

The Trouble With Chip

2011-07-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Chip is a very mischievous fellow, always getting into trouble or into things or places he doesn't belong.

Yesterday Chip took over one of the folding chairs and soon found that he was trapped, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get out. I rescued him and even though he was a little embarrassed I soon found him in my lap as I was trying to relax in the chair.

Chip's newest trick is to wait for the other goats to go outside the goat barn and then he grabs the clasp on the door with his teeth and pulls the door closed, locking the others outside. Once they gather around the door and are crying to get in he bashes the door open with his head, scattering the others away in surprise.

Today I couldn't get him to put his head in the locking area of the goats stand since the last time I used it to secure him to put blood stop on his scur. He is trouble, but in a loveable roguish kind of way.

Ram Pasture

2011-07-11T18:18:00.000-07:00

We finally moved the rams to their new home and pasture. They sure were happy to get a chance to eat all the greenery that was in their new home, hay just wasn't cutting it anymore.

The new area is a mixture of small trees, grass, and forest. I figure once they eat it down this year I will be able to plant pasture grass for next year.

I can't get this picture to position correctly but you can still get a good look at Ironwood. He didn't get a chance to breed last year so this Fall he will get his chance. He has nice horns an they are beginning to turn and curl.

Alders horns are much wider and he was able to successfully breed Kia last year giving us Avalon. It was a nice pairing so Alder will be the main man this year, woo-hoo!

The boys haven't tried to wiggle under the new fence yet, I wonder if it will hold them?

I put a rubber mat on the wooden ramp into the ram house, it should stop them from slipping when it is wet or cold out. I am so happy to have them moved into their new area, now all we have to do is paint their house and clear out the rest of the cut trees.

Help, Need Advice!

2011-07-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Guinea girl and the broody hen are still alive and I have a question for all you more experienced farmers out there. One the eggs hatch will the other chickens accept the chicks and keats into the flock or do I have to separate them?

Can I collect up the newborn keats and give them to the hen?

Can I add my keats that I am raising in the garage to the chicken flock or would they be in danger of being killed?

Sorry for no pictures but I have ZERO time with 10 house guests this week! The rams may move to their new home tomorrow as the deforestation continues out back.

No Time, No Time.....

2011-07-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

Lots of company here visiting and a lot of work getting done. I have my first broody hen that I am sticking eggs under, she never leaves the nest.....will she starve or dehydrate?

The dark guinea girl is sitting a nest in the brush, I'm worried about her to as I heard a fox screaming last night. What a horrible sound! I had the boys go out and "mark their territory" around her nesting area, hopefully that will keep the fox away.

I have to study for Stat's today and work on a project, this is totally ridiculous, isn't this supposed to be the 4th of July weekend?

The perimeter fence is going up as the boys hack their way through the jungle, the progress is amazing. Hopefully the rams can move out to their new home by next weekend!

1003 Eggs!?!??

2011-06-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

The egg count for the year passed the 1000 mark today, I just can't believe it. Somehow this family has found a way to either eat or cook or sell (a few dozen) over 1000 eggs (not counting Guinea eggs), and it isn't even July yet.

I tried to figure out how many eggs we could have possible eaten last year but gave up, my egg use has changed so dramatically that I can't even remember what it was like to not have a few dozen just laying around.

Since I am taking a statistics course this summer OFG noted that I should throw in a few mathematical facts concerning eggs, so here goes. A rough count of the number of days up to July 1st is 180, so 180 goes into 1000 approximately 5.5 times. I have 8 hens who as a group are laying on average 5.5 eggs per day, or 125 eggs per hen so far this year! Each hen is laying .694 eggs per day...whew.

Here is the part that just has me mystified, if I subtract the eggs currently in the fridge and the ones I sold we still average eating/cooking over 4 eggs per day! How is that possible?

Have you ever thought about how many eggs you use per year? Did you realize what a difference raising chickens has had on your diet? One thing is for certain, keeping these chickens has been fun AND profitable.

Never Say Never!

2011-06-21T14:59:00.000-07:00

After raising 9 chickens and 10 guineas in the garage last year I knew that experience was something I never wanted to repeat again. Cleaning out the chicken poo and trampled mash/water was not very enjoyable.

Unfortunately the local owl's decided to eat 5 of my hard grown guineas so I needed some replacements. The guineas weren't building nests and the chickens haven't gotten broody so I found myself with 6 store bought baby keats in the garage. Things were going well until yesterday when 1 of the seemingly healthy keats died, no reason, just died.

The guineas that currently patrol the yard have done a fantastic job of clearing out the tick population and have proven to be more than adequate watch dogs. I really like these silly looking birds and can't wait for them to grow up and get out of the garage to join the rest of the flock - for several different reasons of course.

Too Busy to Blog!

2011-06-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have been so busy this past week that I haven't had any time to blog! I had a Statistics quiz and test, I have been milking two goats twice a day, my mother and another one of my nieces came to visit, and I had my daughters normal cheer leading and soccer practices/games....whew!

Things have been busy here on the ole Homestead as well. I decided to let the chickens free range at least once a week, they really enjoy it.

Leopold keeps a close watch on all his girls, calling out whenever he has a special treat to share. While they free range he doesn't even try to attack me like when he is in the coop. I will take small blessings where ever I can find them, it offsets the ridiculous. Twice this week the rams somehow got their horns stuck in the wire fences. I can't believe we were able to get them out as they seemed to do flips to tangle their horns in impossible positions.

The girls love to wander about in the underbrush and flowers, I'm sure this is where some of the egg production has been deposited and lost.

Leopold sticks to the lawn mostly, calling the girls to him when ever he gets spooked are they stray off a bit too far. He does a good job, and he needs to as I had to chase a fox off the property today! One of the Guinea breeding pairs was screaming extra loud today and when I looked outside I saw them on top of the garage roof. This wasn't normal, even for birds as crazy as the Guineas so I grabbed my handy shepherds crook and ran out to check on the situation. Sara had taken up position by the goat barn, she was going to be no help, so I crashed into the underbrush to see what I could flush out. I caught a good look at an orange red fox as it raced off, ugh, this I don't need.

I had the Commander take the goats out behind the garage to eat down the brush, and I told him to "mark his territory" while he was there. Hopefully this will give the fox second thoughts about hanging around my place.

The chickens seem to have so much fun playing in the flowers, too bad for them there will be no free ranging for a while as I think over the fox situation.

I have one Guinea boy who doesn't have a mate so he spends his time with the chickens. At least he isn't sad and lonely. Off to soccer and to do Stat's homework!

Getting in Tune......

2011-06-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

One of the themes that Peri from Mud on the Tracks weaves in and out of her farm blogging deals with how as a farmer she began to become more in-tune with the seasons and how differently time marches on through each of them. I thought I knew what she meant at the time, I mean isn't it obvious what happens in each of the seasons?

After now having farmed (sort of) for over a year I think I see a deeper and truer meaning to what Peri was talking about. I now notice more things going on in the farm world around me and sense the ticking clock of natures' cycles. When do I plant and how long till it can be harvested? How long does it take to replenish the grass in an area grazed by sheep? Goats? When do I introduce the breeding groups? How much hay do I need?

All these things reveal the interaction of time, life, and seasonal weather. I can feel time marching on, I have to peer into the future to establish my goals. I don't mean 'in a taping of a Wednesday weekly TV show way', but in a deeper 'feel the force of life way'. Every season has it's own special joy and excitement. Spring brings birthing, planting, and cleansing rains. I love watching the forest and pastures explode in a lush green Summer growth spurt under the hot sun, and this last Fall I enjoyed the harvest and establishing the breeding groups. Even the Winter had its own unique charm, providing a break from the daily grind and yet allowing for a growing anticipation of new life. I so enjoyed watching the pregnant ewe's and doe's bellies slowly grow, imagining the fuzzy little ones to come.

Have you ever looked, I mean really looked at the miracle that we call an egg? Danni over at Critter Farm often discusses how unique each egg really is, I have learned a lot from her musings. Egg production, size, and color ebbs and flows with the season, another previously unnoticed function of time.

I find it interesting to read about time being measured from paycheck to paycheck - really? That seems like a totally foreign way of life. I understand the rationale, but I now see so much more. I think in terms of seasons, of harvests, of genetics and new life, of feed stores and living. Todays culture celebrates youth and living for the moment, but why is it that I can't wait to eat my ripe tomatoes? I can't wait for the Commander to finish clearing the side woods so I can see next years pastures, shouldn't I mourn the lost time? I am so excited to breed Gidgit and see her kids next year, yet won't I be older?

I hope Peri chimes in with her thoughts, what are yours?

Azalea is Polled

2011-06-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

The lambs got their CDT booster shots today and Ronda will be interested to hear that Azalea is polled! Azalea is the prodigy of Killarney and Gardenia. When I lost Katydid last year (my only polled ewe) I decided to use Killarney as one of the breeding rams because he carried the polled gene - it worked. As a rule Cascade Sheep have beautiful horns but I think the polled girls are very pretty, Azalea may just be one of my favorites.

I had my first Statistics class today so this post will be short as I have homework to get to.

Where Are The Eggs?

2011-06-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Still waiting for the pasture fences, so while the girls eat the back yard grass the Rams enjoy the front.

Alder (Wildman) has very wide horns and is healthy and muscular. I can' wait to move them to their new barn so I can give him his shots and roo his wool.

Killarney has partially shed some of his wool and is showing off his underneath black wool. He is the king of the rams and shows little fear of people, the Commander is the only one who can handle him.

I have been letting the chickens free range for the past few days and they seem to really enjoy it. The Commander has been going out at around 6 pm and just kind of scoots them all, led by Leopold, back into the coop area. The egg production on Friday and Saturday was fine but today I only got three eggs (out of 8 hens), what happened?

Awards and a Tragedy

2011-06-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank Debbie over at SwampBilly Ranch for the Stylish Blogger Award. Nothing says stylish more than a transplanted West Virginian hanging out in the swamps of Florida!

How's this for Stylish! Can you identify me?

How about now?

I found this laying in the grass in the yard one evening and had to get a picture of it.

I don't know what kind of a moth it is but it is beautiful!

I would like to thank Perri from Mud on the Tracks for the So Sweet Award. Perri was the inspiration for the start of this blog and she has accomplished great things on her farm in Massachusetts.

What could be sweeter than a four year old holding farm fresh eggs!

Or a drink of Kahlua mixed with fresh goats milk! Yes OFG, I drank it and I liked it!

Both awards require me to list seven things that folks don't know about me, so here goes.

1. I once dyed my hair blond. I didn't really have more fun either.
2. I once dyed my hair red. Everyone thought I had a temper, I didn't.
3. I absolutely love Holly Hobbie and Friends.
4. I still have my childhood collection of the Little House on the Prairie Books.
5. I want warm Vernors when I have an upset stomach. You may have to be from Michigan to understand that one.
6. I was not very good at sports as a kid, but once I learned to laugh at myself I loved playing them. For example, I was in a bowling league with an average of 54 - they loved me for my handicap(s).
7. I'm going back to school this summer after a 16 year hiatus. I am taking a College Statistics course starting next week with one of my son's - I wonder if he will let me copy?

Wednesday morning Orchid died giving birth, it was horrible. Tuesday evening I had noticed that she was very puffy and bagged up, I thought something was wrong but wasn't sure what to do. Orchid stayed close to the barn so I thought she was going to lamb at any time. The next morning when I checked on her I noticed a hoof was hanging out, this was a ominous sign. Things went downhill quickly from this point. The baby was stuck and dead, the only thing I could do was get my gloves and see if I could remove it. I tried and tried, it was horrible and Orchid was in pain. I called all the local vets and received no call backs. I finally called the Commander at work and told him to come home as Orchid needed to be put down. I went back out to be with her and decided to give it one more try - I was able to get the poor baby out!

At this point Orchid was in bad shape so I emailed Pipestone Vet Clinic and one of their Vets emailed me back! How wonderful, he answered from his blackberry and provided me with some detailed advice.

I gave Orchid the recommended medications (I was amazed I had them all) but she didn't look good. I decided to bring the rest of the sheep into the barn with her while I picked my daughter up from school so that if she died she wouldn't be alone, I couldn't allow that to happen. The Commander found her dead before I could get back, I was heartbroken. When I examined her later she appeared to have a ruptured uterus, she never had a chance. Orchid was such a character, she so loved her cookies. I will miss her and her baby that wasn't to be.

Our first year as shepherds was a tough one, we lost two ewes out of the five we started with. The three remaining ewes gave us three female lambs and one ram lamb. I love them all but I will never forget Orchid, I hope she liked living here.

New Ram Shed

2011-05-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

The ram shed is finished, kind of. It still needs to be painted and then my dad will build some gates and stalls inside. You can see the girls barn in the background through the woods. There is still a lot of work left to be done before the pasture is ready.

The building has dutch doors on both ends. The open door will block the window, but when the door is closed sunshine and fresh air can still get inside.

A shot from the inside looking towards the house. The building is 10 feet wide by 14 feet long.

A half loft is lit by two skylights. The loft can easily hold 25 bales of hay.

A shot through the open back dutch door.

We are only going to winter over at most 4 rams so this shed should be plenty big. The rams will have to wait for a bit before moving into their new home as we still don't have any fences up in this area.

The Hardest Part or Such Sweet Sorrow

2011-05-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a very emotional and draining day as Alex and Lil'Man left the farm. A wonderful family from Wisconsin adopted them, they even brought two of their grandchildren with them for the pickup. They promised they would send me updates on how the boys were getting along, I am so happy that they found a home together.

The morning started with the boys getting their final CDT booster shots and ear tattooing. I do not like doing things that cause my animals pain, but some things must be done for everyone's well being. After that was finished the whole family spent some quality time with the boys until it was time for them to go.

I love(d) those boys. I helped them into this life and their time here now seems so short. Yet when I put the goats to bed tonight everything seemed calm, like the herd WITHOUT the boys was its normal state. Their loss was more difficult than I imagined, sometimes this farming thing is hard.

Electric Fencing but no Pasture and a Contest

2011-05-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

We haven't mowed that lawn yet this year and we don't plan on it either. Notice the electric netting in the background? Until we can create real pastures that backyard has to double as one.

The grass is deep and lush, just perfect for the sheep to eat down. What is not shown here are the parts of the yard that the sheep ate a bit too close last year, they still haven't quite bounced back yet.

The girls just loved it, loved it. I feel so bad that the pastures aren't ready yet - the fences still need to be put up. Notice Gardenia is almost fully roo'ed, yet none of the other girls are even shedding yet.

Avalon really enjoyed eating the dandelions. To think we used to try to eradicate those delicious plants out of the yard, what were we thinking?

The lambs are growing fast and grazing like pro's. They still like their mothers milk but small tastes of grain and lush grass have widened their appetites.

Chip is in a contest for a calendar cover, follow the link below and vote for the picture you like best (Chip is #7). The contest ends May 31st so there are only a few days left to vote!

Vote for Chip!

One Difference Between Goats and Sheep

2011-05-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Goats and sheep have totally different reactions to being around people. If you go into the goat pen the goats swarm around you actively seeking out attention. Here Lil'Man shows off his rock climbing skills.

The sheep tend to stay just out of reach when I go into their pen, they will seek out food but don't want to be touched. The lambs tend to stay very close to their mothers, Alma always stays near her mother Jeepers.

If I want to weigh or give Albion a shot I have to scramble to catch him, he can't be lured using food as bait. To get the goats I just walk in to their pen and they rush right up to see me. If I have any food or treats handy I risk being trampled in a goat hoof stampede.

When I gave the animals their CDT shots it was a real challenge to catch the sheep, but once caught they stopped struggling and barely reacted to stick of the needle and subsequent injection. Azalia just sat calmly in the Commanders arms as I gave her a complete physical, oddly calm.

The goat boys were easy to catch and hold, but screamed and screamed when stuck with the needle. They squirmed and struggled to the point that it took several attempts to give them their shots. The trauma didn't last long because once the injection was finished they wanted to be held again while the sheep bolted for their mothers once put down. Alexander can sure make some loud noises for a little kid!

I banded both goat boys today, no pictures were taken as it required all hands to get the job done. They are on day 2 of weaning as well, lets just say I have heard a lot of goat crying the last few days.

Versatile Blogger

2011-05-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank K-Koira at My Life with Fly Dogs for selecting me for the Versatile Blogger Award. I will get to the details in a bit, but first let me show off some of my versatile blogging.

Last night when the Commander and I went outside to put the animals away we saw a mama Black Bear and a bear cub out behind the goat barn! They could have been after my little Gidget! The two bears ran off when they saw us but having them around at night is not good news at all.

I made a quiche "Almost....From Scratch" the other evening. I started with:
1 Pillsbury crust
2 tablespoons of flour
a bit of salt and pepper
3 heaping spoon fulls of pico de gallo
2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese

Instead of using two eggs I used five guinea eggs. (Those shells are hard as rocks)
Instead of 1 cup of milk I use 1 cup goats milk.
See, two ingredients home grown, thus closer to scratch!
The quiche was great BTW.

OK, back to the Versatile Blogger award. I am supposed to list seven things about myself, so here goes:

1. I am taking a College course this Summer, Statistics, what were the odds.
2. I used to have a fondness for shoes, even the very impractical wild ones. Now I find myself wearing the same two pair all the time and having to wipe poo off from them at that!
3. I am a terrible cook, I have on more than one occasion set myself on fire while making dinner.
4. I have always wanted to travel but now I can't imagine leaving the farm.
5. I want one of those old vintage pick-up trucks that can be retro-fitted with A/C, I hate sweating.
6. I am a RN aspiring to become a Vet Tech, less bedpans and complaining.
7. I have so much on my to do list that I don't know where to begin; soap making, cheese making, spinning, felting, I just hope I don't blow up the house (see item #3) in the process.

I am supposed to pass the award on to 15 other bloggers but since everyone is so busy with Spring chores I will only select 1. NancyDe over at Hapless Homestead has a great blog that everyone needs to visit. First off she lives in Hawaii, how cool is that! Nancy has sheep, horses, chickens, and grows all kinds of wonderful tropical plants in her gardens. She manages a large family while teaching at a local school, how much more Versatile can one get?

Not Fast Enough

2011-05-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

Last winter we lost four guinea hens that decided to spend the night outside the coop to what we thought was an owl. Last night we lost our last Royal Guinea (purple in color) to another owl attack. My four year old niece found the body this afternoon, very sad. The Royal Guinea boy got in a fight with the Rooster Leopold yesterday and gave better than he got, that may have contributed to his decision to spend the night out in the trees.

Yesterday the Guinea boy spent the afternoon chasing one of the girls all over the yard, it was really fun to watch. The girl (pictured above) would at times extend her wings and glide across the yard as she ran, it was like a guinea ballet.

The grass is slowly starting to cover the dirt road that was put in last year that allowed the heavy equipment to haul in the dirt base for the sheep barn. The guineas seem to just glide across the grass.

They ran and ran all afternoon, the Royal Guinea boy will be missed by the girl guineas as well as myself.

We are now down to five guineas, they have done a great job of eliminating the ticks so I may need to get a few more to increase the flock.

Shearing vs Shedding

2011-05-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

I have decided that Gardenia is my favorite ewe. She was walking by me today and I reached out to pet her and I came away with a handful of wool. Notice the bare spot on her right side?

One of the reasons we got Cascade Sheep was because they shed their wool every Spring, no shearing required. Look at how short the natural break in her wool is!

The natural hand picking/combing of a shedding sheeps wool is called "Rooing". This is how Gardenia looked after less than 3 minutes of rooing. Amazing.

She was getting a bit nervous so we stopped for the night, but look how much we rooed off from her. I think the kind of wool that Gardenia has is called "banana peel" wool, as it peels right off.

Not bad for a few minutes work. Gardenia's wool is very, very soft, I love it! I have never felt fresh wool like this before, I am surprised at how much lanolin is in it.

Avalon

2011-05-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

I decided to name Kia's little ewe lamb Avalon, isn't she cute? I love her eye patches. (Click on the picture to enlarge, it will show her colors and definition better.)

Milking Routine

2011-05-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have finally got the goats into a milking routine. Every morning I let Becca Boo out first and she runs right over to the milk stand to get her grain. Once she is finished she strolls back to the barn and then Addison gets her turn.

Becca would have trotted directly to the stand but Sara got in her way. After having several milk spills I have learned to keep Sara in the house while the milk process is going on. I used some of the goats milk today to make mashed potatoes and they tasted great. I'm one step closer to drinking my first glass, just need to find some Kahlua first!

The sheep are calling because they get a bit of grain once the goats are finished, it is really loud at my place in the mornings.

More Pasture Clearing - Work, work, work!!!

2011-05-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to clear out an area in the woods for the new Ram Barn. The builder could arrive this week so we moved this wood via the wheelbarrow over the past few days, I am now ready.

Of course there is still a lot of chainsaw work left to do!

The Commander broke his chipper last Fall so once it is repaired he has a lot of work piled up and waiting for him.

The Commander went out today and cut brush and trees for almost three hours. His plan is to let in as much sunlight as possible to get some undergrowth growing that the sheep can eat in a few weeks. Of course we can't let the sheep out in this area until the fences are put up.

Fences can't be built until the trees are cut up and out of the way, there is more work to do than there is time to do it. Making pastures out of forest land with only a chainsaw and a wood chipper is hard, I wish we had a Bobcat or bulldozer!