Time for Sheep CDT Shots

The supplies arrived just in time as I think Jeepers (left) and Gardenia (middle) are about two weeks away from their delivery date. Two weeks prior to the birthing is when I wanted to give the girls their CDT shots. Jeepers was very heavy with lamb(s) as was Gardenia. This is the second lambing for Jeepers so I'm hoping for twins, I think as a first timer and for how round she is Gardenia is going to have a one large lamb. I am told first timers almost never twin.

We took this opportunity to not only give the girls shots but to also trim their hooves and administer some knit killer. Kia didn't enjoy the process one bit. She had a little belly but no where near as big as Jeeper's or Gardenia's, since she is also a first timer I can't tell if she is pregnant or not. An examination of her udder told me nothing, I'm not sure if sheep bag up like goats or not prior to lambing.

Orchid is our smallest ewe and she too showed no overt signs of pregnancy. She had a little tummy but nothing that struck me as an obvious pregnancy. I talked with the breeder and she said that some first timers barely show, I hope she is right. Maybe Orchid and Kia were impregnated later in the season, Lord knows Alder (Wild Man) did his darnedest to hold up his part of the bargain.

Supplies

Friday a box that I had been waiting on arrived, the delivery man told me he was surprised at how heavy it was.

Inside were my supplies for the goats and sheep.  They kids and lambs are due to arrive at the end of the month so the supplies got here just in time.

The goat minerals are in the back.  Last year I had problems with copper deficiency as the mineral the local feed store sold just wasn't cutting it.  A bag of ammonium chloride for urinary tract health.

Milk filters, a strainer, cleaning soaps, and storage caps.  If I can get enough milk I want to try and make some cheese this year.  This gear will allow me to store and freeze the milk until I get enough for the recipes.

An ear tattoo kit for the kids ears.  I got my number from the American Dairy Association last week so I got the impressions ready.

A dehorner to burn away the kids horn buds.  I'm not looking forward to doing this but a friend of mine will be coming over to teach me how to do it correctly.

Udder balm, disinfectant, and wash to make sure the milking goes well.  I have never milked anything before so this should be interesting.

The teal ball to the left can be used to clear little mouths and noses, the red nipples can attach to the clear bottle or to plastic pop bottles.  Some drench and vitamin paste for the newborns.

My thermometer stopped working so a new one was needed.  I'm happy to finally have some activated charcoal as my goats have made a habit of eating plants that could prove to be poisonous.  Last year thay ate some rhubarb and I had to give them crushed charcoal, not very easy to get into their system.  I ordered some needles that are shorter than the ones I got last year, I hope this makes the shots easier to administer.

Everything gathered together, I'm ready to go!

Silly as it may seem this is my favorite purchase, a bin to hold their minerals and baking soda.  Everything I have put up for the so far has been broken or spilled, I hope this changes things.

Relaxing in the Sun

The sun was out and at 28*F it was a perfect day to trim hooves. Addison and Becca Boo were done quickly but Gidget took a little bit longer. Seems Sara was getting a little concerned about something.

Apparently that "something" was a clear lack of attention to Sara! She can get a little teeny tiny bit jealous. Nothing a quick round at stick throwing couldn't fix.

Chip likes being held. It seems that between the warm sun and hoof trimming Chip got a little relaxed.

So relaxed that at one point I had to make sure he was still breathing. Isn't he cute?

The last thing the mouse saw!

We don't have any mice in our house, but we do have sleeping cats!

Chai Chai is a light sleeper as the night vision mouse cam reveals.

If I was I mouse I wouldn't get too close.

Because this would be the last thing I ever saw!

Of course all the Commander and I get to see is Chai Chai cleaning her claws of despair, I wonder what she has been up to?

Frozen Chicken

We had our normal very cold Winter this year and you can see the effects of it on the chickens. The black spots on Leopolds head are the tell-tale signs of frostbite.

Leopold almost never left the coop from the middle of January through the middle of February. I don't blame him, looks like he got a healthy dose of frostbite and it was obviously bothering him. I read somewhere that I could have put Vaseline on his crop and comb to prevent this but he doesn't let me get too close to him. I don't think this will have any long term adverse effects, but it may make him look meaner to any potential enemies.

Several of the hens also have little black spots but no one has it anywhere near as bad as Leopold.

Speaking of Leopold, he has been having his way with the girls and he seems to pay Lucy a little bit too much attention. I may have to visit Mandy's Rabbit Ranch and pick up a chicken saddle.

Frozen Meat

Every Spring our local butcher has a huge meat sale and we always take the opportunity to stock up.

We started this homestead in hopes that we can start to raise our own food, but since we are in the first year of the project nothing is really ready for "harvest". That means the Commander was sent off to pick up our order and to hopefully fill up the freezer.

Two years ago I got a freeze-wrap machine, it basically sucks all the air out from around the meat so it can be stored in the freezer for an extended period of time.

I pre-cut and sized the bags in preparation for the packing process.

Forty pounds of hamburger needed to be broken down into 1.5 to 2.0 pound patties for freezing. Next we packed the steaks, pork ribs, and spare ribs, the whole process took a couple of hours.

The finished product stacked up on the table - this should last us a good long while.

When we were finished the basement freezer was packed full. Hopefully next year we will have some locally produced meat to put in the freezer. With food prices having increased 17% in the past three months it feels good to have a bit socked away.

Tiara Trouble

Someone, you know who you are, suggested that I get a tiara for Jeepers so all the other sheep would show her the respect she deserved as the Queen of the ewes.

When I presented the tiara to the ewes they all bowed their heads expecting to be crowned.

In Cinderella fashion Kia pushed her way forward expecting to claim the tiara as her own if she could only get it to fit. Unfortunately for Kia, like Cinderellas step-sisters, the tiara was not to be hers.

The way was now clear for Jeepers and yet, due to her horns, the tiara failed to fit. Jeepers would not be queen today.

Unexpectedly, Patch tried to claim the prize. His "Royal wave" was impressive, and yet it was not enough to overcome the fact that boys can't be the queen (at least on this farm).

Becca Boo now seemed poised to ascend to the throne and yet the prized remained just beyond her grasp.

There are two things to see in this picture. First, note the almost lion like mane Chip seems to possess. Isn't the Lion known as King of the jungle? Also, if you look closely you can see a flashing image around Chip's neck - that would be the tiara gripped between Chips teeth!

Chip set the tiara down gently into the hay and challenged the claim that the tiara could only go to a Queen.

The tiara didn't taste too good but doesn't the King get extra raisins and sunflower seeds?

Something is horribly wrong with this picture, no matter how badly Chip wants to be crowned King the tiara was made for a queen. I wasn't able to get the tiara away from Chip until the Commander caught him and wrestled it away.

Gidget wasn't interested in the tiara at all, she gets way too many perks as the barnyard "Princess".

Chai Chai? Nope!

The chickens liked all the "sparkles", but the scratch had more flavor.

Look at those eyes on Sara, "Long live the Queen!"