03/10/09

Here we are beginning again.  Something strange happened and all my previous entries dissappeared so I will have to rewrite them for you.  So here in the next day or so I will tell you of my animals and their stories.

 03/13/09

If you have visited my blog before you read of my goats, dog, horse, cow and calf, and my chickens.  I have also mentioned my "Lil Ranch Hand," Kalissa.  If that is the case then you are familiar with my stories but, for those who are new to my site, I will tell some of them again.  I had such a wierd year with my animals in 2008, that I think they are worth a re-do. 

To begin with I started raising chickens by pure accident.  I had a few Bathams given to me and thought that I would have a few eggs.  I was really looking forward to fresh eggs and really didn't think about chicks until one morning a hen and her little ones showed up in the barn.  I was having so much trouble with them disappearing  that I really never even considered the fact that they were setting.  Believe me, being a beginner has its downside.  So now I have a set of 4 chicks, about a week later, another set appears and over the course of about 4 weeks I am the owner of approximately 70 chicks.  I was excited and overwhelmed.  It seemed like we were building one coup after the other for weeks on end.  We ended up with five coups altogether when all was done.  I made the mistake of turning out my first two sets and they all disappeared.  We found a few dead and feathers everywhere else.  Not excatly sure what got ahold of them but I wasn't about to turn any more out.  So the coups were built large enough so that they could have plenty of space and roosts.  Our barn is not enclosed so we had to have a way to keep them in and the critters out.  In March of 2008, we dressed 27 roosters and I kept the pullets.  I wanted to have eggs and raise more chicks.  Well, I didn't have many chicks this year, only two sets.  My older hens that were free range gave me a dozen.  The picture here is my last set.  She had eleven and the other only one.  They are now just about 6 months old.  About 2 weeks ago, I went out to do my chores one evening and walked into a horrible mess.  Something had got into one of my coups and killed all seven of my chickens, whatever it was climbed through the top, killed them all and then couldn't pull them back out.  So when I found them; it wasn't pretty.  So now I am down to 30 total.  I tried to catch whatever this critter is but no luck.  I suspect it to be a weasle.  We are now in the process of re-doing part of the barn and enclosing it to make a larger more permanent and secure coup for my chickens.  I want to get me some good meat chickens here in the Spring so we'll have to get this finished before long.  My partner is the carpenter of this duo and he is doing all the work on the coup.  I don't push him, since he is already working two jobs, because I realize it will get done when it gets done.  I have one large coup empty right now and it just needs to have a little work so it is secure from the critters then I will be able to put chicks in there.  So here in the next month, I'll be looking for a new breed to add to my collection.

Another new adventure for me has been my goat herd.  Here is a picture of all seven of them.  Miss Molly and her twins, Polly and Dolly, were my first three. Miss Mollly is the black and white one.  My niece, Kalissa, has had a hand in helping with them and naming them.  My other four are Frannie, Barbie, Beauty, and the little brown and white is Sassy, Kalissa's favorite.  They have been such a joy to watch and learn from.  There for a while I thought Miss Molly was going to give me some new babies but, I guess I was wrong.  She should of had them by now and her time has passed.  We still have Beauty's to look forward too, though.  She is due anytime and is filling out nicely.  All signs say go anyday.  I can't wait to have some kids on the place!!!  I say that now and I just had to put them all in jail, locked in barn, due to them finding a way out of the pasture and into my new strawberry patch.  Not good!  It is right next to my garden and that is unforbidden territory.  I guess I'll have to do what my partner told me and learn to build fence.  Not a chore I really want but, they are my goats and I'll have to do whatever it takes to care for them and protect my garden and plants as well. 

My "Lil Ranch Hand," Kalissa, and her big brother, Jake, loves to feed them animal crackers, it is one for me and one for you kind of thing.  I had read that to get them used to you, coax them with animal crackers and you'll soon have them eating out of your hand, literally.  Boy, were they right!  Now you almost have to have on a suit of armor to go out there with the crackers.  I only let them have them every once in a while and usually only when the kids are here but, all they have to do is hear the package rattle and here they come.  It is hilarious but, when all seven are upon you it gets a little chaotic at times. I have to admit, though, that I enjoy them.  Am looking forward to my new little ones when they arrive.  Who knows, I may even expand in the near future and have a few more.

03/16/09

Above is my dog, Bella, she is a nine year old Jack Russell and very much a one-person dog.  She will not go to just anyone and the only ones that can handle her are my son, who got her for me, and myself.  Once in a while she might go to my youngest son but she does that on rare occasions.  Something happened to her when she was young, less than a year old because I got her right at her first birthday, and I am not sure what but, she doesn't like men at all.  The only reason she'll go to my son is because he is disabled and she senses that.  All dogs go to him even when they won't anyone else.  She is definately "Mama's girl".  Before I moved back to my home town and on the farm she was a house dog.  She would sleep with me at night and sit on my lap in the evenings now on the farm she usually stays outside.  She is still my girl.  I have to be cautious when my niece and nephew are here because they want to play with her and she'll nip them.  Kalissa, pic below, loves to try to hold her and I'll have to intervene so she can at least pet her.  Kalissa has no fear of any animal right now and just goes for it. 

We call Bella our "little fat dog".  She weighs approximately 23 pounds and should only weigh 10 pounds.  Ever since I had her spade she has gained weight and kept it right at 23 lbs.  About four years ago, she had her tail bit off by another dog and lost 13 lbs. but when she healed up the weight came back.  This year she got into some rat poison that I had failed to remember it was there and ate some.  Needless to say, we ended up at the vets office and tried to get her to vomit but no luck, gave her some vitamin K and watched her closely for a few days.  She came out fine.  She has since then became spoiled and wants to come in the house to stay all the time so I'll let her in at night and she has her own little space to sleep in but, in the morning she has to go back out.  She tries to fit in with our Border Collie, Jessie, and work the livestock.  She does pretty well until they turn and look at her, then she runs the other direction.  She wants to be right in the middle of everything and I have to watch her when I do chores.  She'll try to get in the chicken coup and stirs up my goats and calves.  She is good at a few tricks that I have taught her but, commands during chore time she doesn't follow well.  But in the end, she is my "Poochie Puppy" and I think I'll keep her.

 

Here is my "Lil Ranch Hand," Kalissa.  She is almost three years old and loves the farm.  She has no fear of any of the animals and I have to watch her pretty close or she'll walk right up to them and give them a kiss and hug.  She enjoys staying on the farm and in the mornings wants to feed the animals, which she calls her babies, even before breakfast.   I asked her why they were her babies when they live on our farm and she said, "because they love me."  I have to say she is right.  They let her get by with just about anything.  She'll have them running in circles or eating right out of her hands.  Her favorites are the goats and horses.  If I neglect to let her give my horse, Blaze, a hug and kiss she will let me know and if I forget to take out the animal crackers for the goats, I get in trouble for that as well.  Her technique for giving her goats the crackers is one for me and one for you.  Sassy, her special kid goat, will stay right with her as long as she has a cracker for her, Polly, another baby,  is just as bad.  She wants to go to the bull pen with me and watch me feed the bulls and would walk right in if I would let her but, she has her limits on how far she can go and where and she is good about obeying the rules.  She has an older brother, Jacob, but he isn't the farm type.  He will let you know he don't care for the animals but will help feed once in a while.  He is more into sports and such.  Kalissa comes to stay at the farm just about once a week and sometimes more.  Her mom is pretty good at letting her come stay although she knows I spoil her.  We have a lot of fun when she is here.  We are expecting Beauty to deliver us some kids here soon and she is excited about that.  She told us yesterday that if the babies are born to call her so she can take care of them.  So I believe I will have to do that otherwise she'll be pretty upset with me.  She so much likes the farm that we had to get her her own Carharts for Christmas so she'll be warm out in the barn.  She thought that was just great.  This is her posing in them above.  She is learning how to get them all on and off by herself and by the time she does that it will be warm weather but her boots, we'll have to get another pair before long since she'll out grow them soon.  I hope she will always like the farm and want to be involved with the animals.  I have told her mom that if she wants to do 4-H some day we might be able to help her with that.  Anyway, this is my girl and we love her dearly.

 03/27/09

We have now entered our calving season.  We always try to get our bulls put with our cows so that we calve in March.  It seems that it works out better for us to have Spring calves.  We started calving on March 18th with 2 little ones and we are now up to 8.  As a beginner in learning how to watch for the signs as to which ones will deliver first, I'm not real good at.  Out of the six that I picked to deliver first, I was only correct on two of them.  Well, at least, I knew a little to choose right. (Ha!)  We now have six heifers and a bull calf; the one born yesterday, mama hasn't let us close enough to check yet.  We have several yet to deliver so, the next 2-4 weeks will be eventful.

Since my mama goat, Miss Molly, decided to play games with me and have me believe she was expecting and apparently wasn't, I am now focused on my other mama to be, Beauty.  Now, if she doesn't deliver here before long, I will be so frustrated.  I will have to return to the books to study up on all the information about goats that I thought I had learned.  There is one thing to say here; on the farm/ranch or just everyday living, you are never too old to learn and everyday is a learning experience.  There is always something that we don't know and could learn more about.  So, here in a few minutes, I'll stop working for the day to go outside and work with our animals.  Chores are an everyday event and it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing, the animal must be fed and checked.  Maybe, we'll have more little ones. 

04/01/09

Calving season is now in full swing here on the farm.  We now have 11 babies on the ground and several more to follow.  It is such a pleasure to watch them run and play and I always have to take some time to just stop and watch them.  I try to get pictures of each of them with their mamas but, that is no easy task.  I like to have them for our records and to see exactly which calf went with whom. 

On March 24,2009, I was able to video the birth of one of our little ones.  Her mama just happened to be close enough to the fence and I was just lucky enough to see her lie down.  I knew it was time.  It was a wonderful event and my niece, Kalissa, got to witness her first birth, in her words, "that's awesom."  She couldn't wait to show the new baby to Allen when he came home.  The weather was in the 70's and the wind was blowing approximately 30 mph, so when I asked what we were going to name the calf, Kalissa said, "Blowie."  Yes, quite unusual, but when asked her why she said. " that was the mama's name cause the wind blowing real hard."   So what is the babies name?  "Windy."  

I am working on making the video available for all to see on my blog site.  I am hoping this will be available within the next week. Please check it out; here is the link to my blog site.

http://www.outaroundthebarnblog.com 

04/07/09

Well, I finally have my kids.  Beauty gave birth Sunday, April 5, 2009, to a set of twin boys.  I have been so anxious about my nanny expecting that I was just about ready to throw in the towel and just not worry about her.  It's funny how a person can get so excited and anxious about things.  Allen was beginning to get tired of me questioning him all the time on when she would deliver, I'm sure.  They are so adorable and tiny and to just pick them up and hold them is just amazing.  I'm 100% mom at heart and to just cuddle and nurture them is my thing.  My children think I am a nut at times.  I will post pics as soon as I am able to get some good shots. 

We now have 15 baby calves on the ground.  It is such a wonderful sight to look out into the pasture and watch them all lying there on the hill or seeing them run and play with each other.  We have only had two mamas that have been aggressive since giving birth.  Both of them are first time mamas and I suppose they are scared and uncertain of what to do and how to act.  They were not ever aggressive before so, it really surprised me that they acted that way.  Being protective of their baby is one thing and that I understand but, one of them just wants to hurt you.  Enough so, that I do not even try to get around her.  She has had it rough though, her baby didn't make it and we had to put another calf on her.  She is slowly accepting it and we are hoping this will calm her down.  We should be able to know for certain in a few days if she will continue to accept the new calf or if she will push it away.  So far so good. 

)4/17/09

Well, some not so good news;  the mama didn't accept the little calf like we had hoped she would.  She became worse, almost like she lost her mind, so we had to bid her goodbye.  We kept the calf, Buster, and I now bottle feed him.  He didn't seem to want to eat much at first but, now he downs his bottle like nothing else.  I don't believe he knows what to think because I put him with my goat herd and they were too curious at first, so he has his own little place.  I am hoping to get him a companion, if I can find one here pretty quick, I'm told that they always do better in pairs since they are herd animals. 

We now have 20 calves on the ground and maybe more.  Our cows have not been coming up for the last few days and Allen is out checking on them now.  He may come in and tell me we have several more. 

My "kids' are doing great.  I just love'em to pieces.  I always have to stop and play with them before I come to the house.  They are just so cute!  Everyone thinks I am just nutty, and probably so, but I named them; Ben & Jerry.  They look like chocolate and vanilla ice cream.  Check it out.

JUST A NOTE:  BEN & JERRY WERE BORN ON APRIL 5, 2009

(the date on camera was set wrong)

05/08/09

It has been unusually busy around the farm lately.  We now have 24 baby calves and two bottle babies (calves).  My bottle calves, Buster and Barney, I acquired unexpectedly and are now 4 weeks old.  I give them a their bottle, 2qts., every morning and evening and if I am home a half bottle around noon.  Buster was so thin but is looking so much better now and Barney is doing great.  I got them about 10 days apart but they are now best buds. 

Ben and Jerry are growing like weeds,  It is now time to take off their horns and casterize them.  Not a fun job and they definately won't like it but, it has to be done.  That will be happening soon.  They are still just so cute and Kalissa just wollers them to pieces.

I acquired a Billy, Mr. Ed, for my females and if all goes as planned we should have little ones in October or November.  Right now he seems pretty laid back and the girls have gotten used to him being around.  At first, Miss Molly didn't like him at all and pretty much abused him with her horns daily for the first week.  She now gives him his space. 

It is garden season and was anxious to get my garden planted but we have had so much rain that what I did plant will have to be planted again.  Almost a repeat of last year, where I didn't get anything out until the middle of June because of the rain.  We are so saturated that it is miserable to even feed the livestock.  By the time you get finished, your feet and back hurts just having to wade through all the mud and muck. 

I got my greenhouse put up but my plants are suffering because I can't get them in the ground.  It's too cool to set them outside and too hot to keep them in.  They dry out so fast in the greenhouse and I haven't got a watering system set up yet, so I have to carry water.  They need their roots in the ground.  The storms we had today are supposed to be the last for at least 5 days.  We'll see.  Just as it dries up enough to work the ground it rains again so we will just have to hope it dries enough to get some plants in the ground soon.

With work and everything that we have going on it is hard to get everything accomplished.  I did get to mow and trim the yard yesterday in between storms and was able to do Allen's mom's yard also.  I thought I would have time to plant some flowers but time ran out.  I sometimes think I have too much on my plate but, then again, I wouldn't have it any other way.

05/26/09

A lot going on this time of year and we are busy with our livestock and gardening.  We have only had, I believe the weather chanel said, 5 days this month with out rain and it shows.  The ground is so saturated that it is just a sloshy mess outside.  

We, did, finally get enough of a break that I was able to get most of my garden planted.  I did it all in one day because I knew that the rain was coming again.  I am hoping I won't have to replant again.  It was such a relief to get that accomplished.  I finally sat down and wrote in my garden journal and realized that I have 30 varieties of plants in my garden.  That seemed to surprise me.  It doesn't look like I have that much out there but, I guess it will look different here in a few weeks, or, at least, I hope it will.

All of our babies are doing fine.  They are growing like weeds.  Barney and Buster eats like pigs.  Buster, my Holestien bottle calf, is a little under weight and I am considering increasing his milk intake.  Barney, my Angus bottle calf, is just as stocky and built as can be, he looks real good.  Ben and Jerry, my little goats, were dehorned the other day and are just a wee bit tempermental when it comes to touching them on the head.  Pretty sore, I would say.  Otherwise they are growing and doing great as well as the rest of the herd.  Mr. Ed, the billy, has a problem with Foot Rot but we are treating him and he will be fine.

We sorted all our cattle yesterday and put in the bulls for March calves.  We now have, as of today, 26 baby calves with 9 more yet to come.  They are quite a sight to see.  Several of our favs have names, such as; Chili Pepper, Buford, Wendy, Amber. White Cloud, Barney, Buster and etc.  Names around here are quite common for our animals.  It helps me know who I am talking about if there is a problem and if I have to have Allen's help, he'll know exactly which one I mean.  It is a lot easier that way.  Besides, if we keep them around long enough they become part of the family.  For example, all of our bulls have names; Crasher, Herman, Blackjack Bruiser, Serious Pete, Lightning, Mike, Sundance, Butch, Dean and Squirt, and our cows and heifers, well most of them have names such as; Angel, TC, Snowball, Snowflake, Plainface, Blowie, Bromvie, Ol Red, Young Red, Red #83, Ruby, Skunk, Margie, Speck, Happy Birthday, Blk. Brockel, Red Brockel, Wilma and etc.  These are our favorites.  The ones we haven't named we aren't sure how long we'll keep them so we don't get too attached.

Well, off to another day of work, will write again soon and hopefully have some new photos up.

06/07/09

Well, today was a big day for my horse, Blaze.  As you may recall, on July 6, 2008, he was injured and we have treated him and kept him separate from the other horses since then.  He has healed well and today I put a saddle on and we went on our first ride in over a year.  He done well.

I was surprised at how well he did do.  He pulled his same tricks and kept wanting to pull to the left for some reason.  He always wants to go left and to go right is sometimes a chore.  I did not have him that long before he was injured so, I am still getting to know him.  But, for not being out and rode for that period of time, he did good.

I am afraid I may have pushed him too far for his first time.  I took him for a two mile ride and that may have been a little much for the first time.  I will check his leg in the morning for swelling.  If he is good, I will probably take him out again in a couple days.  I want to ride him a few more times to make sure he can handle it before I consider putting him back out with the boys.  He will enjoy being out in the pasture again to graze. 

Tomorrow is weaning day for Buster and Barney.  They had their last bottles tonight and I can tell you now that the next few days are going to be rough on them.  On me too, it is already bad enough to walk through the gate and to be greeted by two bull calves and escorted, or should I say pushed, to the barn so that they can have their bottle.  They haven't had one in the morning for a few days but it is easy enough to go out to feed and just let them out of the barn but, in the evening, they meet you at the gate and you have to go through them to get to the barn.  At least, they are easy to put in the barn.  It's just all the pushing and bruises you end up with. 

They each have their own halters that I can tie them up while I feed and by the time I'm done they have forgotten all about the bottle and will be enjoying their grain.  It is a shame that all babies have to grow up.  They are so cute and easy to handle when they are little.

A friend of mine has a bull that she bottle fed and made a pet out of when he was little.  So far, she has been head butted and trapped up against the barn wall by him and all he is doing is playing.  He just grew up.  They can be a little dangerous when they get big.  They don't mean to be mean, it is just their size and all.

Well, everything else is good.  Ben and Jerry's horns did not come off as expected when we burnt them.  They just must have been too big already.  So they will have horns.  The next chore will be to castrate.  Not looking forward to that one and I know they aren't.

Will catch up more later. 

06/12/09

Well, Tuesday we casterated Ben and Jerry and they are doing fine.  We also dehorned our two new kids, that I was surprised with, little twin girls, Sugar and Spice.  Allen brought them home along with their mama, Noel, and now my herd is up to 13.  It just keeps growing as well as my calves.  I have 4 more bottle calves, 2 girls and 2 boys, Sally and Callie and Brutus and Brewster, all Angus babies.  

It has taken two days to get them to take a bottle without having to tie them up or corner them.  Today they did well.  I just don't have enough hands to feed them all at once so I will have to do two at a time.  I know I could get holders for the bottles and all but this is good.  I get to have a little time with each of them and they get to learn my touch and voice.  It worked well with Barney and Buster and all I have to do is talk to them and most of the time I can get them in the barn or wherever I need them to go pretty easy.  This is definately a learning experience.

Blaze got to reunite with his buddies for the first time in a year today.  We let him out in the pasture for a couple of hours to see how they would all react and all went well.  The herd picked at him a little but, most of the time let him be.  Will probably let him out again tomorrow for a few hours and add an hour or so as the week goes on.  If he does well with them and they don't pick on him too much, I'll more than likely leave him out with them during the day.  We will see.

It is still so wet here from all the rain, another two inches since Wednesday, and my garden and plants are beginning to suffer.  I have planted and replanted and now I am just about to the point of saying forget it, although I won't.  It is so frustrating to see all your work get washed away.  It will soon be too late to plant some things and I was really looking forward to having a good harvest so I could put some up for the winter.  It saves on the grocery bill that way and the food is always better than store bought.  They are talking rain again by tomorrow, which I really hope it misses us, and then maybe it will clear off for a while so we can get the gardens and fields planted.  That would be nice.

Another busy day ahead tomorrow, got to sleep now, 

06/21/09

I have definitely got to add some new pics of all my babies.  They are just growing way too fast.  My bottle calves are doing good and have started letting them out to eat grass during the day.  It can be a chore to get them back in at night but we somehow manage.  They are not quite as calm as Barney and Buster and can be pretty rambuncious at times.  I have increased their milk intake and it seems to improve their dispositions.  They always seemed hungry and so I added another 16 oz. to their feedings.  That seems to satisfy them for now.  We will have to tag them with ear tags soon or I won't be able to tell them apart, being all black. 

Ben and Jerry and Sugar and Spice are doing great.  Growing like weeds.  Sugar and Spice are a little harder to corner and catch since I didn't have them when they were first born and it is a chore to do just that.  But, once I do get ahold of them, they are pretty calm.  Kalissa just loves them to death and can't wait to get her hands on them when she is here.  She tried her hardest yesterday to catch them and they would have no part of it.  I hurt my back so, I was no help in catching them for her. 

They are quite fun to watch and when they get out in the pasture, Kalissa is sure they are going to run away.  She'll get all excited and then when they come back she is okay.  She doesn't like them getting so far away from the house where she cannot see them.

Blaze is doing well.  He is now out with the boys in the pasture and seems to have adjusted pretty good.  Still a little leary of the others at feeding time but, he'll get back into the groove soon.

It is still wet as can be here and rain everyday.  I don't think my garden is going to do well at all.  I believe next week, as soon as my back gets a little better, I am going to plant some seeds in the greenhouse and see what I can do there.  We have had some lettuce and one tomato and here it is the end of June.  Just unbelieveable! 

07/03/09

Here we are another busy day.  Baby calves to bottle feed, chickens, goats, cows, calves, bulls, horses, cats and dogs to care for and, of course, the rest of the work day lies ahead.  There is never a dull moment on the farm.  Yards to mow, hay and straw to mow and bale, gardens to tend, fences to mend and more repairs than I can mention. 

Life is hectic and wonderful.  We do all these things and sometimes wonder, why?  We get wore down and tired of the same old routine but, we wouldn't want it any other way.  Hard to take a vacation when you have all of these responsibilities and no one else knows the routine. 

Next week will be weaning time for 3/4 of our calf herd.  I'll be weaning a couple of my bottle calves as well.  It will be pretty noisy around here for a few days and then when it all quiets down, we'll turn the herd out to pasture for a month before separating the bulls from the herd.  Should be interesting.

All others are doing well.  Noel, Sugar and Spice, my new additions to the goat herd, are adapting well.  Still the outsider, Noel, gets her horns locked just about every day with the others.  They try to push her around but, she holds her own pretty well.

Our newest additions here on the farm are 3 litters of kittens.  Kalissa has a favorite named Muffin.  It's the only one she can catch.  The others are quick and not so gentle.  She plays with her and just wallows the puddin right out of her.  Poor Kitty! 

08/28/09

I have to apologize for not writing lately.  I have been ill and now that we are on the road to recovery, I can write once more.

So much has evolved lately.  My bottle calves are all weaned and my kids, baby goats, are growing so fast.  The only babies I have now are a litter of 4 kittens born about three weeks ago.  Now, things are slowing down out on the farm.  It gives us a chance to play catch up on some of the other work that has to be done.

I talking about mending fence, finishing my new chicken coup, putting up the last of the hay for the year, weaning all the calves, moving the bulls out away from the cows and heifers and putting them back in their pen, weaning my kids and begin working with them for next years fair, and preparing for fall and winter.  Now that isn't much to do.

There is always work to do on the farm.  I just mentioned a few of the things that we need to do.  The animals are now at the stage in their lives that eating will be their most important job and we make sure they get what they need.  There will be deworming and vaccinations but, they will really take care of themselves.

We can concentrate on their shelter and food storage for the winter and set up the farm for easy care throughout the cold months ahead. 

We are far from having nothing to do, we will begin by mending fences to make sure they don't stray and then we will prepare the barns and out buildings. It takes a lot of time and energy to get everything ready and in working order but, we are mostly there.  It is more of a preventive check list that we do this time of year and it usually saves us a lot of work during the winter months.

We will be writing again soon, have a great day.

10/13/09

Boy, I must say time sure does go quickly these days.  I have been working on new products for the website and with new companies to bring my customers the best products and haven't written in over a month on my blog.  I can't believe it has went so fast.  Check out our new revised Pet and Livestock Nutrition page.

Things are slowing down now here on the farm.  I just brought in all my potted plants and I have a lot of them.  I am trying out my new greenhouse for the first time in the winter months and have figured out that I need a new main vent opener.  This is all new to me so, I am experimenting as usual.  So far the only plants that I have in my greenhouse are tomatoes and lettuce.  All my flowering plants are in my garage.  They are bigger, more expensive and some I have had for years, don't want to lose them.  If by chance I don't master the greenhouse heating  for the winter months I won't lose a lot.  I would really like to have fresh tomatoes year round but we will see. 

Well, a bit of news, Miss Molly is no longer with us.  My first nanny goat has been sold.  She became a bit aggressive and decided she needed to exert herself towards the other females and almost severely injured one, so she is now gone.  I hated to see my first one leave but it was for the best.  Ben and Jerry are also gone.  They were at the right weight and the price was right.  I raise meat goats and I knew I could not butcher them here so it was best for them to go.  Mr. Ed, my first billy, is history now too.  We went to a goat expo found a real nice young Boar goat and felt that he would be a terrific addition to our herd.  So we have added Big John (Big Bad John) as so we call him, to our little family of nannys. 

I am starting to look forward to the upcoming months, four of my nannys should be expecting.  I am beginning to see signs but, I am trying not to get my hopes up like I did last time.  I am learning to be a little more patient and just observe.  Let's see how this goes.

My little nannys, Sugar and Spice, are growing like weeds.  They are doing good except for Spice, she has what we have determined, broken her hind leg.  It seems like a small fracture, just enough to give her the need to carry it once in a while.  She does seem to put weight on it at times.  It seems to be healing well.

We have recently had to deal with BRD, Bovine Respitory Disease, and it is hard to watch the calves suffer with this.  Some just cough and others lose their appetites, have nasal drainage and become weak.  Given the right antibiotics and care they should be fine but, if not treated the outcome could be deadly.  Just a note to remind everyone that it is flu season and even animals need extra care and attention. 

Here is my LiL Ranch Hand, Kalissa, at the Marion County Fair hugging a Hereford.  She loves the animals.  We will be adding some more pics later.

10/27/09

Here we are another rainy day.  In the last two weeks we have had approximately 9 inches of rain and it is raining again.  Seems like Spring around here with all the rain and warm temperatures.  This Spring we couldn't get the crops planted and now we can't seem to get them harvested.  What is up with all that?  These past two years have been strange.

All the baby calves are growing and doing good.  My two little nanny goats are growing fast.  Spice somehow got her leg caught and broke it, I believe, she carries it most of the time.  I don't know what it is with my animals this year but, I just haven't had good luck.  I hope that next year will be better.  I hope to continue to grow my personal herd of goats and calves and if all goes well we will be back in business again. 

Here within the next month to six weeks, my nannys should be having kids.  I know that two for sure is expecting and I believe two more.  Of course, we will see when they get here.  I want to get excited but after last time and only having one nanny deliver instead of two, I a little leary of getting too anxious.

The only thing that is growing is our cat herd.  I think we now have 5 litters of kittens and I can only catch one.  Our herd size is approx. 25 head.

Not much to write about today so we will continue at later date.

11/07/09

The weather is beautiful today.  This is what we should of had in October instead of 14 inches of rain.  The farmers are just now getting back into the fields and if the meteorologist is right, we should have dry weather for at least a week.  That is making everyone happy, but the chaos of hurrying to get it all done is felt everywhere.

Here on the farm, for me, it is getting all the outside things done before it turns cold.  We are working on finishing our chicken coup, have to build one more outside door and add the roost, need to finish a few last minute things on my greenhouse, I have tomatoes blooming now and hope they continue, and I want to get the yard and house ready for the holidays.  Today, I am washing down the house and windows.  Then, after Thanksgiving, I'll put up my decorations for Christmas.  I hope I am up to that this year, being that my health prohibits me from a lot right now.

I weaned my kids, Sugar and Spice, about 8 weeks ago and wanted to turn them back in with my goat herd so I did.  It didn't go well.  Spice has a fracture in her hind right leg and has begun using it so I figured she would be okay, the other nannies didn't think they should be there and really rammed them hard and so I separated them again.  I am not sure what to do here.  They need back in the herd but I don't want her leg re-fractured.  I am working on this so I hope to soon have a solution.

Kalissa hasn't been here for a while, the flu and colds going around so she hasn't been able to spend time with her animals.  She and Kennedy, my little adopted granddaughter, has different taste in animals.  Kalissa loves everything and Kennedy loves the chickens.  She is two and Kalissa is three, they both love the farm but Kennedy has not been around the animals much and is just getting used to them.  A few more visits and she'll be hooked just like Kalissa.

Well, better get to work; more later.

12/24/09

Here we are, it is Christmas Eve and in Illinois we are in our 2nd day of rain.  We have now had over 4 inches and are expecting, at least, two more inches during the evening and overnight hours.  By morning we should see flurries of snow on Christmas Day.  That I would like very much.  I would love a white Christmas.  Not everyone enjoys my enthusiasm over snow on Christmas, they see it as a weather disaster and I just look at it as beautiful.

One more week and we will say goodbye to 2009.  It has went by so fast.  My personal issues of my health has been on the top of the charts this past year.  I continue to keep up with my appointments and treatments to stay as well as I can so I can still care for my family and animals.  I am a diabetic and was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, kidney failure, this past month.  It has been a depressing month.  I have also learned that I have Spinal Stenosis and had my first of a serious of epidurals yesterday, and now diverticulitis has been diagnosed as well.  I feel like I am literally falling apart.  As so my partner says, "you're a fixer upper."  That made me feel real good!  I guess I should feel good about that, at least, he wants to keep me around a while.  So, I keep doing what I need to and push along.

Well, enough about that, I am once again anxiously awaiting for my Nannys to start kidding.  If I am correct in my assumptions, I should have seven to deliver within the next month.  But, I have read them wrong before,  We will see how it goes.  Even if I am wrong, I am still excited because I know there are at least four that will be delivering soon.  Two are older Nannies and two will be kidding for the first time.  The younger two are my babies and I am really anxious to see what their kids will be like.  My goat heard of ten seems to like to explore a lot.  I have heard stories of how bad goats can be but, I have not had any major problems.They do like to venture out of the pasture if they figure the fence isn't hot.  We seem to get such strong winds lately and often we find limbs lying across the fence and shorting it out and when that happens it is almost like they have a fence radar to let them know that it is clear to take off.  The do not ever go far and I usually just have to holler at them and they return to the barn.  I just have to keep them in the barn if I will be away from the farm for a while.  They aren't fond of that idea but it works.  I will then treat them with a few animal crackers that I keep on hand just for them.  They enjoy those crackers!

Our calves have been struggling with their appetites.  One week they act like they are starving and the next they just do not want to eat much.  Really strange, I think.  They are under no unusual stress as in being moved around and have hay in front of them and get fed feed twice a day.  Some days they just eat up and all seems fine, then another day it will take two days for them to eat one days worth of food.  We have began adding cattle vitamins for calves in their feed in hopes that they will stabilize their appetites.  We will keep working on this project in hopes of achieving success.

Besides being wet and muddy and cold, we are doing okay as well as the rest ot the farm. My chickens are laying over a dozen eggs a day and keeping the whole family supplied.  They are getting along terrific and enjoy their new home. 

Kalissa and Kennedy were here last week and just enjoyed themselves.  They had a blast out with all the animals and petting and feeding them was the highlite of their day, except when they discovered my rain barrel and decided they wanted to play in that.  Needless to say, that was not a good thing.  Kennedy fell into a cow pile and decided she could not get out of her clothes fast enough once inside.  As long as we were outside, she didn't mind at all.  It was quite comical.  They spent the day and I have been informed that they are ready again.

Need to go.  Wishing each and everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

From all of us at AT Supplies, Inc.

Tracie, Allen, and our Lil Ranch Hands, Kennedy, Jacob and Kalissa 

12/28/09

The end of '09' is almost here and we begin a new year.  Although, 2009 wasn't all bad, we definitely had some major issues.  I haven't had the best luck with my animals this past year and so I was hoping that the new year would bring me some better luck.  Well, we are still in this year so maybe there is still hope.

I have seven Nannies that were due anytime.  On Christmas morning, Barbie gave birth to a little buck but it was stillborn.  She acted funny all day so I kept an eye on her just to make sure she cleaned okay.  She seemed to have a hard time so we continued to keep a close check on her through out the day.  We finally had to administer a dose of penicillin and she started to move around and eat.  The next evening she began to act as if she was sick and didn't want to move around, eat or drink.  Again, we kept an eye on her, Sunday morning she was still dragging so we decided she needed another dose of medication.  We left her alone and went to Church, when we came back she had delivered another kid, little girl, also stillborn.  She was just having a very difficult time with these births.  These were her first kids and needless to say, I am very leary about breeding her again.

I was so disappointed that neither one had survived.  I was so hoping that she would be a good Mama.  I knew Tuesday, 22nd, that she was acting like her labor had began but, did not realize that their labor lasted for two days or more.  I guess their deliveries are a lot like ours, unpredictable.

Well, I now end the year, 4 days left, with a sour note but with hopes that the rest of my herd will do well.  I have one young nanny that should be close, any day now, I just hope that her luck is better.

Sometimes I wonder if our luck has anything to do with all the black cats we have.  Out of our nine litters we have 4 solid black cats and that just seems unusual.  Everyone says that they bring bad luck.  They are just cats and kittens and I don't believe they have any powers but it still makes a person wonder.

On that note, I'll be signing off.  If I don't get to write again this year, we will write next year for sure.  Have a Happy New Year and May God Bless Each One.

12/31/09

Here it is, the last day of the year.  One and a half hours until midnight and we are in 2010.  It has been an eventful year to say the least.

We have had several changes on the farm this past year.  One of our new adventures was bottle feeding feeder calves that had some way or another lost their mamas.  I started with one and then ended up with six.  It was quite a change in our schedules because we needed to be home at a certain time in order to keep them on a regular schedule.  It was pretty simple when it was morning and evening feedings but when we started and fed at midday that became pretty hectic.  It wasn't working them into our schedule it was working us into their schedule.  Right now I don't have any but come spring we'll do it again, more than likely.

This was the year that I learned of what is called Jones Disease.  I lost one of my cows to this disease.  I had not ever heard of this before but I learned that they eat but the food just goes through them and they lose weight and muscle until the end comes.  I still have some research to do on this matter since I do not understand it all. 

Another obstacle that we faced was the slow growth of our calves.  They just seem to be particularly slow at gaining weight and having  a healthy appetite.  They get fresh food every day, hay available to them when they want it, minerals and water.  They have been vaccinated and dewormed and have everything they need but just aren't doing as well as we would like.  Not understanding this either but keep working on improvements.

My goats are my other hobby/passion.  I have seven nannies and two have delivered since Christmas and we have lost all five of them.  One had twins and one had triplets.  The weather here has been pretty cold and the only thing we can tell was it was just too cold and of course they wanted to have them close to the door instead of where it is warmer in the back of the barn.  I have now set up a couple of pens for them to have them in and hopefully I'll be able to catch them and assist in getting the kids cleaned off and dry.  I am determined not to lose any more if I can help it.

It has definitley been busy around here.  The girls, Kalissa and Kennedy, love the animals and try to come to the farm as often as their parents will allow.  It is a must that they get to feed every animal on the farm when they are here.  They don't even want to eat when they spend the night until the animals have been fed.  They are quite a pair together but, so much fun and a joy to have here with me. 

I have had several health issues this year and am dealing with them daily.  Some of them have set me back but I am doing better.  I will not be 100% again, but I can fight this diabetes, renal failure and spinal canal stenosis and at least not allow it to get worse or get me down.  Such a shocker!!

Well, 2010 will arrive in 40 minutes and I hope and pray it will be a much better, brighter, happier and wealthier year for each and every one of us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL OF US HERE @ OUT AROUND THE BARN.

02/01/10

January has been a busy month, both with the farm and my health issues.  We do what we can and take one day at a time.  Allen has been going through a lot of changes at his job and he isn't home as much as he would like.  So I help him in whatever I can do when he isn't here. 

First of all, I have been facing several issues with my health.  Over the past few months I have been diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure, Spinal Canal Stenosis, Digenerative Disc Disease along with my Diabetes.  It has been a trying month with tests, therapy, procedures and doctor visits.  I don't get around as quick as I used to so, doing the chores and the normal everyday tasks seem to take up a lot of time.  I just have to pace myself and go from there.  Hopefully soon, we will get through all this.  I am stable with everything except for the spinal problems so that is the point of focus right now.  When you live on a farm, you know you will be climbing over gates and fences and up and down ladders and when you are told you cannot do this at this point and time it kind of hinders your abilities to get your work done.  That is where Al takes the time before or after work to toss down hay or straw from the loft for me or carry the heaviest buckets of feed so I don't have to do too much pushing, pulling or lifting.  That helps me a lot so I can just take my time to finish with the rest.

As long as I do not have to hurry or run we are good to go.  That gives me more time to concentrate on my goat herd.  In the past 11 days we have welcomed two sets of t\wins and a single kid into our herd.  It has been pretty exciting for me.  I am on cloud nine that all five have survived.  Between Dec. 25, 2009 and Jan. 20, 2010, I lost six little ones due to the bitter cold weather.  I was determined to make sure that did not happen again.  So the watches began. 

I began a schedule of checking the herd every two to three hours when the weather was below freezing.  This included the night hours also.  If none of my four mamas- to- be began acting like they were going to begin labor, I would expand my time-line to four to five hour intervals.  That helps me out so I can get a little rest at night.  It has paid off in a good way.

On the 20th, Miss Dolly gave birth to a set of twins, Jack and Jill, at 7:00 am.  They are both cinnamon colored and Jack has a white patch on his forehead and Jill is a little lighter shade than Jack.  We had to work with them and mama for a while to get them nursing at first.  Miss Dolly's colestrum was so thick that it was difficult for the little ones to suck so we had to help them.  As soon as it began to flow normally, they were on their own.  No problems in that area now.  They are doing well and I keep a close eye on them to make sure they are warm and eating enough.  Miss Dolly has become a good mama and makes sure her little ones are safe. 

On the 26th, I walked into the barn just as Frannie was giving birth.  She gave us a set of twin nannies, Patch and Posh, at 5:30 pm. Frannie has always been a touch-me-not and I was afraid she would be really hard to be around when her time came.  She was scared at first and very uncertain as what she was to do with these little creatures trying to push and pull on her.  It took a little while to get her to let them nurse and for her to get used to them but eventually she relaxed and all fell into place.  Patch got her name because she is so black with 3 patches of white on her, one on her head, one on her left hoof and the other on her left ear.  Posh is white with red ears and her name came about because it sounded good with Patch.

Now I had four little ones and they were all healthy and just a joy to watch.  I continued my watch over my remaining two nannies, Sassy and Beauty.  Sassy has acted miserable for the past week.  Constantly moaning, up and down, just uncomfortable.  I had an uneasy feeling about her and checked on her faithfully and if I had to be gone for any length of time, Al would check on them when he had a break at work, it is good he only works 7 miles from home.  he has really been supportive of my passion for my goats and animals.  It is good that we kept such a good vigil on them, especially her. 

 On Sunday, the 31st, while feeding I noticed her wanting to eat but acting as if she had a sick stomach.  It was then, after a closer examination, that I saw she was losing her plug, the thick mucus like covering of the cervix.  I got Al's attention out in the pasture and he helped me put her in a birthing pen.  She wasn't real happy with that but I wanted her away from the others.  It was a good thing that we did.  I kept a closer watch and made myself at home there in the barn just playing with the babies and keeping an eye on her.  That was at 9:30 am and at n11:30 am her water broke, then the work began.  Sassy began pushing with no results and her cries became more painful and I knew something wasn't right.  It was then I realized that the little one was coming out wrong, head first.  I started manipulating the baby trying to get it front legs to come first and could only find the left one.  I worked and worked and prayed and prayed that we could save her and the baby.  It took me and her 15 to 20 minutes to get the little one out into the world and at 12:15 pm she was born.  I thought for sure that I had lost her, even as careful as I had been, that when we did get the job accomplished I could see and feel the heart beat.  I started helping mama clean her off and get her warm.  While Sassy was licking and getting acquainted with her new baby, I situated a heat lamp, got her some water for a drink and put in some dry bedding.  I then started the process of getting Cocoa, named for her brown coat with a white spot on her head, to learn where she needed to get her food.  She was so weak and Sassy was exhausted so it took a little time to get the going.  Once she found her treasure she was fine.  There was no fighting or being stubborn she took right to it.  After I was certain she had her belly full, I got them all snuggled down and they went to sleep.  For the remainder of the day I checked every two hours to make sure she was getting up and eating,  She did well.  Today, she is great and Mama is much rested. 

Now I just have one more nannie to have her babies.  I say babies because if you go back into my posts you will see pics of Ben and Jerry, Beauty's boys born last April.  She is so big that she just seems as though she will burst if you touch her.  She will deliver any day.  All signs say that it won't be long now.  So we are still keeping vigil over them and when she delivers and they are in the clear, I can finally rest.  It has been a sleepless January but it will all be worth it in the end.

We will then have a few weeks to relax then it will be calving season.  March is the time our cows are all due.  We don't have to keep as close a watch on them and they usually do well alone.  If the weather becomes an issue then, we will have to take a different course.

Needless to say, we keep busy, even on our days off. Oh, what are those!  

Oh, yes, I almost forgot baby chicks on the way also.  Isn't farm life great?   

02/08/10

We made it!  Today at 2pm, Beauty gave birth to twins, Hoss & Holly.  Both have white bodies and black on their heads.  Hoss is, of course, a little boy and Holly is a girl.  Holly is slightly smaller than Hoss but I am sure she will catch up shortly.  We were beginning to get worried with Beauty.  She began having contractions on the evening of the 5th, Friday, and by Sat. morning she had quit.  Then on Sunday, she began again but by the evening she had stopped again.  It was really strange.  Usually once they start, the continue on and deliver but, she didn't.  She was miserable and paced, scratched her sides, talked to the babies, lost her plug, was up and down and very uncomfortable.  I watched her closely for any sign of a problem and when she still hadn't had them this morning, I was getting worried.  I wasn't sure if something was wrong.  I didn't know what to do, I was very frustrated.

I checked her at 7am and she was calm and not as active as usual when it comes to feeding time.  But after I had fed the others she was up and wanting to eat also.  I watched her for a while and she showed no signs of even contemplating giving birth.

I had to be away from the farm for a couple of hours and felt at ease in leaving her.  She had ate a handful of feed and drank some water and just stood around like any other day.  I kept trying to hurry around so I could get back and keep an eye on her and it was good that I did.  When I got out to the barn she was in the throes of labor.  First came Hoss, little boy, and then came Holly.  Beauty was right on cleaning her babies and she didn't leave much for me to do so I just watched.  I did, however, get a towel and help warm them.  As soon as they were standing, they went right to eating.  It is so simple when they just take to it naturally.  Beauty done a wonderful job and I know will be a good mom.  She did, however, raise my boys, Ben & Jerry. 

Now we can relax and possibly get some well needed rest..  I thought we would have a break for a few weeks before calving season started but, I was wrong.  Yesterday, the 7th, our first little heifer calf was born to one of our 2 yr. old Heifers.  It was a surprise to us since we weren't planning on this event beginning until March.  So we are just 4 weeks early.  Oh well, may as well enjoy them and hope they are all healthy.