Beware......Hawks!

Well, just want to send a warning to everyone.....the hawks are migrating and are particularly dangerous this time of year. And yes, I write this warning because....Egghead has disappeared. I haven't seen the hawk yet, but I am pretty sure that Egghead met his demise while giving the girls a chance to get to cover. Yesterday afternoon, the hens were all in there coop and Egghead was gone. It is very unusual for the girls to go back to their house on their own as they savor every moment of freedom that they can. However, there they were on the farthest roost from the door all huddled together. Egghead has never left his girls alone, ever. He is an awesome rooster. I am pretty sure a hawk got him and all of nature seems nervous this morning. I have been out looking and will continue looking for the rest of the day for signs of a hawk. Even the rabbits are quiet and pensive. My husband thinks that it happened right behind the goat barn (where the rabbits are located)because he saw chickens running out of there like mad yesterday afternoon and didn't think anything about it. So keep an eye on your chickens and pay attention to the song birds.

How we keep our Rabbits

I started out keeping our rabbits in wire cages. They were a pain to clean because fur and poo would get stuck in the joints and was hard to scrub. I also got super filthy trying to scrub all that wire. It wasn't too bad when we had them in the old chicken coop that we thought would make a good rabbitry. We found out that it was too small and the mosquitoes really loved that shady spot. Also because of the tree beside the door, it was hard to get the wheelbarrow in to clean out the droppings below the cages, which attracted a multitude of insects. We decided to move the rabbits to the center aisle of the goat barn. In the summer they will get great ventilation and there are fewer bugs. We also have electricity in the goat barn for a fan in the summer time. The issue was the droppings from the wire cages as two of our goats like to rest beneath the cages. Not the healthiest environment and we certainly did not want babies playing under there. We also needed more cages and were wondering where to hang them all. Well, I came across a video from the French Angora industry and how they cared for their rabbits. They used kennels with solid bottoms. Each day they add more hay/straw and the rabbits use what they don't eat for bedding. This method of course costs more than just letting the waste drop through the cage floors. I liked the idea though and we built kennel type cages. They have a solid floor and a solid roof. Three sides of the kennels are wire for summer ventilation and in the winter we have a heavy rubber tarp that covers the wire sides and back of the kennels to preserve body heat and warmth. We are using the deep bedding method and have had wonderful results. This is how we are handling this. When we set up the cage we put down about a 1 inch layer of Dry-Stall (a natural absorbant clay product that we use in the horse stalls to absorb urine and keep the stall floors dry. Then we added another 2 inches of straw. Each day we give the bunnies a generous portion of hay and they eat what they want and spread out the rest. Their activity causes the droppings to fall into the bottom layer of the straw. They tend to use one corner as their bathroom area so we make sure that a layer of straw or hay gets into that corner to keep absorbing moisture. Each day we checked for too strong a smell, dirty bunny feet or any other problems with not changing the bedding daily. We planned to keep the deep bedding system going for a month. It is a success. The bunnies are happy and healthy, there is less smell than there was with the old rabbitry, and fewer insects as well. When we cleaned out all the bedding at the end of October there was very little moisture on the wood floor as the dry stall and straw/hay had absorbed all that was in the potty corner. Our rabbits seem much happier as they jump and leap and zoom around their new digs. They can see more too which I think they like. They stayed clean the whole month. October was a pretty warm month for us so it will give us an idea of what we might expect next summer. The cages were much easier to clean as everything was swept out into the wheelbarrow to head to the compost, and then a mild bleach solution used to scrub out the entire floor of the cage. It was then allowed to air dry and then new bedding added. Summer might present some issues and we will just have to adjust as summer gets here. Cages may have to be cleaned more often in the summer. One of my concerns was that if the bunnies got to warm the straw would present an issue. However, this does not seem to be the case as our buck demonstrated. He simply pushed all of the straw away from one of the sides and plopped his big self right down on the cooler wood floor on a couple of really warm days this past month. My big issue is being as efficient time wise as I can around the farm, this definitely helps in that goal. Of course, we are still in the experimental stage because we have not had to go through an entire year of seasons doing this, so we will see by the end of next summer whether this will work or not. Right now, it is a great way to keep rabbits even if a little more expensive. God bless.

Just a little update

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days. As I reported earlier, i started cleaning out my closet. I now have one garbage sack of business clothes that I no longer use to go to my sister who does use them and another bag of semi-business/dressy casual to go to a local charity that helps families get back on their feet. I have two rods in my walk in closet and now one of those rods is half empty. I love it. I also have one of the shelves above the rods completely empty. Yippeeee! And 2 of the smaller shelves on the side are empty! Yippeeeee, again! I absolutely love getting rid of stuff that I simply don't and won't use anymore. It is a real challenge for me to do this because I am one of those people who thinks I might "need" something and would hate to have to go and buy something I once had. I don't know if that is a hoarder type mentality or just frugal or maybe a little bit of both. I do know that it is freeing to get rid of stuff. our society is so focused on having more and more "stuff" that we are emotionally and spiritually smothered by our "stuff". Some "stuff" is easier for me to get rid of than other stuff. Obviously, broken or damaged is easy to toss in the garbage. Books are another easy thing because we use a book trader and simply trade them for more books. We do keep an extensive library and have tons of books in our home, but I do find it easy a couple of times a year to weed out the ones that will not be read again. The kids toys are easy to get rid of also and this is next on the list of downsizing our "stuff". Each little area that gets downsized, is a little more spiritually freeing. Sometimes, the first time through it is hard to be really tough in getting rid of things. Each time you go through something it gets easier. I love shoes, so my shoes are also a tough issue for me. I have some that are absolutely worn out, but I like them so much and find it hard to toss them out. However, shoes are coming soon. I will spend the winter getting rid of what i do not need or do not use. I plan to be harsher in my judgement than I have ever been. We still have tons of boxes of "stuff" that came from my mother in laws house when she passed away. Some of it I plan to use, but it never made it out of the boxes because we had no place to put it. The bad thing is that most of our "stuff" are family heirlooms. Most of our furniture belonged to grandparents, great grandparents etc. We have very few things that we bought for ourselves. So we have to be extra harsh on the little stuff that we have bought or were given that is not an heirloom so that we don't get overwhelmed. I love our heirlooms and they will one day go to our children when they begin to set up their own home. i don't really know what to do about my artwork. I have a art gallery at home and more artwork than I can hang on the walls. I am an artist, my grandmother was an artist, and my mother in law was an art collector and so was my mother. Most everything in the house is an original and they all have a story behind them. There is nothing that is tremendously valuable monetarily (especially with this economy), but my grandmother's paintings are as valuable to me as if they were a Renoir or a Monet. I was an art dealer in another life and artists that came through my gallery became friends. I have some of their work and it too holds a special place in my heart and home because of the face and story attached to each piece. I guess my artwork will always be an issue until the children grow up and much of it can be gifted to them. My oldest is showing an affinity for being an artist, so she may one day wind up where I am.....too much artwork. Much of my own work that has not sold, I will donate to charity auctions so that does help thin out the overstock. I have not painted in awhile. I am sure the bug will strike again one day when things settle down a bit. It is hard to be motivated when so many things are going on. When I am painting it is an all encompassing obsession. I get tunnel vision for however long the craving lasts, sometimes a few weeks sometimes a few months. So for now, I am just too scattered about with things to do to have that tunnel vision. Anyway, cleaning out unused and no longer needed items is great! i love the freedom that comes with letting go of "stuff". Slowly, but surely things are getting to be more efficient and organized. Yes, i am a bit obsessed with being efficient and organized. The closet is finished despite this nasty cold and i now vow to not start another project until others that I started are finished. Now let's see how long I can keep that vow! Have a blessed day!

Why oh Why do I keep doing this?!

Ugghhhh! Sometimes my brains with all of its plans and aspirations works much faster than my body. I have all of these projects to do and what did I do? Started another huge project. Well, ok this time I will admit, I didn't have much choice. Not too long ago we got 3 solid weeks of rain. I didn't think about running the aircondition because it wasn't really hot. I did have the few ceiling fans that we have going, but it certainly did not help our closet. Mine and my husbands closet has always been an issue in this house. In the summer time when the humidity is waaayyy up we have to leave the door open so that the air can dry out in there. Dummy me didn't even think of the closet during those weeks of rain. Our closet sits right over the basement, which is very damp and since that dampness rises it rises right into our closet. Since I don't often go into our closet or spend much time in there I didn't know realize that I had a serious invasion of.......mildew. So now everything is coming out, being cleaned and washed and the carpet torn out(1960s shag carpet so it's about time). I am still trying to get the house and barns ready for winter and all needed feed stuffs and supplies in. I am still canning. In fact I will be canning eye of round(beef) and tangerines and pumpkins this coming week. Oh, wait. I forgot I will also be canning turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens. My bedroom looks like world war three and four happened in there simultaneously. I have clean laundry spread all over the house and I think I might have some more firewood to bring home from a friend's house who is cutting more trees. Fortunately, I will be giving away some of the greens for the pumpkins and the firewood so I will only have half a days work to can what is left. I put the spring harvest of greens in the freezer and so this harvest will be canned. We are still waiting to see what will be harvested out of the fall garden so little by little I am working and pulling spent plants while nursing other vegetables along. I really did not need to take on such a huge project as cleaning out my closet. Of course, it really doesn't help that my spring cleaning of the closet consisted of very little. Organizing the clothes and getting rid of about a dozen pieces. I have tons of clothes. So many people give me clothes and then I never throw out any good clothes and then there are so many outfits that I really like just never wear. Oh my! And here I sit writing this blog. I suppose I had better get back to work. I keep telling myself that I am not going to do this anymore and yet.....I always do. Maybe one day I will actually get one project totally completed before I start another one!! Have a blessed day and a fabulous weekend. I am now off to immerse myself in the war zone!

Worms and Worming

I apologize in advance as this may be a loooonnnnggg (really long) post. I will try to stick to the point so as not to make it any longer than necessary. Parasites such as worms are a fact of life on a farm. It is how they are managed (yes you must manage your parasites also) that can mean the difference between healthy, thriving animals and not so healthy or dead animals. Livestock are an investment and they are costly to replace, not to mention that our breeding animals are like part of the family. My grandfather always said that if you cannot properly take care of animals then you shouldn't have them. With that being said even though we think we are properly taking care of our animals we might not be because of bad advice. It is best to research on your own and thoroughly understand what you are getting into. So let's get on to worms. Worms exist everywhere and just about every animal on the farm has some. They can be transmitted in all sorts of ways. Some lie dormant in the ground and only cause significant issues when that ground is disturbed by rain or snow (freezing, thawing, spring melt). Slugs and snails are great transporters of worm eggs to plants that normally would not have egg populations on them. It is this reason that I do fecal samples on my caged rabbits. They eat fresh greens that I harvest from around the farm and I have no way of knowing whether the slugs have been crawling on those greens. With that being said, let's go into fecal testing. Every farmer should know how to do a fecal test. A fecal test allows you to properly "manage" your parasite population and its effect on your livestock. You should not worm your animals until they are showing signs of parasite stress and you have done a fecal. It also helps to do a fecal when they are not showing any signs of parasite stress so you can see the normal worm load that does not cause them any problems. This gives you a control to compare too. If you randomly worm, when you don't necessarily need to then you are allowing the parasite population to build up a resistance and this will mean your wormer will stop working when you need it to and you will have to find another one if you can. Some areas of the country are more prone to parasite resistance and problems due to the fact that many worm eggs are killed by cold winters and some areas of the country just don't have cold enough winters to kill off the eggs. I won't go into the process of how to perform a fecal test, but it is really easy and Fias Co. Farm has a good detailed explanation. Or if you are like me and have a very good relationship with your vet you can do like I do. Gather all the samples and run to his office to use his lab and microscope. I do the work myself just using his equipment. Now on to vets. There are very few vets that understand goats and goat problems. Most large animal vets deal with cows and horses. When it comes to goats they have to try to remember that paragraph that they read in vet school umpteen years ago that dealt with goats. Then there are not many vets that have to deal with goats. Let me explain something about veterinary medicine that most people don't know and don't understand. First some background. My major in college was Biology with Zoology as my minor. Why? Because I thought I wanted to become a vet. So every summer from the time I graduated high school all through college every summer I interned with a group of 4 vets. In that group I have seen the very worst and the very best that vet schools can turn out onto the general animal population. One thing that I learned is that there is not much hands on practical training in vet school. In fact, one of the vets that I interned with was a brilliant surgeon, another one was not and was downright deadly in surgery. Yep, I said deadly. I asked one of the other vets how the deadly vet ever graduated vet school when he couldn't even intubate an animal properly. Guess what, a vet doesn't know what kind of surgeon they will be until after they graduate and are in practice. They don't get surgical experience until that point. They go through a rotation in vet school usually after they have decided whether or not they will be a small, large or exotic vet. Every vet goes through the rotation in which they will work in the small animal clinic for a little while, then move to the barn for awhile and then those that want to do exotics kinda have to hope that there are exotic animals around or that the school has an exotic specialist. So in the large animal rotation those students might or might not see a goat. More likely they won't. The reason being is that most goat owners are not going to spend that kind of money taking their animals to the vet school for treatment. Most vet schools concentrate on cows and horses because that is mostly what they see. So vets get very little training for goats and pretty much have to gain the knowledge for themselves. I am lucky in that I have a vet who is an exotics specialist and because of him wanting to specialize in all sorts of animals (he is also the zoo vet) his knowledge base is broader than most. he truly is a brilliant man, but is terrified of horses! Go figure. he doesn't mind elephants, but my stallion scares the daylights out of him. So that is the scoop on why your vet might not really have the knowledge that you think he does or should. Doesn't necessarily mean he is bad vet, just that he might not have experience with that particular animal. Ok, back to worms. While goats are ruminants and use many of the same meds and wormers as cows they are different critters than cows. There are no wormers designed with perfect instructions for goats. Usually we use cattle wormers off label with the dosage adjusted if need be for goats. Usually we have to find that information on our own by talking to breeders who are much more experienced than we are and of course researching online for ourselves. So the bottom line is to educate yourself so that you can second opinion your vet or anyone else that tells you what wormer you need to use. They might be telling you to worm with something that is not a wormer. Know your medications. A farmer and livestock owner has many roles to play, that is why this life is never ever boring. A livestock owner is a caretaker, groom, nutrition specialist, chemist,parasitologist, botanist, vet, midwife, etc. etc. Ok, let's move onto symptoms of a worm infestation. The main symptoms are: dull coat, pale gums, diarrhea, drop in milk production, lack of appetite, listlessness, clumpy stools or chronic coughing (lung worms). There are others but these are the main ones to look for. Of course, if you don't see these and your goat seems off or not quite right it would be a good idea to check a fecal sample to rule out worm infestation. Now, deciding which wormer to use? Check with your vet and a local long time breeder and talk with them about what they use or suggest. Some wormers are better for some worms than others, this is where your fecal test will come in. using a wormer that really only is affective again lungworms does you no good if you have a problem with H.contortus (coccidia). I won't go into all of the different wormers here. Fias Co. Farm has a really great description of chemical and herbal wormers, dosages, withholding times and whether or not it is safe for pregnant does. She has been raising goats a lot longer than I have and defer to her judgement and knowledge. So I think that is a really good chunk of information and that I did really good not rambling. I hope everyone finds it helpful. Blessings from the farm.

Canning Apples and Pears

I don't like my apples and pears to be canned in a heavy syrup. The fruit to me is sweet enough and doesn't need any added sugar. However, using plain water will sap some of the goodness from the fruit and they just don't taste very good if canned in plain water. So, I use apple juice to can both of them. It also gives me a good way to preserve some juice for later. Once we open the jar, then we can drink the juice when the fruit is eaten. I do add a minimal amount of lemon juice to preserve the color of the apples and pears, but it is so minimal you really can't taste it. Trust me on that. So with one canning day I have preserved two items that are important to my family...food and juice. Now any apples or pears that are being canned for pies or tarts are canned in a syrup, but the juice is saved for those to be eaten right from the jar. Enjoy!

More on Citrus Products

As I said in my last post I love citrus...oranges, tangerines, grapefruit doesn't matter because I simply love it. So do my children and were it not for thinking ahead we would go through some serious citrus withdrawals here until the Florida season got underway. So I have already mentioned that I can tangerines/mandarin oranges. I also can oranges and grapefruit. I prefer to can navel oranges with Ruby red grapefruit as those are our favorite and the navel oranges section better than the Valencia's. But those Valencia's will never be left out in our home. We eat Valencia's all winter long until we are about to turn into a Valencia. And then well what is the best use of a Valencia? Juice....homesqueezed fresh off the tree sunshiny taste. However, if you can this fresh homesqueezed juice you change the taste. So, I save up my plastic mayonnaise jars and freeze it. Then, during the off season I simply pull out a jar and voila....I have that wonderful homesqueezed Valencia goodness. So just thought I would share these few tips with you folks so that you too can enjoy the deliciousness and many health benefits of citrus fruit all year. Enjoy!