Out Around the Barn

I believe I wrote about a similar subject a while back but decided to write about this again since I took a spill last evening and am now nursing my sore body back to whatever it is to feel normal.  We have had such a mild and warm winter and it has been so pleasant, but now, here in Illinois, a cold, and I mean single digit cold, has finally arrived.  I miss the warmer temps but I am glad for the freeze, I just hope it stays long enough to kill the bugs and insects so we are not over run by them this summer.

As, I mentioned earlier, I took a spill last evening while trying to get some hay for my goats.  I am not sure exactly sure what had happened but it was right after dusk had settled in and the ground was frozen and all of the sudden, I was falling to the ground and hit it hard.  I am so lucky the pitchfork landed away from my falling body so I didn’t land on it.  It sure seems strange that three days ago we were wading in mud and now the ground is frozen hard as a rock. 

The weather can change things so fast and the fact that it is so difficult to walk on frozen ground where cattle have recently trod that I am guessing I either lost my footing and tripped over a frozen pile of, well you know, or I had a spell of vertigo.  Whichever it was, it was not fun.  So in light of all of this, be careful of the changing weather and the ground surfaces.  I always feared ice, but now, well I fear frozen manure, how funny is that. 

Have a great day everyone and now that we are getting things better organized, we will be posting more.

It has been a very hectic year and so many changes have taken place. We are ending the year in good standing with a few new members to our barnyard, five miniature horses.  These new additions were part of my good will effort to rescue them from a farm that had ran out of pasture and the owners were just sick that they could not feed them.  They were in good physical shape and between wild and semi-tame.

The owner and I had worked together with putting on petting zoo clinics for the elderly at nursing homes this past summer.  She knew I was an animal lover and called me up and asked if I would have room to take 2 or 3 of her herd and give them a home.  Al and I went to look at them and came home with three; Cocoa, Jessie and Mistress Minnie, the baby of the herd.  I fell in love with them before I even got them home.  They are just a pleasure to watch and play around with.  It is a task to get them to cooperate at times since they have not been messed with in quite some time.  I can get close to all of them but they are still skiddish and fearful at times and spook extremely easy.

They get along fine and I would mess with them as much as time would allow, but not as much as I would like to.  About three weeks later I was contacted again and a couple had backed out of taking the stallion and mare, which is expecting in Feb./Mar.  I had to do my “FLIRTY EYE MOVE” to get Al to agree to just go look at them once more.  Of course, I knew we would be bringing them home because he hooked up the trailer and away we went.  So I now have five.

Taco, the stallion, and Sugar had not ever been separated and she had delivered healthy colts and fillies for the past eight years.  The owner said the could not be separated or they would just be uncontrollable.  I kept them together for three days and then I took a risk and separated them.  It took Taco a while to adjust being alone but he does just fine.  Sugar has to stop by his stall on the way back in the barn once in a while just to say “hello” and then goes on.  Taco will do his “I am the Man” dance every once in a while but for being told he was wild and I would have a hard time with him, we get along fine.  It took me an hour to get him to come to me and a halter on and now we are “buds”.  I must say that he is just so beautiful.  A miniature black stallion and with the lines and mane to go with it.  So petite but full of spirit and spunk.  Don’t let them fool anyone, just because they are small does not mean that they cannot put away the food.  I feed them Grostrong Ultra Fiber and they eat it up.  They are not shy when it comes to meal time.  I did have to make some changes in the feeding area and that is they cannot reach any of our feed bunks so feeding pans were placed and it makes feeding time a lot easier.

We have had a busy year but our animal family continues to grow.  We are ending the year with new stock and new baby goats on the way within two weeks.  Life on the farm is just great.

I surely love this time of year.  Everything is green, there is a freshness in the air, there is new birth in every direction that you look; in the trees, on the ground, in the pastures and in the barns.  I tend to get real excited waiting for the birthing season to begin.  I just cannot wait to hold the new chicks and kids (baby goats) and see all the new calves running in the pastures.

In my last post I mentioned how many little ones we had so far, well, we are now finished birthing and our total count is 23 baby calves, 13 kids (only lost 1 this year), and we ended up with 57 baby chicks.  My total count on chickens now is 105.  Thursday, my mom and I dressed 5 Broilers and in a few weeks we’ll have 18 more to do.  It is sure an all day job but worth it to have meat in the freezer for winter.

I am beginning to enjoy my chickens more and have a few that really enjoy being played with.  I only had three types of chickens, White Leghorns, Buff Orpingtons, and Bathams; oh, and a couple of California Dots.  Now I still have all of these plus Americanas, Rhode Island Reds, and Sexlinks.  When I first had to get them all on a schedule, it became a round the clock job because I first had to have them in the garage until they could handle the cool weather.  Thank goodness they all have a home in the coup now. 

I was so upset with them the other day; I let them out of the coup during the day if the weather is decent, and they found their way to my strawberry patch and ate all the tops of them.  I did not even think about them doing that, I just wanted them in my compost to stir it up for me.  I had just got my first picking off my strawberries and then I find this.

I am now in the process of raising my garden in my greenhouse since it is so wet here.  I am hoping it will dry up soon so I can get my plants in the ground.  I am afraid we are in for another hectic summer.

Spring has sprung, Easter has passed, and we are on our way to working outdoors in the yard, gardening, and on the farm.  We are close to the close of our birthing season  for the year; we have 4 more cows and a couple of 2 yr. old heifers to have calves and we have 2 more goats (Boar) to have little ones;  I have 10 already. And if that weren’t enough, we have 33 baby chicks.  Combining all of them together, I have 52 new baby animals.  It sure keeps me busy.

With the re-birth of Spring and all the new babies, it keeps a person busy making sure all of them are eating well and the mamas are keeping them well fed.  From experience, I have learned that is pays to keep a close eye on them for the first couple of weeks to make sure they are staying healthy.

Things to look for is coughing, discharge, fever, being inactive, and loss of appetite. Once they are feeling better, their health should improve.  It is not to say that you may need to talk to a veterinary and get some medications in case they do become ill.  Even though, we sometimes feel like we know how to treat them and what to give, we are not necessarily always right in our diagnosis.  If in question about anything, always check with the professionals.

I am talking from experience, since last year I lost 9 baby goats before I found out the real problem and began treating it.  I knew nothing about Coccidiosis and learned the hard way, what it was and what to do about it.

One issue, I am having this year is the nannies are having their babies and a week to two later, they are expelling discharge and bleeding.  It has been an issue with everyone of them.  So, I went to the vet and he suggested a long lasting penicillin.  Then you watch them for 3 days and if it doesn’t seem to have an effect, give another dose and then talk to the vet if not better within two weeks.

Always keep their bedding dry and keep them out of the rain to avoid foot rot.  Once you get it on you farm, it is hard to get rid of.  Take care of your babies and Good Luck. 

Pictured here is Beauty and her triplets born on March 26, 2011, Jack, Junior and Jada.  Just minutes after their birth.

Most of us assume that when individuals such as farmers and homemakers work at home; they have a very simple and easy life.  Well,  that is not the case. Working at home doesn’t mean that challenges and deadlines aren’t a part of their lives just like everyone else.  They face them everyday and it could be as simple as being interrupted by excessive phone calls, upset and crying or sick children, nothing going as planned, the overwhelming feeling lack of social contact, and too many projects that need their attention.  Working at home can be very economic for some and it works out well, but it can also be frustrating when there are other distractions at home that we do not have to deal with when we work away from home.

On the farm, there is always something to do.  Livestock needs to be fed grain and hay on a schedule, morning and evening, a ample supply of water must be available to them at all times, if one is under the weather, so to speak, it needs the necessary attention to get it back to good health so it can return to the herd.  Having a vet on speed dial is pretty important when an animal goes down, depending on the illness or injury, it may need immediate attention and professional help. Animals go through stress, as well, when they become sick or injured, so it is imperative that we remain calm while tending to them.  The barns and shelters must be kept in good shape and dry for the livestock to have a place they can go out of the weather so hauling manure is a job that must be done on a regular schedule and the fences must be strong enough to turn cattle and horses so that they stay contained within their boundaries.  If you have close neighbors, it is not a pleasant experience when you have a few stubborn head of cattle that like to test you and push the fence.  People don’t like unwanted animals in their gardens and yards.

When the time comes for breeding your herds, keeping a record of the day the bull or stud went in with the cows or mares, is extremely important.  This goes for goats, sheep and other breeds as well.  By knowing when you put them together, you will have an idea of when to expect the birthing season to begin and can prepare your barns or make the necessary arrangements for the events to come.  Records are also important in keeping track of vaccinations, days bought and sold, births, and injuries and illnesses.  I keep track of when I de-worm my goats, when their hooves get trimmed, when I change feed and minerals and etc.

It is a wonderful life, living and working a farm.  It has its stresses and challenges on a daily basis but, on the flip side, it can be a peaceful and calming life.  Every job has a place for schedules and time management and that includes those jobs at home, it really doesn’t matter what you do, we all have them.  Life does feel a little simpler on the farm when out working with Mother Nature and God’ creations but it is LIFE, and with that there is never a dull moment.

Today, as I sat here thinking of the upcoming holidays, I was reminded of the years harvest and that the farmers have finished bringing in their crops.  The fields outside my window here are barren, corn stalks are all that is left and the grass is turning brown.  The farm machinery is mostly put away for the season and the roads are clear of the slow traffic.

It is not funny when I think about it because there just wasn’t that much machinery on the roads this year.  Even five years ago, there were just so many out there and now we are a dying breed. The farmers are disappearing; small farms can not keep up with the changing economy, the price of livestock is either outrageous or bottomed out; it is just too hard for most.  It is mostly the larger farms and agriculture business that remain. 

I wonder what is going to happen if the farmer no longer exists.  Food will be so scarce and expensive that it will be hard for anyone to even obtain unless you are wealthy and that is a scary thought.

I enjoy gardening and would hate it if I could not grow my own food in the summer.  I think we need to support our farmers and figure out a way to save the farms that are so much a part of our country’s history.  This is just my thoughts.

I have often heard a comment stated by Farmers and Ranchers that you should never let your guard down around an animal, no matter if they are a pet or otherwise.  I took this statement for granted, although I had witnessed a dog attack on my son by a dog that always seemed friendly.  (He is fine by the way, the dog was taken away).  Anyway, I was around my animals daily and messed with them and petted them, talked to them and we all got along.  Until a few weeks ago and I am still carrying the scars.

Our Billy Goat, Big Bad John Wayne, named by our Goddaughter, decided to just become stupid.  He has been kept away from the Nannies since June and they are all about to deliver now.  He had been showing signs of rebellion and I know he wants to be back with them but it is not time to put him back in.  On a Thursday morning, I went out to feed and turn the Nannies out to pasture and he had busted a couple of boards off the hay manger and had gotten stuck inside it.  I called Al at work and asked him how I was supposed to get him out.  I was instructed to just knock out the end of the manger and lead him out.  So I did just that.  Got him back into his pen and fed him.  I had situated him on the opposite side of the pen and secured him while I began to repair the manger so he could not get out again.  I was working away and all of the sudden I was slammed into the manger, losing my balance and thrown into a corner.  Before I could get a solid foothold, the billy came at me head bowed and braced and slammed me into the corner further and caused me to hit the wall of the barn full force.  I could not get balanced fast enough and he came again and again and again.  I tried grabbing for his horns to keep him at bay but my strength was no match to his brute force.  I know it was 15 to 20 hits and the more I struggled the harder he hit.  I could not get to my phone, there was no one on the place, the neighbors were a quarter of a mile away and all I could do was pray I could stay on my feet long enough to somehow find a way out of this terrifying ordeal.  It was then that my HERO arrived in a fat little 25 pound, four legged package with yelps at an extremely high pitch and with all her might came at him.  My Jack Russell, Bella, heard my cries and screams and came to my rescue.  I am not sure what she did but she got his attention and it gave me enough of an opening to fall over the closest fence.  I could not stand when I tried to get up and I needed to get away because he was then trying to come over the gate at me.  I scooted around the wall of the barn opposite the other side of the manger and what I had repaired plus more, he bagan destroying the manger as if he was determined to get at me.  I finally got up and with the help of the barn and supports made my way into the pen with the Nannies and pulled  the gate shut.  I found my phone and tried to call for help, barely breathing, I thought I was calling Al and got the wrong number.  No one home.  I tried again and whatever I said, all I heard on the other end was, “I am on my way”.  I collapsed there on the floor of the barn and tried to regulate my breathing.  It was there that Al found me.  His first concern was, “are you okay, do we need to go to the hospital, do you have broken bones?”  My concern was don’t let him get me.  Securing the gate he helped me to the house and helped me get calmed down and checked me for damages.  I was okay, except for the fact that I was in pain, mad, hurt, and really embarrassed that I could not control “MY” billy goat. 

That was the day that I learned to listen to those more experienced than me and to understand exactly what they mean when they make comments that make no sense at that time.  It is those comments of experience that could save a life or at least a serious injury. 

The next day I could barely walk;, it has been three weeks and I am still carrying the bruises and scars from his horns on my legs.  He is no longer my responsibility.  Al has moved him into another barn and feeds and waters him.  He will remain until we find another qualified billy for my herd so until then, I am to stay clear of the monster.  He has it in for me and some thought I was exaggerating when I told them that all I have to do is walk out the door and he sees me or hears my voice and he begins butting his head like he wants at me again until they seen and witnessed it for themselves.  So I do as I am instructed and keep my distance. 

Now I concentrate on my small herd and leave him be.  The kids will arrive before we know it and that I am excited about.  I will no longer take for granted the experience of others.  Most of the time they really may know what they are talking about.

I have been raising chickens now for about three years now and I still learn something new everyday.  I have Bantys, Leghorns and Buff Orringtons and they are all now grown.  I have started allowing them to roam the farm and have to alternate letting them out of their coup in the daytime and the dogs out of their pens at night.  I have found that to let them all out at once is unhealthy for the chickens especially.

I have 4 roosters and 43 hens.  They are now laying over 2 dozen eggs a day and I sell them for a buck a dozen otherwise I have them running out of my fridge, literally.  They are a sight to watch as they peck and roam around scrounging for worms and bugs and can make a mound out of nothing pretty fast.  I was surprised to go out to the barn to feed and found my storage room where I put straw and hay for my goats all in mounds and hills.  They work fast.

The other thing I am trying to learn is how to get them back in the coup when I need them there.  If I wait until 8 pm  they might go in pretty easy because it is getting dark but, there are days when I need them to go in earlier if I need to be gone or I know I won’t be able to be out at the barn at the time when they need to go in.  Right now I am chasing chickens everyday to get them in.  I seem to always have a couple stray away from the group and then it is a chore to get them back to where they belong.  I am afraid to get one of the dogs out to help since Jessie has caught one or two before and they didn’t make it.  So I run myself ragged just trying to get them in.  I have had to leave a c0uple out once or twice just for the sake of not being able to get them where they belong.

I keep my hens healthy by feeding them Egg Maker Complete Chicken feed.  This particular type of feed is designed to help the hens with all the nutrients they need in order to lay their eggs.  Love my Chicks!

Since I was a little girl I remember my mother teaching us to say a night time prayer,”Now I Lay me down to sleep, I pray dear Lord my soul to keep, if  I should die before I wake, I pray dear Lord my soul to take.”  I remember this as it was yesterday and I taught this same prayer to my children when they were little tykes.  Today you just do not hear the prayer much anymore and it is a real surprise when you hear a child pray these days.  God Bless those parents and grandparents that keep the power of prayer alive in their children.

I suppose you think it is funny for me to talk about prayer on a farm blog but if any one person knows about the power of prayer it is a farmer and his family.  We live by Faith and in order to have faith, prayer goes right along with it.  We look to the Lord our Father for a plentiful crop, for the rain when we need it, the sun when we need it and sometimes even when we don’t.  We depend on our Faith to keep us healthy in order to provide for our families and to tend to our crops and livestock.  We cannot always depend on the market to provide because it fluctuates constantly.  We have to depend on Faith to carry us through easy and happy times as well as the rough and tough times.  Faith is invisible yet we know it is real, we feel it every day just like the wind and through prayer we strengthen our Faith to help us through out our lives by talking to God and Trusting in Him.  God Bless us all.

I am writing about this today just because one of God’s beautiful creatures reminded me that we all have faith even if we aren’t human.  I took this photo of my kitten, Gizzer, while she was sleeping.  It just goes to show that all God’s creatures pray, at least that is what she looks like she is doing.  It was so adorable I had to share it with all of you.

 Just remember to keep your animals healthy and for Cats and Kittens try our Proud Paws Cat and Kitten food for great taste and good nutrition for your felines.

We all wished for summer and now it is here, 100 degree weather and the humidity, oh my!  With the weather reeking havoc on our crops and our own bodies, please remember the animals.