Out Around the Barn

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.

What causes a bull or a cow to go blind?  It is not always caused by an injury; it can be caused by allergies or particles in the air that irritate and by irritation of flies and insects.  If not treated quickly can cause blindness. 

I am talking about a form of Pink – eye, an acute contagious conjunctivitis marked by redness of the eyeball.  The symptoms are redness and swelling of the eye and some can even get ulcerated spots on their eyes.  This actually causes temporary blindness.  They will run into fences and walk in circles due to confusion.  They can get lost from the herd and if cornered can become dangerous due to lack of sight and fear of the unknown.

This particular form must be treated medically by an antibiotic spray (that you can purchase from you local veterinary) given with an antibiotic injection.  We use LA – 300 Antibiotic (also purchased from vet), this is one livestock medicinal item we keep on hand in our medical and farm supplies.  Both of these, the spray and the injection, given together will help your animal heal and recover quickly with less risk of total blindness.  Most will recover with 100% of their vision restored but, there may be some that will not fully regain their eyesight back at 100%.  Depending on how long they had the infection and how severe the infection will determine what damage was caused.

It is most imp0rtant to treat your cattle and livestock as soon as you notice any signs of irritation or redness of the eyes.  It does happen to the best of us; we work the farm; planting fields, away from the livestock , maybe at a second j0b and do not notice the changes right away.  They, also, do not just creep up overnight either, so to speak, so it is no wonder that it can get away from us, at any given time.  We just have to do the best we can and as soon as we notice a problem; we tackle it head on and give it our full attention and care.

There is not one single thing that can prevent this particular infection from occuring in your livestock but as a preventative measure, keep your pastures cut low enough during the growing season so that your livestock are not fighting the tops of the grasses and weeds to feed on the grass available to them.  As a preference, we try to keep ours cut no shorter than ankle length when we mow the pastures.  This allows the grass to contiunue its growth and kills most of the weeds or, at least, causes them to grow at a slower pace allowing the cattle enough grass to eat during the spring, summer and fall seasons.

There is always stress on your animals when you wean the little ones from their mamas.  It does not matter the type or breed, there will be crying from both the mamas and babies.  Besides all the noise the animals will want to get back together and they will look for any opening to do just that. 

For at least three to four days they will walk the fences, try to jump the fences and try to climb through or crawl under any opening just to get back together.  We always wean in the sign of the moon and have mostly good results but, there are always those few that just cannot get with the program.

So, what do you do when they get back together and you have to begin the process all over again?  Really, I do not know what the best plan is.  I take it one day at a time and go with the flow.  Try as I might, I fill and close any openings that I find, where I think they are getting through and try again.  Does it work?  Sometimes but, not always. 

I weaned my kids, baby goats, 2 weeks ago and have only had them all get out one day but Jillie has gotten out 12 out of the 14 days they have been weaned.  It never fails, I go out to feed and she is back with Miss Dolly, her mama.  She is such a pet, I spoil them awful, that it is nothing to get her back in with the others but keeping her in is a problem.  It is hard not to think it is funny or cute but, she needs to stay in her pen. 

Reinforcing the fencing is the best plan to keep them contained and having fencing supplies on hand is helpful.  There are those moments, and I have a lot of them, that you just have to rig something up until you have the time when you can complete the job.  Fencing wire, wire cutters, tools and the rest of fencing supplies are necessary livestock equipment to have on the farm and handy at a moments notice.

It’s official, Spring is here.  It is calving season at our farm.  It actually started the first of March and we now have 9 little ones on the ground.  It seems that it always takes longer when your are anticipating  them. 

Before the season starts, we make sure our tack and livestock supplies are ready at hand.  We never know when we have to saddle a horse and go check the herd.  Our cows make a trip to the house  every other day or so.  It is then when we start to see the little ones up close and get a head count of just how many we have.  If any of our cows don’t come up or we haven’t seen them within 5 days, we saddle a horse and ride. 

We have to keep our gear in good condition so that we can use it in a moments notice.  For our saddles, we use saddle racks to store them when not in use.  This helps keep there shape and off the floor.  Same as with our ropes and bridles, they have their own assigned place in the tack room for each animal.  Keeping the leather soft with oil is  a great way to maintain your tack.  This is good for you and also for your animal. 

Not keeping your tack in good condition could cause problems not only for you financially, due to having to replace them but, also for your horse to keep them from getting sores  from gear that just don’t set right on their back or in their mouth.

After retiring from corporate life, my wife and I decided to move to the Midwest to be closer to our immediate relations. In order to stay busy and active, we purchased a farm on a small plot of land. We don’t plan to turn a profit from the property, hopefully just produce enough vegetables and milk so that we don’t have to buy them from the store.

When first moved in, the livestock supply left much to be desired. After doing some searching online, we found a store that carried everything from feed to livestock sorting paddles. Once we received the supplies, we quickly worked to develop a routine and get the barn, crops and animals in working order. It took some time to acclimate to the new lifestyle, but we both are enjoying the pace and atmosphere that life on the farm affords.

As far as I can remember, we have always had cats on the farm.  We were not allowed to have them inside so ours stayed out in the barn.  There was always more than one and at times we would get up to 15 to 20 at a time depending on how many litters were born.

Not until a few years ago when my mother decided to have a cat in her house, did I get to like the idea.  I have had dogs in the house and my children all have dogs in their houses, but it has only been recently that I have thought about having one of my own.  I have one now outside that I have been taming that was born in the fall and have gave serious consideration of bringing her, Raja, in and housebreaking her.

Cats are great for the farm because they help keep the rodent population under control but also make a wonderful pet.  Inside cats are great for comfort and to have the pleasure and joy of having someone to cuddle with and love. 

Either way, inside or out, cats need to have a healthy diet  and exercise.  This can be accomplished by providing activities for your cat by playing ball with them or having them take a walk with you.  You mostly hear of walking your dog, why not your cat?  The other thing is their diet, provide them with a healthy food made for them.  If not sure what your cat needs, contact your local veterinary.

Cats, in my opinion, are a part of any farm, inside or out.  The can be considered as farm equipment or supply due to their rodent reduction abilities.  They are a joy to have around and are great pets.  Just remember, if wanting to have one inside, make sure you have the time to spend with your cat.  A well loved cat is a Happy Cat.

In July of 2008, my horse, Blaze, injured his leg pretty severely.  It took us 8 months to get him healed up.  It was a mess, torn tendons and infection.  He healed well with some much noticed scar tissue and a swollen ankle that he will always have.  In March of 2009, I was finally able to ride him again and was looking forward to getting back to riding more often.

Last week he came to the barn with a serious cut on the same leg only in front above the hoof this time.  Apparently, he somehow sliced it with a piece of rubble from a barn that had been destroyed in recent storms. 

So, we begin to use a proven technique to help get him healed and going again.  Always remember to give your horse an out when working with him.  Allow him to feel as if he has a place to go so he does not feel confined while working on him. Using an Iodine wash that we add to warm to hot water, we wash the wound with a soft bristle brush, after cleaning it well, we dry the wound and around it.  We then put a powder called, Proud Flesh Powder, on it to help loosen and rid the wound of proud flesh, then we apply Ichthammol ointment to draw any infections or debris out of it.  We cover the wound with a non-stick bandage then wrap with clean rag and vet wrap.  After we feel we have drawn out the debris and gunk from the wound we will discontinue the ointment and use Cut & Heal Spray and then bandage.

This has helped us in getting our animals up and going again,  Keeping these livestock supplies on hand really cuts down on the healing time when you need them at a moments notice.

We are so happy this week.  After 6 losses, we now have twins that have survived.  Miss Dolly delivered Wednesday morning, to my delight, twins.  Boy and Girl named Jack and Jill.  I was so happy to see them and watch as Miss Dolly carec for them.  She is becoming a wonderful Mama. 

Today, they are 4 days old and have started playing more with each other.  This evening, after getting the chores done, I sat in the barn and watched them play.  They started with filling their bellies and then lying down.  It didn’t take long and they were up and sniffing the straw and each other and then it became hilarious.  Jack would try to jump and would get his front hoofs in the air and then fall over.  Next, Jill would do the same thing.  They just seemed to take turns and then all of the sudden they were doing it together.  They would jump and then fall down.  It just became comical and I burst out laughing.  The other nannies probably thought I was strange.  They all just stared at me.

I have to admit, I have a soft spot for babies, whether human or animals, and just love watching them at play.  They are just so adorable. 

Even though, I go on about their play time, I still have to make sure they are kept dry and have clean bedding and warmth, on the cold days and nights.  Right now, they enjoy their own little cubical with Mama but in a day or so I will be turning them all out with the others.   Mama has her own water bucket and small livestock feeder that are easy to move .  This way when we get ready to move them back into the herd we can just open the gate, move the bucket and feeder and allow them to move when they are ready. 

It is pretty simple to care for goats, the one thing is that you have to be consistant and you should be fine.

As anyone who has lived or worked on a farm to attest to, it never seems like there are enough hours in the day to get everything done. From tending to the animals to maintaining the facilities, every set of hands is constantly finding a way to keep busy. Because of this hectic nature, it is extremely important to ensure that all of the daily tasks are well-planned and streamlined.

Luckily there are a multitude of supplies and equipment available to help make the most of each minute that you are working. Just one example of this is livestock feeders. They allow to feed animals is a safe and effective manner, allowing you to proceed with the rest of your daily tasks.

In todays economy we have to make use of all the things that we already have on hand.  We just cannot afford to go out and buy new stuff and put it on our credit cards anymore so we must improvise.  It is amazing what you can find around the barn, house or yard that you can make use of.

On of the things that we have started getting a lot of use out of is a drop sided wagon.  (Look in the background of the above picture in the doorway of the barn, and you will see our wagon.)  If and when we need to haul several buckets of feed at once but really don’t need the truck or tractor, it comes in very handy.  A bale of straw or hay fits in it just perfect and you can pull it with you right into the barn.  This little wagon can go places that other equipment cannot even fit into.    It has rubber tires and maneuvers well.  Having a bad back, it has became one of the farm supplies that I cannot do without.  It saves me from having to carry feed out to the cattle because I can just load the buckets and pull them out to the feeders  in the wagon, unload and dump.  The stress and strain is no longer a problem.

Another item I have made use of is a hard rubber water trough.  I placed it up next to the house under a downspout and now collect rain water in it.  I have discovered that by using rain water on my seedlings and plants  in my green house is better for them than city water with all the chlorine.  I bottle it in milk jugs and plastic bottles and store it to use for my house plants all year round.  It really works great.   Even in the winter, I’ll fill the jugs and keep my supply stocked.  I only have a problem if it freezes. 

Look around, see what you can use out of all the things you already have.  You may be surprised.