Missing The Little Things

We have left the farm, but the farm has not left us. We cannot have a day where a conversation won't end with, "Too bad we don't have some goats for that,", or "The chickens would clean this up".

FIL Francis feeding fries to the hens last summer

Yep - throwing perfectly good scraps into the compost seems such a shame. Watching the chickens waddle over to tear the latest contributions apart was part of the fun, but knowing we were recycling and feeding them at the same time felt good. You've seen the chickens. Healthiest bunch for miles, or at least fattest. Best eggs ever! I miss those too.


Weeding and Weaning - 2011 -Sweet Pants babysitting

We hate having to mow this little lawn. A couple of goats could take perfect care of it, and then knock back some of the brush. Sigh!

We also really miss the bats in the barn (really cool!) AND...AND - the barn swallows.

Now a year ago, I don't think I would have included the barn swallows. By now the barn is full of their mud nests and they are dropping nesting scraps and their droppings everywhere. We had to be careful where water buckets and food sat. Anything of value was covered with feed bags or plastic. But the one thing the barn swallows and bats were good for - BUGS! They ate lots of them.

Mosquitoes. They love me. I can honestly say that in a mere week, maybe even a day (its been wet lately), I get more bites on my body then I did in ten YEARS at the farm. True. True. True.

Never EVER complain about bats, no matter how much guano is in your attic. Luckily for us, it was all in the barn, and yes, I hated them when I first got the spanking new John Deere. Covered it with plastic for months. Then I just finally figured out where there were the least bat homes, and flipped my seat forward and parked there. It is a tractor!

Boots and Brianna May 2012

One of the things I can luckily do, is follow the farm with the help of the new owners, and you can too. Here is the link to Rush Around Farm. They have already expanded and are having new adventures. I'm jealous, but...I'm glad they have taken on the farm as they have. I think you will appreciate what they are doing also.

http://www.rusharoundfarm.com/blog/

Is Arctic Cold Warmer Than Frigid?

No news to anyone watching the telly or reading the news - our part of the country is days into an "Arctic Freeze". Well tonight's forecast has a blue thermometer and the word "frigid" next to it. Are we to surmise that means its getting worse? Or have they run out of ways to express the cold we are suffering through.

I will tell you that the goats have had mostly indoor recess, with a short outdoor stint where they spend most of their time standing together in the shed, watching my kitchen door.  I can hear them cursing my name! When the sun is out I want them to get a little fresh air and solar heat, even if that is tough to feel when the wind kicks back up.  Yesterday I even went into the shed with them to show it really wasn't that bad out there. I was met with blank stares.

Little Brianna followed and waited for something exciting to happen like heat blowers to start up. Kids! They are so eager and gullible.

I had my camera in my pocket. That's where it was when I tromped back into the house. Taking off my gloves for anything is quick and painful. My rubber boots feel like rocks on my feet as I walk over the frozen ground.

Normally this would be kidding season here, and I am sure it is on other farms. I'm betting the electric bills are going to be high to keep everyone warm for those that survive being born during this freeze. As it is, I have cracked skin. Imagine kidding and maybe milking to get the slow starters going.

God bless the farmers working out there this month!

Christmas Tree Recycling - Rite of Winter at On the Pond Farm

After a warm start and not much snow, winter arrived the day after Christmas with a pretty messy snow storm. Late that morning, we actually got on the road to visit the new grand baby, and didn't even make it beyond the township limits before we realized our mistake. So we turned around, only to see snow plows going the other way, and for a few minutes the snow even stopped pounding down.

Do we keep going?

No. What's the rush.

There wasn't one, aside from getting back to our favorite new boy.

The next day was a better experience.

So when we got back home, Christmas trees were starting to pile up, and phone calls and emails were coming in asking if we needed trees again. I love our friends and neighbors for this. Not only does this keep the goats happy, it also cuts down on feed costs. I'm sure even the citiest city folk have heard about the price of corn and grains. Wasn't it just last week that I read about huge round bales of hay being stolen. Crazy!

Until the last couple of days of warmer temperatures, we had a field of snow and ice. Of course, now we have boot sucking mud. Where is the middle ground? I think we can hope for that three days in May if we're lucky!

Goats On Pasture

I know that the goats on pasture is nothing new here, but after the ten dismal days of Sandy, it felt new.

Smiling Speckles

This past week, their personalities are starting to show through again with their cozying and curiosity, when I spend time in the field with them.

Post Sandy gloom and rain had them hunkered in the sheds way too much, and hay was becoming a larger staple in the evening meal.

Brianna at six months old

Now with the newest rotation, they would likely burst with more hay.

As a matter of fact, I had one close call on Election Day with a bit of bloat, but a couple hours of attention with baking soda "shots"(oral), and the crisis passed.

Twee

I think Vinegar, here in the background of her first daughter Twee, got into something the third day they were in the corral. She came into the barn looking five months pregnant(that's full term for those new here), but luckily was not foaming at the mouth. After that day, the girls ended their corral clean up.

Adeline

 VIDEO of the goats at breakfast

Today I took a walk in the lower field, partly to inspect the fences, and partly to get the girls to the far end of the field.

When all else fails, I am the leader and they easily follow. They'd still be by the barn, had I not led them today. Its an important job, being the Herd Queen!

And here they have two acres of pasture, but four of them have to try and eat from the same square foot.  Herd mentality.

Maternal Instincts

I was heading up to move some fences, and stopped to check on the babies, outdoors for the first time.

They were sunning themselves against the back of the shed. A favorite spot it seems.

As I was leaning on the fence, Saba started snorting and acting quite odd. 

I'd never seen a goat "sit" like this.

She was doing all she could to put her body over and around her babies as she tried to stare down the cats. Even her ears were pointed at the cat. 
Here's more of the action and the sounds of Saba snorting.

That's one thing about goats, they confront. They don't run away. We find it very curious that the goats seem to be most afraid or disturbed by the cats. Only one goat had gone after the dog when she had new kids.  Makes you wonder what they fear.

Why Its Great To Be A Goat Herder

Saba's Twins - Boots and Brianna

Adorable Boots(left) and Brianna will be two days old this afternoon, but you are only seeing them now because my computer time has been restricted with work being done in the house.  

I went out on Wednesday to check on Saba as she had let me know she was not hanging with Speckles "the abuser" in the corral anymore. She chose to hang in the barn with me as I cleaned the stalls, and that's where I left her, as we were having weird, changing weather every hour (really -snow, sleet, hail, sun, wind, snow, sleet...you see what I'm getting at.). I was about to run errands in town and decided to check the barn, even though I had been listening for tell tale noise and heard none. 

I looked into the stall and Saba was quietly laying in the corner. I was about to leave when I saw a big, red blob of placenta nearby. I said Saba, "What have you done?", and stepped in the stall.  Behind her were the quietest newborn twins ever. I was actually afraid they were stillborn till they both moved. 

After the usual neighborhood calls, Allison and I got the kids dried, umbilical cords trimmed and dipped, and moved them to a clean waiting stall.

Then almost as quickly, Boots got his name from Allison when I noticed that all four feet had brown shoes or "boots".

 It turns out the twins were so quiet because they had already done a fine job nursing and quietly continued to do so, without any assistance from the anxious humans!

Brianna has us all excited with her markings and just the fact that we have another doe. Hurray!

So are we done for the year?  Still watching the yearling does, but its too hard to tell.  Maybe Memorial Day??