Thursday, May 24, 2012

Livestock Updates: Videos May 24

It was brought to my attention today that I have not updated you on the regular goings-ons around the farm. I agreed and thought I might take some time to do that today. Today turned into tonight before I knew it and now, it is 10 pm and I am finally settled to unwind before bed.

Equine:
Jasmine has been put into service in assisting us to mow the lawn around the front part of our lawn which is desperate to become a pond. It regularly has 2 feet of standing water in the middle. It is my hope that this year, it will get its wish. In the meantime, Sean put up a temporary fence around it. I can't mow there, but Jasmine is having the best time eating the foot tall green grass growing all around it. She has not been eating very much of her hay, preferring the greens in her pasture, which is a good sign for this time of year. Meaghan spent the last two weeks brushing her winter coat from her and she looks just gorgeous.

Caprine:



Sean and I finished installing a gate for entrance into the goat pasture today. That makes bringing Ellie out for her milking much easier. We suspect that Pepper might be pregnant. I bought a pregnancy test, but getting her to pee in the cup, has proved more difficult than anticipated. If she is, that is a good thing; as a 2 year old, she is ready to be bred and we had planned on breeding her with Jedi this year. Leah and Rachel are growing and healthy. Asher had a milk goiter on his neck. (This is a swelling cyst on the chin/neck area of a nursing goat. Sometimes it comes to a head and ruptures. We feel it is better to lance the goiter with a sterile needle, drain it, and treat with a topical iodine or alcohol against infection.) This happens often with young goats and though it looks horrible as it swells, it usually remedies itself and did for us this time. Abigail is not showing any signs, and like her brother is growing like a weed. Notice how much bigger both Abigail and Asher are compared to Buster! Jedi is in need of a hoof treatment, which he is scheduled for on Sunday afternoon. He will not like the process, but will feel much better after it is done. And, it is time to administer routine worming medicine all around this weekend, too.

Porcine:
Patches and Ebony are glad that weather has changed. They did some housekeeping and removed all the hay from under their shelter. They are scheduled to move to their new home this weekend. I know they are really going to love the new place, though they may miss the ducks company, initially. I will take pictures and video of their new place. It seems like this move is taking forever, but I guess that is because I am anxious to see them settled. I know they are going to love all the room in their new yard and home.

Canines & Felines:
There are no new happenings to report about the dogs or cats (thankfully!) if you go under the premise that no news is good news. They are all accounted for, healthy, and other than needing baths, which is on the list for this weekend and a hair cut for Angus, everyone is doing fine.

Lagamorphs:
Bridget has moved to her summer home and is busy digging escape holes from inside her house. She might as well be a wild bunny through the warmer months. There has been more than one time, that I have looked out the kitchen window to spy her sunbathing on the wrong side of her fenced area, this being our queue, to move her home over, so she can begin again with her digging endeavors. Edith is in need of her monthly teeth clipping. I am sure Sean will take care of that this weekend, too- just not when I am around. While I am normal impervious to handling or assisting with any necessary vetting, but when it comes to this chore, Sean is on his own! I cannot deal with it. Thankfully, he can, as his routinely doing it, keeps Miss Edith alive and able to eat and drink properly.

Avian:
Sean finished the roof of the chicken coop last weekend. This weekend, we are expanding every one's fencing to give them twice the room. It is almost time for the ladies to be on pasture part of each day, which means, it is time to build this year's chicken tractors! Today, the chicken and duck hens laid 20 eggs! This is a new high count for us.

Sean and I candled the new incubating eggs and were pleased to find that 27 out of 28 eggs are growing normally. One of them contained the tell tale red blood ring of an egg that failed to develop in the early stages of chick development and needed to be removed. The eggs are on day 11 of development today. They are due to hatch on June 3.



The ducklings are thriving. They had their first play date outside today with me. We all enjoyed that very much. I especially loved today's discovery. When I went inside to grab my camera, they ran to the side of the cage peeping madly as soon as I got out of their sight. When I walked to the other side of the cage to sit near them to snap some pictures, they ran to the side I was sitting on. Based on that behavior, I had a hunch that the ducklings had imprinted successfully on me. When I took them out, my suspicion was confirmed. Just writing this makes me smile. I was so hoping that would happen! They follow me around like... well, baby ducks.



After some research online, I believe that one of these ducklings is a Mallard and the other is at least part, Black Swedish. We'll be able to tell for sure when they get their permanent feathers in a few months. They still need names, but these things take time to get them right.

Vegetables:
All seven varieties of tomatoes and 5 varieties of peppers are growing well; the tomatoes have already been replanted and have grown again to nearly 18 inches tall and are beginning to flower! We'll be putting them in their garden plots soon. The eight grape plants, planted in the last two years, have woken up from their winter's rest and are budding like crazy. The strawberries have blossoms, but no berries, yet. We still must begin our cold tolerant veggies, still. It is getting on in the year and the onions, carrots, peas and radishes are all wanting to be planted or we'll risk a stunted season for them.

I think that catches everyone up to date. With the long weekend coming up, I know we are going to have much more to post. For now, this country girl needs some bed time, but I couldn't resist just one more duck picture!

Goodnight, friends!
Sonja ♥

1 comment:

  1. Glad all is going well. I am happy that Asher's boo boo resolved itself. More baby goats, woo hoo! That is so weird about Edith's teeth, but glad Sean can handle it. Those ducks love their mommy! How sweet!

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