Warm Winter Animals

Lucy

Ferdinand

We have had three days reach into the high 20's and low 30's with SUN, glorious... warm... sun! The animals are enjoying it and so are the peoples. Chores are so much quicker and easier when things aren't threatening to shatter with every movement (up to and including fingers and toes!)

I took some time today to get outside and simply enjoy the animals for a bit. To ensure my welcome, I brought treats with me while I visited. Our geese seemed to appreciate them more than the ducks who gave me a cursory glace and went back to dabbling in the snow. Miss Lucy Goosy (Sebastapol) has warmed up to me and will come close to catch tortilla pieces. Mr. Ferdinand (Sebastapol) is completely fearless and takes snacks directly from my hand. I attribute that to his kindly upbringing. The folks who gifted us with him treated him gently and loved him very much. That kind attention has made him into a fine lad. I was hopeful that these two would bond and nest last year. Lucy was accepted into the flock well enough, but no eggs were laid. Perhaps this season. We hope so! We'd love to hatch Sebastopol goslings; some to add to our homestead and others to provide to folks who would love to raise them as pets. They are so lovely with their flowing ballerina feathers and calm temperament. ♥

When the treats were finished, so was the attention spared for me. The geese walked single file back to where the ducks were dabbling and settled themselves to bask in the sun. Dismissed, I wandered myself to visit with the chickens and turkeys.

It may seem like the turkeys live on this perch because quite a few photos are captured of them on it, but I promise that is not the case. They spend most of the day keeping order in the yard, digging for tidbits dropped in the hay and congregating at the potager gate. The turkeys are by far the friendliest birds on the homestead. They follow Sean and I when we are outside. I admit, that partly that is so they can grab the bits we drop along the way, but I honestly believe they enjoy our company as much as we do theirs. This group, save two who came to us from a friend's farm, were all born and hand-raised here. They have grown into large, lovely birds. The hens, Jordan and Lydia are the most friendly of the lot. They will suffer people hugs without trying to escape and often make trilling sounds of contentment at us- like a cat purring.

With the days warming, we opened the barn to let the goats stretch their legs and soak up some warmth, too. The young bucks took a field trip back to their regular shelter and pasture in the back yard. I think they appreciate having more room again. Being closed in a barn stall is warmer, certainly, but it is not much fun.

The does explored as far as the empty, unused outside mangers and then returned to the barn. They were not about the snow- even without the cold. Only Benny, Tabby, and Jem stayed in the pasture. Even though they chose not to use their yard, I like knowing that they can roam, if they want to.

Jem's broken leg healed strangely, but certainly better with our Veterinarian's assistance with casting it than it would have had we left it and hoped for the best. She will probably always walk with somewhat of a limp, but she is able to get around well for all that. She recovered well-enough that we are hoping she is bred again and will gift us with another perfect doeling this season. It is still early to tell if she is carrying kids without a sonogram, so we'll have to wait and see. ♥

Thanks for visiting with us today.

Sean & Sonja ♥

A Mystery of Sorts...

We knew it was coming within the next week or so and even watching for it, we missed it by about an hour. After this morning's milking, Sean checked all the stalls to give everyone a quick once over and say, "Good morning." Everyone looked fine. No signs of imminent kidding from Bailey and Lilly or Haddie and Salome. (There is some question as to whether Haddie and Lilly are bred. I am of the mind that Lilly might be; Sean insists neither are.) Judah's scouring is completely resolved. Jem, Ellie, and Cassie are all putting on weight. Lilly is up and walking around normally again. I meant to write a bit about her injury last week, but hadn't yet done so.

Here's the snapshot... Lilly injured her right front knee a couple weeks ago playing with Bailey. It became swollen and was difficult for her to put her weight on it. There was no sign of infection. We gave her a shot of Banamine the first two days and wrapped it with gauze and Vetrap to help stabilize the joint. Lilly preferred to lay down most of the time and she went off her feed which caused us more concern. We talked with our Veterinary and determined a course of treatment. Banamine was discontinued in favor of one 325 mg aspirin each morning and night. To help stimulate her appetite and get her back to eating, we gave Lilly 20 cc of Propylene Glycol morning and night orally and injected 5 cc Fortified Vitamin B each morning. For a boost of vitamins and to tempt her palate, we added extra fresh veggies (spinach, peas, banana, and apples) in addition to her grain. This did the trick. Lilly resumed eating within 24 hours and slowly began putting her weight on her leg. It took about 7 days before she was walking more regularly. By day 10, she met me at the gate and gave Bailey a shove to push her out of the way to get to her morning grain. The bandage came off and I am happy to report there seems to be no lasting damage.

There is no way around it- being cooped up in the barn is extra hard on good herd management. Even with the doors open to snow covered pastures, no one is willing to spend much time outside. So many animals confined to the stalls in our barn is a recipe for the spread of germs and injuries to occur. I cannot stress how often and vehemently we pray for this weather to break- for all of our sakes.

We thought last winter was long and hard. It made me wonder if I was remembering years past with rose-colored glasses. So, I took a look back and this is what I found:

April 2012~

Ellie and Asher April 11, 2012

At the beginning of April, notice the goat fields are completely bare of snow.

At this point, Ellie had just kidded Abigail and Asher. Jedi, Pepper, Rachel, and Leah were all yearlings. Young days for us on the homestead.

April 2013~

Ruby with Haddie and Salome, Rachel and Keren and Leah's son, Judah all playing on the front lawn, picking at the grass beginning to already green up and grow!

April 2014~

The beginning of April last year saw still some snow in the pastures, but it was melting quickly. Much of the pasture was open for Jane and her buckling, Jesse to wander about in.

Melted snow water collected in low spots and took a little longer to be absorbed into the earth. There was nothing to eat in the pasture areas, but there was sun and room to stretch legs and bounce around in play.

2015~
It snowed another inch over night. Add that to the 2 inches from Sunday night and I am almost convinced that we are never going to see the ground again.

Levi is romping in planters that at this time last year already had mint and chives emerging. Several inches of snow are still covering my herb garden beds. 

Phoebe is standing where the kids of 2013 were romping on green grass. There is no green grass. There is little hope of green grass coming even in a short while. And all the farms around us are suffering in the same boat. Our regular hay supplier ran out long ago. Our back-up supplier ran out of hay mid-winter. Our most recently found hay supplier brought us an additional 120 bales and ran out of hay to sell until June- if the snow is gone by then. I think I am joking. We called seven hay suppliers this week searching for more hay to get us through the season. We were blessed to find it and thankful. Just another symptom of how bad this year has been for man and beast.

For us, we have committed to growing CSA shares for 5 families this season. To that end, Cameron DePaola is busy starting the non-GMO organic seeds we provided him. He'll start those that need a jump-start like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, spinach, and watermelon in his aquaponic system. With success, we'll expect about 157 six-packs back from him in 6-8 weeks. That is a lot of veg- even to support six families. It is more than we'll plant here at the homestead, but we'll offer the extra plants for purchase in the early weeks of our attending Bucksport's farmer's market. In addition to what Cameron will plant for us, tomorrow, I will start dill, cilantro, basil, romaine and red romaine lettuces, kale, and spinach inside. If the weather ever does decide to turn, we will be ready to transplant our seedlings and direct-seed more hearty crops of corn, beans, peas, beets, pumpkin, onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, and radishes.

I began this post talking about something that happened in spite of our watching for it. Instead, the thoughts and worries of the day needed release. They bubbled forth and took over my fingers leaving me at peace to sleep tonight. While that is well and good for me, I am not so heartless as to leave you hanging completely unsatisfied. Here is a glimpse of what tomorrow's post will look like... 

This is Benjamin. He and his brother, Jacob, were born today. I'll introduce Jacob to you tomorrow and share the pictures I captured today. ♥ Mom and boys are doing great.

Good night, my friends. See you in the morning.

~Sean and Sonja ♥

Loss and loss ***WARNING*** This post may upset sensitive readers.

I can still smell the Vitamin B complex solution faintly on my hands. It is unpleasant. I think I associate it with loss because it is used so often when a goat is doing poorly. Vitamin B can give an extra boost of energy, can help with a kid that is failing to thrive, is useful when a rumen is off... It is used in situations that will most likely result in a good outcome as well as critical ones. I don't know why my brain does not link it with the times Vitamin B was used and a goat recovered. Every time I smell it, I think of those that didn't pull through. Strange.

Loss is part of farming. I get it. I don't need to be reminded of it. I live it- thankfully not often. But, sometimes loss comes in waves. A particularly persistent case of Strongyle or Barberpole Worms infects the herd. Kiddings turn bad in freak accidents, like kids cutting through the uterine wall into an abdominal cavity of their mother or multiple stillborn births for a doe. A wave of common colds turn to pneumonia. When you care for herds of animals, there are statistically more things that can happen within that herd. We've wrestled with the first two; been gratefully relieved for the animals who pulled through and mourned the losses of those that didn't. Goat Pneumonia is fairly common, but this is the first time we've run into it within our herd.

Sean discovered Judah and Ethan down on Friday night. What we originally thought was a serious condition connected to the brutal cold temperatures and bullying in the stalls turned more complicated. Both goats were cold when we brought them inside. The first order of business was to start warming them slowly and steadily. Judah responded quickly. For him we offered fresh apples, carrots, bananas and hay and electrolyte-laced water. With the warmth of being inside, Judah snapped back to his normal self and was eager for grain.

Ethan did not respond the same. On Friday night, Ethan was drinking on his own and picked at the apples, banana and hay, though he was completely uninterested in grain. Just as well, if his rumen was off, grain is not the best choice of food. Natural roughage is better for digestion and Probiotics help stimulate the right levels of beneficial bacteria in a goat's system. Ethan had a slight runny nose, but goats get colds. Or, the runny nose could be in connection with the temperature change from colder barn to warmer house. We were concerned, but since Ethan did not sound congested in his lungs, and was standing, walking and drinking, we took note and moved on with the rest of his examination. Real alarm began to sound when Sean took Ethan's temperature and discovered that instead of running a fever, which we might expect in pneumonia, cold, or flu, Ethan's temperature was 94 degrees- a goat's temperature should be 101.3-103.5. This was critical and life threatening. Hypothermia. We moved Ethan as close as possible to the front of the wood stove fan. I grabbed a heating pad and blanket to covered him and help bring his core temperature back up. Sean popped a blanket into the dryer to warm. Over night, Sean and I replaced warmed blankets on Ethan. He drank warmed water regularly of his own will, though he had no interest in food. His runny nose worsened and we began to fear for pneumonia.

Pneumonia, while common in goats, can be deadly in as little as 12 hours. Whether Ethan contracted pneumonia first, went off his food, got weakened and the cold compounded his condition. Or whether the cold weather affected his system to the point of beginning to shut down, leaving him susceptible to Pneumonia is anyone's guess. What we know for certain is that Ethan was eating and drinking normally with the rest of the herd up until Friday night. And, while it is certainly freezing cold outside, the barn is snug, draft free, and warmer than the outside. The other goats are all doing fine.

On Saturday morning, we got in touch with our vet's office. We gave Ethan a shot of Banamine which is an anti-inflammatory, as well as a pain medication. And, our vet recommended an antibiotic, Duramycen. We added a shot of B Complex, too. Ethan's temperature had risen to 98 degrees and he was still drinking on his own, but would not eat at all. Through the day, we continued warming him with warmed blankets from the dryer and the heating pad and kept the wood stove running as hot as it would. Judah had completely recovered and spent the day tormenting Molly by being in the house and not in the barn. But, we kept Judah with us inside, mostly as a comfort to Ethan.

Ethan died Saturday night at 10 pm with Sean and I beside him, petting him and whispering to him softly as he closed his eyes and took his final breaths. It was a quiet passing that added another hole to my homesteading heart. I know this life is hard. I know there will be losses; some preventable, others not. I also question whether I am cut out for this. Can I love these animals, support them by sharing their milk and eggs, work side by side with Sean to breathe life into this homestead, witness their births and deaths and not lose myself? Some people develop a thick skin. That's not me. I still cry when we lose an animal, some more than others because they shared their unique personality with me in a way that touched my heart deeply. I don't want to become hardened to death and loss. At the same time, how much can one person feel without breaking? I don't know the answer to that.

What I do know is this. After losing Ruby and her kids last Spring due to complications while kidding, it was difficult for me to go to into the barn. Sean took over my feeding chores, kindly overlooking the flaws in my excuse of "needing to spend all my time creating the jewelry and the products we sell at market". There were many fewer posts and videos of kids and barn happenings because I just didn't want to be there. I helped when Sean needed me, but otherwise, steered clear of the barn. When we lost Jedi this past fall to parasites, I couldn't bring myself to go into the barn or watch the pasture anymore. I made excuses every time Sean invited me to visit the animals in the barn. Our nightly ritual of "walking the land" stopped and I threw myself into other aspects of our life. Things necessary in their own right, but excuses all the same. I started to secretly seriously question in my heart, "Could I continue living this life we'd worked so hard to build?" And that is how I have felt for the last nine months or more.

After spending my time at the shop and taking a complete break from being home all day, from my regular routine, something began to change. I started to miss those soft alien eyes full of curiosity. Slowly, I began venturing back into the barn for short minutes with Sean. It has only been a matter of weeks, but once again, I was beginning to think ahead and plan. And, now? We have lost Ethan. More death. More failure. More doubt. Most importantly, he was a sweet-natured, beautiful life and that is gone forever. Secondly, Ethan was important to us breeding the best lines we can within our herd. We had big plans for him. He is an expensive loss, emotionally and financially. So, what now? Do we quit? Do we go back to working full time jobs for other people in order to support our family? Or, do we go on? Which fork in the road do we take?

In another terrible twist of fate, Sean was let go from his employment today. His company has reorganized and Sean was let go. Sean and I have talked often about him leaving his job to work the farm full-time, but that was a plan for the future... when we were prepared... on our terms. So, here we are in February (at the worst possible time of the year) and life is more uncertain than it has ever been. And, terrifying. Kidding season is around the corner and with 8 pregnant does, I am worried for what losses we might encounter this year. Reminding myself that we have had 11 successful, fairly routine kiddings does not quell my fears. I feel apprehension of what could go wrong and I worry about the does in my care. And, I am afraid that I am inadequate. I thank God that I am not alone and that all this does not rest solely upon my shoulders.

There is Sean.

I think it is time to visit the barn.

Sweet Jemimah shares a stall with Ellie, Judah, and Cassie. Look at that sweet face! ♥

Naomi jumped up on the stand to show me her growing baby bump. This will be her first year kidding. :) 

Bailey is also bred for the first time this year. She and Asher will make lovely kids. I am hoping for some does, but as long as the delivery is easy and normal and the kids are born healthy and strong, I'll happily take whatever they provide. ♥

~Sean and Sonja ♥