Livestock guardians and older ewes are great babysitters for young lambs. They are tolerant of the lambs and allow them to play on them. Dora, the Karakul sheep, has never had a lamb. She has a very wide fat tail, as her breed is supposed to have, but the rams have never been able to figure out how to breed her. She is here because she is Karakul, a rare breed and has true Karakul fleece. She will live her days out on the farm. Mikey, the dog, is a wonderful, gentle and calm livestock guardian, raised with lambs and sheep. Although he is only a year and a half old, he can be trusted with the lambs. Never has he displayed a tiny bit of rough play or agression with any animals he is protecting. 

Soon the other lambs will begin to be born and then a most wonderful time happens. The lambs run for the sheer joy of being able to do so. They run in one direction and they run back. Once they are a few weeks old, they love to explore away from mom, but not too far. I love the little lambs, Dora and Mikey. What a life to be a farmer - such joy every day. 

Some call it selling animals or livestock, but my animals are all my friends. Everyone has a name and a place in my heart and when it is time to part with them, a piece of my heart goes along too. In some cases the animals are blessed and so am I, because they go to a home even better than the one they know here at the Fat Ewe Farm. Such is the case with my darling, sweet and gentle llamas, Lucy and her baby cria girl, Audrey. They have been renamed, but the names I gave them will stay with me. I am getting old and renaming simply does not stick in my pea brain. 

Lucy and Audrey were sold to Tim and Adele, a very wonderful couple that live nearby. Tim runs his own business doing mechanical maintenance on large machines and is now licenses to do out of province inspections and repairs too. Adele, well, I don't konw what she does for work, or if she is a fortunate stay at home Mom. They have a wonderful young boy and a teenage girl, equally beautiful. From time to time, they have requested small things via the internet and I was able to help them out, no charge, for it was no hardship for me. Being the kind of folks that remember kindnesses, they have offered to repay such with helping me out and are coming to assist on shearing day, if all goes well. For that I am grateful. Shearing is a fun experience and a lot of work. If the weather cooperates, it does not take long to do the sheep, llama and Angora goats. This years fleece is mostly for insulation as it is again heavily contaminated with hay, despite my efforts to try yet again another feeder model. 

Back to Lucy and Audrey…

The llamas have a wonderful loving home. They are given treats and tasty morsels, are fondeled and petted often during the day and are responding with the love and gentleness that llamas, when treated right, are known for. It is a win win situation. The new owners simply adore the llamas and the llamas are happy, healthy and content. 

Such is the case with Sherri the Nigerian Dwarf goat. I seldom sell bred animals. Instead I prefer to keep the babies and moms until they are strongly grounded and I know they are in great health. Then occasionally, I will sell the mother with the babies or wait until the babies are weaned to sell them alone. Sherri went to Tyler and his family. She is bred, had quads last year and is ready to pop in a few weeks. The family wanted to enjoy the experience of kidding and seemed more than willing to learn about goat care and needs. Sherri is well loved and I am positive her babies will be spoiled, too. There are two little boys in the family, one still an infant and the other old enough to understand and learn the care and love of animals. The couple sent some beautiful photos to me of the interaction with Sherri and a few words telling me how much they enjoy her. Wait until she has babies! Goat kids are amazingly comical and cute and win the hearts of everyone. It will be that way with Tyler's family for sure. I have permission to use the photos on my blog (I always ask prior to doing so, so that no privacy is invaded). Thank you for sending them along. It warms that piece of my heart that goes along with my creatures when they move on. Knowing she is so well loved makes my heart sing and I am grateful for her new family. 

Life is truly such a blessing. Isn't it?

There is so much research that has been done on scented products and how harmful they are, that it is a wonder anyone still uses them. Yes, a candle that smells like the beach is a wonderful reminder of your holidays, or the scent of fresh baked cookies is inviting in your home, but what is the cost to your health to use these scents? Even perfumes, shampoos, well, any household products, all come scented unless you hunt for those few unscented ones. Walk down the cleaners aisle and the senses are bombarded with very strong smells. These actually hurt my eyes in some cases and because I am not used to them and live in the country where exposure to artificial scents is very minimal, I have become sensitive to them as well. 

In the early 2000s I was granted an honorary certificate in Bau Biology, which is the biology of buildings. Included were air born toxins, electro magnetic pollution, chemical toxins and those people's health who were unable to tolerate any of these. We live in a world where so much is taken for granted, that is until we become intolerant and ill. Then answers are demanded and not forthcoming from the medical community, folks begin to seek the answers for themselves. Such it is with artificial scents. They are compound chemicals, sometimes hundreds together to create a particular smell. Most are volatile, that is they become air born under the right circumstances. Heat is often a catalyst for stimulating the volatile chemicals, hence, wax pods that are heated suddenly release the scent. It is the scents that people deliberately add to their homes that I wish to address. 

Under many guises, we have been sold some rather polluted goods. One large company that sells wax pucks or pods, warmed with electric gadgets or plug ins, claims that their products are natural and safe. They are anything but natural or safe. How can the scent of blue waters or cinnamon buns be bottled? There is nothing that is natural in the products. The wax is parrafin, which is the sludge from oil refining, that is further refined, but still an organic chemical and that emits harmful ions. The company claims because it is not burned it is safe. Really? The chemical compounds and the wax are not safe and create harmful emissions that stay in the air. All scented candles and pods should be used outdoors if at all, and I would recommend not at all. Why pollute the outdoors? Indoor air quality of many homes is more polluted than the outside air. Why? Scented products, volatile compounds from off gassing of new products and more. 

Let's look at an alternative. If you love candles, burn 100% pure beeswax candles. They create negative ions which bind with the free radicals (indoor pollution) and drop inert to the floor. They clean the air. Soot is not produced if they are used correctly away from drafts and they emit a wonderful honey fragrance, which really is natural. Yes, bees are endangered and beeswax is expensive, but do you have to burn the candles daily? Try other ways to freshen the air of your home. Simmer a pot of white vinegar and water on the stove for a while, maybe adding two or three clove buds or a cinnamon stick. Never smoke inside. Eliminate the causes of odors rather than try to mask them. And please, stay away from scented candles and wax pods. 

For a few years I have been studying and experimenting with diets, not for weight loss, but for relief of arthritic symptoms. I have osteo arthritis and at one time, when I was in my late 40's, it became so bad, that I could barely navigate the stairs. During that time, I was married briefly to a man who loved food, bad food, and I ate a lot of things that normally were only occasional in my diet previously. I did not put two and two together. 

Though later, after I began to do more research looking for a magical cure, I began to suspect that diet and arthritis were related. Now there are studies that prove this is the case, though it is not mainstream news. Healing does not make money, so drug companies would rather keep the suffering suffering so more medications can be sold promising cures and relief from pain. 

I have been on Atkins, which is a ketogenic diet. Ketogenic diets are great for many types of illness because they burn fat as a fuel source, not carbohydrates. I also have been on the Paleo diet, which is similar, though allows low glycemic carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes and plantain. Recently, after trying Paleo for a while, I went back to Atkins, which allows dairy products. Paleo does not. I did notice a difference in the swelling and pain after consuming commercial dairy. It had worsened. 

Very recently I cooked a birthday dinner for a friend including a potato leek soup with heavy cream, home made butter buns, creamed mushroom sauce, and a heavily sugared cake. I have not been consuming sugar at all for some time. A little steevia is permitted on Atkins and not on Paleo, but sugar is not. After the dinner several things happened. I was hurt by the bunting of the bull calf which threw my head backwards and activated previous whiplash injuries. But the worst of all was the body pain. Everything hurt. I noticed when I walked there was looseness in the ankle joint which caused a sharp pain as if it was out of place a moment. My shoulders, arms, and hands were in excruciating pain at all times and my back, which is problematic due to a compressing scoliosis, was intolerable, especially the neck, from the whiplash. I should not have hurt that much. With some thought though, I realized it was the dinner. 

Sugar, white flour, white potatoes, cream and wine were not my usual foods and for good reason. They cause an instant auto immune reaction in my body. Research indicates that those affected by these foods likely have a leaky gut which allows large protein molecules undigested to enter the blood stream and then the body recognizes them as foreign and the body attacks itself producing inflammation. With those predisposed to arthititc conditions (there is now a test for a different gene that predisposes one to this) it manifests itself with pain and swelling and great discomfort of the entire body. I believe that commercial dairy products affect my health. The heavy cream aslo has carageenan in it, which is known autoimmune trigger. 

So, for me, the Paleo diet is necessary if I want to live a relatively pain free life. It is not an easy diet to adhere to though, not for one who loves fresh home made cinnamon buns still warm from the oven or who loves whipped cream and heavy cream for sauces and coffee. There are ways to adjust. I make plantain pancakes and have made a white bean cake with honey. Honey does not affect me, though it does for some others. Coconut cream is a good sutbstitute for whipped cream and is much better for me. Butter is a hard one to give up. I do like coconut oil, but there is nothing like butter. It is a matter of trialing foods and finding out which triggers are for an individual. Some might not tolerate nightshade vegetables, that is potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and such, not even chili powder spice, while those vegetables are fine for others. Also, during the healing of the leaky gut phase, which can last for several years, some foods may be off limits, yet be able to be reintroduced once the gut has healed. 

This last episode of pain ocurred within hours of the birthday dinner and has continued since then, though is lessening day by day. I did take a muscle relaxant to help me sleep a bit the worst two nights, but medication is also a trigger for leaky gut and must be avoided. There are other components to the healing process: stress, sleep, exercise and mental outlook. One must reduce or eliminate stress, sleep enough, exercise the body to oxygenate the blood and allow the nutrients to be used by the cells and have a good positive outlook on life so the body can harmonize with the surroundings and the food it is given. By food, I also mean beverages. I did drink an organic beer and have two glasses of wine. Beer has gluten in it, even organic beer and the wine has sulphates. Until I am better, these will be forbidden and then seldom ever consumed again. 

I realize this has little to do with farming and more to do with the farmer. I just feel as though an epiphany has been revealed and wanted to share it with you. I am 60. It has taken many years of research, trial and error to learn how to feed my own body without harming it. Not everyone has a predisposition to arthritis or auto immune conditions, but I do believe that food affects everyone. We are what we eat (and drink) and that adage is so true. Please be careful how you treat your body, your temple and stay healthy. I am grateful for the revelation of all I have learned. Now, the hard part is to act upon it and remain on a diet that I KNOW is healing and not harmful. That is not easy, but I shall try. The thing is, there is no trying, there is only doing, because falling off the diet is harmful so I sabbotage myself instantly. Can I be strong enough? 

I am watching the goats get thinner and thinner. I have given them shots of triple dosages of Ivermectin 10 days apart and also Copasure, wire copper particles which attach themselves to their stomachs and impart tiny dosages of copper, as well as help control worms. The goats have minerals and salts, both loose and formulated for their digestion. They are fed the best hay and second cut alfalfa, and still, they are growing thinner. I am positive the worm counts are escalating. The does are pregnant too. Judging by the Famaacha test, their eyelids are light pink, which is borderline anemic. If the colour fades further, bringing them back to health may not be possible. I have been reading all that I can on wormer resistance and treatment. My last hope is to give them an oral wormer in a dosage three times that of recommended for other ruminants due to the high metabolism rates of the goat physiology. I will buy a horse paste wormer and administer it by mouth at half a tube per goat. The same dosage will need to be given approximately 10 days following, as the worm medication only remains in the system of a goat for about three days. For other species, the medicine will remain longer and a second dosage is not necessary. 

Once this is done, I am hoping the worms will be erradicated. The goats are on hay fed from feeders, not off the ground and although they will remain in their pen, the reinfection should be limited since they are not eating pasture grass or from the ground. 

I love the goats, with their comical ways and funny attributes. I can stand and watch them and their antics for a long time, and it breaks my heart to see them so unthrifty. I have tried everything else I can think of. They were on Molly's herbal wormer and it did hold the worms at bay for quite some time, but something changed. The Nubian babies that were here all died of worms. Unfortunately, the veterinarian did not give me the correct information to correct the infestation. Giving an injection of a higher dosage will not erradicate worms in goats. However, when infestations are particularly bad, as it was here and still is, the injection does kill some of the worms so a mass bleed in the gut does not happen, which in turn would kill the  goat. Instead, some worms are killed by the injection and then when the medicine if followed with a strong oral dosage and repeated ten days thereafter, the worms should all die. The repeat dosage addresses the newly hatched worms so the cycle cannot continue. 

Hopefully, once the goats are better, the problem will not arise again. Worm resistance in goats is becoming a huge problem. It is hard to identify. Farmers believe they are addressing the worm issues with standard treatments and they are only encouraging worm resistance because not all worms are killed and strong survive and breed more strong babies. What we should be doing instead of routine worming is selecting does that are naturally worm resistant and only breeding them so the offspring continue the resistance factors. 

The horse wormer paste is very expensive. I am praying it works. I am praying the goats recover and become well. It is not the will of the Creator for creatures to suffer. If you pray, please pray for the goaties too. Thank you. 

OK, I am not feeling so hot. I tried to halter the bull calf and he butted me under the chin, flipping my head backwards. I thought my jaw was broken. The temporomandibular joints were damaged for sure, but no bones were broken. The next day I was a little stiff and sore, but nothing like today. The whiplash started last night and is awful. I have had three previous whiplash incidents, all car accidents and one quite serious. I also have a crooked spine that is deteriorating with age and compressing, so this small accident is much bigger than it should be. 
But that is not what gets me. I have duck and chicken eggs for sale for hatching at the moment. The ad clearly states the cost per egg and what I am selling, hatching eggs. Yet more than half the responses ask if a) either I have ducklings or chicks or b) if I have duck or chicken eggs for hatching or c) how much laying hens are. At first I was puzzled and reworded the ad placing the word EGGS first and then what types of eggs and the cost second. I even attached a photo of the eggs, plain to see. There are no laying hens, ducklings or chicks in the picture or mentioned in the ad. Now, I have a further revision of the ad to explain that I am currently not selling eggs for eating because I am selling only hatching orders at this time and I don't have any live birds for sale right now either. Still, today, there were two more responses asking either a, b or c. Go figure. 

Also, there have been several inquiries for FREE eggs, yes folks, FREE. They want to hatch them for kids so they feel they should be free and they even offer the hatchlings back in return. They only want to pay $10 for laying hens. Ten dollars? Seriously? I sell chicks for $8 and ducklings for $10, goslings for $25 and turkeys for around $20, babies that is. This year I will only hatch what is preordered. The last two years, people booked the hatchlings and never showed up, or came 3 months later and wanted their "chikcs" at the same price as day olds. Come on, give me a break! I house, feed and nurse the babies until they are pullets and they want to pay the same as for a day old chick. Not. This year, the money is paid up front and the chicks must be picked up within 3 days of hatching or they are forfeit to another buyer. And for $10 dollar laying hens, I would rather butcher them and have chicken soup. Where can you buy a $10 dollar chicken anymore anyhow? 

This area still regards farmers as a by product and not a necessity and treats them with disregard. It seems that the work a farmer does is not valued here at all, and things should be for free, especially if they are for children. I am not planning to sell eating eggs at all this year, but instead make dog biscuits of potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, eggs and hemp powder. People want to pay no more than $2.50 for a dozen eggs here, so what is the point of selling them at all. I managed to get the number of birds down last fall, but in September about 20 more ducklings and 30 more chicks were hatched courtesy of their mothers and wham, the numbers are up again this year. Somehow my goal of keeping only a few ducks and chickens over winter went out with the fall. 

So, I wish people were able to read and understand what they read better. I wish people here were more supportive of farmers and paid for the farm goods with fair value. I wish farmers themselves would not undervalue their goods and time. It is like preaching to the dead though. Even when I sell something at a cheap price they ask if I would take less. I am learning to put the price higher than I expect and then bargain to where I really want to be and if they do not pay it, eat the critter or find other means of using the by products, such as the eggs. 

And yup, the rant is over. Sorry to fill your ear with negativity. Sometimes that is how it is. 
Blessings to all of you dear friends. And please pay your local farmers well. 

Sheep are terrible. These rams, like any sheep, want to get the tastiest morsels in the hay. In order to do that, they feel they must stick their heads in to the bottom, where the fine leaves fall through and there are no stems to worry about. That, that sweet and bitter smorgasbord or no straws or stems to worry about is what they love. But, the hay contaminates their fleece. Feeding them on the ground is still the best stolution. It does prevent the wool around their necks from being damaged by sticking their heads through a feeder to the extent they nearly skin themselves, again, trying to find the best morsels which of course, in their minds are not at the top or easily accessed. The females are much worse than these four boys. Here Dominique, the Dorset, has a wreath around his neck. The hay has lots of mature alfalfa stems that are coarse and stay together. He put his head in and pulled it out decorated. These four rams are the breeding rams for the farm. Next year, in addition, there will be an Icelandic and a Finn cross. The Dorset is for sale, but he has a tail and it seems that people somehow think that sheep do not have tails. Farmers dock the tails of new born lambs with an elastic that is so tight it constrictst the blood to the tail and it falls off. When the elastic is applied, the lambs cry and cry and do everything they can think of to stop the terrible pain. I can only imagine. I don't do it anymore. Sheep have tails for a reason. If they are sheared and kept clean, there is no danger of maggots in the dung from the tail area, at least no more danger than a long wool sheep without a tail. Anyhow, here he is in his splendour, wearing his new fashion statement of a spring hay wreath. What fun!

Some hay was stored in the back of the pen where the piggies live. In order to access it, which I did need to do today, I had to open the pen gate. Of course, Wilbur, Clara and Piglet went out on the town, um, er, on the farm to check out the place. They have been out before. Piglet is now in the exploration stage and is curious about smelling and tasting everything, much like most babies of most speicies. He followed his mother around for a while, until he got bold and then wandered off on his own. He got into a little trouble with the gander and when he screamed, Mother Clara came running and threatened the gander for the love of her son. The gander thought it best to go the other way. It is not ever a good idea to get between a mother and her baby of any protective animal. Wilbur was out rooting around and came to see what the problem was too, but Clara had everything under control by then. Typical guy..the hero who saved the day. 

Clara found a piece of fat with a little meat on it that belonged to Jade. Jade has been taught not to hurt the pigs, especially the piglet, so she allowed the pigs to have it. Clara chowed down and Piglet tried a few tastes. Pigs will eat meat when they get a chance, raw or even still alive. My big Berkshires developed a taste for live duck and chicken, which ended in their own demise. Pigs with good temperaments should not eat live animals. Robbie took the meat from Clara and ate it. He knows pigs should stay clear of raw meat, smart doggie. 

At the close of the day, after wandering around and exploring and rooting where they could, the pig family settle down for a deserved night's rest in their shelter. When I went to check on them, only Clara's nose could be seen out from under the hay. Wilbur and Piglet were all submerged and fast asleep. ZZZZZzzzzzz. 

It is early this year for the birds to lay so profusely. The geese have even started to lay and usually they have not been interested until May at the earliest. Evecn the turkey has laid an egg! I know the tom turkey has certainly been very adept at showing himself off, drumming and fanning for his two hens and the chickens who are at all interested, but most are not. 
I would like to say that the eggs come pristinely clean from the nests, but they seldom do, even when I put fresh straw in the boxes. The turkey and goose nests are barrels with ovals cut for openings and they have a piece of cemet board for a roof and another peice of plywood for a screen to their entrance, just enough to make them believe they are private. That is essential for nesting. They need to think they have chosen a spot that is safe from predators and prying inquiries. 

It is too early really for any to hatch the eggs on this farm since they have no enclosed area in which to rear their young. They do have areas that are protected but not from the elements except in the coop. This year, my plan is to remove the babies as soon as they are hatched, that is from the guineas, the geese and the ducks, because they loose to many to the ravens. The chickens seem best at protecting their babies and keeping them out of harms way, so I will attempt to have the chickens hatch and raise the ducks and goslings this year and see what happens. Some babies, I think I will have to brood, or at least eclose the mothers until the babies are big enough that the ravens and hawks leave them alone. Last year, there were about 80 ducklings hatched all in a couple of days, and in the first day, over half of them were eaten by predators. The dogs do not seem to bother with the ravens, likely because the chickens fly as well. 

The goose eggs that are too early, such as these, go to the Easter egg painters, particularly the Ukrainian egg artists. These two goose eggs are already spoken for. I sell the goose eggs for $5 each at this early stage. They may have gotten too cold to be viable for hatching, but they could certainly be eaten or blown out for decorating. 

The turkeys on the farm are cross bred Standard Bronze heritage turkeys and wild turkeys, with little of the wild and more of the bronze. They look quite amazing in the sunlight when their feathers assume a life of their own, shining with hues of bronze, gold and brass in the sunlight. They lay a large speckled egg. The eggs, like all eggs, are white and the second to last function is to lay down colour on the egg, prior to the bloom, which protects the egg from bacteria and keeps the moisture in so it does not dehydrate, yet is porous enough so the chicks can breathe. It is really very amazing! 

I am grateful for the birds on the Fat Ewe Farm. Given that I was truly phobic and terrified of all birds, even the tiniest sparrow or hummingbird, when I first arrived, I have evolved and conquered my fears with much effort and steel of will. I can pick up a turkey or a goose and am not in the least bit afraid. Only going into a coop where there are roosters and hens flying at me, is the last of my hair raising fears, and I am conquering that too, thanks to the Fat Ewe Farm birds. These initial eggs are being sold as hatching eggs and the excess are going to be used to make dog biscuits. Great stuff, really. Ewe ought to try some. 

Oh my goodness, new lambs are cute and the last four born on the Fat Ewe Farm are indeed among the cutest. Jacob lambs are always black and white, but there are lilac ones too, which is a greyish colour and white. Primarily, they are black and white and they are small when they are born. The new lambs born last week have grown so much already. They were a bit larger to start with than the pure bred Jacobs just born, because Karakul lambs are good sized, but they are also half Jacob. One has the markings of his father, but his body is black, except for the tail, which has a white tip. The little white ewe lamb is just like her beautiful Karakul mother. 

Today, Jean the Jacob had brought her babies out to meet the flock at a distance. They had already learned the safe place was next to mother and Jean is excellent at calling them to her. I put them in the barn tonight because it is snowing quite hard and the ittle ones are so new, they cannot regulate their body temperatures as well as the fully insulated mother. Though she is very instinctual, she did not want to keep them in the barn or shelter out of the snow, so I locked them up until morning for their safe keeping. 

This morning, though, the babies were out and Lena the Karakul was eating. Lena's twin girls were curious about the new comers and came prancing over. The all white girl is very bold and her sister followed her. Jean's babies did not want to meet the other little lambs though, and they sniffed eachother and then hid behind mother. It was absolutely adorable!