The farm is a busy place in the springtime. There are lots of babies being born, incubated, hatched and prepared for. The ewes are definitely becoming ready. While I thought Rosy Babydoll would be first, it now seems like Magdalene Blue Faced Leicester will beat her. Checking on the sheep regularly helps stave off problems that could occur. The lamb kit is ready: towels, colostrum, which is a thick, creamy yellow and very rich first milk essential for the newborn to survive.It has antibodies that the mother passes on to her offspring and protects them for several week and up to months, perhaps a lifetime. The goats are due as well, with 4 does looking extremely pregnant at this time. The barber pole worms enjoyed a very mild winter and have gone rampant. Two goats have had to be treated for overload symptoms and the worms can easily cause death if not tended to immediately.
There are three geese already sitting on their nests, and two chickens as well. Baby chicks should be hatched in one week from the Chantecler hen, but if I do not remove her and her chicks to a safe spot, the ravens will eat the babies. I really need a hot shot hunter to take out a few of the ravens to deter them from dining at the Fat Ewe Farm, eating all the baby birds and bunnies and even lambs and piglets. They are terrible.
The thaw came quickly due to the very warm temperatures and there is a waterfall over the road to the back section, with the water flooding the willows and the old dugout. Perhaps the beaver dam broke and finally the water is finding its old path again. I can go and look in a couple of days when more snow melts.
But with the new life, there is also life that is diminishing. Sofi will not see the sunrise of Tuesday for the decision to put her down has been made. She has stopped eating 3 days ago and is unsteady on her legs. I believe her new medication to help with the incontinence reacted with the cancer and caused it to grow at an unprecedented rate, robbing her of life. I have looked after Sofi, who is actually my daughter's dog, for many years of her life and she is very much a part of my extended family. It breaks my heart to see her suffering now and as hard as it is to say goodbye to her, it is time.
Finally a possible solution to vending the fleeces has arisen with the offer from a woman to prepare the wool for sale, to box it and sell it and share the profits. This, for me, is an excellent solution to getting the fleece to those who want to purchase it for handspinning and felting. The lady, Vicki and her husband and I had a good day yesterday getting to know one another and working out details on selling the wool.
Yesterday 3 piglets went to new homes, and so did one baby rabbit. Jake the new Jacob ram arrived the day before and the two Meishan sows came yesterday. Clara will not be bred again and will either be sold as a pet or made into sausage because she tends to prolapse when carrying her litters. The Meishan/Potbelly pork will be fattier than potbelly, which is very lean. Meishan pigs are famous for having and supporting huge litters of up to 20 piglets. They breed twice a year and eat a lot less than regular size pigs. They will be pastured once I get electric wire fencing in place to keep them in and the foxes, who love piglets, out. The meat will be sold and served at the bed and breakfast.
There was a long, day long to be exact, meeting with the insurance adjustor and we are closer to a settlement. I will do the contracting myself and subcontract trades. I can tile and have a tile saw of my own and paint, so I just need plumbing, a tiny bit of electrical and a finish carpenter to put the baseboards up. Then it will take 2 months to unpack everything, so possibly by fall we will finally be ready to reopen, but that means we will have missed the busy summer season. There is nothing that can be done about that.
So, with the goings on and Sofi being ill, there has been little time to even think and when night comes, I fall into bed and sleep well. This morning a man called about a goat for sale at just after 8 am. People think because I am a farmer I am up at the crack of dawn. I should call them when I go to bed, which was 1:15 last night. I try to sleep until 9 if I can. Stay tuned for lots of photos of new babies which will be coming soon. Happy spring, everyone!
There are three geese already sitting on their nests, and two chickens as well. Baby chicks should be hatched in one week from the Chantecler hen, but if I do not remove her and her chicks to a safe spot, the ravens will eat the babies. I really need a hot shot hunter to take out a few of the ravens to deter them from dining at the Fat Ewe Farm, eating all the baby birds and bunnies and even lambs and piglets. They are terrible.
The thaw came quickly due to the very warm temperatures and there is a waterfall over the road to the back section, with the water flooding the willows and the old dugout. Perhaps the beaver dam broke and finally the water is finding its old path again. I can go and look in a couple of days when more snow melts.
But with the new life, there is also life that is diminishing. Sofi will not see the sunrise of Tuesday for the decision to put her down has been made. She has stopped eating 3 days ago and is unsteady on her legs. I believe her new medication to help with the incontinence reacted with the cancer and caused it to grow at an unprecedented rate, robbing her of life. I have looked after Sofi, who is actually my daughter's dog, for many years of her life and she is very much a part of my extended family. It breaks my heart to see her suffering now and as hard as it is to say goodbye to her, it is time.
Finally a possible solution to vending the fleeces has arisen with the offer from a woman to prepare the wool for sale, to box it and sell it and share the profits. This, for me, is an excellent solution to getting the fleece to those who want to purchase it for handspinning and felting. The lady, Vicki and her husband and I had a good day yesterday getting to know one another and working out details on selling the wool.
Yesterday 3 piglets went to new homes, and so did one baby rabbit. Jake the new Jacob ram arrived the day before and the two Meishan sows came yesterday. Clara will not be bred again and will either be sold as a pet or made into sausage because she tends to prolapse when carrying her litters. The Meishan/Potbelly pork will be fattier than potbelly, which is very lean. Meishan pigs are famous for having and supporting huge litters of up to 20 piglets. They breed twice a year and eat a lot less than regular size pigs. They will be pastured once I get electric wire fencing in place to keep them in and the foxes, who love piglets, out. The meat will be sold and served at the bed and breakfast.
There was a long, day long to be exact, meeting with the insurance adjustor and we are closer to a settlement. I will do the contracting myself and subcontract trades. I can tile and have a tile saw of my own and paint, so I just need plumbing, a tiny bit of electrical and a finish carpenter to put the baseboards up. Then it will take 2 months to unpack everything, so possibly by fall we will finally be ready to reopen, but that means we will have missed the busy summer season. There is nothing that can be done about that.
So, with the goings on and Sofi being ill, there has been little time to even think and when night comes, I fall into bed and sleep well. This morning a man called about a goat for sale at just after 8 am. People think because I am a farmer I am up at the crack of dawn. I should call them when I go to bed, which was 1:15 last night. I try to sleep until 9 if I can. Stay tuned for lots of photos of new babies which will be coming soon. Happy spring, everyone!
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