Illness has a way of creating new perspectives. What if no one was here to help with the chores? My son was off work and did the work for me for which I was extremely grateful, but while I was in pain and lying in bed, many thoughts ran through my feeble mind. Was I in the right place doing the right thing at the right time? Is this farming venture what I had hoped it would be?
Yes and no. There are too many animals and some are imports that are not manageable because they are from large farms where they were never touched by humans, only run through handling equipment and routinely drenched and sheared whether they actually needed it or not. The Dorset sheep is that way. She has been here a year and she is as wild as the day she arrived. I have not sheared her because she was not rounded up in the group at the time. Her ram lamb is much calmer since he has been away with the boys and the boys are all very tame. They are living with Elsie the cow, who was due on the 6th, but is still pregnant. Today maybe.
The biggest event that occurred is that some goats were left here for me, or one could look at it as gifted to me. Yesterday I put two and two together and discovered that I was terribly itchy after feeding the bottle babies. They either have mites or lice or both. Judging from the Famacha testing system of eye colour, they have worms and, because of the entire bucket of minerals they consumed in a week, they were likely a little mineral deficient. The two adults have been treated, but the babies will be treated via their bottles today and again in two weeks. Lordy, if it isn't one thing it is another. I never wanted them, do not enjoy bottle feeding goats and that is what I got. Why is it that way? No punishment for sure, but endurance testing perchance?
The sheep also may need treatment and the chickens too, because the chickens go in the goat pen and although the species that infect chickens are not the same as those infecting goats, they will carry them around the farm. Some will infect the sheep and whoa, the gift of the baby goats is hugely problematic. And did I mention, I never wanted them, I never wished for them?
The dogs need to be treated for fleas, lice and worms too, because they are everywhere and though the hosts are different they can carry the varmints around . Many of the species of parasites are breed specific so there won't be a cross over. Grrrr. Unhappy. So much extra work involved to treat the babies, and now the entire farm, but what does one do. The babies would have starved to death if it was not for me and for the ability to help them, I am grateful. For being so itchy I cannot function, I am not.
The geese and ducks and chickens are old enough to go the processors so the date needs to be booked. 40 bales of hay are in though need to be restacked for winter. Feeders and shelters still need to be built and the porch, oh the porch, still has not been painted inside. I am thinking the exterior painting won't get done this year. So be it. There is next. Oh well. And the garden is producing a small amount, not enough to can or freeze, but to taste and that is great. It was a very slow start, wet and cool, and we have had constant rain weekly all summer, but it is still hanging in there. More weeds are present than produce, but hey, priorities are such that weeding was low on the list.
And that has been the last while. Oh boy.
Yes and no. There are too many animals and some are imports that are not manageable because they are from large farms where they were never touched by humans, only run through handling equipment and routinely drenched and sheared whether they actually needed it or not. The Dorset sheep is that way. She has been here a year and she is as wild as the day she arrived. I have not sheared her because she was not rounded up in the group at the time. Her ram lamb is much calmer since he has been away with the boys and the boys are all very tame. They are living with Elsie the cow, who was due on the 6th, but is still pregnant. Today maybe.
The biggest event that occurred is that some goats were left here for me, or one could look at it as gifted to me. Yesterday I put two and two together and discovered that I was terribly itchy after feeding the bottle babies. They either have mites or lice or both. Judging from the Famacha testing system of eye colour, they have worms and, because of the entire bucket of minerals they consumed in a week, they were likely a little mineral deficient. The two adults have been treated, but the babies will be treated via their bottles today and again in two weeks. Lordy, if it isn't one thing it is another. I never wanted them, do not enjoy bottle feeding goats and that is what I got. Why is it that way? No punishment for sure, but endurance testing perchance?
The sheep also may need treatment and the chickens too, because the chickens go in the goat pen and although the species that infect chickens are not the same as those infecting goats, they will carry them around the farm. Some will infect the sheep and whoa, the gift of the baby goats is hugely problematic. And did I mention, I never wanted them, I never wished for them?
The dogs need to be treated for fleas, lice and worms too, because they are everywhere and though the hosts are different they can carry the varmints around . Many of the species of parasites are breed specific so there won't be a cross over. Grrrr. Unhappy. So much extra work involved to treat the babies, and now the entire farm, but what does one do. The babies would have starved to death if it was not for me and for the ability to help them, I am grateful. For being so itchy I cannot function, I am not.
The geese and ducks and chickens are old enough to go the processors so the date needs to be booked. 40 bales of hay are in though need to be restacked for winter. Feeders and shelters still need to be built and the porch, oh the porch, still has not been painted inside. I am thinking the exterior painting won't get done this year. So be it. There is next. Oh well. And the garden is producing a small amount, not enough to can or freeze, but to taste and that is great. It was a very slow start, wet and cool, and we have had constant rain weekly all summer, but it is still hanging in there. More weeds are present than produce, but hey, priorities are such that weeding was low on the list.
And that has been the last while. Oh boy.
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