Not all hay is the same. So I have been learning about hay and what it is. 

Farmers who grow hay usually plow up a field and then use a herbicide such as Round Up to kill the weeds and grass prior to planting the hay grasses that they desire. The most common mix in this area, which is for feeding cows over winter, is Timothy, Alfalfa and Brome, mostly done in three equal amounts. The seeds are driven into the ground with an air seed drill. Sometimes a chemcial fertilizer is used when the seedlings sprout. Occasionally, manure from cows is spread in the fall or spring first. 

Then the hay grows and hopefully will get to the stage where it can be cut. If it is left too long, the stems are coarse and the food value depletes. If it is cut too soon, the nutrition is not optimum. Timing is crucial, but then the weather has much to do with the curing process. If it rains on the cut hay, it leaches the goodness out and the hay is much less valuable than hay with no rain. If there is a lot of rain the hay has little food value left, can be subject to mould and is not worth much. 

The hay cut in a long fall season is a second cut and is usually the better of the two cuts. It is shorter and the stems are not developed so they are palatable. If the hay has been fertilized during initial growth and there has been sufficient rain, it is the most desireable hay, but again the weather makes a big difference. If the hay is too dry, the leaves of the alfalfa will fall off. If it is too moist, the hay will mould. It must reach a certain moisture level, which can be measured by a meter, before it can be baled. Usually it is cut then turned over once to ensure even drying. 

Then there is natural grass hay, that is hay that is not planted or has not been planted for quite a few years. There would be a variety of weeds in the hay, from dandelions and thistles to poplar saplings and wild roses. This is a very good hay for browsers like goats, which prefer to eat everything but grass. Many of the wild edibles have more food value and more minerals than the planted crops. But farmers don't like weeds and they tend not to allow this type of hay to grow. 

A farmer will also harvest grass in slough areas and ditches. Depending on the harvest, the hay can be great or terrible. Timing, again, is crucial. 

When ruminants are fed poor quality hay, the protein level is not adequate and the animals will lose weight. If they have enough variety of plants in the hay, they will do better and if the hay is optimum, premium hay, they will thrive. Finding that good hay is hard and when farmers have it, they do not want to part with it usually. Since I do not have equipment and machinery to plant or harvest hay, I must purchase it. 

So far this year, I have purchased hay from three different farmers and with two, some of the hay was good, and the rest is not. One of the farmers sold hay that the animals will not eat. It was expensive too, left too long in the field and harvested too dry so the nutrients are not present. I have found some good quality hay and am going to purchase it and sell some of the poor quality I was sold earlier, but not until March or so, when hay is hard to find. 

The sheep and goats are very fussy about their hay. They love the weeds and leaves and eat the grass, but not old grass with hard stems. More than 50% of the bad hay is wasted so cheap is not better in this case. Wasted hay means a lot of extra work, forking it both in, then out of the feeders and finally piling it to compost because the animals did not eat it. Good hay, on the other hand, is eaten and there is far less waste, far less work too, so it is worth the extra money. 

Now I know more about hay and how it is produced and why some is better than others, I have a better idea of how to shop for it. One thing though, the whole hay field may not be the same, as I have also discovered, so purchasing all of what is good at one time is best. Next year I will have so much more knowledge and be able to make better choices for feeding the animals at the Fat Ewe Farm. Whew!

So, I said that to the man who brought the hay today. What am I doing here alone, all the way from Vancouver? Making a difference, I said and he asked how it was going. 

Well, it is a hard thing to do anywhere, to make a difference. But here, in the midst of redneck country where people are wanting only to do what they know, the way their daddies and grand daddies did things, only what they see as easier..that is it. 

But it is not. He owns a feed lot, not a huge one, but certainly on that money is in the millions. And expenses are high, with a bad year bad enough to break a farmer. The hay was $75 dollars a bale. I asked how it came to be hay, when the field was sprayed with Round Up, what chemical inputs went into the hay and so on. These were a lot of questions for some one just buying hay for a few sheep and goats. The thing that floored me, absolutely, was that he believes that Round Up and petroleum chemical fertilizers are harmless, both to the land and certainly to humans. 

That, is why I am here. And no, it is not going as quickly as I would like, but I have no doubt I have reached a few already. I don't have to reach them all. Even one or two will tell another one or two and so it will continue on, but the impetus has to be made. I am trying. I told the farmer that Round Up is killing the world, especially the bees and the food for the bees, and that babies are born with that chemcial in their little bodies, already in the bloodstream, because it infiltrates our food and we cannot get away from it. 

But it is harmless, he says. 

And so, my work continues. I explain why it is important to be organic. He says he cannot take that chance. The bottom line is the dollar and every one is for survival. He seems like a really nice man. I prayed that somehow I was given the wisdom to show the way. Pray for this if you can, not just for me, but for all those who still believe that spraying chemcials on food crops, whether food for animals, which we ultimately consume, or crops, which we directly consume, is harmless. It is poison. 
Thank you Creator for this challenge. I am not sure I am up to it or the right one for the instrument to spread the word, but I am doing something. I told him today, the evidence against the use of Round Up has become overwhelming. Now what? Pleas show me the way. 

Namaste. 

Jenna and her sister came out of Spirit Rivier Saskatchewan. I drove to Lloydminster to pick them up, and it was a terrible snow storm too. The little girls were the last two of the litter and the farmer had little or no use for them. It is likely he fed them, but sheep love dog food and being small, they were not able to fend the sheep off and got nothing to eat. They ate grain and pulled wool to stay alive. 

They were also badly abused, likely kicked back into the sheep pen. Jenna's sister has permanent hip damage from a previous injury as a baby. Both girls have only just come around, 2 years after being here at The Fat Ewe Farm, but Jade will still not go to strangers and hangs way back, in case they will hurt her. Jenna is starting to be more outgoing and she always has smiles for me. She is very sweet natured and was the under dog until last winter. Her ear was torn in a fight when she was not allowed to have food with the pack. At a certain point after that, she had had enough and used her whiles to defeat her sister, which surpirsed her and earned respect from the other dogs. Now Jenna can approach and eat with the pack. She will always be shy though. Isn't she ever so cute?

It is the season of Christmas movies. I watched The Chirstmas Candle, starring Susan Boyle, a singer who has the voice of an angel and the face of a pudgy English midwife, but the overall feeling of the movie was sweet sentiment and hope. It was about hope. 

Winter is a dark time of year. People feel shut in. It is cold and they don't go outside much, running from work to the stores and back to ther sanctuary of their homes. They are depressed and anxious about the season. There is never enough money, too many committments and too many desires, selfish ones, that come before anything else. They consume, buy new when they had what was good enough, but old. Heck, it was not even old, just not new. I can see you nodding your head. 

I used to be that too. But this journey I am on to learn how to love life and love myself is a hard one. I no longer want anything. I want to not have anything either, to sell it all and walk away with a suitcase of needs. I no longer want to consume. I don't care what is on sale. I don't look at money off coupons unless it is already something I need. 

And what about Christmas. This is a Christian religious ceremony based on the belief that a baby was born somewhere in the desert in winter around the solstice. The many traditions are taken from pagan celebrations, as are the symbols associated with the holiday. Yet, in everyone's hearts there is the feeling of something else. Admonishment for not being a good Christian or joy for the son of God coming to save the world. The First Nations did not believe that they did anything which required them to need to be saved. They did not need churches because wherever they were was a sacred place among the Creator. They revered the Earth, not wrapped it in plastic. I could go on. 

So, what about it, Christmas, that is? I may be alone this Christmas. I have family within an hour of me, real family, and even some friends 2 hours away. They know I am here, but I have never been invited to their homes, not for Christmas or any other time. Is Christmas a time for family? My family is  not here , but my best friend will be around either before or after Christmas for a visit. Bless her heart. Coming to Alberta in winter is not most people's  ideal way to spend holiday time. My kids are coming sometimes around Christmas too.  People matter. The actual date doesn't. 

And in the dark days of winter, the symbol of the wreath, a circle without end, means life will go on. I wish it was different. I wish people had time for one another, not just on holidays, but everyday. Who cares about the presents, the wrapping  and the endless feasting? What matters is the feeling of love in our hearts, not just one day, but each day. That and letting our little lights shine to help others find their way in that darkness…that is it.  The Christmas  candle.   Each day, every day. Let your light shine. 

It took a while for me to research enough to be comfortable raising waterfowl through a northern Alberta winter. For one, I do not have heated coops. Also, I do not have an underground water system or a system that keeps water from freezing. So, for the ducks and geese, it was still important that they had access to fresh water daily so they could dip their heads in to clear their eyes, but they also like to bathe daily, despite the frigid temperatures. 

The ducks and geese go into their tubs and flick the water over thier backs, wetting the feathers. Then they sit for an hour afterwards and preen. This means that they spread the oil from their oil gland near the tail, with their beaks, through out the feathers. The oil helps to unify the feathers and then keep the birds warmer. This seems counterproductive when the tempatures are so low that immediately upon leaving the water, it freezes to ice on their feathers, but it does work. 

The ducks prefer to be outside during the day and do not require too much shelter, just a place away from the wind and off the cold ground, with a roof to keep the snow off too. Bi weekly, or as needed, I spread some fluffy straw on the floor of their shelters. The birds tuck their legs and feet up into their sides though and rest on their breasts, which are amply covered with feathers and underneath those, a beautiful layer of fine down. The water actually does not penetrate their feathers if they are in good condition. 

The Sebastopol geese worry me though. They have open feathers and not much down in comparison to the other geese, yet they love to bathe just the same. They also sit and preen and are not shivering, so I assume they are not cold, but they do not have the insulation against the cold that other geese do. Fortunately, the ducks and geese crowd themselves into an 8 x 10 shelter, so their body heat does keep the shelter warmer and the proximity to each other keeps the birds warmer too. It is always nice to cuddle up to a buddy. 

The Muscovy ducks do not sleep with the other waterfowl and instead, go into one of the chicken coops. The body temperature of chickens is higher than ducks and in that coop there are a lot of them, so perhaps it feels warmer to the Muscovy ducks. The caruncles, or red raised bits on their faces, can freeze and if they do, it means that they could get brain freeze too, in which case, death would result. Today they all got new straw in their coops and they had their daily baths too. I could stand and watch them for a long time, I find them so interesting. But when the temperature is well below zero and the wind is blowing, standing to watch is not really a good option. 

Another thing I do not comprehend is how they know each other. The Saxony ducks, three girls, got two Saxony drakes recently. I did not segregate them to introduce the drakes to the girls, but some how they know who is who and they hang around together. I see that when mating occurs in the spring too. The Rouens hang around together and the Campbells too, and now the Saxony ducks will likely too. Pretty cool things, those birds. Aren't they?

I had a discussion with the man who boarded his cows here this summer. He grows crops, grain crops, and has come to the realization that the chemicals are unhealthy. So, his solution is to buy organic feed for the chickens he and his family will eat, and to grow a small plot of wheat for his own use, too. 

I asked him, what about his fellow man? Doesn't it matter that the poisons, he now realizes that are killing the world, are still being fed to the "others" via his hand? He said that his bottom line was at stake, that he experienced crop failure due to invasive weeds when he did not spray and took a hit on the yields. Well, I just do not find that acceptable. 

How can one person, who realizes that the world is being poisoned slowly through the use of chemicals, particularly Round Up (glysophate) by Monsanto, but also through the other toxic brews of fungicides, herbicides and fertilizers, still use them for others? How can this be? 

It is all about money. That farmer drives to Wetaskawin to buy organic chicken feed. Wetaskawin is a 3 hour jaunt each way, so he makes his trip worthwhile and brings a trailer to load up, but the feed is only for his own chickens, not for those he raises for others. Those other chickens are still fed local feed filled with GMO grains that are heavily sprayed with chemicals. 

Did you know that it is a common practice to spray Round Up to dessicate the grain just before harvest. They spray so much that it kills the plant immediately and those are plants that are often genetically engineered to withstand applications of that chemical. Only they spray a great quantity which kills the plant making harvest an easy task, since the leaves and chaff fall off the grain seeds when the plant is dead. That is sick! And no wonder the North American world cannot eat wheat, especially, but other grains too. Organic grains do not have any of those chemicals, but are not the perfect answer either. 

Somehow, these farmers are waking up, are beginning to realize that the chemcials are killing the people. The farmer I spoke to lost his brother at a fairly young age. Cancer is rampant. But how can we wake this world up to quit. Yes, just quit and begin the healing process of the land so that once again, all food is organic as it was just seventy years ago. It did not require legistalation and labelling. It did not require permits and fences. It was organic because that is all there was - real food! 

Sigh, a big heavy, deeply seated sigh. I am fearful. I am fearful that before the world wakes up, we will have done too much damage. At least there are countries popping up in distant locations that are returning to the natural way of farming. Let's hope it is not too late for us. 

The remainder of the chickens were taken to the processor today, 22 in total. I should have taken some of the larger hens that were crosses, but I want to see how they do this winter. They are all pullets and I have no idea if that Chantecler/Ameraucana cross will be a good winter egg layer or not. I got only one egg today, so if that is tell tale, I guess not. I could put a light on in the coop to extend the day in their minds, which promotes laying, but I am hoping to create a hardy winter layer that does not need artificial light or extra heat, even in this frozen north. The chickens are in hoop shelters which protect them from the wind, but there is no heat in them, other than that which they provide from their own bodies. One small shelter has the Muscovy ducks on the straw and about twenty five chickens on perches, so it is warm even though it does not have a front wall, only wire. I am trying to get the chickens to leave one of the coops and use only the insulated one. More bodies means more heat in there, so I will close the one I dont want them in and put them physically in the one I do want them to use. 

Some of the bantam chickens dressed out just under 2 pounds. That is one small chicken. The cost for each chicken to process was just under five dollars including GST. So at, let's say, 2 pounds, that still is not bad. I did buy those chicks at about 5 dollars each and fed them, though not much, over the summer which puts the price of a 2 pound chicken up to $10 and that is high. Some of the others were around 4 -5 pounds. Next year I will order a breed called Malines. They are a fast growing large chicken that lays well, but has a large comb and wattles so is not suited for our winters. If they cross with my Ameraucana/Chanteclers, I may just get a decent growing winter layer. May, I said. 

Oh well. I made a pot of chicken soup for tonight and I must say, the broth was amazing. There is no comparison to store bought chicken or even chicken that most farmers raise because these chickens were running around all summer eating grass and bugs. Most farmers keep chickens in runs and feed them grain instead.  Egg laying and meat are not the main purposes of the chickens on the farm. They are here to eat bugs and that is what they do. They scratch through the poop of every critter and eat the worms and eggs, and the flies and mosquitos, which is perfect. Who does not like chicken and who loves bugs? Win win, little chickens. Thank you for lives and thank you Creator for the opportunity to raise the birds and give them love and care. Bless you birdies. 

I am working on the Moose Hills Inn website, but the website builder is terrible on GoDaddy, where the hosting is, so I am going to look for a new site. Wordpress is one I have used before and liked. Building and maintaining a website is a lot of work, involving a lot of time, but it is necessary in today's world. 

The chickens were plucked from their perches tonight and put in the truck canopy. In the morning they will go to the processors. It is minus 21 out tonight and I sure hope they don't freeze. There should be enough to stay warm and I did put a whole bale of dry straw in there for bedding for them. I threw some of the chickens from odd places in the main coop, hoping they will get used to it and live there for the winter. They are currently locked in. Surprising, for the numbers of chickens there are, I am only getting a few eggs a day right now. The ducks were laying until yesterday, though the bitter cold is enough to discourage laying for sure. The eggs were frozen and cracked by the time I got to them. 

The milk cow, Elsie, and her adopted son, Freddy, went to the farm where she will be bred, either though AI and she will have  a purebred Jersey calf, or to a bull that the farmer has, a Semintal, Swiss breed of huge cow. The farmer bought Freddy and in a month when he is able to be weaned fully, Elsie will come home bred. 

The Nubian buckling was down and unable to get up today. He is skin and bones. I gave him a double shot of dewormer a few days ago and some vitamins, hoping he would perk up, but instead he is failing. I do not expect him to make it until morning. It seems the young Nubians cannot take the cold, even though they have a barn this year. So far, everyone else appears to be fine. Walter, the Cotswold ram, is also looking very poorly. He has been sickly since I got him three years ago and countless dollars have been spent on him in veterinary fees and medications. He is a beautiful animal, gentle and sweet and has given me many beautiful lambs. He will only have one sheep to breed this year so as not to tax him. He has a shelter with lots of straw to help him keep warm, but he is not looking good. 

The week after next is when the rams and ewes will be put together for breeding. The rams will remain with the ewes until lambing and then they will have to separate again. Since many of the sheep I have can conceive out of season, after lambing, it is necessary to keep the rams apart. With some breeds, the rams and ewes can cohabit all year. 

I did find two wringer washers and a kerosene heater. The wringer washers are for washing wool and felting it into sheets as wide as the wringer, then sewing those into garments. I will have to hire a plumber to create an outside drain to send the dirty fleece water to the garden and not the septic. I am looking for some crystal chandeliers for my store for spring. I usually do find things, though sometimes it takes a while. 

I almost forgot to feed the piggies today, so had to go out in the evening. I gave them a warm meal because it is bitterly cold and their tummies will be full and they will sleep under their straw and be happy. And I will sleep under my woolen quilt and be happy too! It was a great day. 

Today was a very busy day. It was cold outside too, minus 15 when I went out and by evening it had dropped  six degrees to minus 21. It is expected to be colder tonight. All the animals have decent shelters with fresh straw and were well fed today, so they will have full tummies to help generate some body heat. 

Robbie has lost all his fur so late this year, that he looks naked and his winter coat is only just starting to grow in. As long as he keep running he is not cold, but as soon as he has to stay stationary for any length of time, he gets so cold he bounces. Usually, if he is tied up, he gets tangled enough to not be able to get into one of the dog houses. I will have to move his tie to a better winter location. 

Today after the chores, Robbie and I rounded up the four youngest Jacob ewes and put halters on them. Either I do not understand how to put a rope halter on an animal or these ewes were able to get them off in too much of a hurry. The one with horns was out of luck, because the halter stalled at her horns, so she remained tied, but the other three were able to get out of the halter, so Robbie rounded them up and I caught them a second time, tying the halter to their front feet. Two I put in the llama shelter and put a pallet across the doorway, in case they played Houdini and got loose again. As it was, Karin wanted to go in the shelter and knocked the pallet down freeing the ewes. 

So when the folks came to pick them up, we had to round them up again. Robbie was a star, singling them out one at a time and driving them into corner or the shelter or in one case, shouldering her down. The couple was dually impressed with the wonder dog. Not bad for a 2 year old! 

The man came for half of his boarded cows at the same time as the folks came for the sheep. He will be back tomorrow for the rest of them. 

Freddy the Holstein calf got out of the fence where the barbed wire is not stapled anymore, but did not want to come back in that way. I left him out for a while, but when he started to bawling to Elsie, I had to go rescue him. Then Elsie got out while I had the gate open for Freddy, though she is a dream to put where I want her to go and with his mother, Freddy just tagged along, happy to have a drink of warm milk. He will be weaned soon. Then either I will attemp to milk Elsie or let her dry up. The timing for milking does not suit my life. I often have guests and clean up until 11 am and if I am doing dinners, I can be cleaning up until 11 pm. I could milk Elsie after that on both occasions, but it needs to be steady and consistent and that is my problem. 

Anyhow, it was a busy day and a good day, despite the cold. The Jacob ewes and two rams have gone to a good home. The last bigger job will be to catch the chickens going to the butcher's on Thursday morning. So, on Wednesday evening nearing dark, I will be chicken catching and putting them in the truck cab for the night. Hopefully they will not freeze overnight. Then the numbers of animals will have been reduced to half of the summer lot and winter chores should be much easier. The baby bunnies will be ready for butcher in a month or so. 

Thanks Robbie, for a job well done today. He is a good dog (sometimes!).