C&D Farming..oh what a life!

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Chris just spent 1/2 hour microwaving potatoes and rooster gravy to give to the ducks...hmm. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I don’t think the ducks will eat that. They’ve never eaten potato peels before, and he knows that...maybe bake potatos will be a big hit? anyways, he got one one the insulatEd boxes done for the goat kids...it’s big. Very nice. I mean, they will definitely be wary with the insulation he choose.... Now the poor guy has to make another one. Good thing we got all that plywood free yesterday. . He’s a saint to put up with me...

Well we ended up going on another one of our road trips for animals..5 chickens..2 BO, 3RIR...BUT...that wasn’t the thing...I thought the address sounded awfully familiar..and as we drove I kept saying..’oh geez, this is where we got Chester, our Billy goat..’.yep...sure was!! Luckily, Ruth didn’t recognize us...but she did tell us about a bad billy goat that she had to get rid of because he was wayyy too rough and threw her her to the ground! Hmmm...wonder why we didn’t hear that when she was selling him to us? Hmmm. But, on the sunny side...one of Chester’s kids was there from last spring...ohhh what a looker! A bottle baby and just fill her around...I’m starting to think I might want to bottle feed at least one....

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Boy!! What a day!! From before sunrise we’ve been running..selling 4dozen eggs, as a regular order to the Chinese restaurant!!..then buzzing home to get the truck and SUV transformed into animal haulers! Chris did an amazing job! The truck is actually a dump truck with high sides already...made out of industrial caging. He put a cab on it, enclosed it...enclosed the back of the SUV... And..we went on yet..another C&D animal adventure! This farm was only about 45 minutes away, so if we had to make two trips, we could. It was a very small farm, the man had to sell off his animals because he moved to Vegas. He is an injured Vet, and can’t take them all. So, we we’re getting very good deals. He had acquaintances taking care of the animals while he was gone.

So...the pig pen needed a lot of TLC, and the goats were free range...on the neighbors porch! Oh my goodness! But, they were all cute buggers and we could see that these could be great animals with some care. We had to hop the fence to get in with the pigs! They gave us a run for our money!! They did more hot laps than the Indy 500 racers! These pigs are a cross of Juliana and pots...but they are bred down. These gals are small! They are a year, and I’d say the biggest is 30 lbs? There’s a white, a brown, and a black! All girls... But, that’s not the worst thing in the world...males are easier to pick up than females. They are not very tame at all right now and Chris and I have our work cut out for us...but...I’m always up for a challenge!!

Then it was time to call in the goats. The lady said they come when she shows them hay...huh? Why don’t they just know they have free access to it all the time? Well, not my worries...not my place to say anything...these goats will now be well cared for, with more hay than they will ever need! . But, the lady was right..they saw the hay, and came running. Huh. So, it was tricky trying to catch them. There are 6...half ND, half fainting. One is only a month...cute little bugger! So, Chris managed to grab one here, another there. Then we got down to the last two. The young guy who was ‘helping” should’ve taken a lunch break... I don’t want to sound mean..,but, he was more of a hinderance than anything!! But, in the end..the last two, were gainers..and, we got them in a corner , and..they got stiff and fell over...perfect opportunity! They are sooo darned cute! Up one second, then stiff...and bam..right over! it wouldn’t be funny if you didn’t know that they are just fine!

So, we also bought some old dog igloos, etc... then the fun began getting them home....when we were loading the goats we both noticed that they needed their hooves trimmed. So we were going to weigh them and trim hooves as we unloaded them and put them in their new pen....well...these goats all have horns..ugh....I had ahold of the first one...who I’m embarrassed to admit weighed only 37 lbs...but...she squirmed and bobbed and got me square in the eye with that horn! I used a swear word. I do not swear. Ever. It hurt pretty bad there for a bit. We thought the eye got scratched, but now I think, maybe a bit, but more of a pressure wound to the eyeball? I don’t know. It’s a nice shade of..plum right not. She sliced it right open. So, we were both shaken up...but we got back on track, and started to resume. Don’t you know that little goat got out of the gate behind me? I wasn’t paying attention, and it was one crack open!! She took offfff! Well, you know, they’re used to being free range at their old farm. Well, he had 2 acres...we have 35... we were wayyy out of our league. We chased, and circled...and it went down on our race trace...and then Chris told me to stay there, and he went running....
10 minutes later he called me and told me to pick him up down on the road. I thought he gave up. When I got there...he had the tiny little goat!! I asked him how he got her...he was out of breath...he was fuming...he said...I almost shot her... so, I didn’t ask again. I know he didn’t mean it...but she did give him a good run for the money! She got both of us on her first night! The rest of the goats went a bit more smoothly....except we couldn’t get the last two weighed and trimmed because it was dark. They told us one was a billy. I didn’t see a buck when we were on the farm....I didn’t smell any buck when I was up close with them. Yet, the one gave birth last month. I’d be thrilled if they are all does! But, if there is a buck...I want him separated ASAP....that’s what was so weird...none of the goats acted at all like a buck. So, even though we didn’t get to inspect two...I just think those are does too. I think they must’ve had a visiting buck, the way they let their goats free range..for the one to get pregnant. We’ll see...perhaps tomorrow I’ll be eating my words? wouldn’t be the first time!

Boy, we had fun today! As I was running through the pig pen, dodging tree branches, and jumping over frozen water bowels, I yelled out to Chris...’this is one heck of a great date night!’ I’d do it again tomorrow...but, I think he’d wait awhile...

 

[Baymule]

Oh my! That's some shiner you got there. Might be a good idea to have a doctor take a look at it just to make sure there is no lasting damage. I am happy that you got what you wanted. Chasing escaped animals is never any fun. Y'all sure got your exercise today!

 

[thistlebloom]

Ouch! Take care of that eye, looks painful.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Today we had to clean our chicken coop from head to toe...lice! Ugh. We dug and scraped and raked. It’s a dirt floor. Thing is...we did this floor on Christmas Eve. That’s a lot of poop build up for a month. And it’s a very large coop...20’x21’. The only part that isn’t 12’ high is the back 1/4...it’s still only 4’...which is awful.... but, we cleaned it all..got some great compost...he even flipped over the little 3’ x 6’ addition so we could get it all sprayed good in there. We sprayed permethrin...used DE...then put down wood chips and hay in nest boxes..and in coop used a ton of straw...it comes up like carpet...as I’m sure all of you know...next time will be much easier. We had much and leaves down...which is fine...but I’ll always put a good base of straw down on everything after seeing what happens in my barns. Then, after putting away th3 animals it was tim3 to go dust the chickens. After we dusted about four...we realized that our plan to keep them separate wasn’t working. So, I pulled out my red, hooker lipstick for marking my chickens vents...and we started marking the right legs of the ones that were done. It helped a great deal. We have 40 chickens. It took quite awhile. So, hopefully, when we go to repeat it in ten days, the lipstick will still be there and then we can look for the girls without two red legs...

I also tried to make some time for 5he new goats and pigs. They were apparently...um...not fed well. The goats, I guess, had to scrounge for food..and literally ate stuff in tin cans. I thought that was a joke...because I know how picky my girls are. Well, these poor goats were so hungry..they were eating the garbage.i think with some
Tthey will come around to me completey.

 

[Baymule]

Poor goats. They just escaped he// and went to heaven.

 

[farmerjan]

Word to the wise, and I hate to be the one to tell you this...... DO NOT USE STRAW OR HAY of any kind if you are having a lice or mite problem in the chickens. The lice and mites will go into the hollow stems as well as any crack between boards etc.... I am not telling you this to be mean,,,, really..... But use only shavings or sawdust ESPECIALLY in the nest boxes. All the DE in the world, and even if you were to use something as bad as Sevin dust, will not be able to touch any that will disappear into the stems of the hay or straw. And as nice as it is, straw is the worst because the stems are actually "more hollow" because the plant basically died in order for the straw to be made. All the moisture was out of the stem when the grain was harvested off the top of the plant, leaving the stalk and straw is coarser than hay so the stem is usually bigger around.

Another thing, in the warmer weather you can use a good bleach solution to wash the inside walls and let it dry good. It will kill alot of them too and sure is cheaper than using so much pyrethrin and DE. Sure, use it after, but the bleach will cause alot of them to come out of the cracks in the wood where they join like corners and all. Do it on a warm day and soak/spray it good, then let the sun, warm air dry it good then you can go back with the other for insurance. I realize it is the middle of winter right now so don't want to get it too wet where it won't dry.
Old time remedy is to paint the roosts with kerosene too. Keeps the lice from traveling from bird to bird and won't hurt their feet. May not be "organic" but we used to do that especially for the tiny mites as they could not travel from the cracks onto the birds at night. Lice don't spend as much time off the birds..... but they will get into the stems of the straw.

Sorry you are dealing with that, it is a B$#@H to get rid of.

 

[Duckfarmerpa1]

Word to the wise, and I hate to be the one to tell you this...... DO NOT USE STRAW OR HAY of any kind if you are having a lice or mite problem in the chickens. The lice and mites will go into the hollow stems as well as any crack between boards etc.... I am not telling you this to be mean,,,, really..... But use only shavings or sawdust ESPECIALLY in the nest boxes. All the DE in the world, and even if you were to use something as bad as Sevin dust, will not be able to touch any that will disappear into the stems of the hay or straw. And as nice as it is, straw is the worst because the stems are actually "more hollow" because the plant basically died in order for the straw to be made. All the moisture was out of the stem when the grain was harvested off the top of the plant, leaving the stalk and straw is coarser than hay so the stem is usually bigger around.

Another thing, in the warmer weather you can use a good bleach solution to wash the inside walls and let it dry good. It will kill alot of them too and sure is cheaper than using so much pyrethrin and DE. Sure, use it after, but the bleach will cause alot of them to come out of the cracks in the wood where they join like corners and all. Do it on a warm day and soak/spray it good, then let the sun, warm air dry it good then you can go back with the other for insurance. I realize it is the middle of winter right now so don't want to get it too wet where it won't dry.
Old time remedy is to paint the roosts with kerosene too. Keeps the lice from traveling from bird to bird and won't hurt their feet. May not be "organic" but we used to do that especially for the tiny mites as they could not travel from the cracks onto the birds at night. Lice don't spend as much time off the birds..... but they will get into the stems of the straw.

Sorry you are dealing with that, it is a B$#@H to get rid of.

Geez...I never heard such a thing about the hay?? I’ve been on BYC for a year..and everyone uses it in nesting boxes....what do mean...paint the roosts with kerosene? I may be too nieve, but I thought that was a fuel...not a paint. I’m not worried about being too organic...it’s nice to be that way...we grow our veggies that way..but, if it means helping the chickens stay healthy...it’s fine...same with my own situation...I try to be organic...but sometimes it’s just not possible or realistic...

ok..I guess I have more work to do in the coop today...thanks for telling me before it was too late...again...

 

[Baymule]

Painting with kerosene means to dip a brush in kerosene and "paint" the kerosene onto the roost. Don't forget to do top and bottom!

I am as organic as possible. However I will not sacrifice the health or well being on my animals because it is not organic. Parasites especially!

 

[farmerjan]

The whole hay/straw thing is mostly ignored or "pooh-poohed" by the "experts" who have a few chickens and then become all knowledgeable..... It is an old timer thing. But I have seen the proof when I was having trouble with lice and especially with mites. I love a nice nest box full of straw, but have found out over the years that it can be a problem. And as much as they say not to, I mix cedar shavings in with the regular shavings as the parasites do not like it.
Yeah, just take a paintbrush and brush on the kerosene on the roost poles, like @Baymule said. Can use diesel fuel also. The "purists" will tell you how terrible it is to do that......

If you get scaly leg mites in chickens where they get under their scales on their legs, you can also dip their legs in kerosene, then hold them for a minute for it to drain, then set them down. They can't really "eat it" because it is a liquid that will soak into the flaky scales and kill the scaly leg mites. Also, you can smother them with vaseline, rubbing it into the scales. But the chickens will pick at that a bit although it has never been a problem when I have done it.