Bruce
Herd Master
It is just clutter, no one in the family fishes.
Changing goals and speed
- Thread starter AClark
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #942
AClark
Loving the herd life
It's been a long last week. I'm in the 2nd to last course to graduate, finally. This course is more strict than those in the past and requires a bit more attention, along with busy with farm stuff.
Milking is going well, little Dolly is earning her keep for sure. We're at about 2 qts a day, not 30 days in yet but close to it. From what I gather, that isn't half bad for a FF.
For Valentines Day, DH got me an Alpine doe, that is probably due to kid in the next 30 days or so. She's a doll, and was just unwanted and neglected. She definitely needs some weight on her and I vaccinated, bolused, etc etc already. He named her Swiss Miss. She has some filling in her udder and I checked that out - wasn't sure if she had recently had kids or was going to, and only got a squirt of colostrum out so I stopped.
We had 9 kits born to my sons bunny yesterday. Nice to finally see a big healthy litter. Our average litters are 6 or 7 so finding 9 was really awesome. DH's pig farrowed as well, she had 5 but being a new momma and us finding out a bit late 2 had been stepped on. She has 3 pretty healthy little piglets now, 2 boys and a girl and she's being a good momma. She has let me in with her and the babies and hasn't eaten me, so that's a plus.
I have both incubators at capacity and running. One is full of goose and duck eggs (8 goose eggs, the rest are ducks) and candling out to be viable. The other has 48 chicken eggs in it. I got a batch of hatching eggs at the auction, 36 of them of black laced Orpingtons. The duck eggs are from my ducks so they are Pekin/Rouen with Orpington moms. Geese will be Embden/ African and maybe some Toulouse/African, not sure we got rid of the Embden gander because he was a giant jerk.
I also planted 30 something Mortgage Lifter tomatoes, another 30 something Watermelon tomatoes, Habaneros, Ghost peppers, and Jalapenos. I still have more to do today but that was about all I could finish yesterday while I was cooking dinner. It's also raining right now, that cold front came early. It was so weird, I went out and it was balmy and humid around 68 F, really nice out, rocking out an old wife-beater T and sweat pants. As soon as I got to the chicken coop to open it up I got a gust of icy wind, and then it got instantly cold out.
I also planted somewhere along the lines of 200 strawberry seeds, so we'll see with that. We are expanding the garden, and we got a tiller at the auction. It starts and runs but needs a new throttle spring - I'll just wirei t with some baling wire and call it a day.
So, pic time! Everybody loves baby pictures.
Piglets - the two boys are the black and white.
Momma while she was having them, we pulled them away after the first two got stepped on - she had them at feeding time. Funny thing was, we had ordered pizza (and actually get delivery out here in the back 40) and he showed up with pizza while I was picking up piglets. I had my oldest son sign my credit card receipt and here I am, all soaked in goop holding a slimy piglet - dude said he didn't need a tip but I had the kids go grab cash. I think he didn't want me to touch it and hand it to him, lol.
Swiss Miss. She's gimpy, they trimmed her feet before we got her and they're too short but she's moving around a lot better now. I dusted her for lice as well.
Zoidberg (for you Futurama fans) the Tom turkey we got for a boyfriend for Derp. Derp started laying so we figured she might as well have fertile eggs. She's a broad-breasted white, he's a Royal Palm.
And last but not least, Mei. Bohannon's (our Toulouse gander) girlfriend.
Milking is going well, little Dolly is earning her keep for sure. We're at about 2 qts a day, not 30 days in yet but close to it. From what I gather, that isn't half bad for a FF.
For Valentines Day, DH got me an Alpine doe, that is probably due to kid in the next 30 days or so. She's a doll, and was just unwanted and neglected. She definitely needs some weight on her and I vaccinated, bolused, etc etc already. He named her Swiss Miss. She has some filling in her udder and I checked that out - wasn't sure if she had recently had kids or was going to, and only got a squirt of colostrum out so I stopped.
We had 9 kits born to my sons bunny yesterday. Nice to finally see a big healthy litter. Our average litters are 6 or 7 so finding 9 was really awesome. DH's pig farrowed as well, she had 5 but being a new momma and us finding out a bit late 2 had been stepped on. She has 3 pretty healthy little piglets now, 2 boys and a girl and she's being a good momma. She has let me in with her and the babies and hasn't eaten me, so that's a plus.
I have both incubators at capacity and running. One is full of goose and duck eggs (8 goose eggs, the rest are ducks) and candling out to be viable. The other has 48 chicken eggs in it. I got a batch of hatching eggs at the auction, 36 of them of black laced Orpingtons. The duck eggs are from my ducks so they are Pekin/Rouen with Orpington moms. Geese will be Embden/ African and maybe some Toulouse/African, not sure we got rid of the Embden gander because he was a giant jerk.
I also planted 30 something Mortgage Lifter tomatoes, another 30 something Watermelon tomatoes, Habaneros, Ghost peppers, and Jalapenos. I still have more to do today but that was about all I could finish yesterday while I was cooking dinner. It's also raining right now, that cold front came early. It was so weird, I went out and it was balmy and humid around 68 F, really nice out, rocking out an old wife-beater T and sweat pants. As soon as I got to the chicken coop to open it up I got a gust of icy wind, and then it got instantly cold out.
I also planted somewhere along the lines of 200 strawberry seeds, so we'll see with that. We are expanding the garden, and we got a tiller at the auction. It starts and runs but needs a new throttle spring - I'll just wirei t with some baling wire and call it a day.
So, pic time! Everybody loves baby pictures.
Piglets - the two boys are the black and white.
Momma while she was having them, we pulled them away after the first two got stepped on - she had them at feeding time. Funny thing was, we had ordered pizza (and actually get delivery out here in the back 40) and he showed up with pizza while I was picking up piglets. I had my oldest son sign my credit card receipt and here I am, all soaked in goop holding a slimy piglet - dude said he didn't need a tip but I had the kids go grab cash. I think he didn't want me to touch it and hand it to him, lol.
Swiss Miss. She's gimpy, they trimmed her feet before we got her and they're too short but she's moving around a lot better now. I dusted her for lice as well.
Zoidberg (for you Futurama fans) the Tom turkey we got for a boyfriend for Derp. Derp started laying so we figured she might as well have fertile eggs. She's a broad-breasted white, he's a Royal Palm.
And last but not least, Mei. Bohannon's (our Toulouse gander) girlfriend.
CntryBoy777
Herd Master
And I was here wondering how the shoulder was coming along....I should've known ya wouldn't slow down enough to find out....
.....glad things are moving along quite well for ya....and Congrats on the new babies...and additions!! It is good to hear from ya and know ya will be glad to get finished with the schooling....
.....glad things are moving along quite well for ya....and Congrats on the new babies...and additions!! It is good to hear from ya and know ya will be glad to get finished with the schooling....- Thread starter
- #944
AClark
Loving the herd life
My elbow has problems. It's numb around the entire elbow and the surgical site actually hurts. However, I no longer have burning nerve pain from elbow to finger and it's mildly uncomfortable instead of extremely painful. Of course, being a nerve surgery it can take awhile to completely heal and this may not be how it feels in a few months, which is encouraging. The dr said it healed up well, the scar really does look good, and to just use common sense while using it until I get the muscle back in it.
That said, milking has really improved my grip and muscle in my hand which was atrophied from not being able to use it. I still can't quite feel my last two fingers, but my grip has improved and I can feel that, and they actually function. I can't say anything bad about the surgery, it has improved it a lot.
That said, milking has really improved my grip and muscle in my hand which was atrophied from not being able to use it. I still can't quite feel my last two fingers, but my grip has improved and I can feel that, and they actually function. I can't say anything bad about the surgery, it has improved it a lot.
Glad you got a little rain. Looks like the main flow is going to be well east of you though for the coming rain party. Glad the surgery did some good and it's "healing". I'm sure it's nice to have some grip back in the hand. Thanks for the pics. Grats on the new additions. Are you going to be selling chicks? Just curious as that's a lot of chickens coming.
greybeard
Herd Master
I have the "My kid beat up your honor roll kid' sticker...
- Thread starter
- #947
AClark
Loving the herd life
Yes I'll be selling chicks and ducklings, maybe goslings as well, depending on how many hatch out. I might as well fill the incubator, it takes as much electricity to run it with 1 egg or 48 lol.
My arm is improving overall. I can swing a hammer and do most anything I need to. Opening jars is still a challenge but most of the time I get them. I really can't complain.
My arm is improving overall. I can swing a hammer and do most anything I need to. Opening jars is still a challenge but most of the time I get them. I really can't complain.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #948
AClark
Loving the herd life
Wow, so ok we had ice storms on Wednesday and Thursday. Kids had no school, DH went to work very briefly on Wednesday before they sent everyone home and closed post. It's been super cold and nasty with freezing rain, but it warmed up today and now it's just raining, and supposed to rain tomorrow.
Something I never considered before, but I thought about it today and have considered it many times now is that while I enjoy milking, I do not enjoy the hideous smelling goat gas. I'm not kidding, Dolly could clear a room!
JD broke his little scur off. It wasn't much of one, but really thin and deformed. It didn't even bleed much. I'm curious if it will grow back or not? It broke off right as his skull, it would be nice if it stayed gone.
On a sad note, Petunia killed all her piglets - I think she laid on them, even though they had rails. Both of the pigs are headed to be processed as soon as I can get an appointment. I need the space and I don't particularly enjoy the pigs and that was the intent all along. DH is all for sending them off so we can have that pen back.
Something I never considered before, but I thought about it today and have considered it many times now is that while I enjoy milking, I do not enjoy the hideous smelling goat gas. I'm not kidding, Dolly could clear a room!
JD broke his little scur off. It wasn't much of one, but really thin and deformed. It didn't even bleed much. I'm curious if it will grow back or not? It broke off right as his skull, it would be nice if it stayed gone.
On a sad note, Petunia killed all her piglets - I think she laid on them, even though they had rails. Both of the pigs are headed to be processed as soon as I can get an appointment. I need the space and I don't particularly enjoy the pigs and that was the intent all along. DH is all for sending them off so we can have that pen back.
CntryBoy777
Herd Master
Ice is never fun to deal with and glad ya came thru it without damage. Sure sorry to hear about the piglets and tho I really enjoy eating pork, I could never raise them...they just are not my kind of animal. I'm not suppose to eat much pork anyway. Hope the eggs hatch for ya and ya have a bunch of peepers to sell and harvest. It won't be long before seeds will be getting in the ground and veggies will be growing....
Bruce
Herd Master
Really sad about the little piggies! I gather it isn't all that uncommon.
