KDailey's Journal

KDailey

Chillin' with the herd
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1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?
~East Texas, United States, Usually pretty hot and can be muggy sometimes. It's december 30th and just yesterday we were outside in short sleeved shirts.

2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
~I live with my boyfriend, I'm 20 and he's 21

3. How would you define your farm?
~In the works. Even though I have many animals it's really not very organized and there's a lot that needs be "fixed up"

4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
~Completely rebuild every fence on our 100 acres. Build entirely seperate barns for each species of animal I have. Actually start building our house.

5. Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to?
~I've only ever helped to build our little chicken shed and coop. We're planning on building our house.

6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?
~Did a little in 9th grade Ag shop

7. Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer?
~I love love love animals and the country way of life. I think I was born in the wrong century. I'd love it if we still rode horses everywhere and relied completely on our farms for food

8 Is it a hobby or an occupation?
~Hobby but I would love for it to be my full time job

9. In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more?
~I know a lot about horses and dogs, a good bit about chickens, and I showed lambs in FFA so I know a little about them. I'd like to be more knowledgeable about every farm animal there is and have one of everything at some time in my life, not necessarily all at the same time.

10. In what types of farming will you never choose to do?
~I can't really think of anything...

11. Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply?
~Yes! I'd love to start a garden and raise animals for meat

12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?
~Pretty much somewhere doing something with animals

13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?
~nope

14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?
~I can if I have the time to get creative

15. Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?
~We have 7 horses, 1 donkey, 3 dogs, 2 cats, 7 rabbits, around 50 chickens and 6 ducks (2 are calls)

16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?
~nope

17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?
~I don't but I would like to
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
~occasionally, bait

19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country?
~113 acres. It's my boyfriend's parent's land

20. Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed?
~Just me

21. What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?
~We don't really have a specialty yet since we aren't very organized but I have a few things I would like to do. I'd like to raise Pygmy Goats and Nigerian Dwarf Goats, Bantam Cochins and Old English Game Bantams, and Dutch rabbits.

22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
~A degree in how to run a farm as in how to run a tractor, how to build a chicken shed, etc. Not the finacial aspect.

23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?
~My boyfriend runs a portable sawmill and builds things out of pine and red cedar

24. Are you interested in herbal animal medicine?
~Not against it, not necessarily gung-ho either

25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?
~Right where I'm at, just more land

26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?
~No but I think it would be nice

27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
~Someone that knew everything there ever is to know about animals and farming

28. Are your family or friends also interested in animals?
~Ehh. They like animals but definately not like I do. My neighbor is really into chickens

29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?
~I like to cook. I just don't like the clean up afterwards. I think it would be awesome to have farm fresh milk and I already get fresh eggs

30. What was your best animal experience? Worst?
~There are so many good that I couldn't even begin to tell you. Worst experiance was when I was thrown from a family friend's horse when I was like 10.

31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?
~My boyfriend and his dad do a lot of hog hunting, I'd like to be more into deer hunting. We have wild raspberries growing in the pasture that we like to pick

32. What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm?
~Ryan (my boyfriend) runs a portable sawmill and he saws all our lumber from logs. We never have to buy lumber.

33. Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve?
~I haven't ever processed my own but Ryan and his dad do sometimes

34. Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to?
~none

35 What is on your to do list?
~Way too much to list

36. Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to?
~That would be a dream come true!

37. In what do you trust?
~God and Ryan

38. Do you make and fix things yourself to save money?
~Ryan is the handy-man king!

39. Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits?
~I have always been an animal lover and sometimes I let that part of me take over and I wind up bringing in all kinds of strays and any free animal. This tends to get me in trouble with Ryan. :rolleyes:
 

KDailey

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Thanks! I'll get around to an actually entry later when I have more time
 

KDailey

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Ok to start off I'll list our animals:

3 dogs
-Toby: 2 yo beagle/dachshund/jack Russell male. Smart as a whip and very adventurous.
-Gunner: 3 yo catahoula/lab. If you've seen the movie Marmaduke then that's just like Gunner
-Nuggett: 10 mo CKC longhaired Chihuahua male. Teeny tiny and a total mess. He lives everybody and has a huge attitude.

2 kittens, black and white. Approx. 5 mo had to bottle feed them when their mom, a stray, abandoned them. Don't really have names cuz nothing has really stuck except little nicknames
-Stinker/Kitten/Fattie: this cat is a mess! Talk about cuddly. I've never seen cats that were as cuddly as these two but this one is all over me!
-Sweetie/Sister: this one likes to cuddle too but is more subtle about it. While the first kitten is in your face trying to get your attention, this one is more likely to just sit in your lap and go to sleep.

7 horses
-Smack: 16 yo bay quarter horse gelding, been there done that, best horse in the world. He has severe arthritis in his knees and we're afraid we won't have him much longer.
-Dusty: 19 yo bay QH gelding, firecracker, can go all day, experienced riders only
-Snow: 13 yo bay roam app broodmare
-Gretchen: 3.5 yo red roam blanket app filly in training using Clinton Anderson's Downunder Horsemanship Method. Amazing bloodlines and my everything. I wouldn't give her up for anything.
-Ruby: bay grade mare, for sale or will give away to good home
-Slick: 7 mo chestnut colt, Ruby's son
-Hollywood: 3 yo red overo paint gelding, in training with Gretchen

1 yearling donkey, Willy

7 rabbits
-2 harlequin Dutch bucks
-1 harlequin Dutch doe
-1 black/white Dutch doe (supposedly bred)
-1 grey harlequin doe
-1 white doe w/ black spots
-1 ? White doe with tan ears and tan eyeliner

Chickens
-2 BTW Japanese
-2 BTBuff Japanese
-lots bantam Cochins
-lots old English game bantams
-2 blue silkie hens
-1 white silkie hen
-1 white silkie rooster
-1 partridge silkie rooster
-1 partridge showgirl hen
-1 buff Orpington hen
-1 buff Brahms pullet
-1 RIR/Jersey giant pullet (one eye)
-1 WCB polish Hen
-lots chicks (Cochin, OEGB)

Ducks
-2 harlequin (?)
-1 blue Swedish hen
-1 chocolate runner hen
-1 white call hen
-1 snowy call drake

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Gretchen

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Hollywood

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Snow & Gretchen

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Slick @ 2 weeks old

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Ruby when we first got her

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Nuggett @ 8 weeks

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Gunner

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Toby

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KDailey

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Ok here's my first official entry!

Yesterday we took in a 5 day old heifer calf that was having trouble nursing. The cows udder was so big and low to the ground that the poor calf was having trouble getting to the teats. She was just sucking on the side of it.

The cow belongs to Ryan's PawPaw and they've had to bottle feed calves before but he's gettin on in age and didn't want to mess with the calf so we took her in. So far she's not pickin up on the whole bottle feeding thing. We've tried 3 times so far and we're not having much luck. I'm hoping she's gonna get hungry and it'll click and then be off to the races.

Her name is Tootsie :)
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77Herford

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You have some great looking horses. I don't have any App's but I know a guy who breeds and shows them often and they are beautiful. Well he is more of an aquaintance. Looks like a nice place to raise a family and have some livestock.
 

Mamaboid

Loving the herd life
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Beautiful horses. Wish I lived closer to you, I would love to give her a good home. I had 7 horses at one time, but had to get rid of them when my husband passed away at age 42. They were Quarters and Morgans and 1 Tenn. Walker/Mustang. She was my baby. My present dh and I now have room for lots of animals, but at age 61 I think I am just too old to start over with horses. I will stick to my goats, and admire yours from afar. Thanks for sharing.
 

KDailey

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Well Ryan fed Tootsie today around 11:00. He only took half a bottle so we wouldn't be wasting it if she still wouldn't drink it. He said she drank almost all of it but it took about an hour.

When I got home from work at around 4:00 we took her another half bottle. She drank almost all of in about 30 minutes and she did more of the sucking on her own without us squeezing it into her mouth and rubbing her throat to get her to swallow. I'm hoping that in the next couple days she'll figure it out completely and we can gradually get her eating a full bottle twice a day like the instructions on the bag say.

Also, it's been almost a month since I bought the black/white Dutch doe that was supposed to be bred. Still no babies but only time will tell. They could have bred her right before bringing her to the auction.
 

redtailgal

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Have you considered starting her on a bucket? I've had a few calves that never took well to a bottle but started right up on a bucket. (bucket calves seem to start eating grain a little easier too).

She is a pretty little thing. I just love how perfect a young ones feet are. I know, I am strange. Its fun though!
 

KDailey

Chillin' with the herd
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We haven't tried a bucket yet. We'll try it if she doesn't pick up on the bottle soon.

I know exactly what you mean about their perfect little feet! :)
 

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