Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

Here are some pix from the trip and girls' visit.
Meteor Crater - Just a big hole in the ground but the girls liked it.
They were up front with theguide and asking good questions. He was doing a PhD. thesis in bugs and DGD1 told him (she is 12) that she wnted to specialize in DNA and something I dd not understand. He talked to her for quite a bit - didn't understand him either. Should have asked him about Barber Pole worms. LOL
Apparently Nasa used to train the astronauts in the crater for both the moon landing, and for the Mars explorer trip.

DH met a new friend.

Then on to the Petrified Forest and their museum. They had skeletal mockups of ancient creatures that looked like dinosaurs but were more swampy creatures. Very ugly and dangerous although post dating the Petrified Forest by milions of years.

Girls decided to start taking pix of the stone logs. The logs looked like they belonged in a Disneyland mock up! Then on to the Painted Desert which was mostly visible by driving through it.

OK - here's me thinking outside the box. WAY outside the box - is there something that you can treat the pastures (or a pasture) with that could knock down the parasite level? I know it wouldn't be cheap, but losing so many lambs isn't cheap either.

I wondered if pasture burning (quick fire) woud kill the larvae. No spray fr Barber Pole.

Rotational grazing is about the only sure fire way of slowing down or stopping parasites. Putting lambs on a clean pasture, that’s one that had laid dormant for 3 months or longer, so it’s not loaded with worm larva. The adults have built up resistance, lambs have not.

Rotation is best....

Lambs were fairly ok until we moved them from the weaning pasture in with the main flock. The weaning pasture had been grazed a bit by the rams but they had been fenced out when we did the well in February so nothing grazing on it since then. DS1 and I have decided to keep a separate pasture to wean the lambs and dry lot them for a while. They were 4-5 months old when they rejoined the ewes. The ewes are fine as are the rams.

I wormed the last lamb with Safeguard Tuesday. I forgot I had a bottle in the fridge for the dogs (I use it for worming and giardia). Went to buy it at Atwoods and it was $176.00 for a quart! Recognized the label. I will order some Prohibit or Levamed.

The Goat Weed has really taken over while we were gone. One lovely pasture is now completely covered with it. I told DH we should spray but he insists he will pull it all out. It has flowered now though so I still think we should spray. Then he can pull it out.

 

[Margali]

Several articles from Ag Universities say barberpole worms eggs die at 100F so a pasture burn would kill them for sure. The question would be timing and control. Maybe burn off the winter stubble with eggs before spring green-up?

 

[SageHill]

I like the burn idea. Wonder if your FD could do it and use it as training?? The burn should also improve the soil as well.

 

[Ridgetop]

@Ridgetop Could you tell me what the final cost ended up for drilling your new well and how deep you went? Several of the properties on my list are ag exempt raw land. I know cost for septic install but well is a new one. Wells in the area hit water at 145ft and drilled 350ft deep per Water Development Board well reports.

Around $20,000 just for the drilling and pump equipment wothout anay piping anywhere. The well is 403' deep. That price is without a storage tank. 5,000 gallon storage tank will run about $5000-10,000 installed and piped. If you plan to use the well for house water, you will want a storage tank. We only use the well for ivestock and emergencies. Our well water rate is abut 7 gpm - better than house water. DS! and Brian installed the pipes with special freeze free faucets at different locations - 2 either side of barn, 2 at garden (additional piping in place to extend that one), and one near field on other side of drive to supply field pastures. Not sure of cost of that piping run - will need to check with DS1. He ordered the parts and piping himself and did a lot of the installation work. Oh yes, and we found out that you need to let the well run for several months before it runs completely clear of sediment from the drilling. DS1 put a filter on it.

Speaking as someone with a lot of renovation and building under her belt (50 years LOL) you may be better off finding an older property and doing the renovations while living there. Just a suggestion but look for something with a barn and well in place. The house can be redone while living there but the outdoor facilities for livestock are more expensive and harder to put into place.

Get something with an AG on it already, and put your money into good fencing. You already did all the new build on the last place, and now haw much work that was. The kids are older now, and you already have sheep. Priorities are different this time around. AND you know what you want for the livestock, house, and kids. Even if you find a smaller house, if it has everything else in place, you can add a bedroom later. And remodeling the inside won't add to the property tax cost like adding barns, etc. will.

Just a suggestion to consider while you are looking around at various properties..

 

[Ridgetop]

More pix -
In the pool/spa on the way to Texas.
Below left
at the splash park in Wiley TX Cousins at Lake Fork, TX below right


Next photo - Ma and Pa Ridgetop head for Texas. The only thing missing is Granny in her rocker perched on top. LOL

The flat bed was dropped and stored here, 22 miels east of Albuquerque while the truck got its new radiator. The flatbed is loaded with 26 bales of alfalfa (left over from our CA ranch), stacked on the outsides of the flatbed. Between the bales are trunks of horse tack, saddles, packed boxes, the shelving units (taken apart), various buiding materials, etc. On top is a 6' x 6' chain link kennel panel with a gate, covered by the 8' x 12' corral covers. On top of those are 2 metal arbors (for the veggie garden) concrete wire tomato cages, and loaded and tied on the back is the "pig cart" and the street sweeper brush. More stuff is loaded inside the pig cart and the sweeper brush is loaded behind that.
The finished second sheep pasture. DS1 and DSIL2 unloaded the corral covers ad set them up in a teepee formation for the sheep. When DS1 comes back will probably do another couple pallet shelters in each pasture.
Below left sheep heading for their new pasture - Below left Elizabeth with her flag herding the sheep into their new pen.

Elizabeth with her uncle after finishing the pen and herding the sheep into it. The next day we sorted out the sheep to go into the breeding pen with the next ram. With a little grain and the flags, the sheep are easy to herd. The sorter works ike a charm! A little time for set up, but so many hours saved running them through the chute, giving Bo-Se, and sorting thm into the right pastures.
My darling ranch hand!

She says she is coming back next year for a month. I told her f she did I would sddle up the horse and mule and let her ride. She is in the Blue Shadows Equestrian Drill Team in Shadow Hills.

 

[Ridgetop]

Several articles from Ag Universities say barberpole worms eggs die at 100F so a pasture burn would kill them for sure. The question would be timing and control. Maybe burn off the winter stubble with eggs before spring green-up?

I like the burn idea. Wonder if your FD could do it and use it as training?? The burn should also improve the soil as well.

I am going to make enquiries about the Yantis Volunteer Fire Department doing a controlled burn this winter. Hopefully it will kill off the Goat Weed seeds too.

 

[Baymule]

Beautiful girls! Elizabeth looks right at home, working the sheep.

 

[Ridgetop]

I got sick 2 days after we got home and spent Sunday in bed. I have been fighting off something ever since, no head cold, but lots of coughing and bad headaches. So tired, panting and coughing after minimal exercise. Starting coughing up nasty dark stuff 2 days ago, again no runny nose so not a sinus infection.

DH took me to the Urgent Care to find out why I am so tired and out of breath. The doctor looked in my ears and I have an ear infection in my right ear. Then she did a chest X-ray and I have "acute pneumonia". She prescribed 2 antibiotics. But she was not happy about something so she sent me to have a CT of my lungs. Not sure why, but she will get the results and let me know tomorrow. The scan was "with contrast" meaning they take a big old needle and shoot iodine into your veins. My veins are not very good after chemo, and since I had Lymphadema in the right arm, I have to do everything in the left arm. Veins are bad in that arm now. After trying to get the needle into 2 locations - VERY PAINFUL! - she called in another nurse and finally got the needle in. I am going to have bruises 2 places on my arm and one on my wrist. However they will blend well with the large purple ones on my left hand and upper arm where I got knocked about by the sheep while we were sorting and vaxing. Not to mention the large bruise on my left foot where I dropped an iron bar on my foot when loading the trailer (still there), and the really bad pain in my right foot where I stepped in a hole and twisted my foot. When unloading the trailer, as I removed a box from the dolly, it tipped forward and raised a knot on my head. Combined with the various bruises and bug bites on my legs, I look like I have been in a bad accident.

And the pharmacy will not fill 2 of my monthly prescriptions because the pharmacy in California has already filled them. I will have to have DS1 pick them up and mail them to me.

Tonight salad for dinner, and an early bedtime. Hope the antibiotics kick in. I have stuff to do.

 

[farmerjan]

So sorry for you getting sick... and sounds like it is pretty serious stuff...
TAKE it easy and get over this. "Summer colds" and such like the pneumonia you have, are harder to get over I think than winter stuff...