Angie: April 2009 Archives

I have reached a point where I dread the thought of having to cut grass this spring and summer. The area of our property that is designated as 'yard' and requires the cutting of the grass is huge. I am tired of cutting grass. It takes 4 - 6 hours to cut everything and do the basic trimming. Every week. Never fail. Can't forget or ignore it. It gets out of hand too quick.

I have spent much of the winter trying to figure out how to deal with the issue. I contacted a few groundskeeping services but the estimate for weekly work is too high. It is just a big front yard with a white front fence that needs weed eating after mowing. Also some occassional bush trimming. It is not a golf course for cripes sakes.

So I have taken matters into my own hands. I am NOT cutting grass like we have in the past if I can help it. Instead of hiring a service I got me a clearing crew. We set them to work this past weekend.

 

Here's the deal. They clear and fertilize the yard. I make sure they have an all you can eat buffet salad bar. It's a barter system but I really think I got the better deal.

When it is 100 degrees and they are working their butts off this summer keeping up with the grass I'll be inside sipping lemonade and watching Netflix instead of sweating like a lumberjack and burning money in the form of diesel fuel in the tractor.

I think the back yard will take them the better part of a week. With the cool rains we are having they have unlimited cool, crisp, green grass. The first day they ate themselves silly.  They are actually making quicker work of the back area than I thought they would. By weekend we should be getting them ready to move on to the next greener pasture.

In case you are wondering how quickly they can clear a feild. Here they are in their common pasture at the barn. See the grass? No? That's because they ate it all. One day off that feild and the grass recovered to green. We could visibly see the difference in one day.

It is going to take some effort with some fencing issues - as in we have to put some more up but I think in the long run it will pay off. We can rotate them around in one week time lots and eventually get to the point we can separate the boys from the girls as needed.

Also, grass fed lamb for my fall freezer is a huge pay off for the extra fences.

Last sunday afternoon we went out to find one of my ducks was injured. Shelooked muddy from the rains but I didn't think much of it at first. My more closely I observed her I began to notice things not right. Feathers stuck to her neck. A bubbly eye on one side and eye missing on the other. WTF???????????

I snatched her up and went running for the hose to wash her down and inspect. I called for Steve as I could not see her eye under yellow gunk so my first instinct was to cull her. The more I washed the more I saw.

I brought her to the house and three tubs of water later she was finally clean. We kept washing her eye until I could see her eyeball was intact under there and it was a lot of discharge.

The best we can figure is that she poked her head through the chainlink fence and something tried to nab her during the night. :(

Her eye is bruised and swollen but it is clean in this photo. I couldn't get it clean but I kept her in the warm bath over and hour and with her splash and preening herself she managed to get her eye fairly clean.

In this photo you can see the damage to her neck. Steve thinks she just got caught int he fence. If you ask me it looks like a racoon reached in from the wat the injury on the neck is. It it had been the fencing it would have pulled up or down her neck no across.

I treated her injuries simply by keeping them clean and dry. The eye issued where treated with a terramycin eye ointment. Just to give her a boost to make sure other issues did not develop as she kept clearing her nairs repeatedly she has had a dose of baytril injectable. So far so good. Her eye is improving and a couple more days of intensive care and she will return to the duck yard.

Isn't she pretty? She is a Silver Appleyard. She hasn't laid any eggs since I have had her in Angie's Animal Asylum and Infirmary which is a good thing. It means her bodily resources are diverted to healing the injuries.

I am thinking I should have a degree in poultry sciences.

Last year when we got Cocoa we had no intentions of breeding her until this coming fall. She is a tiny nigerian dwarf and even then we weren't sure we wanted to breed her due to the issues of being so small and kidding.

When we thought she was already bred we did what most people do and turned her out to run with the other goats as the damage had been done. What we thought was a pregnancy was instead a very healthy rumen developing from being well fed compared to where she came from.

My fears at having an 5 month old doe bred and kid grew over time. I worried, watched and fretted over her. Each day we waited and knew the worst was going to happen but still hoped for the best as the last days passed when she could have been bred at her old home and we had no babies.

We continued to pray that she would have 2 small babies and not one big baby. One big baby would mean she would either die in birthing or the baby would and at worst case they both would.

Days passed by and no babies. We have waited and watched. Penned her up when we thought it would happen and after 2 weeks and no babies turned her back into the field.

Yesterday all was normal. When the vet came she also agreed it would be anytime now as Cocoa was so full and her udder developed. Twice I amlost asked her about a C-Section and didn't.

This morning Cocoa was in labor. There was no sign of the baby trying to birth. We brought her to the house and called the vet. About 15 min later we saw a hoof but no progression.

The vet came and prepped for an emergency c-sec on the tailgate of her truck.

Waiting for the vet. As her labor progressed and we saw a hoof emerge she would bleet out with every contraction. I felt so sorry for her know how badly childbirth without anesthesia is. I could totally sympathize.

Prepping for surgery. She was given a general anesthesia. After it took effect she was restrained, positioned and shaved. The vet spent a long time scrubbing and preparing an sterile environment. The site was washed several times.

The drape was applied. The vet then opened her instruments of clamps and sterile scapels.

She was very careful to first cut through only the outer skin.

Next she made similar insicions through the muscle layers, the membranes and finally down to the uterus.

At that point she had to feel around inside for the babies head and to check its position. Also trying to look for more than one baby.

The sack she is cutting into is the placenta and that is the babies head.

As we hoped would not happen the baby was stillborn. We couldn't save it.

The baby was a pretty white and black spotted doeling. She weighed easily 10 - 11 lbs. She was just too big for her momma to be able to handle.

Next in the surgery she lifted out the uterus and began to stitch it closed.

Each layer was stitched back together.

She weilds a mean knot techinque for her stitches

The sutures are called 'cat gut' but actually they are made from sheep intestines originally called 'kits'. Over time the "kit gut" became "cat gut" for sutures.

The internal stitches will dissolve. The external stitches will be removed in 2 weeks. We will do the removal of those ourself.

Cocoa spent another hour and a half sleeping. She woke fairly alert yet docile and not trying to move around too much.

We will be watching to make sure she eats. She will recieve a pain injection today and maybe tomorrow. She will be on a 5 day course of antibiotics. She is under house arrest in her stall for at least 5 days.

She is well. I, on the other hand, am suddenly exhauted. It is a strange mental exhaustion. It's over. No more guessing and we can move on from here.

In the past I have stressed repeatedly to those who first get into goats to please let the girls mature before breeding them. This means allowing them a full year - spring to spring- to feed and grow and mature into adult does. Then the following fall consider breeding them. I have had women tell me they don't have the time or the 'luxury' to raise a goat for a year before breeding and they have to breed as early as 5 months. Too each their own but an experienced handler and a large animal vet will tell you that is a VERY bad idea. (I find it selfish and irresponsible and think those women who have said that to me don't deserve the priviledge of raising a herd.)

Learn from our mistake and this accidental breeding.

Don't do it. Don't let it happen.

Give them a full year then consider breeding.

If any of the women who spoke to me reads this I really hope something happens to change your mind and you stop riding the backs of a doe to make money for your pockets. It is not a 'luxury' to give them a year to mature.

If you ask me what's going on around here all I can say is kidding! Our goats are having their babies! I love white goats and I love white goats that turn out to be girls. So far we are 0 & 4. Yayyy!

Late Thursday afternoon when Steve went out to feed up and close the barn a baby was in the barn without it's momma. They were sure Wattles had kidded again but I knew better. I went out and inspected, found the afterbirth and identified Violet as the new mother. She readily called to her baby and kept it under her belly and at her side and let it nurses. She called softly to it and nuzzled it's rear end and rubbed her nose from head to tail whispering  to her baby.

Saturday when we finished up all was quiet in the pasture. The goats were laying around the haystack chewing their cud and enjoying a warmish night air. Steve came in from feeding the pigs around 8:30 and said there was a baby in the field with Cindy. I grabbed my camera and shoved my feet into my boots and headed out at a quick pace with my flashlight to see for myself! 

We are missing the window of these births! I mean we are checking the feilds and they are managing to have their babies during the peak time I am getting supper or the dark of night has just fallen.

We have three does left - Cocoa, Penny and Lilah. I think Penny will have 2 kids and I wouldn't be surprised if Lilah had 3 or 4.

I'll be watching and on pins and needles all day looking for new babies!

That's not all - on friday my lavender orpington project eggs finished up a hatch. We are just birthing everywhere around here for spring!

 

Listen for 1 minute before you groan and click the red X up there.

Solamente Una Vez performed by The Three Tenors (Jose Carrerras, Placido Domingo and Lucinano Pavarotti.

Solamente Una Vez - (You Belong To My Heart)

 

Sólamente una vez amé en la vida
Sólamente una vez y nada más
Una vez nada más en mi huerto brilló la esperanza
La esperanza que alumbra el camino de mi soledad

Una vez nada más se entrega el alma
Con la dulce y total renunciación
Una vez nada más en mi huerto brilló la esperanza
La esperanza que alumbra el camino de mi soledad

You belong to my heart
Now and forever
And our love had its start
Not long ago

We were gathering stars while a million guitars played our love song
When I said "I love you", every beat of my heart said it, too

't Was a moment like this
Do you remember?
And your eyes threw a kiss
When they met mine

Now we own all the stars and a million guitars are still playing
Darling, you are the song and you'll always belong to my heart

(uptempo instrumental break)

't Was a moment like this
Do you remember?
And your eyes threw a kiss
When they met mine

Now we own all the stars and a million guitars are still playing
Darling, you are the song and you'll always belong to my heart

Words & Music by Dora Luz & Agustin Lara, 1941

 

If you made it through the entire song tell me, honestly, was that so very bad?

If you say 'yes' there is no further help I can give to you, heathen! LOL

Name the conductor and I'll give you a prize. The prize is a hand crafted Christmas tree ornament or a bar of my newest farmhouse soaps made with strawberry seeds and champagne.

Why is American TV programming so lacking in cultured and classic performing arts as a part of our prime time tv shows? Does America really have any talent?

British reality TV has discovered and popularized such talents as Paul Potts and most recently Susan Boyle. Ordinary people with real talent that isn't tied to performing animals and other three ring circus acts.

Why is it all we seem to be able to produce in this country on national TV is half naked, butt grinding, blonde females who need air brushing and voice sythesizing to be 'stars'? Are we Americans so lacking in classical/theatrical/cultured education of the performing arts that we don't know we are being spoon fed garbage?

I wonder how many people under 20 (over 20 for that matter!) have an understanding of Nessun Dorma   translated? I wonder if they even know what an aria is much less the plot of Turandot or know that it is an Italian opera? Do they fathom an idea who Puccini is? The music is familiar as it appears as the score for tv and movies far and wide but can most people name the score when it rises?

How many of those same young people under 20 know Les Miserables has developed from a French novel by Victor Hugo? Do they know that the stage adaptation was first developed and performed in 1980 in Paris and has gone on to become the most successful musical production in history? Does anyone know the musical score was composed by Claude-Michel Schönberg and is popular the world over?

When did we loose a main stream love for real art in America?

It seems I am full of questions today.

Wattles is the first to kid. Look at these babies born yesterday. Both are girls!

 

 

This is my venture into milk and meat. We'll see. (Yikes!)

 

The doe is a nubian x saaanan. The buck is a nubian x boer.

 

These girls are the first of the experiment to see if we can have both meat and milk at a reasonable time and expense.

 

 

How cute is that face?!