# Wehner Homestead



## Wehner Homestead (Dec 4, 2017)

We bought our farm February 2010. Since then, we have added three kiddos (two of which, their first words was "moo.") We started with some Angus cows and a few finds with the best confirmation possible at market price to raise Show cattle. We've also added feeder pigs and we had Boer goats but have switched completely to Nigerian Dwarf Goats to provide milk. Four years ago, we also added chickens of the meat variety. This was quite a learning experience but we now have a varied laying flock that we are looking to make dual purpose. Our chicken story can be found under the same name on BackYard Chickens. We also have 7 dogs and 9 barn cats, along with 2 guinea pigs. I'll add more on each and pictures as time allows.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 4, 2017)

Recent story: the end of October we had a Nigerian Dwarf goat due. She was to have our first Dwarf kids. I was worried sick about her and I was never like that about our Boers. I actually took a sleeping bag to the barn with her!

She went a few days over (I'd have to look at my records to see how many but I think it was a week.) An hour after I saw her having true contractions with no real progression, I sleeved her. There were two front feet presenting but no head.

Now some background: our Nigerians were not an impulse buy but I have learned SO much about them since I entered into the agreement to buy this group in May. First off, Sephie wasn't old enough nor big enough to be bred. I didn't lay eyes on her until we picked her up but the breeder offered a free breeding so I assumed that she was big/old enough. Not! Sephie turned one on 12/3. She was bred the end of May and was due to kid almost 2 mos before her first birthday. Not a safe plan!
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I sleeved her to find that her pelvis was too tight for my hand to enter. I'd read that this shouldn't be the case, as I have a really small hand/arm. I'm the go-to for sleeping. I finally forced my hand in and her pelvis was so small that the bones were grating on mine. I finally got in far enough to feel around and find the head. It was down and to the side.

Despite multiple attempts to hook a bale string around the kid's ears as we were unsure if it was still alive or not, we couldn't keep the head up and in position. I felt as though her pelvis just wasn't big enough. I called out vet and she agreed to try pulling the kid.

Side note: this all occurred during our daughter's birthday party at the farm. We had more than 50 people here. My sister-in-law and I just loaded Sephie up and left.

The vet was unsuccessful in attempting to pull the kid and without knowing if any others were still inside, we opted for a csection at an attempt to at least save her. 

The whole procedure was very interesting. We found a single, dead buckling (we were pretty sure he had passed by then.) He also wasn't very big for what a single could have been. Sephie also had a uterine rupture that the vet figured happened when she was pushing so hard. The decision was made with her tiny pelvis to spay her.

This was an expensive venture and we now have a pet. She's very sweet though. 
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Lesson learned: doelings should be at least a year before breeding and size should always be taken into account. Explaining that the kid died to the kids was bad enough but I couldn't have dealt with explaining that we lost her. 
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There is more to Sephie's adventure but I'll add more later. I have included 3 pics of her (black one) from about 2 weeks before she was due and the day after her csection.


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## Latestarter (Dec 4, 2017)

Great start to a journal. sorry for the problems you had with Stephie and hope you have many successes to follow. Please consider putting at least your general location in your profile. I know I've posted to you before,but can't remember where you're located. It can be important when asking for or offering help/advice. Thanks for the pics. following.


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## promiseacres (Dec 5, 2017)

Ahh how frustrating for your first kidding!! So glad a vet was available to take care of Sophie. 

from NW Indiana


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 5, 2017)

Yah, so far Promiseacres seems closest to me in NW Indiana. She's a good gal.
I am in Morgan Co, outside of Monrovia.
Glad you started a journal. In my opinion, you need meat rabbits. Of course, I tell everyone that.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 7, 2017)

I thought I'd finish Sephie's story before I introduce the rest of the crew. After the stressful birthing and surgical experience, our vet recommended not milking Sephie as we would be unable to use her milk for an extended period of time related to all of the medication withhdrawal times and the potential to make her even more uncomfortable as she wasn't familiar with the milking stand, having her udder touched, and jumping was highly discouraged. 

We got the bill for a Sunday evening emergency experience about two weeks later and decided to at least try to milk her (as she was also healing very well.) She actually cooperated well but her milk was "thick" but could be pressed out like partially dry glue. We ended up treating her for mastitis that didn't respond to typical interventions and required antibiotic injections while doing intramammary medications. I'm happy to say that she now shows no signs of mastitis but never developed a supply so we are slowly drying her off. The withdrawal from the antibiotics still hasn't passed so our pigs are thoroughly enjoying their share right now. 

Also, Sephie's breeder had named her "Persephone." I felt that this was bit much for my kids to pronounce so we shortened her name to Sephie. She's now just a pet like a wether since we spayed her when she had her csection.


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## Hens and Roos (Dec 7, 2017)

wow- glad you were able to save her- poor girl


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 7, 2017)

I'm also going to introduce the rest of our herd of Nigees. Sephie, Tinkerbell, Nellie, and King came from the same breeder.

Tinkerbell (gold): We often call her Tink. She is quite the stinker. Despite our efforts, she hasn't tamed down. She was also supposed to kid around Nov 12 as she had also been exposed prior to us picking her up. She showed NO signs of a heat until after her due date passed.  We did expose her once on 11/17 to King and tomorrow will be 21 days. The more I study her, she seems small and I'm going to let her grow until April and evaluate her again if she didn't take.

Nellie (black with white, maybe some roaning, I look forward to shaving her to see): Her registered name was Chenille and I once again didn't think I wanted our kids (6,3,2) trying to say that. Nellie was a FF in April with a single buckling. We got her a week after he was sold. She has not been milked while he was nursing and they only milked her once a day in the interim. We've been milking her twice a day but her production was never great. The most we ever got was about 3 cups a day. She has been exposed to King and babies should be due around April 2. Our hope is that she is a better producer due to having more kids or being milked sooner the next time around. She's super cooperative on the milk stand and knows the routine but not overly friendly when she's with the herd.  (Nellie is the one in the pic with the cat.)

King (black with white): His name was Elvis.  I couldn't take it seriously and since Elvis was the King, we went with that. It fits him better.  He is a very sweet buck that enjoys treats and attention. He is penned away from the girls but doesn't seem to mind as long as he can see them. His dam is 2*D. Her udder is very correct as far as teat placement and udder attachment. We look forward to seeing what he can do.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 7, 2017)

Our other Does are a group from the same farm also. These Does are Kyeema Ridge bloodlines. 

Diamond (black with white overlay and waddles): This super sweet girl that loves hugs will be a 2F. Watch for her starts 1/20. Her first kidding was triplet doelings. I would love her to repeat this because I would keep all 3!  She was a great producer and has a nice udder. The only downfall I can find to this goat is small scurs. We don't plan on showing until our kids are older so I'm content for her to have a producing purpose. 

Caramel (gold and white) and Snowflake (light cream): These two Does are full sisters, just from different litters. 

Caramel kidded twin bucklings in April that were sold as wethers. She is still in milk. Her transition to our farm has been rocky but we are finally getting her settled.  Her production has dropped off some with all of the stress so we plan to breed her again April to the buck that we are buying. Caramel is a little standoffish right now but in my space at other times. I think she was very bonded to her previous owner and trying to accept me. 

Snowflake will be a FF. She was exposed prior to us picking her up and is not guaranteed bred but we haven't seen signs. I may see about drawing blood to pregnancy test her. She looks bred to me but I've been fooled before and I haven't even had Nigees 6 months!  IF she's bred, her kid watch starts on March 20. This girl is also VERY sweet and loves the human kids. 

I'll try to get more pics of these girls soon. Diamond looks very bred and I want to hear guesses on count and sex! Lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 8, 2017)

My udder wipes were frozen solid when I went to milk this morning! 

So was every waterer! 

22 deg when I took DD to the end of the drive to get on the bus. Not sure what the windchill is because it's frigid! Chores in shifts this morning so I can stay warmer and check on the younger two human kids frequently since chores are going to take extended time.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 8, 2017)

I also got some pics of the newer does. Diamond is the black with white overlay and due Jan 20. I'd love to hear how many you think are in there!! (Triplet does her first time.) Snowflake is the light gold. Does she look bred to you? Caramel is the gold/white that I'm milking.


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## Latestarter (Dec 8, 2017)

I'm terrible at guessing numbers. They all look bred to me. I'd say no less than 2 each... Cute little goats


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 8, 2017)

Pretty similar temps here today too. Had to thaw some water bottle nozzles.


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## Bruce (Dec 9, 2017)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Also, Sephie's breeder had named her "Persephone." I felt that this was bit much for my kids to pronounce so we shortened her name to Sephie.


We have a 5.5 Y/O Easter Egger my DD1 (now almost 25) named Persephone, she calls her Sephie as well.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 14, 2017)

Updated pics of the two pregnant Does. I'm also including some funny pics of our chicks. They are almost five weeks old and their crests are cracking me up! I also candled the eggs in the incubator. We went from 16 to 8. I'm not sure how reliable the fertility was so we will see. I'm also trying dry hatch this time. Humidity is between 20&22%. It's been much less stressful for me!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 14, 2017)

I also felt and could see Diamond's kid(S) moving last night!!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 16, 2017)

I realized just now that there is a guide to starting a journal...I figured t wouldn't hurt to tell y'all a little more about us and why we do what we do.
1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? Southern Indiana. Our weather can do everything in one day and can be crazy over a week.
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? DH (Anniversary 12/20/08), Me, DD1 (6), DS (3), DD2 (2).
3. How would you define your farm? Rolling, creek with waterfall, 2 springs, 100+ year old farmhouse
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? I want to quilt! There's just something so comforting about covering up with a quilt! My goal is to make each of my children one...
5. Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to? No. We built toy barns that are 4'x2'x2' with open fronts and big enough for the John Deere big farm equipment. We'd love to add a barn/shop and an oversized detached garage.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick,  ? No
7. Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer? Long story short: parents of both of us were first generation to not farm, both involved in 4-H and FFA, met showing livestock, wanted that life for our children.
8 Is it a hobby or an occupation? Hobby. Wish it was an occupation. DH is an electrical engineer and I'm an ICU RN to support our hobby. 
9. In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more? I know Cattle and pigs pretty well. I had Boer goats so knew meat but switched to dairy this year as our youngest daughter has medical issues and the goat milk is better for her. We love our Nigees so far! I'm learning chickens and dual purpose at that. I really want an orchard, honeybees, and to be more self sufficient with gardening and herbs. We are looking at adding heritage turkeys next year.
10. In what types of farming will you never choose to do? I won't ever do aquaponics. I also don't think I could farm rabbits (meaning eat them!)
11. Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply? Of course! I love knowing where our food comes from. We raise our own beef, pork, eggs, and some chicken and working on raising all chicken we eat.
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? In a good book (historical romance though G-rated, pretty conservative for my age), praying, reading my Bible.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? I can do basics on the tractor. Not much chance to practice with all these littlest that are my responsibility. Hoping to get in more time and experience as they get older.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? I don't have time for crafts. I can do some basic things and pull ideas from Pinterest to do seasonal things with my kids. I love to cook though!
15. Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? I'm not sure. I've considered quail but haven't looked into the legalities. We have Cattle, pigs, Nigees, chickens, dogs, cats, and 2 guinea pigs. We are getting two horses soon.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? No. It would be neat to learn though.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? Yes! Between weather, pregnancy, and newborns my gardens have flopped the last few years but I'm looking forward to next year. We always have pumpkins and zucchini. I freeze zucchini to use all winter. I've also frozen corn and green beans in the past.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? No. I've taken the kids but boring to me. I'd rather read a book. I will fry it and love to eat it though!
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country? 42 acres. Semi-Rural. About 1.5 miles from a 2000 person town.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed? Bachelors in Nursing
21. What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? Our cattle are show cattle. We are moving toward the Nigees too. I'm looking forward to replacing DD2 diet with goat milk products instead of cow's milk products. I look forward to cheeses and ice cream.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? I wish there was a way to reach you how to be efficient and survive in the current world. If you weren't born with farming knowledge and an "in" it's hard to get your feet off the ground.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? I've refinished a few pieces. I started on four chairs more than two years ago. None of them are done...
24. Are you interested in herbal animal medicine? Yes! I've recently been learning about flax as a replacement for copper blouses in goats.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? Somewhere the temperature is more mild and regulated year-round without horrible humidity or freezes.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? No
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? Someone that saves suffering animals/people
28. Are your family or friends also interested in animals? Yes
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? I LOVE to cook! I prefer using our own food from the farm when possible!
30. What was your best animal experience? Worst? Birthing animals, especially when we get to share it with our kids. Birthing has also been our worst experience too...sometimes nature has its own way!
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? DH never had time to hunt. Our land doesn't lend to foraging but we'd like to add an orchard, herb garden, and berry bushes. 
32. What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm? I like to plan and I worked for a vet for a number of years and my grandfather rarely called a vet and taught me lots of things. Being a nurse doesn't hurt either! 
33. Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve? No, we use a local butcher. I do freeze some things but look forward to learning to can. 
34. Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to? We don't have any now but would like to add geothermal and solar panels. 
35 What is on your to do list? Moving toward rotational grazing and getting our chickens in a "real" set-up. We have several tractors and dog pens with chickens right now. It was a trial of 8. Chicken math happened and now there's 40 and increasing! 
36. Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to? No but that would be a dream come true. 
37. In what do you trust? God. DH. My parents. My children. A few very close friends.
38. Do you make and fix things yourself to save money? Whenever possible, meaning parts available and we have time. 
39. Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits? I've always had animals and can't imagine my life without them. 

I'd like to add since I haven't worked this in yet...our youngest daughter (now 2) was born with Spina Bifida or SB. She has multiple medical issues related to this, making her considered "medically fragile." She requires around the clock care and we try to make life as "normal" as possible for her and her siblings. To keep it short, we were told to expect severe brain damage and no movement below the waist. She scored a 25/10 (yes, I did that right!) on a cognitive study in August for her age and can walk with braces (numerous pieces) and a walker. All of our children are miracles but she's definitely been proven to be a WALKING miracle over and over again!


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## Latestarter (Dec 16, 2017)

wow... Thanks for taking the time. It's really more of a "guide" to help folks get started and no need to answer all of the Qs... Thanks for being a nurse. There are actually a LOT of nurses here on BYH. I'm beginning to think that "farming" kinda "calls" to nurses as mental therapy... Though a lot of work, it is definitely calming/relaxing in most cases.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 16, 2017)

@Wehner Homestead, Thanks for answering the survey. I noticed you skipped the last 10, and I wanted to know the answer to #30. Just kidding.

You and I were going to have to part ways for your answer to #10, but when you answered #12, you went and totally redeemed yourself (in the words of Jeff Daniels' character from Dumb and Dumber) 

Sounds like you have a great place and I would love to live in an old farm house.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 16, 2017)

I answered those!  Edit coming.


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## Latestarter (Dec 16, 2017)

Now Dave... being as you're a pastor, I believe you may be just a bit biased there...


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 16, 2017)

Yah, pretty well biased to #10 rabbit answer and #12.

One thing I did forget to comment on, I will do now since you were all anticipating anyway. The fishing question, #18, I think asks about fishing with bait or explosives. Wehner Homestead's response was that it was boring. You must have been bait fishing or lure fishing, because had you been fishing with explosives, you would have been far from bored. Just sayin'


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 16, 2017)

I have never fished with explosives! 
Not sure I want to either! Keeping three kids from falling in the pond is now enough excitement for me. I also get to keep worms on their hooks and keep them from hooking each other!


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 16, 2017)

I understand. This past summer, my wife and I took our two boys,  4 and 7 over to some property the church leases to a family. There is a small pond, and the family has a 3 year old boy and a little guy that was a crawler at that point. There were no incidents. No one fell in or got hurt with a hook, etc. 

The couple are friends and attended the church prior to it becoming available for them to lease. It was a good evening with hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill. I told them it would be nice to have a Sunday School picnic or something there.


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## Bruce (Dec 16, 2017)

Pastor Dave said:


> and I would love to live in an old farm house.


Until you get to pay to fix everything.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 16, 2017)

There's just something abt going into an old farm house and still smelling the old heating oil that hasn't been used in 40+ years, or the remaining scent from an old fireplace that's only been lit a handful of times in the last 25 years. Character in the architecture and trim molding. Big rooms with high ceilings and lots of rooms. When Grandpa and Grandma's farm sold, they dozed the house built in the 1800's to build a mansion. That house was solid and in good shape. It could have lasted for somebody another 200 years.


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## Latestarter (Dec 16, 2017)

hmmmmm progress is good dontchaknow...


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 16, 2017)

My house has been completely updated (some by us and some prior) and additional rooms have been added on two occasions. I wish more of it was original. I love the wood floor that we salvaged in a bedroom and refinished. We actually found pages of a WW2 newspaper and old linoleum on top of the wood for insulation.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 16, 2017)

Latestarter said:


> hmmmmm progress is good dontchaknow...



Did you ever see the finale of _Friends, _when the apartment almost all of them lived in at one time or another, and all sat around and talked in became the last cast member?

That old house was a cast member of my family since Indiana opened up for settlement. I like some progress, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.


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## Latestarter (Dec 17, 2017)

I was being facetious...   sorry if it didn't come across as such... I hear you and feel your pain. The house I grew up in was bulldozed and replaced with a "mansion" as well. Because it sat on ~ 2 acres and backed up to a river and wetlands it was a prime piece for upgrading...


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## Bruce (Dec 17, 2017)

Wehner Homestead said:


> My house has been completely updated (some by us and some prior) and additional rooms have been added on two occasions. I wish more of it was original. I love the wood floor that we salvaged in a bedroom and refinished. We actually found pages of a WW2 newspaper and old linoleum on top of the wood for insulation.


Oh, you have a NEW house! When we redid my prior house (26 years ago) we found newspapers from 2 weeks before the crash of '29 that were used to help fill in the floor of what had been a back porch but was enclosed to create the kitchen. That old deck floor also had old painted rugs under the "new" subfloor. 

Similarly here but this post and beam house was built before the US Civil War. Seems it was originally 1 house on a "full" foundation with the second building dragged from somewhere else and stuck on the north end. I'm thinking that second one was originally a barn somewhere. Again a porch had been tacked on the back of the original building. There were 2 layers of wood floor, then shims made of just about everything including parts of old shelves. 3 layers of sheet goods (from the late teens I think) that said "NOT linoleum" on the back. I guess they figured it was BETTER than linoleum. More odd shimming materials and 3 more layers of wood. Based on the burned wood on one of the lower layers, it was likely a kitchen at one time. And the toilet flange suggests a later use. In fact, I think that room was the bathroom when the prior owners bought it. 

One problem with old houses is not everyone does rehab in a structurally sound fashion. I'll leave it at that so @Pastor Dave can continue his dream of old houses


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 17, 2017)

It's all good Joe, I was just giving ya a hard time. Now, if y'all will excuse me a minute, I have to google facetious


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 18, 2017)

We've decided that Sephie and Tinkerbell will be sold as a pair to a pet home without registration. Sephie was spayed and I don't believe Tink is big enough to breed (learning!) and despite numerous exposures before we knew better (mostly by her precious owner) has never bred. 

Despite Sephie being quite the pet, Tink has never been very social and we haven't gotten very attached. Keeping them together is in their best interest, especially since they can't do their support to maintain the homestead. 

We will be replacing them with Nigees or Minis. I made a post under the breed discussions asking for input as we explore the Mini option. It would be more of a supplement with the main focus still being Nigees.

Since I know y'all love pics, I thought I'd introduce our LGD. Queenie is a Toli born June of this year. I brought her home at 6 weeks (another story, but from a good breeder) and she has been amazing from the get-go. I'm amazed at how smart she is! It amazes me at how she works things out. 

Due to some misunderstandings in the LGD training on my part and hearing incorrect information, along with getting the new goats from a herd that was terrified of dogs, we are still working on putting Queenie with the goats full time. She is spending more and more time with them unsupervised and is loose in our barnyard the majority of the time she isn't with the goats. She gets to romp with our farm dogs to work on her puppy energy a couple times a day too. She has a pen between my Does and bucks for when I need to contain her away from the goats. 

She has the proper behavior and respect for the goats thus far. We've also been amazed at how well she does with our DD2. Queenie KNOWS that she needs to be extra cautious around her and has already exhibited protective tendencies toward her! 

We plan to add a LGD each year for the next few years, giving me a chance to work with each one. I don't think I can do more than one at a time with all of my daughter's care requirements on top of everything else. 

I'm including a few pics of Queenie from pup to present. 

I also included a pic of the three pigs that we are feeding for freezer camp in a few months. We got them from my sister's
family.


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## Latestarter (Dec 18, 2017)

Excellent on all fronts.   Congrats on things falling into place for you!


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## Southern by choice (Dec 18, 2017)

Very wise to be able to step back from a situation, evaluate, and make decisions. 
It is good management.  Not always easy to do. 
Love Queenie! 

Miss my girl everyday!  Something so special about a Toli!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 20, 2017)

I have previously mentioned that we are dog poor ! 

Our oldest dog is a rescue. When we got married (9 years ago today!) DH was taking college courses of an evening and with the commute, got home very late at night. I had to be up early most mornings for clinicals for my nursing classes. He was already living there but I wasn't comfortable there alone when I had to sleep as it was very isolated. 

Faith was a German Shepherd X that was bout a year old and had already been in 3 shelters. She was spayed but we were warned that she was terrified of men. Soon-to-be DH took treats when we went to meet her so that he would have a better chance of winning her over. It worked! We named her Faith because I had to have faith in her to keep me safe and she had to have faith in us to provide her a good home. 

Unfortunately, she was in horrible shape. We got her on a Sat afternoon and had her at the vet on Monday to get her straightened out. She had a horrible fungal infection on her skin that required oral meds and baths for weeks, the tips of both ears appeared notched from fly bites and hadn't healed, she was extremely underweight and wormy, and had obviously been abused. 

After lots of TLC, she obviously trusted us. The big sign was when DH called her name one night and she jumped on the bed with him. He didn't have the heart to kick her off so she still sleeps with us! 

We've had to desensitize her to having her tail touched and we're shocked to realize that someone had taught her sit, down, and shake along the way. She was loved at some point along the way. 

She really blossomed when we moved to the farm where we leave now about 18 mos after we got her. It's like she KNEW she was home.  She gained weight and her coat goat soft and shiny. She relaxed more and won the nickname "Whapper" or Whap from the tail thumping she does when she's happy. 

This dog has been flat amazing and there will never be another like her. She's hands down our first baby! Faith is always amazing with each of our children and it's obvious that they are more hers than mine!  Due to her previous circumstances, the vets are sure about life expectancy and are afraid it may be shortened . Faith isn't near as active as she used to be and just lays on the bed a lot. She has cataracts in both eyes at approximately 10 years of age. We know she has arthritis. We've also found that she has seasonal skin issues that require careful monitoring. 

This week I started her on a joint and arthritis supplement and I'm praying it makes our girl more active again and allows her to enjoy whatever days she may have left in less discomfort!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 20, 2017)

Since my phone was arguing about uploading photos of Faith, I'm trying here. 

As you can tell, she loves to be on the bed and actually enjoys what the kids do to her!


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## Mike CHS (Dec 20, 2017)

That is the kind of girl that will always be with you no matter the circumstances.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 20, 2017)

Happy Anniversary, by the way!


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## Bruce (Dec 20, 2017)

Just goes to show there are no bad dogs, only bad owners


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 20, 2017)

Pastor Dave said:


> Happy Anniversary, by the way!



Thank you!


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## Southern by choice (Dec 20, 2017)

Bruce said:


> Just goes to show there are no bad dogs, only bad owners


Bruce- don't start that crazy!  It is the mantra of rescues and people that really have no serious background in raising, training, or breeding dogs.


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## Bruce (Dec 20, 2017)

OK maybe there are some bad dogs. Definitely some bad owner/dog matchups??


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 20, 2017)

Southern by choice said:


> Bruce- don't start that crazy!  It is the mantra of rescues and people that really have no serious background in raising, training, or breeding dogs.


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## Latestarter (Dec 20, 2017)

She's a beautiful girl and I'm glad she found you folks as her forever family. She could NOT have done better and I'm sure she knows that.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 20, 2017)

I snapped a few pics of the kids enjoying the upper 40s outside tonight. I'm including a pic of the kids swinging, a sunset with cows in the foreground, and how we milk. The last pic shows our milkstand and how DD2 stays entertained (SAFE) during milking.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 20, 2017)

I'll try again on the sunset pic...


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## Latestarter (Dec 20, 2017)

Is that a large rabbit you have up there on that milk stand? Those kids are really going to it on the swings. Ahhhhh to be a kid again...


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 20, 2017)

Latestarter said:


> Is that a large rabbit you have up there on that milk stand? Those kids are really going to it on the swings. Ahhhhh to be a kid again...



Bahahaha!!! That's a Nigee. Her name is Nellie. My mom actually sings a song about "Sweet Nellie's Milk" to the tune of "Mary Had a Litte Lamb." It cracks the kids up. She used to teach K,1,2 but retired when we found out about DD2's medical issues. She watches her when I work! Nellie obviously isn't fazed by the kids. In fact, she thoroughly enjoys them. 

My kids are true farm kids! They would rather be outside unless they are sick. One of their favorite things to do is throw rocks in the creek that runs through the property. They also like rolling down the hills. Hunting for worms is like digging up gold with them. Never a dull moment. They even "helped" with square hay bales this year! Now I've got to attach more pics! Lol


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## Southern by choice (Dec 20, 2017)

Wehner Homestead said:


> sings a song about "Sweet Nellie's Milk" to the tune of "Mary Had a Litte Lamb."



Ok I tried it... umm mine somehow in my brain transformed to Neil Diamond's _Sweet Caroline 
_
What a lovely picture!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 21, 2017)




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## Bruce (Dec 21, 2017)

I think your kids "helping" with the hay is akin to my chickens "helping" with gardening.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 22, 2017)

Bruce said:


> I think your kids "helping" with the hay is akin to my chickens "helping" with gardening.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 22, 2017)

When my boys help feed or sweep, it makes more work for me and usually makes it take a lot longer. I like them to learn responsibility and they teach me patience, yeah.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 23, 2017)

Pastor Dave said:


> When my boys help feed or sweep, it makes more work for me and usually makes it take a lot longer. I like them to learn responsibility and they teach me patience, yeah.



Exactly! Our kids absolutely love water and my dad lets them play in the sink, throw rocks in waterers, etc. This translates to big problems. They all dump waterers or put random things in them regularly. There is nothing like dumping them and having them full of fresh water to by and it's now full of bedding because one of the kids thought the waterer needed to be used to make "soup!"


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## Bruce (Dec 23, 2017)

They will grow out of it @Wehner Homestead. You can help that process by having them clean out the waterer after they make soup in it


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## Latestarter (Dec 23, 2017)

Dads... dang! They're worse than the kids sometimes!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 23, 2017)

Latestarter said:


> Dads... dang! They're worse than the kids sometimes!





We often have to correct my dad's behavior to keep him from teaching the kids bad tricks. He thinks he's just entertaining them! They obviously love him!!!


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## Bruce (Dec 23, 2017)

Tell him that he will take custody when they end up in the juvenile justice system


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 23, 2017)

Yeah right! His theory is to spoil them. They are his princes and princesses. They just end up in all kinds of predicaments! I try to contain them to the sandbox!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 23, 2017)

Christmas is almost here. I still have presents for the next two days that need wrapped. I also have to cook hams from our pigs for a big family event tomorrow. Everyone's clothes need laid out and the house needs cleaned to prep....I have a congested head cold and just want to sit in the recliner and watch Christmas movies! 

When I finally think about getting something done, I get distracted by the eggs in the incubator rolling around that could pip at any moment, Diamond being due in less than a month and trying to figure out what she's going to have (and praying it goes well for all), calving starts the first week of Feb, and I have reservations on five doelings this spring. I'm also trying to get DH convinced we need two Mini Manchas from @Southern by choice and trying to talk myself out of trying to get a buckling out of Clarabelle from @OneFineAcre! 

Here's to hoping I can get my rear in gear and get this stuff knocked out so I can enjoy the next two days! 

On the positive side, the kids' reactions to snow earlier was priceless! We also had DH niece and nephew overnight so it's been lots of cousin-fun and we decorated 72 cookies with five kids under 11!!!


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## Bruce (Dec 23, 2017)

Wehner Homestead said:


> five kids under 11




Since you are a bit under the weather, I think you should push out of your mind (and to-do list) everything that doesn't need to be done before Monday.


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## Latestarter (Dec 23, 2017)

Man... I remember those hectic times in my "youth" with kids, family, events, "must do lists" and all that. Some of it I remember fondly, most of it I really don't miss all that much. Sorry you're under the weather, that really detracts from what could be really fun times. Hope it all comes together for you and you have a great Christmas!


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 23, 2017)

Right now I don't have any reservations for Clarabelle
You can be first


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 23, 2017)

Thanks @Bruce and @Latestarter. I just really love my animals and studying them. It's quite the distraction. I'm now off to make sure all the clothes everyone needs are clean, along with getting the dishes caught up, and make a grocery list for when the store opens in the morning. Gotta get kiddos bathed too as they have two big days coming up. I'll limit my distractions and BYH participation!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 23, 2017)

OneFineAcre said:


> Right now I don't have any reservations for Clarabelle
> You can be first



Gah! You are going to get me in trouble!!!! May have to just wait and see...


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 23, 2017)

Wehner Homestead said:


> When I finally think about getting something done, I get distracted by the eggs in the incubator rolling around that could pip at any moment, Diamond being due in less than a month and trying to figure out what she's going to have (and praying it goes well for all), calving starts the first week of Feb, and I have reservations on five doelings this spring. I'm also trying to get DH convinced we need two Mini Manchas from @Southern by choice and trying to talk myself out of trying to get a buckling out of Clarabelle from...
> 
> On the positive side, the kids' reactions to snow earlier was priceless! We also had DH niece and nephew overnight so it's been lots of cousin-fun and we decorated 72 cookies with five kids under 11!!!



I kinda thought that second paragraph you listed as distractions was the positive side. 

Aa far as the head cold, nothing beats saline spray outs in the mornings of the nostrils and Mucinex Sinus Congestion.
But, what am I telling you for? You're the RN, right?


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 23, 2017)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Gah! You are going to get me in trouble!!!! May have to just wait and see...


We don't really advertise and it doesn't cost anything so if you may be interested just let me know and you get first choice
Now there is a Clarabelle buck already in Indiana and the person has had to cut back on some animals but I think they were holding on to him
But you could contact
@Pearce Pastures 
She has a FB page


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 28, 2017)

It's a whopping 14 degrees here but feels like 4 degrees. We aren't supposed to get above freezing for more than a week. That's not typical for Southern Indiana!! 

In fact, I can't collect the few eggs that my hens are laying quickly enough to keep them from freezing. I bring them in to thaw though and I'll let them come to room temp and feed them to the pigs. The extra protein won't hurt them while they try to stay warm. 

We've transitioned most of the stock to heated waterers but since the chickens are in various pens, they have rubber pans that can be rid of ice easily and filled with warm water several times a day. 

I'm nervous as we have Diamond due to kid around Jan 20 and have four cows that we expect to calve the first full week of Feb. 

Our Goldendoodle is due to be picked up on Sunday. She will be going to an indoor home with three small kiddos. The mother stays home and she will be an only dog. They plan to jog with her and extra walks. I think she will thrive with all of the attention. I never expected to not have Heidi as part of our family but I also didn't expect to have a medically fragile child. When we brought home a newborn at 17 days old with four healing brain incisions and a healing back incision with a general high risk infection, a dog that had shaggy fur that managed to find mud during a drought and make my house super dusty, couldn't stay inside any more. We are praying that this is what is best for her!! Sleeping on the bed is very different than a kennel in the barn!

DD1 and I are both still recovering from our sinus/cold issues. Neither of us has a reason for antibiotics but we are definitely ready to feel better. 

I worked yesterday and it was crazy! In case you were wondering...drugs will fry your brain and COPD will land you on a ventilator. 

The kids are getting stir crazy. There is no way to keep them warm enough outside the house and they need to burn some energy. Any ideas? They just might tear my house down over the next week if I don't think of something!


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## Latestarter (Dec 28, 2017)

IME, kids handle the cold a lot better than adults. My grands are here and spent about an hour outside this morning running around the pastures and messing with the goats. It's 32°f and a slight breeze making it below freezing. I'd say put jackets on them and kick them outside to run around until they are ready to come in and warm up. Kids run "hotter" than us older folk and I'm sure they'll be fine. So sorry to hear about your baby's issues. Hope he/she comes through this and heals well. Glad you've found a good home for your other family member that now needed to go.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 28, 2017)

@Wehner Homestead, just working around outside feels warmer than yesterday, and it's in the low teens at best. Pretty bad when those kind of temps begin to feel better or at least "normal". I am just SW of Indy by abt 20 mins, just South of I-70.

I think a layered wrapped kid could run off some energy even for a half hour or so. Just have a hot shower or bath and some cocoa ready for the defrosting afterwards.

You sound like an ECF nurse. I used to work contract ambulance and can detect the type of patients you describe anywhere 

Saline spray up the nostrils and blow out the junk each morning, then Nasacort. I also take a couple puffs off my Albuterol when feeling congested and take Mucinex as needed. That has made all the difference for me between last winter and this one.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 28, 2017)

The older two could go out but they have nasal drainage and coughs.  The littlest one has nerve issues from her Spina Bifida and has a higher risk for frostbite and overheating because her extremities don't recognize the temperature changes as well. If it's not one thing with her, it seems like it's something else. DD2 also can't walk without all of her braces and walker. It's way too cold for her to crawl on the ground! She'd throw a fit if the other kids went out without her. Despite all of her brain surgeries and hydrocephalus and world-reknowned doctors told us she would have extensive brain damage, she had cognitive testing in August and normal for her age is 10 and she scored a 25!!! I need a distraction plan...

I think a heated milk room is in our future so I can take her out with me! It would at least be a change of scenery for her!


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 28, 2017)

Wehner Homestead said:


> The older two could go out but they have nasal drainage and coughs.  The littlest one has nerve issues from her Spina Bifida and has a higher risk for frostbite and overheating because her extremities don't recognize the temperature changes as well. If it's not one thing with her, it seems like it's something else. DD2 also can't walk without all of her braces and walker. It's way too cold for her to crawl on the ground! She'd throw a fit if the other kids went out without her. Despite all of her brain surgeries and hydrocephalus and world-reknowned doctors told us she would have extensive brain damage, she had cognitive testing in August and normal for her age is 10 and she scored a 25!!! I need a distraction plan...
> 
> I think a heated milk room is in our future so I can take her out with me! It would at least be a change of scenery for her!



I apologize for being presumptuous in giving advice for sending your kids out. With a special needs child, I am sure you get haphazard advice a lot. I shouldn't have given any advice without knowing the situation. 

Maybe you can google indoor activities and games for kids to play or party games type fun.


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## Bruce (Dec 28, 2017)

Latestarter said:


> Kids run "hotter" than us older folk


You've noticed! Wasn't a problem for me until about 2 years ago.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 28, 2017)

Pastor Dave said:


> I apologize for being presumptuous in giving advice for sending your kids out. With a special needs child, I am sure you get haphazard advice a lot. I shouldn't have given any advice without knowing the situation.
> 
> Maybe you can google indoor activities and games for kids to play or party games type fun.



It's okay!!! People have often heard of Spina Bifida but don't know what it involves or affects.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 29, 2017)

I know a little of the condition, but don't believe I had read your daughter having the condition until after the playing in the snow post.

My wife has cerebral palsy, so her extent of enjoying the outdoors is lying on a lounger working on her tan. She has strength in her legs, but due to her complications with balance, etc. folks think she's weak or even in pain. She does have daily pain she quietly deals with, but generally not acute pain.

She receives looks in public, and even has had well meaning people approach and offer sympathy. As a child, she would see someone staring, trying to figure out her condition, and she would get self conscious and tell them, "Boo!"

We have no handicap placards or special plates on our vehicles, but I will pull up close, let her out and go park. She doesn't admit or feel she has a handicap because she has always lived with her condition. She uses no cane or walker yet, but has a wc for the mall or fair grounds, etc. When we go shopping, she pushes the cart for balance, and the zoo or museum she pushes the stroller, but with this summer, we are getting beyond needing a stroller.

When she uses her total gym  and tread mill, she stays limber. I just hope as we get older, we do not begin to experience too many complications beyond what other folks go through.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 1, 2018)

Happy New Year!! 

Thank you to all of you for welcoming me into your community. I feel like I fit more here than I have most places my entire life. I've developed several relationships that I expect will be life long. 

Praying for health, wealth, success, and safety for all of you and your families and adventures in 2018!


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 1, 2018)

You're right. I was hesitant at first, but folks don't hide behind screen names. It's good to be cautious, but folks here seem real, and watch out for each other and the newbies coming on. I am on here way more than FB.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 1, 2018)

I've been on fb a lot less since I found BYH. People can hide but I've had real conversations with some and it's been nice to be understood. If I ever get into rabbits, I'm sure we will have some real conversations. In fact, the kids are begging for a rabbit. Maybe the Easter bunny will bring some...as pets! Lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 8, 2018)

I thought I'd share the link to the kidding thread for 2018. 

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/wehner-homestead-kidding-thread.37183/

It's been cold here but finally got to the 30s from the single digits. Felt like a heat wave! 

The furry cows are being watched for development of udders, etc as four are due in a month. 

Our last set of chicks continues to grow and we should be able to confirm genders within the next three weeks. I don't mind a roo or three but I'd really like for most of the 10 to be pullets. 

Heidi is doing well in her new home. She was our Goldendoodle that we felt was getting adequate attention with a medically fragile child now present. God presented us with the perfect family and she is spoiled there. It made letting go much easier. 

DH put out round bales today to four pens of cattle. We have the bull and one companion cow in one pasture, our brood cows in one pasture, our feeder calves and show heifers are together right now where we had to make changes for water availability, and a show steer and heifer that are boarded here for a local 4-Her in another turn out pen. 

Our feeder pigs are growing and staying warm under their heat lamp. I'll try to get a pic of them all curled up in their straw pile. 

I made chili for supper tonight. It seems so fitting for cold weather!


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 8, 2018)

Chili sounds real good.


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## Latestarter (Jan 8, 2018)

I too have been thinking (drooling) at the prospect of a fresh batch of chili. I generally make a 5-7lb+ pail and then freeze for later use. Might be a great prospect for this coming weekend as the cooler weather moves back in. Love a nice bowl topped with fresh chopped onion and some shredded cheddar...    mmmmmmmm

Glad everything is going well with the animals and family.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 9, 2018)

I'll admit I may have to eat a bowl again today. It was yummy and then leftover it seems to be even better! DD2 is very picky and it's something she chows down on so it's definitely a win-win! 

@Latestarter I'm not big on onions. I do freeze leftover chili in single serve portions for DH and I to grab for lunches and to thaw easily for the whole family, I just grab a couple out of the freezer. 

@Pastor Dave If you were just a little closer, you could stop in for a bowl!


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## Bruce (Jan 9, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I don't mind a roo or three but I'd really like for most of the 10 to be pullets.


You do know that you have just screwed yourself by "voicing" that hope, right?


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 9, 2018)

That's fine in my book. I'll grow them a little longer and send any extra boys to freezer camp. Yum!


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 9, 2018)

Around here it is Chili and Chicken-N-Dumplins that are the go to meals during cold spells.....I've ate a ton of both and everybody has their own "Twist" they have with either....none from 1 cook to another is ever the same....as long as it is homemade.....
Back when I was driving a truck I was all over south Indiana and always said that I wouldn't mind having a place there, but things never worked out that way....beautiful areas there, especially around Shoals and Jasper....hauled a bunch of sheetrock out of Shoals and delivered brick in Evansville....I rode thru Santa Claus, In also....just so I could say I did....


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 9, 2018)

That's funny! The kids love visiting Holiday World! I am a little partial to Southern Indiana and don't think I'll ever leave. 

Chicken n dumplings sounds yummy! I haven't made those yet this winter. I'll have remedy that! 

I find the chili variations interesting. We put 2 cans of beans in ours. One run through the food processor and one not. The kids claim they don't like beans so they end up eating some anyway!  I also usually put browned hamburger meat, elbow macaroni but I've used spaghetti in a pinch (I have one grandma that made chili using one and one grandma that made chili using the other.) I also use tomato sauce, tomato juice, and chili-o seasoning. I keep extra chili powder around yo give mine an extra kick without burning the kids' mouths! 

I eat my chili with saltine cracker sandwiches with peanut butter on them. DH has to put crackers in his chili and eat a PB&J sandwich. I know some people do cornbread too. 

I took a pic of the cows today from the house. It's just so muddy and sloppy. I'll try to find some summer pics of the gals until I can get some of their baby bumps.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 9, 2018)

I actually prefer pork-n-beans in my chili....just what i grew up with, but Joyce likes kidney beans in hers....so, we use 1 can of kidney beans and 1 can of chili beans....2 cans of petite diced tomatoes, browned ground beef, 1 can of tomato sauce. After beef is browned, drain the grease, turn down the heat and put diced onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic....cook til onions are softened and translucent add to pot with tomatoes and beans. I never measure anything....3-4 good shakes of worcestershire, 2-3 shakes of garlic powder, 1 shake of chili powder, 3 taps of cumin, 2 light taps of cayenne pepper, and a 3 finger pinch of brown sugar.....stir and let simmer for a couple of hrs...tasting every so often and if it needs a little more of something add it.....if Chili Mac is preferred cook noodles separate and before they are done and still a little tough, drain and add to the chili pot to finish. Joyce likes crumbling crackers in hers, I like cornbread....but mine is always topped with cheese. That's our recipe anyway and it always gets ate rather quickly, but lasts a couple of days anyway....never enough to freeze around here.....


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## greybeard (Jan 9, 2018)

You folks sure make some strange 'chili'.
Never, have I put any kind of bean or pasta in chili. I'd have to pack up and move.
In a pinch, I'll use Wick Fowler's 2 alarm mix but usually concoct my own mix.

No, I'm not one that believes chili has to be afire to be good either.
Spices are not made to accentuate but to  compliment & not overpower.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 9, 2018)

greybeard said:


> You folks sure make some strange 'chili'.
> Never, have I put any kind of bean or pasta in chili. I'd have to pack up and move.
> In a pinch, I'll use Wick Fowler's 2 alarm mix but usually concoct my own mix.
> 
> ...



LOL I like kidney beans in mine. No other time will I eat kidney beans.
@greybeard  had to be 26-27 years ago (trying to remember what house we were in) my Dh made chili.
If you could call it that.
It was like FIRE. No taste, no flavor- FIRE!
It was so bad, I put some down to see the dogs reaction- she would eat anything, she wouldn't touch it.
I wouldn't have let her have it anyway will all those spices... but she smelled it, cocked her head and backed up. 

If Dh makes chili he is the only one who will touch it.
My chili is simple, easy, tasty. The fam doesn't do beans so usually there are none. 
I like ground meat over cubed.

Pasta? In chili? I honestly have never heard of that. Is that a regional thing?


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## Southern by choice (Jan 9, 2018)

the picture! BTW


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 9, 2018)

I'm not really sure if it is regional or not about making Chili-Mac....or just something added to leftovers to change it up or stretch it out some....like Mom used to say...Po folks, have po ways. We always had pasta, potatoes, or cornbread at every meal to try and fill me and my brother up so everybody else got some of the meal. I always went last in serving my plate cause I was usually scraping the pot, pan, or skillet....


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 10, 2018)

I have to admit, I knew chili using pasta and how thick vs. how runny was all regional and what you grew up with, but I would have sworn all chili had beans it it.

As a kid in TN for a brief stint, we made chili the locals called Spaghetti. It was thick down in those parts and really just tomatoe sauce, hamburger, and beans, like Steak and Shake or Wendy's. My Mom said hers was chili soup.

I make it both ways, thick or thin with spaghetti noodles. It has got to have the preferred beans though. A friend of mine makes it with canned sweet corn. Calls it Tex/Mex chili.

I use to an 8 qt pot: 2 lbs ground hamburger browned and drained, diced onions, one can of French Onion soup, one small can of tomatoe paste, one small can of tomatoe sauce, 2Tb chili powder, 1Tb Cumin, 1Tb of Ground Coriander, cover the bottom with garlic powder, followed by season salt, followed by onion powder, and All Purpose Seasoning.

Add in 2 cans of chili beans and 2 cans of diced chili ready tomatoes, 1 cup of canned diced chilis an one cup of dill relish, 1# of spaghetti broken in fourths and cover with hot water ran into the empty cans for more flavor. Bring to boil, stir once spaghetti softens, and cover, set to low and cook slow all late morning and early afternoon til supper.

My boys like it weak, so add more heat if desired.


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## OneFineAcre (Jan 10, 2018)

Anyone ever tried the white chicken chili?


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## Southern by choice (Jan 10, 2018)

OneFineAcre said:


> Anyone ever tried the white chicken chili?


Not sure what  white chicken chili is. 
Sometimes instead of hamburger or deer I use shredded chicken.


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## OneFineAcre (Jan 10, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> Not sure what  white chicken chili is.
> Sometimes instead of hamburger or deer I use shredded chicken.



Well look it up on the Google 

It's made with chicken and the white beans instead of the red kidney beans
Maurine won a chili cooking contest with it one time.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 10, 2018)

I've got a pic of my chili I'll share. I'm not against seasoning it on my own but I like the guesswork being taken out of making it mild enough for the kids. 




I'm going to share because y'all will get a kick out of this...I grew up refusing to eat chili made at home because my dad called it "burn ya twice chili."  Needless to say, it wasn't very kid friendly.  I remember it having jalapenos and hot chili beans for sure. 

I have family in Northern IN that doesn't put noodles in their chili. Maybe @misfitmorgan can weigh in and tell us what they do in MI. I'm also curious about chili in WI, @Hens and Roos. @babsbag does CA have chili? Lol! Finally, @Ferguson K how is chili made in TX? I always believed that was where chili originated. (Probably not correct.)


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 10, 2018)

As ive been told many times "REAL" chili has no beans or tomatoes and no broth, it is just meat and seasonings which sounds  to me. You also dont use ground meat to make chili...it is chunks of meat.....this was all from Texas people btw....I'm sure @Ferguson K , @Baymule , or one of the other fine Texas folks can confirm or deny.

When we make chili it is with ground meat, beans, chili powder and canned tomatoes as a base, we do put noodles or corn in sometimes other times not depends on how many are eatting and how much meat you have on hand lol   There are many varations i even make variations...sometimes i add coffee, or cinnamon or PB or white/black beans instead of kidney...just depends.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 10, 2018)

@OneFineAcre maybe you share the White Chicken Chili recipe! I want to try it but a recommended recipe would be more convincing! 

I totally slipped @Baymule may have some great input on chili variations! I'm also not sure where @Bruce hails from but I'm sure he can add to the conversation!


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 10, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @OneFineAcre maybe you share the White Chicken Chili recipe! I want to try it but a recommended recipe would be more convincing!
> 
> I totally slipped @Baymule may have some great input on chili variations! I'm also not sure where @Bruce hails from but I'm sure he can add to the conversation!



Your chili looks more "creamy" then ours

White chicken chili is very good! I've made it a few times because tomatoes/chili give me heartburn. @Bruce is from Vermont.


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## babsbag (Jan 10, 2018)

Yep, we have chili. But usually no macaroni. We have chili cook-offs every year in many towns.


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## greybeard (Jan 10, 2018)

Chile originated in central and S. America, which is where most of the peppers we know today originally came from. Made it's way up in to Mexico which Texas was once part of. 
btw, contrary to popular usage, there is no such thing as a 'chili bean'..if you think otherwise, try finding seeds for them.  Canned beans sold as 'chili beans' are either kidney beans, white northern beans, pintos, or frijoles negros---black beans.

In my part of the world and in every part of Mexico I've been in, beans are served on the side--Usually as charro beans in their own bowl beside a bowl of chili..more often than not tho, not at all. 

If I put whole or chopped peppers in chili it could be any of the lower end of the scoville unit chipoltes. (There's also no such thing as a 'chipotle' species of pepper either. Chipotle simple means any roasted/smoked/dried pepper, and most 'chipotles' are Morita which is another name for a  dried jalapeno)
I prefer ancho peppers, which is nothing more than a roasted smoked/dried Poblano pepper. 

For raw pepper just to eat on the side, the most flavorful to me is an anahiem. 

Much of America wouldn't recognize or even like real Mexican food. They don't put all the crap on it we seen in America's "authenic' Mexican food eateries.
Chili rellenos as we know them are rare. Instead, a whole ancho pepper is stuffed with spiced meat, wrapped in a soft corn tortilla and baked, then a chili sauce (sometimes chili gravy--there's a difference) poured over it and cheese may or may not be over the top. onions and other vegetables would be served beside it on the same plate, but it is wonderful. 

I do have a hunger for Carne guisada quite often, if prepared right. If bell peppers are used, it's wrong.  (don't confuse it with carne asada..2 completely different dishes)


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## greybeard (Jan 10, 2018)

misfitmorgan said:


> Your chili looks more "creamy" then ours


From the starch in the pasta I suspect, tho some people do thicken their 'chili' by using a thick paste of corn starch/water, which gives it a lighter or creamy color.
If I have to thicken chili (only if I did something wrong) I use a masa flour (masa harina) paste. 
Masa harina is not the same as corn flour.


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 10, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Much of America wouldn't recognize or even like real Mexican food. They don't put all the crap on it we seen in America's "authenic' Mexican food eateries.
> Chili rellenos as we know them are rare. Instead, a whole ancho pepper is stuffed with spiced meat, wrapped in a soft corn tortilla and baked, then a chili sauce (sometimes chili gravy--there's a difference) poured over it and cheese may or may not be over the top. onions and other vegetables would be served beside it on the same plate, but it is wonderful.



These are the only Chili rellenos i know of for the most part....ive never seen the corn torilla but i have seen them dipped in a corn based batter and fried after being stuffed before being sauced and topped with cheese then broiled.....is there another kind? I have seen another slight variation where spiced meat and cheese were stuffed in the pepper instead of just the meat. 

Chili gravy is way better then chili sauce!

We can buy Masa Harina up north here believe it or not. I use it to make arepas....that i stuff with cheese........us old fashioned folks also buy manteca....aka lard. We may be far from the southern border but we can buy stuff and make actual mexican food. We have carnitas pretty often(you know all the pork we have), i usually make left overs into cantina tacos. We do eat and make american-ized tacos, burritos, fajittas, etc.



greybeard said:


> From the starch in the pasta I suspect, tho some people do thicken their 'chili' by using a thick paste of corn starch/water, which gives it a lighter or creamy color.
> If I have to thicken chili (only if I did something wrong) I use a masa flour (masa harina) paste.
> Masa harina is not the same as corn flour.



Our macaroni noodles are cooked separately and you add your own noodles to your bowl....so yes maybe less starch.


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## Hens and Roos (Jan 10, 2018)

we make chili- ground hamburger(goat), tomato sauce, tomatoes, and with kidney beans or other beans(my DD likes several kinds in the chili). I make it mild and DH adds more seasoning to his liking.  Noodles on the side.  DS(15) and DS(12) aren't big chili eaters.

We've had the white chicken chili-a friend of ours makes it and its super good-she does it without a recipe so each batch a bit different


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## Bruce (Jan 10, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Never, have I put any kind of bean or pasta in chili. I'd have to pack up and move.


I have heard there are some major feuds between the "YES beans" and "NO BEANS EVER!" chili aficionados. Kinda like the dry rub and wet sauce BBQ people. There is BLACK and there is WHITE and there is nothing in between!

And noodles of any sort in chili? WTF?? That is an entirely different food.



misfitmorgan said:


> @Bruce is from Vermont.


Bruce is originally from So. Cal  I would say chili is pretty similar in both places. Beans and ground meat, tomato sauce of some sort and spices. Not too soupy, not too thick though that is pretty subjective. I'm a wimp, no "burns once" let alone twice chili for me!



greybeard said:


> In my part of the world and in every part of Mexico I've been in, beans are served on the side--Usually as charro beans in their own bowl beside a bowl of chili..more often than not tho, not at all.


Like spaghetti in Italy. No heaping plate as an entree, it is a side dish like we would do with rice or potatoes in the USA.



greybeard said:


> Much of America wouldn't recognize or even like real Mexican food. They don't put all the crap on it we see in America's "authentic' Mexican food eateries.


Yep, refried beans that are mush from a can are WAY different than real refried beans. Fish tacos in Akumal were 

The day DD2 left Japan after her semester there, a couple of students from Europe were heading to (presumably) the only Mexican restaurant in the country. It is in Tokyo and called
..... Taco Bell.
Yep, REAL AUTHENTIC Mexican food there!  Of course it could be somewhat different in Japan, apparently McDonalds serves different food in Japan than they do here. The Japanese students that had come for a 2 week high school exchange wanted to go to McDs. No locals understood why ... and neither did they when they saw the food. Still, I bet TB in Tokyo is pretty far from real Mexican food.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 10, 2018)

I knew @Bruce would have something good to add! The BBQ reference was spot-on! 

I find the different variations interesting. 

@greybeard if you ever make your way to my table, I'll be sure to serve something authentic...we like our pond fried fish around here! Yum!


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## Mike CHS (Jan 10, 2018)

I make a white meat chicken chili that is on the Foodnetwork by The Neelys.  I don't think we can post links on here to other sites but it should come up in a search.  I don't follow all their steps, they mash one can of the beans but I didn't after the first time and could tell no difference.  I actually like it as much as tomato based chili


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## Bruce (Jan 10, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> I don't think we can post links on here to other sites but it should come up in a search.


We do it all the time. Should I be looking in my rear view for flashing lights and a possible suspension of my BYH license?


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 10, 2018)

Someone said they eat white chili to avoid heartburn of tomatoe products. My wife's white chili is great, but makes my scalp sweat. Problem of being mostly bald on top! LOL

Hers is made with white beans, onions, garlic, chilis, jalapeno, and chicken (or sometimes rabbit) chicken broth and I'm sure to leave something out. 

It is pretty different from any "Chili" I grew up with, but really great with corn bread and milk to drink to coat the stomach.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jan 10, 2018)

Ya'll know that authentic TEXAS chili has no BEANS and no TOMATOES!  If ya even think about pasta ya better just go ahead and get a rope!

It's all about the chili's and the spices, a long slow simmer and in some kitchens a tablespoon or two of dark cocoa powder ( a bit of a Mexican influence) to give it a depth of flavor like no other....thickened with masa and topped with saltines and maybe, maybe a dollop of sour cream.  Yum!

The best recipe I ever had was from The Playboy Gourmet cookbook....yep...read it for the recipes!  LOL  (get ya mind outta the gutter - it was a real honest-to-goodness cookbook)


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 10, 2018)

That sounds like my kind of chili! Share your recipe!


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## frustratedearthmother (Jan 10, 2018)

Argh - I was afraid someone would ask, lol. I lost the original recipe years ago, but  I'm one of those that doesn't really ever follow a recipe exactly, lol.  There are dozens of recipes that can be used and adjusted just a bit.  Practice does make perfect, lol. 

I like a blend of dried ancho peppers (which is a dried poblano pepper), chipotles (dried jalapenos, can also get them canned in adobo sauce), and plain ol' chili powder, along with hot paprika, cumin (better if dry toasted in a skillet).  I'm lucky enough to have a wonderful Hispanic neighbor who has access to a chili powder blend that is out of this world - but she won't tell me exactly what's in it, lol!  You can get by with plain ol chili powder if you don't have access to anything else.

I use plain ground beef - usually an 80/20 blend because I like a little fat.  Fat = flavor and you can always drain off whatever you consider too much.  Basically brown the ground beef, drain whatever fat you don't want and add chopped onion and lots of garlic.  (love these specific measurements, huh?)

I prefer chicken stock over beef stock - not even sure why - but maybe because it's more of a clean base to work with? 

Here's another secret, lol.  (not anymore, right?)   I usually add a bottle of a nice Mexican beer and maybe a tablespoon of brown sugar.  My daughter will leave out the beer but add a can of coke.... crazy, huh?  But don't knock it till ya try it!

I'll toss a bay leaf in there and let it simmer slowly for an hour or two or until it reduces a bit.  I like it fairly thick.  Just don't get the heat too high or the pepper powder might take on a burnt, bitter taste.  I usually add the cumin and a tablespoon or so of cocoa powder close to the end.  Adjust to your own taste.  At the end take a tablespoon of Masa and add a little water to it to make a medium loose paste and use that to thicken the chili.  If that tablespoon of Masa doesn't get it right - add more.  Again, thicken to your own preference.  

We love it with just saltine crackers and - like I mentioned - a dollop of sour cream if you've been heavy handed on the hot spices.  The sour cream will mellow it a bit.  

The following recipe is pretty similar to what I do: http://www.mlive.com/cooking/2016/01/texas_chili_no_tomatoes_no_bea.html     It's a little picky about the peppers and uses chunks of beef instead of ground...with a few other changes.  But, it's close!


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## greybeard (Jan 10, 2018)

misfitmorgan said:


> These are the only Chili rellenos i know of for the most part....ive never seen the corn torilla but i have seen them dipped in a corn based batter and fried after being stuffed before being sauced and topped with cheese then broiled.....is there another kind?



Yes, a relleno in most of USA is battered but in Mexico, the pepper would be visible..not battered.
The one I mentioned is completely different and  often referred to as a Mexican style enchilada. Instead of chopping up the pepper and putting it in the tortilla like you would a gringo or Tex-Mex style enchilada, the poplano or ancho pepper is whole, seeded out and the filling goes in it, and that in turn  wrapped in a soft corn tortilla. It may or may not be covered in gravy and some cheese but usually is. For the filling, I use and prefer to use fajita beef, which is skirt/flank  steak. 

I do not partake of pollo chili or 'white' chili.
Chili is red..and made with beef...period.

Fish tacos...I have had some and they were pretty good, but not something I can get terribly fond of.  Here, they are served beside a small 'pita' type shell with a small amt of very dark habanaro (or hotter) based sauce in it.  A very little of it goes a long way. The fish taco itself is optioned fried or grilled fish and double wrapped with the shell. Quite messy too.


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## Latestarter (Jan 10, 2018)

I enjoy true Texas chili but I'm not a chili purest and like kidney beans (and tomatoes) in mine. I really don't care for the "set your mouth on fire" and "taste nothing for a week" style chili. I like a little heat and love the combinations of flavors more than the pure heat many strive for. For me it's all about the flavor. I've had folks serve me "chili" that was more properly a chili flavored soup... and chili with all sorts of garden veggies in it (zucchini, green beans, corn, what-all-else), but I never considered that really chili... 

When a kid, my mom would make elbows to mix left over tomato/red spag sauce with (some added browned hamburger) and called it "chili mac"... It was a fast to make, filling, and cheap meal for 5 kids. We gobbled it up and what's in a name? She'd also do "re-fried spaghetti" which as I recall, wasn't all that bad, though I wouldn't make it for myself today.


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## Baymule (Jan 10, 2018)

I make chili with my own home canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. The meat is ground, not chunked. I use a lot of garlic, cumin, whatever else I like and toss in a few fennel seeds. I chop an onion and some jalapenos, stir it all together and let it simmer. No beans. My chili is medium heat. It will not peel the lining off your digestive tract, nor will you need a popsicle for rear end relief. 

Pasta? Awww HELL no! Corn? Various vegetables? 

I have a couple pounds of ground venison in the freezer calling my name.....

Chicken chili or white chili is not chili.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 10, 2018)

I agree that white chili is not chili but I figure it could still be a yummy soup!


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## Baymule (Jan 10, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I agree that white chili is not chili but I figure it could still be a yummy soup!


Yes, it could be a yummy soup.


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## babsbag (Jan 10, 2018)

My chili has kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, ground beef, green peppers, onions, and chili powder. Simple... but I hate cooking so I seldom make it anymore. I am not a chili connoisseur and will never be a chili cook off judge or participant.


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## goatgurl (Jan 10, 2018)

i'm almost afraid to give my opinion on chili but here in little ole arklahoma chili is beef, chunked or ground, preferably chunks, tomatoes, chili peppers different kinds for the amount of heat you want, onions, garlic and other spices to taste.  simmer low and slow and let all the flavors blend.  beans if you have to.  other veggies, ahh no. elbow macaroni, nope. add that and you have chili mac which is a whole nother dish.  white chili may be good but it isn't real chili, just a spicy chicken dish.  I think we all need to make a batch this weekend and enjoy it together but separate.


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## greybeard (Jan 10, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I agree that white chili is not chili but I figure it could still be a yummy soup!


Caldo.
or sopa.


Baymule said:


> Yes, it could be a yummy soup.


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## greybeard (Jan 10, 2018)

goatgurl said:


> i'm almost afraid to give my opinion on chili but here in little ole arklahoma chili is beef, chunked or ground, preferably chunks, tomatoes, chili peppers different kinds for the amount of heat you want, onions, garlic and other spices to taste.  simmer low and slow and let all the flavors blend.  beans if you have to.  other veggies, ahh no. elbow macaroni, nope. add that and you have chili mac which is a whole nother dish.  white chili may be good but it isn't real chili, just a spicy chicken dish.  I think we all need to make a batch this weekend and enjoy it together but separate.



I can deal with that, as long as the tomatoes are whole, peeled stewed tomatoes and added toward the last 45 minutes of cooking.

All that other stuff I've seen mentioned, as  haute cuisine as it may be presented, must be a northern or west coast thing. 
My wife spent her teen years in some foreign land called 'the quad cities' and will take a goodly portion of my chili out of the big pot, put it in another pot and add nearly a full BIG can of tomato juice to it. I told her before she just as well just get a couple jars of plain old cheap spaghetti sauce, add some chili powder to it just enough for a slight taste and call that chili. No accounting for taste I suppose.


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 11, 2018)

My chili definitely tastes like chili, I use chili powder, cumin, chili's in adobo, pablanos(fresh or smoked), cayenne, etc. I've also added coco powder....didnt notice it adding much. I'm also of the "I want to taste the food not die from heat" camp...but i do like some heat.

We grew up kinda poor and with 4 kids in the house plus two adults.....so yes macaroni and/or corn and anything else to stretch a pound or less of ground beef into enough to feed everyone and have enough for two adults to take to work as lunch the next day. If there was no noodles to be had we got given bread to help fill us up assuming we had bread. My mom taught me how to make chili...the cheap way and with zero heat, i've since grown up and tried all different variations. I don't like my chili as soupy as my mother but i dont want just dry spices stuck to pieces of meat either.

I never thought about it before but yes....macaroni in chili would be chili mac. I don't think we ever call it chili mac though because the noodles are not cooked/put in the chili....you just put some noodles in your bowl and thn put chili on top...sometimes cheese too.

We are having chili tonight...little ironic. Making chili with BLACK BEANS and cornbread. I will try but probly fail to get a picture. We also always add a tiny amount of brown sugar to all of our tomato stuff to cut the acidity a bit.


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## Baymule (Jan 11, 2018)

I do love me some Frito Pie!! That's chili with Fritos on top, or on bottom with chili spooned on top. Top with grated cheese and chopped green onion. I prefer my Fritos on top because I don't like them to get soggy.


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## greybeard (Jan 11, 2018)

misfitmorgan said:


> My chili definitely tastes like chili, I use chili powder, cumin, chili's in adobo, pablanos(fresh or smoked), cayenne, etc. I've also added coco powder....didnt notice it adding much. I'm also of the "I want to taste the food not die from heat" camp...but i do like some heat.
> 
> We grew up kinda poor and with 4 kids in the house plus two adults.....so yes macaroni and/or corn and anything else to stretch a pound or less of ground beef into enough to feed everyone and have enough for two adults to take to work as lunch the next day. If there was no noodles to be had we got given bread to help fill us up assuming we had bread. My mom taught me how to make chili...the cheap way and with zero heat, i've since grown up and tried all different variations. I don't like my chili as soupy as my mother but i dont want just dry spices stuck to pieces of meat either.
> 
> ...


Black beans have been banned in my house after an exceptionally aromatic night several years ago. Pintos, navy beans, butter beans, blackeyed peas, kidney beans--all fine. Frijoles Negros? No no no no no..


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 11, 2018)

We have approx 50lbs of dried black beans...DH got them from a farmer he did some work for. They grow a lot of black beans up here but they just call them colored beans....aka not soy.

We have frito pie here too, it is good.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 11, 2018)

This update is mainly pics. It's a muddy, sloppy mess here. Current temp is low 50s but we are predicted a foot of snow and single degree temps again. All of this wet will turn into ice if that happens! (I also updated the kidding thread for anyone interested.) 

1- Some of the cows watching me feed chickens and gather eggs. 



2-Ember (one of our show heifers, enjoying her feed this morning.) 


 
3-Maizy is the first bovine due this year. It will be her first calving. She isn't showing any real signs yet. She's a farm favorite for her sweet personality. 


 
4- Big Boy is a steer that's being boarded here for a local 4-Her. I think he's convinced he's part goat! (Side note: He and the heifer that he will be shown with were born here so no chance of bringing in germs. The heifer will go to the farm they just bought after the show.) I'm in the barn looking out through the lean-to. Their paddock shares a fence line with the main cattle pasture. The pick of Maizy was taken to the immediate left and the pic of the cows watching me is to the immediate right. 


 
5- Last but definitely not least is Queenie. She's definitely queen of the farm. She's enjoying her short stints in the house and has even tried to sneak in a few times when the Faith (GSD) goes in or out. Queenie is "lanky" right now but she has some cover on her ribs and has free access to a quality dog food and treats from the kids! 



I couldn't get a quality pic of the pigs but I'm sure they'll cooperate since it's supposed to turn off cold again.

@Southern by choice Here are some bovine pics for you!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 11, 2018)

Note: We do typically use bale rings but I think it's been the year for ours to bite the dust!


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## Southern by choice (Jan 11, 2018)

Love the pics! I did laugh at the steergoat!
Queenie is beautiful! Those lanky stages sure are tough.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 11, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> Love the pics! I did laugh at the steergoat!
> Queenie is beautiful! Those lanky stages sure are tough.




She's going to be big. I need to have her weighed. She was 25# at 8 weeks. I don't recall from the visits after that. I do remember the vet looking at me that day and saying, "you realize this dog is going to be huge, right?" My response was "She better be! I bought a purebred Anatolian!" In his defense he was really new to the practice and didn't realize that I'm a regular and hadn't looked at her chart yet. After my comment and the girls that work there laughing at him, he decided it would probably be fine! Lol

Anyway, she's get a combination of Iams puppy and adult food so that she doesn't grow too big too fast. It seemed like she couldn't get enough of the adult so we started adding puppy too. She loves chew bones and does an awesome job of gently taking copious amounts of treats from the kids. ALL of the dogs really like the kids!


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## Mike CHS (Jan 11, 2018)

All of the pictures are great.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 11, 2018)

The animals look really nice....love the diamond on Queenie's forehead....Gabby looks underfed too, but she is continuing to grow and stretch out also.....she has a healthy appetite and we do feed her, but that big ole frame seems to stay ahead of there being a bunch of muscle gain...tho, it'll all catch up and both Gabbie and Queenie will be great looking dogs.....


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## greybeard (Jan 11, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Note: We do typically use bale rings but I think it's been the year for ours to bite the dust!


If it's time to replace them, I've used both and poly rings seem to outlast the steel ones.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 11, 2018)

I agree @CntryBoy777! I think they'll both be very regal!  (I'm partial to GSD too and will have another eventually after Faith passes. She is doing better on her meds!) 

@greybeard DH has been looking into what he thinks will work best. His preference would be to actually build a "bunk" of some type where the cows walk up and eat over something like a guardrail and the bales are on and the tractor drives on packed lime or something similar. Unfortunately, he doesn't know when he can get to that project so we shall see what comes of it...

Weather Update: DH just said that we are supposed to get below freezing (not single digits) but get 1/4" of freezing rain starting at 3am. Not a min later I get an automated call from DD1 school that they've cancelled tomorrow due to the impending inclement weather. (DH will have to drive to work but he isn't an idiot and will take his time. I was contemplating keeping DD1 home because I wasn't going out unless it's an emergency and I didn't want her on a school bus!)


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## Latestarter (Jan 11, 2018)

Stay warm. Wind is howling here as the front approaches. Supposed to be back in low 20's overnights for the next week or so, but back into low 40s during the days, so not too bad. Thanks for the pics. your animals look great!


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## greybeard (Jan 11, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Stay warm. Wind is howling here as the front approaches. Supposed to be back in low 20's overnights for the next week or so, but back into low 40s during the days, so not too bad. Thanks for the pics. your animals look great!


It won't be as bad as the last one LS. This one is on a highball train to head east pretty quickly.


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## Baymule (Jan 11, 2018)

I don't mind this cold spell, at least it will be above freezing during the day. Keeping all the animals watered should be a lot easier.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 11, 2018)

I just don't like ice. People that think they can drive on snow (noteink!), REALLY can't drive on ice! It makes being out very dangerous to those that have to be. Otherwise, I'll deal with the temps and such. We have plenty of food, water, feed, and firewood on hand.


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 12, 2018)

The school waited here til abt 5:30am to cancel for today. It rained all night and was around 12:30 when began to hear the drops change to ice pellets. There's a nice cover now of ice.  I guess the snow comes later.

I hadn't heard any vehicles go by til 9:30am and it was a county plough, just salting and sanding. I have spent a lot of time on bad roads others thought were better while on Fire and EMS for 14 years. 4x4's aren't much better on ice than 2 wheel drives. The only difference is they might be able to pull themselves out of the ditch.

Yesterday I put my extra weight back in my 4x4 truck bed and gased up with the pure intention of just leaving it parked. I do prefer slow deliberate steering and braking when on ice or snow. Too much speed and braking too late and too hard will end up in sliding out of control every time. Sometimes you can't avoid the other driver when they do something stupid.

Unfortunately, the plants and factories around here will give points or disciplinary action for missing unless there has been a warning against driving posted by the state police from driving on roads by penalty of citation. Back in the day when the state police warned not to drive, I could get by with it with my blue light and FD insignia. Now, I have been out of the services for almost 6 years. Best to just stay home unless it's an emergency.


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## Hens and Roos (Jan 12, 2018)

I don't like ice either- makes things dangerous.  We got lucky and only had a little ice-most went north or south of us.

I agree @Pastor Dave best to stay home unless its an emergency.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 12, 2018)

I had a few hairy moments trying to keep traction with 18 wheels in that kind of mess before. There is 1 rule with ice....when ya start sliding, ya don't stop til ya hit something.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2018)

The roads are slush right now. DH just got home from work. The temp is right at 32 and he said when it drops, it'll get slick fast. Fortunately, an emergency would be the only reason we need to leave until it's time for him to work Monday morning. 

I'm a RN so I can pretty much get out if I need to. Driving to and from work has put me in some rough situations in the past. Also, we "have" Cattle other places to check (really have had in more than one locale in the past) if an actual need to travel arises. On top of that, DH went to school with the majority of the Sheriff's dept and City Police dept so I'm sure it wouldn't be a big deal. Lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2018)

We do have a chicken coop frozen shut already!


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## Pastor Dave (Jan 12, 2018)

The door to my rabbit shed was frozen this am. It faces West, but the big doors face South.


My truck sits in front of the shed because our Equinox sits inside. AWD is ok, but on days like this, I would use the truck.

We have abt 1/2"-3/4" ice from last night and this a.m. The pic here is after the snow started good around 9am, and it has been steady since.

Plan to stay home other than walking out to feed again later. Stay safe!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2018)

I got a few pics of the ice before the snow started at 4. It got dark and was still snowing so I'll get some of the snow tomorrow. 



 

 

 

 
I got a pic of the iced latch. DH got it open after the ice stopped. 


 
Scarlet was the only one at this particular bale. I snapped a pic more to show the effect of the ice. I'll try to get a pic of the same area in the snow tomorrow. 


 
DH also put the calves that are being boarded with ours so that he could open up the lean-to for our main group of brood cows. They especially like the feed treat he gave them when he called them up to let them know that he had opened the gate. 

We did sneak the human kids out before the snow hit. They were thrilled to investigate icicles, stomp in the crunchy grass, and see all of their animals! 

Rounded off the afternoon with homemade Cheesy Potato Soup!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2018)

Pastor Dave said:


> The door to my rabbit shed was frozen this am. It faces West, but the big doors face South.View attachment 42228My truck sits in front of the shed because our Equinox sits inside. AWD is ok, but on days like this, I would use the truck.
> 
> We have abt 1/2"-3/4" ice from last night and this a.m. The pic here is after the snow started good around 9am, and it has been steady since.
> 
> Plan to stay home other than walking out to feed again later. Stay safe!



Stay safe too! This weather makes people go crazy it seems!!


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## greybeard (Jan 12, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Stay warm. Wind is howling here as the front approaches. Supposed to be back in low 20's overnights for the next week or so, but back into low 40s during the days, so not too bad. Thanks for the pics. your animals look great!


Things don't look so goodnext week, especially Tuesday.
https://www.wunderground.com/hourly/us/tx/cleveland/KTXCLEVE11/date/2018-01-16


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 12, 2018)

Ice can be so beautiful, but very destructive in the process....the one out front with the arms out for balance signals some sliding on the ice going on....I always enjoyed doing that, but had to give that up a couple of decades ago....


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## Bruce (Jan 12, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Things don't look so goodnext week, especially Tuesday.
> https://www.wunderground.com/hourly/us/tx/cleveland/KTXCLEVE11/date/2018-01-16


At least the amount of precip is really minimal. Still, a thin coating of ice is all it takes.


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## greybeard (Jan 12, 2018)

Bruce said:


> At least the amount of precip is really minimal. Still, a thin coating of ice is all it takes.


Ice buildup on limbs and powerlines is not just dependent on the amt of rainfall.
Because there is also some melting going on, any clylinder shaped object will have more ice on the bottom than all/any other side or the top. You can easily have more than 1/2" ice hanging from an object even tho less than 1/4" precipitation  fell.
1/2" of ice on a 450Kv transmission line with a 900' between spans can sag down an additional 48". Because residential area distribution lines have much closer supports, that same 1/2" of ice will produce only about 12" additional sag from the weight of the ice.
Besides the added weight that induces more sag, they swing more in a wind because the aerodynamic effects cause by the moving air when it encounter what has become.. an airfoil.
The lines (and limbs) will begin to 'gallop' both side to side and up and down in a circular motion. For limbs, it doesn't take much between the weight and the air foil effect for one to snap off. For electrical lines, just a little more.





Between sag and gallop, the lines (hot and neutral) touch and power outage is the result. Galloping can also cause the cross arms to snap off.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 13, 2018)

I don't post many pics on another's "Thread", but with all the talk about chili I thought I'd share....
 .....and since ya made your request so clear....this is for you.... ......


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## Bruce (Jan 13, 2018)

Looks tasty! Is Gabbie  saying "Hey Dad, can I have some?"?


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 13, 2018)

@CntryBoy777 You made my day with the Gabbie pic! She's beyond precious!!! You can post pics on my thread any time!


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 13, 2018)

Naw Bruce, she was actually wanting me to get off the hassack so she could watch the bird feeders out the window....


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 13, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Naw Bruce, she was actually wanting me to get off the hassack so she could watch the bird feeders out the window....



So did you?? Does she have you trained yet?


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 13, 2018)

I don't sit in the same for very long, so yeh she got on the hassack....my leg and back won't allow me to remain in one position for an extended period.....


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## Mike CHS (Jan 14, 2018)

The picture of Gabbie is cute enough that I can now quit pouting about the Titans.)


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## greybeard (Jan 14, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> The picture of Gabbie is cute enough that I can now quit pouting about the Titans.)


Grossly mismatched teams for sure. It shows the perennial weakness of that AFC South division.


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## Latestarter (Jan 14, 2018)

Looking fwd to today's AFC match to see who my Pats will face next week. Can't see the Brady/Belichick team being together too many more years, after which I guess we'll be forced into league parity once again.


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## Bruce (Jan 14, 2018)

Or maybe the Pats will lose so you don't have to stress out for the next couple of weeks. 


As you know I really don't care, just messing with you. I don't know who the Pats are playing nor even if it is expected to be a close game


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## Latestarter (Jan 14, 2018)

For those who do follow football, this (just about) past weekend is the best one of the year as it's the divisional playoffs so the 8 best teams in the AFC and NF(favored) C were all playing against each other. Next weekend the remaining two from each (4 teams, 2 games) will play each other to determine who goes to the Superbowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (upset) and they will meet the Patriots next Sunday for the AFC championship, in New England. The Underdog (#1 seed) Philadelphia Eagles hung on to win against the Atlanta Falcons and will meet the Minnesota Vikings, who pulled it out and won in the final 10 seconds of the game(they were favored), in Philly, next Sunday to determine the NFC champion.

Actually, not stressing, and again, I'm looking forward to next weekend.   Should be two really good games. Really it's the only sport that I follow and in 3 weeks it will be over again until next August or so. I will enjoy it very much while it lasts. 

And now, I'll apologize for spilling all the above font on someone else's journal...   Sorry


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

Stay tuned for the 8 Cat Story of 2017. I typed it in my notes but I want to add pics so it will probably have to be added in more than one post....


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

THE 8 CAT STORY OF 2017 

So I have to start the story with we had 6 barn cats. (I don't do indoor.) DH and I had 2 (Zara and Zoe) of those 6 when we moved to the farm in 2010. We got 2 (Carson and Nala) for DD1 when she was 3. Fast forward two more years and we got 2 (Mickey and Minnie) to top off our six. We had a few others in those years and even a feral litter born here but I'll save you from all the boring details. 
Zara: 





Zoe:




Nala: 


 
Nala thinks she's a goat. If you look closely, she's snuggled down between two goats in this pic.


 
Nala keeping Sephie company during her recovery. 


 
Carson: (the brat!) He's a tiger and white.


 
Baby Minnie - L and Baby Mickey-R (You can see Mickey looks miserable here from his upper resp virus.)



Another pic of Mickey and Minnie.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

8 Cat Story Cont'd:

Minnie is always in the middle of everything so some pics of her. 



 



 

I also found another pic of Carson that shows his attitude.


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## Bruce (Jan 15, 2018)

Minnie is pretty cute. Are the tan/orange ones in the last picture the ferals?


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

8 Cat Story Cont'd Again: (y'all made the mistake of making it clear you like pics! I have more than 5000 on my phone! Lol) 

We were in the hospital with DD2 in April when a girl I work with at the hospital posted pics on FB of a litter of three kittens. One was orange! I'm a sucker for orange cats (and black and white!) Anyway, I messaged her and told her I'd take all three (orange, calico, tiger) if she wasn't planning on keeping them without telling DH. They'd decided to keep the calico but she was thrilled that I reached out to her and would gladly send the other two home with me when they were weaned. I had shown him pics at the hospital and gone on and on about how cute they were and he knew that I really wanted an orange cat. I showed the older kids the pics after we got home and they helped me name them. DH got a text asking what he thought about those names and his response was that they were fine. I'm a roundabout way he agreed! That's how Oscar (orange) and Sophie (tiger) entered the picture. 

As kittens: 



Oscar had pneumonia during the first cold snap and got to come in the house for a week. He enjoyed it! 



Oscar enjoying one of the heated waterers. The cats curl up next to them sometimes. 


 
Nala is in the foreground and Sophie is in the middle. 


 
So...in the meantime, I've agreed to take these two kittens and my grandparents who winter in Florida every year have a stray show up at their house and have a litter of kittens in their barn. We keep Cattle over there while their home and winter them at our house for ease of care during inclement weather. Anyway, I had to live trap all four kittens as they didn't become tame enough to touch. Canned cat food and four live traps. I caught three and the mother (I released her) within four hours and left them unset. We waited until the next night and set two again and caught the last kitten in two hours. Talk about ticked kitties!! I wore leather gloves to catch them out of the live traps and put them in a carrier to ride in the car and then out of the carrier and into the large dog crate. I was bit multiple times and would've been badly injured without the gloves. I had two cats in each crate right by all of our feed and the milking stand for the most exposure. DH and I talked to them constantly while we were in the barn. The plan was to rehome them after they were tame. I had them in those crates for 4 weeks and we made only very little progress with one and one was quite the sweetheart. I thought the sweetheart would be the easiest to rehome because she looked to be Siamese influenced but the kids grew attached to her so she became Beauty. DH's best friend mentioned all of the rodents and snakes at the farm he'd just bought and knowing that his wife is allergic so they wouldn't want pet cats, offered him the three black/white kittens. He readily agreed and I dropped them off the same day. Beauty unfortunately met a sad end when chased by a dog (no marks, just wet from mouthing.) We think she had a heart attack. She was DD2's and she was heartbroken. 

I don't have any pics of the other kittens still but I do have this of Beauty.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

8 Cat Story Cont'd!!! 

We immediately started looking for another kitten that would be perfect for DD2, as the first one tolerated her hugging and holding and actually looked for her and purred! This was in August. A farm friend and Cattle mentor saw a post on FB about an abandoned kitten that was alone and tiny. He contacted me and I agreed to take and told DH after the arrangements were made. (He knew were were looking for one!) The lady that found the kitten met me after work to hand her over. She was absolutely itty bitty and wouldn't have lived another day or two without intense intervention. (I worked for a vet for 5 years so had a pretty good idea of what I could do at home.) She was long-haired and taken from her mother too soon so she couldn't clean herself and couldn't move her bowels from them being caked to her. I finally got all of that off! She had more fleas than hair so DH dug through my cat supplies and found a kitten flea med that had somehow missed being applied previously. She had a clear upper respiratory infection and "goop" draining from her eyes. Her belly was the biggest part of her! She also had just the tiniest starts of teeth erupting so she couldn't eat solid food yet. DH made a quick trip to the Dollar General to get her some canned food as she was big enough that she didn't need bottle fed. I'm sure she was under-nourished and stunted. I got her on a Sunday night. I called the vet first thing Monday morning and somehow got that her name was "Crazy Eyes" and got wormer, eye salve, and an antibiotic ready for DH to pick up after work. DD2 LOVED this kitten. I got the bright idea of letting a 2yo name a cat. She wouldn't agree to anything and after a week, seemed to agree to Lucy so that became her name. (We got her records changed at the vets office too. Lol) This cat was a favorite for the whole family. She caught mice early on, loved the kids, enjoyed our affections, and wasn't overly annoying and pushy. Unfortunately, she didn't make the New Year. We *think* she met the same fate as DD2's kitten, Beauty, as we could find no other evidence. (The remaining dogs are being trained to ignore cats or have consequences!) 

DD2 meeting her new kitten! 


 
Progression of Lucy getting healthier...


 

 
DD2 doing therapy in the barn. We used the milkstand step. Minnie photobombed us! 


 
We all miss Lucy terribly! She really was the best cat. Even DH was attached to her! 

Finally, we were leaving for vacation in September when DH's brother called. They had found a kitten on the side of the highway that they live on. Of course it was orange so he thought of me. DH was not happy and made it clear and put his foot down. My BIL's wife started texting me to convince me. She sent pictures, etc. I finally told them to post it on FB and if no one took him by the time I got home, I'd take him. DH was not thrilled and made sure I knew he was not happy about our count being up to 10 cats. I reassured him that things happen and it was just a matter of time before the oldest two got too old or one wandered off, etc. That appeased him for the time being until we got home and they showed up with the kitten 10 mins later. They never posted him. Chester is named after the Cheetos Cheetah that is crazy loud because boy does this cat have a voice! 

The pic I was sent by my SIL of the kitten I "needed!" 


 
Chester also got to do a stint in the house since he seemed to be getting the same thing as Oscar. Chester was too loud and rough with the kids in the house to stay and is still trying to get over his illness in the barn. 


 

The story isn't over yet because Carson was rough with DH and I on more than one occasion and we'd become afraid he would with one of the human kids. We hadn't come up with a plan yet and he cornered and terrified DD2 who didn't have a way to defend herself. Plans had been made for him to disappear when I saw a post looking for a tomcat from the lady I got some chicks from. She wanted a tough cat for one of her barns that is way off the road and she doesn't let her grandchildren go to. Carson went to live there and seems to be doing fine. The kids haven't missed him and I don't miss his wild behavior. (I want to add that he was neutered at 6 mos so he wasn't a Tom but he sure acted like a feral one!) 

We ended the year with 8 cats! DD2 is asking for another kitten and we told the kids we'd get a couple this spring. DH is reluctantly on board because he knows how much she wants one. 

We also have Mickey and Minnie that have never been quite right. Mickey would definitely qualify for a medical diagnosis and special education in the human world. Both also have chronic respiratory issues from damage to their respiratory tract from a virus when they were young. They are both mostly happy right now but if they seem to be get more uncomfortable, we won't let them suffer. 

That's the story of how I brought home 8 cats in one year and my DH mostly went along with it!!! 

Side note: I'm not really a cat person! A few have the right personality and are special to me but I'd much prefer being a crazy dog lady! 

I hope you enjoyed our cat story!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Minnie is pretty cute. Are the tan/orange ones in the last picture the ferals?



No, the other ferals that were littermates
to Beauty were all black/white. None of the other ferals/strays that have showed up her stick around. We do have a dog that I KNOW will kill any cat that I don't introduce to her and tel her it's mine. As long as I do that, she'll let them sleep with her!


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## Bruce (Jan 15, 2018)

Very sad about Beauty and Lucy . At least Lucy had a few good months, would have been a slow painful death had you not taken her. 

Glad you could get rid of the "spares". Christofur was a "drop off" last February, he looks just like Oscar.

I do NOT want or need any more cats. Just feeding 4 of them is pretty expensive. Then there are the vet bills though I've decided that they don't need any non legally required vaccines (just rabies) since they are indoor cats, never possible to come into contact with another cat even through a screen.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

All cats here get spayed/neutered. I can get a kitten any day of the week it seems so I don't want to contribute to the overpopulation. It does get expensive. The cats do keep the rodent population out of the barns and we've only had two make it to our crawl space in the 8 years we've lived here. I think that makes them worth it!


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## Bruce (Jan 15, 2018)

Christofur WAS going to be a barn cat (since I really didn't want a 4th house cat) but the alpacas wouldn't let him down in the lower part of the barn where he could get water. They and the chickens live there. I REALLY didn't want to have to bring water out to him in the upper part of the barn several times a day. I could have gotten a heated bowl for him but DD2 came home from college for a week in March and has wanted a cat of her own (DD1 has 1, DW has 2) and Christofur was willing to let her pick him up. So he became house cat #4 after he was vet checked, vaccinated, wormed and we got rid of the ear mites. No fleas thankfully though I don't think they would do well outside in sub zero F temps, even on a cat.

Some of the house cats do control the minimal indoor rodent population. I think they get in the basement somehow and make their way upstairs since there is no food or water in the basement. Of course finding mouse bits in the morning isn't a pleasant thing. At least LATELY they have been leaving them in the walk-in shower so cleanup is easier. And DD1 sleeps until at least 10 if not 11 or 12 so we see them first. The screeching if she found them would be horrendous.


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## Latestarter (Jan 15, 2018)

OHHHH!!! All the more reason to leave them for DD1 to find! <evil grin>  You can then tell her since HER cat is the murderer, it's HER responsibility to clean up after... Hehehehe...   You have obviously been lulled into complacency by your 24/7 ill DD1 and DW in that your responsibility as a parent is to make your kid's life as miserable as possible in a nice way... Especially since she's no longer a "kid"...


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 15, 2018)

Finally caught up 

Sorry about the lost kitties 
Hope you can find the perfect cat for your DD! I was shocked to see that they sleep with the goats! That is so sweet.

We have had quite a few cats dumped here, some in very bad shape. Unfortunately, with everything we have put into our herd we just can’t risk toxoplasmosis  So anything that shows up doesn’t stay around for long. 

We have one cat, and she is amazing as far as cats go. Our vet rescued her out of a coon trap on his property. First cat in many years that wasn’t feral. She fit in since day one! She was extremely skinny and wormy when we got her, so we got her cleaned up & then our vet went ahead and spayed her. She’s indoor/outdoor. Goes to the door to be let out to do her business. She never bothered the hens or chicks but will get an occasional squirrel. Catches any mice she finds and drops them on the porch 
She now sleeps inside at night, after she got attacked by a possum right outside my window a few years ago. She is short haired and has become very spoiled… sleeps under the electric blanket


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 15, 2018)

@Goat Whisperer We actually have a litter box in the barn! Silly to some but it keeps them from going just anywhere. All have been contained to a crate for a short time to help them learn that this is their home and that helps with the litter box training. Yes, it has to be cleaned (there are three) but it's better than any of the alternatives.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 22, 2018)

I’ve started a calving journal under the Cattle section if you’d like to follow along there. First four are due the first full week of Feb. 

Diamond still has us in suspense and daily updates are posted on the kiddings thread. 

Otherwise, it’s crazy sloppy here where the snow melted. I’ve come closer to falling from sliding in the mud than I did when we got the ice! The mud is seriously 2 inches deep in the yard and the gravel in our driveway is hidden in mush! 

DH put out round bales yesterday. Elsa (one of the cows) snuck out the gate while he was driving the tractor through. She’s a rotten show girl and was convinced to go back in with a bucket of feed but not before Dolly joined the chaos since we had to have the gate open to let Elsa back in. Never a dull moment! 

DS had a Fishing Birthday Party yesterday. His actual birthday is 1/31 and he will be 4 but yesterday was the only weekend day this month that I was off and so was DH’s Dad. The kids had a blast! My dad is supposed to be emailing me pics (we call him the PAPArazzi!) and I’ll share some when I get them.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 22, 2018)

Sounds like my kind of Party!!....


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 1, 2018)

Sorry that I still haven’t gotten fishing party pics posted. I’ll work on it. DS turned 4 on 1/30 and we celebrated by dinner with grandparents at Cracker Barrel. 

Mother Nature is being a hormonal mess this winter! It was upper 40s when I put DD1 on this bus this morning and it started snowing before she got off the bus. I could tell we had gotten a decent dusting before dark. Never know how long it’ll keep it up or when it will melt. The weather predictors seem to be playing some type of guessing game with toddlers! 



 

My hens seem to be just as hormonal! Some days I get 6-10 eggs and some days I get 2 eggs. Of course one of the hens still eats two eggs every day. I can’t wait to figure out which one she is! 

We rehomed our Standard Poodle, Jett, a couple weeks ago. He is actually Heidi’s neighbor now. It was just right and I couldn’t give him what he needed. I get updates of him being completely spoiled. 

That puts a down to 5 dogs. We’ve found that gives us a chance to pay more attention to the dogs we have and there is a lot less competition amongst them. The calmer dynamics are much better. 

I’ve introduced Faith and y’all know Queenie. That leaves Lana, Cowboy, and Jewel. I can’t believe I introduced the cats before the rest of the dogs! (I could easily be the crazy dog lady instead of the crazy cat lady!)

Lana is an almost 8 yr old English Shepherd. We bought her as a companion for our first Pyr LGD off a recommendation of our vet that it was probably his all-time favorite breed. It took me some time to locate one and we went to see the litter. Fortunately we could drive instead of flying one in. There were 11 pups and she picked DH. She’s still his dog to this day. I did some evaluations on all the pups and she and a male passed my eval but DH wanted her so home she came. 

Lana was the cutest pup and has been mistaken as a Border Collie by people her whole life. She’s our Houdini. DH jokes that it would take a concrete cube to contain her. As an 8 wk old  pup, she climbed OVER a hog panel to avoid being in a pen. That started her bond with Logan (my first Pyr and heart dog!) 

Lana has a mind of her own and though she obeys commands, she HATES to be brushed. Of course, cockle burrs are a big problem here and she sheds so we have our tiffs every year to keep her coat in order. 

No one will mess with one of my human kids. She has been known to get between them and whomever is here to make sure they are properly protected. 

Lana got super depressed when we had to euthanize Logan. She never bonded to Cooper in the same manner. In fact, we didn’t even know she was scared of loud noises and storms until Logan died and she went nuts on the porch. She now comes in the house whenever there’s a storm, fireworks, or someone shooting guns. 

Lana has a high prey drive and isn’t afraid to take out rodents, rabbits, etc. She’s been known to off stray cats that wander up but completely tolerates anything introduced to her by me as “mine.” Anything that goes through that process becomes part of HER farm and goes under her protective wing. 

Lana is fast! We once clocked her running 40mph through the pasture to beat us up the driveway. She can run, jump and turn sideways through a cattle gate, and land on the other side at a dead run without missing a beat! The vet has also described her as the most muscular dog she had ever laid hands on. (More than one vet in the practice we use.) 

Laying by Cooper in his confinement last winter. (Jan 2017)


 
This winter in the snow.


 
These are the only pics of her on my cell phone at the moment. I’ll add more if I ever get on my computer...I’ll also introduce Cowboy and Jewel in another post.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 1, 2018)

Oh and I’m slowly making my way through everyone’s journals. I’m working on @Latestarter journal now. He hasn’t made it to TX yet...


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## Mike CHS (Feb 2, 2018)

Very nice story about some very nice parts of your family. I would have guessed there was some (or a lot) of Border Collie also.


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## Hens and Roos (Feb 2, 2018)

I would have thought she was a Border collie if you had said what she was.  Amazing how quick they are-even with 3 legs our Aussie can still move out!


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## Bruce (Feb 2, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Oh and I’m slowly making my way through everyone’s journals. I’m working on @Latestarter journal now. He hasn’t made it to TX yet...


You have a long road ahead!


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## Latestarter (Feb 2, 2018)

Sheesh... what are you implying? That I'm "loose" with my font?  I'd have said verbose, but that doesn't really work in print...


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## Bruce (Feb 2, 2018)

Heck no, we've hijacked this thread to Mars and back! Plenty to read since you left CO.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 2, 2018)




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## Southern by choice (Feb 2, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Sheesh... what are you implying? That I'm "loose" with my font?  I'd have said verbose, but that doesn't really work in print...


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 2, 2018)

I’m on pg 80 of 398...I’ll at least have the whole story when I get through it!


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 3, 2018)

Well, one thing for sure....you'll surely find out just how crazy the "Herd" is and can be....but, we sure believe in having Fun as we banter....


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## Mike CHS (Feb 3, 2018)

I could give a short version, something like:

We bought it,  it wasn't worth messing with but we did fix it anyway. 
Didn't have fence but did have tons of trash, scrub trees and junk, cleaned it up and put up fence.
Bought 10 ewes ready to lamb to learn on last year -  they are all lambing starting today.


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## Bruce (Feb 3, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I’m on pg 80 of 398...I’ll at least have the whole story when I get through it!


That can be useful, especially if you get in a thread with major health issues (people or animals). Don't have to "hang" waiting for the (hopefully good) end of the story.

But of course this is an active thread and you won't get the whole story because every day may bring another "chapter".


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 3, 2018)

@Mike CHS is that so I can just start following your journal now without reading it from start to finish??

@CntryBoy777 I’m enjoying all of the discussion and humor. The main group is close and kindhearted. I can tell that y’all enjoy giving each other a time but would help each other in a heartbeat. I like that. My sense of humor is often misconstrued so I have to be careful what I say and do. I’m hoping I don’t offend anyone on here.

@Bruce I’ve learned quite a bit actually. I have also learned who has specialized in different areas and who can relate to xyz experience. I have a whole host of resources at my fingertips now and I’m just hoping that I can be a helpful and useful in the future! 

@greybeard and I have an ongoing discussion over on my calving thread about changes in cattle over the years. It’s neat because he’s more along the lines of my grandpa’s tastes and opinion on cattle but we can have enjoy and respect each other’s views. I’d like for him to come see my herd sometime. I think the variety would shock him and the fact that I may like them blocky and hairy but they HAVE to be sound!

@Southern by choice and @Goat Whisperer have helped me learn so much about Nigerians and milking. We actually have a lot in common with a family member having Spina Bifida and our faith. 

I’m making lasting friendships on here and I love it!! (The above is just a few and addressing recent comments.) I’m building connections with others too but don’t want to try to name them all and forget someone.


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## Mike CHS (Feb 3, 2018)

That was a bad attempt at humor.     Our first almost 3 years at our place was frenzied work during the monthly trips here and our 1st lambing season here was also our first ever so this year is a bit more organized.


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 3, 2018)

Oh my....don't tell me ya actually got caught up in the hoopla of my "History" here.....
I wouldn't be too concerned about offending many here....most have been thru and seen quite a bit....and everyone understands and respects another even if they don't always agree. I found my place in the "Herd" and always try to put a smile on a face or 2. I don't have any extensive knowledge or experience with animals, so I'm certainly no help on that front....I have learned so much by hanging around such a good group and hopefully can continue for a few more years anyway.....


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## Bruce (Feb 3, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> My sense of humor is often misconstrued so I have to be careful what I say and do. I’m hoping I don’t offend anyone on here.


Toss in a  if you aren't sure and everyone will know you are TRYING to be funny 



Wehner Homestead said:


> @Mike CHS is that so I can just start following your journal now without reading it from start to finish??


Oh I surely wouldn't do that!! Mike has a very interesting journal. Lots of "chapters": sheep, rocks, garden, rocks, LGD (two starts), rocks, fencing, rocks. And don't miss the bench with a back that converts to a table, 2 for a picnic table.


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## Mike CHS (Feb 3, 2018)

I often found it impossible to avoid talking about the rocks.


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## Bruce (Feb 3, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> I often found it impossible to avoid talking about the rocks.


That is very understandable when you hit a rock nearly every time you dig a hole.


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 3, 2018)

Ok
I just had a big "duhhh" moment
I just realized you contacted me on FB about Moonpie, Molasses, and Tiramasu
I didn't put it together until now


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## Pastor Dave (Feb 3, 2018)

You can't go wrong talking abt fishing or tractors.


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## greybeard (Feb 3, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @greybeard and I have an ongoing discussion over on my calving thread about changes in cattle over the years. It’s neat because he’s more along the lines of my grandpa’s tastes and opinion on cattle but we can have enjoy and respect each other’s views. I’d like for him to come see my herd sometime. I think the variety would shock him and the fact that I may like them blocky and hairy but they HAVE to be sound!


If so, you are relatively (comparatively?) young or your grandpa was years ahead of his time.   My preferred breed...Beefmasters (1/2 Brahma/1/4 milking shorthorn/1/4 hereford) weren't recognized as a separate breed until '54 and I'm pretty sure papa never heard of one. (my grandfather  died at relatively old age in 1960)


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 3, 2018)

OneFineAcre said:


> Ok
> I just had a big "duhhh" moment
> I just realized you contacted me on FB about Moonpie, Molasses, and Tiramasu
> I didn't put it together until now



@OneFineAcre not me! Different person lol. I only ever talked to you about Clarabelle and I think that was on messenger on here. I did message you about our little Doeling though...


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 3, 2018)

greybeard said:


> If so, you are relatively (comparatively?) young or your grandpa was years ahead of his time.   My preferred breed...Beefmasters (1/2 Brahma/1/4 milking shorthorn/1/4 hereford) weren't recognized as a separate breed until '54 and I'm pretty sure papa never heard of one. (my grandfather  died at relatively old age in 1960)




I’ll be honest...my grandfather is in his upper 70s, my dad is in his early 50s, and I’ll be 30 in a few days. You’ll find that my views don’t match many my age. I’ve very conservative. 

Papaw can judge cattle and has been able to judge with the times. He liked a touch of dairy in his to make sure they could feed a big bull calf and they had to raise a calf that could cut it on the table. Icing on the cake was me, one of my sibs, or one of my cousins being able to show them because they fit that quality. He liked them with some sass/spunk. I’ll save those stories for another day. He learned his lesson when I got hurt one time! 

All of my show calves were off the family farm or from one of Papaw’s friends. I paid market price for them. A neighbor had a feed grinder and mixed feed at a formula that Papaw developed and made sure the supplies were available for. I got Reserve Grand Champion at our county fair with one we raised. I also would’ve won with a steer out of my own cow but he went crazy two weeks before fair and wouldn’t let a male touch him. The judge that year was male and couldn’t touch my calf.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 3, 2018)

Yep, there are amazing people here!
Humor, laughter, squabbles, tears, prayers, rejoicing... a whole "other" family of sorts.


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## OneFineAcre (Feb 4, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @OneFineAcre not me! Different person lol. I only ever talked to you about Clarabelle and I think that was on messenger on here. I did message you about our little Doeling though...



Really ?
I have a message from August asking about them on our Farm FB page
Last name Wehner from southern Indiana


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 4, 2018)

OneFineAcre said:


> Really ?
> I have a message from August asking about them on our Farm FB page
> Last name Wehner from southern Indiana



Maybe I’ve forgotten about it?? My memory hasn’t been the same since the youngest and her Spina Bifida upheaval of our lives. I do know that I didn’t have any history of messages between us but who’s to say that I didn’t delete it and forget that too.  Either way, I know to contact you on here or just call you now!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 5, 2018)

It’s below freezing here and we got enough snow last night for a few slick spots. Local schools called a 2 hr delay due to those slick spots. 

Waterfall and creek on our property this morning. Not the best pics due to lighting but you get the idea. 



 

 
We put a reservation down on a polled Nigerian Dwarf buck before Christmas and were just waiting on them to be done using him. He’s now ready to go, we just have to make arrangements to go get him. We also have a reservation on a Doeling due in April and a kid from another breeding due in March. We have an option for a buckling or Doeling on the latter based on what I decide I want at that time. 

We’ve also considered adding Mini Lamanchas or possibly Lamanchas to get more milk so that our efforts to replace DD2’s dairy consumption completely can actually occur. I have a contact on a Mini buckling and have to decide today if I wanted to put a deposit on him. He’s in TN but they are willing to hold him and bring him to a show in KY in May...decisions, decisions!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 5, 2018)

Forgot to post this pic of Ember that shows her true color too...


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## Bruce (Feb 5, 2018)

Very pretty!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 6, 2018)

Nutshell updates: lost a calf , Diamond’s kids are growing, Queenie in snow pic on appropriate threads. 

Got a pic of the feeder pigs for y’all. (Bacon, Ham, and Sausage )




Pile of cats: 


 

Chicks now have adult feathers and have moved to a pen in the barn. (8 are FBCM X, 3 of those are roosters, then 2 are Cream Legbar X, so total 10 juveniles and 7 are hens.) 


 

 

 
Two of the roosters are tall center and left upper corner. The one in the center is already borderline aggressive to any human movement. He’s probably headed to freezer camp. We will retain the rest.


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## Mike CHS (Feb 6, 2018)

I always enjoy your great pictures.


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## Bruce (Feb 6, 2018)

Sorry about the calf


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 7, 2018)

We are on a weather advisory until 1pm. It’s about 12:15. We got 1/4 to 1/2” of ice overnight. School was cancelled for today. Our driveway is like a skating rink.

Maizy had her calf. Check out our Calving thread for details. 

DH went to work for the second half of his shift since he spent the morning tending Maizy. His dad said the main roads are slushy but the back roads are slick. 

Mom and I were supposed to make a trip to Greensburg for me to go to a dr appt with my grandma as she has no medical background and hadn’t seen a dr in almost 20 yrs (first appt was in Jan.)  They started her on BP meds and she thought she could stop when the bottle was empty like an antibiotic.  Needless to say, her kids decided that they wanted me to go and get the scoop and ask appropriate questions so that everyone is on the same page. Either way, my aunt is going with her now and I’ll be doing a conference call to participate from a distance. Making the trip today with three young kids, one of which that can’t tolerate the cold at all, just wasn’t an option. 

Need to start watching our Jewel for her next heat. DH wants to breed her in the future but I’m not convinced yet. I’ll get her introduced one of these days. 

I’m ready for spring. These kids are stir crazy and making me crazy! I’m ready to send them outside. It doesn’t help that my back hurts and I can’t really entertain them though...


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 7, 2018)

@Mike CHS I’m glad you like my pics. I enjoy taking them. My phone stays full because I take so many. Here’s one for you that I took the other day and hadn’t posted yet. 

This is a sunrise here.


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 7, 2018)

Sorry bout your grandma....hope it all gets sorted out without difficulty........I sure hate dealing with ice, it is definitely the worst...imo....it would be tough enough handling the situation when ya was up to par, but with aches and pains, it is no fun at all. Just remember....the clock still ticks and the world still turns, so hang in there and it will come to an end shortly....or at least change anyway.....


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## Bruce (Feb 7, 2018)

I figure if the weather is so bad they have to cancel school, they should cancel all work. After all if it is too dangerous for the kids to be on the road, why should we chance making orphans of them? 

Sounds like your grandma's doctor didn't do much of a job if s/he didn't tell her about the drugs and how to take them. Or maybe grandma has some memory issues? Either way it is great she has a family that will look out for her 



Wehner Homestead said:


> This is a sunrise here.


Red sky in morning, sailor take warning. And yep, you got a big storm.


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## greybeard (Feb 7, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Sounds like your grandma's doctor didn't do much of a job if s/he didn't tell her about the drugs and how to take them



Not unusual at all nowadays. The doc may tell the patient what the medication is for but now, they leave most of the instructions to the mandated printout that comes with the medication and/or for the pharmacist when the patient picks the meds up. Everything but pain relief, and antibiotic type meds now carry a warning like this in the instructions:
_Use this medication regularly to get the most benefit from it. To help you remember, take it at the same time each day. Do not suddenly stop taking this medication without consulting your doctor. Your condition may become worse when the drug is suddenly stopped._
(I did the underline for emphasis. That's directly off my own blood press med paperwork--metoprolol, which I will be on the rest of my life)
 Get grandma on auto refill with her pharmacy and they will call or text to tell her it's time for a refill.
Additionally, pharmacists are required to ask if it's a medication that is new to the patient, and they are to explain how to take it, when and for how long according to what the prescription said.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 7, 2018)

I’d like to add that the bottle had 6 refills on it when my mom questioned her! Good grief! We will do auto refill as soon as her dosage and meds are regulated. I can tell you that she’s going to need some changes made. 

On a side note: I have an uncle that is severely mentally retarded from damage done by the dr (on drugs) at birth with forceps. My uncle has every kind of seizures imaginable but mostly controlled with meds. This same grandma is his round-the-clock caretaker. She’d have quite the fit if someone stopped his meds. JS. I’ve got to get her to realize that her meds/health are just as important.


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## Bruce (Feb 7, 2018)

MORE important since she is his caregiver!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 7, 2018)

I’ve started a recipe thread under the Recipes section. I’ll try to share some frequently and pics as possible.

Up now: Chicken Noodle Soup


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## Mike CHS (Feb 7, 2018)

I'm glad to see that get started.


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## Pastor Dave (Feb 7, 2018)

It's good for Grandma to have a gdaughter as a nurse. All families should! Or at least an EMT or Medic. 
I like the creek and waterfall pic. I am an outdoorsman at heart.
I agree with @Bruce. It is hard on parents when school is called when they still have to work. Really agree with making the kids orphans comment.


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## Bruce (Feb 7, 2018)

I told my daughters they should be massage or physical therapists but they declined.
Purely selfish on my part of course.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 8, 2018)

Update on my grandma: I didn’t get to go to the appt due to ice but my aunt went. Labs looked good, increased blood pressure medicine, ordered more tests. My aunt got her on auto-refill at the local CVS to help with her medication compliance. She also has a home BP cuff and notebook to monitor her BP. 

I made a round through the barn this morning and got this sunrise shot of the almost exact same place as the last one I posted. 



 

I’m very excited about getting POW. I’ve got a screenshot to post in case anyone wants to see it. 


 
I am curious about there being robots online though??

We had a new heifer calf today. Her pics are posted on the Calving thread. I also have a few goat pics to add to the kidding thread. 

It’s supposed to be above freezing most of the weekend. That’ll be a nice break. Everything is muddy and sloppy here. Kids are stir crazy but have enjoyed trips to the barn to see the new additions. 

I had my second physical therapy session for my back today. I have another occupational health dr appt tomorrow. I don’t expect to be released back to work yet. I’m SO ready to be back to my active self.


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## Bruce (Feb 8, 2018)

Guess you are ready for another storm!

Sorry you are ailing.


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## Latestarter (Feb 8, 2018)

The robots are automated programs run by search engines to catalog the site. Since there's always new stuff being added, they have to keep coming back to add the material for web searches. Nothing to be worried about. Congrats on the new calf!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 9, 2018)

Another pretty sunrise this morning! Taken from our deck.


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## greybeard (Feb 9, 2018)

red sky in morning..............


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## greybeard (Feb 9, 2018)

The robots are automated programs run by search engines and "others" to _mine data and personal info_ from the site. Since there's always new _members_ being added, they have to keep coming back to add the new info so they can sell it to the Dark Web, NSA, the Ruskies and ......to better target ads according to what the bots see in  your browsing history.. Nothing to be worried about if you have a good firewall, a good AV, and keep everything updated. Well......not much anyway.


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## Latestarter (Feb 9, 2018)

Also helps to have a browser that you can add a couple of programs to that block all that stuff. I use firefox and 2 addons; adblock plus and noscript. When a site loads up, no scripts will run until I allow them. This (allows me to) blocks all the BS scripts that collect data and spy on you. I generally allow the main site to load and then only those scripts that are necessary for the site to run. If that includes data mining scripts (as a requirement to use the site), I don't use the site. Adblock blocks all the advertising and pop up/under ads Sometimes sites use pop ups as part of the site working and not for ads and in that case I allow that pop up for that site.

I certainly hope by this time, that even the most technically challenged realize that a firewall and (current/up to date) anti virus protection are absolute must haves.


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## Pastor Dave (Feb 9, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I am curious about there being robots online though??



It's just Rosie from The Jetsons


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 11, 2018)

Worked on DD1’s Valentine box for school and she wrote out all of the stickers with her classmates’ names and her name. She’s getting real excited. 

DD1 and DS has their second basketball game of the season yesterday. DD1 made a basket. DS shot twice but missed. He’s getting close though. 

I’ve worked on taxes yesterday and today. I’m about 2/3 done. Farm taxes are no joke! 

DH has worked on dishes, laundry, and put out bales today. He also made supper tonight: ham, macaroni and cheese (a rare and favorite treat around here), Lima beans, and sweet tea. 

For those that are curious about my back, I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say since it was a work injury. I will say that moving an obese patient from one bed to another went bad fast. I’m now seeing an Occupational Health dr, doing physical therapy, and I start working in medical records this week as they have to find me something to do. It’s been labeled as “strained muscles and ligaments” at this time. I wasn’t sleeping good so after seeing the occupational health doc a third time, he encouraged me to try some muscle relaxers at bedtime over the weekend since DH would be around in case. I caved and took them the last two nights. I feel much more rested and have seen a minor decrease in the pain. I’m on a 10# pushing, pulling, lifting restriction with no excessive bending or repetitive motions. (DD2 weighs 25# and requires around the clock care so this is interesting.) 

This week will be crazy busy between all of my appts and schedule changes, DD2’s appts and therapy, Valentines Day, and National Farm Machinery Show is this week. DH has a “guys’ day” every year with his dad, brother, nephew, uncles, and their SILs.They will be at the Show all day and go to the tractor pulls that night. He only does guy stuff twice a year so I don’t complain. (Plus both are with family so I really can’t complain!) DS will get to participate when he’s a bit older. It’s still too long of a day for him. 

Valentines Day- DH gone for guys’ day, Chester (cat) gets neutered, I work 7-4 (my first long day back) and get to do the evening/bedtime routine on my own...(DH and I are in agreement that VDay is just an overpriced, money-making scheme and would rather spend our money on other things. We try to acknowledge and appreciate each other throughout the year instead.)


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 11, 2018)

I meant to add pics of my tax buddies.

Jewel (not technically introduced yet) was inside yesterday so she could exercise while in estrus. Don’t need pups right now so she is in safety mode. 


 
Today, Oscar thought he needed some inside time and ran in as I tried to let Faith out. They startled each other and his tail bushes out. It was comical. He settled in near me in the exact same spot.


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## Bruce (Feb 12, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Jewel (not technically introduced yet) was inside yesterday so she could exercise while in estrus.


Oh yeah, I can see she's getting LOTS of exercise there!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 12, 2018)

She ran around with the kids for awhile then came and napped by me before round two.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 16, 2018)

My back is still a problem. My schedule is more balanced next week so I should get therapy three times. 

Human kids are doing good. We have avoided the flu this far and I’m pray we continue to do so. DD2 continues to improve drastically in her mobility. (More on that later.) 

DH had a good guy’s day at the farm show. DS really wants to go next year. 

I spent an hour on the phone today taking care of ordering DD2’s medical supplies. She has to be catheterized around the clock and they keep sending the size for adult males! She’s 2.5 and 25#!!! After I gave the company an earful, I called our insurance to complain and they sent me a list of other providers so I’ll have to see if we can change companies. (Since I have nothing better to do!) 

Calf and goat kid counts are equal. 3 of each species, of which we have 2 males and 1 female of each species too. Kinda interesting. Updates pics in Calving/Kidding threads. 

We are knee deep in mud with more rain to come, between 3 and 5 inches over two days. Temp went from upper 50s this morning to 30s already. 

Older two kiddos have a basketball ball game in the morning and we have a nieces birthday party tomorrow afternoon, otherwise I’m resting up for another busy week! 

Nala wanted to say, “Hi.” (Goat cat!) 



 

Underage driver! (DD2)


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## Bruce (Feb 16, 2018)

That must be why they require booster seats for children. She'll never be able to see over the dash without one. 

Sounds like you are averaging out OK with the good and the PITA stuff  Maybe next will will be more good, less PITA.


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 16, 2018)

That pic of the driving...reminds me of our youngest daughter when she was 9yr old...I was driving OTR and when she would sit in the truck while I was sleeping on visits....she would put my shoes on...I wear size 12Ds....put on my ball cap, and put the road atlas in her lap, and then sit at the wheel....that was a sight to see.....
Hope the therapy goes well for ya and it sounds like the animals are cooperating and not over doing it on ya, all at one time...
I feel ya on the water and mud, tho I don't have the animals doing as much and not much weight treking on the turf either....but we have been on the southern end of what y'all are gettin, with a bit warmer temps. I was looking on the map and in reality....as the crows flies...aren't very far apart, but no easy way straight thru there to travel. There is still more headed this way according to 7-10day forecast goes....


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## promiseacres (Feb 16, 2018)

What a cutie. Had to laugh we have those pony Jammies at our house too. Hope you get the catheters figured out.


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## Baymule (Feb 17, 2018)

You need to introduce Jewel!  I love Aussies! We lost our blue merle Aussie this summer, Polly, she was my heart, my love, my stuck-to-me-shadow.  Lordy I miss her. All 3 grand daughters pulled up on her, tiny fingers laced in her fur, she was a dog in a million. So let me live vicariously through your beautiful Jewel, post more pictures! 

Your feeder pigs look good, how old are they? We named our first batch Sausage, Bacon and Pork Chop, LOL. Naming them after food seems to help not getting so attached to them. We name ALL male lambs Dinner.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 17, 2018)

Baymule said:


> You need to introduce Jewel!  I love Aussies! We lost our blue merle Aussie this summer, Polly, she was my heart, my love, my stuck-to-me-shadow.  Lordy I miss her. All 3 grand daughters pulled up on her, tiny fingers laced in her fur, she was a dog in a million. So let me live vicariously through your beautiful Jewel, post more pictures!
> 
> Your feeder pigs look good, how old are they? We named our first batch Sausage, Bacon and Pork Chop, LOL. Naming them after food seems to help not getting so attached to them. We name ALL male lambs Dinner.



I’ll work on introducing Jewel. 

The pigs are about four months old and weigh about 125#. They are growing fast though and will probably be done in April.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 17, 2018)

So instead of rain, we are now getting snow!


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 17, 2018)

I know ya will be happy to see a dry stretch....we will rejoice with ya when it does come....


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 17, 2018)

Our Aussie Story: 

A friend was expecting a litter of Australian Shepherds Fall 2016. They weren’t registered or tested, just great family dogs. We had been wanting another farm dog and something we could trust with the kids, take to cattle shows, and basically go everywhere with us. We truly had no preference on color and knowing that black tris are harder to find homes for, we put in our order for a black tri male. They only had one in the litter and though they didn’t normally let people “reserve” them before six weeks because she insists on questioning people but since she knew us, we got to reserve our pick. We were beyond excited until she called two days later to tell us that his mama had laid on him and he didn’t make it. We were devastated. She offered us the pick of another pup but we had our hearts set on a black tri male at that point. We’d looked at so many pics of pups and adults that we knew what our hearts wanted. She did tell me that she knew of someone else that had a litter if I wanted to contact her. I did and it was a blessing! 

I told Sue the story of our little Pup and how upset we were. I also told her about our family and what we wanted the Pup for and what it’s life would be like. She said she had the perfect pup for us. Sue said he wasn’t ready to go home yet but we could come meet him. She does mostly limited AKC registration with parents having complete testing so that full registration can be done if buyers wanted it. 

Anyway, we fell in love with him at first site. He was perfect and exactly what we had in mind. His personality was amazing and he was great with the kids. We agreed that he would be coming home with us when he was old enough. DS named him Cowboy. 
These 2 pics are from the first day we met him. 



 


 
We went back to visit before he was ready to come home...


 


 
Finally, we could bring him home!


 

 

 

When we went to meet Cowboy the first time, Sue had another litter of unrelated pups that she was showing the kids. Come to find out, they were born on DD1 birthday, Oct 8, and DD1 already had her eye on a Pup. I don’t normally pick a Pup that young but she just stood out to us all and both parents were amazing. We decided to take her home too when she was old enough. DD1 named her Jewel. 
This is the day we first saw her (she’s the blue Merle on top): 


 
We also visited her once before we could bring either of them home: 


 
Then we visited Jewel again when we went to bring Cowboy home. Jewel is several weeks longer so we had to wait to get her. 


 
To be cont’d....


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 17, 2018)

Aussie Story Cont’d....

Finally, it was time for Jewel to come home too! They were two peas in a pod!


 
It’s amazing because both dogs immediately attached to the kid that they were matched to. Cowboy tends to be more mine when the kids aren’t around and Jewel tends to be more of DH’s dog. They both love the whole family though and are great with DD2! 


 

 

 

 

 

 
These two are amazing dogs! They learn fast and they are very well behaved. Both want to be with us at all times. Jewel does better when I bring her in the house, as Cowboy tends to get in the trash. Cowboy does better on rides, as Jewel gets car sick. They balance each other out in several ways. Mostly, they just enjoy being with us! 
This is them helping build the milk stand. 


 

 

 

To be cont’d...


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 17, 2018)

Aussie Story Cont’d...

Jewel overseeing the kids giving King (buck) a bath this summer.


 
Some summer pics from when we cleaned out the barn...


 

 

 
Snow dogs! 


 

 
Jewel is currently in heat and they are distraught that we have them separated. Don’t want an oops though. We may eventually breed them but only if we have their genetic tests done. DH is really leaning towards at least one litter and keeping at least one. I’ve tried telling him that if we breed them that I’ll want to keep the whole litter! We do know that we want an Aussie Pup for DD2 in the next few years to be a service and/or therapy dog. If we don’t breed our pair, I’ll definitely return to Sue and get one. 

As a side note: both are red factored so pups could be any of the four Aussie colors: red tri, red Merle, blue Merle, and black tri. Jewel has blue eyes but since Cowboy doesn’t, genetically I don’t believe the pups will. I need to review all of that again.


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 17, 2018)

Great looking dogs and story to match!!...hope the adventure continues as it has started.....


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## Latestarter (Feb 17, 2018)

Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing. They are beautiful dogs!


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## Bruce (Feb 17, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> So instead of rain, we are now getting snow!


Must be 2 of those pictures were taken on a REALLY dark night!


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## Mike CHS (Feb 17, 2018)

Aussie personalities are hard to beat and we love ours but she can be super goofy.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 17, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Must be 2 of those pictures were taken on a REALLY dark night!



Sorry.  I was using the heating pad on my back and asked DH for a pic to show y’all. He thought u wanted to see it better so he took me a video. I took a screenshot for y’all to see. He tried right??


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## Bruce (Feb 17, 2018)

Trying counts


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## Baymule (Feb 17, 2018)

I love your Aussies! They are such awesome dogs. Yours are beautiful. I've had several and each one was special to me. I am glad for you that you got two such wonderful additions to your family.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 18, 2018)

The weather has been decent enough today that we took the kids all out. We did some things with the baby goats (see the kidding thread) and cleaned out a chicken pen. We also put down fresh shavings in all of the nesting boxes. Production is picking up and we are now getting around 9 eggs a day. I also got a couple pics of the growing pigs today. I said they were 125# but after studying today, I’d say they are closer to 175#. 
Bacon




Ham


 
Sausage


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## Baymule (Feb 18, 2018)

Are all 3 pigs for your freezer?


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 18, 2018)

Baymule said:


> Are all 3 pigs for your freezer?



No. One for my freezer and the others are sold. They do better with at least two so we never raise just one. We sell them by # on the hoof, buyer pays processing. Buyers of pigs usually want a 1/2. We don’t do our own processing due to time restraints so we are making a trip to the processor anyway.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 19, 2018)

Synchronized calf bathing tonight...Maddie and Indy-L, Dolly and her bull calf-R (I think Josie in front but wasn’t really paying attention until now...)


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 22, 2018)

I can’t believe that no one noticed the basketball goal in the Cattle pasture!!!


Anyway, it’s a muddy, sloppy mess here. Bleh! I can’t go off of the gravel/concrete of the driveway. DH put out round bales today sans bale rings for all of them so the cows would have somewhere that isn’t muddy to lay. He would’ve been stuck if the tractor wasn’t so big and heavy. It’s also front wheel assist.




A few pics of the chickens. They are in mud any time they go out too. My brother built and gave me this coop and hens when he ran out of time for them. There are actually 6 but I could only get good pics of 4 due to the wires.
BR



SLW


USA Brown 


RIR


The egg eating group...They are RIR that hate the mud/snow/rain. They are currently in a moveable tractor coop with a ramp to the lower pen that’s open to grass/dirt.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 22, 2018)

This is a pic of the Ohio River flooding that was circulating on fb. Peak is supposed to Sun/Mon. 

The line of “fencing” that cuts up from the lower left corner is brick posts and wrought iron fencing between a sidewalk and the the river bank below. The piece that juts out is a viewing point. We had engagement pics taken there. To the right is a grassy area and a sidewalk that runs parallel to the road with diagonal parking on both sides. 

I’ll try to find a comparison pic.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 22, 2018)

Here’s another section of the Ohio from Monday. My dad’s friend posted this pic on fb. The whole area past this first section of trees is normally not a waterway. That’s KY on the other side of the water after the second tree line. 




I couldn’t find those pics that show the elevation of the lookout. Either way, as of noon today the river was 46.5 feet above normal elevation.


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## Bruce (Feb 23, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I can’t believe that no one noticed the basketball goal in the Cattle pasture!!!


I noticed! I figured you were just really good animal keepers and provide them with a means of  entertainment.

The animals will have nice soft skin from their mud treatment, right?

46.5' is a LOT of "over normal". Looks like that closer area is a planned overflow path but I wouldn't want to be one of the people living between that and the river.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 23, 2018)

It’s actually a low area with lots for sale for people to build houses the last I knew. Most of the houses are built on stilts but I can’t imagine why anyone would want to risk flooding on a decently regular basis. 

As to the basketball goal, it’s been there as long as I can remember. I used to visit this farm with my Papaw when one of his friends owned it. The farm was sold once and then DH and I bought it. There’s a UK backboard. We need to remedy that! Lol


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 23, 2018)

I wouldn't think of it being strange to have a basketball goal in a pasture....I've dribbled a ball thru many cow pies and chicken poop....
That is a lot of water there....and will add to the water here as it flows to the Mississippi and then south by us....


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## Latestarter (Feb 23, 2018)

Why would someone put a British backboard up? Is there a difference between theirs and ours?


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## Bruce (Feb 23, 2018)

Dang @Latestarter, you beat me to the joke AGAIN!!!!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 23, 2018)

Haha, you two are SO funny.lol

Anyway, I think it should be black and gold for Purdue!


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## Bruce (Feb 23, 2018)

You can buy paint.  DD1's BF goes to Purdue. He'll be here for a week starting on her BDay- March 9th.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 23, 2018)

Bruce said:


> You can buy paint.  DD1's BF goes to Purdue. He'll be here for a week starting on her BDay- March 9th.



I know. Not high on the priority list and severely faded.   Still a cause for ribbing around our house on occasion with visitors/friends.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 23, 2018)

I pulled an @Bruce! I decided to try a little of this and a little of that! We made a trip to get feed an hour away from a co-op which is our preferred place to get it and we try to get a month’s worth when we go. Anyway, there’s a Rural King there and we always have to go in. There were chicks, ducks, bunnies, and guineas. I was like I want this, no that one, no that one, no this one! DH was like ! Can I just say that they had Khaki Campbell ducks!?!?! So anyway, the kids and I won somewhat...! Lol 

We left with 24 chicks. The guy working wouldn’t even catch them and DD1 that is 6 caught the majority!

All are supposed to be pullets...2 SLW, 2GLW, 2 Cuckoo Marans, 2 Light Brahmas, 4 BO, 4 Ameracaunas (all are different colors now), 6 Isa Browns, 2 BA.  

The kids have each picked out “their kind.”  DD1 picked the BA. DS picked the BO. DD2 picked out the Cuckoo Marans. 

I’m excited about the variety and plan to cross several with my BCM/Sunflower Hen rooster. This should give us some neat barnyard mix for layers and freezer camp for the Roos. I hope to incubate some in the house for the kids to enjoy and let our pet quality Silkies brood some. 

Now I’m acting like @Baymule...I have a broody box ready for them but nowhere to move them when they outgrow it...need to start working on our planned coop system! Lol

Now for the pics so y’all don’t have to ask for them...


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## Latestarter (Feb 23, 2018)

So cute! The kids must have been ecstatic! That's great! In the last picture, what's that huge blackish one in the center? A Mexican vulture chick? It's so much larger than the others. Why no ducks? I thought you wanted some? Lord knows you've got all the wet that they need


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 23, 2018)

I have a Khaki Champbell drake and a muscovy duck left but they can't mate so I need some more ducks. I am really looking for white chinese geese though. I love cuckoo marans. The dark eggs look good. I want some more golden comets. The ones I used to have laid extra jumbo eggs every day. The jumbo egg cartons would not even close.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 23, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> So cute! The kids must have been ecstatic! That's great! In the last picture, what's that huge blackish one in the center? A Mexican vulture chick? It's so much larger than the others. Why no ducks? I thought you wanted some? Lord knows you've got all the wet that they need



No ducks because DH’s comment was “you’ll have to move out before you get ducks!” 
I told him not to say that because he doesn’t know that for sure and we’d just have to wait and see. 

I want to get some eggs to try cooking and to use in some baking. I’d also like to cook a duck then see what he thinks about it. We really have nowhere for them right now and have way too many to-dos. Maybe next year...

The kids are beyond thrilled! They squealed most of the way home and have been brainstorming names. DD1 has picked out Flower and DS has picked out Toodles (from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.) 

The Mexican Vulture Chick  is actually a SLW. Their was a tank of those that had started feathering and were jumping out so their price was marked down to $1/each. If I knew we’d have the room, I would’ve bought all 20 or so! Either way, there’s another in the box from that same tank but it’s not quite so obvious. I’ll try to get pics of them in 2s and 3s tomorrow.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 23, 2018)

MiniSilkys said:


> I have a Khaki Champbell drake and a muscovy duck left but they can't mate so I need some more ducks. I am really looking for white chinese geese though. I love cuckoo marans. The dark eggs look good. I want some more golden comets. The ones I used to have laid extra jumbo eggs every day. The jumbo egg cartons would not even close.



CB and DV both have Khakis and I love seeing their pics of them.  I’d probably have to get more than one variety as the kids will want to be able to tell them apart for our keepers, so we shall see...

As far as the Muscovies, the red skin on their faces is not attractive to me. I’m also not a fan of anything with red eyes.  Maybe it’s just me. 

That’s why I got the Isa Browns! We love their personalities and the large eggs. I just wish they laid longer. I would trade off to get 4-5 eggs a week instead of seven for them to lay for 4 years instead of 2. Going to play with that a little. I may cross a few of the Isas with my rooster. (I have three, same naturally brooded hatch. One is aggressive already and destined for freezer camp. One is black/copper and beautiful. The other is a blue/gray but I can’t decide if I like him or not. We shall see.) 

I’m hoping to try some crossing to get a variety of egg colors too. Just something fun for the kids.


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## Latestarter (Feb 23, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> No ducks because DH’s comment was “you’ll have to move out before you get ducks!”



  Boy... He hasn't figured it out yet huh? BWAHhahaha!


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## Baymule (Feb 23, 2018)

Congrats on the chicks! Haha, you have to get busy now and build that coop!


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 23, 2018)

I've been thinking for ya on this duck issue....and I may have an ang__....uh, mode of operation of aquiring ya a few....here are a couple of selling points.....their favorite food is slugs and snails that are hosts for liverflukes....and other parasites also....the Khaki Campbell is the top duck in controlling these things and will even sift the soil to eat the eggs of them. They will also out lay chickens and will lay to an older age. If they are allowed to forage they require very little in the way of supplemental feed. They are also very entertaining and the KC are certainly not as loud as others if noise is an issue. They are also "Watch Dogs" and will alert to strange things in their environment.....guess that about does it, but they can save ya space, because they don't require a very big footprint for housing......


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 23, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I’m hoping to try some crossing to get a variety of egg colors too. Just something fun for the kids.


If you cross a brown type rooster with an americana, you will get an olive egg.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 24, 2018)

MiniSilkys said:


> If you cross a brown type rooster with an americana, you will get an olive egg.



That’s the plan! I also have two Cream Legbar hens that we are going to cross too! I think it’ll be really fun for the kids. DS’ favorite color is green.


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## Bruce (Feb 24, 2018)

Baymule said:


> Congrats on the chicks! Haha, you have to get busy now and build that coop!


Like RIGHT NOW!!!



Wehner Homestead said:


>


 this picture



Wehner Homestead said:


> No ducks because DH’s comment was “you’ll have to move out before you get ducks!”
> I told him not to say that because he doesn’t know that for sure and we’d just have to wait and see.


Kinda sounds like he is real NOT interested in getting ducks any time soon.



MiniSilkys said:


> If you cross a brown type rooster with an americana, you will get an olive egg.


More than likely that "Americana", which is an Easter Egger not an Ameraucana, will have ONE blue egg gene, not two. It will not necessarily pass it on the it's offspring. SOME, presumably half, will get a blue egg gene, the others will get white or brown depending on the parentage of the EE hen.



Wehner Homestead said:


> That’s the plan! I also have two Cream Legbar hens that we are going to cross too! I think it’ll be really fun for the kids. DS’ favorite color is green.


That is a better bet since the CL is a blue layer, should have 2 blue egg genes. You'll also possibly get crested Olive Eggers. But it can't be just any brown egg breed rooster, needs to be a dark layer like a Black Copper Marans.


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## Bruce (Feb 24, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> I've been thinking for ya on this duck issue....and I may have an ang__....uh, mode of operation of aquiring ya a few....here are a couple of selling points.....their favorite food is slugs and snails that are hosts for liverflukes....and other parasites also....the Khaki Campbell is the top duck in controlling these things and will even sift the soil to eat the eggs of them. They will also out lay chickens and will lay to an older age. If they are allowed to forage they require very little in the way of supplemental feed. They are also very entertaining and the KC are certainly not as loud as others if noise is an issue. They are also "Watch Dogs" and will alert to strange things in their environment.....guess that about does it, but they can save ya space, because they don't require a very big footprint for housing......


You are making quite the argument, er, "angle" there @CntryBoy777. I'd have to build a duck house though.


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 24, 2018)

Bruce said:


> More than likely that "Americana", which is an Easter Egger not an Ameraucana, will have ONE blue egg gene, not two. It will not necessarily pass it on the it's offspring. SOME, presumably half, will get a blue egg gene, the others will get white or brown depending on the parentage of the EE hen.


I had an ameraucana hen that I crossed with a Columbian rooster and the hen now lays a green egg


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 24, 2018)

Bruce said:


> You are making quite the argument, er, "angle" there @CntryBoy777. I'd have to build a duck house though


Just think over sized doghouse....and it also depends on how many ducks. The next one that I do will have a hinged roof for extra easy cleaning.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 24, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Like RIGHT NOW!!!
> 
> 
> this picture
> ...



I have a source for a CL roo that I can cross back on my marans X girls and my cuckoo marans. We are really just playing with it for fun, meat, and eggs. I realize that most hatchery americaunas aren’t true.


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## Baymule (Feb 24, 2018)

I have EE hens that lay blue eggs, some lay green eggs, it is fun to see the colors.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 24, 2018)

Supposed to storm all night here. I don’t normally mind and sleep better during rain and thunderstorms but the kids don’t. DH has to go in to work tonight to work on some lines while they aren’t being used for production. I’ll be keeping the kids all near me for the night! Weather alert radio nearby too.


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## Bruce (Feb 24, 2018)

Baymule said:


> I have EE hens that lay blue eggs, some lay green eggs, it is fun to see the colors.


Me too. Eos lays blue. Persephone and Cassie a medium green though Persephone's are much larger, rarely less than 68g. Penelope lays a darker green, not up to olive though.



CntryBoy777 said:


> Just think over sized doghouse....and it also depends on how many ducks. The next one that I do will have a hinged roof for extra easy cleaning.....


My stepfather built an "oversized" doghouse for 3 dogs many decades ago. It was 4x8 and 5' high at the peak. The dogs wouldn't use it, it got turned into a storage shed. 



Wehner Homestead said:


> I realize that most hatchery americaunas aren’t true.


Oh they are probably "true" Americana/Americauna since there is no such thing, they can't be "wrong"  They are Easter Eggers plain and simple, I obviously like them as I have 4. Got 2 in 2012, lost one to a fox in 2015, replaced her with 3 more  but one died in 2016 - fatty liver disease so I replaced her last year.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 26, 2018)

Lots going on here...I went to a Freedom Session at church on Sat morning while DH took the kids to their b-ball game. The kids had a blast! They don’t keep score and the clock doesn’t stop but they have fun and we can see them improving. Not bad for 4-6 year-olds. 

Anyway, the Freedom Session was really inspiring. Basically, you pray your way through “problems” that occur throughout life. I could literally feel my shoulders relaxing as I handed my worries/struggles/stresses/hurts over to Him. My back was also healed while I was there! I’m me again!!!

DH worked overnight on Sat while lines were shut down and we weathered the storms fine. The kids were edgy and I was up a lot to check on them. DS has developed a cough and clear nasal drainage. I hate it for him. So that was something else I was checking on. 

Sunday morning was church and my dad came and helped make sure we made it there. Service was awesome. Pastor talked about Restoration vs. Healing. Lunch with my parents then home to wake DH. 

Spent the afternoon outside! The kids loved it. They stomped in the creek, threw rocks in the waterfall, played on their swing set, watched the calves run and jump, kicked a ball like soccer, turned out Diamond and her kids, and went on a worm hunt! My kids love hunting worms! Lol We usually keep a bucket of them around for fishing but since it’s still cool, we fed them to the chickens. They were thrilled with their treat! 

DH put out round bales tonight and plans on grading our driveway tomorrow night. There’s ravines in it from all the rain over the last week up to a foot deep. It could definitely damage a vehicle if you weren’t careful. 

Waterfall pics...the last is some of the rock throwing.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 26, 2018)

Chick Update: We’ve has one casualty.  Of course it had to be one of DD1’s BAs. She’s the most aware and gets heartbroken. I have to say that we’ve gotten at least one set of chicks for the last four years and this is our first loss. (We won’t talk about the meat chickens we bought a couple years before that and I know a lot more about them now than I did back then.)

These pics were taken prior to the chick departing. I’m also having trouble figuring out the fourth Americauna vs the GLW. I’m wondering if I didn’t end up with three GLW. ..it wouldn’t really matter. It is difficult to distinguish much about them under the red light though and with 24 (now 23) they are always moving and hard to track.

SLW (@Latestarter heres your Mexican Vulture chick)



BA (one of these has departed)



Light Brahma (got a wing shot to make sure I knew which was which down the road)


 


Cuckoo Marans



Ameracaunas
 (the three I can tell for sure)


 


BO (there are really 4 in my hand...one’s hiding in the back)



Cont’d on next post due to pic count.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 26, 2018)

Chick Update Cont’d...
Isa Browns (3 each pic...I worked really hard at making sure I got different ones for each pic! Lol) 


 


 
Now the chicks I’m not sure about...the first pic was the two I grabbed to take a pic of when I was checking GLW off my list, then I went to do the Ameracaunas and was like . Anyone have an opinion?


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## Latestarter (Feb 27, 2018)

So glad that you're "at peace" and healed. I'm sure you're thrilled to have your regular back, back again. So nice to have running water on your property.


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## Mike CHS (Feb 27, 2018)

Pretty waterfall.  I bet that is a nice view when everything is greened out.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 27, 2018)

It’s busy here! I’m fighting a migraine and went to the chiro today on top of working in medical records and physical therapy. Got home to a chick that was getting walked on. Moved her under the heat lamp and started googling. Picked her back up again and found an impacted crop. Of course it’s a tiny one and one of the GLW/Ameracauna? chicks. She’s now on my lap on a heating pad with a hand towel to keep her from getting too hot and a washcloth over her to keep her from chilling. (@Bruce it’s as similar as I could get to your warming caves in a quick minute) I’m using a syringe to put tiny drips of sugar water on the top of her beak. She’s perking up and starting to open her eyes. Looks like I’m in for a long night of checking on her. I’m also massaging her crop. It’s really hard like a rock.  Poor baby!


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## Bruce (Feb 27, 2018)

Impacted crop on a chick that young? Wow, never heard of such a thing. Hope she pulls through. And sorry about DD1's BA  Hard to lose one no matter how old you are.




Wehner Homestead said:


> Waterfall pics


That waterfall is on your property?? COOL!!!!



Wehner Homestead said:


> then I went to do the Ameracaunas and was like . Anyone have an opinion?


Easter Eggers will have green legs, those look yellow. I've never had a GLW so I can't say "looks (or doesn't) like one to me".


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 27, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Impacted crop on a chick that young? Wow, never heard of such a thing. Hope she pulls through. And sorry about DD1's BA  Hard to lose one no matter how old you are.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



From my research, I think the pine shavings are finer than what we normally use. I didn’t inspect the BA that passed this closely so no idea if it was the same thing. This one is now opening its eyes, drinking more greedily, and making small noises now. I’ll at least keep trying for now. If I think she’s suffering, I won’t let her live like that. It would just make it harder on the kids anyway. 

The waterfall is on our property. We love it! 

I’ll have to check the legs on the other three! I have no clue! I’m sure it’ll be fine either way.


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## Baymule (Feb 27, 2018)

I hope the chick pulls through and gets better. I love the waterfall!


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 28, 2018)

For an impacted crop mineral oil or another like it works wonders. Drop the oil down throat, massage until good and soft, more oil if needed. If it is too impacted you can then take and work it up back through the mouth. Don't worry about them not being able to breathe, they still can. Saved my Silver Ameracauna that way and some others.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 28, 2018)

She’s just SO tiny and she’s getting weak again.


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## Mike CHS (Feb 28, 2018)

I am no help on this but I hope it works out.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 28, 2018)

She died while I was leaving for work. I find comfort in the fact that she isn’t suffering anymore but I really don’t want to tell the kids tonight!


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## Baymule (Feb 28, 2018)

It sucks, but that's farm life. Your kids will be upset, but maybe you can take them to the feed store for another chick? It probably won't be the same breed, but let them pick it out, it may help.


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 28, 2018)

Sorry that ya lost the little one....
It is a teaching moment and can be a positive learning experience for the children.


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## Latestarter (Feb 28, 2018)

Sorry... you tried. Sometimes here's just nothing to be done.


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## BoboFarm (Feb 28, 2018)

So sorry to hear about the chick. Those guys can be so hard to save once something like an impacted crop hits them


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 28, 2018)

We told the kids. They took it okay. There are 22 other chicks so we won’t be replacing them at this time. I don’t want to take a chance of introducing an illness from another farm store that may have gotten their shipment from another location. 

The worst part about the kids is that they bring up animals that died 3 years ago and we have to talk about what happened to them and Heaven. The discussion also involves their mommies missing them, the kids missing them, and sometimes tears. 

In a way they are used to death. It’s a farm. We have lots of animals so end up with several deaths each year and send animals to freezer camp too. I think the kids are just trying to make sense of it all. 

We’ve let them help bury pets that have passed and they help us care for anything that’s safe for them to be around. 

I’m still sad. We prayed for her and I always wish I could do more. 

Anyway, @Bruce I think the 3 Ameracauna chicks (that I can identify) have green tinted legs. It’s hard to tell due to the heat lamp light and the garage lighting but it’s definitely not yellow like my BO chicks. 

One of the Ameracaunas appears to have muffs! I’m assuming that means that she will as an adult?? @Bruce any insight here??


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## MiniSilkys (Feb 28, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> One of the Ameracaunas appears to have muffs! I’m assuming that means that she will as an adult?? @Bruce any insight here


Mine did, if that helps. But be sure to dust their beard and muffs b/c lice love to lay eggs there.


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## Bruce (Mar 1, 2018)

If they were true Ameraucana, they would have muffs and beards. It is a requirement of the breed.
EEs usually have muffs and beards and yes if they have muffs as chicks they will as adults.


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## MiniSilkys (Mar 1, 2018)

I want to get a true arucana but only a few hatcheries sell them. They are what amerucaunas are breed from. They look like little turtles without their tail feathers.


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## Bruce (Mar 1, 2018)

NO hatchery sells APA Araucana. You need to find a private breeder.
APA Ameraucanas were *NOT* bred from APA Araucana. The two were separately developed in the 1970's from birds called Araucana and/or Easter Eggers. They were a mutt bird with origins in Chilean birds brought to the USA and cross bred with many existing chicken breeds. 

"Araucanas have a most interesting and controversial history, having originated in a remote area of Chile ruled by fierce Araucana Indians who resisted European domination until the 1880’s. The distinctive traits of blue egg, tufts and rumplessness originally were found in two distinct breeds from this region. The first breed, named “Collonocas”, laid blue eggs and was rumpless. The second breed, called “Quetros”, had unusual tufts, but was tailed and laid brown eggs."
http://www.araucana.net/history/


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## MiniSilkys (Mar 1, 2018)

They are sold by mypetchicken.com which may not exactly be considered a hatchery but they sell many mail order chicks. They are also sold by Awesome Araucana Chicken Hatchery, which is a hatcery that specializes in Araucanas.


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## MiniSilkys (Mar 1, 2018)

Speaking of chicken breeds, if anyone is interested in buying crested polish chicks make sure you have them in a pen with netting over it unless you are outside with them when they are out. Lost too many of them to hawks because they could not see past their crest. But they are so cute.


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## Bruce (Mar 2, 2018)

MiniSilkys said:


> They are sold by mypetchicken.com which may not exactly be considered a hatchery but they sell many mail order chicks. They are also sold by Awesome Araucana Chicken Hatchery, which is a hatcery that specializes in Araucanas.


I don't find Araucanas when I search on MPC and right, they aren't a hatchery but a "supplier". 

AACH looks like what I would call a private breeder. I don't know that there is a concrete definition of that term but *I* would say someone that has a few APA breeds and sells maybe a few hundred chicks a year max.

Sorry you've lost birds to hawks. Hawks also kill birds that can see well but I imagine being under an "umbrella" makes it quite a bit harder to know when there is danger.


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## MiniSilkys (Mar 2, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Sorry you've lost birds to hawks. Hawks also kill birds that can see well but I imagine being under an "umbrella" makes it quite a bit harder to know when there is danger.


Yeah, it does. Everyone else ran to the shed but she was still looking around to see what every one was running from. She was my favorite hen. I have lost many to raccoons too.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 2, 2018)

Yesterday was awesome! Two new baby calves that came without a hitch, dry, up nursing, and moving around. Pics on the Calving thread. 

Today has been bittersweet. Our beloved Lana has become increasingly concerning around visitors. Nipping has become a problem. She’d stuck to men (not good either) but nipped the lady that has her daughter at the house frequently to work with the 4-H calves that are boarded. For us that was the final straw. We thought it was a fear of men with loud, booming voices but now that it has been a woman too, we felt like she couldn’t be trusted at all. We wanted to remember her as the amazing dog that she was instead of a horrible situation playing a part. I took her to the vet to be euthanized today. She will be buried in the cattle pasture, on the hillside, right next to her buddy, Logan, our first Pyr. 

The neat part of today is that we are on our way home with a polled Nigerian Dwarf buck! He’s proven and his daughters have great confirmation. The first ones will freshen in the next month. I’m excited to see pics of their udders. He should bring some dairy look to a few of our girls. I’ll try to get and post some pics of him tomorrow.


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## Baymule (Mar 2, 2018)

What a wrenching decision to be made. It had to be hard, but you just can't tolerate a dog that could go past nipping and bite somebody. You might have saved some innocent person from getting mauled or severely bitten. You stepped up and did the responsible thing. Not a popular thing, but what had to be done. Big hugs to you and your family. 

Congrats on the new buck. I hope he improves the milking ability of your flock.


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## greybeard (Mar 3, 2018)

Never good to have to put a pet down, but sometimes, it's the best and only route.

Nippers are hard to deal with..usually run along the ground snappin and yappin like one of those little miniatures you might see perched on some large person's bosom in Walmart, yapping up a storm for the sole purpose of feeling it's butt hole clinch But I digress... Brother-in-law had  a little fiest dog/rat terrier for years that would ambush anyone that came to the steps, darting out from under the porch like some demonic 4 legged spotted  mosquito, barking and dancing around with bared teeth and generally making a nuisance of himself and would nip at their heels if sister or her husband didn't say a few words of wisdom to the semi-savagurous beast. One Thanksgiving Day we all arrived at sister's house and as my oldest sister started up the steps in her holiday finest, Roscoe pushed the envelope and took a little chunk out of her ankle. Oldest sister survived the incident after some first aid from her younger sister tho it did require a trip to the doctor a few days later when the wound became infected. Roscoe did not see Thanksgiving Day sunset and in fact, became Underground Dog even before dessert was served.


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 3, 2018)

sorry to hear


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## Latestarter (Mar 3, 2018)

Sorry to hear about Lana. Hope all you remember is the good things about her.


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 3, 2018)

.....it certainly isn't an easy decision to make, but it is best to end their suffering and to keep others safe....I've done it too many times and never is easy.


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## MiniSilkys (Mar 3, 2018)

I am sorry to hear you had to lose your dog. Making that kind of decision is extremely hard but you also had to think of your own children as well. Plus you could have been sued if she did bite someone.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 3, 2018)

We are adjusting to Lana being gone but it’s definitely like a piece of the farm is missing. The kids have asked about another dog but DH and I aren’t in that mindset yet. We do plan to add another LGD sometime this year but will need to embrace a farm dog soon or transition one of the Aussies to more of a farm dog that stays loose 24/7. 

We are all worn out from our trip last night. I can usually entertain our kids while it’s light out but struggle in the dark. We had a vehicle with a DVD player that was only used on long trips and was nice on those occasions...fast forward to yesterday and we used an adapter to plug in our laptop in the cigarette lighter and the console as a table for the laptop and the kids watched The Santa Claus! It worked out very well! 



 

The promised pic of our new buck, Knight. (The spelling has been changed to go with King.) He’s looking a little rough as he loses his winter fur. I’ll be sure to get a better pic when he gets clipped this spring. Knight is a polled dark buckskin. 


 

We’ve worked on a few outside projects today and the kids loved being outside! 

The hens have increased their production and we have enough to sell to a few of our regulars again. The new 22 chicks seem to be fine. I’ve found no sign of issues and all are growing well. 

My parents have a large house and are looking to downsize. This has led to various pieces of furniture making their way to our house, including a complete bedroom suit. We played musical furniture part of the day today. Chester and Oscar enjoyed the doors being open so they could come and go as they please. 

Chester thinking about getting on the table. 


 

Creek pics! Jewel between DD1 and I. 


 
Cowboy trying to figure out how to get to me without getting soaked...


2 kids and their Aussies on the farm! 


 

*updated pics on Calving, kidding, and LGD thread


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## Bruce (Mar 4, 2018)

Your Chester looks like the Chester that lives across the road from us.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 12, 2018)

We upgraded our temporary kidding pen some over the weekend as we will use it wean Diamond’s bucklings before Snowflake needs it. When it gets closer to delivery of the next round, we will move the two bucklings across the aisle.

Chester-L, Sophie-R while we were discussing the kissing pen upgrade. That pallet is leaning against a huge stainless stick tank that has the Nov chicks in it temporarily. 


 

DH wanted to try wrapping some dry round bales as he likes that there’s less waste and they keep better for longer. This was a trial because the black breathes BUT it would get really hot if it was solid black. He wraps the haylage in the white so that it will ferment. His best friend gets his hat from us a bale at a time (only has two cows that came from us) so DH got one ready when he put out bales so he’d just have to set it in the truck bed. I thought y’all would like to see one of our zebra bales.


 

The hens are starting to pick up their laying! The largest egg is from an Isa Brown. That group started laying about April 2017. The eggs this big are too large for the eggs cartons so we keep them all. I will say that they seem to be a bit more brittle than the other eggs. The next largest egg is one of the “pink” eggs from the BR, I believe. (There is a Wyandotte in that pen though and I’ve yet to be able to differentiate their eggs for sure.) The next egg and the darkest is from my BCM. It isn’t as dark as I believe that it’s supposed to be but I have no proof that she’s purebred. Finally, a Silkie egg. My Silkies are not show quality and have been crossed with some production breed. (Combs varied, no feathers on legs, similar in size to BCM, lay about five eggs each a week.) 


 

DH paid someone to trim some dead branches out of an oak tree. The kids enjoyed watching him as he actually climbed into the tree and used a harness with ropes and a chainsaw that was tied to his harness to do the trimming. He cut a branch and screams were heard. They found three baby squirrels that hadn’t opened their eyes yet. Of course I couldn’t just let them die so I grabbed my heating pad, a towel, and a wash pan and proceeded to keep them warm.

I’m trying to find out who knew how to care for them, I found out that it was illegal for me to. I did find someone to rehab them but the mom was going NUTS (literally!) I searched and found the nest in the limbs on the ground. The guys thought it had been splintered apart. We moved it to the base of the tree and surrounded it with heavy limbs and branches to keep the dogs back. I reluctantly put the babies in the nest and when we checked, the mama had moved them back into the tree. 

I’m just glad that they didn’t have to die because I couldn’t help them. (I wouldn’t want them as pets and would’ve only kept them long enough to release.) The kids were sad because they wanted to keep them but glad that their mama took them back.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 12, 2018)

I also forgot to add that I was released from my back injury to return to work on Friday. I’m no longer in pain but my strength and stamina leave much to be desired. I have lots of exercises to do on my own to try to aid in my recovery.


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## Latestarter (Mar 12, 2018)

I'm betting you're glad to be "free and clear" of the back issue as well... Even if it does mean back to work. Glad the pain is gone.


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## Baymule (Mar 12, 2018)

I bottle raised a squirrel one time. One thing I can tell you.....never keep a squirrel as a house pet! LOL Glad the momma took them back!

I am happy for you that you can go back to work again. It may take some time to get back into the swing of things, just be careful and don't overdo it.


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## Bruce (Mar 13, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Chester-L, Sophie-R while we were discussing the kissing pen upgrade


I think they should be facing each other given the topic at hand


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 13, 2018)

Bruce said:


> I think they should be facing each other given the topic at hand



Looking away like they are ignoring the topic at hand!!


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 13, 2018)

I know it feels Great to be rid of the aching back....tho, going to work doesn't seem like a just reward.....sure hope ya never have to deal with that again. I'm glad the momma took them back for the kids sake, but can't say they would've had the opportunity here....we have an over abundance of them. It seems cats always have to inspect any changes in their areas, I know ours do....and they don't wait for ya to finish doing it, they even have to checkout the tools I use....while I'm using them.....


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## greybeard (Mar 13, 2018)

Tree rats are a plague around here...they gnaw on and chew up everything they can find.
I had to put up hardware cloth on the eves of my shop to keep them out of the feed and from gnawing on wire insulation that runs thru the studs of the unfinished walls. Chewed the nozzle off my deer feeder. Chewed up the plastic housing around the solar powered light down at the pond. 
They eat more creep feed than the calves do. 

I did not for one minute feel sorry for the one squirrel I found drowned after the flood, but did wonder how in the heck can a squirrel drown?...they can climb anything.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 13, 2018)

We don’t have many squirrels here. The dogs keep the population in check. Lana could catch them! The kids enjoy watching them from the windows too. I may also be a bit of a softie...


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## Mike CHS (Mar 13, 2018)

We have walnut trees so the squirrels show up fairly regular.


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## MiniSilkys (Mar 13, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> I know it feels Great to be rid of the aching back....tho, going to work doesn't seem like a just reward.....sure hope ya never have to deal with that again. I'm glad the momma took them back for the kids sake, but can't say they would've had the opportunity here....we have an over abundance of them. It seems cats always have to inspect any changes in their areas, I know ours do....and they don't wait for ya to finish doing it, they even have to checkout the tools I use....while I'm using them.....


I can't do anything without tripping over mine. I have 9 of them not including the orange tubby in the house.


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## MiniSilkys (Mar 13, 2018)

We have rabbits everywhere. I even raised four that I saved from a snake. It had one in its mouth but I killed it quick enough that the baby lived. Raccoons are my problem here. They run off with my chickens or pull my chicks through the cages. They also chew through the plastic containers I keep my feed in. I don't mind the possums. They just clean up what is left behind.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 13, 2018)

@MiniSilkys The opossums, raccoons, skunks, rats, rabbits, and squirrels keep their distance from the barn. Too many dogs to contend with. We’ve seen evidence of all in varying distances from the house to the perimeter but they avoid the barnyard like the plague! 

Our 8 cats mainly stay at the barn. Oscar wanders with us some but they don’t like loud noises so the chainsaw kept them at bay. 

Pic I got of Oscar following me out through the pasture to check Abby Jane on one of our trips. (He stopped to check things out when I stopped at the top of that hill.) 



 
My other two shadows that had to be penned because they were making Abby Jane nervous as they made every trip out with me. 


 
Queenie feasting when I made initial rounds after daylight this morning.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 13, 2018)

I forgot to mention the hormonal Indiana weather! A Carhartt was required on some of my trips outside but others just required a hooded sweatshirt. It was cloudy then the sun was shining and it started snowing while the sun shined. None of that snow accumulated. Fast forward a bit and it’s cloudy, windy, and frigid. A bit longer and it was sunny and then snowed so hard that the kids were making a big deal. No accumulation from that round either but Maddie has some on her back. I tried to get a pic but it didn’t turn out. Got warmer and sun was shining when DD1 got off the bus to get cloudy and windy again. DH just came in from checking on Abby Jane and her bull calf again and said his truck was covered in snow! What a skewed weather day!! 

DD1 is on her first Spring Break officially. She’s fighting allergies and needs the chance to get some extra rest and avoid germs so she doesn’t catch something else.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 16, 2018)

Scarlett came in heat today! That means cattle breeding season will be here before we know it. I started a breeding thread to keep everyone up on the progress as it occurs. 

The chicks are growing! It’s time to updgrade their space. The new chicken area isn’t ready yet so another temporary fix will be required...




 


 
@Latestarter I had to include a pic of the “Mexican vulture chick” for you! Lol


 

I got new shavings in all of the laying boxes today. I need to order an apron for one of the hens. She has almost no feathers from another hen mounting her.


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 16, 2018)

They sure don't stay little for very long....and ducks grow even faster....


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## Latestarter (Mar 16, 2018)

In that first pic, the little vulture seems to be giving you the stink eye...  Can sure see the velociraptor background in them.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 16, 2018)

... I’m not exactly a dinosaur fan...


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## Bruce (Mar 17, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> “Mexican vulture chick”


Is that a Barred Rock?


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## BoboFarm (Mar 17, 2018)

I love the dinosaur stage! I got a barred rock roo as a packing peanut with BO chicks some years ago and he, more than the BOs, looked so much like a dinosaur when he first feathered out. Very much like your little vulture


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 17, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> ... I’m not exactly a dinosaur fan...


I've been and am still putting together a study about dinosaurs and how they are accounted for in The Bible. Something very interesting is the fact that all animal forms are represented in Heaven except for the reptiles....and the dinosaurs all died at the cursing of the serpent in the Garden of Eden.....a little over 6,000 yrs ago.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 17, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Is that a Barred Rock?



That is a Silver Laced Wyandotte.


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## Baymule (Mar 17, 2018)

SLW's hit that adolescent stage where they are UGLY! I bought SLW chicks one time that hit that ugly stage and I thought I had been swindled! LOL I am never ready for chicks either and scramble around to get something done. I have 42 coming in a week or so. 30 meat chicks and 12 Australorps. I have a 3 stack brooder, but plan on raising the Cornish cross chicks in tractors that aren't built yet. LOL LOL Maybe the brooder will give me a little time.


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## Bruce (Mar 18, 2018)

No sense starting those tractors until the CXs arrive Bay. You know how slowly they grow, PLENTY of time!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 21, 2018)

It’s been busy here. We had a farm visit from the Bull King of the Show Cattle World, Matt Lautner. He gave us some breeding pointers and we bought some semen to use based on his recommendations. 

Still waiting on calves and goat kids to arrive. 

Plans are in the final stages for our surprise announcement. Friday will be the big day on the farm but probably won’t be announced until Sat or Sun on BYH so I can get some good pics for y’all. We’ve had to build a pen and order some supplies. The human kids are very well excited!

Mother Nature decided it wasn’t time for spring yet and dumped several inches of snow on us overnight. Several drifts come up to my knee. 

This pic was taken standing on the steps going into the barn. 




Taken from the driveway. You can see my tracks go all the way around the nearest group as I checked them. I then went to check on Reagan across the driveway since she’s wintering with the bull and took this pic.


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## Bruce (Mar 21, 2018)

I can't stand the suspense!!!!


It is a pony isn't it, you got the kids a pony right??


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 21, 2018)

@Bruce the kids would LOVE a pony. We are actually supposed to be getting two kid-safe full size horses...DH is dragging his feet. He calls them hayburners. That is not the surprise. The kids keep bugging him about getting Sugar and Handsome here though.


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## Mike CHS (Mar 21, 2018)

Looking at your pictures reminds me why I don't have a desire to move back to Michigan.


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 21, 2018)

Joyce is from Michigan....I told her very explicitly when we first got together that I wasn't moving up there....she was looking for an escape and we've been together ever sense..........if I have a choice in the matter it is already No.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 23, 2018)

IT’S SURPRISE DAY!!! The kids and I are beyond excited!!!! 

(I had to throw in that last one because I know the suspense is killing some of y’all!)


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## Bruce (Mar 23, 2018)

You are TOO kind


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## Dani4Hedgies (Mar 23, 2018)

I'm late to the party on the Chili talk but I had to add my 2 cents 




greybeard said:


> I can deal with that, as long as the tomatoes are whole, peeled stewed tomatoes and added toward the last 45 minutes of cooking.
> 
> All that other stuff I've seen mentioned, as  haute cuisine as it may be presented, must be a northern or west coast thing.
> My wife spent her teen years in some foreign land called 'the quad cities' and will take a goodly portion of my chili out of the big pot, put it in another pot and add nearly a full BIG can of tomato juice to it. I told her before she just as well just get a couple jars of plain old cheap spaghetti sauce, add some chili powder to it just enough for a slight taste and call that chili. No accounting for taste I suppose.



LOL the Quad Cities aren't a foreign land...giggles or if they are your wife and I have something in common as I was born in the Quads and yep that is how my mother makes chili. Though when I make chili I add beans (3-4 different kinds)beer chili style ground meat(big grind)and all the mentioned spices mentioned here and top it with corn bread sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Then my DH who is from Joplin MO taught me about "Spig Red" which is just the left over chili served over Spig with cut up pickles added.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 23, 2018)

Surprise has arrived safely on the farm. Picture taking has been in progress. I promise the pics and reveal will make it worth the wait!


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## Mike CHS (Mar 23, 2018)

That isn't a fair thing to do.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 23, 2018)

I’m sorry.  You’ll understand later.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 23, 2018)

On a different note, according to our human assessments of our livestock and due dates that were noted, we should have goats kids and beef calves before the weekend is over! 

Moxie and Maxine look to be adding to the cattle herd at any moment! 

Snowflake is obviously going to drop her kids quite soon!


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## Bruce (Mar 24, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> On a different note, according to our human assessments of our livestock and due dates that were noted, we should have goats kids and beef calves before the weekend is over!


 you'll be too busy and forget to let us in on the surprise!!!! Heck it is already almost 10 AM Saturday and NO pictures of the surprise!!!


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 24, 2018)

.........


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## Bruce (Mar 24, 2018)

11:15 AM and NO pictures of the surprise!! I think you are just doing this  in our general directions.


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## Southern by choice (Mar 24, 2018)




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## Latestarter (Mar 24, 2018)

ahhhh sweet anticipation....


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## Bruce (Mar 24, 2018)

12:30 PM and NO pictures of the surprise!! No hints, nothing!
I'm starting to think it is just a come on


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## Bruce (Mar 24, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 24, 2018)

@Bruce I'm sorry! I worked today and it was crazy!!! 

Since the suspense is killing y’all....


Drumroll please! 

I think Snowflake is going to kid tonight. I’m telling you this because I keep running to the barn. 

Anyway, we’ve added TWO Lamancha doelings from @Southern by choice and @Goat Whisperer!!! We are in love!!! 

These two will be the foundation for our Mini program!!

(Registered names pending) CeCe is the Black Doeling and Sparkle is the chamoisee Doeling. They are bottle babies!!

CeCe is a Black Tie x Mariah Doeling. (The one that the LGD boys protected in the aisle of the barn.) 

Sparkle is out of Red x Kenji. Red was the pregnancy toxemia doe that required so much care right before kidding. 

I can’t even begin to explain how excited we are to add these girls to our farm family!! Working with SBC and GW has been awesome too!  

I tried to get pics without the human kids’ faces that I could share with y’all...these are all from yesterday. 

DD2 trying to feed CeCe. 



CeCe 


 
CeCe checking out DD1’s boot! 


 
CeCe-L, Sparkle-R


 
Sparkle following DD1. 



Sparkle and CeCe even played in the sandbox! 






Sparkle! 


 
Playing on the jungle gym! 


 
DD2 kept telling them to “go around” to use the door like she does. I guided CeCe in and it made her day! 


 
Cont’d...I exceeded the pic count...


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 24, 2018)

Surprise Reveal Cont’d...

The baby girls getting situated in their pen. It’s a little cooler in IN than NC and we now have snow and freezing rain again so they’ll have the heat lamp around the clock until it starts to warm up outside.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 24, 2018)

@CntryBoy777 
@Mike CHS @Latestarter


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## Mini Horses (Mar 24, 2018)

Well, CONGRATS!!!   They are lovely girls and will do you proud, I am sure.   Babies are sooooo fun!


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 24, 2018)

Oh my!!....I keep telling @Southern by choice that she is just stretching her fence, but that is quite the stretch all the way to Indiana.....
Congratulations on some really fine girls to begin your program with....I know it feels really good to start with quality animals....


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## Bruce (Mar 24, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @Bruce I'm sorry! I worked today and it was crazy!!!


An EXTREMELY feeble excuse!!!!  

That is so great you got them from SBC and GW! I know you couldn't have gotten them from someone who takes better care of their animals or cares about them more. I still think goats should have ears.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 24, 2018)

1) We were extremely blessed to be able to add these girls to the farm! I can’t sing the goats’ or the breeders’ praises enough. The human kids are beyond ecstatic about bottle babies and bonding with them! 

2) @Bruce in your good natured teasing, I’ll also add that I attempted to log-in once and I couldn’t get BYH to even load. I wanted to check on something else and couldn’t even do that. I’ll interject that before 11 am, I had one patient intubated and another extubated, I helped transfer a very critical patient to a bigger hospital for more diverse care, assisted with a colostomy explosion, corrected a critical lab value, fielded various calls from doctors, pharmacy, lab, families, and dietary. It was bad enough that my boss came into help! That’s a huge deal!  I’m quite worn out since I was trimming Snowflake up at midnight last night.


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## Mike CHS (Mar 24, 2018)

That is awesome and those pictures hold memories those children will have from here to eternity.


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## mysunwolf (Mar 24, 2018)

I think I just saw this somewhere on facebook too, congrats on the lamanchas!!  They are too stinkin cute.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 24, 2018)

@mysunwolf you might have! SBC is slightly excited about the potential the girls have developing our own line of Minis!


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 24, 2018)

In other farm news, it feels like it’s 24 degrees outside according to the weather. I’d say that’s about right! It’s fridgid! 

As mentioned before, we expect Snowflake to kid and Moxie and Maxine to calve. We didn’t expect it to be this cold nor the freezing rain to cause problems this late in March. DH penned the two cow in one side of the barn that he divided with a gate to make two Calving pens that each have a water trough and hay feeder. 

We furthered the barrier for our stock for the night for two reasons: it’s been warm so the drastic changes in temp are hard on everyone and we don’t want to risk losing young or newborn stock. This lead to putting down fresh straw for all but four cows for the night. (The two that will be butchered this summer and the bull and his companion cow. The first two lost their barn access because all of the big doors were closed, decreasing their space to an unacceptable amount if locked in. The bull and cow don’t have an actual shelter but can go in a valley area with less wind and fare well.) In other words, I put down straw in six goat pens, two dog pens, chicken cages/runs/coops, and two large Calving pens. We also gave the pigs a bale of straw to spread in their pen and put down fresh straw in the rest of the lean-to for any cows or calves that wanted to lay down somewhere dry. Cats were hunkered down in the fresh straw beds with various animals. 

Funny moment after work: I stopped to grab some more whole milk for CeCe and Sparkle because I prefer to stay several gallons ahead of them, rather than cutting it close. Anyway, as I was getting in the truck, I paused to lock in the hubs. DH’s truck is a 2004 and was stuck in 4WD at one point and something was running. Anyway, he could pay a bunch of money to have the electric 4WD fixed where the knob inside was in control or have it disconnected and the hubs would have to be locked in. He opted to have to lock them in. No biggie for me as the farm truck was similar growing up. As
I was locking in the second hub before I left, a guy that appeared to be in his late 30s said loudly, “it’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone lock in hubs!” I just replied with “nothin’ like kickin’ it old school” and started my trek home. Thought y’all might get a little kick out of that.


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## Latestarter (Mar 24, 2018)

I so remember the manual locking hubs. The best time for them was once you're already stuck...   Congrats on your new acquisition of Wings & Caprines Lamanchas! They have some really excellent stock. I'm sure you'll be well pleased with them going fwd. I had to kid today, so it's only right that your girls go tonight. Good luck with them all!


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## Baymule (Mar 24, 2018)

Congrats on the 2 new babies! You couldn't deal with better people or have nicer goats!


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## Bruce (Mar 25, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> 2) @Bruce in your good natured teasing, I’ll also add that I attempted to log-in once and I couldn’t get BYH to even load. I wanted to check on something else and couldn’t even do that. I’ll interject that before 11 am, I had one patient intubated and another extubated, I helped transfer a very critical patient to a bigger hospital for more diverse care, assisted with a colostomy explosion, corrected a critical lab value, fielded various calls from doctors, pharmacy, lab, families, and dietary. It was bad enough that my boss came into help! That’s a huge deal!  I’m quite worn out since I was trimming Snowflake up at midnight last night.


Clearly it was a conspiracy against us learning the surprise!!!!

That sure seems like a "more than normal" busy day at work!


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 25, 2018)

Congrats on the new additions!


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## OneFineAcre (Mar 25, 2018)

Congrats on the new girls


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 26, 2018)

@Bruce I’m absolutely weary from the weekend at work! I think I could’ve slept through a tornado last night and that’s not typical for me. 

It’s a little crazy here. We have Diamond who has an udder issue (I’m taking pics and will try to start a thread at some point.) She will be fine though and I’m still milking her.

We went from freezing rain and snow to the start of a muddy mess. It’s only going to get worse though since tomorrow starts four consecutive days of rain per the weather forecast. This sets us back further on getting the chicken barn here and the runs built. I’m so ready to have them situated better. All of the younger ones are outgrowing their current housing and need upgraded. The Thanksgiving chicks are also now starting to lay as DH found two pullet eggs over the weekend and crowing has been happening for about two weeks now. 

We put the two cows that we were expecting to calve this weekend in pens in the barn to protect the calves from the ice but they haven’t released their hostages yet. With the extensive mud in the common areas, we opted just to keep them in for now and that’ll allow the calves to get steady on their feet before having to tromp through the mess to keep up with their dams. This added additional barn chores though as each cow has her own water tub and hay feeder to keep full and their bedding has to be kept fresh. 

We are running out of barn pens! We divided the kidding pen to put Jericho and Jackson in one half and CeCe and Sparkle in the other half. Diamond and Jasmine were moved into a cleaned out dog pen for quarantine and Queenie, Cowboy, and Jewel are all penned together at night for the moment. A new very temporary kidding pen was built by DH while I worked over the weekend. It’ll serve its purpose when Snowflake needs it but isn’t ideal. The bucks are still separated as I’m not ready to introduce them yet and want to do some testing on Knight before I put them together. 

The pig pen is a muddy mess from the odd direction of precipitation lately and we have added several bales of straw and the moisture keeps coming through. (I see a major clean out in the near future.) 

New goat fencing also keeps getting pushed back with the mud. We did take the bottle doelings out for walk-about last night while the weather was favorable when I got home from work. 
Sparkle is immediately behind DD1 in the purple coat. DS is in the navy coat. DH is carrying DD2. Cowboy is the lead dog on the left with Queenie and Faith behind him. Jewel was to my left so outside the frame. CeCe was walking right in front of me.


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## Bruce (Mar 26, 2018)

Goat walk!!! I guess they aren't concerned about the dogs.



Wehner Homestead said:


> The Thanksgiving chicks are also now starting to lay


20ish weeks, nice.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 26, 2018)

@Bruce They were actually hatched the week before T-giving but close enough. 

CeCe and Sparkle have adjusted very well and it’s been great training for the dogs too!


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 26, 2018)

Walk-a-bouts can be really fun and enjoyable....I still miss our goat walks sometimes, but am so thankful that it isn't and everyday chore anymore. I did cut some honeysuckle off the ditch bank today and threw it over the fence to the goats....it wasn't very much and soon after the "Boys" were bleeting at me for more....it wasn't but a taste for them....


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## Bruce (Mar 26, 2018)

Did you drive all the way to NC or did GW and/or SBC meet you half way??


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 26, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Did you drive all the way to NC or did GW and/or SBC meet you half way??



I cannot reveal my secrets at this time...


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## Bruce (Mar 27, 2018)

They didn't make the poor goats walk all that way by themselves I hope!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 27, 2018)

We had a heifer calf arrive from Moxie. Pics on the Calving thread. She’s beyond adorable and has the neatest markings. 

Sparkle and CeCe seem to be adjusting well. We are in a routine with their bottles and are trying to teach them their names and not to jump on us. CeCe loves to chew on my hair when I’m trying to give Sparkle a chance to finish her bottle. CeCe is the more aggressive eater of the two and typically takes in more. 

I noticed that Sparkle was done if her bottle was empty and wouldn’t try eating again if I switched the nipple to the extra bottle and tried to offer her more. We were using 16oz bottles and taking out an extra 8 oz. CeCe would often eat some of the extra and averaged closer to 20 oz. Sparkle was staying closer to 16 oz. I used a 20 oz bottle this afternoon and Sparkle drank the whole thing! Makes me feel so much better. Both are starting to eat some of the pelleted feed we keep out for them and they nibble at their hay.

They enjoyed some play time in the aisle of the barn yesterday. Their antics are quite comical and I can’t wait to get them switched to a larger pen with some room to run and some blocks to jump on and off of!


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## Goat Whisperer (Mar 30, 2018)

I am just getting caught up! Loved all the pics. Congrats on the calf! I saw the pics but didn't have to post. So many babies running around! 

As I was transitioning them to the bottle, CeCe always would eat more than Sparkle. Glad she is increasing. I fill the lambar 2x daily and let them (lamancha kids) eat until full. In the the middle of the day they get a 1 gallon "snack" (7 goats). With CeCe being a single out of a mature doe it would make since that she is eating more. How are they liking that chopped alfalfa? The Nigerians love it. The lamanchas like it but would much prefer "real" alfalfa/orchard hay LOL

For those wanting to know the "other side" of the story, click the link
https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/made-a-trip-to-indiana.37652/

I didn't want to take up @Wehner Homestead 's journal so put it in its own post.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 30, 2018)

Just a quick update: 

I’m scheduled to work this weekend so we tried to get in some Easter fun tonight so the kids colored eggs. We hadn’t done it since DD1 was an only child so it was definitely a new experience for them. It was hard on me to buy eggs to use when I have a surplus! 


 

Sparkle and CeCe continue to grow and amaze us. Sparkle actually ate more than CeCe today but I think it was a fluke. The girls love their exercise time and we will be getting them moved to a bigger pen soon so it’s easier for them to stretch their legs. They got nosy while I was taking pics of Diamond’s boys. CeCe is difficult to get a pic of since she’s solid black. 


 



DD2 was using her “binoculars” to check on the cows!


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 31, 2018)

I’m on call. May have to go into work later and may not. Either way, I’ve been up since 4:15. Made my trip to the barn first to check everyone over. Snowflake and Nellie were content so I’ll wait to check ligs until a little later. Maxine was breathing heavy. Decided to play the Easter bunny since I may end up working tomorrow. Figure it’ll be a fun surprise for the kids since we didn’t mention it last night.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 31, 2018)

Kids were up before we were (I fell back asleep after updating BYH) and didn’t notice until DH had cathed the youngest and told them they needed to check out the dining room table. They were shocked! 

Anyway, nothing too big. A toy each, container of play doh, bubbles, a shovel for the sandbox, a small milk carton box of goldfish snacks, and some eggs with candy to open. They were still very excited and amazed. 

We then decided to get some projects done since I was home and could help. We really got some things marked off of our list, plus the human kids were outside for more than three hours enjoying their animals and the sunshine while they played! 

We started with cleaning out Diamond’s quarantine pen, next to the dogs. Sparkle and CeCe were loose while we worked and got sunshine and exercise too! After it was clean and we had put down some fresh straw and set up all of the necessary feeders, mineral feeders, fresh water, and heat lamp, the pen became the new, larger area for Sparkle and CeCe! They have already made it clear that they like their bigger pen and can get more exercise in it. We still need to work on a new gate for the front but that’s something we can do one evening. 

The new pen before we put the girls in it. 


 
The girls all worn out from their workout! 


 

Our next project was moving the two bucks and two bucklings all together instead of being in three separate pens. We had to take down a divider, wire the barn door shut so that the bucklings couldn’t even attempt to escape, and then we took down a board that had been used by the previous owner to create a barrier instead of using a gate. DH put up a piece of goat panel in that opening and then fashioned a temporary hay feeder from a piece of pig panel that he cut down. (The males’ prior hay feeders allowed them to pull it out and then they just ate it off the ground. I hated that so something different was absolutely necessary!) DH also cute boards (I think 2x8) to length and attached those at the top and bottom of the goat panel to strengthen it in case it would ever be necessary to put a cow in that pen. 

The boys did better than I thought they would. King and Knight both bloodied their heads but nothing horrible. King had small scars before. One is completely broken off and the other is now shorter. Knight is polled but has the giraffe bumps. I think he skinned one on King’s scurs. We let them simmer down a bit while we put hay in the feeder, got fresh water, and put in their mineral feeder then moved the bucklings in. Some minor rearing up and head bumping occurred but the the big boys were obviously more interested in each other than the bucklings. 

All of the boys together. It makes for more space for all of them. 


 
Jackson-front, Jericho-back, after everyone settled down some. (King is sniffing Jackson and wouldn’t stand still enough to not be a blur. He’s the closest to the bucklings above though.)


 
Knight settled in well. 


 

The pen with was Diamond’s kidding pen had been divided for the Lamancha doelings and Diamond’s bucklings and is now a kidding pen again. There is also a kidding pen inside the doe pen so that I have two if we need them. 

We then played musical chickens! I’d wanted to make the most of our space and I finally made some cull decisions. (Scheduled for freezer camp on next Sat.) I had two destructive Isas that thought they were roosters and had worn lots of feathers off of their penmates. I’d put them in another pen hoping that they would get knocked around and not be at the top of the pecking order. No such luck! They just terrified the Isas that I had put them with. I also discovered that those two weren’t laying regularly but I’d already suspected that. The “nice” Isas were moved into the feather damaged pen. I then moved the egg-eating RIRs (8) in with the two crazy Isas since all are headed for freezer camp in a week! 

Some serious cleaning had to be done to the RIR pen where they had busted so many eggs in the nesting boxes that they were wet and saturated!  I finally got a fresh feeder and waterer in place, along with the immaculately cleaned nesting boxes and moved my FBCM (Mia), 3 production silkies, and the 7 pullets that Mia hatched around Thanksgiving. All were thrilled with their newfound space and seemed to settle in without too much issue. 

It was then lunch and naps for the human kids. DD1 picked some daffodils for me from the side of the barn. 


 
Oscar also snuck up to take a nap with her. (I’m sure she didn’t help with him getting to that particular locale at all.) The pink tint is from her curtains.



Continued on next post since I’ve got severa more pics to post.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 31, 2018)

Previous post continued...

Kids were down for naps so time for round 2! 

Bottle time for the girlies...
CeCe 



Sparkle


 

After the girls had full bellies, we started on the tank that we use between the brooder box and moving outside to the coop. We cleaned it out and put in fresh shavings then made a better “lid.” The previous lid had been a piece of goat panel and a piece of plywood. I didn’t like that as it wasn’t very functional so DH used some poultry wire and two posts off some huge skids he got from work and fashioned a foldable cover that didn’t block the light. He did steeple the middle to help hold it in place. We also got the feeders, waterers, and a heat lamp set up so that they could adjust to the temperature difference between the garage and barn. I think they love their new space as they outgrown their brooder. There are 22 that are a variety of breeds. 

This is in the tote I used to carry them from the garage to the barn. The lid has punctures to serve as airholes. 


 
Grouped around the waterer. 


 
After 2nd waterer in place. 


 
Tonight when I was checking on our maternity ward. 


 

We then had a family Easter dinner at my parents and visited DH’s brother’s family to see how their show cattle and first heifer to calve in about a week looked. Whew! Now to bed so I can face another day tomorrow!


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 3, 2018)

Still awaiting arrivals from the maternity ward - 2 does to kid and a cow to calve. 

Weather here is horrible right now. Rain was so bad we couldn’t see the fence at one point. I snapped this image to show y’all when the downpour subsided some. (The first stream before the fence is our driveway. The waterlogged cattle pasture is next with the true creek after it. You can also see the stream of water coming down the hill from the farmer’s grain field beside our farm. 




The sky while DS and I were waiting on DD1 to get off the bus. You can see the stark contrast that a major change was building. 


 
The waterfall before all of the rain late this afternoon. DS and I walked through the cows while DD2 took her nap. We then went to the waterfall for him to throw rocks in. The kids love that! 


 
An interesting rock at the waterfall. 


 
A cave that has become visible in a large rock since we’ve lived here. Used to be able to drive the tractor over this rock. It’s now eroded too much and not wide enough. 



So...this happened today! Easter surprise for kids from DH and I. There are 12. These are straight run from an incubation from a friend that was waiting on their chickens to clear from being combined to breed to the separate roosters. There are at least 3 blue Americans mix, other possibilities would be Mottled or Lavender Orpington or Swedish Flower Hens. I couldn’t pass up free! (I’ll try to get better pics soon so you can see the beautiful colors.) 


 
Pics of bottle time: 
CeCe and her milk face! 


 
Sparkle nibbling on hay after her bottle. (@Goat Whisperer the girls ignore the chopped alfalfa but love alfalfa pellets.)


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## Bruce (Apr 4, 2018)

Have the kid's tried rafting the drive in their plastic snow sleds yet?


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 4, 2018)

No. If they were a bit older and it wasn’t lightning, I’m sure they would though. They like to sled down it in the snow before DH scrapes the snow off.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 6, 2018)

Maxine had her heifer calf this morning! Thinking it’s baby day around here...I think Snowflake is going to release the hostages! Updated pics and info on the kidding thread. Nellie isn’t far behind her...

Took some piggy pics while in their pen feeding them this morning. 


 

 
Had to make a quick necessity run to the local general store yesterday and had to check the maternity ward when I got home. Found this...Cowboy, Jewel, and Minnie (cat.) Pic from inside my vehicle as I was afraid they’d move if I got out before I took the pic and they did! Lol


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## promiseacres (Apr 6, 2018)

Your Aussies are calm when a car drives up?  Our Maizy goes nuts around vehicless. Cute pic though. Piggies look good too.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 6, 2018)

promiseacres said:


> Your Aussies are calm when a car drives up?  Our Maizy goes nuts around vehicless. Cute pic though. Piggies look good too.



Only our vehicles.


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## animalmom (Apr 6, 2018)

Ahem, pictures of the new wee cowette?  Please and thank you.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 6, 2018)

animalmom said:


> Ahem, pictures of the new wee cowette?  Please and thank you.



Beat ya to it! Lol! They are on the Calving thread.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 8, 2018)

Pics and stories of the two litters of triplet goats in less than 18 hrs are now up on the kidding thread. I’ve got some other farm news and pics to post on the journal that I’ll try to work on tonight.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 8, 2018)

It’s been a very busy and tiring weekend here!

We took another creek walk on Friday afternoon. DH and the kids were wanting to see Maxine’s heifer and she was out in the pasture. Gave us a great chance for some exercise and to check everyone over.

Cowboy in the creek. (Oscar is on the rock behind him.)



Chester followed us out there too!



Sophie was afraid she was missing the fun too! (3 of our 8 cats were in the pasture with us! Lol)


 
DD1 loves to play with CeCe and Sparkle. They “knocked” her off her seat in this one. She’s giggling hilariously!



Friday evening chick pic! The kids keep making over them.




CeCe and Sparkle were letting us know that they felt completely neglected yesterday because they only got their bottles and didn’t get all of the usual extra attention, extra lovins, and walkabout. Needless to say, today we made up for it. Lots of hugs and they helped with some small outside projects. No outside pics because they were on the move. These were in the aisle while I was putting in some more hay to the male pen.

CeCe is “queen of the bale” as Queenie supervises!



Sparkle was headed to jump on the bale too!



The calves got a creep feed pen today.



The pigs are right next to the calf creep pen so they were being nosy. They got a bale of straw for bedding and entertainment too.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 16, 2018)

Been busy here. Keeping up with goat kids and growing the chicks. Done with kidding until one in the fall. Still waiting on two cows. Weather here is crazy! It’s blown snow off and on all day! It’s April 16! I tried to capture some pics with no success. The snow hasn’t stuck for evidence. We are under a freeze advisory until 10am. Heat lamps and heated barrels are all functioning and plugged in! 

I’m attaching some picks of the growing chicks. Their crests are cracking me up. DH keeps calling them Mohawks! I’m also interested in seeing their adult colors and genders. I hope to keep one more rooster...

Note: 12 chicks total, straight run, Rooster: Swedish Flower Hen, Hens (possible mother’s Swedish Flower Hens, Mottled Orpington, Americauna (3 eggs hers for sure) 


The wildest ‘hawk of the group. Should be some shade of blue. 




Two mille fleur colored. No crests. 

 
Group pic. 

 
No crest. Appears to be blue and white??


Has some copper?? Legs also aren’t yellow. (Only two chicks of the twelve have this variation.)


Crest. Looks to be getting solid black feathers. 

Appears to be black with random white feathers...


Group.


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## Latestarter (Apr 16, 2018)

Looks like chickens to me!


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## Rammy (Apr 18, 2018)

How cute!


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## goats&moregoats (Apr 18, 2018)

Wow, quite the journey from beginning until now. Just read the whole journal. Awesome family life. Hopefully I can keep up with your journal.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 18, 2018)

goats&moregoats said:


> Wow, quite the journey from beginning until now. Just read the whole journal. Awesome family life. Hopefully I can keep up with your journal.



Thank you! I hope you enjoy following along. I’m sure enjoying yours!


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 18, 2018)

I logged in to 74 alerts this morning. Trying to catch up from not getting on during the latter part of yesterday. 

Had DD2’s Spina Bifida buddy and his family over for dinner last night. They enjoyed visiting and seeing the animals. It’s always nice to talk to someone that gets it. His mom and I rely on each other a lot. (Sorry, no pics that don’t show the kids’ faces.) 

Still waiting on two cows to calve so we can be done for the year. Quick update will go in kidding thread in a few. 

Was going to post the day it happened but wanted to tell her other mom first (Southern.) Sparkle had a small mishap on Monday. I was scooping feed behind the wall to their pen when she started yelling. Queenie began bouncing beside me and I knew that the noise wasn’t Sparkle’s normal voice so I walked around the corner. She had caught her left rear leg in the section of fence panel that had been fashioned into a temporary hay feeder. I lifted her up and out and she just wanted held so I complied. That leg was checked over and manipulated to evaluate for concerns while I was holding her. Once she settled down, I set her down to see if she’d bear weight. She did but you could tell it was tender so I gave her some banamine. Sparkle was checked numerous times the rest of the day and some swelling was noted around her pastern. She also continued to favor it off and on but took her bottle and ate feed. 

Sparkle was jumping around yesterday and only occasionally favored that leg. Very minor swelling of the pastern was noted. I was going to give her another dose of banamine but she was so active that I decided to wait. Today she’s back to herself and I have no concerns. 

The incident completely terrified me though! Sparkle is my cuddly sweetheart and has a very special place in my heart. (I love CeCe too but she’s more pushy and food oriented whereas Sparkle is more laid back and lovey.) It’s a huge relief and answer to prayer that she’s fine and doing so well! 

We got some new “neighbors.” They’d been working on the fence across the road and I mentioned it at some point. Anyway, there’s around 20 Holstein calves over there now. Queenie wasn’t happy about them upsetting her cows! She just sat and watched and scrutinized on the hill between our fence on that road and our cows until she decided that the calves weren’t a threat. She ignores them now. 


 
Chester perched on a lawn chair in the barn.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 18, 2018)

A year ago today, we handed DD2 over for her fourth trip to surgery. What was expected to be a spinal cord detethering was actually a surgery to repair the myelin (the tissue that contains the spinal cord and spinal fluid.) DD2’s had deteriorated and separated. This was in the same area as the defect on her back that she was born with but was not on the actual surgical incision from prior. 

Either way, her neurosurgeon had not encountered this before (he teaches worldwide) and couldn’t find any evidence of it occurring before. Due to this, he couldn’t predict how the surgery would improve the issues we were seeing and she would have a lengthier and more restricted recovery as a precaution. 

In the last year, we’ve seen our little miracle go from living in constant pain to communicating like a champ, walking with only her leg braces, doing pull-ups regularly, catching up to her peers socially, regaining her appetite, gaining more balance, and advancing developmentally. Medically, her urinary issues have improved, she’s had no UTIs, we’ve decreased several of her medication dosages and completely stopped others, and doctor visits aren’t near as frequent. She has also graduated to real tennis shoes like her big brother and big sister! 

DD2 will transition out First Steps when she turns three in June and will start physical therapy at a facility. She will also start regular preschool in the fall. We are expecting a surgery on her right foot sometime in the next year to correct the way that it turns and inhibits her balance, mobility, and is in danger of injury due to the decreased sensation. 

We have continued to grow our dairy goat program to benefit DD2 also. We have new babies and the milk has been such a blessing. DD2 has finally gained some weight and has fewer digestive complications than she had on cow milk. 

DD2 continually entertains us with her comical and caring personality. We have to be careful not to laugh at all of her antics. She has also figured out how to climb by moving furniture and even got on the kitchen island the other day! 

We continue to praise God for the miracle and blessing that she is and believe that He isn’t done with her yet! 

I’ve attached a pic of DD2 standing at the window in her leg braces, watching the cows out the window.


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## Rammy (Apr 18, 2018)

Im playing catch up, too! Reading everyone's posts on here! I'm glad to see your daughter doing so well. Before you know it, she will be a gold medalist in the Olympics!

Rammy


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## Latestarter (Apr 18, 2018)

You've been blessed in so many ways. So happy to hear all the good things happening to/for your little girl!


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 18, 2018)

Thanks y’all! She’s had more than her fair share of battles! That smile and belly laugh make it all worth it though!!


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## CntryBoy777 (Apr 18, 2018)

Sure hope things continue to improve and the progress grows by leaps and bounds....
With all going on here at our place keeps me a bit behind....but, I'm trying to keep from getting too far behind.......gotta work on Gabbie's riding ability, if we gonna be traveling....


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 19, 2018)

Yesterday was an interesting day. Got tired of the mean rooster so he went to refrigerator camp last night. He will be supper tonight.  To be honest, it’s the first time DH and I processed a chicken on our own. I hope I’m faster next time!!! 

Pretty sunset after a quick rain...


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## mysunwolf (Apr 19, 2018)

I love stories of mean roosters becoming chicken dinner


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## Bruce (Apr 19, 2018)

Good weather there tomorrow!

I'm sure you will be faster the next time. The first time for most anything is always slow and careful, don't know what you are doing. I'm sure you learned a bunch this time.


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## Rammy (Apr 19, 2018)

Sounds like a yummy rooster to me. I had a few roosters here that insisted on being the guest if honor at the dinner table. The one out there now seems to have gotten the memo and hasnt gotten himself invited......yet.
Beautuful sunset. All you need now is a cold brew....


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 19, 2018)

He didn’t make it to the table tonight. Something else came up so he’s resting in the fridge until tomorrow. 

Perdy managed to get herself caught in the big doe feeder!  Very upsetting to me and her!!!! I was attempting to retrieve the bottles for CeCe and Sparkle that the wind blew off the feed freezers and behind them this morning when they were empty and heard a baby goat yell. I can’t help but check and I’m SO glad that I do!!! It’s saved Sparkle and maybe now Perdy. 

That feeder is also a section of fence panel on an angle with no ends for hay. We’d tried a mineral block as an extra option and it’s only served as a step into the feeder for Jasmine. I’ve even gotten cute pics of her. Today wasn’t cute!! Perdy’s head and right front leg were outside the panel and in the pen while her left front leg and rest of my her body were still in the feeder itself. She was somewhat supported by some hay but due to the spacing and the back having nothing solid, she couldn’t get her footing on the livestock fence that’s lined with goat panel. Anyway, I worked for a minute and got her freed. She was very weak and unsteady. I didn’t feel any immediate breaks and she was trembling in my arms. Nellie wanted her so I set her down and she moved to nurse but Nell wouldn’t stand. (She’s lowest on the totem pole and having kids didn’t give her any extra drive for self defense.) DH was at work and I had three human kids in the house so I brought Perdy in with me. I put a diaper on her and handed her to DD1 to hold while I got meds for her. I couldn’t find our banamine (maybe I used the rest on a Sparkle??) so I called the vets and arranged for DH to pick up more. I then gave Perdy some nutridrench with a syringe that she absolutely sucked down! At this point, DH was late getting off and said he’d just grab McD on his way home with meds. DD1 held Perdy while I took bottles back out to Sparkle and CeCe (very late for them and they let me know!) Perdy sat on my lap while I ate supper so I could monitor her. I even listened to her lungs. Her breathing sounds “off” to me. I’m not accustomed t listening to goat lungs but I’m very guarded about her survivability in this situation. We took Perdy out after supper and put Nellie on the milk stand and she nursed for what seemed like a REALLY long time. (I’m not sure that Nellie was standing very well for the girls to nurse since she’s a target by Caramel in the doe pen.) We put Nellie and her girls back in their kidding pen so that we can monitor Perdy for intake and recovery and the other two nursing. If we have to keep them separate until weaning we will. Perdy doesn’t seem terribly steady on her feet still and her breathing seems different than her sisters’. I’m not sure what to think. I’m fearful of broken ribs or some type of internal injury. It’s very possible/likely that one of the other does butted Perdy while she was stuck. She has a very rough scrape along the rear portion of her spine and a small puncture in the posterior of her right leg (possibly from a rough piece of hay??) I just don’t know. She’s so small and she’s a goat. There’s only so much that can be done. Even if I took her somewhere, there’s only so much that could be done and it would cost a small fortune for a 5# goat kid that isn’t even two weeks old. It makes me sick! 

DH has already taken down Sparkle and CeCe’s hay feeder. He also removed the mineral “step” to the hay feeder. He’s also pulled up plans for different hay feeders and will be making some with solid sides and backs as soon as possible. 

Needless to say, we didn’t disbud the bucklings tonight. That’ll have to be done tomorrow. Ugh! I’m not looking forward to doing this now. Perdy has me a mess!

Miss Perdy when I went to get Nellie out of the pen to put her on the milkstand. (Her diaper is still visible behind my thumb.)


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## Rammy (Apr 19, 2018)

Poor baby!Hope she will be ok. Can the vet take xrays to see if she is hurt internaly? Goats sure can get themselves into trouble cant they? 
Definitely will be keeping fingers crossed hoping the little darling gets better soon!


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 19, 2018)

Rammy said:


> Poor baby!Hope she will be ok. Can the vet take xrays to see if she is hurt internaly? Goats sure can get themselves into trouble cant they?
> Definitely will be keeping fingers crossed hoping the little darling gets better soon!



Our vet could but they’d just tell me that it’s probably a waste of money since she’s so small they won’t be able to read it well. If she did have internal injuries, we’d probably just end up euthanizing her as the only treatment possibility would be at Purdue 3.5 hrs away. She doesn’t appear to be suffering. If I think that she is, I won’t put her through that. Accidents happen, I just hate them with a passion. The big thing will be if she makes it through the night.

I’ve been home all day and went to the barn several times as is my usual routine. I even made extra trips since I was trying to get the stuck bottles out. (They kept going into that small opening on the rear lower corner where the compressor is when I’d use a stick to move them. They are tok heavy with feed in them for me to move and I needed the bottles to come out between the two because of the way the freezers are sitting.) I don’t think she was stuck terribly long as I would’ve heard her. To the best of my knowledge, I was out there about 1.5 hrs before when I got DD1 off the bus...


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## Latestarter (Apr 19, 2018)

Goats  Some of them seem to have a death wish. They sure can get themselves into predicaments... I sure hope little Purty, Perdy is OK and no serious permanent damage was done.  I know exactly how you feel. The littlest one here somehow got herself all wound up in the lowest two runs of a cattle panel here yesterday and was screaming her head off. Luckily, I was out there at the time with the big girls as they were out grazing. I ran over and got her legs and body untangled and was completely surprised that I found no broken bones. She was gasping in pain but settled down after being held for a bit. I then gave her to her mom, CC, to nurse a bit. She seems OK today.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 19, 2018)

We got what looked like kite string off one of my November pullet’s foot too.  It was starting to tighten down!  She’s fine now. Of course we spotted it while I had CeCe and Sparkle on walkabout. Needless to say, Mom was distracted with catching the pullet and cutting the string off while the girls acquainted themselves with the electric fence!  Poor babies! Not what I had in mind as we’ve been keeping our distance from it thus far. 

Sparkle is definitely mama’s girl though. I ran to the house to get scissors while DH held the pullet and Sparkle raced behind me. When I wouldn’t let her in with me, she ran around the corner to the window (that Queenie had looked in) and leaned on it to see me! She was so excited to see me when I calve back out 5 seconds later that she ran all over the barnyard while lapping back to me as I made my way back to DH and the pullet with each circle.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 19, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Goats  Some of them seem to have a death wish. They sure can get themselves into predicaments... I sure hope little Purty, Perdy is OK and no serious permanent damage was done.  I know exactly how you feel. The littlest one here somehow got herself all wound up in the lowest two runs of a cattle panel here yesterday and was screaming her head off. Luckily, I was out there at the time with the big girls as they were out grazing. I ran over and got her legs and body untangled and was completely surprised that I found no broken bones. She was gasping in pain but settled down after being held for a bit. I then gave her to her mom, CC, to nurse a bit. She seems OK today.



I’m glad CC’s little girl seems okay today. I don’t think I’d ever make it on a ranch. I care too much about every animal and it’s well-being. Seems like you do too!


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## Baymule (Apr 19, 2018)

I got caught up on your journal. That is wonderful for your DD2 that she has so much improvement. I know that makes you happy and grateful that modern medicine could help her. A little divine intervention  helps a whole lot too. 

I enjoyed all the pictures!


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## Latestarter (Apr 20, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I don’t think I’d ever make it on a ranch.



Ummm don't you live on a working farm? I'd say that kinda has it equal to a ranch...


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 20, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Ummm don't you live on a working farm? I'd say that kinda has it equal to a ranch...



Lol! I’m referring to having a 1000 or more head of cattle, etc. My livestock are tame enough to walk through and quite a few can be petted. It’d be hard to have that rapport with that many animals.


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## Hens and Roos (Apr 20, 2018)

Hope all is well this morning!


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## Rammy (Apr 20, 2018)

Geez! Now I want goats because they are so cute! I freak out though, when one of my barn cats barfs up a hairball, so maybe I should think seriously about getting a goat..............


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 20, 2018)

Perdy is great this morning!!! 

Still not sure Nellie is standing for the trip girls to nurse so I’m putting her on the stand with kids... (preventing kicks so no one gets knocked off)


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## Southern by choice (Apr 20, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 20, 2018)

Perdy is in the upper pic with Ella nursing behind her. Beauty looks very similar and was given just a second to nurse, as she’s bigger than the other two.


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## Bruce (Apr 20, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Lol! I’m referring to having a 1000 or more head of cattle, etc. My livestock are tame enough to walk through and quite a few can be petted. It’d be hard to have that rapport with that many animals.


I expect if there were 1,000+ head you would likely not be able to have a personal relationship with all of them.

Glad Perdy is OK!


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 20, 2018)

@Bruce exactly! I know each of them quite well this way!


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 21, 2018)

Weighed Perdy tonight. She’s gained weight well since I weighed her yesterday afternoon! She’s also getting around well. 

We got our first green egg from one of our hens! DS is terribly excited as green is his favorite color!!



 

Today was Day 1 of 3 that I work. It’s been a long time since I’ve done 3 in a row. I may need a couple days to recover after this stretch!


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## Baymule (Apr 21, 2018)

Colored eggs are so much fun! Congrats on the first one!


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## CntryBoy777 (Apr 22, 2018)

That is Neat!!....I wouldn't worry about the work thing...ya have kids and animals...so, ya work Everyday!!....ya are still young and vibrant.....


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## Bruce (Apr 22, 2018)

Looks like a good size first egg


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 22, 2018)

My step count today was 13,885 Steps. Yesterday was 10,778 Steps. A typical day at home is about 7,000 Steps. (Needless to say, my legs are tingling since I’m laying with DD2.) 

Also found out that I’m not really on the schedule tomorrow. After the chaos at work today, I’ll gladly hang with my kids tomorrow. 

Had another green egg today. DS also ate the first one. He’s quite the egg eater and claimed that it was the “best egg ever!” 

@Bruce todays was a bit smaller than yesterday’s.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 22, 2018)

I remember our first egg. I was like a little kid! Seriously, I was so excited I called my DH and couldn't even talk right! 
My kids still remind me of this.


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## RollingAcres (Apr 23, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Perdy is great this morning!!!
> 
> Still not sure Nellie is standing for the trip girls to nurse so I’m putting her on the stand with kids... (preventing kicks so no one gets knocked off)
> View attachment 47158
> View attachment 47159




Very glad to hear that Perdy is a ok!


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## RollingAcres (Apr 23, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> We got our first green egg from one of our hens! DS is terribly excited as green is his favorite color!!



I love green eggs! Martini, my black hen, lays green egg and Sweetheart lays brown. Although Sweetheart hasn't been laying any for a while now. She's lucky that we only have 2 hens, so she gets to stay and be a companion to Martini.


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## Bruce (Apr 23, 2018)

Show her a hatchery catalog and explain that they will send you chickens that will lay eggs


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## RollingAcres (Apr 23, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Show her a hatchery catalog and explain that they will send you chickens that will lay eggs


Haha! It might shock her into laying again. Or maybe show her a picture of a rotisserie chicken


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 23, 2018)




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## Bruce (Apr 23, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Haha! It might shock her into laying again. Or maybe show her a picture of a rotisserie chicken


"Good cop, bad cop" ??


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## RollingAcres (Apr 23, 2018)

Bruce said:


> "Good cop, bad cop" ??


You got it!


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 23, 2018)




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## goats&moregoats (Apr 25, 2018)

So happy Perdy is doing well. Eggs!! Love them. I can't wait to get a few chickens again. All those babies are just adorable.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 25, 2018)

@goats&moregoats Do you have an incubator? If so, I’ll ship you some hatching eggs for the cost of shipping only. I’ll have some soon but need a new bator and none of my hens look to be going broody at the moment...would be barnyard mix. Rooster is Rock-a-Doodle (French Black Copper Maran x Swedish Flower Hen) and he’s in with a Barred Rock, a Silver Laced Wyandotte, two Rhode Island Reds, and two Isa Browns. I usually get 4-5 eggs from that pen every day. The hens will be two years in May.

Still battling lice on the NDs. We used DE on them again tonight. I was going to treat them for the last few days but something else interfered. I had help from the two youngest kiddos. Note to self: have another adult around to help with baths for kids after dusting as mom won’t be clean and makes bathing difficult. (I had lots of help! Queenie is on the step. Knight is getting treated. Stand is in aisle to keep dust out of feed room.) 



 

Does anyone know how often DE should be used? I know that human lice have cycles and didn’t know how often I needed to treat. We did treat bedding too. I also went ahead and treated the LMs and their pen to get a complete treatment in. 

Pigs are growing and almost done. I need to call tomorrow and make a processing appt and verify that I’ve got everything sold that isn’t headed for my freezer. 


 

 

 

We had rubber pans in all the chicken pens to keep them in fresh water all winter when everything kept freezing. DH wants to repurpose them for my goats and take back the cattle feed pans so he can advance his creep feeding more and get them used to eating out of pans. Calves will be sold as broke to tie, lead, and wash this year so he’s anxious to get started. 

The older two kids actually wanted to scrub the rubber pans! Free labor! Lol


 

P.S. There’s a surprise update on the Calving thread...


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## CntryBoy777 (Apr 25, 2018)

Sure can't turn down energy like That ....I tell ya.....
....and some nice looking pigs headed to the table.....
I'm not sure on how often, but I always sprinkle some around when I change the bedding.....trying to keep the flies down and it works against the maggots....and so do the ducks and chickens......I try to change it every 4-6 wks depending on the amount of rain and them stuck in the house for several days, then I'll get it more often.....


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## Latestarter (Apr 26, 2018)

IMHO, DE is NOT going to "solve" your lice problem... It will help knock it down some and "maybe/can" help prevent it from starting, but once they're established, DE is not the answer... on the animals or in their living quarters. The way it works, it must be dry and used in a dry environment. It does nothing when wet. I'm sure you also know that breathing the dust is very bad for folks also, right? Like breathing powdered glass shards... And that if used, it should be food grade DE only...

I would recommend another all natural lice killer: http://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html   I'm not sure but I believe I've also heard that oral Ivermectin will solve the problem as well. But would need to be redone ~10 days later to kill any new hatchlings from any eggs that didn't die.


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## goats&moregoats (Apr 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead, I do not have an incubator, but you are very kind to make and offer like you did. I do believe when I start looking I want young pullets, not chicks. Not even exactly sure when I will do this.

Looks like it was a beautiful day for all to work off some energy. Today is second day of rain here and suppose to be looking at a third day as well. I am ready for the sunshine again.


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## Mike CHS (Apr 26, 2018)

We raised chicks at first but then found what locally they call the 4H Chicken Chain sale in August.  It is a regular judged event that is followed by an auction.  We got 10 Barred Rock hens already laying for $19 a piece.  You can't feed them to that age for that kind of money plus they are healthy and used to handling.


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## Baymule (Apr 26, 2018)

Nice looking pigs! I can see the bacon, pork chops, sausage..... 

My pigs had lice. I bought apple flavored ivermectin horse wormer. I put some on half a piece of bread, folded it over, mashed the edges together to seal it and tossed each pig an "apple treat". They scarfed 'em right down. 10 days later, repeat. Plus it worms them. win-win.


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## RollingAcres (Apr 26, 2018)

Free labor is great! My son will start out wanting to help especially when there's water involved. Then he'll get side track and starts playing with the water and there goes my free labor... lol


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## Bruce (Apr 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> The older two kids actually wanted to scrub the rubber pans! Free labor! Lol


I found that works only as long as you don't assign them to do the work. As soon as they are old enough to have it on their "job list" they lose interest fast.


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## RollingAcres (Apr 26, 2018)

Bruce said:


> I found that works only as long as you don't assign them to do the work. As soon as they are old enough to have it on their "job list" they lose interest fast.


Then they want to be paid.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 26, 2018)

Mine still work for a quarter when a bribe is needed!


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## RollingAcres (Apr 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Mine still work for a quarter when a bribe is needed!


Bahahahaha


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## Bruce (Apr 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Mine still work for a quarter when a bribe is needed!


That is because they are young, a quarter is real money to them.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 26, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> IMHO, DE is NOT going to "solve" your lice problem... It will help knock it down some and "maybe/can" help prevent it from starting, but once they're established, DE is not the answer... on the animals or in their living quarters. The way it works, it must be dry and used in a dry environment. It does nothing when wet. I'm sure you also know that breathing the dust is very bad for folks also, right? Like breathing powdered glass shards... And that if used, it should be food grade DE only...
> 
> I would recommend another all natural lice killer: http://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html   I'm not sure but I believe I've also heard that oral Ivermectin will solve the problem as well. But would need to be redone ~10 days later to kill any new hatchlings from any eggs that didn't die.




I did not know that breathing DE is bad. Makes sense once I think about it though!  Ugh! We did use food grade so at least we have that going for us. 

I do know that it has slowed down the lice. The goats aren’t all irritated, scratching, biting, stomping. I noticed the minimum of various things in all the times I’ve been to the barn today. 

As far as what works, I’ll have to consult with my trusty goat mentor and friend (SBC.) She helps me with what to use since DD2 relies on the milk and I don’t have a stored supply to cover a withdraw time and the kids handle all of the goats daily. 

I will say that it’s nice to have a breed that I can carry DD2 with me to dump feed to our bucks (2 grown and 2 about 3 mos.) They don’t challenge me (won’t try this during rut) but sometimes it’s safer for her to be held and my bucks are respectable enough to work around. (I hated one of the Boer bucks we leased. He was beyond aggressive. Those were HIS girls!! DH manhandled him in the pen when he arrived and grabbbed him while he was eating feed when we were done. I couldn’t even pet my girls through the fence without him charging me or butting them away!)


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## goats&moregoats (Apr 26, 2018)

yeah, my grand kids love to help when they visit. Nice to teach the younger generation things they don't learn in school. 
Aggressive animals have no place here except freezer camp.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 28, 2018)

Last night we picked two out of five doelings to add to our herd. I ended up with two more black and white doelings. There isn’t much white on either but one has very little. So much for adding color! Lol

Registered names are pending and the girls won’t be home until the end of June but we will be excited to have them here.

DH and I made it a date night, our first in more than 6 months! It was enjoyable but seemed odd to not have the kids with us. They were disappointed that we just picked out the girls and didn’t bring them home yet.

Introducing Summer and Leah! (Leah is a bottle baby so she’s much harder to get pics of as she climbs in your lap constantly!)

Leah: She is also heavy Caprine Acres lines. More on that later. 



 


 





 

Summer: She is sired by Honey Locust Farm Mudslide so her paternal grandsire is Zanzabeez Polar Vortex and her paternal granddam is Buttin’Heads Spanish Rhapsody.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 29, 2018)

Yesterday was a big day on the farm. (I really wanted to post this last night too but it didn’t work out with getting late and trouble uploading pics.) I was on call so we had a chance to work on a project. Went to get feed and visit a friend in another town this morning.

In the afternoon we built a temporary fence to let the Does out. DH isn’t sure where he wants the perimeter yet and someone gave him this woven wire fencing so we made use of it and some t posts we already had.

DH plans to add two hot wires- one along the middle to keep the goats from pushing on the fencing and one over the top to make the fence taller. For now the goats are only out when supervised.

It’s not perfect but it gets them outside for now and allows us to get an idea of our future goal.

I had also promised pics on the kidding thread but since they were in the new pen, I’ll post here.

Sparkle and CeCe “helped.” They enjoy their walkabout time and it was perfect for them to get sunshine, attention, exercise, and munch on some browse. Their pics were an afterthought and they were too busy to pose. Maybe better pics another day with their new collars. We are working on leading now. DD1 picked purple for Sparkle and pink for CeCe. 
CeCe



Sparkle (going to DD1)


 

Here’s the pen. It’s a bit odd shaped. Gates are lined with pieces of paneling. There is an outside gate so that I can get in the pen if I need to. It’s made from a piece of goat panel. Currently we can just slide one of the big barn doors open wide enough for them to come and go, allowing us to close them in whenever we want. 



 

 

 

 

Pics of the goats enjoying the new space. It was wonderful to see them knee deep in grass and eating the dried leaves. 

Diamond stayed out the longest. She even let me walk up and pet her out in the open. They do in the barn but you never know what they’ll do when they have more space. Jasmine is in front of Diamond.  


 
Caramel-L, Nellie-front, Diamond-back


 
L to R: Diamond, Snowflake, Caramel


 
L to R: Diamond, Snowflake, Caramel. 


 
More pics coming...


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## Southern by choice (Apr 29, 2018)

I bet all the goats are loving it! 
Those udders look like they are holding some milk! 

I think Sparkle thinks she's a dog.  

Where do you get your goat panels from? We can never find those panels here. Just cattle panels.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 29, 2018)

New Outside Space Cont’d...

The goats now have several toys. I’m hoping that the babies get comfortable enough to entertain the kids and show them how cute they can be! There’s an old tractor tire, a stack of boards that are screwed together, a concrete block, and when we can get ramps built and the holes covered on top, an electrical spool. The babies did like climbing on the bottom part of the spool last night. 

Perdy and Ella. 


 
Beauty peeking around the other side. 



All three of Nell’s girls: L to R: Perdy, Beauty, Ella



Caramel and Snowflake coming around the corner from the barn. (The gate was left in place per DH’s wishes so I drove a t post to attach it to so that it was in place.) 



DD2 checking out L: Perdy and R: Beauty



Beauty was one of the more daring kids. 



Snowflake-L, Diamond-center, Theo-R



Caramel-L, Jasmine-center, Snowflake-R with Diamond behind her. 



Beauty climbed on DH. 



Theo. Love his colors! 


 

Cont’d...pic overload lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 29, 2018)

Cont’d...

Nellie. Love this doe! 


 
Jasmine-L, Diamond-back, Beauty-front, Ella peeking in from R


 
Beauty-L, Diamond-center, Jasmine-R, Oscar -front


 
Diamond trying out the concrete block.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 29, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> I bet all the goats are loving it!
> Those udders look like they are holding some milk!
> 
> I think Sparkle thinks she's a dog.
> ...



We get them from Tractor Supply. They have them in stock. More expensive than cattle panels but worth every penny when we had horned goats! Now I like them because the tiny babies can’t get out after they grow a bit.


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## goats&moregoats (Apr 29, 2018)

Beautiful goats! I really wanted Nigerians again, but these goats have definitely got themselves into my heart. I want to get some opinions about mixing Nigerians with bigger breeds. As in the pasture not breeding.


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## Southern by choice (Apr 29, 2018)

goats&moregoats said:


> Beautiful goats! I really wanted Nigerians again, but these goats have definitely got themselves into my heart. I want to get some opinions about mixing Nigerians with bigger breeds. As in the pasture not breeding.


We have Nigerians, Lamanchas, Nubians, Mini Lamanchas... no problem. Nigerians can definitely hold their own.  I have Nigies that bully the big girls. And big girls that bully as well. Mostly there is always a pecking order no matter what. Timid goats will always get bossed around, no matter what breed.
Our herd Queen is a polled Nigerian. She never bosses anyone but watches out for the whole herd and will take anything on if necessary.
Some goats should be an "only  child". 

Thanks W. They don't carry these at my TSC. They are pricey but I would love to have about 10 of these bad boys!


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## goats&moregoats (Apr 29, 2018)

@Southern by choice , thank you so much for answering that. So far Ginger and Sage seem quite gentle and very interested in the babies that are penned right in the middle of their pasture.


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## goats&moregoats (Apr 29, 2018)

@Southern by choice , thank you so much for answering that. So far Ginger and Sage seem quite gentle and very interested in the babies that are penned right in the middle of their pasture.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 1, 2018)

Supper last night...



 

7 babies waiting to be put back eight their Mamas this morning.


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## RollingAcres (May 1, 2018)

Yum! (at the steak not the goats lol)
We'll be having steak and twice baked potatoes tonight, unfortunately not our own beef yet and not our own potatoes.


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## RollingAcres (May 1, 2018)

I know your cows are show cows. What about goats? Are they for milk or meat or both?


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## Wehner Homestead (May 1, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> I know your cows are show cows. What about goats? Are they for milk or meat or both?



You are correct, we raise beef show cattle instead of dairy. Our goats are dairy goats. We are looking at the different aspects of showing and evaluating our goats and which route we’d like to pursue. 

We raised Boer goats (meat goats) prior to switching to dairy goats for DD2. We never ate one because we always made enough money that we couldn’t justify eating one. I don’t know if we will end up eating any of our goats in the future or not...


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## CntryBoy777 (May 2, 2018)

Are you Kidding me??....there is absolutely no Way ya can only eat just 1 deviled egg.....nope...not at all.....


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## RollingAcres (May 2, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Are you Kidding me??....there is absolutely no Way ya can only eat just 1 deviled egg.....nope...not at all.....


Hahaha maybe the pic was just for "show". I'm sure she ate more than just 1 deviled egg! lol


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## goats&moregoats (May 2, 2018)

I agree with @CntryBoy777 ......they are like Lays Potato chips but worse!.

As far as the cute ears and maybe/maybe not getting another breed of goats....I know what you mean. I am having serious Nigerian dwarf withdrawals.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 2, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Are you Kidding me??....there is absolutely no Way ya can only eat just 1 deviled egg.....nope...not at all.....



I had four...two from the ones where the end wasn’t closed due to yolk positioning while I was making them and 2 with my meal. DS had 3 and DD2 had 4! Lol


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## CntryBoy777 (May 2, 2018)

Shoot!!....I don't get started til the first 3 are already eaten.....I can eat a bunch of them too.....


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## CntryBoy777 (May 2, 2018)

And, I have never eaten one because it was broken....it is all Good!!....I got to eat all the mistakes....behind the scenes stuff for socials and reunions.....I made sure that I was around food, tho....all that testing keeps hunger away......


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## Wehner Homestead (May 2, 2018)

I HAD to taste test them and the ones without full ends are too difficult for the kids to manage so someone had to take care of them.


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## Bruce (May 2, 2018)

Dirty job but you are right, someone has to do it! Generally falls to a parent.


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## RollingAcres (May 2, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I had four...two from the ones where the end wasn’t closed due to yolk positioning while I was making them and 2 with my meal. DS had 3 and DD2 had 4! Lol


For some reason I read "positioning" wrong and read it as "poisoning" and I kept thinking to myself "what is yolk poisoning?" Hahahaha


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## Wehner Homestead (May 2, 2018)




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## OneFineAcre (May 2, 2018)

You raise show beef cattle, but do you eat any of them?
Was that beef you raised in the picture of the steak?


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## Wehner Homestead (May 2, 2018)

@OneFineAcre 
Yes we raise show beef cattle. Yes we eat them. Yes that was one we raised in the pic.

We don’t do the processing ourselves due to lack of time. Can’t hardly eat beef out now!

Used to raise beef for custom orders but we couldn’t bring ourselves to charge enough for it to make anything. Now we just feed one for us, sometimes 2 so immediately family can buy some at a good price that they know how it was raised.


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## OneFineAcre (May 2, 2018)

This was before you joined the forum but we finished 2 steers last year
Maurine dad has a cow/calf farm
He is 87 and has cut way back 
Maurine went out last year and helped him inventory everything and sent a bunch to the sale barn
But he/we like out beef grain Fed and was too much work for him
So we got the 2 steers from him in Feb and fed them until July
We paid for the feed and then they got one and we got one
Based on the hanging weight and doing the math the big one was about 1250 and the smaller 1050
So we took a side of the big one and one off of the small one to be fair
Did 3 feeder pigs at the same time and gave them one
We won't need to do any more this year for sure


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## Wehner Homestead (May 2, 2018)

@OneFineAcre I cook about a whole beef and 2 whole pigs in a year. There’s always extra people around here and we both take our lunch instead of eating out. I don’t think I could cook for even 4. I cook for 10!!!


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## ldawntaylor (May 2, 2018)

I know how that goes.  Thanks to my job I cook for about 100.  Then I come home and try to cook for just me.  Sometimes there are interesting results.


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## Bruce (May 3, 2018)

Like leftovers for 3 months?


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## ldawntaylor (May 3, 2018)

Yes, lots of leftovers and seasoning being way too strong sometimes.

Also, some foods over done others not done enough.  

Some casseroles for instance take about half an hour to bake at home where an amount meant to feed fifty can take over two hours.  

I don't have issues so often any more.  But, I've also had over ten years practice in making those transitions.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 4, 2018)

Okay y’all, I’m struggling this morning. Cut my middle finger on my left hand pretty bad on a rusty gate and had to dig pieces of rust out. Cut sliced down and across the tip but the digging has made it unbearably tender and I have a high pain tolerance. 

Otis (our bull) is lame. He’s been laying around for a week it seems and I saw him up grazing from a distance a few days ago. Today, I saw him standing and much closer. He’s lost about 300 pounds and he isn’t bending the pastern on his left rear foot! Ugh! It’s almost breeding season for him and he can’t be lame or underweight!!!! 

Jewel (blue Merle Aussie) has been a nervous wreck since the neighbors shot a canon. She has tried to climb on the tractor while it’s moving, insists on being right with DH, DD1, or myself. No exceptions. She will grab the doorknob and try to turn it if we put her out of the house. (She’s not a house dog but all of them come and go some.) She wants to be in all the time and becomes neurotic if we don’t let her in. This morning, she chased my vehicle down the driveway. It’s like her separation anxiety is getting worse. We used to leave her, Cowboy, and Queenie loose while we are gone during the day but I came back up to pen her up to find a hole bigger than her under the gate of her pen. (She shares it with Cowboy so it’s not like she’s alone.) Queenie’s pen is in front of theirs so I shut her gate to keep Jewel in if she got out of her pen. I could hear their panels rattling before I was even out of the barn! 
Did I mention that Jewel is terrified of riding in the vehicle but will ride on the tractor or 4 wheeler??

Finally, Faith (German Shepherd mix, housedog, about 11 years old) was riding along to run a few quick errands this morning. She’s had a bump under one eye that we’ve been watching for two years. It’s tripled in size in the last month. She just lays on our bed or on her bed in our room. We’ve noticed that she barely goes outside once a day, eats little, and doesn’t greet us or play any more. It’s completely heartbreaking. This is our baby from before we had babies. Anyway, I noticed a gaping opening in her lip on the same side of the bump. It’s about an inch long, inch deep, etc. It doesn’t look infected or anything but my gut is telling me that it’s not good. She has a vet appt at 1:15. I’ve made arrangements for all of the kids so that they won’t be with me in case it is really bad. I don’t mind them seeing me upset but I don’t think they’d understand seeing me hysterical....

I have updated weights on kids, cattle breeding, and some new additions but that will have to wait. My mind is consumed with the above (and trying to take care of DD2) at this time.


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## Hens and Roos (May 4, 2018)




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## RollingAcres (May 4, 2018)

Sending many hugs your way!


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## RollingAcres (May 4, 2018)

Hope your cut doesn't get any worse and that it heals soon.
Please keep us updated on Faith (if you can) after her appointment.


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## farmerjan (May 4, 2018)

Since you deal with major health concerns with your daughter, I am hoping that you also take enough time for your own health and have a current tetanus.  The RUSTY gate cut is nothing to fool with.  Blood poisoning will kill you if tetanus doesn't.  

If the bull is lame, then you need to get him into a chute and check.  Not bending the pastern is indicative of serious stuff.  Things like hairy warts or corns or foot rot don't usually affect the movement of the pastern.  And if he has lost 300 lbs then it is overdue to be looked at. 

I hope that the older dog doesn't have cancer, but the tumor and now the "hole" doesn't sound good.  I know what it is to lose an older dog to cancer and it is rough.  My 12 yr old white shepherd  developed leukemia and it advanced quickly.  I had made arrangements to put her down when she quietly went to sleep.  
That is the position I am in now with my oldest nurse cow.  Bovine Leukemia, many hard tumors inside, and trying to give her what life she has left some quality and pain free and hope she can get the calves raised up enough to get them weaned.


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## RoahT (May 4, 2018)

Hugs and prayers coming your way! It didn't come to stay it came to pass!


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## Wehner Homestead (May 4, 2018)

@farmerjan I’ve got a call in to my doctor to check my tetanus status.

Bull is in an inaccessible pasture as far as getting him into a chute. Plans are in the works to move him to the barn corral tomorrow as we will need my dad’s help too. This will also allow us to put him in a barn paddock with much easier access to hay and water and we can supplement with feed. He will miss the grass but it’s necessary to figure out what’s going on.

Thank you all!! It means SO much!!


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## RollingAcres (May 4, 2018)

farmerjan said:


> I hope that the older dog doesn't have cancer, but the tumor and now the "hole" doesn't sound good.  I know what it is to lose an older dog to cancer and it is rough.  My 12 yr old white shepherd  developed leukemia and it advanced quickly.  I had made arrangements to put her down when she quietly went to sleep.


I know all too well on this too... My Sammie had a tumor inside her that was never detected. We took her for regular check ups and she was always healthy and never had any signs of sickness. One day she was lethargic, made appointment for the following day and it was already too late.


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## Mike CHS (May 4, 2018)

I was getting ready to mention getting a tetanus shot and then got to the point that I saw that you guys already had it covered.  We have hauled so much nasty stuff off our place that we keep outs up to date.


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## Bruce (May 4, 2018)

When it rains it pours Werner


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## Wehner Homestead (May 4, 2018)

2pm update: got the call from my dr office AFTER they closed for the day that there is no record of me ever receiving one (how does that even happen?!) and that I have to get one today! I know I had to have had one at least for school so who knows. Now my options are urgent care or the ER so we may be at an urgent care at the same time @Bruce ! 

Faith update: I didn’t bother checking her over further as I knew we were going to the vet. They found ulcerations on both sides of her mouth and several at that. They go up into her nose and the area between her mouth and nose and under her chin and her gums are severely inflamed. Vet agreed that she is declining but she does weigh the same as she did at this time last year so we are going to try an antibiotic and recheck in two weeks. 

DH took a half day for unrelated to all of this, insurance crap that needed dealt with. He saw Otis bending that pattern so I’m at a loss. Either way, he’s still getting a good checkover tomorrow! 

Jewel is in Queenie’s pen and whining pitifully in case anyone was wondering about her...


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## Latestarter (May 4, 2018)

Sorry all this is coming at you at once. I thought you were a nurse? How could you not be up to date on personal vaccinations? especially tetanus?  Please do get that taken care of post haste! Glad to hear that Otis has been bending his pastern and hopefully his issue isn't a major one. So sorry to hear about Jewel and her new noise issue and anxiety. I hope the antibiotics take care of Faith's issues and she gets back to normal for her age. Hang in there mom!


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## RollingAcres (May 4, 2018)

Take care and hang in there!


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## Wehner Homestead (May 4, 2018)

10 pm update: This Mama is crashing! Supposed to work tomorrow. 

Finger is no longer throbbing or bleeding. I seem to wear bandaids off my fingers quickly...

Left shoulder now hurts from the tetanus shot I went to urgent care to get. @Latestarter I used to be able to tell you anything about everything in my life. Spina Bifida has taken a toll on all of that. I recall getting a tetanus shot prior to birthing DD1 and she was 6 in Oct so I can’t be that far off. Just felt like I was better off to get it than take a chance. No time for this Mama to be down! 

At 4:30pm Jewel came running up to the truck as I was getting in. She’d dug a hole out of Queenie’s pen! Grrrr! She got put back and I threw a straw bale over the hole. Tonight DH laid pieces of plywood from the makeshift kidding stall under the edges of the pen that he didn’t have enough rubber mats for. He’s going to clean up a crate for her to move in the house this weekend. 

New information has developed in the case of the “off” bull. He’s straining to poop but his stool is fairly loose, not like it’s hard and he’s constipated...still going to check him over sometime tomorrow and worm him. He hasn’t been wormed since fall so it won’t hurt to start there...

I’ll try to update on the other things tomorrow to get y’all up to speed on the “regular” stuff.


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## goats&moregoats (May 5, 2018)

Hang in there. It seems to come all at once and then all is calm for a "little while", at least that is my experience.


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## CntryBoy777 (May 5, 2018)

Something that may help with the finger, is to get a metal can that ya can fit your hand into and cut out the top and bottom....flatten it out some and slip your hand inside the can and then put ice pack on top of the can. I have had to do this several times during my life with hand injuries. Sure hope things get better for ya and everything gets back to an even keel. Life only gets faster and memories fade....remembering when ya get a shot isn't of major importance and can slip by unnoticed as your attention is diverted to more important and pertanent things.....not sure, but believe the last one I had was with the 2nd attack in '09....when in doubt just get another, it only hurts for a little while....


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## Latestarter (May 5, 2018)

I wasn't "sassing" you about not knowing... I'm amazed that you even know what day it is with all that you have on your plate. Honestly, I stand in awe of all that you are responsible for on a day to day basis.   The home and farm, the animals, the kids, and one kid being special needs, family matters, and working as a nurse on top of it all... Just thinking about it has my mind screaming for my recliner. I'm glad you got the booster. As I recall the tetanus shot is "good" for ten years, so you were probably covered, but living working on a farm, I personally lean toward a booster every 5-7 years. Better safe than sorry.

Does your HR department where you work maintain records for staff to make sure they are taken care of and up to date on vaccinations? I would think working around sick/ill people for a living, that some sort of tracking along those lines would be a standard procedure... 

Maybe Otis needs to swallow a magnet?


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## ldawntaylor (May 5, 2018)

@Latestarter, if nursing is anything like the facility where I work, then records are kept.  But, which are required varies from place to place.  The only consistent one for me is the TB test.  But, I work in the kitchen not on the floor.


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## RollingAcres (May 6, 2018)

@Wehner Homestead checking to see how you are doing and how are things at the homestead.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 7, 2018)

Haven’t been on since Sat. It’s been wild here. Will try to give details soon.


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## Bruce (May 8, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (May 9, 2018)

Wow! So much to tell y’all. I’ll try not to forget anything. 

Going to cover the Friday issues first. My cut is better. Still tender if I bump it just right, think that’s from digging the rust out. Seems to be healing fine otherwise.

Left arm is no longer sore though was horrible to work through on Sat. One of my coworkers noticed my hand was swollen and had one of the docs check me out. Realized my whole shoulder was hot and red. Decided it was the tetanus shot versus an infection and to watch. Better Sunday and each day moving forward. (We all think it was given too high, making it more likely that a nerve was hit when given.) 

Jewel hasn’t escaped her pen since the boards and mats were placed under the edges. Oddly enough, it’s like she feels safer. 

DH successfully retrieved DD2’s birth certificate after an interesting trip through Louisville. Said it’s not something he’d ever want to do again! (I’ve now been on the hunt for our marriage license that I thought I knew where it was. Can find the receipt where we paid for it but not the marriage license! Ugh! That’s needed for insurance too.) 

The sky was beautiful Friday night. DS even came and got me to look at it! 



 

DD1 memorized 100 high frequency words to read as a Kindergartner at school. She’d been promised a kitten if she was successful and worked hard. (It’s the end of the year. She needed some encouragement to keep working hard.) Last Thursday, she finished her last test for them and so we picked up a kitten for her on Friday. Of course you can’t get just one so the plan was to get each of the kids one. (Friend had a stray show up with a litter, kittens young but mom not making enough milk, something got three of the kittens leaving two...so we took the two and another will be coming from another friend when it’s old enough to leave Mom.) We are having to supplement with canned kitten food and kitten chow that’s softened with a bit of goat milk. They seem to be thriving as the little orange male was getting runny eyes when we picked them up and was clear by Sunday evening. 

DD1 picked first as her reward and picked the dark tiger female. She named her Disney. DS wanted the orange male so we agreed. He named his Wilson (like the sports ball manufacturer.) Both are fairly fuzzy like they might end up having medium length hair. 

Disney


 
Wilson


 

We got Otis in. Through a variety of events and obligations, we didn’t get him in until Monday night. I was really stressing about waiting that long. (See the LGD thread for Queenie’s involvement.) Otis actually showed an interest in being moved, was quite docile and laid back, and had no mobility issues as observed by myself, DH, and my dad while in motion. He was obviously interested in grain and readily followed the bucket. None of us thought that he appeared underweight and we observed him passing stool without a single concern. We did opt to dump some Ivomec on him as a preventative. The whole situation is being chalked up to a miracle! 
(I’ve tried to get a decent pic of just him and haven’t been successful.) 

Had an issue with one of the older bucks (King) bothering Diamond’s two bucklings. It was a constant issue. Knight would even intervene and King would avoid them if I was holding a stick. If he wasn’t bugging them, he was violating them. We don’t feel that this is acceptable so DH split their current pen and Knight and King are on the slightly bigger side and Jackson and Jericho are on the other. It’s like the little guys sighed in relief and Knight keeps King in his place. 

We’ve decided to sell King. He doesn’t fit into my breeding plan much as I plan to use Knight and Theo heavily and add some specific genetics next year. I have to get Nellie’s trips that he sired, registered and then I’ll advertise him. (I need to check and make sure he’s tattooed. I don’t think any in that purchase were actually done.) 

The buck pen will be going down near the parking for the various trailers. This might eventually become a quarantine pen but we need to rework our barn paddocks, then I think the bucks will go toward the east border of our property. They will also need a full-time LGD or two. (We expect to have four to six Nigerian bucks, four to six Mini Lamancha bucks, and the possibility of Mini Nubians leaves the need for probably two more bucks, therefore, a decent-sized area will be required.) 

DH is aggressively researching milking machines. I think we are quickly headed toward dairy status. I’m not sure how official we will be for awhile but I do know that he’s planning at least a functional milk room for me and whomever may have to fill in. 

The Easter chicks appear to be 4 Roos and 8 pullets at this time. We will see if my theories hold true. I need to get updated pics. Most have crests and several have colored legs. 7 are a shade of blue. 

Rock-a-Doodle has been caught breeding the girls. Watching closely to make sure that he doesn’t injure any of them. I’ll separate or cull him if necessary. 

We now have two hens laying green eggs. It appeared that I got a blue egg one day but I’m now thinking it was just the lighting and it was actually green. I think there is one more pullet from Nov that isn’t laying yet based on production counts. 

Egg eating has slowed down in the RIR pen. Culling the one has helped though I think someone else is still eating some. They’ve started laying in one of two designated places so I haven’t had an egg hunt lately. 

CeCe and Sparkle are growing fast. They are eating a lot more hay, alfalfa pellets, and grain than they were. Both get a 32 Oz bottle twice a day. They still enjoy walkabout but have to know where Mom is. Sparkle is quite the sweetie and has a distress call for when she can’t find me. She nuzzles my neck after being separated from me. 



 

I almost forgot that Faith has greatly improved. She has been greeting us when we come home. Her mouth is healing and she’s trying to avoid taking her meds but we keep sticking them in something different to tempt her. So far, so good. 

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something so I’ll add later.


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## RollingAcres (May 10, 2018)

So glad to hear that your cut is almost healed and better! Nice to hear that Jewel hasn't escaped and Faith has improved!
Your new addition are so darn cute!!! I know my son would love to have a cat, but unfortunately for him and myself, we are both allergic to cats.


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## RoahT (May 10, 2018)

Thanks for the update, glad things are going better!! The kittens are so cute!


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## Bruce (May 10, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Of course you can’t get just one so the plan was to get each of the kids one.


Doesn't seem quite fair that DD1 does all the work and the other 2 also get kittens.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 10, 2018)

So someone posted pics of cute goats with pendulous ears. I believe it was Nubians but I truly can’t recall any details. Anyway, one of our 4-H kids helps with our kids on occasion and watches the farm when we go on our yearly vacation. We’ve adopted each other and she calls me her second mom and her pic is on my phone screen with the three I birthed. I’ll refer to her as AD (adopted daughter).

AD called all worked up last night. There’s been a lot going on there lately too. They raise show sheep and a Nubian was bought in milk last year to help feed some of the bottle babies. I recall there being production issues but no one knew if it was owner error (inexperience milking), stress, end of her lactation, etc. When she didn’t produce it was decided to move her to an elder family member’s house to be companion for a geriatric horse for the time being so that she was out of the way. Well since then, the horse has died and the goat has been horribly lonely. AD is going away to college in the fall and she was going over every day to care for the doe. Sending her to slaughter was mentioned and AD called me in a panic. Needless to say, I agreed.

A Nubian doe was delivered tonight! She seems very sweet, underweight, rough coat, and needs lots of work on her hooves. I have ADGA papers in hand but have the buyer’s name filled out as the girl that AD’s family bought her from. That might be a bit of a hitch...either way, we will now be breeding Mini Nubians to a small degree.

The current plan is to run a fecal and quarantine until that’s done. She hasn’t been around other goats for more than a year. I will have the rest of her testing done soon as I need to test the rest of my crew anyway before fall breeding commences.

I didn’t know anything off of her papers until tonight so I’ll share soon. We are calling her Blossom and I snapped some candid pics just to share.






 



Edited to add: She’s my Mother’s Day gift somehow...lol


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## Wehner Homestead (May 10, 2018)

Need to clarify a few things...

@Latestarter I didn’t think you were being sassy. It’s been painfully clear that my memory isn’t what it used to be. There are worse things but as someone that remembers a lot, it’s hard to swallow. It’s really okay, just something I wish I wasn’t dealing with. 

@Bruce I didn’t clarify all of the kitten details in the post. Trying to get too much out, too fast. If you recall from the cat introduction, DD2 had two kittens last year that didn’t survive somehow...thinking dogs that we don’t have any more. We owed her a kitten and that has been openly discussed. (DD1 had three cats prior to getting Disney and DD2 had none.) DS was promised a kitten when one of his cats got rough with DD2 and had to be rehomed over the winter. Won’t tolerate aggressive behavior and he cornered her. Was going to “off” him but someone was looking for a more defensive barn cat that no kids would be around so I sent him there. (Yes, he was neutrrrd at 6 mos so he wasn’t intact.) DS has one other cat still but he has a chronic upper respiratory infection and appears quite miserable at times so he’s going to “disappear” soon. 

As far as the Nubian, I’d said I need to focus on the breeds I have now and improving my lines. Now I’ve got to figure out what I’m doing with this girl all the way around! Bring on the airplane ears though!! 

After DH agreed last night, his comment was something along the lines of “looks like we may as well start a dairy now!” Lol


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## Southern by choice (May 10, 2018)

Nubians are so sweet! Congrats!   

You really need to keep her in quarantine until you test her. You will be putting all your goats at risk. 30 -60 days and test while in quarantine.
She is dangerously thin. 
Testing this week is ideal because stress will "cause" activity in any of the diseases, so it is the best time to test.
Yeah you will want to definitely test for CL Johnes and CAE. If she has been with sheep watch out for orf. 

Also you will want to test her for G6S. That is a DNA test.  

She does have a very sweet face! I do love our Ruby and her kids. I don't want a whole herd of Nubians but I sure do love the ones we have.
Sometimes I miss my Mini Nubians. But honestly it got to be too much with so many breeds. So many bucks, so many lines.


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## promiseacres (May 11, 2018)

Just got caught up on your thread glad things are going a bit better. I always react to a tetanus shot... :/


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## Hens and Roos (May 11, 2018)

glad to hear that your finger is getting better.  Congrats on the new additions..


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## Wehner Homestead (May 11, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> Nubians are so sweet! Congrats!
> 
> You really need to keep her in quarantine until you test her. You will be putting all your goats at risk. 30 -60 days and test while in quarantine.
> She is dangerously thin.
> ...




I forgot about G6S!!! I’m SO glad you mentioned it! How do I go about getting that one done? 

What is ORF? She was only around sheep for about a month, a little over a year ago.

I didn’t grain her last night as I didn’t want to upset her stomach. She did have complete access to high quality grass hay and mineral. I’ll start giving her a small amount of grain three times a day.

Since she will need kept separate to gain weight properly, I should be able to get her tested an the results back...


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## Rammy (May 11, 2018)

Finally got caught up on the posts. Glad to see your finger is doing better and your bull and your doggie. Sounds like you have had it a little rough! Hope you and your furry babies continue to improve and no more accidents!


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## Wehner Homestead (May 11, 2018)

@Southern by choice do you think Blossom could tolerate chopped alfalfa? That’s what we had to get for Sparkle and CeCe because there ended up being a hay shortage here and couldn’t find any decent bales of alfalfa.


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## RollingAcres (May 11, 2018)

Congrats on your new addition! When you mentioned "new addition" I thought you were referring to the kittens. I didn't know there are actually more!


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## Southern by choice (May 11, 2018)

I'll message you.


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## OneFineAcre (May 11, 2018)

Congrats on the new goat.
Glad things are going better.


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## Bruce (May 11, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> AD is going away to college in the fall


You are going to have to plan future vacations very much around her school schedule!



Wehner Homestead said:


> I didn’t clarify all of the kitten details in the post.


Ah, I see. OK, DS and DD2 can get a kitten each then


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## Wehner Homestead (May 12, 2018)

Busy as usual! 

DD2 had physical therapy yesterday. She is getting stronger all the time and wanted to share a pic of her. I love that our goats do so well with her! (They swarmed her at one point wanting attention and I was steadying her so couldn’t get a pic.) 



 
Musical pens yesterday. After a convo with SBC, it was decided that Blossom was trying to be like Ruby and spiral decline. She is now in complete quarantine with no fence lines shared and no possibility of contact with other goats. She can see them from a distance. I’ll start a thread to chronicle her journey. 

Sparkle and CeCe were moved to the baby pen so that their pen could be used for Blossom. We also weighed them last night. CeCe is 39# and Sparkle is 31#. As always, the girls enjoy their walkabout. Took a pic of Sparkle and Jewel following me to get a sunset pic. CeCe started yelling for us and ran to Sparkle when I called. She then acknowledged me. Sparkle always comes to Mom first. 


 


 


 
Had to make a new pen inside the doe pen for the babies to be separated at night. I’ll try to get a pic of it tonight. 

Also started the process of something temporary to get the chicks out of the brooder since they’ve outgrown it. I have a guess on pullets and Roos so going to separate accordingly and see if I’m correct. Lol

Picked up Panacur for kittens yesterday so first of three days for worming has been started. Disney was NOT happy about it. Wilson didn’t mind. 

Caramel got a BoSe shot and weighed too. She’s 86#. She and Knight were slightly interested in each other last night so hoping that she’s coming into heat. Separating her at night when we feed the doe ration since she isn’t milking and may be too fat to breed. Really hoping to get her second freshening this fall. 


 



Maxine was in heat last night, so breeding this morning. 

Rock-a-Doodle has started challenging me when I care for that Coop. DH has used a sorting stick to keep him back while I feed, water, and gather eggs. Hoping he’s just feeling his Wheaties and straightens up or he’ll be dinner next! 

Queenie stayed out all night for the first time last night. She seems to have stayed home and we didn’t loose any chickens to the Fox that I saw within a 100 yards of my coops during the day yesterday.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 12, 2018)

Blossom’s thread is under goat illnesses.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 16, 2018)

Busy few days. I’m working hard to do some spring cleaning. Getting things gone through. Lots of trash and items to donate making its way out of the house. 

I’ve started freezing pasteurized goat milk! Very exciting. I need to decide how I prefer to do it. Recommendations?? Thinking I’ll experiment some.

Worked on some hooves tonight. Did Diamond, Snowflake, Nellie, Caramel, Jasmine, Knight, King, CeCe, and Sparkle in that order. I had done Blossom’s on Friday. That leaves Jackson, Jericho, and the 6 little ones. I need to reburn Theo’s horns tomorrow night so I may do the two older boys’ hooves and wait a few days to do the 6 little ones...

DH’s Dad was here today greasing up the round baler. It’s about that time. Hay season is definitely busy around here!


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## Southern by choice (May 16, 2018)

Everyone is cutting and baling here too!
Lots of cutting last week, then we saw the rakes, then the balers. Good thing as Rain every day for the next 8-9 days, lots of thunderstorms.
I don't like first cutting though. We avoid those, and our hay guy is pretty good at picking our hay from certain fields. That is our neighbor hay guy.
The stuff that is brought in from  the North. Wellllll.... like no hay available.! ! !   We managed to get a decent orchard grass hay. No alfalfa left. 
Great, no alfalfa, we have 2 shows coming up and on test. 
We don't feed straight alfalfa, we mix it... but still, this will hurt.

And we wait. 

We have been getting goats ready, cleaning up stuff, clipping , etc. they've been loading the van slowly.
I have been trying to do what you are. I emptied out my back storage  (walk in attic back of house) - it is all in my living room. 
Then I got sick. 
Back up now but yikes, gotta help them get ready for shows, then 3 days do all the farm stuff. My grown sons will be helping me out. They are pretty awesome with that kinda thing.
Having the milk machine is great but I am still slow. I also tend to overfeed.  
With all the rain we moved a bunch of hay into the old milkroom in the barn, that way I don't have to keep taking hay out in the pouring rain and thunderstorms. 

Gonna be a long weekend I think.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 17, 2018)

There’s a hay shortage here. We’ve got some extra but DH won’t sell it as it’s more of a safety net for us and the two farms that buy from us. Won’t take a chance on running out. 

First cutting always gets turned into haylage. Square bales and dry rounds come from second or third cuttings. 

@Southern by choice good luck taking care of everything! I know it’s quite the job. 

@Goat Whisperer and @OneFineAcre good luck at the show! Can’t wait to see pics and hear how y’all did!


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## greybeard (May 17, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> We’ve got some extra but DH won’t sell it as it’s more of a safety net for us and the two farms that buy from us. Won’t take a chance on running out.



DH is spot on!
Running out is no fun. And if very little is available and the price runs up because of it, like it did here in 2011 drought (4x5s of marginal/junk  hay were $110 and up) the $ you made selling your safety net don't do you much good.
We're never more than 3 weeks away from drought here. Then hurricane season comes right in the middle of 2nd and 3rd cutting season.......


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## OneFineAcre (May 17, 2018)

The oat hay I got from my hay man is some of the best I've ever seen.
Goats love it.


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## farmerjan (May 17, 2018)

I really like oat hay but it is hard to find.  And we usually have questionable weather to make it.  I would like for us to try growing some next year.  
We also won't sell down to "nothing" on the chance that the next years hay doesn't do good.  We are pretty much out of square bales of orchard grass, got enough for one more 100 bale load to take to a couple of our regular horse customers, before we start making this years.  We mostly roll all our first cutting in large round bales, and wrap it if we have to but try to make it dry.  We will wrap the sorghum/sudan if the weather doesn't allow it to be made dry.  Last year we made all our hay dry.
  Most of the orchard grass 2nd and sometimes 3rd cutting is made in small square bales.  We are having a terrible time finding help and I have told my son that we may need to look at a bale stacker.  They are expensive, but the money is in the small square bales.  Problem is, no one wants to help put it up because it is hot sweaty work.  Years ago, there were kids galore that would work because it was good cash money.  I helped a couple of farmers when I moved to Va.  A 30 + yr old adult female; and took my pay in hay.  Which was $3.00 per hour and hay was selling for $1.25 a sq bale.  Today, it is "too hard".  What a bunch of wimps and cry baby's  this younger generation is.  And we are paying $10 per hour CASH money and we buy lunch or dinner if they work through those hours.  If I was not having so much trouble with my ankle and knees, I would be on the wagon, but I do not have the stability to do so.  I did run the tractor last year with the square baler and my son rode the wagon and stacked.  Even with a kicker on the baler, if you stack them on the wagon, you can get more on, and if they sit there for a week or two before being unloaded, the ones stacked will keep their shape, the ones just kicked on will get somewhat mis-shapen.  
So even though I know everyone thinks square bales are expensive, it is alot of work, handling, expensive equipment, and now the price of fuel is going up and we are going up on the price.  Our tractors do not run on air, and then we deliver so you are adding that much more to the cost.  Most "small farmers"  cannot handle the bigger rolls, or the big 3x4 or bigger square bales, but there is alot of handling with small squares.  And the hay HAS TO BE DRY... you can roll hay a little higher moisture than small squares.  Those small squares are put into a building and any moisture will cause heating and that is a fire danger.  And unless you are willing to come get the hay on short notice, right off the wagon, it is also a pain to have someone only want to come get 10 or 20 small squares.  I get it, I used to only have one horse when I was a kid and we would go get a very full pickup load of 50-75 bales;  but it is more time out of the farmers day that he has 20 other things that need doing.  We don't hate the "little guy",   we just have trouble justifying taking time out of a day to meet someone to load 20 bales.   And then you deal with someone who doesn't show up...or is late and doesn't call...or wants to quibble about the price after they have been told what it is.........
We have a couple who will come and get the hay right off the wagon, or we drop the bales on the ground and they pick them up and load on their truck &/or trailer.  But,  it is something that they understand that they don't have alot of notice sometimes,  that we are making it and may have to bale it because it might rain the next day.


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## Baymule (May 17, 2018)

I have gone behind the baler and loaded up square bales before. It's cheaper to buy them that way. Now we buy 1200 pound round bales from a neighbor and he stores them in his barn.


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## greybeard (May 18, 2018)

farmerjan said:


> Years ago, there were kids galore that would work because it was good cash money. I helped a couple of farmers when I moved to Va. A 30 + yr old adult female; and took my pay in hay. Which was $3.00 per hour and hay was selling for $1.25 a sq bale. Today, it is "too hard". What a bunch of wimps and cry baby's this younger generation is. And we are paying $10 per hour CASH money and we buy lunch or dinner if they work through those hours.


And here I thought I was in high cotton loading in the field, and stacking in hot dusty barns for 11 cents/bale, which was up from the 1st summer I did it for 7 cents/bale. (1966-67)


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## Latestarter (May 18, 2018)

pennies nickels and dimes all add up when you're a kid. I used to work for a farmer with his day laborers in the fields cutting cabbage and butternut squash. 50 cent an hour if I remember correctly. The laborers worked with long knives and bent the cabbages over and whacked through the stalk then held the head and trimmed off the bad outer leaves by whacking length off the stalk. I had to work with a 6" "butter knife" because they didn't trust us "kids" with real knives. That was some back breaking work. Then when picking the squash, the vines have "spines" all over them and my hands and arms would be raw by the end of the day.


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## MiniSilkys (May 19, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Supper last night...
> View attachment 47636
> 
> 7 babies waiting to be put back eight their Mamas this morning.
> View attachment 47637


Have you ever tried green tomato chow chow i n your deviled eggs mix of as a topping? Yummy.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 20, 2018)

MiniSilkys said:


> Have you ever tried green tomato chow chow i n your deviled eggs mix of as a topping? Yummy.



Nope. I don’t eat relish either. My dear grandma and I are firm believers that there’s not meant to be anything crunchy in a deviled egg.


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## Mini Horses (May 20, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> there’s not meant to be anything crunchy in a deviled egg.



Especially shells from those hard to shell fresh eggs!! 

I've had many recipes and additions from pot luck dinners.  While I enjoy most, I still do mine smooth.   Mayo & a touch of mustard, salt...a little paprika sprinkled on top.


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## Baymule (May 20, 2018)

I chop up sweet pickles that I make in my deviled eggs. I make my great grandmother's spick sweet pickles that I have never found any, anywhere that can compare to the taste. Yum.


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## greybeard (May 20, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> pennies nickels and dimes all add up when you're a kid.


Barely added up, and it didn't go far, as at age 15 or 16, when I took my 1st paying job, I had to start paying rent at home...them was the rules. "If you work somewhere besides here at home, you have to pay for your room and board..and for your mother to take care of your clothes. There are no free rides here son, or anywhere else".
Took a lot of sq bales to make $85 and have a few pennies left over.
For my brother and I, that was $85 each, and honestly I do not remember if that was per week or  per month.  Been paying my own way ever since.


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## farmerjan (May 20, 2018)

We did not have to pay any board until we graduated from high school.  And we had to keep up with whatever chores we had at home but could keep our money from working elsewhere.  That said, I paid all my expenses for my horse, building her 2 stall lean to barn, all her hay, grain, equipment, even buying my first horse trailer.... I always asked for money or horse equipment for holidays rather than things like candy at Easter, or Christmas, or my birthday.... Rode my bike to work on the egg layer farm, then took the bus from school to my job and home, and then walked the mile from the city bus home....it was NOT up hill but mostly flat and downhill...HAHA... but a cold walk in the winter snow.


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## greybeard (May 20, 2018)

My walk to and from school was uphill, both ways. One day I got to school wearing one shoe, and the teacher asked if I lost a shoe. I told her, "No teacher, I found one".


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## Mike CHS (May 20, 2018)

I came close to getting in major trouble in St. Louis when I was around 15 (1965) so  Igot sent to live with an Uncle in Arkansas who had a pool hall and bar.  They were good to me and when I hired out to farmers I got to keep what I made.  I had to clean out the 'store' every morning before the bus ran but I had a nice family and home so that was minor.  I won a '62 Ford playing pool when I was a junior so the rest of High School was a bit better.


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## greybeard (May 20, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> I came close to getting in major trouble in St. Louis when I was around 15 (1965) so Igot sent to live with an Uncle in Arkansas who had a pool hall and bar.




Dang, now that's the kinda punishment I would have liked to have when I was 15...going to live with folks that had a bar & pool hall....
(I am reminded of what Charles Manson told the prosecutor after receiving the life sentence... _"If someone beat you with a whip and you love the whip, what's he doing?"_"


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## RollingAcres (May 21, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Nope. I don’t eat relish either. My dear grandma and I are firm believers that there’s not meant to be anything crunchy in a deviled egg.


I don't like crunchy stuff in my deviled eggs and I don't like relish either.
Not much of a pickles fan, it needs to be a certain sweetness and it needs to be spicy.


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## Bruce (May 21, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> My dear grandma and I are firm believers that there’s not meant to be anything crunchy in a deviled egg.


Nor in a tuna sandwich.


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## RollingAcres (May 21, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Nor in a tuna sandwich.


So no celery or onion in your tuna sandwich then?


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## Bruce (May 21, 2018)

Heck no! Garlic powder - yes, dried tarragon, yes, celery, pickle, onion bits, no thanks. When I was a kid I accidentally kinda insulted the next door neighbor, though not too badly I guess. Mom was going to buy tuna (ie in a can) and I asked her not to get the kind Margie gets with pickles in it (we were at her house). OOPS, didn't know she put them herself. DW does like celery in hers.


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## RollingAcres (May 21, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Heck no! Garlic powder - yes, dried tarragon, yes, celery, pickle, onion bits, no thanks.


Guess we can't be friends! LOL 


Bruce said:


> When I was a kid I accidentally kinda insulted the next door neighbor, though not too badly I guess. Mom was going to buy tuna (ie in a can) and I asked her not to get the kind Margie gets with pickles in it (we were at her house). OOPS, didn't know she put them herself.


Really pickles in tuna sandwich? I don't blame you for not wanting "that" kind of tuna!


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## Bruce (May 21, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Guess we can't be friends! LOL



Can't we just eat something else? Or I could make the tuna (tuna, Best Foods, garlic powder, tarragon) and you could add stuff to yours.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 21, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Nor in a tuna sandwich.



I don’t eat tuna, chicken salad, ham salad, egg salad, or macaroni salad for this reason. Kinda weird about textures...


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## RollingAcres (May 21, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Can't we just eat something else? Or I could make the tuna (tuna, Best Foods, garlic powder, tarragon) and you could add stuff to yours.


Oh alright we'll eat something else.


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## RollingAcres (May 21, 2018)

Never had ham salad but I love all the other salads, a certain way, def without pickles in them.


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## Latestarter (May 21, 2018)

I like diced/chopped celery and onion in my chicken/tuna salad. Not a big fan of ham salad. I did buy a can of tuna a couple of months ago just to remind myself what it tastes like. Prior to that I hadn't had canned tuna in probably 30 years or more. I used to catch tuna off the east coast and loved it grilled. Don't care for hard boiled eggs and do NOT do pickles with the one exception of those contained in Thousand Islands dressing (read Big Macs). I do NOT like the taste or smell of dill...


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## greybeard (May 21, 2018)

There's good canned tuna and not so good canned tuna,and the not so good stuff is the same no matter how much stuff you add to it. 

IMO, canned tuna hasn't tasted nearly as good since they took the dolphin out of it a few decades ago..


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## Latestarter (May 22, 2018)

Yeah... funny thing about eating mammals... specially if they're "cute" or have more intelligence than an ant... Otherwise, can 'em and eat away!


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## Wehner Homestead (May 22, 2018)

Quick update...we now have bottle kittens. Started a thread on other animals about them. Lots of cattle breeding going on and updated that thread. Reagan still hasn’t calved. Good grief!! 

Longer update coming soon...


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## Rammy (May 22, 2018)

I bottle fed a few kitties a few weeks ago. I think I posted about that. Was fun. Miss doing that, but also really didnt have time to do it while at work. Had to make time to stop and feed them and also stimulate them for thier kittie potties. 
On another note, in my tuna fish, I just use mayo. My Mom puts in onions and pickles. I didnt like that. I dont like crunchy in my food unless there is a reason for it. I do, however, put potato chips on my balony sandwiches. Or lettuce. Dont mind that crunchy. Onions make me want to hurl when I bite into one without knowing its there. Ewww. But I do l like the flavoring. Yes, Im a contradiction<sp>. When I use onions for flavoring, I use the flakes, because they are so small  I cant tell, and they cook up nice and soft so I dont know they are in my food. Or if I use real onions, I cut them so big I can find them and fish them out.  Yeah, I know......


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## RollingAcres (May 22, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Quick update...we now have bottle kittens. Started a thread on other animals about them. Lots of cattle breeding going on and updated that thread. Reagan still hasn’t calved. Good grief!!
> 
> Longer update coming soon...


Ok will go read about these bottle kittens.


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## farmerjan (May 23, 2018)

I like chopped up sweet pickles or relish on my tuna salad


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## Wehner Homestead (May 23, 2018)

Let’s see if I can recall everything to bring y’all up to date. 

Thursday, Chester got neutered and picked up on Friday. Here he is Monday morning. Obviously his little procedure didn’t slow him down much. 



 
Sophie also helped me do chores Monday morning. 


 
Took DD1 and my niece shopping for summer clothes and out to eat at Chil-fil-a Friday when they got out of school. Of course, had to stop at DQ on the way home. The younger two went to a nephew’s school program with my parents and played with their cousins. 

I worked all weekend like usual. It was quite crazy. We had several critical patients on Saturday that needed moved to a tertiary hospital and helicopters were grounded due to the weather. A shortage of paramedics also occurred so I ended up riding back and forth to Louisville to monitor and care for patients during transport. It was an interesting but tiring day. Sunday I had a nice patient and a “difficult” patient. (In other words, thinks ICU means the Hilton and being treated like a spoiled celebrity. It wears on you.) 

I mentioned at some point that we were supposed to get two horses from my dad’s best friend. DH took too long to get everything ready and he had to sell the one that I really wanted. Trying not to be upset at everyone over this as I was very attached to her and have been since high school. Found out Saturday night. Bringing her here would’ve been a dream come true. Ugh! (I think this has something to do with letting me take the bottle kittens because he felt bad...)

Scarlett and Maxine had their hooves trimmed on Sunday afternoon. Both were bad for different reasons and are tender for now. They are getting around but not well yet. DH also mowed the yard around the hoof trimming visit. 

Scarlett laying around today. 


 

DH and the kids were fixing fence in our creek pasture when I got home from work on Sunday. I walked out to meet them and took this pic as they headed back. (Back to Front: DS, DH, DD2 is riding in her pink car directly in front of DH, Queenie, DD1. Cowboy and Jewel were out there somewhere too.) 


 
May have mentioned somewhere that I fell with DD2 last Monday. My ankle was better until I worked the weekend, now it’s aggravated again. 

Needless to say, Monday was laidback. DD2 has physical therapy but they’ll come to the house until she turns 3 in June so we are working on all of the evals, paperwork, and insurance tape to get the next stage set up.

Monday was also when the tiny kittens made their debut on the farm. Have a little more info to update their thread. 

Tuesday I worked on the house with a vengeance to get it back in order after the weekend. I actually feel like I’m getting somewhere! My dad came for dinner and to see the kids while my mom worked on some house projects for their reno. DH and I also worked all of the adult Does (except Blossom of course) and all of the bucks born this year. Had to get more wormer to do the bucks so I’ll try to do them tonight but it may have to wait until the beginning of next week as they need to be weighed. I have updated kid weights that I’ll try to share soon too. 

I had an appt to do with DD2’s therapy transition today. They reiterated that her cognitive scores are basically bordering on genius. Not bad for a kiddo that we were told would have severe brain damage and would basically be a vegetable. Just have to say that God is good!!! 

DH started in on mowing hay here today. It takes 6 hours to mow on our farm. He called with exciting news from the tractor that you’ll find on the calving thread shortly. 



Took a pic of some grass that he’d just cut...


 
My next attempt was photobombed by Queenie! Lol


 
I’m stuck in the house with the kiddos because DD2 doesn’t handle heat well with her medical issues and medications and DS vomited from gagging on drainage so he doesn’t need to breathe all of the stirred up pollen.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 23, 2018)

Some other pics that I’ve taken today...

CeCe and her bitty precocious udder. @Southern by choice mentioned that she might get one and I had a chance to actually notice today. 



We have three of these fans in the barn. The two pictured are facing alternate directions. The furthest is aimed toward Sparkle, CeCe, and the bucks/bucklings to keep the air moving. Jewel is directly in front of the other. Cowboy and Queenie are also positioned strategically to feel the air flow that Blossom can choose to get in front of or avoid. 


 
Dinner. This is a purebred Angus steer from last year. I think he’s the dumbest bovine I’ve ever encountered. Hence the reason that he’s headed for my freezer sometime early fall. 


 
Jewel standing in part of the mown hay. 


 
Otis


 
Some of the cows gathered behind the barn. 


 
Calves in the creep feeder. 


 
Ember


 

DH will take pigs to the butcher before work in the morning then rake hay, bale, and wrap it after work. The two day process for haylage makes it easier to get a cutting in between rains and the grass can be wetter. It’s nice to be on our second cutting when everyone else local is just getting in their first cutting.


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## RollingAcres (May 24, 2018)

Wow! Lots going on over there at your homestead! I'm sorry you didn't get the horse you wanted, it sucks that when you have your heart set on something but didn't get it in the end.


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## Latestarter (May 24, 2018)

So happy to hear about DD2's status/progress. Cows look good, like a good cow should  Thanks for all the pics. That hay looks great and the grass down by the creek looks awesome as well. Sorry you lost out on the horse. I would have thought the person would have called and given a "get it by" date before just selling it out from under y'all. Hate to say it but bottle kittens seem like a pretty sorry replacement for a horse... Just my take. Hope maybe you'll find another horse that you can fall in love with. Maybe a younger one that you can love for much longer. The one you missed out on had to be getting kinda old. Not that I have anything against getting old mind you... I'm getting there myself!


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## Hens and Roos (May 24, 2018)

Looks like you have lots going on there!  I hear you on the heat....I have to be super careful when it starts getting humid/hot out and cant be out very long, makes it harder to get everything done!


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## Bruce (May 24, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I had an appt to do with DD2’s therapy transition today. They reiterated that her cognitive scores are basically bordering on genius. Not bad for a kiddo that we were told would have severe brain damage and would basically be a vegetable.




Please post a link to the kitten thread, I've not run across it I don't think. I don't often check "New Posts", I can barely keep up with the ones I'm following.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 24, 2018)

@Bruce here's an attempt. Let me know if it doesn’t work...

https://www.backyardherds.com/threads/bottle-kittens.37938/


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## Wehner Homestead (May 24, 2018)

DH and his dad finished hay just shy of midnight. This means that it’s wrapped and looks like a row of huge marshmallows. I’ll try to get a pic tomorrow. They are gone now to take the wrapper back. We got 43
bales. Really should be getting more.
Fertilizing the hay fields is a priority this year. 

I’ve been on my own the last two night with getting kids fed, to bed, then doing chores. I’m winding down now. 

Pigs also went to butcher. I’ll get weights and post them.


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## Wehner Homestead (May 28, 2018)

Wow! I’ve got a lot to catch you up on!! 

So pig weights...309,333,346#. Not too bad when aiming for 300#. We sold all but one half for us since we will do more later this year. 

I didn’t get a pic of the wrapped hay yet but I did get a few other pics on Thursday that I didn’t realize that I hadn’t shared yet. 

Some cows grazing when I went to get DD1 off the bus. 



 
New mailbox that DH put up on Tuesday. He bought numbers to put on it Friday but they haven’t been put on yet. 


 
Raked hay in the front pasture. 


 
Our driveway from the road looking back to the house. 


 

I worked all weekend like usual and I’m beginning to wonder why nurses even do what they do. I did get a very appreciative and polite patient on Sunday that was refreshing to care for and I would’ve enjoyed more if my sinuses weren’t so troublesome! 

Saturday DH put out bales of hay to the cows (we keep it out as an option year-round) and took care of some other chores that needed done while my parents watched the kiddos. He then went to a River Bats baseball game with his dad, his brother, and his nephew. They go every year and eat at Hooters before. DS isn’t quite old enough to enjoy the whole game yet and is under the weather right now. (Took him to dr Friday morning and he’s on an antibiotic that covers tick illnesses/bronchitis/and pneumonia. He’s also getting a nightly breathing treatment for the time being and has an appt scheduled with an allergist.) 

Sunday was a fish fry at my parents when I got off. Fun family time. Kids enjoyed eating and playing with their cousins. 

DH was back into hay today. His dad mowed his farm and his brother’s yesterday. This morning they raked, baled this afternoon and hauled here, then wrapped this evening. Neither area is very large, like about 3 acres each place and they got 25 bales. DH is taking the wrapper back now. 

Also picked up the heifer and steer we sold to the 4-H kiddo as the heifer is in heat and Otis will be breeding her. They’ll go back tomorrow night and all three are in a barn paddock for the moment. 

Kids played in the blow-up pool and Slip-n-Slide today. I supervised them and brushed out Queenie, Cowboy, and Jewel.

 DH’s nephew stayed the night last and played with the kids all day today. His mom and niece shopped today and stopped here when they got back so I had pizza delivered for everyone for an easy supper! 

Kids crashed at bedtime!


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## greybeard (May 28, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> They go every year and eat at Hooters before. DS isn’t quite old enough to enjoy the whole game yet and is under the weather right now.


I mis-read that at first and thought it said "DH isn't quite old enough to enjoy eating at Hooters yet.."


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## Wehner Homestead (May 28, 2018)

greybeard said:


> I mis-read that at first and thought it said "DH isn't quite old enough to enjoy eating at Hooters yet.."


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## RollingAcres (May 29, 2018)

greybeard said:


> I mis-read that at first and thought it said "DH isn't quite old enough to enjoy eating at Hooters yet.."


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## RollingAcres (May 29, 2018)

You have a beautiful place there, looks peaceful. 
Looks like someone will have some nice bacon and pork chops and ham and .....


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## mystang89 (May 30, 2018)

Don't get down about those patients who are loud mouthed, ungrateful, inconsiderate and mean. Let those people be who sweeten the grateful patients even more.

My wife works as a nurse as well. She comes home telling me all sorts of different stories about people, what they say and do. She's the type who will smile and try to help calmly, then cry afterwards. I've told her plenty of times that I wouldn't be able to keep a job in her field. I don't take ingratitude well and have a pretty sarcastic mouth when it comes to those people, telling them what they can do if they don't like something. You have my respect as well for putting up with them.


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## Bruce (May 30, 2018)

greybeard said:


> I mis-read that at first and thought it said "DH isn't quite old enough to enjoy eating at Hooters yet.."


Cradle robber!!!!!!


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## Wehner Homestead (May 30, 2018)




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## RollingAcres (May 30, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Cradle robber!!!!!!


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## RollingAcres (May 30, 2018)

@Wehner Homestead I'm at Page 10 of your journal, reading about making chili and how other people make it and what should or should not be in chili....I'm hungry now and it makes me want some chili! LOL


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 1, 2018)

Tropical storm Alberto has been dropping plenty of rain on us. Schools actually sent the kids to the basement yesterday and held them after dismissal for a severe thunderstorm to clear. 

Wednesday night DH bush hogged the border between our fence and the neighbor’s soybeans before the beans would be damaged from him cleaning up our fencerow. He still needs to chainsaw a few things and I’ll run the lawnmower on the inside to help reach under the actual wire. 

DH dropped off stool samples on Otis (bull) and Blossom this morning. Waiting to hear the results of those. 

Forgot to mention that I’m down to 10 cats if you count the kittens. Minnie was a casualty to farm equipment during the last round of hay. I mentioned that we were planning to remove her from the farm in some way so I guess that took care of itself. 

Need to get a pen ready to move the bucks to so they can browse. Also need a creep feed pen for the group of calves that are now in with the bull and can’t get to the main creep feeder. Our garage is also a disaster and I’m not even parking in it right now. I keep pushing to get the shed moved here for the chickens too! The last set are in less than ideal quarters and I feel like it’s bordering on cruel. (I’m sure it could be much worse but I prefer my animals spoiled!) Pig pen also needs torn down and cleaned up. Ugh! Lots to do. 

DD1 is now a Kindergarten graduate too! 

Here’s a few pics to go with this update...
DD2 visiting Sparkle! 




Nala


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 1, 2018)

Ya know....if ya subtract the time spent doing other things, like tending to the kids or being at work, from the hours in a weeks time....ya would see that ya are getting quite a bit done in the time that ya spend at it. It always seems the list of things to do heavily outweighs the time to do it all....throw in a few plans, wants and desires....and there aren't enough marks on the watch or numbers on a digital clock to fit it all in. I think ya have ypur platter Full and sometimes ya just have to feel good about what it is that ya have gotten Done.....


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## RollingAcres (Jun 1, 2018)

DD1 congratulations on graduating Kindergarten! Ya, in 3 more weeks my son will be done with 1st grade.
Better to have lots to do than not have anything to do and be bored.


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## mystang89 (Jun 1, 2018)

Woohoo! Congrats to DD1!

My mother always told me that when she was a young married woman, before me, that her cats always found their way under the hood of the car. Many cats lots their lives from what I'm told lol. 

You must not live to terribly far from us. We had a pretty bad t storm from Alberta yesterday as well. We sure needed it though.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 1, 2018)

mystang89 said:


> Woohoo! Congrats to DD1!
> 
> My mother always told me that when she was a young married woman, before me, that her cats always found their way under the hood of the car. Many cats lots their lives from what I'm told lol.
> 
> You must not live to terribly far from us. We had a pretty bad t storm from Alberta yesterday as well. We sure needed it though.



I’m about 40 minutes from you and go through Charlestown often on my way to appts. If you wanna message me, I’ll give more detail.


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## Mike CHS (Jun 1, 2018)

I still think that what you are getting done is impressive.  It's the 'unplanned' things that seem to take the most time.  Our porch has one of those story doors that you can pull the window down and the screen comes down to fill the same space.  We had a thunderstorm roll in last night and when I went to close the window the entire assembly came out of the door.


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## Mini Horses (Jun 1, 2018)

Like a hole where the window was??   I know water coming in isn't good BUT -- be thankful it wasn't a snow blizzard.   

(just looking for a "good" side of the situation)


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## Mike CHS (Jun 1, 2018)

It normally would have gotten wet in there as it faces south but the wind (and rain) were out of the west last night.  The new door is installed and the old one at the dump station


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 1, 2018)

I like it when it always seems to happen at the dangdest times, too.....standing there with a piece of something in your hand while ya are getting soaked....could of just sprinkled all day long, but something happens and the bottom fall out. Joyce locked the truck up one time, but didn't bring her key with her, so we were locked out.....downpour city while I got the check window out and was able to unlock it, then reinstall window and seal....I was drenched by that time.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 4, 2018)

Gonna be a big day here! 

We have lots to get done. I’ll try to post what we’ve accomplished later. 

Otis (bull) was looking rough and laying around so we got a stool sample. He tested positive for strongyles and coccidia. He had already been treated with ivomec pour-on so the vet wants to wait and recheck the strongyles but definitely treat coccidia. So...he’s now in a barn pen with our steer for lack of a better companion (and no one else is showing symptoms.) We are doing Corid in his water for five days. I’m a little nervous about him being penned with the kids playing in the barn but he is really chill so as long as they give him space, he should be fine. (They won’t go in his pen, I just want them to keep their distance.)


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 6, 2018)

Mowed yesterday and got a sunburn. I even put sunscreen on and did the mowing after 2! Cowboy is smart and hung out in front of the fan! 



 

Wilson and Disney have had their large dog crate moved to the loft. They’ll spend a few days up there then we will open the door and leave it open. At that point, they have to learn their own way out of the loft. There is food, water, and a litter box in the loft so they have what they need. Really hoping they do well! 

Here’s a pic of them playing in the pig scales while we moved their crate. I’ve put them in the scales for a few minutes a couple times a day for the last few days to let them stretch their legs and explore someplace new. 


 

DH worked on the water heater Monday night to fix it. Kids let Oscar in so he had to make his rounds. He also went to the cellar and scared me to death because there’s poison down there. 


 

A few of the barn cats were relaxing this evening so I got some decent pics...

Mickey having one of his better days despite his sinus issues.


 
Chester keeping an eye on his domain.


 
Sophie 




Forgot to mention that Sparkle and CeCe have been weaned from their bottles. They seem to have adjusted well and I increased their feed some. They look really good. I’ll try to get a pic soon.


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## Mini Horses (Jun 7, 2018)

I have questions about those marshmallow hay rolls....  As I go to one of my stores I see a farmer who has about 50 of them lined up.  I know they can be less dry than winter hay.   Are they fermenting in there?  When you apply the wrap, does the machine vacuum seal it?    Never have gone up touch close to one and have seen utube videos where people put gasses in bags, etc.     Ever have mold issues?  Do they heat up in there?  Curious.

I need to get some kittens, would love some barn reared by mouser moms and about 4-5 months old.    My one just disappeared about a month ago, after 12 years here   The old geezer isn't interested in much more than a good nap & food.  He only watches the mouse run by now days.  I know he is past 18 because that is when he decided to live here & was a young adult, fully grown.  Suspect he's pushing 20.


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## Bruce (Jun 7, 2018)

Careful what you ask for Mini, someone might dump a whole litter of kittens on you!


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## RollingAcres (Jun 7, 2018)

Cowboy is very smart to lay in front of the fan! Love those cat pics!



Bruce said:


> Careful what you ask for Mini, someone might dump a whole litter of kittens on you!


Agree!
I work at a garbage company. Every once in a while the workers will find a litter of kittens near the dumping station. We usually try to see if anyone would take the kittens if not then they would be brought to the humane society.


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## Mini Horses (Jun 7, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Careful what you ask for Mini, someone might dump a whole litter of kittens on you!



This is true!   But have put the word out for a couple.   One year I had a very pregnant orange tabby show up -?-  She was a great mouser. On a cold, snowy day, I found her & 9  new kittens -- all orange tabby!    Found good homes for them. 

BUT --  Would rather have the cats than snakes, who eat eggs not mice!


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## RollingAcres (Jun 7, 2018)

Snakes eat mice too.


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## greybeard (Jun 7, 2018)

Mini Horses said:


> I have questions about those marshmallow hay rolls.... As I go to one of my stores I see a farmer who has about 50 of them lined up. I know they can be less dry than winter hay. Are they fermenting in there? When you apply the wrap, does the machine vacuum seal it? Never have gone up touch close to one and have seen utube videos where people put gasses in bags, etc. Ever have mold issues? Do they heat up in there? Curious.



Wrapped round bales  are done with 2 different purposes.
1. Baleage. In this case, it's a fairly high moisture content. around 55% moisture and yes, will ferment as all baleage needs to. It's more palatable, good protein retention, and similar to silage. Get too far below that % and you can have mold problems.

2. Dry hay. It's only wrapped so you can store it outside and not worry about how much rain or snow falls on it. Cut, dried  and wrapped at around 14% moisture or less (preferably less) during summer to either be sold or used in both summer and thru the winter, and more often than not here, in sleeves that the ends of the bale are exposed to the air. It takes more wraps to do dry hay to keep the inside of the plastic from sweating.
I don't see a lot of this dry hay wrap happening around here. Dry hay wrapped at around 20-25% moisture content will very likely mold while stored in any kind of humid conditions..and sometimes even if stored inside and off the ground.

I don't know anyone except a few hobby horse & goat people that buys hay during the winter..Usually in short supply by then and the price reflects that. I and everyone around here buys it either right out of the field or has their own baled mid year, and stores it for winter use. I can buy good 4x5 rounds for $30-$40 tops in summer, but the same hay bought in winter will cost as much as $65/roll. 5x6 bales in the field are about $5 more..I want 1000lb bales so I get 5x6 almost always.
Sq bales are the same way. In the field, $3-$4 each, but come January, those same bales may be as much as $15 a bale. (the above prices are for a normal year..not drought years or years where it rains all summer and fall)

(I only buy small square bales for use as bedding and a little hay if I have a sick one isolated  in cold weather)


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## Mini Horses (Jun 7, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Snakes eat mice too.



Well, yes.  But the ones I've had totally watched them run by & slid into the nest boxes -- and under a 3 day from hatch broody! -- taking eggs.   They should have stayed with mice, then I would not have used the machete.  The vultures ate them.

Thanks GB!!   I most often buy my hay late summer.  The baleage intrigued me.  The time saved to dry more is a real plus.  Protein retention is another.  Does a grass hay perform better than say, alfalfa?  I assume those white bags are sealed off. 

I have always bought a round with just the hay twine, no wrap.  I store under cover.  Generally use squares as easier for me to handle and store AND move.   But in mid to late winter I have used a round, placed under a large carport  that is for summer shelter/shade in a couple fields.  Their run in barn is closed enough that I can't quite drive the tractor in without removing some portion of wall.  The actual barn seldom has a horse in it, am going to reconfigure stalls for goats & milking next Spring.  Have kidding stalls in there now.  One lone old stallion goes into the end stall sometimes.  He has free access set up but likes it outside....near "where the girls are".


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 7, 2018)

@Mini Horses GB answered most of the details but I’ll give some specifics on ours. It’s high quality mixed grass haylage that ferments, similar to silage. We wrap bales in rows (end to end) so that’s why ours really looks like marshmallows. We use two end bales that are dry hay to “seal” the haylage in so that it ferments properly. The bale closest to the haylage is a complete waste. The outer bale can then be used as the inner dry bale the next year.

We only feed haylage to the cattle. We’ve seen them maintain condition much better through the winter. We go through fewer bales (per cow) with less waste. One tube is also good for up to three years as long as it isn’t opened at all. Once opened, it needs to be used in 2-3 months.

Haylage has the benefit of less manpower and fewer days from start to finish due to the goal being a higher moisture content. We mow one evening and rake the next afternoon, bale as raking is done, and wrap when done baling. Absolutely no tedding.

We do dry hay for the goats and horse when we had one. Haylage isn’t intended for horses and their easily disrupted digestive tracts. Goats have also been found to not tolerate fermented hay as well as cattle. We “zebra” wrap these bales. Those are the black/white ones I posted. The wrapper we rent holds two rolls so we do one black and one white. Just black would get too hot but just white holds too much moisture (as the black is porous but attracts more heat.) The zebra bales we’ve sold have had really good feedback. I haven’t used any on my dairy goats yet as I used squares this winter. Our new set up will have an area for a round bale.

Edited to add: our good haylage bales are easily 1200# each!


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## Mini Horses (Jun 8, 2018)

WOW!   Thanks for those details.   It's amazing what the various methods of "feeding"  & curing are all about.  I used to have to research major nutrition factors when raising the minis, changing for show diets, exercise, etc.   Each animal has balances that need to be maintained.  Something as simple as a spoonful of flax added to a scoop of beet pulp can make a difference. 

Animal gut systems have to be learned.  Otherwise you may kill them with kindness, so to speak.   Major differences between say, horses & cattle, goats, sheep, even tho they all can "graze" and it looks the same.  NOT.    Some feeds can prove deadly between animal types.

This explains why the huge row of white "marshmallows" I pass can sit tightly pushed together for a long time!  I have often wondered why all the effort if not used.  This guy has a lovely herd of cattle -- mostly angus but, I see some charlois (sp?) calves this year --  all kept looking great!   Capturing good grass from a smaller area sure helps lower costs in the long term.  I love that it can hold it's nutrition for that long.  Wow.  Dry hay that old has lost a lot -- becomes bedding -- this haylage keeps the nutrition, helpful in poor years of grass growth.  $$ in the bank!


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## Baymule (Jun 8, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> I don't like crunchy stuff in my deviled eggs and I don't like relish either.
> Not much of a pickles fan, it needs to be a certain sweetness and it needs to be spicy.


You would probably like the sweet pickles that I make, the recipe came from my great grandmother to my grand mother to me. I soak the sliced cukes for 24 hours in lime water, that makes them crisp. Then I wash them, soak in cold water and vinegar, wash again, then start cooking them. They are spicy, sweet and the best damn pickles I ever had. I started making them when I was in high school and have made them ever since.


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## RollingAcres (Jun 8, 2018)

Baymule said:


> You would probably like the sweet pickles that I make, the recipe came from my great grandmother to my grand mother to me. I soak the sliced cukes for 24 hours in lime water, that makes them crisp. Then I wash them, soak in cold water and vinegar, wash again, then start cooking them. They are spicy, sweet and the best damn pickles I ever had. I started making them when I was in high school and have made them ever since.


You had me at spicy!  That sounds like something I'd eat. Thanks Bay!
Are these the refrigerated kind or canned kind? I normally make the refrigerated kind because I don't like them soft. I tried to canned pickles once but they turned soft. I don't have a pressure cooker so I made it via the hot water bath method.
Can you please share the recipe? Please and thank you.


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## Baymule (Jun 8, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> You had me at spicy!  That sounds like something I'd eat. Thanks Bay!
> Are these the refrigerated kind or canned kind? I normally make the refrigerated kind because I don't like them soft. I tried to canned pickles once but they turned soft. I don't have a pressure cooker so I made it via the hot water bath method.
> Can you please share the recipe? Please and thank you.



I guarantee you, if you make these pickles, you will never use another recipe. Ever. Also in this link is the cinnamon pickles I make. I love recipes like this, handed down in the family, made over and over for years and generations. I am happy to share with you.

https://www.theeasygarden.com/threa...r-yall-that-are-tired-of-soggy-pickles.12510/


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## Baymule (Jun 8, 2018)

And I use these pickles in my deviled eggs, along with some of the syrup. They disappear quick!


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## greybeard (Jun 8, 2018)

Lost me at ACV. I try to stay away from anything purported to be a dewormer, keeps lice, flies, ticks away and cure anything except the worst forms of cancer.


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## Bruce (Jun 8, 2018)

Baymule said:


> You would probably like the sweet pickles that I make, the recipe came from my great grandmother to my grand mother to me.


Grandma Wall's sweet pickles?? Probably has a 5th of whisky in the recipe


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## Baymule (Jun 8, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Lost me at ACV. I try to stay away from anything purported to be a dewormer, keeps lice, flies, ticks away and cure anything except the worst forms of cancer.


You can use white vinegar. But you will have worms, lice, flies, ticks and mild forms of cancer.


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## Baymule (Jun 8, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Grandma Wall's sweet pickles?? Probably has a 5th of whisky in the recipe


No, but feel free to make Mamma Wall's Eggnog  to drink with Mamma Wall's Spicy Sweet Pickles!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 9, 2018)

Pretty sunset last night. I likened it to cotton candy. 



 
Did a feed run on Thursday. My mom’s family is from and lives around Greensburg. We like getting our feed from Soy Processors there. It’s a co-op type feed store and grain elevator. They’ve worked with DH on custom mixing our cattle feed too. 

Anyway, my grandpa is selling his collection of antique JD tractors this fall. He pulled them out to get pics for the auction flyers. It’s like the end of an era. His health and eyesight are too bad to restore them anymore. They’ll now be enjoyed by someone else. I took a few pics for memories and thought I’d share. 


 

 

Today we made a trip to Ohio to pick up Leah and Summer, the two Nigerians that we’ve been waiting on to get old enough to come home. We are on our way home now. I’ll try to get pics of them and some updated pics of the others when we get home.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 9, 2018)

I was deleting some pics on my phone and came across a few from earlier this week that I hadn’t shared. 

Late afternoon view of the cows.


 
Heifer that we have nicknamed Mabel. She’s left from last year and we are holding her for a friend. Long story. Never worked with her but she’s really tame. (Her dam is Melody and her granddam is Maddie.) She’s licking my shirt in the first pic with Queenie watching. The second pic is hard to see Queenie but Mabel had switched to licking my hand. 


 

 
Pic of five of the six younger kids eating out of one pan when the Does got fed.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 9, 2018)

I know that had to be a tough decision for your Dad to make and it looks like he has a rather large collection of them. The sunset is beautiful and so are all the animals....the green pasture doesn't look bad either.....sure glad Queenie keeps an eye on ya to keep ya safe.....


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## Southern by choice (Jun 9, 2018)

Baymule said:


> You can use white vinegar. But you will have worms, lice, flies, ticks and mild forms of cancer.


You always make me smile Bay! I love your humor!


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## Southern by choice (Jun 9, 2018)

I have no words. Your grandfathers collection is amazing. beautiful.   and


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 9, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> I have no words. Your grandfathers collection is amazing. beautiful.   and



This will be his fourth sale. All during my lifetime. The first was when he retired from farming. The second was the divorce sale.
He had to part with 11 Waterloo Boys (first JD tractor.) The third was when the home place was sold. The fourth and final is because his health is declining. 

I got pics of the kids with the tractors and have wonderful memories of driving them, antique tractor pulls, and pictures with them on special occasions. He even modified a 10,000 bushel grain bin to become a storage shed after he retired from farming and it held only antiques.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 9, 2018)

Picture Overload! 

New additions...I failed to add color as I mentioned when I went to pick them. I’m really excited for their potential ability for milking and confirmation though! I’ll try to get more pics as they settle in. 

Honey Locust Farm Indian Summer (pending) is out of Honey Locust Farm Mudslide (Zanzabeez Polar Vortex and ButtinHeads Spanish Rhapsody) and Honey Locust Farm Peach Melba. We will call her Summer. She likes attention once caught but we need to work on catching since she was dam raised. 



 

Mill View Anne of Avonlea (pending) is out of Uncorked Farm Saban and BroCo Farms Willow Anne. This breeding is having in Caprine Acres lines. We plan on calling her Leah. Her dam has an amazing FF udder. She was also a bottle baby so she’s “in your pocket.” 



Leah-L and Summer-R.


 
Jasmine checking out the new additions. (Diamond and Caramel in the background.) They are from a tested herd that I’ve seen the paperwork on. Also, since they are too young to test, they do share a fence line with our does. (Blossom is in the true quarantine pen.) 



Knight-back and King-front. 


 
Otis is feeling and looking much better since his coccidia treatment. He’s headed for shade in this pic. 


 
Queenie says it’s hot and took a break in front of the fans. 


 
Cont’d with pics of CeCe and Sparkle.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 9, 2018)

CeCe and Sparkle have grown so much since they’ve been here. We are VERY happy with these two! @Southern by choice here’s updated pics per your request.  It was hot so they didn’t want to leave the barn and I didn’t make them. 
Sparkle! (Cowboy in background, there is someone on the other end of that pitchfork that is actually using it.) 



CeCe likes to check out the chickens. 


 
CeCe in chicken land. (Not for long. Chicken changes coming.) 


 
Sparkle thinking about trying out the steps. (I moved her away from the cord right after I took the pic. It moves air through the leanto for the cows.) 



CeCe right before she jumped on me. Gotta get lovin’s from Mama!  Makes it hard to take pics though. 



Sparkle


 
CeCe peeking in at the new girls. 


 
Sparkle found a stray bucket to check for crumbs and Jewel was headed for me. 



CeCe looking at the cows. 



Both girls together!! 


 
Cont’d on next post...


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 9, 2018)

CeCe and Sparkle cont’d...

Sparkle before I let her out. 



Both girls peeking at Mom. 



Sparkle.



CeCe ready to jump.


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## Southern by choice (Jun 9, 2018)

Ce Ce is looking so much like her mom!  Sparkle is so hairy! Where is that coming from I wonder?
The Nigerians look great as well. It's funny, color is fun but I have really grown to love the sleek black look on goats!


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## Goat Whisperer (Jun 9, 2018)

Still catching up. The girls look great! 
We are repeating the breeding that produced CeCe, in hopes of a doeling  If we didn’t have so many kids born this year (42) we would have kept her 

Love Queen as always 

Sparkle gets her crazy hair from her granddam, Zephyr. She gets crazy long hair. Most of the goats in her line get really long hair, one had hair over 6 inches long 

Our lamancha kids are still on milk 
SBC weaned my Nigerians while I was at the show. Probably a good thing too, I’d end up leaving them on milk until they are a year old


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## greybeard (Jun 9, 2018)

Baymule said:


> You can use white vinegar. But you will have worms, lice, flies, ticks and mild forms of cancer.


Nah, there's always a dead cat on the road somewhere I can use to swing around my head while doing the ancient chant to achieve the same immunity. See....I plan ahead, that way I don't have to do anything today.....Earl explained it to me..


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## Baymule (Jun 9, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Nah, there's always a dead cat on the road somewhere I can use to swing around my head while doing the ancient chant to achieve the same immunity. See....I plan ahead, that way I don't have to do anything today.....Earl explained it to me..


That only works on the dark of the moon, at midnight, swinging the dead cat with the left hand while sticking your right hand in a hollow stump full of rain water. Continue on with the ancient chant...... That's what Earl's MeeMaw told me and I figgerred she ourght to know.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 9, 2018)

Speaking of dead cats...Queenie dug up Minnie and rolled on her carcass and is now bathed in her smell.  Needless to say, Minnie is now in a plastic bag and has been reburied. 

On a different note, I got a few more pics for y’all. It’s definitely been a picture day! Lol

Sunset



 
Wrapped bales from this year. @Mini Horses


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## Baymule (Jun 9, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Speaking of dead cats...Queenie dug up Minnie and rolled on her carcass and is now bathed in her smell.  Needless to say, Minnie is now in a plastic bag and has been reburied.



I am sorry, but I laughed when I read this. I just couldn't help it. When we have dead animals I cover them with lime before we cover them with dirt. It kills the odor.


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## greybeard (Jun 10, 2018)

Baymule said:


> I am sorry, but I laughed when I read this. I just couldn't help it. When we have dead animals I cover them with lime before we cover them with dirt. It kills the odor.



I don't care anymore, how big or small the animal is I bury...I do it with a backhoe..deep,  and pack it down good afterwards;
Got tired of animal parts being dug up and drug up on the porch. 

I probably shouldn't tell this but about 4 years ago, we took in yet another emaciated stray that wandered up. Got her back to eating good, and my other older dog tolerated her for the most part and learned to leave her medicated dog food alone. About 3-4 weeks later, only about an hour after wife & I talked about getting her fixed and all her shots, she walked down the the end of the porch late one night, kinda curled up in a corner and went into the awfullest convulsive, snarling, slobbering fit you ever saw. I put her down right there and then. Old Indy hardly looked up when the shot rang, but as I was putting her in the contractor's bag, and wife was getting the water hose to wash the mess of the porch, he walked up, sniffed her once or twice, then went right over and started eating out of her dog bowl. I said "Indy!"
He looked up at me like _"Well, she ain't gonna be needin this no more"_ and went right back to eating....so much for the companion mourning period.


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## Latestarter (Jun 10, 2018)

Maybe you shoulda put Queenie in a plastic bag too?


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 10, 2018)

Queening smells horrid!!! It’s bad enough when it’s a dead wild animal but a pet cat!


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## RollingAcres (Jun 11, 2018)

Your sunset pics are just stunning! Love them!
As for Queenie, she's just doing what dogs do best - rolling in dead stuff! June june used to love doing that too.


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## RoahT (Jun 11, 2018)

Love the sunsets!! So gorgeous!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 11, 2018)

In case anyone is wondering, Queenie still stinks!  I may suck it up and bathe her tomorrow...

Speaking of Queenie, her spay is scheduled for later this month. The neighbors’ Labs are getting interested and coming to the property line. Can’t take a chance on Lab/Tolis, especially since Queenie could come in heat and we not be here (with DD2’s random hospital visits and probable surgery this fall) to pen her. A litter is a lot of work and I don’t have the time to put in that would be required. A mixed breeding would be even harder to rehome. No thanks! In a way, I’m beyond sad but she can’t work if she’s a mom and she loves her job. We also don’t have reinforcements for her being penned for weeks at a time. Ugh! Need to get back to trying to find an addition. 

Lady from work that Oscar and Sophie (cats from Summer 2017) heard that DD2’s bottle kitten died and offered a choice of one or both of two very cute kittens that she has. Ready in about 2 weeks. An orange and a light gray tiger. We have enough cats but none are DD2’s and hers keep being casualties...what to do?! Haven’t asked DH yet either. 

Got a neat compliment the other day. I often feel like I have to downgrade my big heart by saying things like “I have sucker written on my forehead” or “I can’t say no.” This person saw me keeping my kids with me at hoof trimming for cattle. I kept my kids safe and where I was (didn’t pawn them off.) He was amazed that I entertained them while keeping an eye on the process. He’s also the one that came to the house and trimmed hooves on two cows. My bottle kittens were mentioned as I had to leave to feed them and I made some comment like above. He corrected me and told me that I’m a caretaker. He told me that I have a caring heart and that I shouldn’t minimize that. Told me that I remind him of his wife with their kids and makes him smile. Made my week! It was beyond wonderful to hear someone acknowledge that I put everything I have into those around me. I so often feel walked on and often taken advantage of, frequently judged and rarely adequate. 

I worked today and it was a long day filled with drama and my back is now sore from the tugging on large patients. Nothing like my kids squealing with joy when I get home!!


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## frustratedearthmother (Jun 11, 2018)

Caretaker is a good description.  I call it being a "nurturer by nature."  I think it fits a lot of us!


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## RollingAcres (Jun 12, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Got a neat compliment the other day. I often feel like I have to downgrade my big heart by saying things like “I have sucker written on my forehead” or “I can’t say no.” This person saw me keeping my kids with me at hoof trimming for cattle. I kept my kids safe and where I was (didn’t pawn them off.) He was amazed that I entertained them while keeping an eye on the process. He’s also the one that came to the house and trimmed hooves on two cows. My bottle kittens were mentioned as I had to leave to feed them and I made some comment like above. He corrected me and told me that I’m a caretaker. He told me that I have a caring heart and that I shouldn’t minimize that. Told me that I remind him of his wife with their kids and makes him smile. Made my week! It was beyond wonderful to hear someone acknowledge that I put everything I have into those around me. I so often feel walked on and often taken advantage of, frequently judged and rarely adequate.


 You are a caretaker and it's something you should be very proud of. Not everyone can be a caretaker.


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## mystang89 (Jun 12, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> In case anyone is wondering, Queenie still stinks!



Look at the bright side, at least she wasn't sprayed by a skunk lol


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## Hens and Roos (Jun 12, 2018)

Nothing wrong with being a caretaker


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## Baymule (Jun 12, 2018)

That was a lovely compliment. You needed to hear that. And it is true.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 12, 2018)

It has to make ya feel Good....just cause someone noticed your "actions".....so many today don't even care to notice, but kudos to ya for backing up your words with "actions".....


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 23, 2018)

Been away for a bit....hope things are well with ya and the family.........I also know this is the busy season, so just checking on ya.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 25, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Been away for a bit....hope things are well with ya and the family.........I also know this is the busy season, so just checking on ya.....



You are right! Thanks for checking on me. I’ll try to get an update posted.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 27, 2018)

Finally caught up on reading all the threads I currently follow. Hope everyone is caught up on getting their posts “liked!”  I didn’t comment on many as I was way behind on happenings. 

Going to update a few of my threads tonight. That’ll be a start at getting y’all back in the loop. 

I will leave you with a little basic info here. We were on vacation from 6/17 to 6/22. TN was amazing! Hadn’t been to Gatlinburg in about 2 years. It was wonderful to have family time! 



 

Sat 6/23 was catch up, situate farm issues, and prep. 6/24 DD2 turned 3 and we celebrated with a purple beach themed pool party. She wanted brownies instead of cake. Definitely fun but going by way too fast! 

Picked up a kitten from the farm DH’s Mom grew up on. (His cousin owns it now.) This will be DD2’s since her bottle kitten didn’t make it. She got to pick from a litter of 5 with a little help from mom to see which ones would tolerate handling better. (I let her choose from two.) Introducing Ella! 



I’m not the best at selfies and was also holding a crying cat...

Sunset last night and snapped a pic of my “garden” while I was at it. Those are volunteer sunflowers from last year. I don’t think it’s going to get planted this year. There are volunteer pumpkins under the kids’ swingset too!


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## greybeard (Jun 27, 2018)

Gardens take a lot of time and work... Glad you enjoyed your vacation!! Everyone needs one sometime.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 27, 2018)

Grabbed some escutcheon pics of Sparkle and CeCe before vacation but never got them posted. 

@Southern by choice @Goat Whisperer 




 

 

 
They were also glad when Mom came home and they got to go on walk about again!


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## goatgurl (Jun 27, 2018)

glad youall got to enjoy some family time.  taking time to unwind is important, especially with all you have on your plate and what you do for a living.  goats are looking great and I just love ella's face.  what a cutie


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## RollingAcres (Jun 28, 2018)

Glad y'all had a nice vacation and happy to see your posts again. As always pics are beautiful! 
Ella is very cute!


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## Baymule (Jun 28, 2018)

Vacation time is needed to restore your self. Time away, going and coming is needed, just to have some fun. Glad you enjoyed yourself. The scenery was beautiful.


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## Mike CHS (Jun 28, 2018)

You picked a beautiful place to have vacation.  I'm still amazed at how fast Gatlinburg recovered from the fires there.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jun 28, 2018)

It’s been a sad day. Just getting kids settled. Had to put Otis (bull) down. Long and short of it is that he’s been battling coccidia and we just tested him again and we were getting him in for another round of treatment. Couldn’t find him. DH went searching and found him on his side on limbs in the creek. It looks as though he fell off the rock ledge and injured his back. His rear right leg wouldn’t bend at all. Completely stiff. We got him unstuck and tried to get him right with ropes and the tractor but he started going into shock. His eyes rolled back in his head and we made the decision to stop the suffering. DH’s Dad and my dad both came to help. I came to the house with DH to get kids settled as my mom was with them but they were super upset. I heard two shots in quick succession but I’m not sure if one was an echo. I know DH used deer slugs. The tractor was then used to drag him the rest of the way out of the creek and he’s covered with a tarp for the dead wagon to pick up tomorrow. I’m supposed to work. Kids wouldn’t settle and are full of questions. Trying to explain suffering to little ones is hard. Youngest said she was going to drive the truck to get him back. She just turned 3. That’s when I lost it. He was a good bull. No attitude problems. Calving ease. Calves looked great and grow well. Tough pill to swallow. Breeding season isn’t over. Need a new bull ASAP. Ugh!


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## Rammy (Jun 29, 2018)

Sorry to hear your loss.


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## Hens and Roos (Jun 29, 2018)

sorry to hear


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## Mini Horses (Jun 29, 2018)

That's a hard one -- in so many ways.  I'm sorry. 

Even "livestock" animals are honored on a farm and a good bull is not easy to find -- beyond all the breeding good, I mean rational and kind.    If only a few left to settle, maybe AI?  Then you can have time to shop around.


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## RollingAcres (Jun 29, 2018)

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss...
It's so hard to have to explain death to young children. Hang in there and hugs to you all.


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## goats&moregoats (Jun 29, 2018)

Sorry to hear of your loss of the bull, the & the kitten. Sometimes farm life is rough. Hang in there.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jun 29, 2018)

It has been my experience that explaining the truth to young children and answering their questions about it is the best way to go.....it can be tough, but they do understand much more than they get credit for.....especially growing up on a farm they are exposed to a wide variety of "teachable moments".....if the truth is always shared, then they will always respect you and look to you to answer the tough questions and will trust ya.....sorry for your loss and wish ya well in your explanation to them.....


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## RollingAcres (Jun 29, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> It has been my experience that explaining the truth to young children and answering their questions about it is the best way to go.....it can be tough, but they do understand much more than they get credit for.....especially growing up on a farm they are exposed to a wide variety of "teachable moments".....if the truth is always shared, then they will always respect you and look to you to answer the tough questions and will trust ya.....sorry for your loss and wish ya well in your explanation to them.....


I'm with @CntryBoy777 on that.
It's hard to explain it to them and we don't want to get into too much details but we want them to know and learn about death just as much as we want them to learn about life.
There's a book called "God needed a Puppy", perhaps telling them that Otis went to heaven because God needed a bull might help explaining it?


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## Bruce (Jun 29, 2018)

I "liked" your post but only in support of you and the family. So sorry Otis had to be put down.


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## Southern by choice (Jun 29, 2018)

I am so sorry.  


RollingAcres said:


> I'm with @CntryBoy777 on that.
> It's hard to explain it to them and we don't want to get into too much details but we want them to know and learn about death just as much as we want them to learn about life.
> There's a book called "God needed a Puppy", perhaps telling them that Otis went to heaven because God needed a bull might help explaining it?



Please don't do this.  I do not think many people realize how damaging those words are.  
Saying these words to a child has serious long term affects especially in how they view God and develop  (or often not) their relationship with  Him.
Far to many children have been told "God needed". First, no God doesn't "need" anything. Second, a child has a difficult time understanding how taking mom, dad, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa etc because "God needed them"  and they don't.  I share this because I have seen this far too many times. Grown adults with those words ringing in their ears years after they lost their parent (as a child)...  angry, confused, sad, hating God because they never have understood why God needed mom ( or whatever) more then them.

Speak truth, don't lie.  Truth is that all creatures and humans will die at some point. Sometimes sickness, sometimes accidents etc... God is there to comfort us in our grief and welcome our loved ones as they return back to Him.


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## Baymule (Jun 29, 2018)

I am sorry about Otis. I know he was a valued member of the farm and will be missed.


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## Bruce (Jun 30, 2018)

Good post SBC, very good post.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jul 1, 2018)

Thanks all! The support is greatly appreciated! We are still reeling. We’ve been very honest with the kids. They know that Otis fell off the ledge and was stuck and after we all tried to save him, we found that he was hurt too badly and that he was suffering. They wanted to take him to the hospital so we explained that’s not always an option for bulls. Their biggest thing is that they just want him back so we tell that that he’s with God or Jesus and once there, bulls can’t come back. They seem to accept that well. The kids also understand that Daddy had to kill him because he was in so much pain and couldn’t get better. We also talked about him being picked up by a company that buries big animals. (That one is a little stretch but I couldn’t explain fertilizer at that time as I was too emotional and being spread on the ground and worked in is technically buried-right?!) 

We have a new bull coming tomorrow to cover the rest of our breeding season. He’s being borrowed from a friend that “happened” to have an extra. (God works in mysterious ways!) I’ll try to post a pic but I have no idea how he will act. 

We have already done AI and then we use a clean-up bull. We wintered 4 cows last year that weren’t bred and we can’t afford to do that again. Live cover rate success is higher. 

Exploring a few leads on a bull to raise for next year. Thinking Simmental again. We liked Otis so much better than the different Angus that we had! 

Today was my third day in a row of work. (12 hr shifts) I feel like more of a psych nurse than a critical care nurse. These overdosed on synthetic drugs are ridiculous. 

DH and his dad took on another 60 acres of hay. It’s on one farm but in varying lots around the farm. Doing dry bales this round that are already spoken for. Hay is cut and tedded but did get rained on today. Bout time to do our place again.


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## Hens and Roos (Jul 2, 2018)

Glad to hear you were able to borrow a bull for now!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jul 2, 2018)

“Fred” arrived today. (He was already named.) His interest was piqued when I called the girls up before he was even unloaded. After a thorough sniffing of each of the girls, he proceeded to push a haylage bale down an incline. He’s here until July 30...




 

The heat here makes it almost unbearable to be out. I’ve checked on waterers several times today and had to refill a few. Some pens will need extra buckets tomorrow as I have to work and DH will be home about 9 hrs for work and commute. Makes me worry! 

As y’all know, we lost a chicken on Monday night while Queenie was getting spayed, Otis on Thursday night from a traumatic leg injury, and Friday I got home from work and went to the barn to check animals again. Found Smoky dead in the barn loft. We’d moved them up there for more space in a very large dog crate after Ella was turned out. Their water had dumped and I think he overheated. I had several concerns about him from the get-go. I guess he just wasn’t meant for this world. That one made me cry. Just too much to hold back. Daisy is lonely. We moved her back to feed room. She also had a fan to move air. I also have her a glass dish that’s heavier and harder to tip over. 

Those losses have been hard to swallow. Animals here are quite spoiled and we work hard and make their lives more comfortable. Three in five days is just crazy! Praying we don’t have any more from the heat. The goats just lay in front of their fans, the cows stand in the shade of the trees, and the chickens are panting. The cats don’t even want messed with. Queenie and Cowboy having been coming in the house for short periods of time to cool off too. (Cowboy tipped over the kitchen trash and then a bathroom trash can so he kept getting kicked out!) 

Planning to work cattle on Wed morning. Vaccs, worming, castration, fly/number tags, body shave a few hairier ones to keep them cooler, pregnancy check a few cows by bloodwork. We will be set-up to start when the sun is making its way up to get done before the heat becomes unbearable. 

Four bigger calves: Beast, Reggie, Jordan, and Rockstar are in the barn being weaned. They are under fans and so are their dams to reduce the heat stress. We will wait to castrate these guys to avoid two stressors that close together with the heat. They will get vaccinated and wormed though. Breaking to halter/lead/tie/wash will happen over the next few weeks. Reggie needs a surgical dehorn to keep him pretty for the showring too. Hoping to sell all 4 as show steers. That’ll help catch up a few medical bills and pay for a new bull calf to raise up for next year. 

King is staying. I mentioned that we had become iffy and decided to keep him.


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## Mike CHS (Jul 2, 2018)

Hopefully Fred will finish up the job for you.


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## Bruce (Jul 3, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Found Smoky dead in the barn loft.



OK that is the 3rd and last in "bad things come in 3's". I'm not superstitious but it sounds good, right? 

Hopefully Fred will do the job for you.

Heat similar here, in fact Burlington hit a record low for July 2nd: 80°F. Last night the chickens went up on their roosts and stood with their wings canted out. Cats looked like this in the afternoon


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## Bruce (Jul 3, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Found Smoky dead in the barn loft.



OK that is the 3rd and last in "bad things come in 3's". I'm not superstitious but it sounds good, right? 

Hopefully Fred will do the job for you.

Heat similar here, in fact Burlington hit a record low for July 2nd: 80°F. Last night the chickens went up on their roosts and stood with their wings canted out. Cats looked like this in the afternoon
View attachment 49909 View attachment 49910


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## RollingAcres (Jul 3, 2018)

I'm sorry to hear about Smoky. 
Hang in there my friend.


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## Hens and Roos (Jul 3, 2018)




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## CntryBoy777 (Jul 3, 2018)

It is always difficult to lose an animal and sure hope ya can get past the "rough water"..........I've always been told that I was full of Bull.....so, guess it is just fine to share a name with your borrowed bull.....especially when he looks much better than me......


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## Rammy (Jul 3, 2018)




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## Bruce (Jul 3, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> It is always difficult to lose an animal and sure hope ya can get past the "rough water"..........I've always been told that I was full of Bull.....so, guess it is just fine to share a name with your borrowed bull.....especially when he looks much better than me......


At least to the cows!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jul 6, 2018)

The good Lord giveth and the good Lord taketh away. 

We’ve been surrounded by loss and today we had to have our housedog, Faith, (German Shepherd Mix rescue) euthanized. I couldn’t watch her suffer. 

I can’t even put any more into words right now. I’m reeling. 

Between all of this and our county fair next week, I might be missing for a few days. Really trying to figure out some direction for my life and working on my relationship with God. Lots going on with DD2. I’ll update as I can. If anything major comes up, I’m sure DH or I will let SBC know and she has permission to share. 

Thank you all for your support.


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## RollingAcres (Jul 6, 2018)

I'm so sorry for your loss. 
 to you and your family at this difficult times.


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## Hens and Roos (Jul 6, 2018)

sorry to hear


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## mystang89 (Jul 6, 2018)

Sorry for the loss but you are looking at it in the best light and that will be a strength for you and you family.


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## Bruce (Jul 6, 2018)

It has been way too tough of late!


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## CntryBoy777 (Jul 6, 2018)

None of that sounds good..........we certainly stand With ya and are "pulling" for ya......


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## Rammy (Jul 6, 2018)

Again...........


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## farmerjan (Jul 6, 2018)

Thoughts and prayers are sent to help you deal with the multitude of issues you have been confronted with recently.


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## Baymule (Jul 6, 2018)

That is a lot to have to handle all at one time. On your relationship with God, He is grieving with you. Personally, I don't like that, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." It makes it sound like God decided your bull should die or your dog or your loved one. After losing a child of my own, I had to grapple with that. God didn't take my child. He grieved with me over my loss. He was and is my rock. I feel better knowing that my child is in the hands of the Lord. 

I do sincerely wish that you can cope with all that has happened. Jus know that you are loved and valued. We are here if you need us.


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## RoahT (Jul 13, 2018)

Hugs and prayers!


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## greybeard (Jul 13, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> The good Lord giveth and the good Lord taketh away.
> 
> We’ve been surrounded by loss and today we had to have our housedog, Faith, (German Shepherd Mix rescue) euthanized. I couldn’t watch her suffer.
> 
> ...



sorry to hear about Faith. It's hard for sure.
Good luck at the county fair.. hope you bring back plenty of ribbons.

Our & their Maker only loans us the dogs,or actually, just loans US to the dogs. 
I pretty much believe the dogs deserve a lot better than having to deal with us..


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## Latestarter (Jul 15, 2018)

So sorry to hear of all your losses of late. One pain right after another, and another, and another, can really wear a person down. Hope all is well with the family and things steady out for you soon. Please take care of yourself as there are many who rely on you, as you rely on them.


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## RollingAcres (Jul 20, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Between all of this and our county fair next week, I might be missing for a few days. Really trying to figure out some direction for my life and working on my relationship with God. Lots going on with DD2. I’ll update as I can. If anything major comes up, I’m sure DH or I will let SBC know and she has permission to share.



I know it's busy season for you and you have lots going on. Just want to write and say that we miss you here in BYH! Hope things smooth out for you soon and hope everything is well with you and your family. Take care.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 3, 2018)

Popping in to say that we are okay. The losses and blows have kept coming with some positives. 

Thank you for all of the support!! It means SO much! 

I’ll update individual threads and catch up on journals as I can. I have 108 notifications! 

I’ve missed y’all and I’ve tried to take plenty of pictures that I’ll post as time allows. 

With fall coming, then winter, I’m hoping to become more active again.

Going to do square bales the first of the week and that’s all hands on deck!


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## mystang89 (Aug 3, 2018)

Glad that everyone is ok. Was getting worried since we hadn't heard from ya.


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## Bruce (Aug 3, 2018)

Always busy at Wehner Homestead!


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## Baymule (Aug 4, 2018)

Thanks for checking in. Life has its ups and downs, just keep keeping on and it gets better. Baling hay! Winter feed! A big pile of  wealth in the form of square bales.


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## goatgurl (Aug 4, 2018)

thanks for checking in, been wondering about you.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 4, 2018)

Good to hear from you @Wehner Homestead ! Thank you for checking in.


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## Latestarter (Aug 4, 2018)

So glad you stopped by! Good to hear there are some positives for you folks.  Hang in there!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 12, 2018)

Just a quick check-in. Trying to stay caught up on at least the threads that I’d already gotten too. I hope to get to more soon. There’s several that I’m anxious to see what you’ve posted. 

We’ve bought a replacement bull. He isn’t weaned yet though. Finished out breeding with a leased bull that has been returned. 

I think Caramel is bred so kids coming early Oct. 

We are breaking several calves for show. Also hoping to visit an ADGA show this weekend and learn more about showing goats so we can get several of our girls in the ring. 

I know I started to mention that some things have still been rough...we had another cat pass. Nala suffered some sort of horrible injury and was suffering. This was just after Faith and another blow to the family. 

DD2 has put me through my paces trying to work out all of her physical therapy, arranging for a new catheter company (worked on since Feb), fighting insurance to get her an electric wheelchair (battling since Sept 2017- we have a two month trial right now to see if she’s capable- she is!), and prayers would be appreciated for my dad as he has it left kidney removed tomorrow. The masses were found on accident and have a less than 5% chance of not being cancer though we won’t know for sure about pathology until after the kidney is removed. 

I’ll try to at least update on Dad tomorrow.


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## Southern by choice (Aug 12, 2018)




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## mystang89 (Aug 12, 2018)

Losing so many can really put a strain on everyone. I hope you all are taking some time to catch your breath and smile with each other.


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 12, 2018)

My goodness gracious!!.....really glad ya are holding it together so well.....prayers will certainly continue and sure hope ya get a chance to at least catch your breath some....it is no fun getting way-laid every time ya turn around....


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## Latestarter (Aug 13, 2018)

mystang89 said:


> I hope you all are taking some time to catch your breath and smoke with each other.


  HUH?  What did I miss?

Glad you were able to find a replacement bull. Sorry about the cat loss. Best wishes with all of your daughter's issues and follow ups. Hoping that dad's kidney is NOT cancerous and he comes through it well.


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## mystang89 (Aug 13, 2018)

Stupid auto correct! Smile! Smile with each other. Sigh.....


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 13, 2018)

Prayers for your Dad and your family too.


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## Baymule (Aug 13, 2018)

You and your family have had wave after wave of events that would knock a strong person down. But with each knock down, the hand of The Lord is extended to pull you back up. Sometimes it is hard to reach for that hand, sometimes, through our misery and sorrow we don't see that hand, but it is there. The Lord loves you, gives hope for a better life, both here on earth and with Him in Heaven. I pray for you, your family and your Dad.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 13, 2018)

Thank you all! Waiting to see Dad now. Came through surgery fine. Dr is confident he got it all. He’s convinced that it’s renal cell carcinoma. Dad didn’t even lose one drop of blood. The doctor was shocked and chocked it up to all the prayer!!


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## farmerjan (Aug 13, 2018)

Thoughts prayers and good wishes.....


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## Hens and Roos (Aug 13, 2018)




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## RollingAcres (Aug 13, 2018)

good wishes to your dad and your family


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## Latestarter (Aug 14, 2018)

Very glad to hear the good news portion of dad's results! Bout time for some GOOD stuff to be happenin' around you! Hope fully things continue along that vein


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 14, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> The doctor was shocked and chocked it up to all the prayer!!



Brilliant ppl in Medicine giving credit where credit is due always makes me feel like we're not so advanced (and naive) we believe we're doing this all ourselves. There are great doctors and nurses that devote their careers to humanity, but it's always reassuring to hear the Great Physician still get credit for healing.

Glad your Dad came through so well!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 14, 2018)

Dad is slowly recovering. He was in a lot of pain and his personal nurse had to rush to the hospital this morning to straighten everyone out! He was in enough pain that he was nauseated (and the pain meds were nauseating him) then they tried to get him to stand and he got dizzy and his BP dropped! Grrr! 

He’s much better now that I got everything lined out. He’s up walking some and eating, getting stronger and more himself all the time. Plan is to come home tomorrow.


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## Southern by choice (Aug 14, 2018)

Praise God you are a nurse. Makes such a difference in the healthcare given.  
Praying for speedy recovery!


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## Latestarter (Aug 14, 2018)

Fantastic! Glad you were there to help sort things out for him.


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## Baymule (Aug 15, 2018)

Glad he is doing better!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 16, 2018)

Two major updates: 

1) Headed to ER at children’s hospital with DD2...she’s vomited off and on for a week and need to make sure her shunts are functioning properly. 

2) Dad came home yesterday but is in severe pain.


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## Hens and Roos (Aug 16, 2018)

for you and your family


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## Mike CHS (Aug 16, 2018)

Hens and Roos said:


> for you and your family



From us also


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## RollingAcres (Aug 16, 2018)

from here as well


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 16, 2018)

Praying for strength and understanding for you and wellness for the others.....


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## Latestarter (Aug 16, 2018)

Joining the rest of your BYH family in wishing the best for your daughter and dad.


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## goatgurl (Aug 16, 2018)

girl child, hang in there.  God must think you're one tuff mama.  He promises not to give us more than we can handle and He has surely handed you a plate full.  prayers for you and your family.  the stress is so hard on everyone, young and old alike.  
sometimes being a nurse is a good thing and sometimes you just know to much.  there are 5 sisters in my family and 3 of us are rn's. we figured it out one day and between the 3 of us we have almost 90 years of nursing under out belts.  icu, er and ortho/hospice.  heaven help the nurses and aides that take care of our family members.  on one level we watch them like hawks to make sure things are done right and on the other level we help and as you know help is so desperately needed in the hospital setting.  from an old nurse to a young nurse .
and remember that nursing is what you do not who you are.  you're a wife, mom and daughter first.  take care of yourself so you have the strength to take care of the others


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 17, 2018)

Y’all are awesome and despite the distance, are so special to me! 

DD2 has a urinary tract infection. No vomiting since yesterday morning. She’s on antibiotics and close monitoring by this mama bear! 

Dad’s pain is finally under control and he’s starting to act like himself. He looks a million times better. He had labs this morning to monitor the function of the remaining kidney and everything looks good. He sees a renal cell carcinoma specialist and has a colonoscopy the week after next. 

DD1 has had a cough all week and is home from school today resting. She wasn’t sleeping good at night so I let her sleep in this morning and let her soak in Epsom salts before sending her to bed for a nap. 

Bucks are starting rut and getting smelly along with lots of talking. Makes chores more interesting. The Rural King chicks from Feb are laying. I’ve got roosters (from the Easter chicks) in two hen pens...not sure when I’ll try to see if they are fertile or not.

All but one cow should be bred for spring and she gets a “mama can’t handle any more so you get a second chance card.” I can have my favorites once in awhile. I’ll try to update the breeding thread soon, as it’s way behind. (I’m still not caught up on all the journals that I follow either.) 

Lots to do around here...bull calves need castrated, boosters on vaccs due for calves and goat kids, follow-up stool checks need done, well-check for DD2 needs scheduled, have a Steer that needs a butcher appt, two bucklings need hauled to market, bloodwork on Blossom needs sent off, wash and blow two steers that are to be sold for show and take pics to advertise, wean the remaining calves and goat kids, build a new chicken pen as one group of hens is over-crowded, need a buck pen outside the barn, finish up the breeding plan for goats for spring. Whew! I need a nap! 

On the positive side, I cooked ONE good meal this week...homemade beef n noodles from our beef, homemade mashed potatoes, green beans cooked with our bacon, and homemade biscuits. My daddy needed a good meal after coming home from the hospital! 

Tonight, I’m making baked spaghetti (DD2 eats really well) and going to make an extra to freeze. Waiting to hear back if my parents want a delivery or if they have enough leftovers...

I noticed I’m running low on sausage too! That means the new pig pen has to get done!!


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## RollingAcres (Aug 17, 2018)

I was just coming here to ask about update on DD2 and saw that you have posted.
Extra hugs to the mama bear for taking good care of everyone. Hope the uti goes away soon for DD2 and that DD1 gets over the cough soon.
Hey, ONE good meal is better than none, right?


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## Latestarter (Aug 17, 2018)

You dear girl are like the energizer bunny... you just keep going, and going, and going! Mama bear indeed! Please take a moment or two now and again to re-charge yourself! Glad to hear solid prognoses for dad and kids.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 17, 2018)

I forgot to mention that we got a phone call about a BROWN and WHITE bull CALF out while at the hospital with DD2 yesterday. Of course, the usual people to call were tied up with other things. We were an hour away. DH’s SIL headed over to see if it was even ours since the only calf of ours that it could be is clearly black but sunfaded on the tips with a white swish in his head. Upon her arrival, she called DH laughing and told him that it was a RED and WHITE grown BULL with HORNS (think Hereford!) Yep, definitely not ours. No one we called was claiming. She put him in one of our fenced hay fields and we managed to locate owners that came to get him last night. 

Never a dull moment around here!


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## Baymule (Aug 18, 2018)

At least she got the bull off the road, where he could be hit by a car. Calf indeed! LOL You are swarmed with things to do. Sending prayers, hugs and love.


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## Bruce (Aug 18, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Never a dull moment around here!


That is for sure!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2018)

Got a pic of the “calf” that was in the road...


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## Mike CHS (Aug 18, 2018)

I'm not a cattle person but that seems to be a pretty much filled out calf.


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## Latestarter (Aug 18, 2018)

Holy cow!   some "calf"!


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## Mini Horses (Aug 18, 2018)

Shame he didn't show up month or so ago -- he could have serviced your girls     decent guy there....was a calf, once.


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## Bruce (Aug 19, 2018)

Yeah that is a calf, just "big boned"


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## Baymule (Aug 19, 2018)

Nice looking bull.


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## goatgurl (Aug 19, 2018)

gotta tell you, if that's the calf i'm not sure I could afford to feed the cow.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 19, 2018)

I thought y’all would enjoy that “calf.” 

DH and I knocked lots off our to-do list this weekend. I was supposed to work today but ended up on call so we just got even more done. 

Yesterday I made homemade pancakes for breakfast, then we ended up unloading two hay wagons of square bales with help from DH’s dad. I’m more responsible for the kids than anything since throwing them into the loft doesn’t work well with that back injury I had back in January. 

DH and his dad also Brandon unloaded and sorted a gooseneck trailer of tin off of a roof that a coworker gave him. 

We washed and blowed 3 steers with our “sidekick’s” help. She showed a steer and heifer from our farm at the fair this past year and bought a steer from us again. We didn’t have a heifer for her but went to look at one they found and brought her here to break. We worked with her heifer in the big chute as she isn’t on the same level as the steers. Two are still for sale. Several people supposed to come look this week. 

One of the steers that is for sale. 


 
Queenie and Jewel were just completely worn out from watching us wash and blow! 


 


 
Put collars on all of our female goats that didn’t have them yet. 

Cleaned out and put down shavings in the lean-to to move the weaned calves out there. DH used the tractor for the majority but he and I had to fork/shovel the edges. He also tore out the pig pen that used to be down there. 


 
We also did some practice walking with Sparkle and CeCe. DD1 is very interested in showing them. 

Our kids were filthy by the end of the day! 

In other news for yesterday, Sidekick’s grandfather bought 8 of my laying hens from my overcrowded pen. Just couldn’t get anything finalized to get them more space. Sidekick also took home my bottle kitten. I’ll miss her but she will have a great home and that puts us down to 9 cats. She brought us some zucchini bread from her first attempt making it and it was yummy. Her dad recently had knee surgery so hasn’t been coming over too but sent some ribs he’d made over for DH. 

Today we put down two bales of straw in the chute pen to get it ready for the next round of weaning. After this set is done, we will clean it out with a borrowed skid steer and put down lime and then sawdust. 

I relocated five chickens in two different pens to an outside pen. Two were Cuckoo Marans and had been set separated prior as I caught them picking on the others and in a moment of anger, pitched them in a mature pen. One lost a large portion of the skin on the back of her neck, feathers and all. Needless to say, I felt bad, caught them both, doctored her back to health, and attempting to reintegrate properly in a different pen. The other three were Buff Orpingtons. They are going to be in with a rooster we call “Henry.” He is an Americauna/Swedish Flower Hen Cross so I’m hoping for some interesting colored eggs if I can get my bator running or a broody to set. 

Went to DH’s brother’s to give shots to 2 cows and a calf that needed vaccines and  ended up getting the trailer to load them up and do it here in the big chute then took them home. That was a lot of loading and unloading kids! 

Built a temporary barbed wire/electric fence in the front pasture to protect the wrapped bales. We then ran a hot wire from the shop to the front pasture since the underground one shorted out last year and we haven’t had a chance to rebury a new one properly. Cleaned up a barbed wire mess in the front pasture from Otis trying to get closer to the cows when they cycled. 

Sorted out two cows and their calves to ship to market tomorrow. Reagan is my brother’s and he doesn’t have time to be out here anymore and has asked that we ship her. The other is Abby Jane and she’s the one that didn’t make milk well this year. Both have been bred back by the bulls we’ve had around so will be sold as such. The two bull calves will probably end up in someone’s feedlot. We weaned the remaining four calves into the chute pen. Three of the four are the heifers we are retaining. Mya (Sidekick’s bred heifer) got her vaccination booster and fly tags too. Everything is ready to move the cows across the driveway to the front pasture later in the week. They’ll be thrilled about some nice grass and we won’t have to feed hay! 


 
Somewhere in there DD1 worked on and finished several things for school.

Dad is getting out of the house for short periods of time and his pain is better controlled. DD2 seems to be doing well on her antibiotic. No more vomiting since Thursday morning.


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## goatgurl (Aug 19, 2018)

glad things are better for your dad and dd2.  I always admire the pics of your cattle.  nice stock


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 20, 2018)

goatgurl said:


> glad things are better for your dad and dd2.  I always admire the pics of your cattle.  nice stock



Thank you! We bought what we could afford and didn’t pay over market for a single female. We bred up with bulls and semen from purchases to get our herd where it is today. It’s taken over 10 years but we have reached our goal of being able to raise our own calves for our kids to show and be competitive while maintaining a sound, functional animal.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 20, 2018)

Love your pics. Always busy busy busy at your homestead!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 20, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Love your pics. Always busy busy busy at your homestead!



We commented yesterday as we were in the front pasture that I don’t get in much that at times 42 acres seems huge and other times it doesn’t seem like much.


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## Bruce (Aug 20, 2018)

You forgot to mention sleep. Oh, wait, no time for that with all you were doing!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 20, 2018)

I’ve officially caught up on everyone’s journals that I follow and tried to track down Bay’s latest adventures.

This morning was an odd one to do chores. One of the calves we had weaned last night had wedged herself behind a gate that was tied to prevent this, thus trapping her. I cut the baling twine and she was free. 

Her mother was pushing on a cattle panel off the lean-to trying to get to her calf. It wasn’t attached to one of the barn posts and she kept pushing her head behind it and walking back and forth like she though she was getting somewhere. Needless to say, I remedied that situation with tying the panel off to the post. 

I then went to do chicken chores and found my Cuckoo Marans had released themselves and expedited the integration process. I decided to further expedite the process by opening the door to the Buff Orpington pen. I left the crates in case I needed to implement them again as they have to be folded to remove them. As long as all is good, I’ll move two Ameracaunas in with another group using the smaller of the two crates. 

As far as sleep, I haven’t slept well since I found out DD2 had Spina Bifida in utero. I’ve actually gotten desperate enough to try sleep aids that worked prior without success. I just can’t rest fully when she could need me. 

Tomorrow, my two youngest kiddos start preschool together. This is a huge step for me. (I have to go and stay with them as it’s a private program so no one is trained to care for DD2 and they don’t have to accommodate her needs. It’s the church we attend so not as big of an issue as it could be. The compromise for my sanity and their concerns was for me to be present.)

As usual, there’s lots more but this will have to do for now. I did get Queenie’s thread somewhat updated. Trying to slowly get that done now that I’m caught up on reading journals for now.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 21, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Tomorrow, my two youngest kiddos start preschool together. This is a huge step for me. (I have to go and stay with them as it’s a private program so no one is trained to care for DD2 and they don’t have to accommodate her needs. It’s the church we attend so not as big of an issue as it could be. The compromise for my sanity and their concerns was for me to be present.)


They are going to love "going to school"! 



Wehner Homestead said:


> I just can’t rest fully when she could need me.


I completely get it. My mom told me that by eating a banana with cinnamon would help with sleeping. I've not tried it tho.


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## mystang89 (Aug 21, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> My mom told me that by eating a banana with cinnamon would help with sleeping. I've not tried it tho.


I don't know if that would help with going to sleep, but it would definitely help with my hunger yummmm


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## RollingAcres (Aug 21, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 21, 2018)

Forgot to mention that DH and my brother hauled off two cow/calf pairs last night. They’ll be auctioned off at the sale barn today. We will have the check for our pair on Friday. 

DH forgot to pull baby goats (big babies now!) when he finished up barn chores. Needless to say, that greatly diminished my morning chores. 

Snapped a few pics with my phone for y’all this morning too. This doesn’t include two pens of goats. 

These are dam-raised kids! They love me!! (L to R: Perdy, Beauty, Jasmine. Ariel and Elly are just out of the frame.)  



 
I forgot to mention somewhere that DD2 got a kitten and named it Ella so the goat kid that was Ella became Elly. Confusing, I know. 

The background of the prior pic. Jasmine is in the very front with little Elly beside her. There’s 3 months difference in their ages. The middle row is Nellie (black with frosting) and Ariel (gold.) The three does across the back are L to R: Caramel (brat herd queen that should be due in Oct), Snowflake, and Diamond. 


 

Boys.  They are starting into rut and acting goofy. Had to get their attention from Mom. Knight-L and King-R.


 

Yes, everyone clamors for my attention! Sparkle-L and CeCe-R are bottle babies from  @Southern by choice and @Goat Whisperer. They are my loves and not at all spoiled! 


 

Last pic for now is Miss Blossom. She doesn’t look like the same goat!


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## mystang89 (Aug 21, 2018)

I'm not a goat fan but that pic of sparkle L and CeCe r is cute.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 21, 2018)

mystang89 said:


> I'm not a goat fan but that pic of sparkle L and CeCe r is cute.




You aren’t far! Field trip to come meet them? The kids would love to have more kids to play with for a bit. We could have a little pitch in and maybe even @Pastor Dave and his family could make the trip down??


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## mystang89 (Aug 21, 2018)

I wouldn't be apposed. Recently had a family reunion here and everyone was saying how I should get goats. Might be what i need to change my mind lol.


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## Latestarter (Aug 21, 2018)

Very nice to see other BYH folks getting to meet! Y'all should absolutely get together if at all possible! Everyone I've met has been exceptional!


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 21, 2018)

It would be ok with me if you don't mind an 8 yr old and 5 yr old boys running around looking at everything.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 21, 2018)

Pastor Dave said:


> It would be ok with me if you don't mind an 8 yr old and 5 yr old boys running around looking at everything.



Totally acceptable! All of my nieces and nephews run wild when here. They get the electric fence talk and turned loose! Lol

@mystang89 I’ll look at my schedule and see when I have a Saturday off!


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## mystang89 (Aug 21, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Totally acceptable! All of my nieces and nephews run wild when here. They get the electric fence talk and turned loose! Lol
> 
> @mystang89 I’ll look at my schedule and see when I have a Saturday off!


Sounds great!


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## Baymule (Aug 21, 2018)

We want pictures!!


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## Latestarter (Aug 21, 2018)

Hopefully they (any pics) won't include any fat, old, balding, stooped over, poorly dressed, travel weary, wannabe Texans, like the pics Bay took & shared with me in them from when I was down visiting and looking for a place.


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 22, 2018)

Joe, I thought you were talking abt me until I read, Texans!


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## Baymule (Aug 22, 2018)

I thought that picture showed a bunch of good looking folks! Including Joe!


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## RollingAcres (Aug 22, 2018)

Baymule said:


> I thought that picture showed a bunch of good looking folks! Including Joe!


And someone thought the ladies were your and DV's daughters!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 24, 2018)

I’m supposed to be going to sleep BUT I wanted to update you a bit. 

DD2 is back to herself and has finished her antibiotic. 

Preschool went well this week for DS and DD2. DS has already memorized his first bible verse and it is beyond cute to hear him say “Genesisis.” 

Dad’s pathology came back yesterday... NO CANCER! Dr said it was a direct answer to prayer! He’s still in some pain and hasn’t done much other than the basics. I keep reminding him that he had an organ removed and he’s not going to be himself in just two weeks. (Men! ) 

In other news, we moved the cow herd to the front pasture tonight. Pretty uneventful. Our cows are tame enough that we lead them with a bucket instead of chasing/herding them. DH took the bucket and I followed the rear just in case of stragglers. A few that hadn’t made the trip before started to wander but fell back in line quickly. Kids and my parents watched from the deck. 





I was washing eggs today and took this pic of a huge green egg! I set a regular egg next to it for size reference. Poor chicken!


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## Southern by choice (Aug 24, 2018)

beautiful picture

ahhhhhhhh cattle always so lovely to look at!  too big for me but I am just fascinated with them. They are so pretty W.!


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## Mike CHS (Aug 24, 2018)

I think BUCKETS  are the invention of the centuries for stock handling.


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## greybeard (Aug 24, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> In other news, we moved the cow herd to the front pasture tonight. Pretty uneventful. Our cows are tame enough that we lead them with a bucket instead of chasing/herding them. DH took the bucket and I followed the rear just in case of stragglers. A few that hadn’t made the trip before started to wander but fell back in line quickly. Kids and my parents watched from the deck.


Ya'll got kinda odd ways to park a vehicle up there. 

My problem isn't leading them to lead with a bucket.......the problem is keeping from getting run over. 
(never try to cross a pasture to the pond with a minnow bucket in your hand!)


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## Mike CHS (Aug 24, 2018)

That mobbing is one of the reasons I like sheep.  They will circle the bucket and keep moving as long as it moves.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 24, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Ya'll got kinda odd ways to park a vehicle up there.
> 
> My problem isn't leading them to lead with a bucket.......the problem is keeping from getting run over.
> (never try to cross a pasture to the pond with a minnow bucket in your hand!)



Have to be very careful with buckets!!! 

The vehicle, a piece of hay ring, and the open gate closed off our opening. Redneck, I know. There isn’t a fence connecting the two pastures and a gate can’t be placed directly across from the other due to a steep incline in the main pasture that the cows were in. The barnyard was wide open, along with areas to the hayfield and being able to go all the way around the house.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 24, 2018)

The group shown in the pic is the “stragglers.” We moved 16. The others were well in the pen and eating their share of the feed already.


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## Rammy (Aug 25, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I’m supposed to be going to sleep BUT I wanted to update you a bit.
> 
> DD2 is back to herself and has finished her antibiotic.
> 
> ...




That big egg will be a double yolker. Whenever I get eggs that size they always are. Nice looking cows.
Congrats on your Dads good news. Im sure you all are relieved! Hope the pain goes away and he feels better soon. Glad to see DD2 is also doing better.


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 25, 2018)

So glad to hear the good news!!....I could've sworn that I heard the theme song to "Rawhide" while looking at your pics and reading your account......


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## Rammy (Aug 25, 2018)




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## Mini Horses (Aug 25, 2018)

You can see a couple of the "stragglers" were still kicking up their heels at the insistence they go in the pasture     And they also seem to be smaller, so assume it's a youngster attitude. 

Nice looking cattle.   I just keep telling myself -- NO!  Do not buy any, NO!  I can "taste" that great beef we used to raise.  YUM.   What's really killing me is that I know I have the pasture to support them.   NO....NO....buy finished from a farmer!


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## Latestarter (Aug 25, 2018)

So glad to hear the news on DD and dad!  Hopefully he'll heal up fast and well and be back to his old self straight away.  Surprised the cows didn't decide to try and stay there in the yard with all that nice fresh green stuff to munch on.


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 25, 2018)

Fred, you sure do hear a lot of things in your head: Tim Allen, tv theme songs. We could be related. Refer back to my recent reply to Bay in Introducing Beaux.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 26, 2018)

@Pastor Dave @mystang89 Would this Sat mid-afternoon work for y’all? If not, it’ll be Oct before I have a free Sat, if then.


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 27, 2018)

I think we have Labor Day weekend plans, but would have liked to. October would probably work better for me if it works out for you and the offer is still open.


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## mystang89 (Aug 27, 2018)

@Wehner Homestead this sat would work for us.

EDIT: just read pastor Dave post


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 27, 2018)

Y'all have a good time. Maybe next time my family can join in.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 27, 2018)

@mystang89 I’ll talk to DH and see if he wants to go ahead or wait and let you know!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 27, 2018)

I mentioned in my goat breeding thread that King was responsible for greatly improving the escutcheons on Nellie’s triplet doelings. I attempted some pics on my own some time ago and never got them posted. 

Or I can’t find the pics now that I want to upload them so I’ll have to get some. 

I did find these pics I took of both big boys for comparison. 

King:



 



Knight: 


 

 

I thought I liked Knight better but I think I’ve switched to King. I’ll try to get profile pics.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 28, 2018)

Y’all, I’m feeling discouraged with this site. Two posters in particular are making it difficult to enjoy my time here. One makes argumentative/blaming comments and another always corrects everyone and knows more than some of our most experienced and greatest members.  I may disappear for good if this keeps up...


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## Mike CHS (Aug 28, 2018)

I would hate to see you go based on something that can be controlled.  We are pretty much self policing and if someone is out of line they should be corrected. There are some 'experts' that do get annoying at times.  I hope I wasn't party to that behavior and if so I apologize.


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## goatgurl (Aug 28, 2018)

ya know the old saying, he who angers you controls you.  you gonna let a$$'s control you?  I was sitting in the barn the other day during a rain storm watching the ducks outside.  water was just rolling off their backs.  be a duck.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 28, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> I would hate to see you go based on something that can be controlled.  We are pretty much self policing and if someone is out of line they should be corrected. There are some 'experts' that do get annoying at times.  I hope I wasn't party to that behavior and if so I apologize.



You have done nothing of the sort Mike! I really enjoy reading everything you post.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 28, 2018)

I tagged the moderators in the particular post that set me off. 

I’ll try to take @goatgurl’s advice though!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 28, 2018)

Oh and @mystang89, DH would like to wait. His parents invited us camping this weekend and we don’t spend a lot of time with them so he feels like we should go that direction and try to catch you and @Pastor Dave and families on the same visit.


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## goatgurl (Aug 28, 2018)

ok, my previous message was just smart azzed, for that I apologize but truly don't let people ruin this forum for you.  there are going to be folks like that no matter where you go and what you do.  the stress you have been under is just over the top, its no wonder you have an ulcer, and that just adds more stress.  if you need to take a breather then do so but realize that a lot of us enjoy your posts and the wisdom you share.  take care of yourself lady bug.


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## Mini Horses (Aug 28, 2018)

I would hate to see that happen -- you leave us.

Typing blindly is difficult even with best intentions.  I try to just ignore the AskHoles and go on with life.  There are times when things could be presented better but "once the buck is in the field, the does are bred -- hard to change things sometimes".   You are having some rough times of late, don't leave your friends. Maybe just practice selective reading.

SO -- with all that, now you are posting buck porn?
As I read the first sentence about udder improvement, then noticed the picture before reading the rest and the FIRST thing I thought was "that's not a good udder for sure  "   Then finished the read and realized I was ultimately right -- not a good udder  .  Then, we get another butt & ball shot...so at some point you may find the udders.     Yeah, that time of year.  For the next 6-7 months all tails will be lifted and pictures shared.    Gives us some winter fun.


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## Latestarter (Aug 28, 2018)

In case you weren't aware WH, you CAN block communications from those you no longer want to "hear/see"... Just click on their names and up near the top on the right, you'll see a selection to "ignore" the person. You will no longer see any of their posts. Now, if someone quotes their post, you will see that quoted section in the other members post. The folks you are referring to, one is relatively new to the site and the other is, or can be very "unfiltered/brash/straightforward/opinionated/etc." and has raised hackles here on BYH in the past. I don't think either were attacking you directly or specifically, they just have very different and strong opinions/experiences and voice them.

I hope you'll reconsider and stay with us. You've really become part of the family and I as well as many others would miss you and worry about you.


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## goatgurl (Aug 28, 2018)

Bhaaaa @Mini Horses, I was reading that same post and thought 'goat balls?, yup, goat balls!'  where else but here can you see that for your viewing pleasure...


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## mystang89 (Aug 28, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Oh and @mystang89, DH would like to wait. His parents invited us camping this weekend and we don’t spend a lot of time with them so he feels like we should go that direction and try to catch you and @Pastor Dave and families on the same visit.



That's probably for the best. Whatever I came down with yesterday isn't letting go of me easily and I would hate to bring it to your homestead but then again, my mom always good try to teach me to share.


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 28, 2018)

It sure would be a shame for ya to allow just 2 idiots spoil it and cost the rest of us the pleasure of having ya around....granted ya sure have a Ton on your plate and don't need more aggrevation.....but, if it tends to be limited to just a thread or 2.....then withdraw from those threads....you are very knowledgeable and experienced, a very valuable asset to the "Herd"....I, for one, would be truly saddened that the rest of us wasn't enough to outweigh 2 "legends in their own mind". There is one that is so self-absorbed that I avoid them like the plague....I could care less how many books they write.... You, on the other hand are a very interesting individual and I can sure count on ya to "like" my Gabbie pics.........if ya do decide to withdraw....do me the favor of writing down the email address in my banner and let me know how things are going for ya......


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## Baymule (Aug 28, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Y’all, I’m feeling discouraged with this site. Two posters in particular are making it difficult to enjoy my time here. One makes argumentative/blaming comments and another always corrects everyone and knows more than some of our most experienced and greatest members.  I may disappear for good if this keeps up...


Just block them. Don't let two people who may truthfully mean well, but are a little overbearing, chase you away from the rest of us. I enjoy your comments and posts and would hate for you to leave. Please stay.


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## Goat Whisperer (Aug 28, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 28, 2018)

1) Culprits have been effectively ignored. 

2) Yes, Goat balls! Thanks for the laugh y’all! It really started as a post of the girls’ escutcheons compared to their mothers and I couldn’t find the pics. At least you’ve been warned to read my whole post before scrolling down to see what pics I’ve included!

3) I wholeheartedly appreciate the support from all of you! It means more than I can ever explain.  I really do enjoy keeping up with all of you and I’ve learned so much. Of course, I have to have my Gabbie fix too! 

4) Dad’s pain is much better today. He’s more himself. DD2 finished her antibiotic and is enjoying preschool. DS was mad that he didn’t have preschool Friday (it’s just TWT) and has memorized his first bible verse and can write his name. DD1 has gotten great marks for behavior in school and is gaining confidence in her reading and writing. DH is working his butt off like usual. (Y’all think I stay busy but most of the time he runs circles around me.) 

5) I have a pullet laying blue eggs! We now have brown, dark brown, khaki, cream, green, and blue from our mixed flock. I’ve got roosters in three pens and I’d really like to put some on the bator...

6) I have to leave you with a pic...Oscar snuck in this morning and sat on the sink while I showered. After I got out, he jumped in the tub. I gathered proof for you.



 

7) @mystang89 It’s probably a good idea to avoid sharing in this case. Not sure my ulcer can handle much more!


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## Bruce (Aug 29, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Y’all, I’m feeling discouraged with this site. Two posters in particular are making it difficult to enjoy my time here. One makes argumentative/blaming comments and another always corrects everyone and knows more than some of our most experienced and greatest members.  I may disappear for good if this keeps up...


What they all said!!!!  I have one person on my ignore list. I probably don't read whatever thread you are referencing because I didn't see anything like what you mentioned.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 29, 2018)

goatgurl said:


> ya know the old saying, he who angers you controls you.  you gonna let a$$'s control you?  I was sitting in the barn the other day during a rain storm watching the ducks outside.  water was just rolling off their backs.  be a duck.


I really liked what she said!!!


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## RollingAcres (Aug 29, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> 1) Culprits have been effectively ignored.
> 2) Yes, Goat balls! Thanks for the laugh y’all! It really started as a post of the girls’ escutcheons compared to their mothers and I couldn’t find the pics. At least you’ve been warned to read my whole post before scrolling down to see what pics I’ve included!
> 3) I wholeheartedly appreciate the support from all of you! It means more than I can ever explain.  I really do enjoy keeping up with all of you and I’ve learned so much. Of course, I have to have my Gabbie fix too!
> 4) Dad’s pain is much better today. He’s more himself. DD2 finished her antibiotic and is enjoying preschool. DS was mad that he didn’t have preschool Friday (it’s just TWT) and has memorized his first bible verse and can write his name. DD1 has gotten great marks for behavior in school and is gaining confidence in her reading and writing. DH is working his butt off like usual. (Y’all think I stay busy but most of the time he runs circles around me.)
> ...



1) Good! Don't let people like that bring you down. You don't need additional stress in your life. And we NEED and WANT you to stay around. 
2) 
3) We really enjoy having you here! You have helped me so much with my cattle questions and I truly appreciate that!
4) Great to hear your dad is much better. Love to hear about kids loving school! My DS gets upset too when school's cancelled for snow day.
5) Jealous! 
6) Oscar is very cute!


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## Latestarter (Aug 29, 2018)

OK... had kids... BTDT & have many T-shirts... But really... you shower with all those toys in the tub with you?   I cry FOUL and TRIP HAZARD!  I'd be either on the floor or laying in the tub after stepping on something and falling.

Glad to hear you'll be staying with us 
Really happy to hear that dad and DD are doing well and that your kids love school! That is so awesome!
Sorry to hear you are dealing with an ulcer  I must have missed that somehow/somewhere. Please do NOT take on more stress and aggravation/frustration than you deal with routinely! (& eliminate some of that if at all possible please!)

ETA: found the post about your ulcer...


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## Donna R. Raybon (Aug 29, 2018)

I have done nothing but share the truth about what my life has been about... Livestock!  The tragic mistakes and the success were willingly shared in order to prevent someone else suffering.  
Passive aggressive calling me an idiot shows a level of immaturity that is staggering.
Country people are blunt, straight to the point.  My writing style is same. 
May you have a long and interesting life.  I will trouble you no more.  Blessed Be.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 29, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> But really... you shower with all those toys in the tub with you?



Hey maybe she needs something to keep her entertained while in the shower.


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 29, 2018)

I thought that this might make ya smile....I am totally technically challenged, so I haven't figured out the scratch-n-sniff program yet....but, take my word for it....it is Wonderful!! They are plumeria or frangipani....they make leis with these in Hawaii......

  .....these are trees and have to be over wintered in the house.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 29, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> I thought that this might make ya smile....I am totally technically challenged, so I haven't figured out the scratch-n-sniff program yet....but, take my word for it....it is Wonderful!! They are plumeria or frangipani....they make leis with these in Hawaii......
> View attachment 51714  .....these are trees and have to be over wintered in the house.....




Aww!!!  You are correct! Plumeria is actually one of my favorite scents. Thank you!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 29, 2018)

I have more bad news...we walked down as a family to check the cows and I’ll share a pic that I took but my cow was in heat. 

Elsa is the daughter of my first anniversary present from DH. He bought Chesney from my grandfather so I’d have some of his lines. She’s named from the first concert that I went to. (DH took me to see Kenny’s Chesney for my high school graduation gift.) Anyway, Chesney accidentally foundered while summering at my grandparents the year before she had Elsa. We babied her through in hopes of getting a heifer to replace her and I was beyond thrilled when she had one. I wanted to name her Queen and when I said it, DD1 one immediately replied “Queen Elsa?” (As in the movie Frozen.) Needless to say, I just shortened it to Elsa. She has been such a sweet girl and our niece showed her her first year of 4-H and won her class and Showmanship with her. Elsa is one of our pet cows. She delivered her first calf with no problems and he was actually one that was shown at the fair this summer. She then lost her second calf at 3 mos gestation along with 2 of our other cows last year. They all got a pass and bred back this year. This was the first sign of heat that she’d had since being bred in May. It makes me sick but I can’t keep putting money into a cow that isn’t productive and can’t earn her keep. A pet cow is VERY expensive. DH is very upset with my decision as that will be the end of that line but Elsa will be going to the sale barn soon.

As promised, here’s some pics of the girls coming to us. DH just said in a regular voice “hi, girls” then the kids started calling them and they trotted to us! Love that they are so accustomed to the kids!


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## farmerjan (Aug 30, 2018)

Do you vaccinate for lepto?  It has become a bigger and bigger problem here and we are going to go to 2x a year from our standard once a year.  There are a few dairies that are actually vaccinating 3 x a year for it.  There are so many ways for them to be exposed to it and it can be carried in the streams/water according to our vet. I believe that any mammal can carry it and as your cattle are out on pasture as ours are, they can be exposed to it.  That may be part of the abortion problem although you have had a greater percentage than most.  We figure we lose about 1% to possible lepto even with vaccination.  Of course some we never even know if they have settled then lost it since we usually preg check when they are in the 4-7 month range.  But when a healthy young cow comes up open, that is what we normally attribute it to.  I don't do as much AI as I used to, and they usually go with the clean up bull after the 2nd AI breeding, so don't get checked until well into their 2nd trimester.  
I also think I read that IBR can cause abortion.

And we have had some families of cows that are just hard breeders and they don't get too many passes anymore.  As you said, it costs too much to keep a "PET COW"  that doesn't at least contribute to the feed bill with a calf !!!


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## greybeard (Aug 30, 2018)

> She then lost her second calf at 3 mos gestation along with 2 of our other cows last year.



3 aborted last year---out of how many total?
how old is Elsa?

fungal mycotoxins, trich, lepto, several weed and plant species or their leaves, temperature stresses, plumb bad luck, about a dozen different infectious causes ..... all known to cause slipped calves/abortions. Sometimes you never do find out the true cause.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 30, 2018)

3 out of 15 last year. They were split about evenly on two separate farms more than 5 miles from each other. 

Elsa is 4.


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## Baymule (Aug 30, 2018)

How do you test for lepto and do vaccinations keep it away?


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## greybeard (Aug 30, 2018)

Baymule said:


> How do you test for lepto


Furosemide injection, then take clean clear urine samples. Keep the samples cold to prevent organism growth. Send them to lab. You don't need to take sample from every cow, just a %, tho last I heard, about 12-15 separate samples is what they want if your herd has that many animals.
TAMU will do it, as will many other States' land grant universities. 
About $30 +your shipping costs.



The old vaccines weren't very good and didn't work with Hardjo, the most common variant, but the newer 5 way lepto vaccines are much better.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 30, 2018)

Thanks @farmerjan and @greybeard! I remember Jan mentioning lepto when I posted about the issues last year. I’m going to hold onto Elsa for a bit longer and get with our vet to see about testing her and if that’s a factor. We may go ahead and test her for brucellosis too. I’ll see what the vet recommends and keep you posted.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 30, 2018)

I don’t even know how or what to say but y’all may as well know...Queenie died last night. She was hit by a vehicle sometime through the night and died instantly. I found her in the ditch along our front pasture where the cows are now. DH left work to help me pick her up and get her in the vehicle. He then used the tractor to bury her on the hillside by Lana and Logan. 

I have so much guilt over this one! We tried to take a LGD and make her a farm dog when we fell in love with her. The original intent was to be in the pen with the goats but we just loved her and she loved us so she got to be out. We knew she patrolled but thought the extent was the borders of the farm. I feel like we did her a huge injustice and she’d still be here if we had actually kept her with the goats. I don’t know! The kids loved her being out and felt so safe with her around and I did too. She loved being where we were and would even sneak in the house to be with us! Our hearts are so broken! She had just turned one in June!!! 

There won’t be another LGD until the male we’ve reserved is actually born. In the meantime, I’ve told DH that we have to get set up perfectly because I refuse to lose another LGD. I love them so much and losing three in 9 years is just devastating! (I know Coop is alive but he had to be rehomed so I failed him too.) DH agreed and said that he will get a plan together. 

DH asked me about getting another farm dog and we will either do an Aussie or another English Shepherd like Lana. We’d just keep Cowboy and Jewel out but don’t have a complete perimeter fence and Cowboy is intact. Jewel is actually in heat at the moment and not enjoying confinement at all! 

I want to scream, cry, punch something! It’s so hard. Queenie was barely one and taken way too soon! This is harder than Faith! She was my world but I knew the end was near and that we’d given her the best life possible after all she’d been through. Losing Queenie is a complete shock!


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## RollingAcres (Aug 30, 2018)

Oh no! 
I'm so sorry my friend...


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## greybeard (Aug 30, 2018)

Well, there is no perfect/infallible setup for a farm wide dog, and all you can do is do your best, especially with cattle fences. 
Sorry this happened tho and I've lost a couple over the decades to the same thing..


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## OneFineAcre (Aug 30, 2018)

Oh my
I am so sorry


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 30, 2018)

That is just absolutely Terrible!!!...........I know from experience that ya can play the "what if" game for days and weeks on end.....but, it never makes ya feel any better....it never changes the result.....and, everything isn't in your control to change things that are meant to be. There are some things that just happen that is difficult for us to make sense of, but ya just have to have Faith that the Father in Heaven has a reason for them to happen.....I know it is devastating for the children too, so please give them a  from me too!! It will certainly be a bit, but things will get better for ya....just don't lose Faith!!


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## frustratedearthmother (Aug 30, 2018)

So sorry


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## Hens and Roos (Aug 30, 2018)

so sorry


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## Southern by choice (Aug 30, 2018)

You already know how heavy my heart is for you. Continuing to pray. 
We grieve with you my friend.


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## Latestarter (Aug 30, 2018)

That is just so hard to hear!  My deepest condolences on yet another tragic loss. I hope it was quick and painless for her. Please don't beat yourself up too badly about this.


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## mystang89 (Aug 30, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I have so much guilt over this one!



Please don't feel guilty over this. Pain, sorrow, even anger, yes but no guilt. You took that dog in, gave her what she needed and wanted. She was loved and knew it. She was happy on your homestead and that isn't something that everyone can say they were able to do for a dog brought in from somewhere else.

I'm very sorry for your lost as myself and family have gone through this as well. There are too many things in life to be guilty for, don't let this be one of them.


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 30, 2018)

Not enough words for comfort. 
Try not to feel guilty. I agree with @mystang89 that you gave her a good life and she enjoyed her freedom. Accidents happen, so don't beat yourself up. Tie you up a punching bag down in the basement or out in a tool/machine shed and take some good whacks and maybe kicks at it. Good cardio and could help with what you're holding in causing that ulcer.


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## promiseacres (Aug 30, 2018)

so very sorry. My sincere condolences.


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## Baymule (Aug 30, 2018)

Our place is completely fenced in with 2x4x48 non climb horse wire. Is it a pain in the patatootie to open the gate, drive through, close the gate? yes. But it keeps my dogs and animals in and everybody else's out. Trip can jump the fence, but he knows not to jump out, off the property. 

I am real sorry for Queenie. She was a beautiful dog.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 30, 2018)

Thank you all! It means so much! I’m in a much better place this evening. Still in shock but not blaming myself so much. I just miss my girl! 



 

 

 

 

 

We’ve actually had issues with salesman coming back to our house to try to sell things and a new meter reader alerted Queenie the other day and I actually thought she was going to hurt him. (This wasn’t typical for her and tells me he isn’t trustworthy.) We talked about having the electric company move the meter to the start of the driveway and putting in a gate. There’d be a box for deliveries and it would require a code to come and go with the gate far enough off the road to allow for the truck with a long bed and the goose neck trailer with dove tail to get off the road. As far as the hay field, we will fence the outer portion of around the barnyard. We haven’t decided yet. The plan is that we are considering is to do a radius fence for the farm dog when we get an Aussie or English Shepherd. As I mentioned prior, our next LGD will be with livestock from the start and trained for that fencing and content in that area with lots of visits and attention from us. 

I probably should’ve clarified the LGD losses...Logan was euthanized from a torn cruciate ligament that was going to be expensive to fix with a miserable, extensive recovery that probably would’ve caused the other leg to develop the same problem. Cooper was a Pyr that decided to roam and wasn’t fazed by electric. He’s now in a home with woven wire and no further issues. Then Queenie. 

I’m really nervous about not having a LGD around to protect everything. I thought we were on track to having a pair and now we are back at square zero with none. Really don’t want to lose my chickens and cats while worrying about my goats and the cows during Calving.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 30, 2018)

Also on Elsa, I verified that we give triangle 10. It has five versions of lepto vaccine included. Timing was off this year in that we gave the vaccine three months later than normal but she had it last year too...


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## Latestarter (Aug 30, 2018)

What a pretty girl she was, and well loved I'm certain. A very sad loss, but NOT your fault! Just your loss... Thanks for sharing a few more pics of her.   I love basically all dogs, but my experience with my first and only LGD has just been special and different/better than any previous dog.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 31, 2018)

It was very odd to do chores this morning without my shadow. Cowboy stays close but also does his own thing whereas Queenie observed the whole time and knew at what point she can get attention and even make a little goat milk if I combine two bowls. 

Anyway, I have some other things to share. We are looking at some type of radius fence with a collar to put on Cowboy and Jewel. We want them to have access to the house and barnyard...still considering enclosing our perimeter but want them to be safe in the meantime. 

Jewel is in heat and NOT enjoying confinement. We are talking about letting her have a litter in the spring. Gotta have testing done on both prior.


 

Had a parade following us down to check the cows the other night...I realized it when I heard Oscar yelling for attention as he followed me! 



I edited a duplicate to show you there are four cats following us. Oscar, Chester, Wilson, then Ella. 




Once Oscar and Chester caught up to us. Wilson spooked when one of the dogs started jumping around and ran back to the barn. DD1 ended up carrying Ella all the way back. 


 

Tried to get some of the escutcheon pics that I mentioned and my babies are too tame! They won’t let me get behind them because they want attention. Lol! 

3 of the 5 that aren’t weaned yet. 
Top to bottom: Ariel, Perdy, Elly (Jasmine and Beauty are just out of the frame. In fact, Jasmine is barely in the upper left corner as she was trying to chew on my clothes.) 


 

We may dam raise but they sure love their humans!


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## RollingAcres (Aug 31, 2018)

Thank you for sharing beautiful pictures of Queenie.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 31, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Had a parade following us down to check the cows the other night...I realized it when I heard Oscar yelling for attention as he followed me!



The parade of cats...following the cat lady....


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 31, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> The parade of cats...following the cat lady....





I’d much rather be the crazy dog lady!!! Having major issues keeping that number up this year...


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## RollingAcres (Aug 31, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I’d much rather be the crazy dog lady!!! Having major issues keeping that number up this year...



In my defense I didn't say the "*crazy* cat lady", just "cat lady". LOL 
That was my attempt to make you smile during these tough times...


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 31, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> In my defense I didn't say the "*crazy* cat lady", just "cat lady". LOL
> That was my attempt to make you smile during these tough times...



 It worked!


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## Devonviolet (Aug 31, 2018)

I just found this and wanted to express how sorry I am about you losing your sweet Queenie!    Your photos show what a beautiful dog she was.


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## farmerjan (Aug 31, 2018)

Sorry about your LGD.  It is hard to lose any animal that is a part of the farm and the family like she was. 

Make sure the Lepto specifically says hardjo as one of the strains.  As @greybeard  said, it seems to be the strain that is most prevelant causing problems, but as he also said, there are other things that can cause it.  I am not much on all these vaccines that are "big combinations"  and I do not like MLV vaccines at all.   I liken it to all the vaccines that they give little babies now...I think we actually put their own immune systems at risk because we pump so much into them so young and in such larger combinations.  I know there are alot of people who will disagree with me.  But triangle 10 is supposed to be a good vaccine according to what some say.  I would maybe try adding just a lepto vaccine when you preg check or if you do the Triangle 10 then, at a point somewhere at a 6 month interval.  One thing, is triangle 10 safe for pregnant cows?  Maybe if you are giving it to them while open, then breeding them back it might be too soon for it to have gone past the "problem" time.  Some will say how long before you can safely breed.

3 out of 15 is 20%;   WAY TOO MANY.  You might want to do blood work or ask the vet what they would suggest. We usually have 3 to 5  out of 100 that come up open;  and that is including the old cows.  Maybe 1 out of  30 or 40 in the young cows.  Often that is because they have had a real nice calf and have milked heavy and are a bit on the thin side....so they get a 2nd try.  But never again are they given a 2nd chance....
Have one heifer that was confirmed preg and was supposed to have calved this spring.  She happened to be in a pasture that the bull was put back in to cover my AI bred heifers as a cleanup.  She never calved so when we checked the AI group she was again confirmed preg at about the same amount of time as they were, so must have slipped the first preg.  Well, they have all calved and she is not looking like she is going to calve.  She will get rechecked in case she is close, but I think she slipped it again and will go.  If she is close then okay but I don't hold out much hope.  They all get Lepto when they are preg checked but it is a killed virus vaccine.  Anyone we do give a second chance to also gets lepto, but the "culls" do not and get on the next truck out.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 1, 2018)

farmerjan said:


> Sorry about your LGD.  It is hard to lose any animal that is a part of the farm and the family like she was.
> 
> Make sure the Lepto specifically says hardjo as one of the strains.  As @greybeard  said, it seems to be the strain that is most prevelant causing problems, but as he also said, there are other things that can cause it.  I am not much on all these vaccines that are "big combinations"  and I do not like MLV vaccines at all.   I liken it to all the vaccines that they give little babies now...I think we actually put their own immune systems at risk because we pump so much into them so young and in such larger combinations.  I know there are alot of people who will disagree with me.  But triangle 10 is supposed to be a good vaccine according to what some say.  I would maybe try adding just a lepto vaccine when you preg check or if you do the Triangle 10 then, at a point somewhere at a 6 month interval.  One thing, is triangle 10 safe for pregnant cows?  Maybe if you are giving it to them while open, then breeding them back it might be too soon for it to have gone past the "problem" time.  Some will say how long before you can safely breed.
> 
> ...



Not at home at the moment, I’ll look at our actual vaccine when I am home. Definitely going to have a conversation with our vet. 

As far as vaccines go, I think there is such a thing as overkill too. My kids were vaccinated on a delayed schedule that was agreed upon by me and their pediatrician. I’m reluctant to overdo any of our animals too. I do feel like vaccines have their place if used properly.


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## Rammy (Sep 1, 2018)

So sorry to hear about Queenie.  What a a sweetie pie! I know its hard losing a pet you love so much and so young. 
I also read about certain posters being mean to you and am glad to see that you put them on ignore. I wouldnt let anyone chase me off from something I love and from people who love me.
I was afraid Id have to kick someones patootie for picking on my @WernerHomestead! 
You have been thru and are dealing with  alot lately. Dont let some bleephead ruin it for you. Just call me, I will sic my attack chickens on them.


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## Southern by choice (Sep 1, 2018)

Rammy said:


> I was afraid Id have to kick someones patootie for picking on my @WernerHomestead!
> You have been thru and are dealing with  alot lately. Dont let some bleephead ruin it for you. Just call me, I will sic my attack chickens on them.



I told her the same thing.  We definitely take care of our own here.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 1, 2018)

I am so very saddened by the loss of Queenie.  

She was such a lovely animal, looked the way I'd like to have for my own dog like her.  Coloring, size, temperament you described.  The love in her eyes told it all.  I can feel your pain, as if she were mine.

We go on.  Never do they leave our hearts.  It's ok to shed a tear as you remember her when you walk the farm and see her still there with you.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 1, 2018)

Thank you again all! The farm has a void right now. I don’t want to be in a rush to get another guardian but I don’t want to put it off too long either. Praying about it! Your support in my being here and providing comfort and reassurance through the loss means the world. Southern and her family have been amazing! I called her crying as soon as I got off the phone with DH. Her daughter met her and likened her to Callie and I knew that she would “get it.” No one else in our family has or understands our LGDs. Our BYH family does. Love and hugs to all!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 2, 2018)

I finally snapped some pics of the doelings while they were eating to show y’all their escutcheons. Neither of my bucks have had a daughter freshen so time will tell. (Knight has two daughters on the farm that I got him from that will freshen in the spring.)

I’m supposed to be asleep but I went to sleep at about 6 while fighting a headache and now I’m awake and found a snack as I was hungry.

So back to escutcheons...

I think King is making some positive improvements to Nell’s girls and I can’t wait to see what they do when they freshen. 

Nellie 2F, freshened 4/7 with trips:



 
Elly:


 
Beauty: 


 
Perdy:


 

I did go ahead and grab a pic of the other two doelings born here. 

Jasmine: (Not as impressed. I’ll use King or Theo over her to see if we can improve in her daughters.) 


 
Ariel: (really like)


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## Sheepshape (Sep 3, 2018)

Lovely Goat Parts.

I've just (as always, late) read about the loss of your dog. I'm SO sorry....dogs are such wonderful companions. A blessing that she died outright, though. My much-loved Border Collie was (almost certainly) hit by a delivery driver a few years back as he has that awful tendency to try to herd vehicles. His back and back legs were injured. He survived and recovered, but has been left with severe arthritis which has, no doubt, altered the way he has to spend his 'Senior Years'. He has to take medication all the time. I don't really know what I'd call my lovely Jared, though.......doesn't work the sheep, never has been able to jump a gate, won't go into water that is over an inch deep, but would take on an elephant to defend me.....maybe he IS an LGD!

My advice (for what it's worth!) is to get another dog pretty soon......not to replace, that will never happen, but to get some of the love that you have in abundance for dogs and to channel the grief.


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## Rammy (Sep 3, 2018)

Oh, boy! More goat porn!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 3, 2018)

Rammy said:


> Oh, boy! More goat porn!


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## Mike CHS (Sep 3, 2018)

I've seen folks planning their fences so livestock isn't too close to their houses but we literally put up our fences so they are just a few feet from our living and bedroom windows.  This is this years lambs resting through the heat of the day.  All except 4 of them are old enough/big enough to be bred.  We are holding off just a bit so lambing will be spread out and let us have lambs available for market for both Easter and after.  If Ringo is doing his job the senior ewes should lamb in December-January.  That tree is in what used to be a chicken yard but I retrofited a gate to the paddock on the other side that I can open and let them use the shade plus I can get through it with a mower or tractor.


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## Southern by choice (Sep 3, 2018)

I think our dairy goats would die if they couldn't see us through the door. No way they would cope being far away. 
I like your thinking @Mike CHS 

plus baby goats seem to try and find 101 ways to get themselves in trouble.


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## Mike CHS (Sep 3, 2018)

Sorry for the hijack.  I'm not sure how but that picture was meant for our journal thread.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 3, 2018)

@Mike CHS Its all good! Might be something I could use as we fence our perimeter.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 3, 2018)

I worked today. It wasn’t crazy. Very thankful for that. Allowed my mind to do some wandering though. 

I really want another dog. There’s a possibility of an adult, trained LGD and I’m ready to jump all over that. DH is being more reserved. My parents are even on board which is unusual. Would have to do some fencework before we’d be ready for an adult as I want an appropriate sized paddock that is designed to keep in a LGD. Of course, it would be out daily to visit with the family. I’ve even figured out that a good time to feed this dog would be during morning milking...trying to focus on praying about this one. My parents are praying too. 

Even with a LGD in the barn, my house seems empty. Oscar comes in and out but it’s not the same. Faith left a huge void and Queenie just made the chasm deeper. (She snuck in every chance she got.) I want another Aussie and put my name on a list but it could be spring. (Jewel isn’t having tolerating being a full time housedog and away from Cowboy.) 

In the meantime, I was playing on Craigslist and found this... 
https://cincinnati.craigslist.org/for/d/pug-cocker-spaniel-mix/6673154601.html. Reminds me of a Pup we had right after we got married. Hmmm...I would change his name though! 

I know that the number isn’t everything but I’m a dog person. We got Faith right before we got married (Dec will be 10 years.) Ava Grace (like Pup in ad above) joined us that Easter Sunday from the roadside. By Sept we had taken in 2 rescue Pomeranians (whole other story.) Then Feb brought the move to the farm and our first Pyr, Logan. Lana, the English Shepherd, joined us in June to be Logan’s pal. My brother’s Red Heeler moved in over the winter. We lost Ava in June and brought Heidi home in August. Then there was Jett, Cooper, Cowboy, Jewel, and Queenie. I haven’t been down to two dogs since we got the Poms. Faith and Ava were both house dogs. I’ve had a housedog since 6th grade. 

More or less just putting out what’s in my head. DH is still in shock and not ready for a big change yet. If we didn’t have kids, I’d be visiting a couple shelters and bring home 2-3 fuzzy butts that weren’t likely to get adopted. 

Time will tell. I’m trying to let God.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 3, 2018)

Some funny cat pics from yesterday morning too...

Cat Pallet:


 
Disney on ground, Ella partway up, Sophie on top.

Wilson lounging on the feed. 


 

Ella lounging on a pig board. (Feed is wrong feed from seller...gotta switch out.) 




Chester in an awkward position. Crazy cat!


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 3, 2018)

I'm sure the right door will "open" for ya....and you will "know" that it is right..........the animals here get excited when I get to building or doing things here, cause they can't wait to check it out.....


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## goatgurl (Sep 3, 2018)

I am just catching up and was so saddened by queenie's death, i'm so sorry for your loss.  I know you will let God guide you on the next furbaby to come to your house.  I got a young male maremma some years back and he was almost a year old when he was hit on the road and killed.  in my 68 years I've never had a dog killed on the road and I was devastated to say the least and the guilt was horrible because somehow he had gotten out and how could I have prevented it.  don't beat yourself up, feces occurs.  it just does, nothing we do can stop it.  check out the English shepherd rescue on facebook when you get a chance.  that is where my J.J. came from and I think she is the best or maybe 2nd best farm dog I've ever had.  she is the kind of dog you want out on the farm with your children. 
  and yes, more goat porn, hoohoo's this time.  by the way I really like that Holstein heifer you your cow thread .   and I think Wilson is a handsome fellow.  he could come to my house.  are you not nervous to be out walking around with that many mountain lions stalking you??


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## Sheepshape (Sep 3, 2018)

goatgurl said:


> check out the English shepherd rescue on facebook


 Is English Shepherd a Border Collie? If so, they are Wonderful Dogs around livestock. Ours loves children, too, though they have  reputation for trying to 'herd' children and have too much energy for their own good. See what's out there.....you'll fall in love with one (or maybe more!) of them. Animal Rescues often have lovely big dogs which Townie people have taken on and found them inappropriate for an urban environment. The possibilities are endless.

Your cats look the picture of contentment Wehner H. You may not describe yourself as a Cat Person, but they think so. I had to have a cat in her late teens euthanised for kidney failure yesterday, so I'm down to one cat now.

I look forward to seeing your new addition(s)


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## Latestarter (Sep 4, 2018)

Sorry you lost the old girl SS... They all come to that end eventually, but we wish it wasn't so soon. Will you be getting another/additional cat(s)? I assume they are handy with keeping rodent populations somewhat in check...


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 4, 2018)

@Sheepshape I’m slightly reluctant to rescue an adult dog without knowing much about it. We’ve rescued several and dealt with training them out of the horrible habits they’d developed. With the kids, I believe it’s easier to start with a clean slate and I can bring them up my way. 

An English Shepherd is not a Border Collie though I’m sure there is some BC in the lineage. English Shepherds were started in America. They have also been called Farm Collies. The ES doesn’t have “eye” like a BC and doesn’t herd on command. They learn by watching what you do then do it on their own. They learn what’s helpful to you and do their part. ES are very sensitive to correction and have a high prey drive as far as eliminating the rodent population. They also have to be socialized with cats or they will see them as prey. 

Lana was an ES. We loved her. She was an amazing dog BUT something happened along the way and she never helped with livestock. (We think someone was at the farm when we weren’t there.) She was always protective of her humans and land while keeping the rodent population down. We’ve talked about another...

Cowboy turns 2 this month. It’s hard to believe that he’s our oldest dog. DH took this pic of him yesterday.


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## RollingAcres (Sep 4, 2018)

The right time and right dog will come. But I know what you mean by "empty". A house without a dog or dogs is an empty house. I miss my June and my Sammie....
I haven't even started looking yet.



Wehner Homestead said:


> I’m slightly reluctant to rescue an adult dog without knowing much about it. We’ve rescued several and dealt with training them out of the horrible habits they’d developed. With the kids, I believe it’s easier to start with a clean slate and I can bring them up my way.



Same here. Since we have kids, we really need to make sure that we know the background of the rescued dog.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 5, 2018)

@Sheepshape In my haste to respond, I forgot to offer my condolences. Losses are never easy! 

I truly am not a cat person. I don’t like that you have no idea how they’ll act when grown. Their only on their terms (most of them) attention-seeking.  I do like them in the barn for the rodent and bird control. The kids REALLY enjoy them and I do make sure each gets some pets and cuddles daily if they are willing. 

That being said, Oscar’s antics are quite the blessing right now. He isn’t a typical cat and is a wonderful distraction from the hurt of Faith and Queenie being gone. He snuck in again yesterday. Oh who am I kidding!? I let him in as I came in! It’s just good medicine to cuddle with him! Anyway, he found a good napping spot. Have to share. 



 
That is one of those little kid couches that folds out into a little “bed.” He slept through kids wrestling all around him!


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## RollingAcres (Sep 5, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 5, 2018)

DS fed the cats! 


 

What do you make of this color woolly worm for winter? Ours are all solid like this and there seem to be fewer than usual. 




Huge spider in the lean-to.


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 5, 2018)

Hey....he did accomplish the "goal" and even hit the plate....makes it easier for the cats to get to the nuggets they prefer first.....I doubt it will draw mice, but coons, possums, and skunks.....cats will avoid them......the thing about wooly-bears.....in accordance to local lore....has to do with the thickness of the "wooly" part and how close the rows are together.....more "wool", colder winter.....thinner "wool", warmer winter......haven't seen very many here yet, but should be showing up in the next few wks.....that is a Beautiful garden spider....they are valuable to have around....but, Outside......


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## RollingAcres (Sep 5, 2018)

We know the cats won't be starving any time soon.


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## Sheepshape (Sep 5, 2018)

The English Shepherd looks like there's a good bit of Border Collie in it. Does Cowboy have a bobtail?

So, the English Shepherd was developed in the USA and we don't have them over here, .....but maybe we should.Border Collies are otherwise known over here as 'Sheepdogs', though occasionally other breeds are used for livestock herding. I think  current Border Collies all can be traced back to some very fertile and obviously highly desirable old boy called Old Hemp in the border counties between Scotland and England towards the end of the 19th century. 

There is a type of dog called a Welsh Sheepdog which looks rather like the English Shepherd that isn't recognised as a standard breed by any kennel clubs, but they are still in existence.The Welsh Sheepdog
is rather rare now as it isn't as good at rounding help up etc. but apparently was great at driving (droving) sheep when they weren't moved around in trailers or transporters.



Wehner Homestead said:


> I forgot to offer my condolences.


No worries. Old Minnie was a feral cat taken on by our predecessors.....she came with the house. Over the 11.5 years we had her she became very easy with people she knew, but was always nervous of strangers. She lived in the sheep shed during the winter, but slept somewhere else in the summer. A very sweet little cat, she had had litters of kittens every year for the 6 or so years before we took her on, so we had her neutered. Paradoxically she couldn't catch a cold, whereas the house cat is a prolific rodent hunter (mainly voles). Never vaccinated, and never wormed until we took her on, she had a totally free and easy existence. She was euthanised before she had gone down the path of relentless decline that kidney failure causes.I am sad not to see her and hear her gentle purring when I stroked her old head. She is buried in our 'graveyard' in a lovely spot in a wooded grove along with 2 other cats, ancient chickens and even a hamster.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 5, 2018)

@Sheepshape Cowboy is an Australian Shepherd so yes, he has a bobtail. 

Some English Shepherds are born with natural bob-tail (NBT) and some have long tails. We picked Lana from a litter of 11 and there were both. She had a full tail. They also come in tri, Black/tan, and sable. Most have at least some white on them. Here are some pics of Lana. 




 


 


 
She was often called a Border Collie by visitors. 

I find the fact that Australian Shepherds and English Shepherds were both created in the US but have names for other parts of the world very entertaining (but confusing for many!)


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## mystang89 (Sep 5, 2018)

That spider is a garden spider. Supposed to be very good for gardens and symbolize good luck.


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 5, 2018)

Got to love an English Sheperd!  Hope you don't mind me crashing the party with a pic of Gracie.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 5, 2018)

frustratedearthmother said:


> View attachment 51921 Got to love an English Sheperd!  Hope you don't mind me crashing the party with a pic of Gracie.



Not at all! Gracie is a beautiful ES!!


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 5, 2018)

Thanks!  She's also probably one of the smartest dogs I've ever owned.  Eager to please, very obedient, a decent herder and an excellent varmint getter.  Love her to pieces!   Can't sing the praises of this breed enough.


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 5, 2018)

She sure is very Nice looking FEM.....


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 5, 2018)

Thanks!


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## Bruce (Sep 5, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> DS fed the cats!


No worries, the rats will have it cleaned up by morning.



Wehner Homestead said:


> What do you make of this color woolly worm for winter? Ours are all solid like this


That reminds me I saw one today, lighter shade of brown but ALL the same color. No belt. Not sure what that is supposed to mean for the coming winter.



Sheepshape said:


> So, the English Shepherd was developed in the USA and we don't have them over here


Kinda like California Pot Roast didn't come from California.


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## Mike CHS (Sep 5, 2018)

Did anyone mention that Australian Shepherds had nothing to do with Australia?


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## greybeard (Sep 5, 2018)

Your wolly worm is forecasting a mild winter.....


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## Bruce (Sep 5, 2018)

VERY mild if there is no dark band!! I'm not sure I trust the wollies any more than I trust Phil.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 5, 2018)

@Mike CHS I did say that Australian Shepherds have nothing to do with Australia. The breed was developed in the Western United States.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 5, 2018)

@Bruce fortunately rats are a rare occurrence around here. They better stay that way!!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 6, 2018)

Yesterday I found a dead toad (with trauma) right outside the doe pen. This morning there was a dead mouse. Sophie has taken to leaving me presents! She also hangs out in the goat pens like Nala used to. 

DH has worked on hay the last two evenings after work. He was tedding last night and baling tonight. Went to a tent revival and heard John Harke prophesy last night. His anointing is evident and I love hearing what he has to share. 

DH decided to say no to the adult, trained LGD. He’s afraid that we wouldn’t bond with him properly or he wouldn’t transition well here with Cowboy and Jewel. I’m trying to respect his decision. The plan is still to get a male Pup in the near future when the breeder that I contacted has another litter. I’ve also contacted Queenie’s breeder and they’d like us to get another. They are hoping for pups born around Christmas and we’d get pick after them. Unsure what gender I want from that litter. There is a chance of brindles so that may help with a female that doesn’t look exactly like Queenie. 

I found a cute Jack Russell puppy. She’s about 4 months. Her house and crate training are well under way. DH just isn’t ready. Wondering how long before he caves. He hates to tell me no. I saw a meme today that said “Wife wanted a puppy. I didn’t. We compromised. Meet our new puppy.” I sent it to him. He laughed so at least I haven’t ticked him off by sending him my finds.


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## Baymule (Sep 7, 2018)

A home without a dog in it is an empty house. I know. Even with the two GP's outside with occasional inside visits from Trip, our house just feels empty. Hopefully you will get a new dog soon. Sounds like your husband is still grieving.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 7, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> a meme today that said “Wife wanted a puppy. I didn’t. We compromised. Meet our new puppy.”




    Sounds like my late DH.


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## RollingAcres (Sep 7, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> . I saw a meme today that said “Wife wanted a puppy. I didn’t. We compromised. Meet our new puppy.” I sent it to him. He laughed so at least I haven’t ticked him off by sending him my finds.





Mini Horses said:


> Sounds like my late DH.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 7, 2018)

@Baymule I hope y’all find the right fit for your home soon too!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 7, 2018)

Diamond opted to go on a walk-about before going to the milkstand this morning. Scared me pretty good as she went out with the steer that doesn’t have a brain and I was afraid he’d hurt her or me as I was trying to get her out. I did get a pic before he came up to see what the ruckus was about. 



 
This was before milking...she has almost no udder. I don’t think she’s going to do an extended lactation. Gonna have to get her bred back! 

Disney has really gotten tamer! Just hanging out while I milk. 


 

There were 2 more cats on the stand but they jumped down when they saw me to come rub on my legs!


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 7, 2018)

AHhhhh!!!.....come on....we gotta make life Exciting for ya!!....the same ole, same ole just gets boring.....


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## Mini Horses (Sep 7, 2018)

Maybe some fruits & veggies with high vit-c and lower acid?

Here's one that may help your throat, too...

While thyme is a popular remedy for sore throats and respiratory conditions, it’s also high in vitamin C, which helps improve immune health, make antibodies, destroy viruses and bacteria and clear infected cells 

who knew?    not me.

Just hoping you feel better!!

Still milking, huh?   This heat makes it bad here.  Worse than winter cold -- well, for now.  When winter hits I will probably change my mind.    Hate really cold weather.  AND snow.  So far I'm drying them off and will work it better at kidding in Spring.


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## RollingAcres (Sep 7, 2018)

Never a dull moment!
Those kitties are just too cute!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 7, 2018)

Mini Horses said:


> Maybe some fruits & veggies with high vit-c and lower acid?
> 
> Here's one that may help your throat, too...
> 
> ...



Thank you for caring enough to do some research! We are open to trying some different things. I’ve actually been scheduled for an EGD on 9/25 to see what’s really going on. 

We plan to milk year-round so that DD2 always has fresh milk. I know Nellie can do an extended lactation so she’s my true hope for the winter. I’ve been freezing like mad just in case. Snowflake may keep milking and may not. Caramel will freshen in Oct so that will help.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 7, 2018)

You are welcome and the brassicas has lots of VitC.  But some may be an issue with gas/acid.  Some fruits can be but others not so much.  Nuts?



Wehner Homestead said:


> Caramel will freshen in Oct so that will help.



Yes.  Current one will prob carry you until she is milking after colostrum, etc.,  That should take you into more kiddings, more milk.   You've got a full plate but, God provides!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 7, 2018)

Mini Horses said:


> You are welcome and the brassicas has lots of VitC.  But some may be an issue with gas/acid.  Some fruits can be but others not so much.  Nuts?
> 
> 
> 
> Yes.  Current one will prob carry you until she is milking after colostrum, etc.,  That should take you into more kiddings, more milk.   You've got a full plate but, God provides!




I totally agree! God does provide!


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## Bruce (Sep 7, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I found a cute Jack Russell puppy. She’s about 4 months.


Now there is something to keep you from getting bored. Lots of energy in a JR.


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## greybeard (Sep 8, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> This morning there was a dead mouse. Sophie has taken to leaving me presents!


Those are not presents or gifts. They are examples...tools.  It's Sophie's way of  trying to teach you how to hunt and kill.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 8, 2018)

It’s raining like crazy here. DH and his dad finished 109.5 round bales of dry hay from one farm this week! 

I don’t think I ever introduced the guinea pigs. Panda Boy and Eric got their cage cleaned yesterday and I remembered to get a pic while they were contained. 



 


 

We are getting a large variety of egg sizes and colors. Sizes range from bantam pullet eggs to three year old layers. Colors range from blue to green to mint to pinkish to cream to khaki to chocolate. 

Amazingly enough the chocolate egg is from either an Ameraucana (EE), Light Brahma, Black Australorp, Buff Orpington, Gold Laced Wyandotte, or Isa Brown. 



 
The blue is next to the cream and difficult to get a pic of.


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## Bruce (Sep 8, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Those are not presents or gifts. They are examples...tools.  It's Sophie's way of  trying to teach you how to hunt and kill.


Apparently our cats are doing that as well. Was going to go outside and spotted on the mat in the mudroom

rear 1/4 of a mouse
head of a mouse
really gross barfed up rest of the mouse and who knows what all else. Too much for 3/4 of a mouse.
I liked it better when they did their killing and barfing in the shower. So much easier to clean up.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 9, 2018)

My cats were never inside but, one I had used to leave her "proof of work" at my backdoor.   Right now I NEED to find 2 or 3 good barn cats.  But, the old fart who MADE this is home almost 18 years ago isn't good with newbies.  Plus he's too old to hunt and likes his soft food -- almost all back teeth gone.  He's a feral that "moved in"!   He harassed the two I had then but, they had a truce.  Now just him.  NOT enough.

He may be more social now, guess I need to find out.   He now will allow me to occasionally pet him -- has only taken 18 years.   Plus he now "lives" on the back porch.  In years past he'd take off a few days at a time and stayed more in the fields & sheds.  Old and numbered days, I'm sure.


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## greybeard (Sep 9, 2018)

One dropped a little baby bunny right in front of our door on the front deck one Christmas Day just as all the guests were arriving for dinner.  I kicked it off to the side a little so no one would step on it, but waited till after din din to bury it. No telling tho, how much torment that rabbit had gone thru before it finally died at that cat's hands (paws)


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## farmerjan (Sep 9, 2018)

I have about 20 or 30 you can come get.  Have to get some spayed this year.  I did spay a couple 2 or 3 years ago and one got killed on the road, one disappeared and one the coyotes got.  All the ones I didn't spay had copious litters and now they are really way overpopulated.  Plus there were about 5 or 6 new ones that must've gotten dropped because all of a sudden there were several "bigger" cats here that weren't of the litters born here.  Got a "manx" type with no/short tail that has left his mark with a bunch of short-tailed kittens.  None are very friendly, although I do feed them.  Have 2 that  I am going to dispose of, they fight with everyone else at feeding time and even out in the field for no reason.  Tired of that.


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## greybeard (Sep 9, 2018)

farmerjan said:


> I have about 20 or 30 you can come get.  Have to get some spayed this year.  I did spay a couple 2 or 3 years ago and one got killed on the road, one disappeared and one the coyotes got.  All the ones I didn't spay had copious litters and now they are really way overpopulated.  Plus there were about 5 or 6 new ones that must've gotten dropped because all of a sudden there were several "bigger" cats here that weren't of the litters born here.  Got a "manx" type with no/short tail that has left his mark with a bunch of short-tailed kittens.  None are very friendly, although I do feed them.  Have 2 that  I am going to dispose of, they fight with everyone else at feeding time and even out in the field for no reason.  Tired of that.



For all the 'crazy cat ladies' of the world...


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## Mini Horses (Sep 9, 2018)

FarmJan I could use 4 or 5!  I want hunters.  I do feed mine but nothing like a "trained by mom" mouser -- nothing!    I don't need a pet.   I like to pet them but, it's optional.       We have a "neuter day" here with our local agencies.   One of mine had recently been neutered at a few months old and she ran away to my barn!  LOL  I knew where she came from and Betty said -- oh, no..you keep her!!   (she was feeding & neutering about 50 ferals).   

That cat was great!  Pretty and friendly, too...eventually. 

Maybe I should take a drive and buy some beef, get some cats.    Leaves will be changing before long.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 9, 2018)

@Mini Horses use a large dog crate to contain the new cats for a couple days. I put a litter box, bowl of food, and dish of water. That gets them used to the sights/sounds/smells of your farm and makes it home. It also gives any existing felines the chance to adjust to the newcomers. Not to say there won’t be spats but it helps. 

@greybeard wow! I will say that Oscar isn’t supposed to be a housecat, he just “sneaks” in a couple times a day! He loves me. 

On a not so fun note, Maizy (cow) came in heat on Friday. I’m really frustrated with the cattle breeding for the year. Have talked to several others that have had similar issues in our area. Definitely waiting on feedback from the vet. 

Sold a steer for 4-H today! Excited for the family and to see how he looks/does at the fair.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 11, 2018)

Busy couple of days...DD2, DS, and I are still fighting our sore throats and coughs despite antibiotics for several days. I’m taking DD2 to the dr tomorrow to make sure she doesn’t have anything else going on.

In the meantime, I’ve tried super hard to get this house in order! Both bathrooms have been cleaned from top to bottom. (When you are raising a boy, this is a necessity...I haven’t decided if he has horrible aim or his stream is a source of entertainment.) 

The functional kids’ bathroom. 


 
The waste of space/catch-all. This is part of the addition that was added on 3 years before we bought the house. We typically only use the first sink, commode, and walk-in shower, everything else just collects stuff. 


 

I made my homemade chicken noodle soup last night and all three kids ate well! Tonight I made minute steaks and gravy, broccoli cauliflower and cheese, mashed potatoes, and buttered bread. Kids chowed down again. 

We castrated five calves last night. DH held them in the headchute while I did the cutting and pulling. All seemed to do well and it’s great to have that out of the way. 

Tonight we tied up heifers. They weren’t horrible for their first time. All ate their feed and two even laid down. They have open shows Oct 13 & Oct 20 so need to to puts lots of time into them between now and then. I took pics of 3 of the 4. The one not pictured is one we are breaking for our 4-H kiddo that we help. 

Indy


 
Mallory


Emma

 

The sunset tonight.


 

 

Had to leave you with a goofy cat picture again. Ella decided to go for a drive!


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## goatgurl (Sep 11, 2018)

i'll be anxious to see how your Holstein heifer grows out and how she looks with a hair cut.  indy and emma are both growing nicely.  beautiful sunset.  I wish I could have a cat.  I love seeing yours and their antics.  where do you figure ella was planning to go.


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## Mike CHS (Sep 11, 2018)

I love your photographic skills.   The house is looking great.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 11, 2018)

@goatgurl Mallory is a beef heifer marked like a Holstein. I’ll definitely keep you posted on her though. She’s quickly becoming a favorite around here! 

Ella would love to go anywhere/everywhere DD2 goes! They have a very close bond. 

Thanks @Mike CHS!


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## goatgurl (Sep 11, 2018)

I know Mallory is a beef calf  @Wehner Homestead.  I remember when she was born.  i'm just jerking your chain.  if one can judge from baby pictures she is going to be really nice.  I wondered how long it was going to take you to remind me that she was a beefer not a Holstein.  sorry, i'm just a brat sometimes.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 11, 2018)

goatgurl said:


> I know Mallory is a beef calf  @Wehner Homestead.  I remember when she was born.  i'm just jerking your chain.  if one can judge from baby pictures she is going to be really nice.  I wondered how long it was going to take you to remind me that she was a beefer not a Holstein.  sorry, i'm just a brat sometimes.



I wondered! Lol

I truly figure it’ll be a lifelong battle. There’s some dairy heifers being pastures across the road. They are similar in size and several people have thought that one had gotten out and managed to get into our pastures.


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## farmerjan (Sep 11, 2018)

I still like Indy.... have since she was a baby.  

The sunset pictures are beautiful.


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## RollingAcres (Sep 12, 2018)

Beautiful pics! Maybe it's the lighting but Indy looks like she's got "white socks" on.


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## greybeard (Sep 12, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I haven’t decided if he has horrible aim or his stream is a source of entertainment.)


the latter.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 12, 2018)

@farmerjan She definitely has a special place! Her mother is Maddie, she’s 13 and favoring a rear leg. Appears to be an arthritis type issue. We won’t make her suffer another winter after this one. She will hurt to let go. 

Interestingly enough, Maddie is the foundation of the majority of our herd. She came from an elder one DH’s Church. He wouldn’t part with her because his great granddaughter named her but we really liked her. His son was there and when the father died a few months later, he contacted us to buy her. We were thrilled! 

Maddie is the mother to Mollie (mother of Moxie and Ember [Moxie is the mother of Mallory]), Melody (mother of Mabel), Maizy, and Indy. Mallory marked the fourth generation here of that line! 

@RollingAcres Indy is solid tan. It’s the crappy barn lighting. Indy is only the second calf that Maddie has had that was tan. Both females and both retained. She’s had a red (Maizy) and lots of black calves.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 12, 2018)

greybeard said:


> the latter.



 That’s what I figured. I meant to insert an eye roll there. I am sick of cleaning that bathroom every day though. He isn’t allowed to use mine and encouraged to go outside! Ha!


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## Pastor Dave (Sep 12, 2018)

My boys are careless and often times too busy to set down their tablets. I get on them and make them come back and clean up mess. Then the next thing I know is all of a sudden, I'm at fault too. The difference between a boy and a man is innocense according to Bon Jovi. A man learns to respect the others using the facilities and at least clean his mess.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 12, 2018)

Well the beefy in a Holstein suit is a wicked color!  Halloween ready.


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## Bruce (Sep 12, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I haven’t decided if he has horrible aim or his stream is a source of entertainment.)


Tell him he sits or he goes out in the weeds. Even at night.



Wehner Homestead said:


> I truly figure it’ll be a lifelong battle. There’s some dairy heifers being pastures across the road. They are similar in size and several people have thought that one had gotten out and managed to get into our pastures.


I hope no one decides to be helpful and moves her over to the neighbor's!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 12, 2018)

@Bruce when he sits, he sprays forward. It’s a game. I’ve even made him clean the bathroom. Ugh!


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## Bruce (Sep 12, 2018)

Then he needs to figure it out or use the trees all the time


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 12, 2018)

DH made a feed run after work today. I took DD2 to the doctor again today. She has tonsillitis and she’s now developing some sort of chest infection. Making some med changes and continue to monitor. She goes back for a recheck in a few weeks to make sure her tonsils look better. If not, they need to come out. DS is improving. My throat is still on fire. Coughed a lot last night and didn’t get much sleep. I really need sleep. Got daring with my diet today and that just caused pain. Ugh! 

Oscar tried to cheer me up. 



 

So much to do and no time to do it all like usual. Need to make a list and prioritize. Time off to work on projects with DH would help since neither of us gets much done when just one is off because DD2 requires so much monitoring and not just anyone can watch her. 

Jewel has a scrape between her eyes. She seems to have thrown a fit in her crate and injured herself. 

Dad is improving more each day. He’s becoming more active and doing more normal activity each day. Still off work and can’t lift over 10#. 

We’d been going back and forth about becoming an Australian Shepherd breeder and while I love puppies and enjoyed the litter of Goldendoodles, I hate the pressure of finding them good homes and letting them go. I just want to keep them all. We’ve decided to let Cowboy and Jewel have a litter in the spring. Several friends are interested in pups and we plan to keep 1-2. I’ve found a female that I really like to be our housedog. She’s a black tri with blue eyes and a blocky build. I’m supposed to have a phone conversation with the breeder in the morning. I’m SO ready to hear the happy greetings when I get home and have a cuddle buddy! 

I’ll try to get y’all some pics tomorrow. DD2 has physical therapy in the morning then DS is going to preschool for the first time this week. They’ve missed going. I want DD2 to rest. 

Saw some pics of Hurricane Florence from the air or outer space. Either way, she looks quite impressive! Prayers for all in her path!


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## Southern by choice (Sep 12, 2018)

Years ago they had these little flushable "targets" - bullseye targets, for boys to learn better "control".
It actually helps them focus... instead of looking around in la la land - that's how they "spray". 

Please, don't make him sit. It is very emasculating. 
Young boys take time. Just part of life. I raised 6 boys.  I get bathroom cleaning! 

This is why men's bathrooms have urinals.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 12, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> Years ago they had these little flushable "targets" - bullseye targets, for boys to learn better "control".
> It actually helps them focus... instead of looking around in la la land - that's how they "spray".
> 
> Please, don't make him sit. It is very emasculating.
> ...



I bought him green sprinkles to aim for (his favorite color) and we’ve also used Cheerios. That fun lasts about two bathroom trips.


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## Southern by choice (Sep 12, 2018)

The bulleyes weren't for fun, they kind of stayed stationary so as to not make a "game" out of it.  More for focaus and aim. I can see a boy wanting to swoosh the cheerios all over the place. 
It really is normal and they do learn. Never make a young man feel bad about it though. (I know you and you wouldn't)
Well, let's be honest- _most_ learn...


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## mystang89 (Sep 14, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> I can see a boy wanting to swoosh the cheerios all over the place.



..... Wait, what? You mean that's NOT why my wife has me putting Cheerios in the toilet when I go pee?  What's the meaning of life then!?


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## Mini Horses (Sep 14, 2018)

Good one, mystang!


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## Southern by choice (Sep 14, 2018)

mystang89 said:


> ..... Wait, what? You mean that's NOT why my wife has me putting Cheerios in the toilet when I go pee?  What's the meaning of life then!?


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 14, 2018)

Well, I feel well qualified to comment on this....yes, I have 4 daughters, but at the age of 4 I had bladder and kidney operations......during the recovery from bladder surgery I was passing clots from the bladder while "trying to hit cheerios" in the commode.....not literally, but I like the idea.....some of the meds that I was taking turned the spray a bright orange and when the clots passed it burned like fire.....well, I was like a mexican jumping bean and bright orange covered the bathroom.....even with my Mom standing behind me with her hands on my shoulders trying to keep me from hopping around.....I always was embarrassed by it and have sat to pee ever since....unless there was a urinal or tree available. It won't injure their masculinity to sit, but the stressing of the clean-up involved and cleaning up after theirself can go a long way in getting them to think of others and not abuse those around them, just because they are a man and should be waited on. There are many factors that can create the mess, but irregardless of the reasons, it still falls on somebody to clean-up the mess.....plus, he'll be looking for a tree to keep from cleaning......


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## Southern by choice (Sep 14, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> It won't injure their masculinity to sit, but the stressing of the clean-up involved and cleaning up after theirself can go a long way in getting them to think of others and not abuse those around them,



If it is their choice.  Young children that are condemned for spray or aim and MADE to sit are being told in a way that their maleness is shameful. It is not. 
Personally I like the lysol wipes, teaches them to clean up after themselves and allows them the dignity and privacy.


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## Bruce (Sep 14, 2018)

He can always pee in the shower drain instead of the toilet until he can control his urge to screw around instead of do the job. Easy clean up.


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## Southern by choice (Sep 14, 2018)

Ok I am now mortified. 

I remember my boys years ago joking about this... As the mom... I was like don't you dare pee in the shower! 
I am sure they did.


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## Latestarter (Sep 14, 2018)

Why would you "not dare to pee in the shower"? I mean it's going to the same place as the toilet (in most cases)? Save wasting all the toilet tank water and just let the water from the shower do double duty... I mean don't use it AS a toilet, but if showering, why not?  I'll admit, I have no qualms about doing so at all...  Goes along with shaving or brushing teeth in the shower... Why not? I suppose doing the latter two would use more water than running the faucet on low while shaving or brushing, but aside from that reason...


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## Mike CHS (Sep 14, 2018)

We haven't had too many TMI posts on BYH but this one is sure cutting the edge.


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## Latestarter (Sep 14, 2018)

Good point


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## RollingAcres (Sep 14, 2018)




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## Bruce (Sep 14, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> I was like don't you dare pee in the shower!


Urine is sterile. And as LS said, it hits the same pipe the toilet hits. And it is easy to rinse out. I'd rather have that than the kid peeing on the floor, the toilet and sometimes IN the toilet. Not suggesting the kid pees in the sink!



Latestarter said:


> I suppose doing the latter two would use more water than running the faucet on low while shaving or brushing, but aside from that reason...


True and you can always turn the sink water OFF when brushing or shaving. No need to run it down the drain.


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## mystang89 (Sep 14, 2018)

LOL  Love your threads @Wehner Homestead !


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## Latestarter (Sep 14, 2018)

OK... so all you BYH'ers... FESS UP! Some of us know, that some of us "do it!"  Who pees in the shower?   Never mind... doesn't really matter in the long run.


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## goatgurl (Sep 14, 2018)




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## RollingAcres (Sep 15, 2018)

You're on your own there @Latestarter in regards to this matter


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## Mini Horses (Sep 15, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> We haven't had too many TMI posts on BYH but this one is sure cutting the edge.



  Lifestyles of the rich and famous  (rednecks?)

Wehner Homestead is trying to decide how to divert this conversation...started so innocently.


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## Pastor Dave (Sep 15, 2018)

Boys will improve, especially if taught to clean up one's mess and be responsible and respectful for other's use of the facilities. I like the Lysol wipes idea of wiping down the porcelain and floor area as long as my boys wouldn't try to flush them and mess up the plumbing.


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## goatgurl (Sep 15, 2018)

thank heaven for little girls.  never had that challenge.   gee, now what shall we talk about.  the weather, naaa.  politics, heck no, ok puppies, yea puppies, everybody loves puppies.  and I just happen to have a picture of a cute baby for your viewing pleasure.  asleep in the sunshine.


 
how was that for a subject change @Wehner Homestead.  did it work???


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## Mike CHS (Sep 15, 2018)

I have an AWWWWWWW for that one


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## Mini Horses (Sep 15, 2018)

Sure works for me -- what a cute diversion!!  Wow, I could snuggle with that one anytime.   I love the fluff.


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## Bruce (Sep 16, 2018)

goatgurl said:


> how was that for a subject change @Wehner Homestead. did it work???


Does the cute little fluff pee where it is supposed to instead of making a mess?


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## RollingAcres (Sep 17, 2018)

Awwww so cute and fluffy!



Bruce said:


> Does the cute little fluff pee where it is supposed to instead of making a mess?


Ohh Bruce...what are we gonna do with you? lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 17, 2018)

Sorry y’all! I’ve been working and didn’t have time for a good response. 

DS did wonderfully sitting until his male cousin (four months older) told him that only girls sit. (Thanks to his dad that doesn’t clean bathrooms!  They were two at the time and had no idea that older boys stand.) Anyway, my sister and I have both dealt with the boys’ aiming issues since. 

I really think that part of the problem is that the linoleum around the commode is ruined and has a constant odor. Hard to bring myself to replace it until it’s not happening quite as frequently. 

I did think that the post would garner some attention but had no idea that it would continue for so long or get quite so involved. It’s been entertaining to say the least! 

The attempt to change the direction of the thread was utterly adorable!  Can that pup come live here??? 

We are waiting to hear back on a female Aussie puppy that we found online. She’s AKC. Issue is that she had an innocent heart murmur at 6 weeks when she had her vet check. Vet thought she’d outgrow and she goes this week to see if that’s the case. She will be 12 weeks on Thursday. It can sometimes take up to 16 weeks. I’ve done lots of research and if it does truly heal on its own, it’s random and considered a non-issue. Per our purchase agreement though, she would limited to one, two litters at the maximum, IF we ever bred her. The intention is for her to be our pampered housepet, to go everywhere with us (getting feed, Tractor Supply and Rural King runs, to look at cattle, to open shows, etc.) Eventually, either one of her pups or one of Jewel’s would be trained to assist DD2 and get me an earlier heads up that something is amiss with her. 

Got the update on the bull we are buying. Mack will be weaned the first part of October.


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## Latestarter (Sep 17, 2018)

Waiting to see pics of the new bull when you get him  Sorry you've been working so hard/so many hours  Hope all works out with the new potential puppy. Lovce puppies!   Try to get you some down time for yourself... even if only a few hours. You deserve a "re-charge" period.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 18, 2018)

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!!! 

The pup will be making her new home here. I’ll have pics to share as soon as I can capture my own. Making arrangements to get to St. Louis to get her. Kids have named her “Halo.” She’s a black tri with ice blue eyes like Jewel. She’s definitely putting salve on this wounded heart already despite the distance! 

She had her vet appt today. Vet was the original one to examine her and said that he no longer heard a murmur at all and believes that it was completely benign and that he saw no issue with a breeding or two. (She and Cowboy are both red factored so they’d have black and red tris. We will only breed if we are going to keep 1-2 and there is enough interest in the rest of the litter to justify.)


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 18, 2018)

Just had to add...how’s that for a subject change?!


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## Mike CHS (Sep 18, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Just had to add...how’s that for a subject change?!



This post just guaranteed that it will revert to the other.


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 18, 2018)

That's really good news....at least a straight shot on I-64....


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## RollingAcres (Sep 18, 2018)

Yay!!!


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## Bruce (Sep 18, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Just had to add...how’s that for a subject change?!





Mike CHS said:


> This post just guaranteed that it will revert to the other.


OK, I will  and not ask if the pup will pee where it is supposed to as opposed to making a mess all over the bathroom floor.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 18, 2018)

She’s already started crate training. Hoping that helps. I’ve had some practice in house training dogs and it’s been easier than my son.


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## Bruce (Sep 18, 2018)

Ooh, ohh. Crate train your son!!!!
I suppose DCF would be all over you for that though.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 18, 2018)

He’s smart enough to unlatch it from the inside for one thing. For two, this kid has a photographic memory, can take apart anything and put it back together without error but can’t not soak the barn when he helps with watering stock. I think he’s just amazed with the arch and splash.


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## Bruce (Sep 18, 2018)

You could put a lock on the latch.

"arch and splash" .. seems to be a theme here.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 18, 2018)

Bruce said:


> You could put a lock on the latch.
> 
> "arch and splash" .. seems to be a theme here.



I caught him spraying the steers that were only castrated a week ago yesterday while in the covered portion of their pen. He got a lecture about wet beds!


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## goatgurl (Sep 18, 2018)

i'm not even going to try to change the subject anymore...  @Bruce that little white fluff ball just pees wherever he wants to since he lives in the goat yard.  and i'm pretty sure that @Wehner Homestead will have the puppy housetrained before she does her son.   boys just love to point and spray.   i'm excited to see pictures, I love aussies and she sounds like a doll.


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## Latestarter (Sep 18, 2018)

So glad it's all coming together for you!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 19, 2018)

I feel like Halo is definitely a step in the right direction. It’s hard to contain my excitement. We’ve sent the deposit and reviewed the contract. I call tomorrow to make her appt for her next puppy shot next week.

Forgot to mention that DH’s Dad mowed our hay field and corner pasture yesterday morning. DH tedded it last night. FIL tedded it again today. Should be dry enough to rake and bale tomorrow in time for 90% chance of rain all day Friday! This is square bales so we expect to be on the wagons tomorrow night.

DD2 has appts in Louisville all day tomorrow. She has spiked a low-grade temp and is on an antibiotic. The antibiotic is for the tonsillitis/strep/chest congestion. I think she’s starting a UTI. We see urology tomorrow and they can test her urine in the office so I’ll have him do that and see what it shows. If she’s still under the weather, she and I won’t get to participate in the baling.

I have a few farm candids for you...

Wilson getting big! I love his darker coloring.




Chester. He was eating a bird when I went in the barn.



Jewel Baby! Mama’s girl! She’s just a little Velcro but still wants to sleep in the barn at night. (Yes, I have pink crocs on!)



6 of our 9 cats use the ladder to get up and down out of the loft. I can’t seem to catch it on video but I got this pic of Wilson.



DD2 was grouchy this morning when I made some rounds so I used the stroller instead of her wheelchair. Ella likes the stroller too!




I’d have some cow pics but realized I didn’t have my phone when I went to take them!


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## RollingAcres (Sep 19, 2018)

Love those kitties!


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## Rammy (Sep 19, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> He’s smart enough to unlatch it from the inside for one thing. For two, this kid has a photographic memory, can take apart anything and put it back together without error but can’t not soak the barn when he helps with watering stock. I think he’s just amazed with the arch and splash.



Arent ALL men?


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 19, 2018)

Sure hope DD2 can get some relief and gets to feeling better..........I'm glad it is you that has to keep all those names and animals straight up that way....I'd get lost....and would have to carry a notepad to do it....


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## Mike CHS (Sep 19, 2018)

I hope they figure out what's going on with the daughter.  You have plenty on your plate without having that unsettled.


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## Bruce (Sep 19, 2018)

Poor DD2, kid can't catch a break!

Amazing the cats go head first down that steep ladder.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 19, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Sure hope DD2 can get some relief and gets to feeling better..........I'm glad it is you that has to keep all those names and animals straight up that way....I'd get lost....and would have to carry a notepad to do it....



I posted somewhere that DH calls Blossom, “Not Willow.”  He can’t remember her name.  He only knows about half the cats’ names and the original 4 does and two bigger bucks and Sparkle and CeCe. Cows he has down pat, takes him a couple months when new calves get added. 

We have to have color/description/pen details to figure out who each other is talking about.


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## Mike CHS (Sep 19, 2018)

I would never be able to remember a name for our sheep other than a few of them and only them because they seem to understand this whole fatten up/go to processor thing and so do a good job of sucking up.  We tag the day or maybe the day after they are born and they are that number till their status changes.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 19, 2018)

I’m really ready for DD2 to catch a break. She actually has a MRI scheduled for next Wednesday that she will be sedated for. They will be scanning her brain to check her shunt function and her spine for a possible tether. (My mama instincts believe this is a fairly high possibility.) If she is in fact, tethered, we are looking at surgery again. She had a tether repaired in April 2017 with 6 months of restrictions as she healed after a 6 day hospital stay. (Her tether was caused by a dura deterioration. The defect in her back at birth was closed when she was 26 hrs old. Basically where everything was closed at midline, when they entered through the existing scar, they couldn’t find the sutures that were permanent. They were off to the left by several centimeters and the dura was “torn.” There is no documentation of this happening ever in the world so there’s nothing to compare to.)  Whew! How’s that for a 30 sec breakdown?!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 19, 2018)

I caught a pic of Cowboy in the house tonight. He is such an Aussome dog! Definitely Mama’s boy!


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## RollingAcres (Sep 20, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I’m really ready for DD2 to catch a break. She


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## RollingAcres (Sep 20, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> I would never be able to remember a name for our sheep



Mike, for your black sheep, you could just sing "_baa baa black sheep..."_
Sorry couldn't help myself


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## Mike CHS (Sep 20, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Mike, for your black sheep, you could just sing "_baa baa black sheep..."_
> Sorry couldn't help myself



Teresa said "They obviously haven't heard you sing"


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## RollingAcres (Sep 20, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> Teresa said "They obviously haven't heard you sing"


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## RollingAcres (Sep 20, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> DD2 has appts in Louisville all day tomorrow.



Please keep us updated later today. Hugs to the mama bear.


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## Latestarter (Sep 20, 2018)

Best wishes for some serious healing for DD, WH... She deserves a turn for the better, as do you!


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## Pastor Dave (Sep 20, 2018)

Ditto


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## Bruce (Sep 20, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> There is no documentation of this happening ever in the world so there’s nothing to compare to.


You know, sometimes people would PREFER to not be unique! Sure hope the MRI shows good stuff, or repairable stuff


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 20, 2018)

Update on DD2: spending our day in Louisville is always a nightmare. Today was even worse!! I was the only adult with a 3 yr old, traffic was horrible (I text DH at one point when we were at a standstill that I needed a Xanax from all the city drivers!), we were going to a new building: had to figure out where to park (ended up in a parking garage that seemed affiliated), had to figure out which floor had a pedway to the medical offices, that building wasn’t the one I needed (come to find out it’s connected by another pedway and is directly BEHIND the building that I entered despite having an address for that street!) Less than enthusiastic receptionist pointed us in the direction to check in with five minutes to spare-glad I allow for extra time! Got registered, waited our turn, had her renal (bladder and kidneys) ultrasound. Headed for her urodynamics (checks bladder pressure and spasms) and thought it was in the new office-nope, back down the elevators to the first building and another elevator ride to be told that we were late and they wouldn’t do her test. Wait, what?! Turns out both were scheduled at 9 but I wasn’t aware of that and was only told to go to ultrasound then urodynamics! I basically said that it was my fault, that it was a scheduling issue, that we were supposed to see the dr after, and that we live too far away to just come back another time for that test. They decided to do it. In the meantime, it was announced that the urologist appt was for 1:15. We were done with the tests by 10:15. We had three hours to waste just the two of us in a medical facility because of scheduling errors! Ugh! Come to find out, the first building had a Panera so we went down to get DD2 a cookie for being so cooperative. She took her time eating on that and people watching. While in the lobby we checked out the indoor waterfall too then took an elevator ride up and looked out over the lobby from the glass. Then back to the children’s building to wait near the less than enthusiastic receptionist. I plugged my phone in and let DD2 crawl around on some different benches and stools. Since she can’t walk, she was really ready to move around after all of her tests and being stuck in her stroller! We read some books that I’d taken and she talked about squeaking shoes of different people that walked through and even got upset because another little girl got too far from her parents. Ended up checking in for our appt about an hour early to be told that we wouldn’t be called back until appt time, if then, and to go get some lunch. I said that we had already done that and we were just looking for another area to wait in and may as well check in. She ended up having papers for me to fill out and had to have new copies of my insurance card and drivers license. Took care of all of that to have the urology nurse come out apologizing for the scheduling issues and explaining that she felt that it was unacceptable and when the office manager got back from vacation, that it would be dealt with. We were called back not much later, waited in the room for about 5 mins for the dr and got great news! The ultrasound showed no bladder wall thickening or dilitation of her ureters (both things expected with her condition) and the urodynamics showed absolutely no spasms and a good volume. He decided to take her off of her oxybutynin (medicine that relaxes the bladder to minimize spasms that cause urine to flow back up the ureters and cause a kidney issue known as reflux, horrible side effects are relaxing the intestines so more constipation problems, flushing episodes, no sweating, and sun/heat sensitivity.) Needless to say, this is huge!!! We’d been adjusting her dose and she was sub therapeutic anyway but with the weight she had gained, it wasn’t enough to do much other than cause side effects. She goes back in 6 months for another ultrasound and will have a vcug (special ultrasound with due to see if her ureters are allowing urine to backflow to the kidneys.) This will tell us if she is tolerating being off the medicine or not. Now on to next week’s MRI with sedation and my scope and my grandma’s knee replacement! Shew!


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## Bruce (Sep 20, 2018)

So what are you doing for excitement tomorrow? Maybe a 12 hour nap??

Glad you got good news even though the whole ordeal was a fiasco. I think city drivers are the worst, always in a rush to get ahead of someone thinking they can somehow get to the next red light faster and that will somehow get them where they are going SO much more quickly. Stupid and dangerous.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 20, 2018)

After we got back to town, DD2 and I picked up her siblings from their various places and headed home. DH and FIL has started square baling. Bales had been dropped on the ground and we were loading them on a wagon. I almost overheated! Had to get in the truck and relax...twice! 

DH doesn’t normally stack (someone else does and he throws onto the wagon or pulls off the chute) and had to drive through an area of the creek not far from the ledge where Otis fell. This is like an S curve on an incline of uneven rock ledges with a dually truck pulling a hay wagon. Needless to say, we lost a few bales. That wagon got parked and started on the hay field. They pulled the wagon behind the baler for this and DH’s brother arrived to help. I took everyone a cold drink, monitored kids, ordered pizza, and drove DH’s brother’s truck down to load the bales that fell with my MIL’s help. I got all but 3 of 30 on. The last ones were heavier and I don’t have the upper body strenth to throw them on a raised truck bed that’s already stacked 3-4 high. We ended up doing 425 square bales. I finished chores and helped DD1 with her homework. I was lucky to grab a few random pics for y’all. 

The wagon that the left rear corner fell off. 
They ended up unloading this into the loft since it was quite dry and just stacked loosely. The wagon ended up with another 125 bales stacked on it and parked in the shop. (There are two bales that run perpendicular down the middle to the bales on the outsides. Typically they only do one is what seemed to be the problem.) 



 
This is my stacking job in the truck. I got yelled at for getting hot again.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 20, 2018)

Bruce said:


> So what are you doing for excitement tomorrow? Maybe a 12 hour nap??
> 
> Glad you got good news even though the whole ordeal was a fiasco. I think city drivers are the worst, always in a rush to get ahead of someone thinking they can somehow get to the next red light faster and that will somehow get them where they are going SO much more quickly. Stupid and dangerous.



Tomorrow DD2 has physical therapy, DD1 has school, I’ll knock out some housework, and there just might be a surprise in the works. I’m off Saturday too so we are hoping to put a dent in our to-do list!


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## frustratedearthmother (Sep 20, 2018)

Geeze Louise - after reading that I need a 12 hour nap!  Do you wear a cape?  Cuz you are definitely superwoman!


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## Latestarter (Sep 20, 2018)

So glad to hear of the good news regarding DD! That is fabulous! So all that nastiness with the drive and scheduling was worth it in the end. When do you get a break? Time to sleep? Rest even?


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 20, 2018)

Y’all...I wouldn’t know what to do with myself with downtime. Don’t you remember that I read all your journals when I was down with my back injury?! Lol


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## Baymule (Sep 20, 2018)

frustratedearthmother said:


> Geeze Louise - after reading that I need a 12 hour nap!  Do you wear a cape?  Cuz you are definitely superwoman!


X2!!!

Hay stacked for the winter makes me feel wealthy. You did a great job on the hay, as did the rest of the family. 

What a nightmare of a day at the Dr's office with the scheduling screw up. And then got good news!


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## Southern by choice (Sep 20, 2018)

Does your hospital have clinic? 
Back in the day there was SB clinic. Everything was done, all assessments and routine monitoring. Clinic was great in the fact all was done, no running around, pretty much everything in the same place and because it was clinic and so many things going on everyone just flipped from room to room getting tests done. The fact that all the families there had children with SB. It was a good way to see what was happening and working for different families. Just curious if they still do that.

With my daughter, we had clinic too. Not as long and less testing unless a surgical procedure was being done.  I also got to see what I didn't like about the management. 
I am sure you can imagine I had lots of words for the docs.  Well, you already know. 

I am so glad to hear the good news!  Does she have her new braces yet?

Yay for getting hay up!


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## greybeard (Sep 21, 2018)

So glad when I saw and handled my last sq bale..nearly a decade ago now. 



Wehner Homestead said:


> We ended up doing 425 square bales


$29.75 is what that would have grossed back when I was hay haulin kid...to be split/shared by my brother. $.07/bale. pick it up in the field, hauled and stacked in somebody's barn.
High cotton.........


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## Baymule (Sep 21, 2018)

Haha, labor was cheap back then. My first job was at J.C. Penny and I made $1.70 an hour! I was thrilled because minimum wage was $1.60! I was 16 years old, working after school and weekends, my take home was around $35 a week. I was rich!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 21, 2018)

This is all for us and DH’s brother. We don’t sell any. Too much work, not enough room to store, and trying to beat the weather didn’t leave room for anyone to pick up out of the field.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 21, 2018)

@Southern by choice they do have clinic but they rotate the neurosurgeon that participated and her urologist isn’t in the group that they use. If we did it all in one day, she’d have X-rays for ortho, ultrasound and vcug or urodynamics for urology, mri with sedation for neuro all in one day. Too much in my opinion. Maybe when she’s older. I do like just sticking with her docs too!


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## RollingAcres (Sep 21, 2018)

@Wehner Homestead that's great news about DD2! Forget about what a hectic/chaotic day it was getting and dealing with the appointments, in the end it's worth it to hear the good news!


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## Bruce (Sep 21, 2018)

Southern by choice said:


> I am sure you can imagine I had lots of words for the docs.


YOU would have an opinion and express it??  



greybeard said:


> $29.75 is what that would have grossed back when I was hay haulin kid


Showing your age there @greybeard  Those 425 bales would sell for $1,700 up here today. My first job paid $1.35/hr at a restaurant. Started as dishwasher, then busboy. Got tips bussing.

Oh wait, i think my age is showing too!


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## Baymule (Sep 21, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Showing your age there @greybeard  Those 425 bales would sell for $1,700 up here today. My first job paid $1.35/hr at a restaurant. Started as dishwasher, then busboy. Got tips bussing.
> 
> Oh wait, i think my age is showing too!



Yeah, you must be REALLY OLD!


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## RollingAcres (Sep 21, 2018)

Baymule said:


> Yeah, you must be REALLY OLD!


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## Bruce (Sep 21, 2018)

Baymule said:


> Yeah, you must be REALLY OLD!


ALMOST as old as you Bay!


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## Baymule (Sep 21, 2018)

Bruce said:


> ALMOST as old as you Bay!


I'm not old..…..but my knees sure are!


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## Latestarter (Sep 21, 2018)

I think as I recall my first job (real job) started at $1.60/hr. I was working as a "go-fer"/cleaner in a meat department in a local grocery (2 stores) in the next town over. Think I was about 16 also. Prior to that I did odd jobs around the neighborhood like mowing lawns, helped a furniture re-upholsterer pick up and deliver furniture when needed. Helped a heating and AC guy as a helper/gofer sometimes, washed cars, that sort of thing.


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## Mike CHS (Sep 21, 2018)

We got a whopping 40 cents an hour out doing labor in the fields and general farm work.  The only decent money (for the time and area) was in late summer picking peaches.  You could bust your behind but you got paid by the bushel and could make a whole couple of dollars an hour.


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## goatgurl (Sep 21, 2018)

glad things turned out well for dd2's checkup.  between the traffic, the scheduling, or lack thereof you needed a Calgon moment when you got home but what did you get, hay hauling.  life on the farm, good thing we love it.  I agree with @Baymule, hay in the barn is like money in the bank.  I always love it when the hay is in the barn for the winter.
boy have you guys brought back memories.  my first job was at the Thrifty Cash, a little grocery store in the tiny town I lived in.  i'm not sure I even made a dollar an hour.  I was 14


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## Bruce (Sep 21, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> We got a whopping 40 cents an hour out doing labor in the fields and general farm work.  The only decent money (for the time and area) was in late summer picking peaches.  You could bust your behind but you got paid by the bushel and could make a whole couple of dollars an hour.


And all the damaged peaches you could eat?


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 22, 2018)

Face reveal and a hint as to what I’m up to and why I’m drinking coffee! 



Introducing Orchard Hill Angel’s Halo!


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## Latestarter (Sep 22, 2018)

Beautiful!  On all accounts!   So happy for you


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## Pastor Dave (Sep 22, 2018)

Oh, look at the pretty blue eyes! Jk
Ditto on what Joe said, on all accounts. I had my face showing as my avatar early on here at BYH, but admin said it disturbed folks and asked I change it. 
Now it's just bunnies.


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## Latestarter (Sep 22, 2018)

OK Dave... not to get all weird here, but  "You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you'll do"  and the sign says... (compliments; Five Man Electrical Band: Signs)


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## RollingAcres (Sep 22, 2018)

Beautiful!


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## Mike CHS (Sep 22, 2018)

You can almost see the pup wondering when it will get something troublesome to chew on.


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 22, 2018)

A beautiful face and eyes with lots of "character".....and a "character" with a beautiful face.....
Halo is already doing her job!!.....that is not the face of someone that just had been having such a difficult day


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 22, 2018)

Thanks all! I have lots of pics and a few stories to share of our travels and St Louis at night. I’ll try to post them soon!


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## Bruce (Sep 22, 2018)

What they said! Looking forward to Halo stories and pics.


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## Baymule (Sep 22, 2018)

Great picture of a beautiful pup and beautiful you!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 23, 2018)

It will probably take a couple posts to get everyone caught up on recent happenings. 

We have steers and heifers tied up today. I’m scheduled to be at work but on call. Making frequent trips back and forth to the barn and in and out with Halo to keep up with her potty training. 

We left Friday at 3:20 to make the drive to St. Louis to pick up Halo. It was supposed to be a 5.5 hr drive. We should’ve be there at 7:30-8 their time. Traveling with kids led to arriving at 9:30. Of course we couldn’t just grab the pup and go. We visited, saw Halo’s older sister do tricks, met both of Halo’s parents, and signed paperwork, etc. Our kids also stretched their legs. Driving home got difficult about 2:30 am their time when DD2 couldn’t handle being in her car seat any longer so we stopped at a hotel. The original plan was for drive straight through. We ended up getting home at about 2:15 in the afternoon. 

Sunset in Illinois.



 


 

St. Louis Arch at night. 


 

A bridge we crossed...I didn’t catch the name of it. 


 

A Missouri gravel road. We had to take one after another for several miles to get to their farm.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 23, 2018)

Halo did pretty well staying in the hotel and still hasn’t had an accident. She wasn’t sure about riding on the elevator but adjusted fine otherwise. 

Different ways Halo slept on the way home. I didn’t include any from riding with the kids.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 23, 2018)

Halo made her first stop at Rural King in Jeffersonville on the way home to get some toys. Of course the kids each had to pick her one! 


 

She’s seemed to adjust well to her new home. She has a crate in our huge bathroom and the blanket in it has been rubbed on her Sam and previous owner before we left with her. 


Playing outside.


 

Enjoying her toy! 


 

 

Post-bath...she appears quite sad. It wasn’t her favorite. She also got blow dried! 


 

Puppies sleep in some of the funniest positions and places! She’s got her head hanging off her dog bed.


 

Playing with her killer whale toy.




We’ve also let her taste peanut butter and she keeps trying to figure out her Kong toy that we put some in.


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## Mike CHS (Sep 23, 2018)

She appears to be adjusting really well.  

When we went to pick up Lance when he was 14 weeks old.  Sassy was in the back seat of the truck and when we put him back there with her, she turned her back and put her head against the side window looking out and stayed that way for the whole 4 hour trip.  You could see the body language saying DON'T TOUCH ME to the pup.


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## Latestarter (Sep 23, 2018)

Thanks for the pics. She sure looks comfy in the vehicle. Grats again on getting her. I well remember traveling cross country with young kids. I tried to do most driving over night so they could sleep and less traffic.


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## Bruce (Sep 23, 2018)

Halo looks pretty chill on the ride home! Probably the best plan to do the hotel stop. Frankly just the 11 hours of PLANNED driving in one day would be too much for me. And too much for my kids when they were the age of yours, or now at 23 & 25.



Wehner Homestead said:


>


What did I do wrong Mom?? I've been trying to be good!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 23, 2018)

@Bruce she seems to have picked up fleas somewhere along the way home. She was scratching and crying so needless to say when I dug through my box of dog stuff and didn’t find a frontline for her size or anything else that would help, I resorted to a Dawn dish soap bath until the vet is open tomorrow and I can get flea meds for her. Makes me SO sad that those bugs were bugging her but she’s much better now!


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 23, 2018)

Lazy movie day when we aren’t taking Halo out or working with calves.


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## Bruce (Sep 23, 2018)

She sure looks comfortable as a new member of the family!


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## Pastor Dave (Sep 23, 2018)

A good day to rest. We had our Homecoming service today with the best up and coming Southern Gospel Band to perform during our Service, 3rd Row Boys. Check them out on FB or online. It began as a quartet 10 yrs ago and is now a trio. All Hoosiers, and have been to Nashville, TN to record. They have a new song on Gospel/Christian radio called, "Grace, Love, and Mercy". We had a phenomenal pitch-in dinner following, and now have been lounging since abt 2:30.
A good day to rest!


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## RollingAcres (Sep 23, 2018)

Halo is so adorable! 
Looks like she's getting comfortable at her new home.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 23, 2018)

Walked steers to water after being tied all day and then let them loose to eat. The heifers were walked to water but only Emma drank. Indy and Lolli are still pretty antsy. We are seeing lots of progress in the heifers though. Gotta get the last Steer sold. 

DH’s truck has been out of commission for more than a month as he works on it a bit here and there. Originally thought it was a battery issue so he replaced the battery. That didn’t work. He sent the dash panel off to be worked on and that didn’t fix it so then he ordered a new starter. He spent some time today taking out the old starter and putting in the new. That’s not the problem so now he has to get and install a new alternator. (I’m not mechanical and don’t understand the whole thing.) 

DH also started mowing our yard. It’s bad! Like more than a foot tall in some places. They should’ve just mowed it for hay but they didn’t. I really think he would have been better off using the bush hog than the lawnmower for this round. 

Officially decided to dry off Diamond. Her udder didn’t even get full when we skipped two days of milking. I’m watching her closely but I think she had already weaned Jasmine so it’s just getting her dry from the less than half a cup that she was giving me once a day. We will breed her again for spring. 

Halo ended up having one accident this evening while putting the kiddos to bed. I still don’t think that’s too bad for the busy life we lead. She stayed inside during evening chores since we were working with cattle and wouldn’t be able to watch her closely. Halo did get to explore the barn some yesterday and a bit more today. 

She was accustomed to being carried from her pen to the outside play area. This kept the puppies from rushing any door or gate that was open. Makes complete sense other than Halo refused to enter our garage from outside because she wouldn’t cross the threshold! We are working on that. She will also go up and/or down the single step from the garage to the house some of the time. 

Her recall is awesome. She’s being trained to answer a whistle, her name, and “come.” She really enjoys the kids but is Mama’s girl. Halo slept under my chair each time I ate today and while DD1 and I did some school review. She follows me from room to room! 

Some more pics from today.


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## Baymule (Sep 23, 2018)

Halo is beautiful. That was some trip to go get her and get back home! Now you have the fun of house breaking and potty trips outside. Aussies are brilliant smart, she will do just fine.


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## Bruce (Sep 24, 2018)

She is a beautiful dog 

Maybe DH needs to have a trained mechanic diagnose the truck instead of spending money replacing parts that aren't the problem?


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 26, 2018)

Where to start...FIL replaced the alternator on the truck yesterday. Ran fine. Battery light came on. DH and FIL switched vehicles so DH could go get feed. He picked up more than a ton total of goat, cow, and chicken feed. (@Bruce FIL has worked as a mechanic in the past. I trust him. They’ve attempted to explain things but I don’t have the ability to recall all of that five minutes later.)

My scope went well yesterday. Talked to the dr today to get the actual information.
I have been diagnosed with bile reflux. Basically the sphincter that separates the stomach from the first part of the small intestine isn't closing properly. This is allowing bile to back up and cause severe abdominal pain. (I don't have the associated acid reflux that most people have.) There is no real treatment, just management of symptoms. I'll take Pepcid from now on and have to be strict with taking carafate until I don't have symptoms for several days. I'll then have to take carafate before any irritating foods. I'm not allowed to have any kind of caffeine, carbonation, coffee, chocolate, acid, anything tomato based, spicy foods, or anything fried/greasy. I also can't lay down for 3 hrs after I eat, we have to put the head of our bed on risers to keep it elevated, I'm supposed to try to lose 5-10#, and reduce my stress. Small, frequent meals too. This is something that if not kept in check could cause irritation of my stomach and lead to extensive complications so I'll be working hard to manage my health.

As most of you know, DD2 had a MRI with sedation today. It went as well as can be expected. (I HATE handing my child over and watching her try to overcome those horrible meds!) The MRI of her brain and spine both looked good! We don't have to see her neurosurgeon again for a year!! What we were concerned about, he thought had to do with her transition as she grows (think: typical kids have awkward stages, more awkward for DD2) and adjusting to new braces on top of all of that.

Of course I got some new pics to share...

Halo doesn’t get very far from Mom!




Jewel on a stack of hay bales in the barn aisle. The kids were playing during chores.




Some candid shots of Sparkle and CeCe.







Sunset tonight.


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## RollingAcres (Sep 26, 2018)

Good news on DD2! Yay!

Not so good news on your new diet restrictions but you have your health to take care of so strict diet it is. Please take care.


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## Latestarter (Sep 26, 2018)

Sorry to hear that your life once again took a turn toward complications. Your health is important, and I know you'll be giving up a lot of "good stuff" moving forward. Hope you can manage all that AND try to lower stress. Maybe a powerball win would help there?   Glad things went well with DD and her exams. That has to relieve a little stress for sure! Pics look great!


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## Baymule (Sep 26, 2018)

Please take care of yourself. Moms are the glue that holds a family together. When Mom goes down, the family falls apart! Every Mom here that has ever been sick knows what I mean, LOL. Dads try, many do a fine job of stepping up to help, but it's not the same as Mom.


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 26, 2018)

Glad everything went well thru the testings and it sounds good about DD2.....however, that is quite a list that ya are gonna be dealing with....but, after a short while ya will appreciate the affects of "passing up" on some of the irritating stuff and after ya get the hang of it....may can indulge just a bit without severe ramifications from it....the major thing to me is the lessen the stress....I've been supposed to do it since '05 and still haven't figured that out yet....seems that "life" keeps getting in the way of that happening.........do me 1 favor....when ya figure it out will ya tag me, so I can begin to understand?......


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## greybeard (Sep 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I have been diagnosed with bile reflux.


Weak pyloric valve?
One of my B-I-L's had it. Had some kind of reconstructive surgery done to fix it but it's been a few years ago now...don't remember much about it, if I ever knew exactly what they did.


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## goatgurl (Sep 26, 2018)

really glad that things went well with dd2 today.   and you on the other hand young lady are going to have to slow down and take care of yourself.  I hope you can figure out how to live without caffeine, chocolate, tomatos, spices or fried foods.  those are my main food groups.  as baymule said, your the glue so take care of yourself.
halo is such a cutie, look at that face and those puppy dog eyes.


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## Bruce (Sep 27, 2018)

Like you needed another little bit of life restrictions! Might be easy to snack instead of eating big meals if your job is sitting at a desk all day. Not so easy when you are out working on farm chores, taking care of the kids, etc. But you can do it!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 1, 2018)

My brain has been working on overtime. Trying to figure some things out and balance all of my restrictions while trying to monitor improvement/pain based on what I’m doing. 

To catch y’all up...Halo is awesome. She’s stopped crying in her crate. Goes most days without accidents. Has learned sit and her name. She knows come as long as she doesn’t think she’s headed for her crate. We decided to stick with the food that she was on so she’s getting Red Flannel Puppy Food. It’s a division of Purina. I was happy with how her parents looked on the adult food and we are considering switching Cowboy and Jewel over. 

Friday we moved the cows back across the driveway. No pics this time. We also worked with the steers and heifers. Everyone is improving by leaps and bounds and we are very happy with the progress. After much discussion, we opted against going to the two shows we were planning on for this month. Need to get some things done here and the heifers aren’t quite ready though the steers are. Still have one left to sell. Took two to get surgically deformed today. It’s an interesting process. I always enjoy seeing vet’s work. Both have done pretty wel with it. I don’t let them leave until I take their stitches out in two weeks so not really pushing to sell the last one quite yet. 

Another vet from the same practice came here after to check into our cattle pregnancy issue or possibly non-issue. I made an entry about all of that on the breeding thread. 

Trying to catch up on mowing. 40-60% chance of rain tomorrow then back into hay again. We have three more fields to get cut. Most will be sold in dry rounds.


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## Bruce (Oct 2, 2018)

Too much humidity here now to dry hay.



Wehner Homestead said:


> We decided to stick with the food that she was on so she’s getting Red Flannel Puppy Food.


Gee, I would think that red flannel is something you would want to stop a puppy from eating! Along with slippers, etc.


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## farmerjan (Oct 2, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Too much humidity here now to dry hay.
> 
> 
> Gee, I would think that red flannel is something you would want to stop a puppy from eating! Along with slippers, etc.


Ha Ha very funny.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 2, 2018)

farmerjan said:


> Ha Ha very funny.....



X2!!! Leave it to @Bruce !!


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 2, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Weak pyloric valve?
> One of my B-I-L's had it. Had some kind of reconstructive surgery done to fix it but it's been a few years ago now...don't remember much about it, if I ever knew exactly what they did.



Yes GB. They think mine has been weakened by stress. Time will tell though. I’m trying to follow all of the recommendations and restrictions to a T to avoid surgery.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 2, 2018)

I posted an update last night but left y’all without any pics so here goes! 

Forgot to tell ya that I worked Sat/Sun. Both were long busy days. Being a nurse is rough. My patients and their families took so much out of me!! 

DS and DD2 also had their first field trip on Thursday. We went to a pumpkin patch. They had a blast and there was also an educational side. They had calves for the kids to bottle feed, baby Boer goats to see, sheep, and feeder pigs. I didn’t get many pics without kiddos’ faces so I only have a few to share. 

This is DD2 and my mom checking out the sheep. Not sure if they are Katahdin or Dorper. Can one of my sheeples help me out?? Lol



 


 

Halo. She’s not spoiled at all! Napping in a kid recliner. 




Kids took a pic of me in the heifer pen. (The jump rope is tied to a gate that goes into the chute system. Kids have some game they’ve made up and use the jump rope to pull the gate back and forth to that hay pile.) 




DS taking my grandma a drawing that he’d made. It’s a surprise! She had knee replacement surgery a week ago today and we finally made it over to check on her Sunday after work. 


 

Theo. I woke him up. These goats make me laugh! 


 

Some pics of the cosmetic dehorning. I didn’t get during shots as I didn’t want to offend the vet but here’s a before and after. 
This is Jordan. He just had scurs.


 

 

Lazy cats staying cool! Sophie in front, Disney in back.


 

This is why the steers’ water is always filthy. We change it out twice a day! Ugh! Caught Reggie!!


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## farmerjan (Oct 2, 2018)

Don't feel bad about the calf in the water.  I have one heifer that insists that it can't drink unless she is standing in one trough/bucket, then drinking out of the other.  Drives me freakin nuts.  She is on the short list to sell because she just isn't too smart..... got another that only wants to be a bully when someone is standing next to the water, then butts them and they fall into the trough.... she is on the short list to sell too.  And then there is always one that has to stand with their butt near the water and lift a tail into the water.....GRRRRR.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 3, 2018)

1) Caramel is due on Friday. I know several of you have been cleaning out your watches threads so you may want to follow the kidding thread again. I’ve posted a few pics of her progress. 

2) Halo amazes me daily. She’s almost 14 weeks and knows her name, comes most of the time, acknowledges a whistle, almost has sit down pat, no longer cries in her crate unless she needs to potty, and can catch a ball on a bounce. She even brings it back! She’s going to be a lot of fun!! 

She still sleeps a lot like a typical Pup. Her favorite place is on the vent. These three pics are from different times today.


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## Bruce (Oct 3, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> She had knee replacement surgery a week ago today and we finally made it over to check on her Sunday after work.


And?? You can't leave us hanging like that!



Wehner Homestead said:


> Theo. I woke him up. These goats make me laugh!


Huh, wha? Turn off the light!


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 3, 2018)

@Bruce what do you want to know about my grandma? She’s ignoring what the dr says and pushing her limits. Can’t keep her down! Taking her supper tomorrow night.


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## Bruce (Oct 3, 2018)

Why, how she is doing of course! I get the impression that pushing the limits is the right thing to do with replacements now. Not like the "old" days when they had you sit and lose muscle mass while you recovered from the surgery. But she shouldn't push TOO hard, don't want to mess anything up.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 3, 2018)

@Bruce she’s already going up and down the stairs to the basement to do laundry. These stairs are quite steep and have intimidated me my whole life. I think that’s a little much when it’s barely been a week.


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## farmerjan (Oct 3, 2018)

It is a bit much, BUT, she has been doing them for a long time.....  still I know you worry.  The muscles are weaker ... It sounds like she is doing EXTREMELY well.  Did she have the "quad sparing" type of knee replacement?  I understand it is much easier on you and recovery is 1/2  or less the time.  Still, after a week I am very impressed.  You probably can't convince her to "stop" doing, so try to impress on her to just be EXTRA careful, so she doesn't fall and have to have it redone.....


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## Bruce (Oct 4, 2018)

farmerjan said:


> so try to impress on her to just be EXTRA careful, so she doesn't fall and have to have it redone.....


I like that answer!


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## RollingAcres (Oct 5, 2018)

@Wehner Homestead IDK how I missed your posts with so many pictures! So many things to comment but where to begin....lol

First, Halo is absolutely adorable!!! 
About the steer standing in the water, would it help if you but the water bucket up on a stand? What's that behind Reggie, a feed bucket on a stand of some sort? My girls used to stand in their water trough then DH build a stand about a foot off the ground and put the water trough on it, I noticed the girls don't step in it anymore.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 5, 2018)

This is basically what’s in there...not sure if it’s that brand but you get the idea...
https://www.nrsworld.com/priefert/p...MIrJng79Hw3QIVDb7ACh29UgcwEAQYAiABEgJUuPD_BwE

I like the idea of a stand but we use those tubs only for temporary. Two of the three steers will be gone by 10/20 so less than 15 days.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 10, 2018)

Behind on updates! DH and FIL have been working on 50 acres of hay and trying to beat the weather.

DH plans to clean out the barn and spread the manure over the hay field and one pasture on Friday evening/ Saturday. It’ll be nice to have everything clean again. Some of the stall gates have gotten hard to close because of all the hay waste. I have to figure out how to move everyone out of his way...

The next project will be a shelter for the bucks. I need to figure out their fencing.

We also still need to get the shed here to modify for the chickens. I did move some around last night. I need to disinfect one area and then I can move the last set. Debating on setting some eggs in the incubator. I have one rooster that needs to go to freezer camp for being mean and I’m iffy on two more. Only one is safe!

It’s Fall Break from Preschool and First Grade, this week and next. DD1 also turned 7 on Monday.

I’m behind on posting pics so I have several of those too.

Some recent cooking adventures:
Beef stew!




DS’ piggy pancake from lunch out on DD1’s BDay at Bob Evans.



Baked a turkey.



Homemade lemon pies. Request from DH. He’s worked so hard, I thought he deserved them.


 
I froze the extra turkey and roast from making beef stew to have prepped for other recipes in the future.

Sunrise this morning.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 10, 2018)

The queen of the vent!



Carrying around two toys! Silly girl!


 


Got some pics to explain the area where DH had hay fall off the hay wagon...it’s inside the main cattle pasture. I’m going to take you through it backwards (as in the opposite direction as we were coming with the wagon.) You go through the gate and come down this hill- you can see the rock ledge that cuts unevenly across where we drive.



A view from further back. You have to swing around a rock pile and ledge that’s in the middle of the far left of the picture. This means that it’s a tight turn to make to cross the creek. 


Even closer pic of the uneven rock ledge.



The center lower portion is the “driveway that crosses toward the exposed rock on the opposite bank. You then turn to angle up toward the corner pasture gate that is behind those trees in the upper left of the pic.




Cats helping with kid delivery the other night. Chester left and Ella right.


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## Baymule (Oct 10, 2018)

I just got caught up, for some reason, I am never notified on your thread, plus a whole lot more. Halo is a cutie and so smart! I love her. I admire your Grandma, she is one tough lady to be trotting up and down stairs a week after knee replacement.  DH had knee replacement and he sure wasn't stair worthy after only a week!


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## RollingAcres (Oct 10, 2018)

Happy birthday to DD1! Did the birthday girl get some piggy pancakes as well?

Halo is cute as ever! You food looks delicious! Those pies are just yummy!


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## Mike CHS (Oct 10, 2018)

All those food pictures got my appetite going so I'm going to go start a pot of chili.


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 10, 2018)

I want some piggie pancakes, too!!....course a few more link sausage would be really nice......
Halo has a very unique mask and the rust eyebrows are really darling.....just Beautiful!!.....
That does seem to be a difficult path to traverse and on such even ground too.....


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## RollingAcres (Oct 10, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> I want some piggie pancakes, too!!....course a few more link sausage would be really nice......


You can have piggy pancakes on your birthday. How about the number of link sausages you get would be the number of your age? 
There's a restaurant near my work, if you go there on your birthday(or within a week), you get (number of your age)wings for free! You can share those wings or you don't have to share.


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## Latestarter (Oct 10, 2018)

Man... I can definitely put down some wings, but 5 dozen?  I'd be happy with ~12-15... buffalo style, w/Ranch dressing    Damn... now I feel like going out for wings for dinner tonight...


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## Bruce (Oct 10, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> There's a restaurant near my work, if you go there on your birthday(or within a week), you get (number of your age)wings for free! You can share those wings or you don't have to share.


I would have to share! I guess with you since you know where the restaurant is.



Wehner Homestead said:


> Beef stew!


Yum!

Happy 7th Bday to DD.


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## Rammy (Oct 10, 2018)

See whatcha y'all did? You got peoples hungry with all those foodie pics. That stew sure looks mighty tasty. Not to mention those pies too!
@Mike CHS is making chili, @Latestarter js making a chicken wing run, and me? Im having yogurt. Had pizza at work. Being single, hard to make chili for one, unless you buy it in a can.
Fall seems to be the time for comfort foods, and chili is probabaly no.1 on the list. It seems that is what my Mom always fixes as soon as it gets cool outside.
Whats everyones favorite comfort food?

P.S. Happy Birthday DD1!


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## Mini Horses (Oct 10, 2018)

Rammy said:


> Being single, hard to make chili for one



Just me here -- so I still make a "pot of whatever" soup, stew, etc. is what I'm wanting.  Then freeze in portions.  Yeah!!  Nice and fast to thaw & heat during the winter.   I try to stock up like that when the ingredients & time are both there.   Same with stuffed peppers, meatloaf, eggplant parm, and all that!

Now I'm hungry.


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## Bruce (Oct 10, 2018)

Rammy said:


> Being single, hard to make chili for one, unless you buy it in a can.


Like @Mini Horses said - make a bunch refrigerate some and freeze some. What's for dinner when you are too tired to cook or haven't been to the store? Something you made before!


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## Latestarter (Oct 10, 2018)

I don't know how to make a small pot of chili   I need at least 10 pounds of burger just to start. It freezes really well and always tastes great re-heated.


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## Mike CHS (Oct 10, 2018)

I do the same.  Whenever I make soup or chili for that matter I make enough for 5 or 6 meals for the two of us.  We both had a bowl tonight and left enough in the fridge for lunch tomorrow for me and the rest is in the freezer in two bowl servings (vacuum sealed).


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## Baymule (Oct 10, 2018)

Winter comfort food;
Gumbo
Chili
Lamb stew
Cornbread
Brownies


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## Bruce (Oct 10, 2018)

I'm moving to Bay's house! Probably need to keep the car fueled up so I can go mooch off @Mike CHS as well.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 10, 2018)

I love cooking for my family! It’s therapeutic for me! 

Tonight I made cheesy potato soup. Took some to Mamaw and Papaw since Mamaw is still recovering from surgery and are with them. My parents joined us. We had a nice visit. 






There was a partial rainbow over the farm on the way home. 


 

 

 

Chester chilling during chores.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 10, 2018)

Comfort food here is any number of family recipes...Chicken Noodle Soup, Chili, Chicken and Noodles, Beef and Noodles, Minute Steaks and Gravy, Soup Beans/Cornbread/Fried Potatoes, Vegetable Beef Soup, Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, Oatmeal Cookies, No-Bake Cookies, Chicken n Dumplings, Cheesy Potato Soup, Lasagna....


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## greybeard (Oct 10, 2018)

I pretty much forbid leftovers at my house beyond the 2nd day and will not allow any kind of cooked poultry, beans, or soup to be frozen "for later".

If it didn't taste good enough for us to finish the next day, it ain't gonna taste any better weeks or months later when it is thawed out. 
Chili never has to be. It's always all gone the 2nd day.  I clean the refrigerator out more frequently than once/week and toss out anything older than 'yesterday'.


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## Rammy (Oct 10, 2018)

Im moving in with you.......


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## RollingAcres (Oct 11, 2018)

Bruce said:


> I would have to share! I guess with you since you know where the restaurant is.



I would have to share as well.


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## RollingAcres (Oct 11, 2018)

Rammy said:


> Im moving in with you.......


Who are you moving in with? With @Wehner Homestead or @greybeard ? Lol


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## RollingAcres (Oct 11, 2018)

Comfort food here: Mac and Cheese, lasagna, goulash, biscuits, apple crisps and soup(for DS and I)


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## Rammy (Oct 11, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Who are you moving in with? With @Wehner Homestead or @greybeard ? Lol


@Wehner Homestead, duh! After all that stuff she posted on comfort food, heck, all of them were on my list. Yummy! And didn't know GB had already posted before me so oops!


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## RollingAcres (Oct 11, 2018)

Rammy said:


> @Wehner Homestead, duh! After all that stuff she posted on comfort food, heck, all of them were on my list. Yummy! And didn't know GB had already posted before me so oops!



@Bruce already said he's moving there. @Wehner Homestead will have too many "critter" to take care of.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 11, 2018)

Lol! Y’all are more than welcome! You can help with upkeep around the farm to earn your room and board! 

Greybeard: I make enough to freeze intentionally. It makes for easy meals later for either thaw and reheat or for DH to throw in the oven on days that I work. Saves us from eating out!


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## Rammy (Oct 11, 2018)

Yippee!


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## farmerjan (Oct 11, 2018)

Yeah, I also cook extra on purpose; since being single it is a pain to come home to an empty house and try to figure out what to cook or not feel like it and then wind out getting something on my way home.  At least if it is in the freezer, I can take it out in the daytime and it is thawed when I get home from testing....I get tired of bought food, but my hours are tough some weeks.  Am looking forward to less farms to test so I can be home more.  
Taking 12 "broilers" to get killed tomorrow and will get them when I get home from work,  or on Sat when I get home from another farm.  Will take my big cooler and get some bags of ice so they can stick them in there and I will vacuum pack to freeze.  Unless he vacuum packs, then I will just pay him to do it since I have several farms that want to test. Since I only did a total of 9 all of Sept, I am sure not going to tell anyone no right now.  I am looking for a few more to sell out as a few are just tired of it.


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## Baymule (Oct 11, 2018)

That is some yummy looking potato soup. I like to dish it in the bowl, then sprinkle with grated cheese, chopped green onion and crumbled bacon.


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## Latestarter (Oct 11, 2018)

So since I already have that 9x13 brownie pan lined with HD aluminum foil, I guess I'll take something out of the freezer that can be baked in it for lunch/dinner tomorrow. Thinking 1/2 a chicken... Finished up a rack of ribs a day or two ago... Hmmm  maybe some country style ribs...


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 11, 2018)

Link to a cattle auction for show calves that we are watching. Thought y’all might find it interesting. Netted 100K before Lot10. Not sure how long the link will work but definitely should for a day or two. Hasn’t closed yet...


https://wlivestock.com/auction/2389


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## farmerjan (Oct 12, 2018)

Thanks for the link.  I have never been into show beef cattle, but still didn't realize the amount of money that can be spent.  Have seen some high priced dairy cattle sales, and milk tested some that were pretty impressive.   I am assuming that as well as showing, some/many of those females will go on to be donors.  Since I am not real familiar with the show end, couple of questions.  What is the difference between a "high Chi" and a "low Chi" and what is the composite that makes up a "mainetainer" ?  The world of show cattle is like a whole different universe from the day to day beef cattle operation that we run.  I have seen some of the semen books with "club calves"  as a title for a few bulls. 
We have had a couple of our steer calves bought and used by local kids to show and had a couple do quite well in the market animal shows.  But it is not where we focus.  It costs a fair amount to get into it, but you can make a good return if you have a few that make the grade for a sale like this.


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## Rammy (Oct 12, 2018)

Very nice! I cant believe what some of those cows went for. Nice lines. Makes mine look like mutts. Course, dont really care since they are just there to eat grass. Wow! I want that nice Charlois on No.10. Pretty cow. Would have to mortgage my house for the first one on the list.


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## Mini Horses (Oct 12, 2018)

IMPRESSIVE animals.   Show stock and genetics bred for "improvement"  can be awesome and expnsive $$$.   IF you hit the jackpot, so to speak, with one of these animals as a result of your hard work and breeding results, be proud!   Only those who have bred and culled for years get there.  This is where males were always dominant as sperm & AI brought in money.  In more recent years the donor issues with "above all" cows has been more appreciated.

For the majority of us, the cattle, goats, etc, are bred to a level of excellence for what we can handle and what provides our needs for milk, meat, etc.   If you have the results you and many desire, your offspring command more both price and demand to own.   In years past I bought a group of FB Boers, bred to an outstanding buck, PLUS 6 lovely 4star Nubian milking does implanted with FB Boer kids.   Price difference huge and all vet documented so they were registered when born.  A good option, over 20 yrs ago.  Yeah, it was not the norm then. 

At the time I enjoyed being a part of the breed improvement for both goats and mini horses.   Now, I'm content to watch others and maintain a decent herd of dairy goats.    I still love to hear and keep up with new things and the younger families still working hard.   Love to go to auctions!!


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## RollingAcres (Oct 12, 2018)

Holy cow (no pun intended lol), they are beautiful and expensive!


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## Rammy (Oct 12, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 12, 2018)

farmerjan said:


> Thanks for the link.  I have never been into show beef cattle, but still didn't realize the amount of money that can be spent.  Have seen some high priced dairy cattle sales, and milk tested some that were pretty impressive.   I am assuming that as well as showing, some/many of those females will go on to be donors.  Since I am not real familiar with the show end, couple of questions.  What is the difference between a "high Chi" and a "low Chi" and what is the composite that makes up a "mainetainer" ?  The world of show cattle is like a whole different universe from the day to day beef cattle operation that we run.  I have seen some of the semen books with "club calves"  as a title for a few bulls.
> We have had a couple of our steer calves bought and used by local kids to show and had a couple do quite well in the market animal shows.  But it is not where we focus.  It costs a fair amount to get into it, but you can make a good return if you have a few that make the grade for a sale like this.


@farmerjan I’m not sure of the percentages that truly designate BUT my understanding is that a high Chi is about 15%. Low Chi is anything less than 7%. They register down to 3%, I believe. We don’t do that registry so I don’t know the details for sure. (I tried to search and didn’t find anything concrete.)

Mainetainer is anything that is at least 25% Maine Anjou. Here’s a link to the article when the change was enacted. http://m.hpj.com/archives/mainetain...cle_cf526785-23c4-55f9-a75c-5caae5868ca0.html

There are some composites that are defined as to the cross like ChiAngus or SimmAngus. There are also many that are just a certain percentage of a particular breed (sometimes meeting requirements and actively registered as one or more of the following.) CharComp, Mainetainer, SimmSolution, ShorthornPlus, etc


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 12, 2018)

Not all sales are like this. The guy having that sale is a rep for the auction company. I just thought y’all would find it interesting also.


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## farmerjan (Oct 12, 2018)

We have a neighbor that has reg. Limousin and Angus and sell some percentages that are designated LimFlex.  In my opinion, you lose some of the heterosis by buying a bull that is already the product of a cross.  The whole crossbreeding thing is to improve things like weight gain etc., and if you start out with a crossbred it is one generation already used for that.  Many commercial farmers do 3 way crosses, then return back to the original breed to start over; but they use a purebred bull each time to have a better predictability of what the calves will be.   
And there is a much greater chance of calves that do not "fit together" when you are using a percentage bull on cows; if the bull is purebred, then all the calves will be 50% of that bull.  Of course, if you are simply doing it for terminal cross calves, then it is not so important for the females;  still you will get varying results with a percentage bull since he can contribute genes from the two different breeds of parents he has, instead of all one breed.  If you are trying to sell animals that are uniform in size, shape, weight etc., then you need to have a herd of "all the same breed" cattle, bred by a bull that is purebred not a percentage, even if he is a different breed.  
Still, it is interesting to see what lengths that the show cattle world has gone to.  And if I could do it financially, maybe I would dabble in it.  Still, I am not one for showing cattle so doubt I would be competitive in that market.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 12, 2018)

LimFlex didn’t come to mind as I was typing, but yes it’s another.

We are trying to get a happy medium where we can breed for maternal or terminal with the goal of raising calves for our kids to show while maintaining our herd. We shall see how effective this works out to be...


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 13, 2018)

Found the two high sellers from that sale...



 

 
Went to the chiropractor yesterday morning and came home to two filthy dogs! Cowboy has his head down in most of the pics so I could pet him. He must’ve blinked when he moved back. Jewel is dirty too, just not as caked!


 
I’m glad Halo wasn’t out with them. She had a vet appt yesterday afternoon to get another opinion on her murmur (she doesn’t have one!) and her next round of puppy shots. Pic is on the way home. Poor baby has only slept off and on since her shot.




Attempted a bonfire last night...it decided to rain. We still cooked hotdogs but cheated and ate in the house and made s’mores in the microwave. My sister’s 3 kids were staying the night with my parents so they joined the fun too. 


 

I was up quite a bit last night was a stuffy/runny nose. Took some allergy meds. I think it’s this front but had trouble going back to sleep. I’m dragging quite bad today.


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## Latestarter (Oct 13, 2018)

wow... that's a lot of money for one cow... Plus that fact that you have to give the first two calves produced so like another 200 thousand worth...   Sorry you're dragging and not feeling well. That time of year.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 13, 2018)

@Latestarter the 1/3 embryo interest means any time the female is flushed and eggs are collected, the original owner gets 1/3 of those eggs. 

The two successful flushes means that the original owner gets to flush the female twice and keep all eggs from both rounds. 

All natural born offspring belongs to the buyer.


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## Latestarter (Oct 13, 2018)

ahhhh ok, that makes more sense (I guess)... I didn't realize you could "flush" out a bunch of eggs... still, that seems like forfeiture of even more $$ than giving up 2 calves. Instead, you're giving up potentially dozens if not hundreds... How many eggs can you get with a flush? Paying a hundred grand plus for a heifer/cow, I wouldn't agree to those terms. Course I couldn't justify even playing in that game/market, so what do I know...


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## farmerjan (Oct 13, 2018)

Flushes are a crap shoot.  You can get anywhere from NO VIABLE Eggs to 20 or more.  They are also "graded" as to the "quality" of the eggs.  #1's,  #2's, and #3's.  The #1's will freeze well as well as can be implanted immediately, if recips are available.  #2's are still considered okay for freezing,  # 3's are not  good for freezing, but have often been implanted immediately and have produced offspring.  You can also get the embryo's  (eggs) sexed for if they are female or male.....Just like the semen is sexed if you want a 90% chance of getting a heifer, you used female sexed semen.
  Very common in dairy operations.  Many beef operations want bull calves and some bulls' semen is sexed for bull sperm now.  
I have had a couple of my dairy animals bred to "sexed semen"  for heifer calves of course....  but did I ever mention that I am walking Murphy's Law ????  Got 2 bulls out of sexed semen, a dead heifer out of the third year....  The farmers' bull got in with the milk cows, and of course I got a heifer that was by the holstein bull..... I have a couple of my cows on a dairy being milked as I did not have the time and place for them to use as nurse cows at the time.  They have done well, so I have left them there and he breeds them and I get the calf, and can get milk out of the tank when I want/need.  Sometimes it is alot easier to just stop by on my way home and get 2-4 gallons than to have to pull the calves and then milk the next morning.  Especially with my schedule.  He has both holsteins and several jerseys, so the milk is higher butterfat than just straight holsteins usually are.  Granted it is co-mingled milk, but it still beats store bought "pasturized and homogenized" stuff.


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## Bruce (Oct 13, 2018)

LS, I don't think you would have the opportunity to buy those overpriced heifers if you didn't agree to the terms.

Sorry but it strikes me like the Alpaca hysteria from a few years back. Pay huge money for breeding animals so you can sell the offspring for stupid high prices to others who want to breed them so they sell the offspring for stupid high prices to others who want to breed them so they can ....

Works great until people figure out there are only so many people willing to pay stupid high prices for an animal for the purposes of breeding and selling the offspring.


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## farmerjan (Oct 13, 2018)

Realize also, that more often than not the "option" for flushes and such are not exercised.  If the heifer is a "great show heifer" then she will often be flushed, but in most cases the original seller, that has that option,  will not exercise it unless he really wants the offspring.  Also, the seller pays all costs when they get the whole flush.... there are as many different terms as there are stars in the sky. 

We have bought a few bulls, where the seller retains the option to "collect" semen from that bull;  always at the convenience of the new owner and the seller pays for all costs associated with it.   There are alot of different options;  but I tend to agree that if I pay 100 grand for a heifer, she is MINE..... no one should still be able to "get  a piece of her".

Way out of my league.  It's enough to pay  $3-10,000 for a potential herd bull;  and he can put alot of calves on the ground and if I really like him, can collect his semen to use on hundreds more.  And we try to keep a bull for at least 5-8 years unless we really don't like his calves for some reason, or something happens to him.  Mostly we pay in the neighborhood of $2500 to $5,000 for a bull.  The one I bought this last spring was $3500 and we are using him this year. He was about 14 months, and got put with 13 cows.  In a young bull you figure 1 cow for every month old he is up to 2 or so.   If his disposition stays decent and his calves are half as good as he looks, he will be here for a long time.


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## Mike CHS (Oct 13, 2018)

And I feel like a spendthrift for paying $500 for a yearling ewe.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 13, 2018)

I do agree with LS on “giving away” pieces of my expensive animal. 

As far as how many embryos- refer to what farmer Jan said. I know of cows that have been flushed more than once a year so you are looking at POTENTIALLY 40 embryos a year plus a natural born calf. 

@Mike CHS I am on the same page. We’ve never brought in a female over market price. Bulls have ranged from $1200 to $4000. It just depends on what the purpose of the bull is. The most expensive one we kept four years and actually got another to breed his daughters. We’ve retained several from that line. Maxine and Melody are the first two that come to mind that are Rocky daughters that we kept. Mabel and Sydney are both Rocky granddaughters.


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## Baymule (Oct 13, 2018)

Bruce said:


> LS, I don't think you would have the opportunity to buy those overpriced heifers if you didn't agree to the terms.
> 
> Sorry but it strikes me like the Alpaca hysteria from a few years back. Pay huge money for breeding animals so you can sell the offspring for stupid high prices to others who want to breed them so they sell the offspring for stupid high prices to others who want to breed them so they can ....
> 
> Works great until people figure out there are only so many people willing to pay stupid high prices for an animal for the purposes of breeding and selling the offspring.


Witness the emu craze some 30 odd years ago when a mated pair sold for $20,000! At least Alpacas don't have poop patties the size of a small tire.


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## Baymule (Oct 13, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> And I feel like a spendthrift for paying $500 for a yearling ewe.




Over 100K for a heifer is a bit out of my league too.


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## greybeard (Oct 14, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> wow... that's a lot of money for one cow... Plus that fact that you have to give the first two calves produced so like another 200 thousand worth...   Sorry you're dragging and not feeling well. That time of year.


When you get on the higher end of cattle (and horse) auctions, many times, no actual $$ (or very little) really changes hands.


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## farmerjan (Oct 14, 2018)

Along with what @Wehner Homestead  said, a cow that flushes well can actually be flushed every 2 months.  Nowadays, they are doing more IVF which is invitro fertilization,  and taking the ovacytes directly from the ovaries, maturing them and fertilizing in a "petri dish".  It is actually easier on the cow than using hormones to cause her to produce a "flush" of eggs all at once and to breed her then to "flush" the eggs out at about day 10 as fertilized "embryos".  It gets pretty complicated and involved.  And expensive too.  But some farmers look at it this way.  They want lots of daughters out of their best cows, so they implant eggs from their best into the mediocre cows to carry the calf as a surrogate or recipient (recip).  With thousands of cows, there are plenty of recips available in most herds.  The only way to increase the number of offspring from certain breedings as natural pregnancies pretty much limit you to one calf a year and cows might live and produce into their teens with a few into their 20's.  So you can conceivably get say 25 calves (or more)  in a year instead of 15 in a  lifetime. 

All those high priced heifer calves are being looked at as potential show animals, and then as potential donors (of eggs)  for future show animals.  And understand, that alot of show animals live a somewhat pampered life.  Most would not make it on the average farm for a long life.  If you are into show stock, then better have some serious money to play with.   And what @greybeard  said is right... often money does not change hands.  There are "deals" made all the time.


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## Bruce (Oct 14, 2018)

greybeard said:


> When you get on the higher end of cattle (and horse) auctions, many times, no actual $$ (or very little) really changes hands.


Um, then what DOES change hands??



farmerjan said:


> All those high priced heifer calves are being looked at as potential show animals


Unless there are ridiculously high cash prizes at cattle shows, I still don't get it. I guess the very wealthy have to spend their money somewhere.


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## Mike CHS (Oct 14, 2018)

I don't know cattle auctions but even at sheep sales the prices sometime get silly but it is the big show place farms that usually drive up the price.  At Sedalia last year the highest price ram (but not the best ram) was being bid on by two of those type of farms and the sale price was north of $8000.


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## Baymule (Oct 14, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Um, then what DOES change hands??



 COW EGGS!!!! 
 They make beef omlettes out of them.


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## farmerjan (Oct 14, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 14, 2018)

@Bruce it works like this: I have a pretty good heifer and you have a pretty good bull. We work out a deal to trade but the catch is that we both say we bought the new one for $100K and sold the other for $100K. Usually this doesn’t crop up in the same conversation so people think I’m selling 100K$ heifers and you are selling $100K bulls.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 14, 2018)

That makes me think... @farmerjan want to work out a trade??? I’m sure we can both come up with some astronomical number for the amount of money that we both “sold” the other an animal for!


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 14, 2018)

Yesterday, DH worked on a design for goat hay feeders to minimize waste. He got the frame of the first one built. It still needs a floor and the wire panel attached. It’s designed to hold four beats of hay. (DS didn’t want to get off for the pics so he hid in it.) The back of the feeder is down in the pics.




 




Spoiled barn cat. Oscar.


 

Halo looking up at me expectantly.


 

Halo isn’t allowed on the furniture but she thinks the kids’ chairs are fair game. She also got a new duck toy that’s bigger than her!


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 14, 2018)

Well, that just ain't right!!.....letting Oscar the cat on the furniture, but not sweet, beautiful Halo the dog.....my, my I would've never thought that of ya.....
I'll like to see the finished feeder....it looks good so far....


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## greybeard (Oct 14, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Um, then what DOES change hands??
> 
> 
> Unless there are ridiculously high cash prizes at cattle shows, I still don't get it. I guess the very wealthy have to spend their money somewhere.


Braggin rights, publicity, intangibles.
It's like TV reality shows.
Kardassians, with Cows.

Decades ago, the show circuit was different. The bulls and heifers that won produced the seed stock for an industry that fed the world. Nowadays, with the clubbies, it's more often than not, now a self fulfilling/self dependent sub culture of the cattle industry and what they produce is seed stock for more clubbies.
Go to any meat market or restaurant...you won't find "Certified Fluffy Cow beef" being advertised anywhere, and you won't find any on a burger at a high end eatery either.

 It's like my niece's husband that went to college for about a decade to be some kind of highly specialized marine biologist..............when he got done, the only thing he was qualified to do and the only job he could get was teaching others to do the same thing.  

But, UNlike my niece's husband's endeavors, there IS big $$ to be made in the fluffy cow fad.......on paper anyway.


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## Mini Horses (Oct 14, 2018)

Well, I can ASSURE you that when I was in the mini horse business, $$$$$ actually changed hands!!      I paid and I collected.  Breedings were paid for & only mares acceptable to me were taken in for such.  Usually had a waiting list.  Yes, I sold stallions with reserved breedings sometimes.

One of my "best" deals was someone who bought, on contract, a young stallion from my Natl Chp halter stallion.   Paid the $2500 down and never sent balance or replied further, so a forfeit of $$ & purchase.  That was a lot of money to lose, IMO.   The minis were a fun & profitable effort for many years.

Our bragging rights were show wins, and those of the offspring.


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## Latestarter (Oct 15, 2018)

Kinda like the emperor's new clothes...  Even if I had the money, I don't see myself playing those games...


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 15, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Well, that just ain't right!!.....letting Oscar the cat on the furniture, but not sweet, beautiful Halo the dog.....my, my I would've never thought that of ya.....
> I'll like to see the finished feeder....it looks good so far....



DH doesn’t like the cat being in the house and rolls his eyes every time the kids let him in! 

Halo couldn’t hurt this set of furniture but DH is convinced that I won’t want her on my furniture when I get a new set. I don’t think he realizes how much I love this dog! 

The feeder is a trial run. I’ll keep y’all posted. He may change some measurements for the next one. We need a total of 8. Some with enough room for only two beats of hay.


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## Latestarter (Oct 15, 2018)

What's a "beat" of hay? New term to me (not that that's all that unusual)... Been meaning to comment on Halo. She is simple a beautiful girl. Absolutely love her eyes and the looks she gives. You got a real winner there. And I hear ya about pets on the furniture... I mean I'm pretty sure we're all used to being coated in animal hair. As long as the animals aren't chewing or eating the furniture, no problems here either. I have a beach towel on 1 of my couches right now and Elf likes to climb up and crash there. Only reason for the towel is because he's a digger and often has very dirty paws.


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## Bruce (Oct 15, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @Bruce it works like this: I have a pretty good heifer and you have a pretty good bull. We work out a deal to trade but the catch is that we both say we bought the new one for $100K and sold the other for $100K. Usually this doesn’t crop up in the same conversation so people think I’m selling 100K$ heifers and you are selling $100K bulls.


So the person who "bought" the $136K heifer "sold" a $136K animal to the seller of the heifer? 



Latestarter said:


> Kinda like the emperor's new clothes...  Even if I had the money, I don't see myself playing those games...


Yeah, you need a tractor and a barn and ....


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## greybeard (Oct 15, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> What's a "beat" of hay


Same as a flake, stroke, slice, bat, section or fleck. It has no set in stone dimension or weight...it's size and volume is wholly dependent on how any particular  baler is set up and how long the plunger stroke is.


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## RollingAcres (Oct 15, 2018)

CntryBoy777 said:


> Well, that just ain't right!!.....letting Oscar the cat on the furniture, but not sweet, beautiful Halo the dog.....my, my I would've never thought that of ya.....
> I'll like to see the finished feeder....it looks good so far....


I know right?! Shame on her! SMH....


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 15, 2018)

Reason #1 that Halo isn’t allowed on the furniture...she found something dead to roll in today and got a bath! 

Found a disrupted gate last night during chores and had to modify pens to keep everyone where they are supposed to be. Not really sure what happened but that leaning post is broken off just below ground level and a tractor has to be brought back from the last hay field to deal with fixing. 



 

Took a pic of Disney this morning. This cat looks ticked all the time. 


 

Had some kiddos over for a play date today. They enjoyed being on the farm and my kids enjoyed having them over. I made lunch while they were here. Pic of the plate I pack for DH for his lunch tomorrow. Beef n noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans.


 
The younger two kiddos took naps and are still up so definitely going to get them back on schedule tomorrow!! While they were napping, DD1 and I made pumpkin bread. Recipe said it would make two but we got three! One is gone already! 




DD2 wanted breakfast for supper so I made cheesy scrambled eggs, hashbrowns from scratch, bacon, and toast. 


 
There was enough left to make two breakfast plates for DH. One has hash browns and the other has more bacon, along with bacon and eggs in each. Kids all ate good.

Found a hen that was acting off during chores. She’s from the first set of chicks we took in under the broody hen. Not really sure what went wrong but she had no muscle when I picked her up and she didn’t resist me. She’s never been a tame one. Further review found a slightly caked back end but not enough to block her or cause the extent of her symptoms. She was just lethargic and so lifeless. We ended up just ending her suffering. With the frost advisory for tonight, I just felt it was cruel for her to try to survive. 

The mean rooster also came to an end. Kids thought that was funny as he flogged me as I was trying to catch him. Fortunately I had jeans on so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Probably a bad move but we didn’t attempt to harvest his carcass because he was SO worked up that the meat would be horribly tough. (He fought us catching him, got a net, caught him in the net, attacked me through the net, got out as I tried to grab him again and flogged me, netted him again as he was loose, DH used his boot to get his head out of the net while standing on his neck so I could use the hatchet. DH would’ve probably killed him with his bare hands if he’d come after me or one of the kids again. He’s a teddy bear but don’t mess with me or the kids!)  I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about the rooster any longer when I am doing chores or the kids go near the coops.


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## Bruce (Oct 16, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Found a disrupted gate last night during chores


"Disrupted?" OK, I am gong to ASSUME it was already bent like that. Otherwise some drunk tried to take a shortcut through your fields. Seems like those big posts are old and rotting in the ground. I see replacements in your future.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 16, 2018)

@Bruce gate was not bent prior. It wasn’t like that on one trip to the barn then was on the next. No idea what truly happened...


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## Latestarter (Oct 16, 2018)

Well, the gate did what it was intended to do... It stopped whatever was trying to get through, from getting through... I suppose you can replace the anchor post a little in from where it was and still use the gate. I'm sure it's a little "shorter" lengthwise now, since it's no longer straight.  Looks like the whole herd ran into it at full speed at the same time.


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## CntryBoy777 (Oct 16, 2018)

That is a shame about the fence....I was wondering if the age of the post had something to do with it and the tension on the fencing is what snapped the post and the recoil did the damage to the gate. Just like the spigot here, it was fine when I went to the goats and even got them water....then, maybe an hour later when Joyce had Gabbie outside it gave away and shot straight into the air.....breaking almost a foot below ground. It is unfortunate, but things do wear out and break....Just glad ya caught it before any animals got out and nobody was hurt.....


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## RollingAcres (Oct 16, 2018)

That's quite a disrupted gate! Glad no animals got out.

Your food pics looked yummy! I think I'm going to make some pumpkin bread this weekend as well. I have a couple of pie pumpkins in the garden that need to be processed.


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## Bruce (Oct 16, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @Bruce gate was not bent prior. It wasn’t like that on one trip to the barn then was on the next. No idea what truly happened...


OK then, I think what hit it was multiple hundreds of horses and has a banged up nose. Those pipe gates don't bend just because an animal leans on them and that one has quite the curve now.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 16, 2018)

Bruce said:


> OK then, I think what hit it was multiple hundreds of horses and has a banged up nose. Those pipe gates don't bend just because an animal leans on them and that one has quite the curve now.



I agree! It would be interesting to know!!


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## Rammy (Oct 16, 2018)

Enquiring minds want to know.


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## greybeard (Oct 17, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Found a disrupted gate last night during chores and had to modify pens to keep everyone where they are supposed to be. Not really sure what happened but that leaning post is broken off just below ground level and a tractor has to be brought back from the last hay field to deal with fixing.



Not my favorite type of gate, because of the way the horizontal tubes go thru oversized  holes in the 3 vertical braces and the only places the horizontal tubes are welded to vertical members is on the 2 ends.

You can see daylight between the horizontal tubes and the holes in the vertical members.




I prefer the kind of gates Prefeirt and a couple other manufacturers make, where the horizontal tubes are drilled, and the vertical tubes are then inserted and fully welded at each intersection to the horizontal tubes.
It makes an extremely rigid and strong gate that can take a lot of pressure and stress without giving or bending in either plane.






I do have a gate like your bent up one...in a cross fence and I can hear every time the cows push or rub against it, as the horizontal tubes move within the vertical members. It is the flimsiest gate I have here.

I have another, home built that is made of 3/4" or 1" solid cold roll steel (no hollow tubing) that is also bent in an arc, but it is on a downhill approach and my brother came tearing down the hill on a tractor in 3rd gear and locked the brakes up on gravel...and slid.
 Full weight and inertia of the tractor and it's bushog  hit the gate and bent it..circa 1966--1967.  My dad built it for the most part, but I 1st learned to weld, on that gate.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 17, 2018)

@greybeard the gate was here when we bought the property. We will actually be replacing and redesigning that whole corral area in (hopefully) the near future. I never liked the way that the gate was two feet off the ground on the attached end and dragging on the swing end. 

We've been looking at Sioux gates. Any opinion on those? 

As to how the issue occurred, the jury is still out.


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## Bruce (Oct 17, 2018)

Looks like the exact same design that @greybeard was dissing.


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## greybeard (Oct 18, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> We've been looking at Sioux gates. Any opinion on those?


 Not really, as they are not common this far South (I've never seen a Sioux distributor here)   but IF they weld the tubes to the vertical Z bars, it would improve my opinion of that type gate and panel.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 18, 2018)

greybeard said:


> Not really, as they are not common this far South (I've never seen a Sioux distributor here)   but IF they weld the tubes to the vertical Z bars, it would improve my opinion of that type gate and panel.



They do come with a lifetime warranty.


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## Bruce (Oct 18, 2018)

YOUR lifetime, the enclosed animal's lifetime or the gate's lifetime?


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## greybeard (Oct 18, 2018)

Those 40 pc $2.98 3/8 drive socket sets at the Dollar Store also come with a lifetime warranty (limited of course).

Sioux has always had a very good reputation as far as I can tell. 
I just don't like a gate to have any 'slack' in the vertical tubes where they meet horizontal tubes. Too easy for them to turn into a parallelogram just from their own hanging weight. 
It's like the old stamped steel galvanized gates. Looked great when you put them up and everyone liked them, till the rivets got loose and they started sagging and next thing ya know, it's a "pick up and drag" gate even tho the hinge end is still perfectly straight & plumb as is it's post. 
(I still have 1 or 2 of those here..I hate em)


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## mystang89 (Oct 20, 2018)

Catching up on everything and just have to say I LOVE that pup. Too cute. 

So many ups and downs in the tread to mention any one specific but I hope you are able to relax a bit. In fact, if you want I'll hold on to that pup of yours so you don't have to worry about a thing.


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## Bruce (Oct 20, 2018)

You are very generous @mystang89 !!


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## Baymule (Oct 20, 2018)

Halo is the cutest pup! Her face is so expressive, clearly she is loved and happy. That gate...…. looks like my husband might have been there...…  He has an annoying habit of backing up with ALL the windows rolled up so he can't hear me screaming at him to STOP!!


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## mystang89 (Oct 20, 2018)




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## Bruce (Oct 20, 2018)

Baymule said:


> He has an annoying habit of backing up with ALL the windows rolled up so he can't hear me screaming at him to STOP!!


He's going to be really sorry the time he is running over YOU while you scream at him to stop!


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## Latestarter (Oct 20, 2018)

Don't see that happenin' Bruce... Bay, having had plenty of experience with this sort of thing, makes sure to stand off to the side.


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## Baymule (Oct 20, 2018)

He has hit me a couple of times. The words coming out of my mouth could peel the bark off trees. I NEVER get behind him anymore. And Joe, you have not read this and you know nothing about it!


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 20, 2018)

Baymule said:


> He has hit me a couple of times.



Oh man, that stinks!  Mine has "tried" to pin me between two vehicles...sheesh!  He said he didn't mean to...but I'll never walk between vehicles again!


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## goatgurl (Oct 21, 2018)

oh the lessons we learn...


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## Baymule (Oct 21, 2018)

goatgurl said:


> oh the lessons we learn...


Yeah, and we divorce the lyin' cheatin' A$$holes and marry nice guys that are a bit careless......


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 27, 2018)

I have caught up on most of the journals and threads that I follow, mainly need to update mine. Might be the first of the week. We are building a new buck pen today...escapees and lutalyse no more!!!!


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## OneFineAcre (Oct 27, 2018)

I hope you are doing well.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 27, 2018)

OneFineAcre said:


> I hope you are doing well.



I am! More to come.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

Lots to update y’all on!! 

Your beliefs may not be the same as mine but I was healed at church during two separate services. My bile reflux and cesarean scar tissue in one day and a huge lump in one of my breasts during another within the week. I hadn’t been without pain in more than 4 years. I feel like a new person!! 

We are buying a pig ready to butcher from DH’s best friend. Bout out of pork and don’t have time to get a pen ready and wait on one to get done. Just need to make a butcher appt. 

Culled some older chickens that were no longer laying or laying extremely fragile eggs. They were almost three. Also an extra rooster at that time. 

Cleaned and rearranged some chickens pens. Still after DH to get the big shed moved her to improve the setup before winter. 

Buck pens got built! Each is at least 10x32 feet but one end is angled out so actually larger. The two bucklings (Theo and Alvin) have a space where they can get in the lean-to. The senior bucks (Knight and King) have an older dog house to get in. These runs are somewhat temporary until we decide if we will keep them here or move them further from the main barn. They have easy access for heated waterers for the winter right now though. We also have a gate into the senior pen then a gate going from there into the junior pen that are wide enough for the lawnmower to get in with. 

This is midway down the senior pen. The gate into the junior pen is on the left. You can see the sleeve of DD2’s blue jacket by the gate. Jewel was trying to stay warm while overseeing. 




View from the other side of Jewel, looking back up at lean-to. This is the other end of the senior pen with their large dog house. Junior pen is along the right hand fence. 



View of junior pen showing opening to lean-to shelter for them. Steer pen for show steers that haven’t left yet is the very far right. 


 
Lower part of Junior pen that backs up to the cattle pasture. Gate into senior pen is evidenced by DD2 in blue. 


 
Lean-to shelter for junior bucks. I bedded them down with hay from their hay feeder that they’d been standing on. It’s about 6 feet deep and four feet wide approximately.  If the weather is going to be really bad, we can tarp some of the opening to give them more protection, though the opening is to the South. 



Boys in their new pens with Jordan checking them out. Senior pen (closest) is King-L and Knight-R. Junior pen is Theo-L and Alvin-R. Yes, the boys have pink water buckets! Lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

DH’s truck was fixed after a brand new faulty alternator was replaced but has since acted up again. Ugh! Not sure the game plan on that.

Both tractors have some type of mechanical issue and are torn apart. We have a skid steer on loan for the time being. DH has been playing! Lol

He had some projects during the buck pen build like moving a chicken pen. The ground was slimy enough that he couldn’t get traction with the tires. He also almost took out another pen. I ended up pulling him out twice with my Expedition and ended up busting a brake line that was rusted. Ugh! 
I took a few pics for y’all. 

Oscar on the roof of the dog house/buck shelter when the forks were holding it up. 



In a tight spot.


 

Rut pictures. I made him stop as I didn’t want my buck pens to start out a muddy mess!


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

I also failed on getting this summer’s kittens sterilized and we now have a litter on the way. Of course it’s DD2’s so I’ll just let her have them. Hoping for a small litter. DH has agreed to let the kids keep two and his brother said they’d take one for their barn so fingers crossed that we just end up with 3! 

Ella (the Mom) all pics from this morning.


 

 

 

 

I’m assuming Wilson is the Dad since we haven’t seen any other tomcats around. 

Pic from milking the other day with all my help. Wilson is closest to my leg on the right. In front of Wilson is Oscar. Mickey is the gray in the middle. Left yellow cat is Chester and Ella is the black and white.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

Halo!! Gotta share a few pics of her! 



 

 

 




 

Cowboy and Jewel cuddling on the deck.


 

Jewel! She says it’s past bedtime.


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## Devonviolet (Oct 29, 2018)

AWESOME pics!  I’m jealous of all the land and barns/shed you have! 

Love the pics of the cats and dogs.  I’m not an expert on dog breeds. But arent the dogs Australian Shepherds?  I would love to have one for a farm dog, but DH doesn’t want any more animals.


----------



## Devonviolet (Oct 29, 2018)

BTW, Praise God on the healing!!!  I’m so glad you are finally pain free!!!


----------



## RollingAcres (Oct 29, 2018)

Love your pics! I couldn't remember, is Halo a house dog or she will be an LGD eventually?
How's the new job going?


----------



## Bruce (Oct 29, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Halo!! Gotta share a few pics of her!


"Do you like my hat?"

Thanks for the updates and all the swell pictures!


----------



## greybeard (Oct 29, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Your beliefs may not be the same as mine but I was healed at church during two separate services. My bile reflux and cesarean scar tissue in one day and a huge lump in one of my breasts during another within the week. I hadn’t been without pain in more than 4 years. I feel like a new person!!


There is no way to like this post to the extent it is warranted without getting a nastygram from admin. Suffice to say:
...Moving in a mysterious way. His wonders to behold....


----------



## Devonviolet (Oct 29, 2018)

greybeard said:


> There is no way to like this post to the extent it is warranted without getting a nastygram from admin. Suffice to say:
> ...Moving in a mysterious way. His wonders to behold....


----------



## Latestarter (Oct 29, 2018)

Ummm... @Devonviolet I may be wrong here, but I believe GB was backing her up and saying there's no way to like it enough.  "There is no way to _like this post to the extent it is warranted_"


----------



## Devonviolet (Oct 29, 2018)

Okay, I may be wrong.  If I am, an apology is in order.   I saw the part about getting a “nastygram from admin” and took it to mean he disagreed with the concept of being healing by God.


----------



## greybeard (Oct 29, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Ummm... @Devonviolet I may be wrong here, but I believe GB was backing her up and saying there's no way to like it enough.  "There is no way to _like this post to the extent it is warranted_"



Correct. Another way of putting it. "I would laud your method and it's success much much more but that type discussion  is forbidden by board policy."


----------



## Devonviolet (Oct 29, 2018)

Ah, gotcha. Then, we are on the same page. Please accept my apologies.


----------



## greybeard (Oct 29, 2018)

No apology needed. I very very very rarely get offended. For me to get offended about anything,  I would have to first 'choose' to _be_ offended. Not in my nature to do so and doubly so regarding anything online.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

@Devonviolet 

Our existing structures come with their issues and in some ways it would’ve been easier to start with none. More on that another time though. 

Yes, they are Australian Shepherds! We love them!! Planning on keeping one of the Cowboy/Jewel pups in the spring. They are awesome farm dogs and ours are well-bred enough to have an off switch. 

@RollingAcres 

Halo is our housepet/farm dog/companion/spoiled brat! She thinks she’s supposed to go everywhere we do and loves to go bye-bye! Super smart and sweet.

I’m beyond ready to have several LGDs. Just waiting to hear the litter is on it’s way. Wills tart with one and probably add one yearly for now. Not sure I’m brave enough to do two LGD pups at one time...

My new job is going well. I’ll have more weekends off and I’m making more money. I worked there before and had to give it up to care for DD2 when she was little because my commute is an hour one way. It was time to find a different profession or go back. Will see how it all works out. Not thrilled about the drive but not sure if I’m ready for a new career field.


----------



## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

My dad is having 3 hernias repaired tomorrow. Supposed to be very minor. We shall see...


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 29, 2018)

Just got an email that breeding has been confirmed and a litter of Anatolians is due the end of November. We’ve replied with our intention to purchase a male and are awaiting deposit information!!! I’m so excited!!


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## Bruce (Oct 30, 2018)

PUPPY! Well, in a few months.


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## Latestarter (Oct 30, 2018)

Dad has been through quite a bit here this year. Sure hope it stays "minor" and is easily fixed. I didn't realize you had switched jobs... Congrats on the upgrade! Better pay, better hours... not too shabby. Think of the drive in a positive way... Consider it your "ME time" for relaxation/reflection. Alternatively you could get some of those "self improvement" CDs and listen while driving. A 'NUTHER new puppy?    Fantastic!  Love Halo... she is gorgeous!


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## Devonviolet (Oct 30, 2018)

Yes! It sounds like this new job is a good thing. Do you mind saying what it is you are doing now?

And, that's so exciting that 6ou are getting an Anatolian LGD puppy!


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## RollingAcres (Oct 30, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Halo is our housepet/farm dog/companion/spoiled brat! She thinks she’s supposed to go everywhere we do and loves to go bye-bye! Super smart and sweet.
> I’m beyond ready to have several LGDs. Just waiting to hear the litter is on it’s way. Wills tart with one and probably add one yearly for now. Not sure I’m brave enough to do two LGD pups at one time...
> My new job is going well. I’ll have more weekends off and I’m making more money. I worked there before and had to give it up to care for DD2 when she was little because my commute is an hour one way. It was time to find a different profession or go back. Will see how it all works out. Not thrilled about the drive but not sure if I’m ready for a new career field.



Good to hear that Halo is being spoiled, as puppies should be! lol
2 LGD pups at once, I'm sure if you do it, you'd find a way. You always do.
Glad your new job is going well. When you said new career field, does that mean you're not a nurse anymore? Or I mis-read that?


----------



## RollingAcres (Oct 30, 2018)

Devonviolet said:


> Yes! It sounds like this new iob is a good thing. Do you mind saying what it is you are doing now?


Haha we both posted at the same time and I just asked her as well. Kinda sounded like she's not in nursing anymore right?


----------



## Wehner Homestead (Oct 30, 2018)

@Devonviolet and @RollingAcres 

I’m still a nurse. The ICU that I was working in had become more of a detox unit for alcohol withdrawal and drug overdoses. I’d dealt with several violent patients and family members. I have enough stress in my life that I was ready to take care of medical patients again. Going to try this and see how it goes. I’m on an ICU stepdown unit now.


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## Devonviolet (Oct 30, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Haha we both posted at the same time and I just asked her as well. Kinda sounded like she's not in nursing anymore right?


HAHAHA! I was just noticing that when you posted about it.  Yes, I am curious!  I did live being a nurse, but it can be stressful. Burnout is common among nurses. Hence, the need to change to different areas.  I did IV Nursing, Area Internal Medicine Nursing (a Mayo Clinic Primary Care Clinic, with 24 doctors. I worked under 6 of those doctors) Hospital Nursing, hospital Rehab & Home Health, before I retired, due to Lyme Disease/Epstein Barr Virus.


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## RollingAcres (Oct 30, 2018)

Ahh those alcohol withdrawal patients, I've heard about how violent they can be. My step-daughter is a patient tech in the Orthopedic unit and has gotten punched in the face by violent patients before.


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## Devonviolet (Oct 30, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Going to try this and see how it goes. I’m on an ICU stepdown unit now.


Good!  I'm glad you're staying in nursing. We need more caring Nurses, as I'm sure you are. I loved floor nursing.  Rehab was my favorite.  I had to take a sabbatical, though. I was exhausted & didnt know why. I took 5 months off. But felt guilty, not working. So, I got a job as a home health Nurse. Loved doing that too. Then one of my patients had Lyme. When she described her symptoms, I realized she was describing me! So, I went to her doctor, and he diagnosed me, with Lyme too.

That was the end of my nursing career.  My Nurse Manager begged me to just take time off, and go back when I felt better. But, I knew how sick I was, and that I had an uphill battle ahead of me. Little did I know how bad it would get, before it got better - five years later. 



RollingAcres said:


> My step-daughter is a patient tech in the Orthopedic unit and has gotten punched in the face by violent patients before.


YIKES!  I can't say I ever got clocked by a patient!


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 30, 2018)

We were at times tying down 6 out 6 patients. Finding syringes and needles that weren’t hospital issued in beds. Patients testing positive for drugs 2 weeks after being in the hospital.


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## RollingAcres (Oct 30, 2018)

Yikes!


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## Bruce (Oct 30, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> We were at times tying down 6 out 6 patients. Finding syringes and needles that weren’t hospital issued in beds. Patients testing positive for drugs 2 weeks after being in the hospital.



Ah, the loving and caring friends and family. 

I like @Devonviolet's idea of changing "careers" within your nursing career. Has to help with burn out. Glad you've gotten away from the high stress and (it SHOULD NOT happen) dangerous ICU.


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## Wehner Homestead (Oct 31, 2018)

Found some more pics I hadn’t shared yet and wanted to let y’all know that Dad’s surgery went well yesterday. He was home by 1 and I made him homemade lasagna. Dealing with some pain since they repaired three hernias but much better than when he had the kidney removed. 

Progressive sunrise from 10/19.







 


 


 

Halo the helper. Changing out clothes sizes and seasons for the kids.


 

Biscuit pizzas that the kids made the other night. 



 

Buffalo Chicken Dip with a twist. I used the Sweet Chili version instead of the Franks Red Hot Buffalo.



 

Sunrise this morning from a ridge overlooking the river. 


 

Flying pig in DD2’s orthotics (braces) office.


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## Mike CHS (Oct 31, 2018)

Pretty pictures.  I'm glad you Dad is home and feeling better.


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## greybeard (Oct 31, 2018)

I'm kinda sorta, a little disappointed..... tho the sunrises were indeed spectacular. 


Wehner Homestead said:


> Progressive sunrise from 10/19.



I was expecting to see a picture of that hottie Flo.........
 




Seriously tho, 
Good to hear your Dad's surgery went well.


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## Devonviolet (Oct 31, 2018)

I’m so glad your Dad’s surgery went well!

That food all looks yummy!  You’re making me hungry!

Oh yeah. And cute pic of Halo, trying to figure out which princess dress he wants to wear.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 1, 2018)

Glad your dad's surgery went well.
Thanks for sharing those sunrise pics and food pics (thanks a lot for making us hungry again! )
And little Halo is such a cutie!


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## RollingAcres (Nov 1, 2018)

greybeard said:


> I'm kinda sorta, a little disappointed.....



Ummm...how come?


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## Latestarter (Nov 1, 2018)

He told you why right after that statement...  you said Progressive (sunrise...)


greybeard said:


> I was expecting to see a picture of that hottie Flo.........


 The progressive icon^


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## RollingAcres (Nov 1, 2018)

Ohhh...I completely missed that part


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## Bruce (Nov 1, 2018)

Gotta pay attention to the little details there RA 

Is Halo holding the lid on that container so all the clothes won't pop out??



Wehner Homestead said:


> He was home by 1 and I made him homemade lasagna.


Better be careful, treat him too well when he comes home from the hospital and he might plan return visits!  But seriously, I'm glad he is home and recovering.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 6, 2018)

I don’t even know how to catch y’all up to speed! 

For now, I’m leaving you with a couple pics of Halo. I also posted lots of pics of Sparkle and CeCe in the goat breeding thread. 

Clean room! The Christmas tree is now up in the lower right corner. Not decorated yet. 


 
Waiting on DD1 to get off the bus. 


 
Wind blown ears this morning!


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## Rammy (Nov 6, 2018)

If I ever came to visit, that dog would disappear after I left<g> . Too darn cute.  She is getting SO big.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 6, 2018)

Rammy said:


> If I ever came to visit, that dog would disappear after I left<g> . Too darn cute.  She is getting SO big.



She will be a Mama in about two years! I’ll put you at the top of the list!


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## Rammy (Nov 6, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> She will be a Mama in about two years! I’ll put you at the top of the list!


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## Bruce (Nov 6, 2018)

That is a lot of wind if she was turned in the Winged Halo!

Um, Wehner, today is NOVEMBER 6th. A wee bit early for a Christmas tree in any form!


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## B&B Happy goats (Nov 7, 2018)

What a beautiful  dog...and those  eyes .....


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## RollingAcres (Nov 8, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Um, Wehner, today is NOVEMBER 6th. A wee bit early for a Christmas tree in any form!



She's one of those....


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## Rammy (Nov 8, 2018)

Thats not bad. I have a friend where I used to work that starts counting down 90 days before Christmas. She puts up a sheet of paper and changes how many days are left til then. Now THATS too much! hahaha!!


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## RollingAcres (Nov 8, 2018)

The day after Thanksgiving is when we normally get our tree.


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## Bruce (Nov 8, 2018)

And then it is dead and dried up by Christmas! OK, technically they are usually dead no matter what day you get them.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 8, 2018)

I figured someone would give me grief over the tree. It isn’t decorated yet, just has lights. It’s an artificial one (DH has asthma so can’t have a real one) so I don’t have to worry about it dying. 

I get a lot of joy from having the tree up. It helps me stay positive. There’s been a lot of negative around me lately. Don’t recall all that I’ve told y’all but...my maternal grandfather has been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and has to have radiation three times a week for 16 weeks. (I have a suspicion that this is because he isn’t a surgical candidate but the information is coming through his wife so it’s hard to get my questions answered.) My paternal grandmother is still recovering from her knee replacement and ended up with a blood clot in her other leg. This is her second blood clot so she has to see a hematologist and that has her upset. She’s a very strong person so allowing herself to be vulnerable has been hard on all of us. My dad is recovering from his hernia surgery and still having some issues from having his kidney removed. He’s on an antibiotic for inflammation that’s still present from the kidney surgery. He also had two moles biopsied on Monday that we are awaiting results from. Throw in the fact that he also has an echo (ultrasound) on his heart on Tuesday to evaluate a murmur that was found while he was in the hospital with the kidney removal. DD2 has to have a sleep study to see if she needs her tonsils removed. She was also having complications with her braces and had to spend quite a bit of time trialing and being evaluated for different ones last week. Insurance and building are now in the works so that we can get that. We’ve also been trying to get her a wheelchair since last Sept and the company has been a nightmare. We are trying to completely withdraw from that company and start over again with a different one. I have no idea how a child with Spina Bifida doesn’t qualify for a wheelchair!!!! Ugh!! Throw in the fact that DD1 has some struggles with school and we easily spend an hour on homework each evening. She needs more than that but can’t handle more. Trying to be strong for my mom as she cares for my dad and handles all of the insurance, disability, FMLA and cares for my kids when I work. This isn’t even a comprehensive list but some things are too personal to share and others just don’t need to be out in public. 

I can’t throw in the towel. I have to keep trudging on. My tree gives me a glimmer of hope that I need during these short days so my DH was sweet and agreed that it could be put up earlier than normal. 

I’m not skipping Thanksgiving either. Lol


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## Hens and Roos (Nov 8, 2018)




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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 8, 2018)

Thanks @Hens and Roos! It just seems like things keep coming to try to get me down. I’m fighting back!


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## Hens and Roos (Nov 8, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Thanks @Hens and Roos! It just seems like things keep coming to try to get me down. I’m fighting back!



Keep fighting that's all one can do!! Hang in there


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## Bruce (Nov 8, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I figured someone would give me grief over the tree.


 Somebody had to do it.  I am glad it gives you pleasure (and isn't going to die by Christmas)

I'm really sorry for any of the individual trials you have but geez you have more than a bucket load. And not a 4' bucket, at least a 6' bucket! And no wheelchair for DD??? That is just ridiculous. Tell whoever has the responsibility to decide that they can come to your house anytime DD needs to be transported and carry her themselves


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## RollingAcres (Nov 8, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Thanks @Hens and Roos! It just seems like things keep coming to try to get me down. I’m fighting back!


So sorry that things just keep getting you down. Keep your head up, be strong and hang in there.


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## Latestarter (Nov 8, 2018)

It has been postulated that He (She?) will never give you more than you are capable of bearing. Sorry for all that has burdened you.  Try to get a little recovery time for yourself so you can recover a bit of strength/sanity...


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## greybeard (Nov 8, 2018)

All our Christmas decorations (tree included) are still up from last year. 
Outside lights look a little rough...one string hanging down in a flowerbed, but no one but me ever sees 'em anyway.


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## Baymule (Nov 8, 2018)

Is your Wonder Woman suit washable or do you have to dry clean it?


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

I wish I had super powers!!

In other news, DH has been working on a combination electrical and water project. Yes, I’m well aware that those two don’t mix well. It also answers lots of questions. Two years after we moved here, we started having voltage in our livestock waterers that we put heaters in. Testing showed extra voltage. (I don’t understand all of it so please don’t think I have all the details accurate.) Either way, DH drove extra ground rods and even had the electric company try to solve the problem. No luck. Problem seemed to be with just the plug in heaters. Lots of frozen waterers! The buckets that are heated were fine though.

Due to a leaky spigot by the barn, DH was trying to replace it before winter so it didn’t freeze and found this...



 
That’s electrical live wire running right next to the hydrant and through standing water.

It only got more complicated when they realized that two of the three electrical lines that were there had been damaged and were repaired with CAULK and BLACK TAPE. (An absolute no no for those that don’t have knowledge in this area!) 

Needless to say, the source of the extra voltage had been discovered!! What should’ve been a pretty quick project just turned into a nightmare. DH and FIL have worked on it after work all week. 

We now have a spigot inside the barn so we don’t have to go out in the weather to turn it off/on and when we have freezing rain, it won’t be frozen in the off position. 

The electrical was repaired properly with heat shrink and moved as far from the water line (and bleed? Valve) as possible within the work area. 

Some mid-project pictures...

Outside the barn 


 
Inside the barn


 

New hydrant in place. (You can see the water trough covering the hole to keep the kids from falling in.) 


 

I don’t have any of the finished project but it is done. I’m so glad they found and fixed it before someone got hurt. We use that hydrant for the hose that the kids play in all summer!!


----------



## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

Went to NAILE (North American International Livestock Expo) yesterday. Great time as always. It’s a yearly tradition. 

Mounted shooting competition while eating ice cream! 


 

 

 


There were three male and one female contestant. The female was the only one to hit every target and won! 




We also saw some hitch competitions. I don’t know much about them but the kids were enthralled by the horse with the long tail! 


 

 

 

Watching the beef cattle show!


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

NAILE cont’d

Old MacDonald’s Farm...

Duckling slide




Prize pig


 
Commercial piglets


 
Sheep


 
Llama and alpaca. Neat comparison.


 

We also picked up some jewelry for gifts that we’d ordered that have Show cattle on them, Mindbender semen from a bull that we want to try, and a breaking stand for calves that want to spin and kick. (I’ll try to get a pic of the breaking stand once it’s unloaded, the jewelry too at some point.)


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## Baymule (Nov 11, 2018)

Nothing like fun family time. The projects were awesome. That pie was purely artistic and beautiful!


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## RollingAcres (Nov 11, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Went to NAILE (North American International Livestock Expo) yesterday. Great time as always. It’s a yearly tradition.
> 
> Mounted shooting competition while eating ice cream!
> View attachment 54534 View attachment 54535 View attachment 54536 View attachment 54537
> ...


Wow nice! Glad y'all went and had a good time!


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## Rammy (Nov 11, 2018)

Thats one big A bull. Looks like y'all had alot of fun. Icecream looked delicious.


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## goatgurl (Nov 11, 2018)

@Rammy's right, that's a lot of bull right there.   the expo looks like it was a lot of fun.  there is a kid down the road from me that has been a national champ on the mounted shooting.  kind of a big deal around here.  probably something I would have done back when my hands worked and I could hold a pistol and a horse at the same time. 
don't let @Bruce give you a ration of stuff about your Christmas tree.  I've had times in my life where the tree stayed up so I could sit in the dark with the lit tree to soothe my soul. I put one  tree up the day after thanksgiving and took it down on april fools day the next year.  DD and her friends kept asking me when I was going to take it down and i'd tell them "after youall eat all the candy canes off of it", lol.  they kept eating candy canes and I kept buying more. 
did you ever say what your new job was?if you did I missed it somehow. I sure hope its less stressful than 12 hours in icu.  take care of yourself bbgirl.  you've got a lot of people counting on you.  hope your abd pain is better


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

@goatgurl my pain is gone! I’m still doing 12 hr shifts of bedside nursing on an ICU stepdown unit. It’s better than the ICU where I was working but I’m not sure how long I can keep up bedside nursing. I’m a 24/7 caretaker at home and it’s hard to give as much of me as I feel like I should at work when I’m not sure I have anything left to give. I’m really tired when I get home! 

I forgot to mention that one of the mounted shooters didn’t have a bridle or halter on his horse, just a little loop of rope around his neck! It can be seen closely in some of the pics.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

This also happened today...

Introducing Pork Chop! 



 

 

 
We got a call to see if we wanted a free 75# barrow with a hernia. Sure! (Factory processing lines won’t take hernias because the abnormality causes a dirty mess of their process and everything has to be stopped and cleaned, causing an expensive loss. Several have discovered that we will take them or pay a bit and local butchers can process with minimal issue.) 

The hernia isn’t very bad and he’s actually more like 125#! That’s pork even sooner! We did jump the gun a bit so he’s hanging out in the kidding pen until we get him another pen built. 

DS asked his name as soon as he saw him...I quickly said Pork Chop as I didn’t want them thinking he was a lifelong pet. My preference isn’t one but there wasn’t another for sale to pair with him. 

He is a Duroc. 

Pork Chop rode home in the rear of my Edge in a dog crate. It’s only about a mile! Lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

Halo likes laundry baskets! 


 

Remember when Otis fell this summer and had to be put down? This is the ledge he fell off of and the tree that he was upside down on. It’s a 3 foot drop. 




The trunk end of the tree. Yes, DS is climbing on it.


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## goatgurl (Nov 11, 2018)

after about 5 or 6 years in the unit i'd be burned to a crisp so i'd switch to home health or some other much less stressful part of nursing, after a year or two back i'd go to the unit.  insane but I loved icu and the challenges.  one of the places I worked when I did travel nursing was an icu stepdown in Tulsa.  hard work but not near the stress level.  stayed there for 2 contracts.  was headed to Alaska when my mom started to fail and asked me to come home.  wanted to go really bad but what ya gonna do so I stayed home with her and worked locally, yup, in icu.
yea!!  on porkchop.  I see sausage and bacon in your future.  ever so often I would get 'greasy' pig from a hog farm across the ok line.  like the hernia pig they couldn't be shipped but got over their skin issues quickly and were good eating. 
love the picture of the tree DS is climbing on and the way it has grown around that big rock.  neat.
did you happen to hear where the bridleless shooter was from? kid down the road is just over the line in Oklahoma.  he's been know to do that sort of thing.  I say kid but he's in his 20's I think.


----------



## B&B Happy goats (Nov 11, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> It has been postulated that He (She?) will never give you more than you are capable of bearing. Sorry for all that has burdened you.  Try to get a little recovery time for yourself so you can recover a bit of strength/sanity...


                                                 perfectly  stated latestarter  !


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

@goatgurl this guy looked to be in his 50s. He’s a horse trainer. I didn’t catch where any of them were from.


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## Bruce (Nov 11, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> The electrical was repaired properly with heat shrink and moved as far from the water line (and bleed? Valve) as possible within the work area.


I wouldn't be happy with anything other than underground wire in conduit. 



Wehner Homestead said:


> Halo likes laundry baskets!


I don't think she will fit much longer!


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## Baymule (Nov 11, 2018)

Great deal on the pig! Carried home in a dog crate.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 11, 2018)

@Bruce I’m not 100% sure what all they did. I know that they got opinions from several electrical experts. DH is an electrical engineer that worked as an electrician while in school. FIL does wiring on trailers for anyone that calls. They are completely safety oriented and will spend 3 extra days on a project if they have to in order to get it done right the first time. All of that to say that I don’t really know what they did (I do know about the heatwrap stuff because they explained it to me when I was checking on them) but I’m confident that it’s no longer dangerous. If I think about it, I’ll ask what they did do.


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## Mini Horses (Nov 12, 2018)

Soft lights from a tree are soothing.   Let the kids put some homemade Turkey decorations on it!   Then after the big day, remove them and do the Christmas theme.
There!   Plenty of good tree time.  

By the way, Halo needs a bigger laundry basket!!

Thankful for your healing!   God's blessings abound.


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## Rammy (Nov 12, 2018)

I used to like making them blink.  I used to like the colored ones,  but lately I just do the same color non-blinking ones. I think the blinking bothers my eyes now for some reason. My tree is upstairs in the attic right now. Tradition was/is to put it up on Dec. 10 which is my Moms birthday. Why that day? I dont know. Its what we always did since I was a kid.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 12, 2018)

Great deal on the pig and he's a nice looking pork chop. 

Halo needs a bigger laundry basket. She likes to be in there to keep your laundry warm.


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## Rammy (Nov 12, 2018)

Or she can just give me Halo. No questions asked. Heehee......


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## RollingAcres (Nov 12, 2018)

Rammy said:


> Or she can just give me Halo. No questions asked. Heehee......



No change at all she'd do that!


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## Bruce (Nov 12, 2018)

I have a large unused dog bed.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 12, 2018)

Bruce said:


> I have a large unused dog bed.


Maybe it's time for Bruce to consider getting another dog to use that large dog bed....


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## Rammy (Nov 12, 2018)

Yeah. Maybe one oh Halo's pups when she has them. You will have to wait a few years, though. In the meantime, lots of shelter pets need a good home.


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## Bruce (Nov 12, 2018)

Not likely. It might bark at night.


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## Baymule (Nov 12, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Not likely. It might bark at night.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 13, 2018)

@Bruce you could get a Basenji. They don’t bark, they yodel! Just teasing! 

In complete seriousness, my Aussies aren’t barkers. They don’t bark unless there is something to bark at. Maybe you could do a dog that only comes in the entryway (several people do!) and you are outside enough for the dog to get plenty of exercise. Crate training is magnificent and you’d be amazed how fast these dogs learn what’s expected of them!


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 13, 2018)

@Rammy Jewel will have pups this spring!


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## RollingAcres (Nov 13, 2018)

Bruce said:


> Not likely. It might bark at night.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 13, 2018)

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with trying to keep up with everything. 

We will be streamlining some of our projects. Chickens are currently in three pens, we will cull and sell to get down to two for greater ease through the winter. Need to get the heifer finished for the 4-Her so she can take her home. That gets 3 more animals off our farm. Also still have the steer here that I castrated for another 4-Her. I think they want him broke before he leaves. We didn’t offer but he’s here. Our new bull will be here sometime this week and we are going to tame him some too. Have a Steer broke that just needs sold. Need to get pics and post him on fb. That’s two more animals off the farm if those steers leave. 

With some of those cattle gone, we will have somewhere to put goats while we clean their pens. There’s excess hay pushing against all of the gates making it miserable to open and shut them. Would take a lot of stress off for that to be easier. 

By then it’ll be time to arrange calving pens. Pork Chop will need a different pen as he’s in the kidding stall. Plans need to be made to redo the corral/alley behind the barn. We also want to switch the cattle to rotational grazing so we need to finalize those plans. I’ve already started on cattle breeding plans for spring. Trying to decide what goats I can add...I know I want at least one Nigerian buck if not two from NC. Some of it depends on who has what when I’m down there. I’d also like to add more Lamancha or Mini does from SBC. I’ve talked to someone else about two Mini does so we shall see what’s born. There should be an Anatolian coming after Christmas too. Whew! (Going to wait a few weeks to mention horses to DH again!) 

Now if my head would just stop itching! 

I cleaned like a mad woman yesterday AND made supper. For the way I cleaned, I’m surprised that I cooked. I’m still weary! 

Supper last night was homemade pizza. 

Kids’ plain cheese. They normally want sausage so I humored their request. 



 
Garlic cheese sticks.


 
Chicken bacon ranch. Something different that I make to change things up. It had been awhile since I’d last made it.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 13, 2018)

Pizzas look delicious!
You have so much going on! Please take care of yourself to get through it all.


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## Bruce (Nov 13, 2018)

I think you are one of those sideshow plate spinners Wehner!


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## Baymule (Nov 13, 2018)

Your pizzas look yummy! I make a chicken spinach in home made alfredo sauce that's pretty good.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 18, 2018)

Well...we’ve survived the first blast of winter. Our power was restored after 10 this morning after being out for more than 72 hours. We’ve alternated staying with DH’s parents and mine (after their power came on.) Running generators every few hours to try to save what was in our fridges and freezers and avoiding having the kids at home since our house got down to 44 degrees. Of course with the electric out, the cattle had to start testing the fence too. It’s been nothing short of boring! All of the animals seemed to fare well. Halo sure is glad to have her kids home! We missed her being with us all the time! 

I hope everyone else fared well and I’ll try to get caught up again over the next few days and share some neat I’ve pictures.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 19, 2018)

Never a dull moment at your household for sure! Glad everyone is going ok and glad the animals didn't cause too much mischief while the power was out.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 21, 2018)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 22, 2018)

RollingAcres said:


> Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!



Thank you!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 22, 2018)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!! I hope everyone is stuffed to the gills and lazing around in awe of how much was consumed today!!!


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## Baymule (Nov 22, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!!! I hope everyone is stuffed to the gills and lazing around in awe of how much was consumed today!!!



I need to go belly up on a flat rock in the sunshine....like a lizard.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 22, 2018)

We don’t celebrate traditional Thanksgiving here. Haven’t since I was about 10. Theory is always that everyone has so many places to go that we end up with nowhere we are obligated to be. 

Before I was 10, my paternal grandmother’s  (1 of 11) family used to have a HUGE meal at one of my great aunt’s houses. The food you had to have was homemade noodles!  As the elders have aged, no one was up for hosting the large crowd so the gathering doesn’t occur any more. 

My mom’s family has their gathering the Saturday before. My dad’s family has theirs the Saturday after and we call it “Thanksmas” because my grandparents leave for Florida the first week of Dec. DH’s family has theirs randomly around work schedules of FIL and me. We are doing it the Sunday after. 

Plan for today was to go to church and help serve and prepare meals for those that are homebound, can’t afford a meal, or would be alone otherwise. Ended up staying home as I was diagnosed with a severe sinus infection and given a steroid shot and an antibiotic shot with follow up meds, DD1 has an ear infection and is on an antibiotic, DS has an upper respiratory virus and has to be monitored for complications, and finally DD2 has the same thing as DS but her airway is reacting so she’s getting breathing treatments around the clock. Not to be left out, DH has a cold. 

I worked yesterday and made a quick stop after work to grab a few things for appetizers. My parents came for supper and we had pigs n a blanket, homemade meatballs and smokies in bbq, sausage cheese dip, turkey tortilla pinwheels, no-bake cookies, and punch. It was different but lots of fun and we will eat a ton of turkey anyway.


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## B&B Happy goats (Nov 22, 2018)

Cooking ours this weekend, went to a family members for t day.... and their friends showed up with the beer and started bonfire..... not my thing, rather be home with my fur family  so we left and came home...and doggie cuddled our girls...now thats what i am thankful for


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## Baymule (Nov 22, 2018)

Today was just DH, me and our son. DD and family went to her FIL's for Thanksgiving and Christmas together. Small, but ok. I love and adore large gatherings, but it was not to be this time. 

I am sorry that all of you are sick, hope y'all feel better soon.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 22, 2018)

I promised ice pics and hadn’t gotten them posted yet... notice how bent the branches are. 






We can typically drive DH’s truck under this tree! 


 

Ice on the buck pen gate. 




This branch is normally over the 6 foot fence with no problem and touched the ground without breaking!!! We’d have lost our just finished buck pen if the limb had broken. 




Some coated grass. 




Another view of the tree with the limb touching the ground in the buck pen. 




We still have a few chickens in a dog kennel. I couldn’t get in their pen. The tarp over the top had ripped enough for me to dump some feed in. I hope to finish moving them soon. 




Only fence damage that we found. Gate from yard to main cattle pasture that DH used to put out hay.  


 

Oak tree next to house. Normally I can’t reach the branches when standing on the ground. 




Ornamental cherry tree (?) outside the garage.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 22, 2018)

Ice Storm Nov 2018 Cont’d...

Weighed down evergreen. 




Trees in front yard. 




Trees down the drive. 




Zoomed in pic across hayfield of trees in front pasture. 




Pic of above without zoom. 




Some ice coated grass that missed the mower.




Sunflowers and round bales. 




A weeping ornamental tree. 


 

Grill




Ice on deck as it was falling off an oak tree in chunks.


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## Rammy (Nov 22, 2018)

First year my now ex husband and I moved into the house I kept after the divorce, we had an ice storm here. Power went out about midnight and I kept hearing these loud noises. Couldnt figure out what the noise was until morning. The noise were tree branches snapping from the weight of the ice. Couple ended up blocking the road. We were without power for about two weeks. We had a propane heater we would cook on. Took a little longer but it worked. 
Did your power go out? Hope you feel better soon.


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## Mike CHS (Nov 22, 2018)

I have said that I know they make for some beautiful pictures but I know there is a lot of cleanup coming.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 22, 2018)

@Rammy our power was out for just over 72 hrs. I heard the transformer blow. We are the only service on our line so getting us back up wasn’t a priority.

I could hear popping, cracking, and limbs hitting the ground when I was out. I can only assume that most were in the creek pasture where there are several dead trees anyway.


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## Bruce (Nov 22, 2018)

Ice like that is pretty ... but you can KEEP IT!


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## Latestarter (Nov 22, 2018)

Hope y'all can heal up from all the sickness pretty quick. Nobody needs to be dealing with that this time of year.


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## promiseacres (Nov 23, 2018)

hope you all are feeling better!


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## B&B Happy goats (Nov 23, 2018)

Dang....you alll just been getting hit left and right.... hopefully  things will turn to the brighter side real fast for you. The pictures really are very pretty and i love your place.....but the freezing ice, ...ugh been ther done that.... I will take the florida sunshine and humidity ,....hope you have a uneventful  winter ahead.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 24, 2018)

I was on a steroid induced mania for about 24 hrs and felt amazing. It’s since worn off and I feel horrible again. Trying to rest so my body can heal...


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## Baymule (Nov 24, 2018)

Beautiful pictures. I like looking, but not living in it!


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 24, 2018)

Found this on fb and thought y’all would find it funny too! 

ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO INDIANA. 

1. Save all bacon grease. You will be instructed later how to use it.
2. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.
3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. "All y'all's" is plural possessive.
4. Get used to the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity". And the collateral phrase "You call this hot? Wait'll August."
5. Don't tell us how you did it up there. Nobody cares.
6. If you think it's too hot, don't worry. It'll cool down-in December.
7. A Mercedes-Benz is not a status symbol, a Chevy, Dodge, or Ford is.
8. If someone says they're "fixin" to do something, that doesn't mean anything's broken.
9. The value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but the availability of shade.
10. If you are a slower moving vehicle on a two lane road pull onto the shoulder that is called "courtesy".
11. BBQ is a food group. It does NOT mean grilling burgers and hot dogs outdoors.
12. Yes, weddings, funerals, and divorces must take into account for IU Basketball games. 
13. Everything is better with hot sauce.
14. DO NOT honk your horn at us to be obnoxious, we will sit there until we die.
15. We pull over and stop for emergency vehicles to pass. 
16. We pull over for funeral processions, turn our music off and men remove hats or caps. Some people put their hand over their heart.
17. "Bless your Heart" is a nice way of saying you're an idiot.
18. No mater what kind : sprite, coke, pepsi, mtn dew, it isn't called soda. Its all called pop. 
19. If you don't like the weather in INDIANA , wait 15 minutes, it will change.
20. Ski is our local pop.
21. The Indy 500 is a tradition


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## Bruce (Nov 24, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> 19. If you don't like the weather in INDIANA , wait 15 minutes, it will change.


That seems to be true of every state!


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## Devonviolet (Nov 25, 2018)

Funny, all but a few of those could apply to Texas.  And the ones that reference Indiana, could be adjusted to fit Texas. 
Well, I take that back (a little). I don’t drink it, but I’m pretty sure it’s called “soda” here, not “pop”.  I do remember, when we lived in Minnesota, I thought it strange that they called it “pop”, since “soda” sounds so much like MinneSOTA.


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## Southern by choice (Nov 25, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Found this on fb and thought y’all would find it funny too!
> 
> ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO INDIANA.
> 
> ...



LOL this was stolen from the south. 
Ain't no good BBQ in the North, and it is way colder earlier than December in the North, and of course there is #5! 

I will say Pop is a northern thing. 
What the heck is  #20?


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## Rammy (Nov 25, 2018)

From where Im origally from, everyone says pop. When I moved to Tn, people said soda. One lady I met said she knew I was from "up north" because I said pop. 
Technically, Im a southern girl since I was born south of the Mason/Dixon line.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 25, 2018)

Here’s another one...we have Big Red. Family in Northern IN doesn’t and we always take them down when we visit!


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 25, 2018)

DH is fighting a headache and has laid back down. DD1 went to church with my parents this morning. She’s going to be Mary in the church Christmas program. My antibiotic isn’t cutting it. I feel like I’m choking on my mucus. Going to have to figure out what I can add to my current meds to get some relief. Battling my anxiety too. I’m so ready to move to the middle of nowhere and live off the grid. Going to do some evaluating and remove some things from my life that increase the stress.


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## farmerjan (Nov 25, 2018)

In New England, when I was a kid growing up, you didn't have milkshakes, you had frappes.  NOT THE FRAPPE' of McDonald's pronunciation but just plain old frappes.  Mostly Mass NH and VT.  We had soda and the saying about wait 15 minutes and the weather will change was always a saying I heard in VT at family gatherings.  Plus Vt has a fifth season, mud season.....and that summer is the day you play baseball.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 26, 2018)

I only "liked" the ice pics because they are pretty to look at. Definitely no fun to be around!
I hope you are better from your sinus infection.


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## RollingAcres (Nov 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Battling my anxiety too. I’m so ready to move to the middle of nowhere and live off the grid. Going to do some evaluating and remove some things from my life that increase the stress.


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## greybeard (Nov 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Battling my anxiety too. I’m so ready to move to the middle of nowhere and live off the grid.



I know where some property is for $200/acre........

then there's this:


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## Bruce (Nov 26, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I’m so ready to move to the middle of nowhere and live off the grid.


Ah but unless you have MEGA battery storage, there are stressors there as well! 
Sorry the anxiety is getting to you. 
Om ... Om ... Om ...


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## Latestarter (Nov 27, 2018)

Don't really need "mega battery storage" unless you want to live life in an indulgent manner. You just plan to do those things that require heavy electric use during the peak hours of sunlight. Unless you live in the middle of a nowhere that sees days after days of poor sun conditions (like our good friend @Alaskan ), aside from cooking, which can be done with fire, most everything else can "wait" till the sun comes back. There's also wind power, and water power that could factor in.  Personally, I'd like it best to be able to use a mixture of all three.


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## Goat Whisperer (Nov 27, 2018)

Thinking about you!


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## Carla D (Nov 27, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I figured someone would give me grief over the tree. It isn’t decorated yet, just has lights. It’s an artificial one (DH has asthma so can’t have a real one) so I don’t have to worry about it dying.
> 
> I get a lot of joy from having the tree up. It helps me stay positive. There’s been a lot of negative around me lately. Don’t recall all that I’ve told y’all but...my maternal grandfather has been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and has to have radiation three times a week for 16 weeks. (I have a suspicion that this is because he isn’t a surgical candidate but the information is coming through his wife so it’s hard to get my questions answered.) My paternal grandmother is still recovering from her knee replacement and ended up with a blood clot in her other leg. This is her second blood clot so she has to see a hematologist and that has her upset. She’s a very strong person so allowing herself to be vulnerable has been hard on all of us. My dad is recovering from his hernia surgery and still having some issues from having his kidney removed. He’s on an antibiotic for inflammation that’s still present from the kidney surgery. He also had two moles biopsied on Monday that we are awaiting results from. Throw in the fact that he also has an echo (ultrasound) on his heart on Tuesday to evaluate a murmur that was found while he was in the hospital with the kidney removal. DD2 has to have a sleep study to see if she needs her tonsils removed. She was also having complications with her braces and had to spend quite a bit of time trialing and being evaluated for different ones last week. Insurance and building are now in the works so that we can get that. We’ve also been trying to get her a wheelchair since last Sept and the company has been a nightmare. We are trying to completely withdraw from that company and start over again with a different one. I have no idea how a child with Spina Bifida doesn’t qualify for a wheelchair!!!! Ugh!! Throw in the fact that DD1 has some struggles with school and we easily spend an hour on homework each evening. She needs more than that but can’t handle more. Trying to be strong for my mom as she cares for my dad and handles all of the insurance, disability, FMLA and cares for my kids when I work. This isn’t even a comprehensive list but some things are too personal to share and others just don’t need to be out in public.
> 
> ...


You have had a challenging time. Do what you have to do in order to stay positive.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 28, 2018)

Quick update. Worked the last two days. Went to dr again. Still have my sinus infection. Starting another round of antibiotics, increased my depression med, and I start counseling next week as I need to learn how to let go. I internalize and hold on to too much and I’m beyond worn down. Need to find something I enjoy to relieve stress and make time for me...

Took DS to dr too as he seemed to wake up with an itchy rash that looked like an allergic reaction to me that covered his whole body. His throat looked aggravated so on a whim, the dr did a strep swab, he also did some blood work and a urinalysis since we were already there. Come to find out he has strep with the worst case of scarlet fever that this dr has seen in his 20+ years. The rash itching isn’t common either. This kid has a high pain tolerance and only mentioned that he had a tickle in his throat ONCE each in the past TWO days. Needless to say, we are homebound with him for a bit. 

I think I have the lice whooped! Still have lots in bags and still checking heads as I hate to miss something and end up with a flare up. 

Steer that I castrated for a 4-Her is fighting pneumonia. Dealing with frozen waterers since we haven’t gotten the heated ones set up yet. I need 2-3 weeks off to rest then another 2-3 weeks to get caught up or a full-time assistant. Anyone up for hire??


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## Rammy (Nov 28, 2018)

If  I lived up that way Id come and help. Hope you get things straightened out soon. Seems like you have alot on your plate right now. Worry about getting better then worry about everything else. Take care of you and the kiddos first.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 28, 2018)

I’ve been on BYH a year today! Don’t know what I’d do without y’all! Thanks for making me one of your own!


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## Latestarter (Nov 28, 2018)

Really good to have you here with us WH... Sorry there isn't more we could do to lighten your load some. You've been juggling enough to keep a trio of folks busy, for a while now. Truly hope you can get that time you need for you, to get yourself back to where you want and need to be.  Get your health squared away and that of the little ones as well. Scarlet fever isn't something you hear about to much and it's nothing to trifle with from my understanding. It can leave life long issues. If it means you drop in a little less frequently for a bit, then so be it! Just don't go disappearing on us


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## Baymule (Nov 29, 2018)

We are delighted to have you here with us. Sometimes you just need to talk and it's nice to have a group of people who think like you do. BYH is wonderful. In all my friends, who could I talk to that "gets it?" Who else understands why we go out in freezing weather to break ice so the animals can get a drink? Who else understands the pain of holding a dying animal or the joys of birth and the renewal of life? BYH'ers do!


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## RollingAcres (Nov 29, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I’ve been on BYH a year today! Don’t know what I’d do without y’all! Thanks for making me one of your own!


Happy 1 year BYH Anniversary!
We are glad you are here.


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## Rammy (Nov 29, 2018)




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## farmerjan (Nov 29, 2018)

Happy Anniversary.  You have alot on your plate.  I guess you do what you have to, because no one else will/can/does..... and we all pretty much know that feeling of being overwhelmed.... but you have extra issues with your kids.  Scarlet fever isn't all that common nowadays, but I did have scarlet "tina" when I was small and my mom told me that I had the rash and the itch too.  Not as bad as scarlet fever.  Take care of yourself because no one else can do what you do for your family.  Hoping you can get some down time for a few days at least.


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## greybeard (Nov 29, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Come to find out he has strep with the worst case of scarlet fever that this dr has seen in his 20+ years



Considering there are so few cases of Scarlet Fever in the USA each year, his DR's reaction is understandable. (avg about 520 cases per year nationwide in a population of over 300 million)
1 case per 1/2 million people per year. Prior to the end of 1999. there were a lot fewer than that unless you go back  a lot of years.


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## promiseacres (Nov 29, 2018)

Sure pray that everyone gets well very soon! This cold November sure doesn't help. 

Congratulations on your anniversary.


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## Bruce (Nov 29, 2018)

Happy anniversary! Younger sister had scarlet fever as a kid, probably in the mid 60's. She got to hang out in the parents' bed all day long for at least a week. Hope you DS gets better fast.


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## CntryBoy777 (Nov 29, 2018)

Just caught up with ya and sure hate to hear of all that has transpired while I was...am....self-absorbed. Ya sure need to take of yourself....cause those ya Love are sure depending on ya and running yourself ragged for those outside the family is a valiant thing, but only distracts ya from tending to You and lowering the stress. Tbe only way ya will get a vrip on it is to learn the use of the word No.....also tell yourself that. There isn't any need to push and add new things, when what ya already got won't fit on your plate anyway. It is really amazing the things ya get done in a days time and I've been around for almost 61 yrs now and a day is still only 24hrs long....you are neither big enough or powerful enough to stretch it out any further either.....okay, I guess that is enough of that....but, it is because I care aboht ya as a person and burning yourself out at a young age surely isn't good for those around ya...
I agree with others about the ice....it sure is pretty, but it is terrible to endure the effects of it.....in the Memphis area it isn't pop or soda.....it is coke....but that just refers to a carbonated drink....after coke is stated, then ya will be asked what kind?...........ya can always tell when a "foreigner" is ordering a drink.............our prayers are continually with ya and your family.....sure hope things work out for ya and ya can find the Joy once again accompanied with Peace.....


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## Bruce (Dec 1, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Don't really need "mega battery storage" unless you want to live life in an indulgent manner. You just plan to do those things that require heavy electric use during the peak hours of sunlight. Unless you live in the middle of a nowhere that sees days after days of poor sun conditions (like our good friend @Alaskan ), aside from cooking, which can be done with fire, most everything else can "wait" till the sun comes back. There's also wind power, and water power that could factor in.  Personally, I'd like it best to be able to use a mixture of all three.


Not sure I can totally agree with that. MAYBE if you have wind that happens to blow when the sun isn't shining. Examine this chart of my solar array's production last month, look specifically at the period starting on the 23rd

 

A friend of mine has a 14 kWh Tesla PowerWall. I think that is over $10K installed with all the auto switching for sending power to the grid and the house and batteries and allowing the house to run on the batteries when the grid is down. At a minimum you need circuits that can run the house and charge the batteries at the same time and switch to battery power when there is no solar coming in. Note that he can define the minimum charge to leave in the batteries, USUALLY one doesn't want to go below 30% as it shortens the battery life. If I had one of those and IF we used only 5 kWh per day instead of about 20:
Power on the 23rd would be enough to run the house for the day and fill the batteries. 5 kWh would be used from the array on the 24th and the rest "dumped" since the batteries would be full. Doesn't matter that I have a 6.6 kWh array (*), the batteries only hold 14 kWH. In the following days the batteries would have provided 3 kWh, 1, 5, 4.5, 3.7, 2.2. Even if I ran the batteries to zero charge, they would have been empty halfway through the 29th. Similar thing would have happened at the end of October.

I suppose one could get away with only solar and 14 kWh of battery in an area that was rarely cloudy, never snowed and they used little power. Can "everything else" wait? I suppose but one would need to be willing to return to the stone age , and watch every little watt that is used, it would be a tedious existence. Now if one has a BIG ass battery bank, not so much the case. But then one would need a big bank account as well. 

* which under perfect test conditions would generate 6.6 kWh per hour. Of course nothing is perfect


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 7, 2018)

Checking in...DH spent the last weekend sick and down. He had an ear infection and sinus infection. He’s on his second antibiotic. His asthma was aggravated, making it all worse. His brother’s dtr was showing at Beef Congress so we had to take care of their farm too so I was responsible for that place, ours, taking care of the kids, meals, etc. Throw in that DD1 spent Friday night last week puking and I was up most of the night with her.

Worked Mon, trip to Louisville to get DD2’s new braces for her legs on Tues morning and DD1’s school Christmas program Tues evening. DD2 spiked a fever Wed morning. DH stayed home with her yesterday so I could work.

Need to do more streamlining. Not enough of me to go around. The increase in my antidepressant has greatly helped my anxiety. Just too much to do and not enough hours in the day.

I have 49 notifications. I’ll get caught up as I can. Miss y’all!


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## Baymule (Dec 7, 2018)

Every time I read your posts, all I can think of is overloaded. Please take care of your health.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 7, 2018)

I’m feeling the pressure Bay. Just not sure where to cut back.


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## RollingAcres (Dec 7, 2018)

We miss seeing you here at BYH. We worry about you and all the stress and workloads you have. Please take care of yourself. We hope you can find a solution soon.


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## CntryBoy777 (Dec 7, 2018)

Sorry to hear your DH has been having a rough time with the changing seasons....and there always seems to be something else taxing your time...........if ya collapse tomorrow, then others will certainly have to step up or do without....I agree with Bay....ya sure gotta take care of yourself....cause it is obvious that they don't care enough to give ya a hand in such a hectic situation....


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## promiseacres (Dec 7, 2018)

take care! I know the feeling of just what to cut....


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## Latestarter (Dec 7, 2018)

Really sorry you're in this predicament.  It's the rock or the hard place to choose between.   I well know and understand. Tough choices are called that because they are.  Try to get at least a little down/you time. Hope hubby and kids are back to normal soon. That has to exacerbate an already tenuous situation.


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## Goat Whisperer (Dec 7, 2018)

@Wehner Homestead you were heavy on my heart last night. You are in my prayers.


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## OneFineAcre (Dec 7, 2018)

I don't have time to read everyone's journal, but I'm sorry you are having a hard time.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 7, 2018)




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## TAH (Dec 7, 2018)

Finally caught up... So sorry your having a hard time. You will be in my prayers and really hope things get better soon.


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## Bruce (Dec 7, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Need to do more streamlining. Not enough of me to go around. The increase in my antidepressant has greatly helped my anxiety. Just too much to do and not enough hours in the day.


Plate spinner in a side show! You must have 2 dozen plates by now. Glad the drugs are helping the anxiety


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 13, 2018)

Y’all have no clue how much crazier life has been! Oh my! I’ll try to not leave anything out. 

I worked a 16hr shift last Thursday as they were short that night so I stayed over four hours and got incentive pay and got to be off Friday night. Since we then could have some family time, we took the kids to Bass Pro to see Santa. No one cried! All three kids told him what they wanted. We then had a nice meal out at Cheddar’s so DS could have fish and DDs could both have shrimp. (We don’t eat out much and thought we’d ask where they wanted to go but they only knew what type of food to ask for so we tried somewhere that had both on the menu.) After dinner, I ran in GFS and picked up Christmas cookies. They are awesome! Sugar cookies that are cut out already and frozen. Just have to bake and ice then decorate. We do a cookie decorating party every year with our three and DH’s brother’s two kids. Having the cookies ready makes it so much easier for me! On the way home, we stopped in Charlestown to see the Christmas light display. It is amazing. The kids loved it. I found it wonderful that they include a patriotic portion.

Saturday we wrapped presents for a Christmas party with my side of the family that night, made Oreo balls, and finished up deviled eggs. DH put out hay. I also pasteurized a round of milk. We then loaded up to pick up some FFA apples and visit Reggie at the same time. He’s a Steer we sold to a 4-Her and we supported her in her FFA endeavors also. He looks great and she’s working with him a lot. Drove to Seymour after that to pick up dog food. We feed Red Flannel and have to order it. I didn’t realize we were low and had to have some. Found a place that stocks it. Then it was back home to get everything for Christmas and a nice evening with my family.

I’d been so tired and we started realizing that my period was going to be two weeks late on Sunday. Take into consideration that DH had a vasectomy more than two years ago and did the follow-ups and was basically declared sterile. DH asked me as we were leaving my parents when I wanted to take a test and I replied that it shouldn’t even be possible and he said it wouldn’t hurt so we stopped and he went in and bought two tests. I of course didn’t need to pee right away and when I did, I did the test that has the +/- (I prefer the ones with a digital positive or negative but the set he bought had one of each so I saved the other type for the morning.) The vertical line was pale but very present! Talk about a shock!!!  DH wasn’t totally convinced so I did go ahead and take the digital test when I awoke at 5:30 Sunday morning. That one changed to POSITIVE before I could even get my hands washed.

Telling the kids was SO much fun. They were immediately very excited and we started telling family. Everyone was in shock as they thought it wasn’t possible also. We went to church and told more family after church. My sister’s vehicle had been dropping oil pressure so DH got his dad’s dually and gooseneck trailer to haul it to the shop. DD1 then had dress rehearsal to play Mary in the Christmas program at the church Christmas dinner the next night. DS and DD2 also had practice as they were doing a finger play and singing some little Christmas songs. Sometime during rehearsal, I started spotting. It was dark and not much. By the time I got up the next morning, I was bleeding. I called the doctor and they scheduled me for that afternoon. DH took a half day to go with me. An ultrasound showed a gestational sac but not enough detail to reassure us so they did a quantitave hcg that came back at 140. I went back down yesterday to have my blood drawn for a result to evaluate the first. (They do them 48 hrs apart and the level itself doesn’t matter as it varies per person, they do want it to double or more in 48 hrs.) I was placed on bedrest and told not to work until further notice. The bleeding stopped overnight. I’m awaiting the results of the bloodwork as they are supposed to call this morning.

In the meantime, DS started vomiting early Tues morning and was sick most of the day. DD1 then started puking that night after she went to sleep. Then last night, DD2 started vomiting and did so off and on all night. DH’s stomach was bothering him this morning so he stayed home and is still asleep. My mom, sister, nephew, and BIL have all had it too during the last few days.

This baby is quite the miracle and we can’t wait to see what the future holds! All of the kids are very excited. Praying that I don’t get the stomach bug that everyone is passing around!

I’m due the end of July/beginning of Aug. God sure has a sense of humor as I never wanted a child due during those hot months!


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## Rammy (Dec 13, 2018)

Holy Cow!! Congratulations!! I hope everything goes well and you have a great pregnancy!! Please take care of your self even more now. Your taking care of two!!


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## greybeard (Dec 13, 2018)

Congrats!! Hope it goes perfectly!!

Those of your family that are old enough and able to, are going to have to start shouldering more of the load around your place tho...


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## B&B Happy goats (Dec 13, 2018)

Well my oh my...a very , very MERRY CHRISTMAS  present, congratulations   may you have a easy.... happy .....healthy pregnancy


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## RollingAcres (Dec 13, 2018)

Wow wow and wow!!1 Congratulations!


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## promiseacres (Dec 13, 2018)

congrats... this is why I still tell DH he needs fixed too.... just in case my tubal reverses....if both of us get "fixed" then surely we're safe, right?? 
Glad there's a good reason for your fatigue.


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## Latestarter (Dec 13, 2018)

wow! Congratulations there young lady! What a holiday present/gift! Fingers (and toes) crossed that everything is well and OK and that all goes as nature intends! wow... please take (better) care of yourself going fwd!


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## CntryBoy777 (Dec 13, 2018)

That is Amazing!!.....and so Happy for you all....sure hope everything goes well and life slows done a tad, so ya can get the mu h need Rest...............


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## Mini Horses (Dec 13, 2018)

Geeeee whiz!    Congrats.   Take more care of "you two"!


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## Mike CHS (Dec 13, 2018)

Your thread is growing fast but I want to add my Congratulations.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 13, 2018)

Thank you so much all! My numbers actually went down but I have faith that God intended for this miracle to have a story so I’m not giving up and believing that I’ll be holding this miracle come Summer. Blood test and dr appt again next week. Bedrest until then. I’m not used to sitting around...lol


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## Bruce (Dec 13, 2018)

Is DH asking questions about the 

Mailman
Milkman
UPS man
FedEx man
Meter reader man

I know a guy, worked with him years ago, that had 3 vasectomy operations. Don't know how they kept reversing on their own but he had 3 more children than they planned on! At what point does the surgeon start paying child support?? 

Congrats, I hope the physical issues clear up and smooth sailing for the next 7 months.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 13, 2018)

@Bruce you are SO funny! I don’t have time for monkey business! Pretty sure Queenie tried to eat the last meter reader that got out of his truck. I have no idea who our mailman is since I can’t see the mailbox from the house. DH says the delivery guys give the dogs treats. I didn’t even know that. I’m beginning to think I live in my own little world on this farm (other than jaunts to the dr and work!) 

I have to have a csection because DD2 was breech and had Spina Bifida, it was a horrible csection. I’m having them take my tubes out while they are in there. I don’t think DH would agree to another vasectomy!  Not really sure why. Lol


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## farmerjan (Dec 13, 2018)

WOW what a shock.. But it is a good explanation for some of the mood swings, the depression, and the exhaustion.  If you are happy about it then that is great.  Hope you stay well and healthy.


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## Baymule (Dec 13, 2018)

Congratulations on the pregnancy. Do what the doctor says and take good care of yourself.


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## frustratedearthmother (Dec 13, 2018)

Let me add my congrats to this little miracle!


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## Bruce (Dec 13, 2018)

Wehner Homestead said:


> I don’t think DH would agree to another vasectomy! Not really sure why. Lol


Maybe he doesn't trust the process for some reason?


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 13, 2018)




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## TAH (Dec 14, 2018)

Very exciting, Congratulations Wehner!


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 25, 2018)

It’s been a continued roller coaster here. I ended up with the stomach bug and couldn’t even lift my head. Found out we miscarried the baby when I was bleeding. DH will have to have his vasectomy checked now. I’m also on antibiotics from a UTI. We are all adjusting slowly as the process takes time but believe that God has a plan. 

Christmas festivities have been in full swing. DD1 played Mary in two performances of the Nativity with childrens’ church. DS and DD2 has their preschool Christmas program. Also had school parties. We’ve been to three Christmases and have two more to go. Kids have gotten enough toys to fill their play room again. 

We got our new bull Saturday. He’s still settling in. Sold our last Steer that was broken to show. The calf that has been staying here is now broke and should be leaving soon. 

DH also instigated another canine purchase when he saw a price drop on a pup and sent it to me. I’d been watching him anyway and I’d been admiring his side for some time. Needless to say, he’s been a great distraction for me. We named him Eli and he’s an amazing puppy! 

As always, I’ve got pics to share. 
Halo is getting big and still the apple of Mommy’s eye. She’s got to be touching me and thoroughly enjoys her Mommy time. 

First pig ear on her couch! Lol




Supervising bath time. 



Watching me gift wrap after her bed time. 



Cuddling in the chair when Mommy was recovering from the stomach bug. 


 

Oscar has been up to his usual sneaking in the house too. 

Guarding the presents. 



Nap time with Mommy. 



Surveying his territory. 


 

Introducing Mr Mack! DS calls him Mack Daddy! (This was before I bedded down his pen with a whole bale of straw.) He’s adjusted now and will probably come out of the barn in the next day or two. 


 

Chester posed. 


 

Muddy mess! We’ve had record precipitation this year.


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## Wehner Homestead (Dec 25, 2018)

Eli is a red bi (meaning no copper/tan points.) We picked him up yesterday morning. He’s doing quite well for a puppy. 

Wasn’t supposed to be in the house. His crate is right next to Halo’s in the bathroom! 


 
Green eyes! 



Mommy’s boy!! He wants to be where I am. 



Checking out the farm. 


 

We also made Christmas cookies yesterday! 


 

 

 

Our tree after Santa’s visit. 




Merry Christmas to all of my BYH family and friends!!


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## Rammy (Dec 25, 2018)

Sorry to hear about the baby.  I hope you get to feeling better soon. You have been thru so much lately. 
Happy to see the new puppy. How adorable! 
Your tree looks beautiful.  Have a great holiday and a great new year.


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## promiseacres (Dec 25, 2018)

so sorry for your loss... 
Merry Christmas and what a cute pup!


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## Latestarter (Dec 25, 2018)

As others have said, so sorry to hear you lost the baby...  Not good to hear that you've been sick again either. Merry Christmas to you and yours.


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## B&B Happy goats (Dec 25, 2018)




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## farmerjan (Dec 25, 2018)

Sorry for the loss.  Looks like Santa was good to y'all. Hope that the kids had a nice time.  Cute puppy.
Hope that the New Year is a good one.


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## Hens and Roos (Dec 25, 2018)

sorry for your loss


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## BlessedWithGoats (Dec 25, 2018)

So sorry for your loss


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## Bruce (Dec 26, 2018)

Oh what a year you have had! So ups but way too many downs, I sure hope 2019 is a trouble free year for you and your family. 

Very sorry to read about the miscarriage, hard pill to swallow.


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## Baymule (Dec 26, 2018)

Sorry about the miscarriage. Sometimes Mother Nature knows more than we do, but it is still an upsetting event. You have certainly had your share of unsettling events, bring on 2019!

Eli is a cutie. No tan markings? I like the tan markings, but Eli is beautiful without them. Aussies have so many color combinations, each one is so different. My great-nephew brought his miniature Aussie puppy to the family Christmas and my oldest grand daughter fell smack in love. Now she wants one!

Mr. Mack is a handsome lad! My maternal grandfather's name was Arve, which he despised. His last name was McCants and he went by Mack his whole life.


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## RollingAcres (Dec 31, 2018)

@Wehner Homestead sorry about the miscarriage. 

I'm glad you had a good Christmas. Here's to a smoother new year!
Eli is such a cutie! And so is Halo, as always! Really love Eli's color!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 2, 2019)

Trying to get caught up and check in. I worked Saturday night shift then day shift Monday and Tuesday, so New Year's Eve and Day. Made it hard to get any time here. 

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope all of you did too. Eli has transitioned well and proven to be a great pal for Halo. She is definitely my girl though. Eli seems to like DH and I both right now so time will tell. Eli has his first appt with our vet (he had his first shot and exam prior to us getting him) on Friday. He was actually the last pup to be spoken for! Shocking considering that everyone that sees him falls in love immediately. 

Snowflake's milk production is dropping off. Knight had an escape episode so I'm not sure if he bred her or if shes just unwilling to do an extended lactation. Need to send off bloodwork. 

Calving starts the first week of Feb so we have begun preparing the barn so that we can get the dam's and new calves in out of the weather, if need be. 

Pork Chop is hilarious and quite spoiled. The kids can't get in with him alone anymore as he doesn't realize his strength and almost knocks them down. He loves any "treats" from the house!

Mack has transitioned well and will be a great addition. We look forward to seeing his calves in 2020. 

I did two John Deere puzzles while on bedrest. They were 500 and 1000 pieces. I really enjoyed them. Need to decide where to hang them as I don't intend to do them again. I'll just buy more. While it was odd to be unable to get things done, it was kind of nice to just relax. The mess that was created by DH being spread too thin wasn't fun though.

Overall, we are doing well. My hormones are still out of whack. I can bawl my eyes out or scream at the drop of a hat and then double over laughing. I'm also battling my anxiety as part of this. We have to decide how to move forward and we are torn. It isn't as simple as just having another baby because it puts both our lives in danger. Adoption may be an option. Just really unsure what the future holds. We just keep praying for guidance from above.

Temperature is in the 40s and the kids keep begging for snow. They got sleds for Christmas and want to put them to use!

No pictures to add this time as I'm actually on laptop instead of my phone.


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## RollingAcres (Jan 2, 2019)

Happy New Year to you! We had a very nice Christmas, special to all of us!

No snow here either, just cold.

Only you and DH know what's the best way to move forward. Take your time and let God take the lead.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2019)

I typed a post on my laptop more than a week ago and thought I posted it buts its not here. Who knows?! 

We are hanging in there. I’ve started counseling and I spend a lot of time in prayer. My hormones and emotions are still all over the place. 

I’m working a lot of hours and that makes it hard to get on here. @Southern by choice it’ll be Tuesday before I can talk on the phone. I hope everything is okay. 

I worked a double yesterday and was supposed to get off at 11pm. Didn’t get to leave until after 1am this morning. There was snow on the roads. Made for a long drive home. Spent some time playing in the snow with the kids today but mostly rested. I work a 12 tomorrow and a double on Monday. (Doubles are 16 hrs.) Trying to catch up some medical bills and such. 

Mack had settled in well. Eli has too. Not real sure on all of our plans moving forward. I keep going back and forth. 

I have a few pics to share as always. 

Feed run. 3 skids. 



 
Trying a new idea for the guinea pig hay to see if it helps the mess as the hay isn’t against the side of their cage. This is Eric. The egg basket was bought new for this trial.


 
Halo has been a huge comfort to me. 


 


 
Eli eats laying down! 


 
Unloaded hay wagons and a load of straw finally. Loft is much fuller.


 

 

 
The sky on our warm day on Tuesday. It got up to 60 degrees.


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## Bruce (Jan 12, 2019)

You have a lot going on @Wehner Homestead glad you are taking care of yourself. 

A 16 hour shift should be illegal.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2019)

Snow pictures from today. 

View across hay field. Kids got tube sleds for Christmas and we pulled them behind the 4 Wheeler. Cows in background watched like we were crazy. Dogs ran the whole time. Eli had to ride after a few trips back and forth across 11 acres. He’s still too little for more. 



Snowman


 
Cowboy and Jewel


 
A few of the cows when we walked down the driveway.


 
Eli tuckered out.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2019)

Bruce said:


> You have a lot going on @Wehner Homestead glad you are taking care of yourself.
> 
> A 16 hour shift should be illegal.




Anything above 18 is in Indiana. It varies by state.


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## Bruce (Jan 12, 2019)

It is crazy, unsafe and unhealthy!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2019)

Bruce said:


> It is crazy, unsafe and unhealthy!



You don’t know the half of it. I never actually left the floor for a meal, despite working long enough for two half hour meals. Patients were just too critical. We intubated two patients and moved them to icu. If I tried to list everything I did, your head would probably spin. Wish I could tell y’all the details of arguing with doctors when advocating for patients!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 12, 2019)

I’m still not caught up on all the threads that I follow but I’m getting there slowly y’all.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 12, 2019)

Nothing going on... just called to see how you were doing. Text is getting real hard for me - I can't see a thing! 
Thinking about you and praying for you.

Beautiful pictures as always!


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## promiseacres (Jan 13, 2019)

Don't know how nurses do it...
Lovely photos. Glad you got to enjoy the snow. Now spring can come...


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## Hens and Roos (Jan 13, 2019)

I can imagine all the extra work nurses go through after all the times my dad was in the hospital.


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## Baymule (Jan 13, 2019)

I live by this motto, “Be kind to those who serve you.” That is pretty much everybody. I can’t stand people who are hateful and think they can dump on those who have to stand there and take it. I pray that your patients and coworkers are kind to you. You have been through a lot and need some kindness. Big hugs.


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## CntryBoy777 (Jan 13, 2019)

Ya are never far from my mind and ya stay on my daily prayer list..........sure hope things settle some for ya and life can bring warmth and smiles.....thanks for the pics and Halo is developing into a real Sweetheart........you were one that was on my mind yesterday when I posted the Gabbie pics....was trying to at least put a smile on your face....


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## RollingAcres (Jan 14, 2019)

Lovely pics @Wehner Homestead!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 17, 2019)

I’m caught up again! Momentarily anyway. I’ve noticed that there are some new journals. I may try to conquer those one of these days. 

My hormones are still trying to balance out. My mood roller coasters are evidenced by this. I started counseling last week. I can tell a difference. My stamina is still low for me. I don’t think it helps that I go 100mph when I work so I crash when I’m off. Need to work on a dent in my to-do list at the house/farm.

Temp is supposed to drop and Saturday night and rain will turn to snow. Wind supposed to stay above 5mph and temp mostly below freezing for 9 days. 

We are try to prep all animal areas. Elsa was taken to market Monday evening and Blossom was taken this morning. Both were overdue to occur but DH was trying to avoid pushing me and we can’t justify the cost of keeping them, the space, and Blossom was starting to suffer. Here’s the jist of the changes...
-2 steers in lean-to get tied up and fed separately twice a day. They will move into separate stalls so that we don’t have to catch them in the bitter cold and wait on them to eat. One stall was Blossom’s so have to clean it out. The other belongs to Cowboy and Jewel. They are getting crates in the garage until further notice. Makes it easier to let them in the house and one less watered to worry about freezing. The lean-to will get opened up to let the cows from the main herd in out of the weather if they choose to come in. It’ll at least be a windbreak. 
-DH has been breaking that heifer for a 4-Her to tie and lead. He has Mallory in with her. They will go back with Emma and Indy with access to the barn aisle.
-The does will get locked in the barn temporarily. They don’t like inclement weather anyway so won’t go out. This allows for the other male group (Mack, Beast, and Alex) to come in the back of the barn on the chute side since we can only open certain doors in certain ways at times.
-Moxie is in the barn right now due to not maintaining condition. She just never recovered from nursing Mallory so she’s getting spoiled. I know that most agree that this can be costly but farming isn’t just financial, it’s quite emotional around here. I’ll do what I can for her to thrive and see if she will breed back come May. She’s in the part where the male group will go so she will be moved up to the chute pen. 
-Heated waterers will be installed in chicken coops, for the two buck pens, and Sparkle/CeCe. The main doe group and the cats already have heated waterers. We bust the cattle tanks with a hatchet as needed. Rubber pans that can have ice busted out are used for Pork Chop and the two steers in individual stalls. 
-A fresh round of round baled haylage will be put out Saturday before the bad weather occurs. All waterers will be cleaned out. Fresh straw will be bedded for cattle and buck groups. I’ll also put fresh wood shavings in nest boxes for the hens. 

Need to do my grocery shopping so we don’t have to leave the house unless necessary. Want to make sure we can get by. I’ll pick up extra heat lamp bulbs as a precaution. Doesn’t hurt to have a few extra around. 

In other news, Pork Chop is growing well. He will be ready to head to the processer by the end of Feb. 

DD2 has been making awesome strides with her new orthotics and walker. She actually walks at preschool now. 

DS has a birthday coming up. Need to figure out what we are doing for that. He will be 5.

DD1 does about an hour of homework every night for first grade. Some days she’s cooperative and some days it’s a pain in the neck. 

Halo and Eli are almost inseparable. Eli is still quite the puppy and wreaking havoc on our home. I need to focus more time on him so it’s partially my fault. I just need more energy. 

I cooked last night and it did me in. I just wish my stamina was back. 

Cats like to observe all milking as there may be opportunity to clean up a splash or steal the whole bowl! 

Chester



 
Wilson-L, Oscar-R


 
Ella


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## RollingAcres (Jan 17, 2019)

As always, you have lots going on over there. I hope you get your stamina back soon and we all can't say it enough, please be sure to tale care of yourself.
Great to hear DD2 is doing well. 
I'm going to the store tomorrow to get some stuff. I don't want to go out in the storm if we don't need to. 
Stay warm!


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## Bruce (Jan 17, 2019)

Interesting you can have those bags of seeds. Maybe the cats keep the mice and rats away.



Wehner Homestead said:


> My stamina is still low for me. I don’t think it helps that I go 100mph when I work so I crash when I’m off.


No surprise given the ridiculous shifts they have you work!



Wehner Homestead said:


> DD2 has been making awesome strides with her new orthotics and walker. She actually walks at preschool now.



Do you know Blooie over on BYC? Her grand daughter also has spina bifida. Been following her progress for several years. Always great to see/hear about progress!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 17, 2019)

Bruce said:


> Interesting you can have those bags of seeds. Maybe the cats keep the mice and rats away.
> 
> 
> No surprise given the ridiculous shifts they have you work!
> ...




Those are bags of the custom feed that we have mixed for us. They don’t last 3 weeks. We don’t see much evidence of rodents except in fall. They don’t last long. I don’t think the 9 resident cats and 1 transient cat have anything to do with this...(DH keeps seeing a dilute calico but it’s never around when I’m out there.) 

I’m hoping to slow down after we catch up on medical bills and pay off student loans. 

I’m on BYC but I can’t recall the last time I actually visited over there.


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## Baymule (Jan 17, 2019)

It sounds like you are ready. Now for the hot chocolate.


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## Bruce (Jan 17, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Those are bags of the custom feed that we have mixed for us. They don’t last 3 weeks.


The last two times I got feed I didn't have an empty can for right off, I found holes in the bags (the plasticy ones) when I went to fill a now empty can. So now when I buy two bags but only have one empty can, I leave the 2nd bag in the car.


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## Mike CHS (Jan 17, 2019)

Where we buy our feed we have to get a minimum of 1000 lbs at a time to get our custom blend so we use several 55 gallon drums plus a 1/2 dozen galvanized trash cans.  We don't have any cats and woods all around our work buildings so rodents are around but so far no problem inside the buildings.


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## Baymule (Jan 17, 2019)

Bruce said:


> The last two times I got feed I didn't have an empty can for right off, I found holes in the bags (the plasticy ones) when I went to fill a now empty can. So now when I buy two bags but only have one empty can, I leave the 2nd bag in the car.


Metal trash cans will hold 3 fifty pound bags of feed.


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## Bruce (Jan 17, 2019)

Unless you get 10 gallon cans with lid locking bails  They nicely hold 50# of layer.


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## greybeard (Jan 17, 2019)

I prefer the 45-50 gal hinged lid truck boxes for feed storage. (I hate bending down into a 55 gal drum to get a 5 gal bucket of feed out of it once about 1/2 or more of the volume is gone)
They aren't cheap, but will last for years and years and will hold three 50lb sacks of pelleted or textured feed and any grain I've used.
https://www.walmart.com/nco/2-pack-...MIiri93af23wIVxZJbCh1f3g7VEAQYASABEgIK-_D_BwE

The ones with the snap on lids will work as well and will do a good job of keeping small insects out, but most are pretty flimsy made.


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## Rammy (Jan 17, 2019)

I use big plastic trash cans that you twist the lids on and it kinda locks. Kept my horse out of them most of the time. Only found mice in them once but I think they were already there. Had to throw that out. All feed goes into the cans and not stacked anywhere. Too many nocturnal critters.


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## mystang89 (Jan 18, 2019)

Just caught up. Sounds like you've had a lot going on as usual. Those nurse work shifts are killer. Don't forget vacation days or "sick" days.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 19, 2019)

mystang89 said:


> Just caught up. Sounds like you've had a lot going on as usual. Those nurse work shifts are killer. Don't forget vacation days or "sick" days.



I’d been wondering where you were! How are you?


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## mystang89 (Jan 19, 2019)

I hibernate in the winter lol. Nothing to update on my end other than teaching children school. I'll be more active during the spring when I actually go outside. Other than bringing wood in I haven't gone outside in a few days.

That puppy if you're had gotten big and it's still So adorable!


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 19, 2019)

@mystang89 @Pastor Dave any interest in five free hens? They are all laying and just started laying in Nov. Eggs are no longer pullet eggs. BO and CM. We just don’t have the set-up yet and their living conditions are less than desirable for my standards with this weather.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 19, 2019)

Day has been spent prepping for the weather. DH and I started out by doing basic morning chores. I started bedding down the two buck areas while he started cleaning out one of the stalls we were moving steers to. Snapped a pic of the waterfall from one of the buck pens.



 

I then forked out the back of the barn while he wired up gates for the Steer stalls and hung up a hay feeder that we had for one of them. He had to come help me get the barn door shut and wired but we could check that off. I should’ve done a before and after pick to show you how offset the door was but it’s done now. 


 
I then bedded down the two pens behind the chute to get some of the straw bales out of the way. I also bedded down Pork Chop. He loved playing in his new straw. 


 
Placed water troughs and filled them half full and put hay in the pens while DH cleared the walkway in front of the chute so the steers could be led in from the lean-to. We then brought them up and shut their pens. Pic from during and then two at chores tonight while they are eating. Mickey is black and one we raised here. The kids called him Rockstar before. The tan/white is Hank and he’s the one I castrated for a 4-Her and is still here.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 19, 2019)

Next task was moving gates from the lean-to so that we could let two sets of cattle in the back of the barn through a single door. Got the gates in position and let out Mallory and Lolli where DH had them in to work with them. They are back with Indy and Emma for ease of care during this cold spell. Moxie was put in the chute stall and given a rubber pan waterer. Filled her hay feeder. I also forked out the front of the small pen that’s been empty since Sparkle and CeCe moved to their bigger area. DH took out the divider while I was doing that so that the main doe group has more room and the milkers could be gotten out of the pen since we blocked their actual gate with an area for the heifers to come in. Pics are from when we went out to do chores tonigh. Group of four heifers in biggest area in aisle. Two steers for freezer and Mack (the bull) in the back corner. Moxie has her own pen. 


 

 

 
Cowboy laying in what I pulled out of the goat pen so that I could get that gate open. He and Jewel didn’t appreciate losing their stall and spent quite a bit of the day nervous. 



Next we opened up the lean-to for the main cow herd and called them up. DH fed them just a little. Helps to keep them coming when you call. Also discovered that Melody was in standing heat. Ugh! She had a vaginal prolapse this year and has never bred AI. She will be getting shipped as soon as we can safely get her there on a Monday evening. We were iffy on her anyway since she won’t breed AI but she was Calving every year. Just can’t keep taking so many financial hits. Cows are crazy expensive pets! 

We then made our way in with a small crate to check on DD1 that hadn’t been feeling the best and find some lunch and dry clothes. During that time, Halo laid in one of my landscaping bushes. 


 
Made a quick trip to DH’s brother’s to see the calf that was born to his neice’s heifer early this morning. He was cute, fuzzy, and doing well. His mama was too. Makes me ready for babies here too! (Sorry. No pics. He’s from show stock and not mine to share.) 

Came home and DD2 was fussy so that’s how I ended up with an accidental nap. Older two kids watched tv while DH worked on the farm more. He put out haylage bales and moved the bale feeders closer to the barn since the cows could come in for a weather break. He then plugged in the tractor, put his truck in the shop, and installed four heated waterers so that all the goats have them. He also installed heated waterers in 2 out of the three chicken coops. He came in for a short break when I got up. We decided to get done! DS just wanted a glass of milk for supper and DD2 ate some leftover macaroni and cheese. I wasn’t complaining! DD1 was asleep. 

Back out at the barn, we did the normal chores and put down four bales of straw in the lean-to before we shut that door. The wind through the barn really diminishes if we shut that side door. Here’s some of the girls before we shut it.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 19, 2019)

Made sure everyone in the barn had fresh water, full hay feeders, and a little extra feed before heading to the house with the other large dog crate and Cowboy and Jewel’s bag of food. Cleaned out room in the garage for two dog crates, found old blankets to put in them. Think the dogs will do better without the freezing cold and their water won’t freeze. They are already getting more House time with this set-up. Jewel was worried and watching us from the house until I let her out in the garage with us while we worked. 


 

Dogs ended up crashing out! Kept looking up when I tried to get their pics so some are blurry. 


 

 

 

 

 

I finally got to see the new kitten for the first time this morning. Just a few months old. Dilute tortoiseshell so most likely female. Extremely terrified and hissed when I dumped the food. I’ll work with her. She will at least have to get sprayed. Best pic I could get considering. 


 

Came in to DD1 awake and not looking too good. Temp check of 101.6 with ibuprofen still in her system from a headache complaint prior. Started checking how much ibuprofen we had and decided to go to the Dollar General about five minutes away before the weather got worse. Just during evening chores it changed from rain to sleet to snow and back to sleet but accumulating. 

This was my tracks from coming home. It hadn’t been snowing/sleeting but maybe 45 minutes. 


 
Cookies DH picked up at the bakery when he got the kids doughnuts this morning.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 19, 2019)

DH ended up eating some breakfast casserole that I made the other day. I had a baked potato. DS ate some leftover macaroni and cheese. DD1 ate a few crackers, then had another round of ibuprofen when it was time.

My parents ventured to my cousin’s wedding more than an hour north of us and are staying up there for the night. Roads are declared for emergency vehicles only.

I let the dogs out, back in, fed them and back out in less than 20 minutes. So windy that their tracks were gone!

Supposed to get 4-7 inches of snow. Only two days above freezing through 2/2 (furthest out that they are predicting at the moment) is Tues and Wed and we are only looking at the low 40s.

Hope it kills the influenza! DD1’s school was closed yesterday due to high absences for cleaning and to try to break the sharing of germs. My niece is in the same class and had a 103.6 fever this morning so I assume that they both have the same thing. Lysol and bleach like crazy!


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## Latestarter (Jan 20, 2019)

Gosh... tht's a LOT of work you put in to get everyone ready for the big winter storm. Sorry you've got another sick youngun'... After reading everything you did, I'm beat... Think I'll go take a nap! Thanks for sharing all the pics. Those animals look overly well cared for.


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## Bruce (Jan 20, 2019)

@Wehner Homestead, what do you do in your spare time??? A farmer's work is never done!


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## mystang89 (Jan 20, 2019)

I won't lie. We lost some chickens this year due to holes in our fence, which have since been fixed so we could definitely us them, but I wouldn't want them for free. 


Wehner Homestead said:


> @mystang89 @Pastor Dave any interest in five free hens? They are all laying and just started laying in Nov. Eggs are no longer pullet eggs. BO and CM. We just don’t have the set-up yet and their living conditions are less than desirable for my standards with this weather.



That dog of yours is "too stinkin cute" according to my daughter. I have to agree with her.  Same with the pig. Though I never want another one again.

Lots of work done. Stay warm! We're next to the fireplace right now


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## Bruce (Jan 20, 2019)

mystang89 said:


> Though I never want another one again.


Or perhaps more correctly not at your house, pictures of cute piggies are OK, right?


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## RollingAcres (Jan 20, 2019)

Gosh I'm exhausted reading about all the things you've got going on there.


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## Bruce (Jan 20, 2019)

And don't you just love the part where you figure they've done plenty for the day and she says they went in for a break?!? I'm worn out too.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 20, 2019)

Lol y’all! Today was a lazy day since I have to go to work tomorrow. Ran the dishwasher, did five loads of laundry, took care of the kids, etc. 

@mystang89 I will send you a message. DH just wants them gone! They are in mud that’s half frozen and we can’t get a heated waterer to them and their shelter isn’t large enough. The other coops are big enough to combine them into.


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## mystang89 (Jan 20, 2019)

Bruce said:


> Or perhaps more correctly not at your house, pictures of cute piggies are OK, right?



Lol, absolutely!



Wehner Homestead said:


> Lol y’all! Today was a lazy day since I have to go to work tomorrow. Ran the dishwasher, did five loads of laundry, took care of the kids, etc.
> 
> @mystang89 I will send you a message. DH just wants them gone! They are in mud that’s half frozen and we can’t get a heated waterer to them and their shelter isn’t large enough. The other coops are big enough to combine them into.



Thanks, I'll send you a message.


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## Baymule (Jan 20, 2019)

Folding clothes can be a therapeutic chore. Even 5 loads! The cattle all look good, the pig looks happy, the dogs look happy and all your preparations are good. And you have to work tomorrow? how far do you have to drive in this mess to get to work?


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 20, 2019)

@Baymule i drive an hour one way in good weather. I’ll allow extra time. My mind is working overdrive right now. I should be asleep. I’ll be up before GB probably.


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## Baymule (Jan 20, 2019)

Stay safe! Y'all can laugh at us when it snows, because so many businesses and schools close down. But at least people stay home and off the roads. LOL LOL


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 22, 2019)

I’m having another BYH meet-up today! @mystang89 is coming to pick up those hens. Not sure if there will be picture proof but I’ll let you know how it goes!

-For those curious, I’ve met @Goat Whisperer too. She was able to deliver Sparkle and CeCe to us when they came to IN to pick up Keigh.


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## mystang89 (Jan 22, 2019)

@Wehner Homestead It was great finally getting to meet you and your other half. You all really have a wonderful set up out there and your dogs are awesome! Definitely let me know if you have some puppies!

Thanks very much for the chickens. They are enjoying their new home. 

Would love to be able to get together when the weather warms up a bit and it's not as messy outside.


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## Bruce (Jan 22, 2019)

BYH and BYC meetups are great. I have been fortunate now to meet 4 BYCers from Oregon to Maine


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 22, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> -For those curious, I’ve met @Goat Whisperer too. She was able to deliver Sparkle and CeCe to us when they came to IN to pick up Keigh.


While we didn’t stay long, we had a great time and I LOVE your family! Which says a lot, cuz I don’t like many people LOL 

I’m glad @mystang89 is able to put good use for the chickens. 

It IS amazing how BYH has connected to many people! An old member (not on BYH anymore) became good friends with us, and now only lives 15 minutes away! Meeting @babsbag was awesome too. Of course having  OFA and @Bayleaf Meadows in NC is pretty cool too. I’d love to meet @Baymule and @Mike CHS in person!


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## Baymule (Jan 22, 2019)

I would love to have a big BYH party and invite everyone! Little Lindale would be over run with BYH'ers, the hotels would be full, the restaurants would run out of food, the grocery store shelves would be bare and NO BREAD or MILK to be had for MILES around!!! It would be like a Snowmegeddon with no snow! LOL LOL 

We would have the BBQ pits cranked up, ALL the bread in town for pulled pork sandwiches, chocolate milk for all the kids, tater salad, beans, chips, and ALL the paper plates/cups in town and might as well scrub out the 300 gallon horse tank and fill it with sweet tea.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Jan 22, 2019)

Lol @Baymule, to the tea in the horse trough.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 22, 2019)

It was great having @mystang89 here! Meeting the kids was great. They really enjoyed petting a baby goat and one of the steers. They’d have snuck my Aussies home with them if they could have! It was really cute. I kept my kids in the house so we didn’t share any germs but can’t wait for them to come back again when the weather is more enjoyable.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 22, 2019)

We really enjoyed your visit too @Goat Whisperer! The kids still talk about you and your dad coming. We are hoping to make it down this spring.


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## babsbag (Jan 22, 2019)

About 8 years ago a BYH member from either Illinois or Indiana did have a get together at her place open to anyone that wanted to attend. Many people made the trip...I was not one of them. One of my best friends in CA is someone I met through Back Yard Chickens, she ended up living about 10 miles from me.  @Baymule, count me in if you do a party, don't know who would watch my farm for me but it sure would be fun. 

When I met @Goat Whisperer and @Southern by choice I wanted to visit NC to look at some dairies so I invited myself for a visit and asked if she had a place for me too stay. I was there for about 6 days, so not just an over-nighter. Good thing we hit it off.  Then I went back a few years later to buy some dairy equipment and invited myself for another visit. It was a good time.


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## Goat Whisperer (Jan 22, 2019)

That is so sweet WH! 

Babs, we had a great time. Goat talk for hours!


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## Mike CHS (Jan 22, 2019)

Goat Whisperer said:


> I’d love to meet @Baymule and @Mike CHS in person!



We had hoped to get with you guys before we moved from South Carolina since we got up your way going to visit Teresa's brother in NC but it never worked out.


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## Latestarter (Jan 23, 2019)

So glad you folks were able to meet up! I have had a great time meeting folks in RL after getting to know them online. I have yet to be disappointed!


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## mystang89 (Jan 23, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> It was great having @mystang89 here! Meeting the kids was great. They really enjoyed petting a baby goat and one of the steers. They’d have snuck my Aussies home with them if they could have! It was really cute. I kept my kids in the house so we didn’t share any germs but can’t wait for them to come back again when the weather is more enjoyable.



Before we went over to you house my oldest daughter was saying how much she wanted another border collie since ours was hit by a car. When she left your house all she wanted was a red aussie and my wife said a red Merle or red tri lol. I loved every one of those dogs. So good natured and fun to play with. I'm like a child when it comes to a good natured dog.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 23, 2019)

@mystang89 yall are on the contact list for a Pup. I’m sure I’ll post them on here anyway.


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## Wehner Homestead (Jan 24, 2019)

Mainly have pics to post. It’s cold. There was ice everywhere this morning. It melted. School already called a 2 hr delay tomorrow for temps. Staying busy with sick kids that have been home all week, keeping animals bedded/fresh water/plenty of hay/enough feed to keep warm, and the usual housekeeping stuff. The larger rubber pans that we are using for Mickey, Hank, and Moxie have been awesome to deal with frozen water. 

Jewel and Cowboy have enjoyed the extra access to the house. They haven’t spent enough time in to have complete manners. Cowboy ate cheese-filled ravioli with meat sauce off the counter tonight. Either way, they are enjoying time staying warm. 
Jewel



 
Eli completely tuckered out. I walked by him like ten times and he never flinched. 


 
Cowboy while I was cooking the other night. He and Halo are the two that typically stay closest to me. 


 
Jewel was snoozing in DD2’s occasional bed on the floor in our room. The flash woke her.


 
Eli laying down and eating. 


 
Tired Eli! 


 
Halo cuddled on the couch. (Pups made the mess with help from the kids. House never stays clean for long.) 




Cows appreciate access to the lean-to. Photo courtesy of DH.


 

Mickey (Steer we raised, was named Rockstar is goofy!) He plays in the water when you fill up his pan. He also licked my hand and due to the cold, I got a really painful abrasion. Silly boy! 


 
He’s also nosy! There’s a gap in the boards over the feed freezers. If the man door is open, Mickey can see outside. He also enjoys watching me dip up feed.


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## Rammy (Jan 24, 2019)

The flash of the camera looks like it did more than wake her. It looks like it scared the beejeesus out of her! Haha! Poor puppies look so worn out having fun and cuddles.


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## Latestarter (Jan 24, 2019)

I'm sure there's nothing better feeling to you than to have Halo and Jewel all snuggled up with you. They are beautiful dogs and I'm sure a great help for your emotional stability. Those cows sure do look happy to be laying in that fresh straw vice that cold, wet, white stuff outside.   Lately, Mel has been going into the goat mansion and laying down in the fresh shavings of the baby enclosures. Maybe if I left their pen gate open at night, he'd sleep in with them rather than trying to escape the pasture to come to the back deck.


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## Mini Horses (Jan 24, 2019)

Latestarter said:


> Those cows sure do look happy to be laying in that fresh straw vice that cold, wet, white stuff outside.



I was thinking the same thing!!


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## RollingAcres (Jan 25, 2019)

Dogs laying down, cows laying down, all very comfortable and happy.


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## mystang89 (Jan 25, 2019)

RollingAcres said:


> Dogs laying down, cows laying down, all very comfortable and happy.



Only thing not laying down seems to be the people living there lol.


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## RollingAcres (Jan 25, 2019)

mystang89 said:


> Only thing not laying down seems to be the people living there lol.


I know right?!


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## Bruce (Jan 25, 2019)

Latestarter said:


> Maybe if I left their pen gate open at night, he'd sleep in with them rather than trying to escape the pasture to come to the back deck.


That would be consistent with his breeding


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 1, 2019)

It’s been a little hectic here. Wednesday our temps were -20 according to the windchill. Our heated chicken waterers weren’t protected enough from the wind and froze up. Ended up using rubber pans to water them from. The bull and steer waterer behind the barn froze up. We used a small plastic tub for them after that. That made three tubs we had to bust ice out of several times each day. Was quite a chore keeping everyone bedded down with water that wasn’t frozen to drink a couple times (average was 4) a day. DH and I took turns or went out together to get done twice as fast. Wednesday was also DS’ bday. He turned 5. Weather put a damper on some celebrating but we will make up for it tomorrow. I didn’t get any pics of the animals because it was too cold to take the time. I did get a few in the four inches of snow that we got overnight last night and is mostly melted already. 

Alvin and Theo got a plastic dog house to provide an extra wind break. DH also leaned a piece of plywood behind part of their fence to block more wind. 


 
Cows eating a bale of haylage. It was still snowing some for part of the morning. 


 
Heifers in their lot. They had barn access and chose to huddle around their haylage bale.


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## Latestarter (Feb 2, 2019)

Maybe making sure that bale of food stays safe and warm is important to them  Maybe it gives off a little heat?


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## Baymule (Feb 2, 2019)

A hay pad makes for a comfy snuggly bed! As always, I love your farm pictures. I adore your Aussies, I am currently without an Aussie. Maybe some day..... Your dogs sure are enjoying their "house" time! LOL


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## promiseacres (Feb 2, 2019)

Glad all survived the "vortex"  record lows suck the life out of you.


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 2, 2019)

Sorry ya have to deal with the ice and brutal weather....when we discussed where we wished to go from the prior place, I listed southern Indiana as a possibility.....but, Joyce nixed it because it was too far north....it was her heart's desire to come here to Florida, not only to be closer to her daughter, but to live in the warmth....I kinda like it cause there certainly is less pain with the higher temps and I'd be stuck inside during the heat anyway.....but, with animals we will never have to bust ice and haul water....Ever!!..........glad that things seem well with y'all and the animals are maintaining their beauty thru the weather too....they sure all look Great!!....but, I'm still partial to that sweetheart....Halo!!.....


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## RollingAcres (Feb 2, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> They had barn access and chose to huddle around their haylage bale.


They nedd to guard their precious food! Plus it's closer to get to their food if they just lay next to it. Lol


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## Latestarter (Feb 2, 2019)

My goats have taken to doing that lately... After their done dumping their bowls of hay all over the ground then peeing and pooping on it, they lay down in or beside it and eat at their leisure...


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## Baymule (Feb 2, 2019)




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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 25, 2019)

Wow! I don’t even know how to catch y’all up. 

Here’s what I remember. Calving thread just updated. Check it out for those updates. Some pretty cute girls! Last year was a boy year, this year has been a girl year! 

Cat population imploded. We went from 10 to 3ish. I say 3ish because Cupcake is still around but won’t let me touch her and there’s an orange tabby tom hanging around. He needs to go before Ella has her kittens. Started a thread for that too under “other animals.” I’ll just say that some type of illness made several quite sick really fast that slept together. My two older ones, Zara and Zoe, and my Ella that was a single acquisition were the only ones that avoided it. (Chester did too but DH can’t tell orange tabbies apart and even though I penned the ones that were ill, Wilson escaped and a mix-up occurred. Chester was quite unlucky and Wilson was dealt with separately. I cried quite a lot over that one. DH felt pretty bad.) 

We have mud, mud, and more mud. I’m sick of mud. We’ve had some flooding issues from all the rain. 

Pork Chop made his way to the butcher and we are awaiting the call that he is ready to be picked up. He weighed 262#. 

4-H pigs are for sale locally. We’ve already been contacted to cheaply buy some leftovers to feed out. Will post when I know more. 

Looking into horseback riding lessons for the kids. DD1 also wants to try dance. DS wants to try t-ball. DD2 wants to do it all and can’t...this is becoming more of an issue all the time. Ugh! 

Celebrated DS’ 5th Birthday by going to the tractor pull on Saturday afternoon at the National Farm Machinery Show. We took my nephew that is 3 months older too. The boys had a blast! Bought them toy tractors and planters at the John Deere toy booth then took them to Texas Roadhouse for ribs, Mac n cheese, and rolls. 

Mack tests the fence. It’s been unplugged some so I can check cows more easily or when a really young calf is hanging out near it. We now get to give lutalyse to all the open cows/heifers. He stays in when it’s on. 

Now for lots of pics. I know y’all love to see them. 

Cats lounging in the sun. 



 
Sunrise 


 
Cupcake


 
Lolli: heifer we broke for a local 4-Her. She’s come so far. When we first met her, she just ran back and forth in the pen. You could tell she just wasn’t used to seeing people. Now look at her! 


 
Flooding


 
(Same area as above but without the water for perspective.)


 
More flooding. 


There’s so much water that it’s barely a waterfall!


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 25, 2019)

Theo has quite the antics. He started standing on his house. Then he started using it to climb around and walk on his gates. 


 
After numerous saves by Mom and Dad (DH and myself) we moved his house away from this fence line and he’s now behaving better. 

I was out checking cows and took pics from the post that separates the corner pasture from the creek pasture and the main cattle pasture. 

This is looking over the fence into the creek pasture. Those are the heifers all laying together. The creek runs through that low area to the waterfall and the start of the main pasture. On the right, you can see the fence row that starts the corner pasture. 



This is looking over the gate at the post at the corner pasture. This is where we typically due square bales so y’all have seen it some from that. Our property corner is that lone tree. 



An alternate view of the main pasture. Looking back at the house and barns. The creek is in that valley with the waterfall and creek pasture to the right. To the way far left and way out of the frame is the road. 



There has been a lot of rain since but this shows the ledge that Otis fell off of and the tree that he was upside down in when we found him the night that he had to be put down. The shed to the right is falling down due to poor upkeep prior to our purchase. Rain has rotted the majority of the major beams. 



Silly Eli. 



Cupcake again. Zoom helps me get decent pics.


 
Henry-farm mascot. Rooster that foams free. Not quite tame but bothers no one and knows the routine. 


 
One group of hens.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 25, 2019)

Halo is a good reading buddy. (Eli just wants to play!) 


 
Eli


 
Eli again


 
Halo


 
Tractor pulling at NFMS. Only pic I got that didn’t have one of the boys in it. 


 
Another sunrise.


 
Mickey- Steer that’s here for a local 4-Her. He’s quite the pet. I took this over my shoulder as he followed me around.


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## CntryBoy777 (Feb 25, 2019)

Sure is good to hear from ya and it seems that most of the animals are doing well....despite the weather difficulties....hope ya get some drier weather soon to give time for what ya already have and let it subside some before more shows up......


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## Baymule (Feb 25, 2019)

Good to see you, you been gone too long. I always enjoy your pictures of your farm.


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## mystang89 (Feb 26, 2019)

Wow, real sorry to hear about the cats. I sure hope that whatever it was is a disease that does out very quickly.

The pups are still as cute as ever!

We are pretty sick of the mud too. So much rain! They say that the Ohio is supposed to crest midweek and maybe that'll be it for the rain but even so we need some warmer temps to really dry it up.
......I say that and now well end up with the hottest driest summer on record. Can't we just have somewhere in the middle lol.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 26, 2019)

@mystang89 we also made the decision not to breed the Aussies. We have too much on our plates. Just going to enjoy them. 

If y’all really want one, Halo will be a big sis any day but the pups are north of St Louis. The breeder that Cowboy and Jewel came from has a few litters per year and is in Switzerland County. If you’d like contact info for one of them, just let me know and I’ll get it to you.


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## mystang89 (Feb 26, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @mystang89 we also made the decision not to breed the Aussies. We have too much on our plates. Just going to enjoy them.
> 
> If y’all really want one, Halo will be a big sis any day but the pups are north of St Louis. The breeder that Cowboy and Jewel came from has a few litters per year and is in Switzerland County. If you’d like contact info for one of them, just let me know and I’ll get it to you.






Just kidding. I completely understand. It's best to stop while you're ahead, before you're completely overwhelmed. That's never good for anyone involved.

With myself looking to increase our herd I probably need to focus on that financially instead of another cute little fur ball.


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## Wehner Homestead (Feb 26, 2019)

@mystang89 when you are ready, let me know. I have lots of contacts.  My next one will be from Arkansas or Alabama.


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## Bruce (Feb 27, 2019)

Love the pictures and really sorry you lost so many cats all at once. Hard enough to lose one, even if it is "only" a barn cat.


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## RollingAcres (Feb 28, 2019)

Love your pictures and I noticed Halo is now your profile pic.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 5, 2019)

Posted some updates in the Calving journal. Lots to put here. Not enough time right now.


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## mystang89 (Mar 6, 2019)

I understand about the lack of time. Everyone I come here I think about all the stuff I can update but don't have time. When I get the time, I don't remember half of what I was supposed to update lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 7, 2019)

@Bruce they may have been “barn” cats but I still loved them all. One was my precious Oscar. You know how he was always up to something.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 7, 2019)

It became necessary to start a kidding thread...!!! Check it out for details and updates. (New one for 2019.)


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

I’m way behind on updates so I’ll now flood this thread with what I can recall...

A few weekends ago, DH spent 27 hrs on a skid steer cleaning out the barn and getting rid of the mud pit immediately behind it. I have a few after pics to share. 

Views of the completed doe pen. This was divided into several separate stalls. There is still one of the very end that was left as a Kidding pen for Nellie. You can see a small pen in the left back corner of the first pic to put Caramel’s does in at night. (Note that Sparkle and CeCe can only have their rears seen in pics as they have to be as close to me as possible. Love my girls!)



 



 Kidding stall cleaned out. This is where Pork Chop was. We spread straw before putting Nellie in this pen and changed out some gates. 


 
Behind the barn...this was a miry mud mess before! DH also put down lime in each of the areas that he cleaned. 




I don’t have any pics of the chute stall cleaned out. I do have this pic of where we had Blossom and a stall for Cowboy/Jewel. We also had two separate steer stalls here during the polar freeze. It’s now stalls again. Lol


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

We are up to a total of five calves (2 bulls, 3 heifers) and we are awaiting four more calves from Otis and Fred. Pics are on the Calving thread and I’ve got a few recent ones to add after I’m done updating here. 

Nellie also had quads and updates/pics are on the Kidding thread. 

We had my sister’s two dogs here while they were on vacation. Both are some type of lab mix mutt. Great dogs with their kids and mine. Max is the one with white on him and he’s crazy submissive. She was afraid to board him and it was decided that they’d do better here. They did! We set up a dog kennel in the lean-to for them. 

They were walked on leashes for the first few days, several times a day. This was to keep them from running off, control their introduction to my dogs as all the males are intact, and work on their leash manners. After they knew where their pen was and did well with my dogs, they got free time. They never got left out when we weren’t out too though. They were here 9 days. 

Of course I have to share a few pics of Tucker and Max. I sent them lots of pics because they were all so worried about them. Tucker appears to be more lab while Max appears to be more Border Collie mix. They got Tuck as a pup whereas Max was more than a year old and found on the roadside.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

I’m not done overloading y’all with pics! 

We had torrential rains that caused a lot of damage in our area. Fortunately ours wasn’t too bad other than some washing and the driveway needing fixed. Gravel on a hill doesn’t do well. 



 

 

 

 

A sunrise pic from another day...


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

Kids played on a row of round bales. Jewel readily joined them. I actually did too and took some scenic pics from that viewpoint.


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## frustratedearthmother (Mar 29, 2019)

Very cool pics!


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

We also now two little pigs. They came on separate days. They are from show pig stock that didn’t sell. We had planned on freezer meat but may ending up breeding these two... Bacon Bit is black and white and couldn’t sell due to a small lump where she’d had an umbilical infection. The area is now completely healed since she’s off concrete. 

On the way home...the temp was moderate and she wasn’t in the crate for even five minutes.


 
In true BYH fashion, her new pen wasn’t ready so she stayed in the trailer temporarily. 



 
In her new barn stall.


 
Lil Blue was offered to us as a runt that wouldn’t be big enough to show. She has awesome conformation and genetics. Time will tell what her future holds. Buying her back was also mentioned but no agreement was made.


 

 
The girls get a few minutes together each evening. We hope to pen them together eventually but don’t want to take a chance on Lil Blue being severely injured because Bacon Bit is so much bigger.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

As y’all know, I love my Aussies! They’ve been very interested in Nellie’s babies. Of course, they are never far from me either. They’ve also been to the vet in the last month to get caught up on their vaccinations, heartworm meds, and getting a fecal. All did awesome. Jewel even did better riding in the vehicle.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

Aussies cont’d...


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

So we did a thing!!! Lol!! I’d been watching a Standard Lamancha for almost two years that I really liked at Buck Creek Stables in KY. They have a Mini program and the opportunity arose to bring home two doelings. We drove down and brought them back last night. They are littermate sisters, from triplet doelings. I got to pick which two I wanted. 

Introducing Treasure (part of registered name will be ‘X Marks the Spot’) and Xylie (pronounced zylee, this line has “X” names.) Treasure is a dark buckskin with random white. Xylie is a light chami. 






 

 

 


This morning when I walked in the barn. They were being raised by a surrogate dam for the time being. They’d had a few bottles when first born but not since Sunday. Xylie has taken to the bottle well. Treasure will suck but not for an extended period of time so I’m working with her.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

Discovered a few pics I missed in the updates...

Beast playing dead on the far right. Middle is our bull, Mack Daddy. Left is Alex the Steer.


 
Proof that Beast was only playing when I said his name.


 
Came across an old pic of Otis on dH’s phone. Had to share. 



Beauty during her hoof trim. I’m about halfway through getting caught up on hooves. Fecals are in the immediate future as I hope to order a microscope and supplies today. 



Lean-to after being cleaned and fresh bedding spread.



Cupcake. She’s so pretty. I touched her yesterday and she took off like a shot. 



Eli wants his mommy!



Gunner and Buck on the way to play practice on Sunday. 



Colorful eggs.


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## Goat Whisperer (Mar 29, 2019)

Congratulations on the munchkins! They are adorable! 

Loved all the pics! 

I’m a little (lot) jealous of the skid steer! We looked at renting one, so expensive!!!! 
Looks like we’ll be having to muck the barn by hand. Not something I can think about right now! 

Now, aren’t those two little bucks going to be meat? Didn’t your mother teach you not to play with your food?


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 29, 2019)

Congrats on the LaMancha doelings!!


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

@Goat Whisperer the skidsteer isn’t ours. Borrowed from a friend. Came in crazy handy! There’s one on DH’s want list though. 

Thanks! We are really excited about building our own Mini program. CeCe and Sparkle will be the foundation but we wanted to be able to mix in some other genetics down the road too.


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## Bruce (Mar 29, 2019)

Thanks for the great update Wehner!!! Love all of the pictures.


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 29, 2019)

@Goat Whisperer messaged me with a question since I didn’t explain myself well on the new doelings. I replied to her but thought others may be confused as well. 

The Standard Lamancha that I liked was Xena. Her udder and production, along with her personality drew my eye. (This breeder also hand milks so she prefers her does to hand milk easily.) I was on the list for a doeling last year and Xena had twin bucklings. 

A prior Xena daughter that was a F1 (first generation Mini Lamancha, 50% Nigerian and 50% Standard Lamancha) named Xarra ended up with gangrenous mastitis as a FF and lost her whole udder!

Last year, Xena and Xarra were induced together and kidded together, cleaning all five babies together. Xena provided all five with colostrum and was a surrogate to the extras for the first few weeks of life. I prefer to bring home goats in pairs and it wasn’t going to work out so we opted to wait.

It was then decided for Xena to take a year off. Xarra was induced with a half sister named Xelda that became the surrogate for her kids this year. 

Xarra (pronounced Czara) kidded with triplet doelings for the second year in a row. This was her third freshening. She was bred to another F1 buck that was also 50/50. This makes the kids F2 (second generation Mini Lamanchas.) We were given the option to get two as bottle babies. I chose the two that stood out to me. 

They’ve been wonderful! I’m definitely in love with Lamanchas and Mini Lamanchas!!

All of that to explain the generation of the kids and their granddam that had caught my eye.


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## CntryBoy777 (Mar 29, 2019)

My goodness.....I'm telling ya, I just don't know how ya can keep up with so many things happening and going on.......the animals all look wonderful and sure hope ya can get some drying out kind of weather the next couple of weeks...ya can sure use it....


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 30, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @Goat Whisperer the skidsteer isn’t ours. Borrowed from a friend. Came in crazy handy! There’s one on DH’s want list though.
> 
> Thanks! We are really excited about building our own Mini program. CeCe and Sparkle will be the foundation but we wanted to be able to mix in some other genetics down the road too.



a skidsteer is great to have, DH inherited the one from their family farm, makes moving big square hay bales easy to move and stack!  Even used ones are pricey!


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## RollingAcres (Mar 30, 2019)

Really love your pics! The ones with kids and dog on the row of round bales are really nice! 


Wehner Homestead said:


> Colorful eggs.


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## Southern by choice (Mar 30, 2019)

So Xarra is their dam? She is an F-1 50/50% right?
Congrats! I love the minis!!!!!  
You are going to love the minis! 
I prefer f-1's over the upper gens. A friend of mine sells everything F-2 and over. She only keeps f-1's!


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 30, 2019)

So now you need to get a mini mancha buck...or do you have one?


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## Wehner Homestead (Mar 30, 2019)

@Southern by choice both parents are F1 50-50. I hadn’t intended to “jump” generations but the opportunity presented itself and it felt right. I’m super excited about adding these genetics to my Mini program.

@Hens and Roos We actually talked to a breeder. I’m not 100% convinced. Negotiations are at a stand still. I do have something up my sleeve though and plans to raise my own bucks with varied genetics.

I’ve get to get my goat numbers down. The current number (25) would be okay if they were Minis/Standards and the buck ratio was more appropriate. 

Current bucks are King, Knight (will be sold as soon as I get my butt in gear and register the does from him,) Theo (Snowflake’s retained buckling from last spring,) Alvin (Theo’s twin- has a date with destiny as soon as the two little buckling are ready to be sold,) and Buck/Gunner (young bucklings that will get shipped at 8 weeks.) That puts me from 6 bucks to 2! King will always live here.

As far as does...there are currently FIVE Nellie daughters on the farm. I think that’s excessive. I don’t plan to keep Sweetheart or Flower past as long as I keep them nursing Nellie. That was a hard decision but it was an accidental breeding of two goats that would’ve never been matched together otherwise. Now to decide if I’m keeping the triplet girls from last year...Elly, Perdy, and Beauty. I need to study the three more closely and evaluate their parasite load. I may end up freshening all 3 in the fall and deciding from there.

Snowflake, Ariel, Diamond, Jasmine, Caramel, Nellie, Sparkle, CeCe, Summer, Leah, Treasure, and Xylie will all stay for sure. Ariel, Diamond, Jasmine, and Leah will be bred for fall. Jasmine and Leah will be decided based on udders\productuon at that time, keeping in mind that they are FF. 

That brings me to Caramel’s fall kids...Rapunzel and Snow White. Plammed breeding. Interested in seeing what buck did for them.


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 31, 2019)

I hear you on numbers and decisions to make...DD and I talked a bit on this subject when she was home on spring break.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 16, 2019)

I’ve posted in some of the other threads...behind on this one and reading threads I follow. I’ll catch up one of these days. I’m having a hard time getting in a good groove this spring. Normally the sunshine and things greening up lifts my mood. Hasn’t happened yet this year. I think my body is telling me to slow down. Just not sure how/where. 

Cattle are something DH and I both love. They are part of our farm plan for our farm loan and play a huge role in meeting our requirements to stay eligible. 

Dairy goats are necessary for DD2 to thrive. I love them! DH tolerates them...he has a few favorites. I definitely prefer my Lamanchas and Minis over several of my Nigerians. Side note: Sweetheart and Flower were supposed to be sold but look better every day. I guess they are going to get a chance to show me what they can do! Another side note: I put down a deposit on a Mini Lamancha yearling buck. He’s outside genetics to what I have and what I intend to bring in. I’ll share more once he’s here. I still have more Mini plans up my sleeve that I can’t wait to let unfold. 

Pigs are just fun. I miss them when we don’t have any. DH agreed to buy another today from the same person. Another gilt. It’s hard to say no when they are $25! He just wants them off his feedbill and the space freed up. Kids want to do a breeding program instead of putting these in the freezer. They are good. It’d be a shame/waste to butcher them. Time will tell. I’ll get pics of the new one after we pick her up. 

Chicken set-up is still less than favorable. I need to get some chicks to have eggs through next winter. If we could get the new area finished, I’d enjoy my chickens more. 

DH decided to refrain from neutering/spaying Cowboy and Jewel for now. Their breeder is working on AKC papers. They’ll be sterilized if we can’t get them. If we can get them, they’ll have to pass genetic tests and OFA before breeding is an option. 

Ella has kittens- see their thread under Other Animals. I don’t think Cupcake is expecting. 

Kids have plans to show goats/pigs/cattle this summer. Should be busy. 

Can I quit working off the farm? There’s plenty here to keep me busy as wife, mom, and farm management. 

I have a few pics for y’all. DH and I are renewing our vows May 10 so I’m working on that too. Nothing huge. Keeping it simple and relaxed. 




 



 
These two didn’t fight. They are best buddies! That’s quite unusual for pigs.


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## promiseacres (Apr 17, 2019)

my DH wants cattle and pigs when we get moved.... at least my kids are doing well helping ... love your pasture views. Hope you feel better, my trail rides definitely motivate me.... something I love and no expectations.


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## Baymule (Apr 17, 2019)

I love your pictures, life on the farm. What a precious gift for your children to be raised on a farm. I hear you on reducing numbers, sometimes you have to take a step back and look at the big picture. You run yourself ragged trying to do it all. You are my Super Hero, but even a Super Hero needs some down time.


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 17, 2019)

Picked up the new gilt tonight. Now each of the kids have one. This one has been named Iris. (She was pretty stressed in the pic but calmed down quickly.) 



 

We have started breeding cattle. Calving isn’t done yet! Ugh! It’s possible though with a 9 month gestation. 

Need to get some goats bred to kid this fall...


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## Hens and Roos (Apr 18, 2019)

always neat to see what you are doing!


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## CntryBoy777 (Apr 19, 2019)

Glad ya can catch your breath!!.....it is worth smelling a rose or 2 along the way......Lord knows ya sure smell and step in enough "piles" the rest of the time....


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## Wehner Homestead (Apr 21, 2019)

Happy Easter! It’s been a busy weekend! We did play performances to reenact the life, miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus last Sunday, then again Friday and Saturday evening. Today was morning service and two family gatherings. 

DH made a feed run yesterday and brought home these additions! More details to come. 



 

 

I goofed around with the camera on my phone, a $1 pair of bunny ears, and a couple goats yesterday with some help from DD1. I need to go through the rest of the pics so I may have more to post later. 


 


 
@Southern by choice @Goat Whisperer  check out CeCe!


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## Goat Whisperer (Apr 22, 2019)

That is so sweet!


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## promiseacres (Apr 30, 2019)

cute!


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## mystang89 (May 3, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Chicken set-up is still less than favorable. I need to get some chicks to have eggs through next winter. If we could get the new area finished, I’d enjoy my chickens more.


Hope you get your chicken area set up the way you want it soon. Just wanted to let you know that the chickens you have is are doing well and great layers!
Good luck with the new additions, goats and chickens. Love you bunny ears pics lol


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## Bruce (Jul 4, 2019)

Are things OK at the @Wehner Homestead ?? Been a long time since your last post.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Jul 4, 2019)

@Bruce I actually texted her recently, she said she is doing okay.


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## RollingAcres (Jul 5, 2019)

Thank you for letting us know @BlessedWithGoats


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## Hens and Roos (Jul 5, 2019)

Glad to hear, thanks @BlessedWithGoats!


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## Bruce (Jul 5, 2019)

BlessedWithGoats said:


> @Bruce I actually texted her recently, she said she is doing okay.


Thanks. Let her know we all are thinking about her!


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 7, 2019)

I don’t even know where to start. First off, I’m sorry for not checking in. I’ve dealt with some serious anxiety and depression since losing the baby in Dec. My antidepressant dose was increased at the time and they are now thinking that it was too much so I’m having to wean back and see how I do at different strengths. 

I text @BlessedWithGoats, @Southern by choice, and @Goat Whisperer some. I’m also FB friends with a few others. If you’d like my FB name, I’ll try to check my messages and share it with some of you that I’m close to. I’d consider giving my number to several also. 

Anyway, DD1 has been doing lots of schoolwork this summer. We are trying to get her more confidence. She starts second grade tomorrow. DS played tee ball. He starts Kindergarten tomorrow. I’m already crying. 

DD2 has had a summer of all kinds of craziness. At least five dr appts that were all day trips to Louisville, she got her wheelchair, was evaluated for speech and occupational therapy, and had her tonsils removed and some of her adenoids. This required an overnight hospital stay. She turned 4 also. She starts preschool again next week. She also has another surgery on some leg tendons and muscles scheduled for Oct. 

We had an extra 11 yr old kiddo all summer. She’s the one that keeps her cattle here. We had a blast with her! She’s a big help and the four think that they are siblings now.

Kids took private swim lessons for 3 weeks this summer. All made huge improvements. 

Fair was chaotic but a great time. DD1 did a scrapbook of her and Jewel for her Mini project. Calves did well. We raised a class winner, a second in class, and a last in a very competitive class. We also bought the Grand a Champion Heifer to add to our herd. Her name is June. She’d been offered to us before the show as they have too many for their land. We didn’t take official ownership until after the State Fair show that she competed in. The kids enjoyed watching the Poultry, Swine, Sheep, and Beef shows. Round Robin went well. DH and I “retired” from being the facilitators. We agreed to help the new organizers next year. DD1 will have animals at the fair the year after that.

We will be breeding two gilts for Jan show pigs. Goat breeding should be well underway but we haven’t started yet. Cattle have been bred. We’ve decided to eat a gilt that we were going to breed at one time. Several brood cows were culled - this was very emotional and part of what played into buying June. It’s time to wean and start on the next round of show calves. Several Nigerians are for sale as we transition to focus more on Mini Lamanchas, Lamanchas, AND Nubians! I’ll keep a few Nigerians but I have entirely too many. 

We had a second litter of two kittens from a stray. I rehomed the female and the little black male will be staying. I named him Simon and the kids call him Simon Says! One of the original five kittens and their mother, Ella, died. 

I went to get a Pyr/Newf pup that a friend’s mom had an accidental litter of. DH approved a black male. There were two to pick from. I picked one but we looked at the others just to see and I saw a tan girl with dark points that I had to have. I brought home both! Their names are Bear and Annie. They’ll be huge and hopefully intimidate all the idiots that think they need to come back our long lane and attempt to sell us crap. 

I’m sure I’ve forgotten something... I’m trying to get back to cooking. I’ve cooked three times in two weeks. That’s progress from where I was part of the summer. (Y’all know I typically love cooking.)

I do have a BIG surprise that I’ll try to post after a few pics.


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## Mike CHS (Aug 7, 2019)

I'll wait for your surprise but I am super happy to see you check in.


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## Baymule (Aug 7, 2019)

SO happy to hear from you! You have had a busy summer, but please don't forget about us! I love the pictures you post and your updates. Big hugs.


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 7, 2019)

So Great to hear from ya!!........sorry for the "rough patch of road" ya traveled.....but, we haven't stopped praying for ya.........the "patch" we went thru wasn't much better....but, are coming out of ours, also.....so Glad to hear the kids are doing good and ya had some help from the older one to save your legs from all the steps or back from bending.....that is what grandkids are good at....tho, ya won't need that so much now, as then....


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## Mini Horses (Aug 7, 2019)

We knew you were stressed, super pressed with work and home issues, you had already said depressed.  We understand and just want to know you are doing OK.   That "family" thing for BYHrs. 

So, while needing your space and time to heal and adjust, just give us a "hey, there" once in a while.  We miss you and worry.

Glad you posted.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 7, 2019)

Diamond and dtr, Jasmine



 

DD2 in her wheelchair meeting horses at the fair. (Owners were there and part of this.) 




Annie and Bear - they like the fan


 
Eli


 
Annie


 

Bear


 

Halo with the pups


 
Kittens in loft. They love when Mommy comes up!


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 7, 2019)

Glad to hear from you. I've been away too, but after the physical move back up to Crawfordsville, I am back and my family is doing well. Very sorry to hear of your December loss. I lost touch with everyone first part of the year, and am catching back up. I am praying for you and your family.


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## mystang89 (Aug 8, 2019)

So happy to hear from you again!

Not to open a wound that is hopeful starting to heal, but my wife and I have gone through the same a couple of times. If you all ever need anything, even just another ear to listen, I'm right around the corner.


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## Hens and Roos (Aug 8, 2019)

Great to see you back , looks like you have lots going on!


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## RollingAcres (Aug 8, 2019)

So good to hear from you!


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## Bruce (Aug 8, 2019)

So glad you came to tell us you are OK @Wehner Homestead, some of us were worried 

Thanks for the update, sounds like on the whole things are doing well. Two new puppies and a kitten, wow. I hope your doctors can get a handle on your depression. Please remember you have many friends here. No judgements, just caring.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

I didn’t get back on to finish posting pics and the surprise because my internet acted up then BYH started acting up. I then worked a ton and the kids went back to school. I suspected that I was expecting again and I was right. Unfortunately, we’ve lost that one too. I’m at a huge loss at to what to think and feel right now. Trying to rely on my faith. Shedding lots of tears. Going to try to get back to being involved here as a means of distraction plus I miss everyone.


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## Pastor Dave (Aug 18, 2019)

No words, just know you're loved and prayed for.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

@Pastor Dave Thank you!


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## BlessedWithGoats (Aug 18, 2019)

So sorry. Praying for you as well.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

@BlessedWithGoats thank you! I was trying to think of everyone that I needed to let know and I knew I forgot several in my current state of mind. You are one that I should’ve let know.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 18, 2019)




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## Hens and Roos (Aug 18, 2019)




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## Mike CHS (Aug 18, 2019)

You were missed.  Everyone has you in thoughts and prayers now I'm sure.


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## Bruce (Aug 18, 2019)

That is really hard @Wehner Homestead  
I hope you find solace


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## mystang89 (Aug 18, 2019)

The loss of in unborn child is truly heartbreaking. I'm very sad that you and your family must go through this, but remember that every hardship ends and at the end you find yourself stronger than when you began. There is always hope.


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## Baymule (Aug 18, 2019)

I am very, very sorry.


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## B&B Happy goats (Aug 18, 2019)




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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

Thank you all! We are trying to take a step back and figure out where we are headed. 

I’m going to try to post the surprise that I keep alluding to...


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

A road trip was in the works for some time and with very little time to go down and come back, DH, DD1, and I made the trip to NC. We went to @Southern by choice and @Goat Whisperer!! It was so good to see GW and SBC’s DH again. It was beyond wonderful to meet SBC and Little Bit and several of the boys.

SBC and GW have become two of my best friends. They get me and understand what I go through on a daily basis on more levels than I can explain. 

While there, DD1 got showmanship lessons from GW and Little Bit. Talk about learning from TWO of the best!!! She ate up all of the attention and absolutely loved learning. She took all of it so seriously. 

We got to meet several significant goats! Ruby, Mariah, Ruth, Tiffany and many of their offspring. I also got to meet the wonderful Henry!

Now I’m sure y’all know that I didn’t drive down there without bringing some goats back...








Gotta tease you a little....



























Okay...I think I’ll tell now...



Olaf AND Bluebelle came home with me!!!!!!
I also brought home Wrigley, a Princess buckling, 75% Lamancha 25%Nigerian. He’s out of Charlie if my memory is serving me right at the moment.
Tiny (Chrissy) and Aria (her name was Arpege there) are the other two does that we brought home, both Lamanchas.
Orion is the Lamancha buckling out of Raina (sire is Black Tie or Giorgio-spelling?? pending DNA.) Memphis is one of Prynne’s buckling out of Keigh, he’s a 50/50 Mini. Prince is a Clover buckling out of Keigh so Nigerian.


Talk about excited!!! I’ve missed the Blossom so Nubians were just the ticket. SBC was sad but I’m trying to keep them all spoiled. We have options to advance all of our breeds now!

We drove down after leaving super early on a Thur morning, visited for a bit, stayed at a hotel, left early the next morning to come home. SBC’s DH cooked us an awesome dinner too!

Posting this from my ipad. Will post pics from my phone ASAP.

Hoping to make it back down again sooner than later to visit more. 

I can’t say thank you enough to SBC and GW for allowing us to add these wonderful goats to our herd!!!


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## B&B Happy goats (Aug 18, 2019)

Good for you , congradulatios  on your new additions to your herd    very happy for you and your family


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

Here comes the pic overload...

DD1 practicing showing Charlotte



 

Prince! 


 

Prince thinks he’s funny! 


 

Wrigley giving SBC kisses! 


 
DD1 got milking lessons with the machine! 




Blue!!! Couldn’t get near him but I sure wish that I could’ve wrapped in a huge LGD bear hug! 


 

The ride home. Olaf was in the front section of the trailer and the babies rode in a large crate for their safety. 




The three girls all rode in the back section of the trailer. 


 

Girls got unloaded first. L to R: Bluebelle, Aria, Tiny


 

Babies waiting to get unloaded. Prince is sniffing my feet, Wrigley is over him and Orion is along the bottom of the pic.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

Cont’d....

Wrigley still in the trailer. 


 

Orion - This boy is one of my faves!


 

R-L: Memphis, Prince, Orion


 

Memphis


 

Prince with Olaf in the background 


 

Orion! 


 

DS trying to milk Tiny. 




Gotta throw Sparkle and CeCe in since they are from SBC and GW also. 


 

My kids and my sister’s kids practicing showing.


 

Wrigley - He’s quite handsome.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

Cont’d...

Olaf


 

The kids spoil Olaf! He gets leaves frequently. They all also make it a point to give him attention every time they are outside. 

Bluebelle is the favorite of all visitors. 

Aria is DH’s favorite. 

Tiny sneaks up beside me to make sure she gets her share of attention.


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## Bruce (Aug 18, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> Now I’m sure y’all know that I didn’t drive down there without bringing some goats back...


*HUGE LIKE!!!!!!!!!*

That is SO GREAT! And what a huge increase in flock size. You are gonna be buuuuuuuusssssssyyyyyy.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 18, 2019)

Lol! @Bruce we are moving more toward a Lamancha and Mini Lamancha herd. Nubians will always have their place and a few Nigerians that I’m attached to. I’ve already started placing a few Nigerians. 

I just love the Lamancha and Nubian personality!!! So many people are in Nubians that I prefer to stick to my Lamanchas.


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## Baymule (Aug 18, 2019)

What fun! Your kids are going to have a blast showing! What a bunch of beautiful goats! Love the surprise!


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## RollingAcres (Aug 21, 2019)

Congrats on all the new addition!


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## CntryBoy777 (Aug 21, 2019)

We can never control the "events" that are "faced" in our lives, but must "endure" them and use them to "strengthen" us as we move forward....and pray for "understanding and knowledge" so when others are "faced" in the future, our faith can be strong enough for assurance that we will persevere thru thru them with confidence....
Halo has grown into a beautiful girl..........sure was quite the "haul" ya got away with from North Carolina.....surprised @Southern by choice didn't have ya stopped at the "border".....but, guess @Goat Whisperer had her "detained" for your "get-away".....


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 21, 2019)

Too funny! I think I’m turning into the crazy buck lady now that @Southern by choice has sold most of hers! 

In the hospital with DD2. She has a complex UTI related to all of her medical issues. We’ve been here since Monday afternoon and will be here until she’s fever free for 24 hours. Last check was 101.9.


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## Mike CHS (Aug 21, 2019)

It's hard to like that one but I feel for what you are going through.


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## RollingAcres (Aug 21, 2019)

I hope DD2's fever drops soon.


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## Baymule (Aug 21, 2019)

I hope it is not one of those antibiotic resistant UTI's. Poor girl, I hope she feels better soon.


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## B&B Happy goats (Aug 21, 2019)

hopefully  she resopnds to the meds and come home shorlly.....


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 21, 2019)

It’s not antibiotic resistant. We have cultures back. Problem is she’s allergic to most antibiotics so it makes treating her that much harder.


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## Baymule (Aug 21, 2019)

Poor baby! And Momma is running on empty, I know you are worried and worn out. Big hugs. You both are in my prayers.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Aug 22, 2019)

Praying for your daughter.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Aug 22, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> @BlessedWithGoats thank you! I was trying to think of everyone that I needed to let know and I knew I forgot several in my current state of mind. You are one that I should’ve let know.


It's okay!


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## Bruce (Aug 22, 2019)

Wehner Homestead said:


> In the hospital with DD2. She has a complex UTI related to all of her medical issues. We’ve been here since Monday afternoon and will be here until she’s fever free for 24 hours. Last check was 101.9.


No way I'm clicking the "like" button on that!  to you, DD and the rest of the family. Hopefully she can go home soon.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 22, 2019)

Spiked a temp this morning. Acting better. Appetite improved some. Still not drinking well enough. Plan is iv fluids and iv antibiotics until fever free for 24 hours.


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## Bruce (Aug 23, 2019)




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## Baymule (Aug 23, 2019)

Hang in there Mom, you will be able to take her home soon.


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## Wehner Homestead (Aug 24, 2019)

We got to come home today! Some changes to our routine and such. More later. Just happy to be home.

Internet was on surge protector and got struck by lightning while we are at the hospital. I’ll be scarce until the new modem arrives. Hope to be in a few days. DH called tonight.


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## Baymule (Aug 24, 2019)

There really is no place like home.


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## Mike CHS (Aug 24, 2019)

You have had a long couple of months in the last few weeks so I'll just say that I'm glad you are home and hopefully have some time to rest.


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 27, 2019)

DD2 continues to recover and build her stamina. Preparation for her next surgery in Oct is also underway. 

In the chaos, Olaf took a downhill spin and through a series of events that made things even worse (like sneaking pig feed,) he had a severe worm bloom from the transition and we lost him. I’ll admit we made the decision that he was beginning to suffer but I have found myself at the barn less since he’s gone. I hate facing that he’s not in his paddock, waiting to greet me. 

We’ve sold a heifer and a calf. The heifer was Indy. She never tamed down and got pink eye. DH treated her while DD2 was in the hospital but she became even more nervous and we worried about her around the kids. The calf was Jonah. We sold his dam part way through summer and he just didn’t cope well. The heat and drought has been hard on him. He got pneumonia when we weaned the others, as DD2 came home from the hospital. Various treatments and he finally improved but we couldn’t sell him as a show calf and had two picked for feeders for us already. 

We have two more cows to sell but prices are down. Both are bred by Mack. We will try to sell them outright or wait on prices to go up. One of those is Melody. She calves every year but has never successfully bred AI. Her calves turn out well considering she’s bred by our herd bull every year. The other is Mabel. She just doesn’t fit the show mold that we are working toward. She’s leggy and has no real thickness. She did hold her condition well as a first calf heifer though. 

It’s so dry here. The grass crunches under your feet. We are under a strict burn ban. Lilly pads are a good foot above the water where we need rain so bad. The hay shortage will be even worse because many in our area don’t have much. Our haylage from the wet times will be our saving grace. DH will be mowing hay the first of the week to get a little more dry hay to insure we have plenty for the goats. We get almost daily calls but don’t have any excess to part with. 

Cinderella and Glitter get picked up from the vet today where we had they spayed. At least two fewer cats will be supplying us with litters! Cupcake looks to deliver her next set any day.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 27, 2019)

Glad to hear you are getting about and wish you had more time....as I'm sure you do also!  Sorry to hear about the not so good happenings but, then, that's a farm life.  We have to deal.  

We are way down with water around here, also.   In fact, new says it's a "light draught".  Have crossed a few bridges and see water levels a couple feet below the obvious norm.  some areas with that crunchy grass...others, ok but in need. 

Nice to hear from you so we know you are still around.


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## Baymule (Sep 27, 2019)

You are an inspiration. You work hard, you care for your family. You care for the animals and work on the farm. With all the things in life that knock you down, you just get back up and keep on keeping on. If nobody has said it lately, I am proud of you. Sending you a great big hug.


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## CntryBoy777 (Sep 28, 2019)

Knowing your daughter is gaining strength is enough to hold onto and brighten any day!!.....it is unfortunate, but "life" happens to all of us and somethings just happen beyond control.......


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## farmerjan (Sep 28, 2019)

Very glad for you that your little one got over the fever and complications and could come home and is now doing better.  Sad that you have to face another surgery in Oct, but hope it will go well and help to improve her life.

There is always something with the animals, and it is always difficult to make decisions to sell.  I liked that Indy calf when she was born, but if the disposition isn't there....then selling is the best way to go.
Prices here are way off ever since the fire at the Tyson plant in KS and the manipulation by the packers on both the fat cattle and boxed beef end.  Many farmers here have sold some at much lower prices, but there has been a small increase mostly in the midwest.  I am thinking that we will see an increase in early Jan., after the fall glut and the holidays.  Still I think that 2020 will only be a mediocre year unless we do get into an agreement with China and sell them more beef when we reach the limit of what we will sell in pork.  With the swine fever and the loss of so many hogs, they are hurting for protein, and rumor has it we have just negotiated a huge sale of pork to them.  Hopefully, this will help to grease the wheels and that beef sales will follow.  
Prices here for cull cows is in the 50's mostly, feeder steers in the 450-600 wts is in the 1.20's to 1.40's, mostly on the lower side.  Heifers are .90 to 1.10.  SAD..... We sold 10 steers in the 6 wts about 3 weeks ago and got in the 1.20-1.27 range.  Haven't shipped any heifers.  Trying to sit on them for awhile, but will have some notes to pay down, this fall;  fertilizer and operating loans, so will have to sit and make some decisions.  Not a good place to be, and with us both still working jobs.  The dairy industry is not good, my job is fading slowly away, so may not have to worry about really retiring "from" it because it is slowing to the point of "ceasing" to exist...  Luckily I don't need to be full time for insurance purposes anymore with medicare.  About the only good thing about getting older, it won't cost so much anymore to start getting all the worn out parts replaced!!!!

We had a good year for hay early, but it has dried up here now, and 2nd cutting of orchard grass is non-existent.  I feel for your hay shortage up there.  Our area here has recently gone from extremely dry to moderate drought in part because we are continuing to have much higher than normal temps.  Last year we had trouble making hay due to the wet....


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## promiseacres (Sep 28, 2019)

prayers for your daughters surgery! & that you get a bit more hay for the goats. We got just enough but still need to get a field planted.... we have had rain last couple of days.


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## Bruce (Sep 28, 2019)

Sad news about Olaf  
How are you holding up under all the pressures?? Tough to do when it seems the troubles keep raining down.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 25, 2019)

Well I can say that the trials are still raining down. I’m hopeful for things to be on the upswing soon.

Have spent the last few weeks with sick DH and kids. I’m worn down from the chaos and care. Bronchitis has been the main cause with some strep added in. 

DD2 had her second surgery for the on both legs the end of Oct. went well. Difficult to limit a 4 yr olds activity for any period of time. Cast is off. Incisions healing well. Some swilling is popping up in that right foot where her circulation and sensation isn’t the best. Managing with elevation. Hard to do with a toddler also. Had an infection scare in one of her incisions that resulted in an ER visit. Fortunately decided it wasn’t infection after bloodwork and was told to monitor closely. Almost completely resolved. 

DD1 is having a rough go of school this year. Trying not to make any rash decisions as I’m not sure I’m thinking clearly. 

DS is a borderline genius and even more of a middle child with all of the attention the other two have been requiring. 

I’m still battling depression. DH had me back off of my meds some. He felt like all I did was sleep. I’m back to some odd insomnia. I haven’t cooked but about once a week all year and y’all know that isn’t like me. I’ve gained about 40# since Dec (losing baby Amari.) Lots going on as usual. 

I still struggle going to the barn since Olaf passed. It’s just not the same without Olaf, Blossom, Queenie, and Maddie (cow for those that may not recall.) I milked a goat for the first time in several months on Sat night. My carpal tunnel acted up a few weeks after we got Tiny. DH took over the milking (which made it even more difficult for me to make it to the barn.) We had also purchased a milker that he used until recently- Tiny is drying off and the two Nigerians don’t make enough to justify getting it dirty. @Goat Whisperer helped us find it and it was a lifesaver. He looks forward to having it next year when (pretty much all of our does!) milking. 

Most of you know Caramel hated being milked and we rarely milked her after she had her twins last Sept. The twins didn’t tame well either and their conformation wasn’t desirable for show. I was able to trade the trio for a donkey. Wasn’t something I planned to do burn DH had mentioned having one and I happened to see a livestock/human kid friendly one. Rose is approximately 5-7. (I need to have the vet out to check her over/teeth/vaccinations/wormed and a farrier to keep her hooves in line.) She’s super sweet and may be in foal for a late April/May baby. She positively adores the kids and brays for them to come see her when she hears them outside. She has horse treats we bought her and I’m forever cutting up apples and carrots for them to take her. She’s a bit underweight but she’s been nursing a colt and I’m sure needs wormed. I think she’s a mini/standard crossed because she isn’t very big but not near as small as our mini horse was. 

Pullets from this spring started laying but stopped with the cold snap. We have ZERO eggs. Looks like I’ll be forced to buy some. Definitely pouting about that. I got Mia out the other day (FBCM that went broody and I rescued her from the cold/kept all of her hen offspring.) I carried her around for a bit and the kids all pet her. She seemed to enjoy it. Several are molting and it looks like a chicken massacre has occurred. Kids are “collecting” feathers. 

Maizy calved the first part of Nov. A super cute heifer that will be retained. DD2 was home and when I mentioned the name, Madalynn, she quickly agreed. This was the first calf from our new bull, Mack, also. Maizy had no issues with calving and literally walked off to herself and had a calf within 30 minutes. I was technically watching from the window. There’s a ridge so I couldn’t actually visualize but could see enough to tell there weren’t complications. 

We have several calves coming in Spring both AI and from Mack. We will also be breeding for some fall calves in Feb. Mack will be used for both rounds of breeding next year then sold. He just doesn’t have my heart like Otis did. 

We still have three feeder pigs. They are almost done then no more through the winter. 

First goat babies are due Jan 2! It’ll be here before we know it. Several possible and looking to be bred for them. A few random breedings then the Standard group is due in March. I’m most excited to see what we get from our Lamanchas and Bluebelle. There will be more Nigerians due in April then nothing more until fall. 

Cupcake (feral cat that showed up in Feb) gifted us with a second litter of kittens. She had approximately 8 but they didn’t all survive. I’ve got three males from the litter in the house as it’s too cold for them to be outside. As much as I don’t really want housecats and DH keeps trying to kick them out, they may end up being permanent residents with the way our weather is behaving. The kids have named them Flash, Simba, and Finn. (Cupcake is also no longer a resident.) 

We’ve also lost two of Ella’s kittens and Ella. Dogs were somehow involved but we aren’t sure to what extent. Glitter and Cinderella have both been spayed so no more kittens here!

Cupcake’s kitten, Simon Says, from her first litter here is doing well. He’s a spoiled boy that will be quite large. Need to get him and Ella’s surviving male, Smoky, neutered. 

Annie and Bear Bear are HuGe! We knew they would be but they grow each time I see them. I need to work on their manners before they get too large. 

Jewel is due to whelp in approximately 9 days. Day 63 is 12/5. I’ll try to post updates. Eli is the sire. Trying to get all their paperwork updated. 

Also, a million other things that I’ve forgotten to mention. Pics to come in several posts as usual.


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 25, 2019)

Perdy on a trip out to get some air after DD2’s most recent surgery. 





Halo isn’t spoiled at all! 




Halo ignoring me about getting in her crate! 




Simon Says




Pullets and Henry. 




Pullets and Henry again. 




Rose




Rose! 



Sunset on the farm




Emma


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 25, 2019)

Maxine 




Eli napping 




Sunrise across the road




Cows sunning




“Whatcha doin’ Dad??” He was putting the panel on the gate to prevent escapes. Nosy girls! 




Maizy and Madalynn




Madalynn




Flash




Halo




Top: Finn, Middle and mashed: Flash, Bottom: Simba


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 25, 2019)

Flash




Our Christmas Tree




Eli




Sunrise over the farm




Jewel looking very large




Halo waiting on kids to get off bus




Eli waiting on kids to get off bus




Eli again




Kitties: Starting bottom left, then clockwise: Simon, Zoe, Smoky, Cinderella




Madalynn


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## Wehner Homestead (Nov 25, 2019)

I’m a little obsessed with my Lamanchas! 
Aria





CeCe




Rose




Maizy




Knight




Diamond-left, Jasmine-right, both expecting in Jan




Summer 




Knight is with the girls. I captured one of his “faces.”


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## Mike CHS (Nov 25, 2019)

There is nothing wrong with a little obsession.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Nov 25, 2019)

Prayers for you. Animals are looking great!


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## Mini Horses (Nov 25, 2019)

Glad to see you post.   Hope all the "sickies" are over and you will be able to be lifted in body & spirit to enjoy your life and farm again. We think of you and your family -- good to hear from you.


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## Baymule (Nov 25, 2019)

You sure have your hands full. Has the surgery helped DD2's legs? Or is it too soon to tell? DD1 having problems at school, that is a tough call. What grade is she in? The middle child…..I try to pay special attention to our middle grand daughter, the youngest is such a ring tailed tooter, good grief that child is demanding, and wears my daughter out. 

I am sorry that you are having such a hard time with depression. With all that you have going on, it is certainly not surprising. Big hugs to you. 

Your animals look so healthy and beautiful. I always love the pictures of them that you post.


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## Bruce (Nov 28, 2019)

I am really happy to see you back, hopefully things will improve. 



Wehner Homestead said:


> Halo ignoring me about getting in her crate!


If she can't see you she can pretend not to hear you.


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## Pastor Dave (Dec 1, 2019)

Good to hear from you. I heard a pastor mention the vegetation and growth that doesn't appear on mountaintops where we prefer to be, but rather the lushness of the valley where we are always trying to get through or out of. May Blessings and growth come your family's way and be clearly evident. I will be waiting for that book you'll be able to pen one of these days. Maybe the modern Laura Ingalls Wilder.


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## Hens and Roos (Dec 1, 2019)

Nice to hear from you


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## Senile_Texas_Aggie (Jan 30, 2020)

Miss @Wehner Homestead,

Just caught up on your journal.  Wow, you have been through a lot!  I hope that things are getting better.  Please let us know how you are doing.

Senile Texas Aggie


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## Wehner Homestead (Sep 17, 2021)

Wow! It’s been awhile. I’m not even sure where to start!

I hope everyone is well!! Looking forward to checking in on several of you!

Hmmm...I’ll just work my way through a few different things.

Life: Covid hit. I quit my job to stay home and take care of DD2. I won’t go back unless I have no choice now. I LOVE being home. We actually homeschool now too and I love that too. I’m so much happier than I was but still just as busy, possibly even more busy. I’ve taken over most of the day-to-day things on the farm too. 

Farm: We did almost 150 acres of hay this year and it did well enough to sell some. Have had a tractor down since spring that they can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong with it so that’s been interesting. We are getting ready to modify some parts of the barn and redo all of the fencing behind the barn for a paddock setup and alley. Covid allowed us to get caught up on fence rows and some other projects like cleaning up down trees that hadn’t been gotten to yet.

Human Kids: DD1 is now on grade level since I’ve been able to focus on what she needs and getting her there. She turns 10 this fall and showed in 4-H for the first time this year. She had a blast! DS continues to be all boy!! He will be 8 this winter and loves baseball and basketball. He hates to dress up and swore he’d never show but has gotten the bug when he tried out peewee showmanship at some of the open shows we went to. DD2 is awesome!! She hasn’t been a patient at the hospital since Nov 2018. We’ve not even had an ER visit since Covid. She turned 6 this summer, is doing Kindergarten with me this fall, and learning to walk with crutches now. She does still use her Walker and wheelchair most of the time.

Livestock: We are up to 15 cows. All are bred for calves from Jan-March. Most are AI calves that we are really excited about. Our herd is improving and we love what we are producing. We have 3 heifer calves- 2 that we purchased- in the barn to show over the next year that will then join our herd. DD1 showed pigs this year so we had fun with those and they are now in the freezer, along with the steer that she showed. We still have the dairy goats. DD2 has been refusing to drink the milk so I took a break from milking for the year and let everyone dry up after weaning. I made the decision to sell all of my Nigerians. The last ones leave at the end of the month. We still have the Lamanchas, Mini Lamanchas, Bluebelle and a daughter (our Nubian and her Experimental: Lamancha/Nubian doe.) I’m also keeping a Nigerian buck or two to use on my Mini program. This decision cut our numbers in more than half but I’m at peace with it. I still have several barn cats- in fact, there are 11 currently. Many I raised over the last few years when they were too tiny to survive on their own. We added rabbits during Covid. I liked the idea of having the meat source. We haven’t eaten any yet but it’s on the to-do list! Even the kids are excited to try it!! Part of this has been great fun because we’ve added Mini Rex and Polish to our New Zealands and I’ve gotten to make TWO trips to @promiseacres to add bunnies. We have a great time when together and are hoping to do some field trips with the kids and they are also going to be pen pals!! Our current Aussie count is at 5. We have Cowboy, Jewel (spayed now,) Halo, Hartleigh, and Sierra. Halo is bred to Cowboy and due in Nov. We will likely keep a pup from that pairing.

Thats a pretty quick update but I’m sure b

DD2 working a heifer. She has her braces on and her Walker is just behind 




DD1 showing.



Part of the crew when showing. DH is leading the calf. 


Baby bunnies. These were an oops litter from a doe I bought that surprised us. (LionLops)



DD1 and DS are taking horseback riding lessons and loving it!







Heifer we raised at a show.



Cows on our corner pasture after it had been mowed for hay twice.



Sierra- Red Merle Female



Sierra & Hartleigh 




More pics in next post...all of these are since August lol


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## Bruce (Sep 17, 2021)

Wehner, you are alive!!!!!! I'd about given up hope.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well, especially DD2.


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## animalmom (Sep 17, 2021)

So good to hear from you.


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## Mini Horses (Sep 17, 2021)

Your children are growing up!!  Happy things are going well for you and your family.  I've thought of y'all often and wondered how things were working.  Thanks for remembering us, updating and I hope you'll do so more often... 😁 

I see a post from pastor Dave on this thread...another I'd love to talk to us again.


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## Bruce (Sep 18, 2021)

I've been wondering about Pastor Dave as well. I hope things are going OK for him and his family.


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## Finnie (Sep 20, 2021)

So glad to see you post again!


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## Senile_Texas_Aggie (Sep 20, 2021)

Miss @Wehner Homestead,

I agree with everyone else - it is good to know that you are still OK after almost 2 years of being off the forum!  I look forward to more of your posts!

Senile Texas Aggie


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## Baymule (Sep 28, 2021)

I'm glad to hear an update, don't stay so long!


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## Bruce (Sep 28, 2021)

I assume you meant "stay AWAY so long"!


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