# Porkchop48 - Long overdue LONG update



## porkchop48 (Feb 23, 2012)

Hey there guys. My name is Kristy. Unlike what the user name implies I am NOT a middle aged fat man.    I will start with the questions until it is time to go to work and then work on a real intro as I have time 



1.    What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?*Malta, OH Morgan County. Zone 5*
2.    How many people are in your family? Marital status? *2 people. Engaded for about 7 years now. GIve us time will we get actually married eventually*
3.    How would you define your farm?*Small, cute hetic, odd*
4.    What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?*build more chicken coops and frog tanks*
5.    Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to?*No I have not me and power tools do not get along at all. I would like to build a new barn down in the field but the one we have down there works just fine*
6.    Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?*Nope*
7.    Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer?*Me and other half have been talking about it for years. The opportunity arrose and we jumped on it*
8     Is it a hobby or an occupation?*Hobby, one of many*
9.    In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more?*I am still learning everything when it comes to farming, now if you want to actually know how to talk to a person when you call your insurance company I am you girl*
10.  In what types of farming will you never choose to do?*Not sure*
11.   Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply?*always. Currently making maple syrup from our trees*
12.   Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?*either the frog room or look out point by the fields*
<img style="margin:0;padding:0;" border="0" width="0" height="0" src="http://c.betrad.com/a/4.gif" id="bap-pixel-64480"/><script>(function(){if(d.getElementById('ba.js'))return;d.write('<sc'+'ript id="ba.js" type="text/javascript" src="http://c.betrad.com/geo/ba.js"></scr'+'ipt>');})();</script><script>d.write('<sc'+'ript>try{BAP.start(_bao);}catch(e){var _bab = _bab||[];var ob={}; for (var p in _bao) {ob[p]=_bao[p]}_bab.push(ob);}</sc'+'ript>');</script>13.   Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?*I drove the tractor one. DF said he could walked circles around me and got there faster.*
14.   Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?*Does syrup making count?*
15.   Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?*Yes we have goats, chickens, ducks and a calf currently*
16.   Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?*No. I like my fingers and would prefer to keep them*
17.   Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?*Yes. I grow everything I can. Mainly what we plan to can for that year as well as the occasional odd ball thing*
18.   Do you fish? Bait or explosives?* yes bait*
19.   How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country?*7 acres, Section F of BFE*
20.   Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed?*semi degreed*
21.   What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?*We do not have one but learning more about my chicks and goats as we go. *
22.   If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?*Office politics, just bacuse I want to know why when women work together they just can not get along*
23.   Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?*No, back to that finger thing*
24.   Are you interested in herbal animal medicine?*To a point, I would like to give them the least amount of "drugs" possible but also want to do what is needed to keep everyone healthy*
25.   If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?*Right where I am at ( well I would like to add the 20 acres acorss the street, working on it*
26.    Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?*Only the occaional pig roast*
27.    What would your ideal super hero/villain be?*This one will take some thought, I will get back to it*
28.    Are your family or friends also interested in animals?*Family - Yes in a way. They live farming through us sending them pics and the occasional visit*
29.    Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?*yes yes and yes. I never thought I would be one of those ewww store bought egg people.. But here I am 8 months into it and refuse to eat store bought eggs*
30.   What was your best animal experience? Worst?
31.    Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?*Yes DF hunts *
32.    What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm?*We are both very innovative and like to try making new things and simplifying things as well*
33.    Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve?* Yes we did over 40 deer this yer, just got done with pigs # 4 #5#6 and process our chickens*
34.   Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to?*No we do not, we have a spring and a gas well but I think solar or wind would be awesome*
35    What is on your to do list?*alot*
36.   Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to?*I would like to but we have not*
37.   In what do you trust?*Myself and that is about it oh and that Thermo the dog will cause me some kind of headache atleast once a wee*
38.  Do you make and fix things yourself to save money?*Oh yes, all car repairs are done here, all house repairs done by us, etc*
39.  Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits?*To be honest, I no longer go out to the bars numerous times a week. I would much rather put in a full day of work at work and come home and put in another full day here. Slowly loosing weight and in general felling better about myself.*


Ok time for work now. When I get the time I will start on the stories of Thermo the pup.  He makes me want to pull my hair out on darn near a daily basis... When does puppyhood end


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## dreamriver (Feb 23, 2012)

looking forward to hearing more from you.  had to laugh that you clarified you are not what your user name implies


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## daisychick (Feb 23, 2012)

I love reading journals, so I am looking forward to checking in on yours.      I am glad you clarified your user name.     I am not really a daisychick, I am more of a daisy tom boy.


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## porkchop48 (Feb 24, 2012)

Well day number two of the journal begins. 

Yesterday I was suppose to be getting a box of frogs, box of axolotls eggs, 2 boxes of cups and lids and a box of day old turken chicks. 

Box of frogs - Fedex - Check - Picked up about 9 :30 
Box of axolotls eggs - USPS - Missing. Expected delivery yesterday by 3pm. Left Columbus OH yesterday morning at 4 am and have not been seen since. 
2 boxes of cups and lids - USPS - One box arrived. 3 did not. Two totally missing not showing up on tracking or anything and one showing in a two about 3 hours away. 
Box of Turken chicks - USPS - Did not arrive yesterday as planned by 3 PM.  Did not arrive in Columbus Ohio last night until 7:17 Pm. Got a phone call at 4 am this morning that they were close and still cheeping. 

Looks like I will be going to work early today to pick up some chicks on the way. 


It was obviously not a good day for shipping yesterday. 


On to the good notes. All of the goaties got their CDT shot yesterday. Now every one will be on my schedule. My one darker nubian ( who is still unnamed ) is still getting bigger teats. As of yesterday you could see the teats from the side.  While give her her shot I noticed and felt that her udder is not about softball/ grapfruit size... WOo HOO. I can not want for a kid.  And the lighter of my two nubians is now starting to show bigger teats as well. And has a name. She is now SG, for Super goat. That girl can jump.


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## ThreeBoysChicks (Feb 24, 2012)

Pictures of your goats would be awesome...


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## Roll farms (Feb 24, 2012)

Sorry your chicks are lost....I have 150 coming in 2 wks m'self.


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## porkchop48 (Feb 27, 2012)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Sorry your chicks are lost....I have 150 coming in 2 wks m'self.


They finally made it on Friday. I ordered 12 and ended up with I think 19. A day late they were all a little hungry and thirsty but perked right back up after a little food and water.   Between my adult group, the 30 teenagers ( 10 weeks old), the 20 or so 5 weekers in the garage and a new batch in the bator, I should be done. I am staying off chicken sites. Completely off. 



Saturday was an interesting day. Spent most of the day trying to get stuff ready for the reptile show on Sunday. Went out to burn the trash mid morning and the goat herd came over to check out the going ons. DH says What happen to Smelly ( the Apline Buck) I look and he has blood all over his horn and down the side of his face). I freak thinking he gored some one. In my panic I do not think this horn is curved back and blunt on the end, it would take a strange turn of events for him to gore anything.  DH goes " where is the white one?" Now real panic sets in. She is my favorite. I start looking and yelling for her.  i run up to the barn where she normally hangs out. 

Not there  

After a few more minutes I turn around. She is right behind me.. WTH? I look every one over, no blood, no wounds. I start checking out Smelly. Here he cut his ear on the fence some were.  Just the tip of it but it bled like mad... Panic over. 


Saturday evening I go out to put the chickens away. OMG a bloody duck   Is this really how my day is going? Looks like the duck got pecked in the eye. It bled pretty well and looks like it will lose the eye. So that makes the second duck I have with only one eye.

Saturday even about 9ish. I say to DH " hey you need to check the fence by the pond, every one was in it earlier ( meaning Phillip the calf and the goats).  He asked why I did not mention it earlier. Oh I am sorry I have been running around like an idiot all day trying to get stuff done and ready for the show.  He asks if Phillip made it out. Well I think so. 

We go get the spot light and head out to the back deck to see if Phillip did make it out. Low and behold there is Phillip, looking like he was stuck in the fence. We race to the quad ( as fast as fat people can race) fly down over the hill to find out even though he looked stuck, he was just standing there and could not figure out how to get out. We opened both gates and Phillip took off at a trot to the lower barn where him and the goats sleep. All the goats were following the quad the whole time making all kinds of noise. After Phillip made it out they follow him back to the barn and started licking and rubbing on him. I could just picture them saying "Welcome home big brother).

Can I go to sleep now?  

Time to head to work... I will work on the disaster of a day called Sunday when I get a few more minutes. 







Older pic of the pregnant nubian. 






The alpine doe named Kurt





Kurt and her sister. 




Smelly





Mini Mee






Wee one. 






Phillips and SG ( the other nubian, SG is for Super goat)


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## Roll farms (Feb 27, 2012)

Cute!


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## porkchop48 (Mar 2, 2012)

I need to stay the heck out of TSC... But atleast I now have more things to keep me busy and out of trouble. 

I picked up a new peach tree ( due to a road crew taking out mine). Garlic ( which I got bored and planted last night).  I also have my onion sets ready as well as my seed potatoes ready. I picked up couple more blue berry bushes that I am also going to try to put in this weekend.   That along with making some new frog tanks should keep me busy for atleast a few hours. 



Some how while I was at TSC - a dozen cornish rocks fells into my cart. No clue how that happened.  I am going to try and pick up a few more blue berry bushes today though... Whoops.  If they just had Cherry trees I could so all my shopping there. I am really hoping that they do not have any kind of new chicks though.  I had will power to not buy any banties as I think they are useless but I don't know if I can hold out if they end up with a different kind of duck or guineas.  If they happen to get guineas I am in trouble. 6 I swear I only want 6

Hoof trimming this weekend. Some of my goat hooves need a major over hall. I have been bringing them in daily, giving them their grain and working on their feet. When the grain is gone, I let that one out and start on the next. I am hoping a little at a time is less stressfull on them. 

BUt in all regards it is FRIDAY.    and I am so ready for it. Computer crashes, meetings, cranke people... Bring on FRIDAY.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 2, 2012)

I guess I could have just used the edit button...Whoops

Got my cucumber plants started yesterday too. Not to mention got the whole 80 feet of front fence line cleared.


But I have a new broody  - A dominicker ( how in the heck do you spell that) that has gone broody as of yesterday. I gave her 8 eggs to set on. I have a dark Braham that is down to 6 days left. And then I have a buff orp mis that is starting to set... Come on guys I really do not need all these chicks. I guess the chicken plucker will get a heck of a work out soon.


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## Queen Mum (Mar 2, 2012)

Pork Chop, repeat after me.  My name is Pork Chop and I have C.A.S.   Chick Addiction Syndrome.

Step one:  Stay away from the chicks.  
Step two: Step away from the chicks.  
Step three: DO not buy any chicks.  
Step four: OK, try not to buy any chicks.  

It's OK, I understand.  I was at Atwoods today.   I accidentally bought two chicks.  Just two.  I couldn't help it.  I've never done that before.  Now I have to build them a little house and buy feed and a watering thingy and a light.  I know that this is going to get worse.  WORSE, I tell you.  It's not going to stop with two.  I'm already wanting to look up websites where you can order them online.  I can't afford to order them online.

Don't do it Porkchop.  It's dangerous!  Think of me when you see those chicks!


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## marlowmanor (Mar 2, 2012)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> Pork Chop, repeat after me.  My name is Pork Chop and I have C.A.S.   Chick Addiction Syndrome.
> 
> Step one:  Stay away from the chicks.
> Step two: Step away from the chicks.
> ...


So what breed(s) did you get QM? Would love pictures too! I wouldn't mind some more chickeds but I want more color variety. Though honestly I think if our current hens would quit being freeloaders and actually start laying so we can have fresh eggs I could be satisfied. I do want to find an excuse to go to TSC to see what breeds of chicks they have available though, and of course the feed store too! The chick stage is so cute!


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## porkchop48 (Mar 4, 2012)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> Pork Chop, repeat after me.  My name is Pork Chop and I have C.A.S.   Chick Addiction Syndrome.
> 
> Step one:  Stay away from the chicks.
> Step two: Step away from the chicks.
> ...


My name is Porkchop and I have C. A. S.  Lets just hope it does not morph into G.A.S. as well. 


I did manage to control myself when I went on Friday no more chicks for me. 


Atleast I can say I was already set up for them. The brooder was ready and only half full with 21 Turken chicks. No wait I gave 6 away. So the brooder was 1/2 full with 15 turken chicks.  Wait that means I should have got 6 more.   Oh heck what have I done. 


Queen - No way you can just have 2. That is just unheard of  What kind did you get?  I have to go back on Monday to get some loose minerals. I will try to regain some willpower before then. 

I did lose a couple ducklings over the weekend though :-( 

We had them bad storms come through friday night and I think in the confusion two pekins got pushed out the next. Halfway hatched and got trampled.   I found another one squished in the nest. The hen that was raising themw as not the best broddy I had every seen and I was surprised she hatched any. But I figured if she wanted to sit on eggs, I would give her duck eggs. I did not really wants any more chicks ( at that time anyway) I did manage to save one the was very cold, very wet but still alive.  Today it finally started rinking and walking around so I am holding out hope. It just better end up being a female. I have too many drakes as it is. 

Time to head downstairs and get some work done.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 6, 2012)

http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=17685

That there is the start to my kidding thread. For about 7 hours last night I paced. I am pacing now, not looking forward to going to work. I am going to get nothing done at work today. Nothing. 

Thankfully I do have a friend that is willing to stop up and check on her during the day while I am at work.  Heading back out in about an hour to check on her. 

The little duck has been named Storm and I am so hoping it is a female so she can stay   I have way too mnay drakes as it is. Well only 3 but when you only have 7 ducks, 3 drakes is a little much. 

Off to brush the teeth, throw some clothes on and go sit in the barn and watch SGS till I go to work.


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## Queen Mum (Mar 6, 2012)

Autumnprairie says I have  Rhode Island Red and a White Leghorn.   They are very cute.   Here are pictures of Mama Hen and her Baby.   







Baby has imprinted on Mama Hen.  Mama Hen puts her little winglet around Baby and tries to "sit" on her to "protect".   It is very cute.  She "clucks" to her as well.  And if I pick Baby up, she cheeps to her when she is not in the box and gets all distressed and looks for her.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 12, 2012)

The baby chicks are adorable. 

That white one looks maybe like a Cornish IMHO. They grow much faster than the other chicks. I have some out in my garage I will try to get some pics so you can compare. 



Well SGS the darker nubian in the pics, had a kid on 3/8/2012. I named the baby girl Tut.  Mom is doing great with her and goes into full blown panic when you take the kid away or she can not see her. Tut seems to be eating well and growing already. 

I started milking mom as of Saturday and she is a trooper on the stand.  I thought she would be a bear to milk. She hated to have anything on the lower have of her body touched. She stands on the stand and just eats her grain.  I was/ am very impressed with her. 

Got some new frogs this week. 

1.2 Green and black panamian auratus
4.2 Blue and black auratus
0.0.9 froglets

I have two more probable luec pairs coming this week as well as 2 leuc males to pair up with my current lone females.

Pics of the frogs to come soon. 

Off to a long long monday. Wish me luck.,


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## porkchop48 (Mar 13, 2012)

Goat number 2 has started with the goo...

going to be a long few days again. 

This does name is Kurt. She is a yearling alpine  Heres to hoping it goes as smooth as the first one.


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## Queen Mum (Mar 13, 2012)

Go Kurt, go!


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## porkchop48 (Mar 14, 2012)

Queen Mum said:
			
		

> Go Kurt, go!


Not nearly as smooth as the first one. :-( 

One dead black and white buckling.


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## elevan (Mar 14, 2012)




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## Queen Mum (Mar 14, 2012)

So sorry to hear that!


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## fortheloveofgoats (Mar 14, 2012)

So sorry.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 15, 2012)

Thanks guys. I appreciate the cyber hugs. It really sucked but I guess it happens and there was probably nothing I could have done to prevent it. 

On a lighter note I did pic up two new rabbits yesterday. 

A young male new zeland / californian mix buck and a bred dutch doe. I always thought that dutch were a smaller rabbit. I was pretty impressed with their size so went ahead and got the bred doe 

I will try to get some pics of them this weekend. Now now my rabbit total is up to 1.3 I think that is a good start to supply rabbit meat for a family of 2.


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## Roll farms (Mar 15, 2012)

Sorry about the buckling, congrats on the new buns.

We got a new Californian doe, a really, really nice one...but her pen mate scratched her eye / ruined her career as a show bun so now she's DH's new meat brood doe.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 16, 2012)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Sorry about the buckling, congrats on the new buns.
> 
> We got a new Californian doe, a really, really nice one...but her pen mate scratched her eye / ruined her career as a show bun so now she's DH's new meat brood doe.


That sucks about the eye but atleast you get a new meat doe.  I am hoping to use mine for meat, well not the new ones the new ones youngins when the time comes. 

I swear people say breeding rabbits is easy. I just seem to be having a hard time at it. Well I started with young ones, then we had the cat issue so not I am starting over.  All of them are atleast 8 months old except the buck with is onyly 3 months, so I guess the waiting begins again.



Super goat is officially getting close. I noticed yesterday she was starting to get more of an udder and just like her sister ( SGS ) she is starting to do the belly drop. Hopefully I will not go into panic mode quite as much with this one. 

And keep your fingers crossed that my friend Crickett call with good baby new this morning. She has been waiting and pacing since before SGS had her kid.   I think I have wore holes in my floor waiting with her as well. I can not wait to see pygmy babies.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 22, 2012)

Well I checked Super goat this morning ( super goat is SGS's sister) and we have a elongated relaxed looking who haw and some opague goo.

She still ate her food this morning so I am not in full blow panic yet but just to be on the safe side I went ahead and locked her up in the kidding pen for the day.   SGS was still eating a few hours before she had her but Super goat may throw me for a loop. 

So lets cross fingers and this twins...


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## SuburbanFarmChic (Mar 22, 2012)




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## Roll farms (Mar 22, 2012)




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## porkchop48 (Mar 23, 2012)

Keep em crossed girls... We are still waiting.  

I think I have not quite paniced enough for her.   She is penned up but that last couple days I have let her out into the field while I am home.  She strolls around for a few minutes, munches some grass and then goes back to her pen and lays down. 

We have done the goo, the stretching, the yawning, udder building, vocal, etc... What I have not done yet is pull out my hair, stare at her for hours, pace, chain smoke, etc... I think I will start that tonight.


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## 20kidsonhill (Mar 23, 2012)




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## elevan (Mar 23, 2012)

Any word?


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## Mamaboid (Mar 23, 2012)

porkchop48 said:
			
		

> We have done the goo, the stretching, the yawning, udder building, vocal, etc... What I have not done yet is pull out my hair, stare at her for hours, pace, chain smoke, etc... I think I will start that tonight.


When we were waiting for Elsie and spending hours in the kidding pen with her, we even put a moretorium on the no smoking in the chicken house or goat pens rule, and DH was allowed to smoke in the "entranceway" where there was no hay. LOL  so you aren't quite there yet.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 24, 2012)

elevan said:
			
		

> Any word?


Oh I have said many many words... None fit for this site though. 


Still waiting. Still chain smoking, still pacing, still wanting to squeeze her.  I am more anxious for baby Tut ( the two week old doeling) to have some one to play with besides for me. 


I bet she holds out till closer to the 30th...


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## RPC (Mar 24, 2012)

The wait will get you every time. Good luck it will happen soon enough.


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## elevan (Mar 24, 2012)

porkchop48 said:
			
		

> elevan said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...







> Still waiting. Still chain smoking, still pacing, still wanting to squeeze her.  I am more anxious for baby Tut ( the two week old doeling) to have some one to play with besides for me.
> 
> 
> I bet she holds out till closer to the 30th...


Next full moon is:  April 6 at 7:19p

That'll be my guess for the date and time of kidding


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## porkchop48 (Mar 25, 2012)

elevan said:
			
		

> porkchop48 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh your killing me..  

I am thinking closer to the 30th. But I have been wrong before.   That would be nice though I could get some actual sleep instead of running out the goat barn every hour during the night. 

I let her out this morning into the back pen to get some more exercise. I did not want to let her out with the rest of the herd as she is a tiny bit flighty and was not sure if she would come back in easily. She has her sister ( SGS) and Tut ( the new doeling ) to keep her company. She spazzes way too much if you take away all of her friends.  I have been penning her up at night and while I am at work. 

She is looking real sunk in around the tail this morning, still eating and no more goo yet.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 27, 2012)

She is so holding out on me it is not even funny. 

But she is still doing good, active, eating being a general pain in my tushie. 

I do hope this gives us some bonding time. SUper Goat has always been a little flighty and hopefully spending so much time out there with her, her sister and Tut is making her realize I am not a horrible person. 

TOday is the 27th... I hope I only have 3 or so more days of pacing not 10 or so like some people have tried to curse me with.


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## porkchop48 (Mar 30, 2012)

Well it looks like April 6th may not be a bad guess. SUper goat is driving me nuts but I guess that happens from time to time. 



Still eating, still growing, still acting like Super goat. Occasionally she will have an un super goat moment and come over and let me pet her and give her a scratch but for the most part she is back to being my flight nubian. I was hoping the time that I have been spending in the barn would help more. It is helping a little but I guess a little is better than nothing. 



My Dutch rabbit is still pulling fur. She is due some where around the 6th. I am picking up one or 2 more bred rabbits today, which are both due around the same day.  That should be fun. I also have a broody hen due to hatch out her eggs on the 6th and 74 ducks eggs due to hatch starting the 6th... 

What the heck was I thinking?


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## porkchop48 (Mar 30, 2012)

Baby Tut. I need to get some new pics of her.  She is growing like a weed.


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## redtailgal (Mar 30, 2012)

Three words.......Pic of the week thread.  oops. four words.  Need coffee............lol


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## BarredRockMomma (Mar 30, 2012)

redtailgal said:
			
		

> Pic of the week thread.


x2 

ETA: RTG that is 5 words.


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## redtailgal (Mar 30, 2012)

Going to make a cup of coffee now.    I didnt sleep good, cant help it!


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## BarredRockMomma (Mar 30, 2012)

I can only correct because I have almost finished my fisrt cup of the morning.


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## redtailgal (Mar 30, 2012)

yeah, well, you need to finish it, lol.

You mis-spelled first!!!!!


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## BarredRockMomma (Mar 30, 2012)

Maybe one won't be enought today?


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## porkchop48 (Apr 4, 2012)

So that pic might be worthy of submitting to pic of the week ... Ok I can do that. I do love that pic.  

I also do hope Super goat is even close to as good as a mom as SGS is.  Speaking of Super Goat. I do need to get a pic of two of her on here. She is not very big preggo wise so I am going to guess and say she only has one kid. I would love for her to have twins but you know as long as every one is happy and healthy I am a happy camper.  She is bigger than SGS was. SGS barely looked pregnant except for the udder.  

My mama black hen hatched out 4 or 5 of her eggs yesterday.. Woo hoo. I tried to check out the chicks but mama was having no parts of it.   I went down stairs to the frog room to take the pekin and Golden Cascade eggs out of the turner and founf 3 hatched 3 days early. On got his leg stuck in the turner but after freeing him managed to be up and moving around within 15-20 minutes.  Found 3 more golden cascade duckling this morning hatched.  I was not ready for duckling to start hatching early. I have no chick started and my feed store will not have any until thursday... WTH???  looks like I need to get the sign for ducklings for sale hung up in the feed store a little sooner than planned. 

So looks like I may have to hit TSC today. 

So back to Super Goat now. Her udder has gotten much bigger over the last 24-36 hours and this morning I was able to check out the hoo haw area. It is more relaxed/ elongated looking with a bit of clear whitish goo. I was almost excited about the goo, but she also gooed ( is that a word last week). I thinks she may be holding out until I get as paniced as I was last time. So tonight I am going to get out the towels, gloves, meds, etc and see if that helps her along. I will make sure to pace where she can see me and try to look stressed. Wish me luck.


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## Roll farms (Apr 4, 2012)

You're still able to type sensible sentences....it's not time yet.  When you sit in the corner talking to yourself....she'll be close.


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## daisychick (Apr 4, 2012)




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## elevan (Apr 4, 2012)

Buy some cornmeal from the grocery store and mix it with scrambled eggs to creating a substitute for the chick starter.  My Grandma tells me that's what they fed the chicks when she raised chickens years ago.


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## porkchop48 (Apr 5, 2012)

Ok I am up to twelve ducklings.  2 pekins and 10 golden cascades. 

I did manage to find chick starter. Only a 25 lbs back but it beat paying outrageous TSC prices. My local feed store will have some by the time this bag runs out. 

Mama hen hatched out 3 of her five chicks and already had them out cruising around yesterday. 



As for Super Goat I give up I really do.  No ligaments at all yesterday. No kids last night.. SOOOO maybe tonight.  My sentences are still semi coherent. Altough it took me retyping numerous times to make that one make semi sense. 

I sent out 3 emails this morning. One saying what i wanted to say to my boss ( nothing bad work related) and saying please ignore the first message and a correction and then a third saying ignore the 2nd message and a new correction.  BRING ON THE INCOHERENCY. 


On a lighter note I am going to look at what I was told was/is a spotted nubian doeling after work today. I so want a spotted nubian.  She was born on March 17th. The lady said I could have her now if I wanted to bottle feed her.  I do not think I want to bottle feed her but if I do, how much longer would she need bottle fed?  I am only getting a little over a quart a day from SGS due to her feeding Tut as well.... HHmmm is it possible?  NO darn it I do not need a bottle baby.  BUt would it really be that much more work? Or maybe wait a  few weeks and see how Super Goat does? Or maybe just load her up and bring her home?  AHHHH  Ok depends on what the parents look like.  I want larger nubs. Not smaller. If the parents look good? No? Yes?


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## Roll farms (Apr 5, 2012)

If she's been on mom so far, it'll be hard to switch her to a bottle, that would be 'work'.
If she's on a bottle already....not such a big deal.


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## porkchop48 (Apr 6, 2012)

I did not make it to see the doeling yesterday... Hpefully today. 

Came home to 8 dead kits in my Dutch hutch. All on the wire. She was bred on March 6th so she was a little early. Not sure what happened.  two more due to have litters also bred on the 6th... I guess I will see how they do. 

Started on the new chicken coop yesterday.


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## RPC (Apr 8, 2012)

Happy Easter


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## porkchop48 (Apr 9, 2012)

RPC said:
			
		

> Happy Easter


Happy Easter to you as well ( a little late)




Rough weekend. 


Had another rabbit have 4 kits on the wire, all dead. 

Got two 50 ft ros of potatoes and beans planted. Got 1/2 the new chicken coop built. Had a few friends over for easter dinner. Loaded up a wood pile from over the hill and brought it up to finish the coop. 

No baby goat yet. My butt is whooped.


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## porkchop48 (Apr 10, 2012)

Tut and SGS spent all weekend with the herd. Tut has been able to go in and out of the fence with them for the last few weeks. But today is the first day that I will not be home that I put SGS out with the herd.   baby Tut is still able to come back into the barn and sleep ( which she seems to do) but will also be able to browse with mom all day. 

I am so nervous. 

The 3rd rabbit has not kindled yet. Not that I am expecting any kits out of her with the way my last two have gone but one can hope. The two that had the dead litters are back in with the male for the week. Hopefully something better happens this time. 

 Super goats ligs are very soft today but still there. So  the hair pulling, power drinking and chain smoking continues. 

Today I am going to go look at that little spotted doeling. I think if she is spotted like I want I am going to put a deposit on her.  I think.


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## 20kidsonhill (Apr 10, 2012)

We haven't had any better luck than you are having with your rabbits, I am pretty much ready to butcher them all and start over.  Our just wont even breed, oh they will breed, love to breed, just never have any babies. 

Good luck with your pregnant doe and looking at the spotted doe.


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## porkchop48 (Apr 19, 2012)

SUper goat is still driving me nuts.   She now has a nice elongated hoo haw, a large udder ( bigger than SGS who kidded 5 weeks ago), A nice dropped belly and is super friendly. But still no kids. 

Really Super goat?    Who needs sleep?    I guess I don't.  I just want another kid or two ( two would be real nice) to hug and kiss and cuddle.  Atleast I have the pain in my foot to help keep me awake. 


Pretty bad when I go to work in the morning and my co workers look at me and say " no baby yet huh"



Almost time for round 2 with the rabbits. All 4 of the does should be bred again. I will be pulling out the male this weekend. I am going to try two does in hutches and 2 does in the run to see if maybe one works better than the other.  The run is 16 ft long by 8 ft with plenty of hidey holes, cover, water, food, etc. Maybe they just did not like being penned up. Maybe I was just not meant to have rabbits in my freezer. 


Another 4 weeks until the little doeling named Bailey comes home. I hate having to wait that long.


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## porkchop48 (Apr 23, 2012)

I think I have no hair left on the right side of my head. Seems to be the easier side to pull out. 

To keep me happy and occupied I have a few new non farm additions to the farm. I will try to get pics of them later. 

I got me some new frogs when  friend from Illionis came to visit on Friday as well as a pair of Werewolf pigs. 

Were wolf pigs are a guinea pig with almost no hair and what hair they do have feels like a brillo pad. There is a mostly black boar and a tanish female. 



Now back to Super goat. The last couple of days I have noticed some more goo and a Super friendly goat. Which she is normally not friendly.   I happen to be off today. My first day in 10 months. It would be really kind of her to have them today ( and yes I am hoping for twins)

Hopefully pics of the pigs to come soon.


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## Mamaboid (Apr 23, 2012)




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## porkchop48 (Apr 23, 2012)

Amber colored goo.... Amber colored goo. Amber colored goo.


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## elevan (Apr 23, 2012)




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## porkchop48 (Apr 24, 2012)

Keep eating the popcorn. 

I think yet again I may have gotten a little excited. Or she is just awesome at displaying the doe code. 

And what I think happened was - While watching her hoo hoo for hours I noticed a berry stuck to it. I think goo may have mixed with berry causing brownish/ amber colored goo. 

Regardless Ligs are gone.. GONE- Now it seems with Super G that seems to mean nothing but I am back to hoping for maybe today.


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## BarredRockMomma (Apr 24, 2012)




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## elevan (Apr 24, 2012)




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## porkchop48 (Apr 24, 2012)

I know I know... Keep eating guys. Keep eating.


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## porkchop48 (Apr 27, 2012)

Still no kids yet from Super Goat. 

I am going out of town on Sunday and will be gone 90 % of the day.  I bet that darn goat holds out till Sunday. 

I have begged her.  I have told her how much better she will feel after she has them. I have paced. I have screamed. Pulled out half my hair. Stutter like a blumbing fool. ...... How much more do I need to do?


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## Roll farms (Apr 27, 2012)

Leaving will be about all it will take.  Try to convince her you're going on Saturday instead.


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## 20kidsonhill (Apr 27, 2012)




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## that's*satyrical (Apr 27, 2012)

well, if you insist


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## porkchop48 (May 1, 2012)

Leaving Sunday did not work. Drinking Monday night did not work.... but asking nicely Tuesday did work.

Twin bucklings.   Alpine Nubian mixes. 

about 4:30 this afternoon. Had some issues. I had to help.  I will get into that more later but for tonight pics. 







OMG A bubble 







More bubble and still eating.. LOL






Bubble one breaks. I see feet but I also see bubble two... Uh oh. Both kids trying to make it out at the same time.. 

Had to do some pulling of one and holding back of the other. But in the end we got these cuties.


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## Mamaboid (May 1, 2012)

Sorry bout the blue, but oh my they are cuties.  Congrats!!


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## Roll farms (May 1, 2012)

Congrats!


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## RPC (May 1, 2012)

Even if you got boys they look like nice boys. Believe it or not but I usually hope for boys.


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## porkchop48 (May 4, 2012)

I was kind hoping for girls. I plan to keep most girls that are hatched out here this year.


Yesterday was an exciting day in general. 

I had a call from the post office that my package arrived. HHmm. What did I get? I had not recieved any tracking infor or even a email saying " hey they are on their way".  I also hear cheeping in the back ground... NO they is no way my turkeys could have arrived yet. 

Low and behold - Turkeys and ducks have arrived. I call my Crickett friend.  She is a dear and has been a lifesaver. So I ask... Can you go pick up my package and take it to my house. Oh and while you are at it set up the brooder, give them food and water and check on the new bucklings?   I get home to a nicely set up brooder, full water and full of turkeys and ducks. Who could ask for a better friend. 

So I got 10 midget white turkeys( half are crickets), 5 bronze broad breasted and 2 white broad breasted ( all for butchering) and 3 crested peking duck pullets. 

One of the bucklings had a blocked butt for lack of a better word. Well a poopy butt anways. Super goat does not seem to be quite as good as a mom as her sister. She feed them and keeps them in line but is not good at butt cleaning. So being that he is a hairy little thing he got some poop stuck. But that is now fixed. 

Also had 25 bales of hay delivered last night. 

Today the plans are to pick up another flat or two of vegg plants for the garden and get that done this weekend. I think another 30 or so tomatoe plants, and another 20 or so bell peppers should get me done in that area.  I do need some more celery and herbs as well as some other odd and ends. I hope the green house has a few more things out this trip. Seems every trip I make they have a couple different things. I hope this trip falls in to that category as well.


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## BrownSheep (May 4, 2012)

I am now terrified the turkey thing will happen to me.  so glad I warned the post office they should be coming and gave not one not two Not three but four phone numbers


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## porkchop48 (May 6, 2012)

The litter of kits was found dead this morning. 

Got me a new pair of Muscovy Ducks and a Lavernder orphington rooster.  Washed the tractors, cleaned both vehicles inside and out. Wash the bike, cut the fields, finished the garden. And picked up a ton of meds from a lady who got out of goats. Bo-se was one of them. Woo hoo

About 3 pm I noticed Steiner my Alpine missing. Sent DH over the hill to lower barn to find her. She was in a stall by her self. he got her up and she came up to the top barn. Noticed some goo. Decided to bring her in over night so I would be able to sleep. 

This was about 3:30 I brought her in. By 5:40 we had a pure alpine doeling. Steiner is cleaning her up like a champ and she is still a little wobbly but seems to be doing great.

Pics coming soon... I am whooped.


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## jodief100 (May 7, 2012)




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## porkchop48 (May 9, 2012)

I think the goats are going to cause me to take up drinking.. HEAVILY. 


After losing Steiners doeling I am even more paranoid about the twins. 

They are doing great and turning into little bundles of fun.   I get home from work yesterday and hear Super Goat crying. She is the twins mom.    I run out to the barn and can not find the little black buck. Super goat is frantic.   I hurry up change clothes and head out to the field. I check every where... Under the milking stand, behind stall doors, chicken coop,etc. I let Super goat out thinking maybe she will go find him. She started looking then got sidetracked on nice green grass. Thanks for the help Super Goat.
The rest of the group is down by the pond playing in the woods.  I see every one but Tut ( the 2 month old doeling).  I grab the dog and start heading out. All I keep thinking is OMG the buckling is lost if he got into the neighbors field I will never find him. It rained today he is probably cold and wet and scared and will never come out. 

I am about half way down the hill, still calling for the herd and her comes Tut running out of the woods with that little black buckling right behind her.  I was so relieved.  It did cause a laugh or two seeing this tiny buckling who is only 1 week old out playing with the adults. He was having a blast.  Jumping  and kicking all over the place. 

Me and Super Goat and the other half of the twins figured we might as well head down to the pond to check things out. Spent some time over the hill and at the pond watching every one eat and play.   It was relaxing until I remembered I had to walk my fat but back up the hill. 

I think we will do that again today. 

The muscovies were let out of the lock up pen yesterday and seemed to mngle well with the flock.   That male is just scarey looking. with his blue eyes and mohawk. The female has a nice nest built already and 2 eggs in it. I am going to leave them and see if she will lay some more and brood them. 

Some how managed to buy 21 more pekins which I will be picking up ( or hopefully having picked up ) on Saturday. Bought a 400lb sow yesterday too.   Cute friendly girl about 2 miles down the road. 

And found out yesterday Bailey ( my new nubian doeling) will be being delivered on the 17th... I can not wait.


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## 77Herford (May 9, 2012)

porkchop48 said:
			
		

> I think the goats are going to cause me to take up drinking.. HEAVILY.
> 
> 
> After losing Steiners doeling I am even more paranoid about the twins.
> ...


  I'm tired after reading all the stuff you do.


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## elevan (May 9, 2012)

Yep, if anything could drive you to drink it would most certainly be goats!  

I remember when Maggie was born she got out of the kidding pen at 48 hours old.  Lilly (her mama) was going ballistic and we were frantic trying to find a black goat in the dark.  Lilly found her though!


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## SuburbanFarmChic (May 9, 2012)

Goats will totally drive you to drink. 


 Yesterday one of mine (they won't say who) managed to eat through the bungee that holds the gate on the milking stall.  They then proceeded to knock the gate down on top of the two babies I had to pull back in early March and since the buck is now a wether I can't get those genetics anymore.  After the babes were well pinned the big ones then STOOD on the gate and tried to smoosh them.  Seriously??  THIS is what you needed to do with your spare time?    The twins are banged up and sore but ok. I'm not sure I'm done shooting death glares at the big girls though.


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## porkchop48 (May 10, 2012)

Glad to hear the babies are ok now.  I would have been a frantic mess. 

This weekend should be fun at my house. 

The rest of the fields need cut. The actual yard needs cut and weed eated.  The small tiller need runs through the garden rows.  Pick the rest of the radish patch and get some sun flowers and the rest of the corn planted.  The planting and gardening should not take too long. 

Saturday my parents are coming to visit.  They are being kind enough to pick up 21 new pekins that I bought. That will save me 4 hours of driving. After the ducks get here I will seperate the boys from the girls. Take the girls down to the lower barn by the pond and lock them up for a few days.  The boys will be butchered that afternoon as well as a few of my boys. Thankfully the duck plucker should be done this weekend. 

The chicken plucker is fixed again after its run in with the tractor.  So the meaty bird and a few extra roos with be butchered this weekend. We will also be butchering my friends meaties and her extra roos. 

So saturday will be a little full.  Oh and at some point in time Saturday we have to go pick up the trailer so we can pick up the pig on Sunday. 

So sunday will be pick up pig, kill pig, skin and gut pig, hang pig, return trailer.


Last night the 3 boer does got their Bo-se shots. I hope that will help with their kiddings coming up soon. I really hope I do not have to deal with the weak kid thing any time soon again. 

Ever one also got wormed with Ivormec. Even the cow.  They all hate me now. Hate me. 

Geeze... what can I get into tonight?


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## porkchop48 (May 14, 2012)

What a freaking weekend. 

Came home friday to a new litter of bunnies. No clue how many as I am scared to go near them. I think I will try and check on them today and see how they are doing. 

Also found a clutch of axololts eggs.. Woo hoo. All white eggs so I plan to sell off a few and raise up the rest to sell when they hit a few inches. 

Also found one of my crested pekin ducklings missing... But I do know where it went and it was replaced by 4 Easter egger chicks  You have to love when you have awesome friends like that 

Had 21 peking ducks delivered on Saturday. Got them over the hill and set up by the pond. I think i will let them out tomorrow. Three days should be plenty of time for them to know where home is. I plan to butcher off most of the males..


Waiting on anything to hatch out of the POS incubator sitting in the dining room. If nothing hatches from this batch, I am getting a fan for it. I have much better luck with my one with the fan. Speaking of the other incubator.. It is packed with 42 guinea eggs  Few more weeks to go on them. 


Slaughtered a 400 lb sow this weekend.  That was fun.  She is currently quartered and chilling in the walk in. The actual cutting and grinding will be done in the next few days. 


And on a great note.... Mini Me is building an udder and getting wider      She is my paint boer that should have been bred to a all black buck.  Depending on when she decides to tap out will let me know if she was bred to the black boer or to my apline. Fingers crossed     that she kids before the end of june.


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## porkchop48 (May 16, 2012)

Sleep I needs it.  


After I managed to get the rest of the pig cut up, ground, seasoned and packed all by last night at 9:30ish.  Not to bad I do not think. We ended up with 225 lbs of sausage and 50 lbs of brats. 

I did finally let the pekings out of the lower barn last night too. herding 16 ducks to the pond was not fun. I do hope they found their way back to the barn last night. This is the lower barn so we can not really see all of it from the top of the hill.  The 5 duckling that remain up here were let out yesterday as well. Today will be their  first full day of free ranging.  FIngers crossed they do ok. 

6 more pekins and one Kahki Campbell hatched yesterday. They got moved to a mini brooder until I can get the turkeys outside.

Tonight we will be butchering 2 or 3 snapping turtles. Never done that before. It should be fun. 

And some how managed to cook a breakfast casserole for work today, pack up some orders and send out some tracking numbers. 

Off to work I go and to try and find my darn frogs..The post office lost them yesterday.


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## porkchop48 (May 17, 2012)

I finally decided to check out the nest today. 5 little kits all furring up and looking good. FINALLY. 

On a sadder note my brown and white dutch had 4 kits on the wire. All dead. I am not sure if she has any in the box as I am scared to check.   I may check on my next trip out and if there is none I am putting her directly back in with the male. I want babies from her. She has such cool colors, nice size and a friendly rabbit.


Bailey is being delivered today. She is 8 weeks old today.  I have not seen her since she was 4 weeks. I can not wait to see how well she has grown. 

A few more pekins hatched out over night. Guess I get to move them too. Almost time to move the turkeys to  the coop and hope to get a new batch of chickens in in the next 3 days to hatch out before the show....


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## porkchop48 (Jun 29, 2012)

Busy is an understatment.... 

But I found 5 minutes to work on updating this here journal. 

 Ditto had joined the family. She looks just like my little Nubian Bailey so she got named ditto.   She is the one I think was starting to bloat Thursday evening after attacking my raised beds and finding the food bins. She seems to be doing much better today.

I traded some pekin ducks for a 4-5 month old Boer buck.  He is fitting right in with the herd nicely. Got a new angus steer. A few more turkeys. 



Mini Me finally managed to kid. For as big as the poor girl was I thought for sure twins. Nope just one hefty blacked headed boer buck. IT was a rough kidding. About 3:30 when DH went out  the door I heard her making a bunch of noise. Grabbed an energy drink and headed out.  She seemed very uncomfortable. Lay down, get up, lay down, get up.   She started pushing about a bag about 4ish.  BY 5 panic had set in. Mini me was still doing good.  She was even eating throughout the whole thing. 

By 5:30 I was calling for help. She would push and push and only one foot was showing.  Reinforcments arrived and  we established the feet were crossed and the head stuck.  The feet had to be tied and pulled apart to let the head out come. As soon as the feet were fixed, out her came. Mama took right too him and both are doing great.

Moore updates and pics coming soon.


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## elevan (Jun 29, 2012)

Busy is right!  Glad to hear things (while crazy) are good.  Congrats on the new additions!


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## jodief100 (Jun 30, 2012)

That is wonderful you were able to help and get him out!


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## porkchop48 (Jul 8, 2012)

The little buckling is doing great. His name is Squatch. He has big feet. I think it is the perfect name. Still trying to figure out if he will be kept or not. 

I am ready to plow the garden under. So far I have canned 20 qts of pickles, 10 qts of saurkraut, 12 qts of green beans, 7 qts of bananna peppers stuffed with kraut, 28 qts of potatoes ( and still have 3 5 gal buckets left, plus more to dig up). Have enough vacuum sealed bags to do over 40 loafs of zucchini bread. Not to mention the 12 loafs we took to work the other day. Been sending DH with boxes of zucchinis to work.  We have had corn on the cob on the grill almost daily for the past few weeks. Been giving it away to every neighor that stops.  Put up 60 cabbage rolls in the freezer ( stuff green peppers will be tomorrow). I am whooped. 

 I did a chicken trade today. I took 5 pekin ducks. I came home with 2 peacocks, 4 turkens, 4 guineas, 6 buff orphingtons, 2 polish mixes, 4 odd ball easter egg mixes, 2 female sumantra and a clutch of 5 sumantra babies, 3 other baby chicks and 7 bourbon red turkeys.  Oh oh and a pair of east india ducks and a hatchling.  Most of the chickens are hens about 3-4 months old so I am a happy camper.  

Work agreed to give me 8 extra hours a week due to extra work with the census almost doubling so that is a good thing. 

Bought a training lease for the dog. 30 ft. I hope working with him and the lease will teach him to come when called. Also a spiked collar.  At over a year old and 100 lbs it is way past time he knew how to walk on a lease without dragging me all over the place. If I want him to stay he needs to learn some manners. 

We did managed to get a bunch mroe trees cleared today and more fencing put up. This storm whooped my hiney. SO much stuff needs fixed but SOOOO hot out. 


I'm whooped.


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## bjjohns (Jul 8, 2012)

porkchop48 said:
			
		

> I am ready to plow the garden under. So far I have canned 20 qts of pickles, 10 qts of saurkraut, 12 qts of green beans, 7 qts of bananna peppers stuffed with kraut, 28 qts of potatoes ( and still have 3 5 gal buckets left, plus more to dig up). Have enough vacuum sealed bags to do over 40 loafs of zucchini bread. Not to mention the 12 loafs we took to work the other day. Been sending DH with boxes of zucchinis to work.  We have had corn on the cob on the grill almost daily for the past few weeks. Been giving it away to every neighor that stops.  Put up 60 cabbage rolls in the freezer ( stuff green peppers will be tomorrow). I am whooped.
> 
> I did a chicken trade today. I took 5 pekin ducks. I came home with 2 peacocks, 4 turkens, 4 guineas, 6 buff orphingtons, 2 polish mixes, 4 odd ball easter egg mixes, 2 female sumantra and a clutch of 5 sumantra babies, 3 other baby chicks and 7 bourbon red turkeys.  Oh oh and a pair of east india ducks and a hatchling.  Most of the chickens are hens about 3-4 months old so I am a happy camper.
> 
> This storm whooped my hiney. SO much stuff needs fixed but SOOOO hot out.


I wished we lived closer for two reasons - I'd come take your extra harvest, and I -REALLLY- want to know where you trade, that was an amazing deal. 

I agree, storm whooped us too.


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## porkchop48 (Jul 9, 2012)

Where is knox county? I am down in Morgan county. 

 One big tree lifted my coop about 4 ft in the air, still replacing fences, stick pickin gup glass and limbs. Plum tuckered out. Add that to a scraptastic day at work and I am just done. 


Speaking of craptastics days at work.. Really people when you start a meeting out like that, really how well do you thinkn it is going to go? Upset .. yes I am upset, Again how did you really think it was going to go. 


OK small bit of whining, I am done now.


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## porkchop48 (Jul 14, 2012)

Finally a day to get stuff done. 

Got some work done in the frog room. Worked with Thermo for a bit. Managed to get half the coop shoveled out and new bedding put in. Did some garden weeding. Dinner is one. Picked more stuff from the garden to can tonight.   Took some pics of the goats to post and of course the batteries in the camera died. I can not even get it to turn on to get the pics downloaded.

I am about ready to have a hissy girlie fit. 

SO I am now trying to email some not so great pics from my phone to myself to see if I can post them that way.  It may be tedious but I got nothing else better to do right. 

Thermo is trying my patience like you would not believe. He is pretty good with the goats, even the kids. But I can not get him to leave the cows alone. I can not get him to not run across the street. An underground fence is not an option with him or the mini farm.  I got one of those spiked colors to help with pulling while walking on a leash. We have been doing much better. I also got a 30 ft traning leash so he would learn the words " come" or " here" 







Let see if this one pic works then continue on with my mini rant.


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## porkchop48 (Jul 14, 2012)

OK a little blurry but you get the point.   That was one of my males traying to woo one of the new females I picked up yesterday. 

I feel bad keeping every one cooped up but it must be done when new birds come it. 

I now have 2 males a green and a black shoulder, 2 hens ( a indie blue and a black shoulder) and a white pea chick. 

OK back to Thermo. Tonight starts shock collar training. I know some people hate them but I have to be able to do something to get his attention as he is heading for the road. He does not hear well so yelling his name does not work.  I am hoping the vibration of the collar ( I did make sure to get one with a vibration mode) will make him stop long enough for me to get his attention and have him come back. Lots of good treats are ready for this evenings traning session. Wish me luck. 





My new Turken roo. I picked up 5 new turkens the other day. 4 girls one boy. 

Here is Socket. My new Silkie roo. I had 2 black hens and a blue splash roo. They unfortunately were at a friends house and got taken by some kind of critter. The brood of chicks they had hatched out are not at my house in the brooder in the garage. Not all of them were found but atleast it gives us something to start over with. 






Same friend also brought me 4 goslings the other day. I think they are pilgrams. The people she got them from said it was 2 males and 2 females based on colors.  So the only auto sexing gesse are pilgrims. Please please   let them be pilgrims. 






And here is Ditto. 

Ditto got her name due to looking alot like Bailey. Both are little nubian doelings. of course Bailey has grown and they do not look quite alike but at the time they were almost identical.  They looked enough alike that when DH sent me a pic  from the stock barn I got mad asking him why he took Bailey to the sale. 

She is a total mamma girl and the one I had posted about in the emergency forum. There is no keeping her in a pen and if you stop too soon she runs into you.


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## ILuvSheep (Jul 14, 2012)

porkchop48 said:
			
		

> OK a little blurry but you get the point.   That was one of my males traying to woo one of the new females I picked up yesterday.
> 
> I feel bad keeping every one cooped up but it must be done when new birds come it.
> 
> ...


Oh my word... I just read your entire journal anf you need a hugs!!  I do NOT know hwo you get it done!! Sorry for the loss of the doeling, and  that they are pilgrims!!

Also, you said on page 3 you'd have turtle pictures. Lol, its page 10!! If you have nothing better to do them try and upload photos from your e-mail, take some of the turtles!! 

Best of luck and Ill be stalking you!! O.O (ya creepy i know, LMAO)

Oh, and that Turken pic is AMAZING! What color is he? He is to DROOL FOR !!  <--- see??? LMAO


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## autumnprairie (Jul 15, 2012)

I love Ditto and the goslins are adorable what are pilgrim geese


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## porkchop48 (Jul 25, 2012)

You just ever have one of them days... This is mine. Hell the last 2 weeks have been. 

Finally get the two bucklings sold. The lady has had them for a little under 2 weeks and one is dead. No idea why.  Now I feel like I did something wrong.  No bite marks, no wounds. she said he was acting fine. His brother is fine. 

4 peacocks - Gone. No clue where they went.  Not sure if some one has them locked up or they just decided to leave. Great just great. My luck though.


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Jul 25, 2012)

I wish I knew what to tell you


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## elevan (Jul 25, 2012)

Big hugs to you  

Don't beat yourself up on the buckling issue.  2 weeks in their new home is more than enough time that they could have developed a parasite load and I'd say that is what took the one down.  Worms only take 4 days to build up and cocci can build very quickly.  Both are opportunist and will bloom when the immune system is low.  A goat's immune system will drop due to stress.  Moving to a new home is a stress.  Goats can go from fine to dead very very quickly due to a parasite load.  You are not to blame, so don't let it get to you.


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## porkchop48 (Jul 30, 2012)

My newest little pride and joy... Squatch with his Mama Mini Me. 

He is a beast of a goat.. Well for me anyways was 11-12 lbs at birth. Mini me was the one that had the very hard time. No wonder looking at the size of him compared to her. She is a very short stocky goat.






His name is Squatch. As much as I would love to keep him, he just does not fit into my plans with them little dangles. 







My sidways pic of Ditto. She is a little ham but found out after I got her she was pulled from her mom way too young at about 5 weeks. Might explain why she is smallish and such a clingy goat but I love her dearly. 






Ditto again.






Kurt and Steiner. 

Kurt is the black, white and tan one. Steiner is the Borwn and white. Both are pure aplines. 












Tut doing the fence scratch.  Tut is a nubian apline mis that will be 5 months old Augut 7th. First kid born at the farm. She is a keeper.


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## Roll farms (Jul 30, 2012)

Very nice!

I'd be tempted to give Ditto cocci meds.  She has 'the look' and being weaned early could certainly cause stress, which is a contributing factor.


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## porkchop48 (Jul 30, 2012)

Roll farms said:
			
		

> Very nice!
> 
> I'd be tempted to give Ditto cocci meds.  She has 'the look' and being weaned early could certainly cause stress, which is a contributing factor.


I would be more than happy to do that... Got a linky to the meds/ treatments?

She is a crawny little thing. Good berries and loves her grain. Just recently got her to start going into the field to eat more browse, grain etc. 

It won't hurt her though if she does not have it?


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## Roll farms (Jul 30, 2012)

I'd almost promise you she does, but no, it won't hurt.   You could always have a fecal ran to verify what issues she's having.

http://www.backyardherds.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2607-coccidia-goat

I personally prefer DiMethox.  I order it through Jeffer's Supply.


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## porkchop48 (Jul 30, 2012)

Ordered.   

The 40% injectable.

Thank you


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## porkchop48 (Aug 7, 2012)

Ditto and Bailey have both been started on Cocci meds.  I figured if I was going to treat one  I might as well treat them both. Ditto is finally hanging out with the rest of the herd. She is now eating browse and hay which she would not really eat before. Starting to pork up a bit.  


I had a pair of pekins that did not sleep in the coop at night. They had taken to sleeping in the barn with the goats or right outside the door.  The hen had gotten stepped on a few weeks back but was getting better. Still kept laying her daily egg though.  Noticed there was no egg this morning.   Just now got back from a walk in the field with the dog. Thermo managed to find what was left of her. Just one leg buried halfway in the dirt gully... What the heck would have done that?

 Picked up a Bourbon red tom today. He is awesome, a little ragged  but I see his feathers are starting to grow back in.  Can wait to see him in his glory after getting them feathers back. 


Now to tell the story of how my day went yesterday... Grab some popcorn might take some reading.

Over the weekend I picked up an awesome speckled banty of sorts. Cute little bird. HAs 3 chicks ( well 2 now one drowned) any ways. Monday I needed a relax day after work so I went to a local auction with a friend of mine.  Seens this awesome banty spotted rooster.  My neighbor ended up buying it and then I got it. Feisty little thing. After drawing blood on the neighbor I get the bird home with out too much hassle. Now I have to pen him up. Great.

While carrying the  crate across the yard he gets out. I am not NOT even trying to catch him. I figure he will find a spot for the night.  After locking the rest of the chickens, ducks, geese, etc up I pu ton some True blood and settle in to get my Sookie/ Eric fix. 

Half asleep it sounds like some one if coming through my front door. BAnging the screen door. I pull the covers over my head and reach for my phone. I call Dh who is at work and ask him if he is here. He says no I am at work, why? I hear the noise again. We never use the front door nor do any of our friends.   I ask if the gun in the living room next to the couch is loaded, he says yes. I ask ok I will call you back. 

I get up and grab the gun. I then ented stealth mode and slide against the wall into the room with the door. Crouching down under the window I continue to slid up against the wall. I reach up and start unlocking the door.  I muster up my best banshee yell and fling open the door, gun in hand and see the little napoleon chicken attacking himself in the reflection.....   

Weirdo little chicken.


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## marlowmanor (Aug 7, 2012)

porkchop48 said:
			
		

> Ditto and Bailey have both been started on Cocci meds.  I figured if I was going to treat one  I might as well treat them both. Ditto is finally hanging out with the rest of the herd. She is now eating browse and hay which she would not really eat before. Starting to pork up a bit.
> 
> 
> I had a pair of pekins that did not sleep in the coop at night. They had taken to sleeping in the barn with the goats or right outside the door.  The hen had gotten stepped on a few weeks back but was getting better. Still kept laying her daily egg though.  Noticed there was no egg this morning.   Just now got back from a walk in the field with the dog. Thermo managed to find what was left of her. Just one leg buried halfway in the dirt gully... What the heck would have done that?
> ...


Sorry about the pekin hen.  The napoleon chicken story is funny though!  I'm glad it was just a crazy chicken not something worse.  My DH works nights as well so I know how nervous you can get being alone at night. We have a dog outside that barks at anything suspiscious and usually if he starts barking I look out the window to figure out what he is barking about. Alot of times it's nothing, he barks when he sees the goats sometimes, he has barked at a turtle that was outside his fence before, then there was the time when there was a juvenile possum in his doghouse. I always know what time my inlaws get home Friday nights because he barks when they come up their driveway. He even barks at our new car if we come in at night in it because he hasn't gotten used to it yet. We have a gun for protection here too. I've never shot it though and really need to get some practice in with it. I want to take a gun class whenever we can afford it.

ETA: I need to look back and find pictures of your Bailey. Our pygmy doe is named Bailey too!


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## porkchop48 (Aug 11, 2012)

Well now Ditto and Bailey have been on their Di-methox treatments.  SO far it is going well.  Ditto was at 31 lbs and Baily at 42.  Being that Tut is only 10 days older than Bailey and is about 65 lbs I figured I might as well treat Bailey too. 


The chicken coops have been dug out and re bedded for lack of a better word. The stalls have been shoveled and powerwashed.  Tom the turkey has decided he wants to hang out in the barn. Ok Tom what ever makes you happy. 

I managed to dig up 2 more 5 gallon buckets of potatoes. Most of my garlic, some more of my onions and another 5 gal bucket of hot peppers. Tomorrow I am going to tackle the tomatoe plants again. We have canned so many tomatoes. We even did about 15 qts of tomatoe sauce, 15 quarts of salsa and made some kind of V8ish juice.   The last bucket of hot peppers were minced and frozen to us in summer sausage for when we start processing deer again this fall.

We did almost 70 deer last year, 6 pigs, 1 beef, 75ish chickens and a dozen or so ducks. I hope this year is just as well. We did expand our meat processing building a bit as well. Got a much larger grinder and a new slicer. We also upgraded our table saw. The new one is about 6 ft tall, had to be loaded with a fork truck and taken apart to fit through the door of the meat room. The walkin cooler has had a new rubber roof put on and recharged with coolant... bring on the butchering. 

Thermo got to spend his first day in the field with the goats. Getting the shock collar for that dog saved his happy little home.  He did very well for his first day off lead and with me not in the field.  After chasing sticks that he was throwing for him self and a a quick dip in the pond he ended up napping with the herd. Still no where near trusting him completely yet and still looking for a real LGD but for the time being I think Thermo might just work. 

And when I say looking for a real LGD - Here is what I mean. Thermo is an American Bulldog. 100ish lbs of muscle and spunk. GReat dog but still puppish at 15 months old, which I know is normal for big dogs. With his short hair there is no way he would be ok out there in the winter.  I want a Great Prys and and currently on the look for one. 

Ok have I rambled enough now?


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## porkchop48 (Aug 14, 2012)

I am starting to think I am rambling to myself... But hey you'll have that. 

So I was suppose to go look at a mini jack today. They lady called 5 minutes before I was too leave and was unable to get a hold of her father ( the jack is at her dad's) Now I am suppose to go tomorrow and check him out and if all goes well pick him up on Saturday.


Still waiting patiently to hear some good new ( or hell any news at this point) on something I have been waiting for for a few weeks that is not farm related, although it will help in the long run. 

Still patiently waiting on the bank to get back to us about the mini farm across the street. Come one now. I am ready to get some critters ( cows) over there.  It will be adding 20 acres to our micro farm we have now. 

My blue and black swedish ducks have started laying.. Woo Hoo Green duck eggs. 

The newest peacocks are doing well. I think it is a 1.2 with the white one still being unknown.  The guinea are looking to be 1.4 which is a good thing. Hopefully I get a few more hens from the keets, still a bit young to tell. 

Most of the garden is plowed under,except the corn and mellons. The chickens have been having a ball out there. 

Almost time to  go meet hubby for lunch. I hate him being on afternoon turn.  I only get to see him  for a half hour in the evening. Sucks. I am getting a poop ton down at home but still need my Butch time.


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## porkchop48 (Aug 20, 2012)

Woo Hoo - Went and picked up my new Jack on Saturday.   Got up saturday morning, did all the morning feedings, let every one out where they needed to be, headed to Sams club, TSC, picked up Donkey, came home, worked on new tractor, trimmed hooves, grilled lunch for DH employees ( 40 hamburgers and 50 hotdog later) Yep typical day for me it seems. 

Sunday - Woke up, feed every one, put tractor back together after getting it fixed, picked up neighbor, picked up trailer, picked up new heifer, rounded up goat herd, rounded up cows, Picked up hay for co worker, fixed barn door inlower barn, got lower barn ready for hay... One of these days I will work in enough time to eat and sleep. 


The neighbor showed up and got our fields cut today.  Tomorrow if it  dries it should be fluffing and baling I think.  Then comes my job of putting it all away.. Woo Hoo. Now sure how much we will get with the lack of rain but better than nothing. 


Now on to the new heifer. .... She is a 3 year old angus, holstein mix.  I got her off a coworker who did not want her husband to send her to the sale barn. She is a bit thin but has also been nursing 6 six month old calves. She is a twin.  Her and her sister both had calfs, the sister would not accept her calf but this one that I got took them both on.   So aside from being thin from nursing two calves she has a hip problem. 

My plans are to get the vet out here next week to check her out. She walks fine, grazes the field, just has a hard time getting up on occasions. Our plans are to hangon to her for a few month, get some weight back on her, see what the vet decides and then make the decision to keep or butcher.   Very sweet cow though.   Pics to come soon. 


I have now have 4 big snappers in clean out bins ( we put them in bins with fresh spring water, changed daily for 3-5 days until we butcher them).  Two excaped due to lack of putting anything heavy on top of the bins but were caught crusing the yard this morning. Turtle soup will be happening soon... Yum yum

Ok I am officially rambling.. Patiently waiting on a very important phone call that would change things for the better here. I dont want to go out to the barn and have to answer the phone with 50 chickens, a few dozen ducks and guineas in the back groud.  Not to mention goats, cows and a donkey that  insist he needs food every time I see him.


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## Pearce Pastures (Aug 20, 2012)

So interested to hear more on the turtle soup front.  Are these wild caught or do you raise them?  What do they taste like?  Is there much meat on them?


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## porkchop48 (Aug 20, 2012)

Pearce Pastures said:
			
		

> So interested to hear more on the turtle soup front.  Are these wild caught or do you raise them?  What do they taste like?  Is there much meat on them?


These are WC snapper from our ponds. Some people think they have a muddy taste to them which they can have if you do not clean them properly.   That is why after they are caught we put them in big bins with clean fresh water and change it daily. They live in the bottom of the ponds and end up eating alot of the scavengers which is why they take on that taste. A few days of the fresh clean water and to me they taste like a sweet beef of sorts.

You do get quite a bit of meat from one turtle. After we get these ones cleaned I will weigh the meat from one to get a better idea than " quite a bit"


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## porkchop48 (Aug 22, 2012)

Neighbors baled my fields for me.. Woo Hoo. Only for $1.00 a bale. 


WOo Hoo stocked up for a few months now.


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## Bridgemoof (Aug 22, 2012)

All sounds so interesting Porkchop! I'll be following your little escapades, so blog away!

So I have a question about your ducks...we are getting ready to "harvest" 8 of our 10 pekin ducks tomorrow. I think somebody said you have to keep them in the fridge for 24 hours before you eat them. Is that true if you are going to freeze them, too? Can we just slaughter them and put them right in the freezer? I want the best tasting ducks 

Great deal on the hay by the way!


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## porkchop48 (Aug 27, 2012)

Bridgemoof said:
			
		

> All sounds so interesting Porkchop! I'll be following your little escapades, so blog away!
> 
> So I have a question about your ducks...we are getting ready to "harvest" 8 of our 10 pekin ducks tomorrow. I think somebody said you have to keep them in the fridge for 24 hours before you eat them. Is that true if you are going to freeze them, too? Can we just slaughter them and put them right in the freezer? I want the best tasting ducks
> 
> Great deal on the hay by the way!


Ahh Nothing like being late to the answering.. We did ours on Saturday. We soak them in a saltwater bath for atleast 24 hours before we vaccuum seal and freeze them. All my birds are free range and we have not had an issue with them being tough.  The first one we did last year was my first adventure eating duck.  It was basted in a dry sherry and honey broth for about a 30 hour. Then set on the counter in front of a fan on a wire rack for an hour ( turning every 15 minutes) Then baked until it was so golden brown and delicious looking. It was AAAAAAWESOME.

I can try and find the recipe again if you would like. 


Saturday we butchered 4 snapping turtles ( ended up with about 15 lbs of meat), 5 pekins, 1 rabbit, and 12 chickens. In a few more weeks we will have another 15 or so meat  birds to do.


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## Bridgemoof (Aug 27, 2012)

Agh lol too late! Well not on all, but on one. See my journal about my tough duck. But I will soak the other 7 before I freeze them! So then you marinated it for 30 hours? Did I get that right? I have to try something different because mine did not turn out good AT ALL. ha ha


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## porkchop48 (Aug 27, 2012)

Bridgemoof said:
			
		

> Agh lol too late! Well not on all, but on one. See my journal about my tough duck. But I will soak the other 7 before I freeze them! So then you marinated it for 30 hours? Did I get that right? I have to try something different because mine did not turn out good AT ALL. ha ha


Ahh hell that was suppose to be 30 minutes.  It is in a luke warm marinade... Sorry about that.


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## Bridgemoof (Aug 27, 2012)

Gotchya. But I don't get the fan part, what does that do? And how much salt do you use when you brine them? Thanks Porkchop!


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## porkchop48 (Sep 3, 2012)

I think the fan just helps dry out the skin which gives you an awesome crispy skin on it when it is done. I can honestly say I have never measure the salt. I would say I probably dump a cup into a 10 gal tote if that helps you any.


DH is off dove hunting. a few of his friends stopped over the other day to run some doves through our plucker. 30 doves were done itn about 30 seconds. We just dumped them all in at once. I was kinda impressed at the amount of meat on the breast of those things. 

One more thing to add to the freezer for "game day" that we are planning for this fall. 


I put Super goat and Mama goat in with my boer buck to be bred. Mini me was also bred this weekend. So this year I will have a clue as to when they should kid if they settle. Now my only 3 issue girls are Kurt and Steiner who seem o be already bred but not sure of when. And Kreature who looks bred and is starting to get a tiny udder and act a bit off. Just more aloof then normal and spending time by herself.   

Atleast I did a bit better than last year when I had NO clue on any of them.  Hope to do even better next year.  Tut, ditto and bailey are still way to young. Tut is almost at 80 lbs but she is also only 6 months old so I plan to keep her seperated from the bucks till atleast the first of the year.   Ditto and Bailey are picking up weight after their di-metox treatments but still plan to not breed them till next year.

 Wee one and squatch are going to their new home tomorrow. These are my first two goats that are going tobe sold and I think I might cry.  Good thing is they are going to a friend so I can visit any time. 


I officialy start my new job on Thursday. I am no longer going to be driving 80 miles a day. I will be driving about 5 miles. Better pay, closer to home, salary position and a step up in my career.. Woo Hoo.   So only a few more days of working both jobs and getting almost no sleep. 

We did the rope weights on Phillip and Minion. Both are approximately the same age. Phillip is an angus/ holsetin mis weighing in at about 640 and Minion is an angus/hereford/limosuine mis ( sorry about the spelling there) and weighs in at a little over 900.


Found my first few guinea eggs too. Going collect for a few days and into the bator they go. Currently have 2 turkey eggs and 7 ducks eggs. Going to set eggs every 7 days to keep my schedule a little bit easier to handle with lock downs, hatching, etc. 

enough rambling for now...


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## Bridgemoof (Sep 4, 2012)

I had dove one at a friend's house and I, too, was surprised at how much meat they had on them.

Congratulations on the job! That sounds ideal.


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## porkchop48 (Sep 10, 2012)

Well I thought 3 of my does were bred  ( Kurt, Steiner and Kreature) looks like was wrong.   They all came into heat. So into the pen with the boer buck they went....

Then I started thinking... Uh Oh. that means I will have 6 does due right about mid february.  Now that just sounds like fun. 3 bred one week, 3 more bred the next week. 

HHmm. 

New job is going awesome... And the great frog room redo of 2012 is underway. 15 10 gals done, 2 29 gals done, 12  5 gals done.  Hopefully by next weekend all old tanks are douched and new tanks are being set up again...


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## porkchop48 (Sep 13, 2012)

DH traded a Cub cadet  riding mower that he got as partial payment for painting a horse trailer ( i got 80 bales of hay out of the deal), for 3 fainting goats. 

Two of them were delivered today. A black and white buck with Blue eyes and a black and while young doe. Another buck will be coming inthe next few days. I surely do not need 2 more bucks but think I will keep the blue eyes one.   I wanted to sell that one boer buck anways so this just seals the deal. He already bred a few of my does ( the boer) so he can move on...

Still trying to wean Tut. She has finally quit screaming. Mamas udder is getting smaller so hopefully only another week or so of this and she can go back out with the herd. 

Will work on some pics of the new guys soon.


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## porkchop48 (Oct 1, 2012)

Finally I get two minutes to breathe. 

In the last 10 days we have butchered 10 pigs, 30 some chickens and have 4 deer hanging in the walk in.   The pigs were the hardest. We normally do quit a few pigs a year for friends and family but 10 a once was too much. Not to mention the bad timing and I ended up working 4 12 hour days with in those 10 days in addition to my normal 9 hour days... 


My new little doeling was delivered on Sunday ( along with 5 more chickens to butcher..lol) She is 100% boer. She is almost 3 months old and weigh around 52 lbs.  PIcs of Cee Cee will be coming soon.  She is black headed with some awesome markings. Her daddy was all black and her mom was a red headed. 

Ditto and Bailey are acting as the welcoming commitee.  I swear I could put them two goats with any one and they would be happy campers. 

Not a whole lot else going on. I am patiently waiting to see if any one comes back into heat if not I guess it in on for the second week of february


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## porkchop48 (Oct 11, 2012)

Things will slow down eventually right?

 I am actually skipping my first frog show in about 6 years. I just do not have the stock right now. Still in the middle of the frog room redo.  Things should be going better in that area by the beginning of the yeat..


I am going to look at a 4-5 month old Lamancha doeling in the next couple of days. Very excited at possibly getting her. I have not seen pics at all yet but we will see how it goes and how she looks. 


Came home to 5 Americana / turken mixes hatched out my my silker mix hen. I felt bad but I snatched them from her and brought them inside.  One is an awesome chickmunk looking thing. Will have to work on getting pics. 

Still trying to get a hold of a man who I am pretty sure screwed me on a frog deal.. Yippy.  Having issues with my renters. They do not seem to understand it is due on the first. That does not mean your first paycheck after the first you deposit half the rent. It mean bu the first it should all be there. 


Got a few mums planted today. Hope to pick up a couple more tomorrow. Hope to pick up a couple more 29 gal tanks tomorrow. All my frog pairs are being upgraded and hoping to up the axolotl  group again. I went from an adult breeder group of 12 when I moved down to 2. Makes it a little harder to get them breeding that way and the weather is finally perfect for them. 

I think I may be rambling now. 

Deers number 8,9 and 10 are in the cooler waiting to be butchered. Atleast these orders should be pretty easy.  We did our first try of summer sausage with the peppers and high temp cheese... Came out pretty good.

I sooo need to get back into the picture taking mood. Will have to work on that as soon as I get two minutes to actually find the camera again.


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## jodief100 (Oct 12, 2012)

Do you make your own summer sausage?  I would love to try that!  I would love to see your processing set up.


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## porkchop48 (Nov 27, 2012)

I sooo need to get some pics of the meat room. Yes we make Summer sausage. This is the first year we made it with the high temp cheese and hot peppers I grew in the garden.   People are loving it. 


Work is killing me but I love my new job.   The new mangers, there are 3 of us. Me the business office, Kalya the LSW and John the maintence man, we all have blue badges.. We all have blue badges for the first 6 months.  I banded us all together to help out with Christmas for the residents. We raise money all year to buy presents for the residents ( the whole company does) well when talking to the activities director she was talking about the 120 gift she has to buy and wrap and said something about the wrapping paper having to be bought as well out of the fundraiser money... So us blue badgers bought all the wrapping paper, bows and gift tags.  I think we may have gone a bit over board as they have enough paper now to wrap the building... But hey it helps  


I have a reptile expo coming up this weekend and plan to use 1/2 of all sales from fruit fly cultures to pick up some sweat shirts for gifts for residents.  They always need clothes so I figured I could help out a bit more. 

We have a 12 days of christmas fund raiser coming up soon too. Each department made a basket of sorts and one gets raffled off each day for the 12 days before christmas.

There is a pink basket, 2 cleaning baskets, a cooking basket, a exercise basket...and not sure of the other yet. Of course our basket is the best... A Japanese basket    two bottles of Saki, a Saki Karafe set, a $50 gift card to a local Japanese steak house and instead of a basket it is in a wok along with a wok cook book 


Finally shipped off the boer mix male that I did not know if I wanted to keep or not. He just was not what I wanted. Got 1.47 a lb for him so I was happy.  All of the girls are between 8-11 weeks along and doing good so far.  Well except Ditto and Bailey but they are still too young. 

Minion the steer has been penned up and will be butchered some time mid december.   The deer are rolling in and I feel like all we do is cut up meat  

Got a large frog order coming in on Thursday... The start of my new collection and the re intro back into frogs. I needed the few months off.   I really did. 

Still patiently waiting on the paperwork for our short sale property. I would love to mosey the goats on across the street to the fields over there to browse. 20 acres of woods and fields would be a smorgasboard for them ... not to mention save me on some hay  But I patiently wait. 

Ok enough rambling for now.. I need to try and update this thing more often if even just to keep my self in check and know what the heck I am doing. 

Oh oh And finally Dart Frog Dungeon has a face book page... Woo Hoo. Look me up. Just started it.. Many pics to come soon.


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## porkchop48 (Dec 18, 2012)

Ok to look up Dart frog Dungeon on Face book... you have to type in Dart frog Dungeon Malta Ohio.... Really?? What a pain???


Been a busy few weeks. Plenty of the does are starting to have nice round bellies but no one is working on udders yet so I am try to not get too excited yet. 

Not too sure about Kreature. She looks bred but also acts like she comes back into heat. I guess if she does not kid this year I will see about seeing if she has a problem going on which can hopefully be fixed. 

Been putting in many many 12 hours days a work... Being salary sucks.   Got all the christmas present wrapped for the residents.  every one will have atleast 2-3 presents to unwrap this year. Lost of work, time and wrapping paper but I am sure it is worth it. 


After 6 12 hour days in a row, lots of butchering, and just plain ole being wore out my Granny decided to visit. I love her to death and I know she loves to visit the farm so I was happy to have her.  Took her to a loacl play, had her help vaccum seal meat and wash eggs. She even sat in the middle of  the living room with baby chicks and played with them. 

Soo saturday I am exhausted... it is about 11:30, finally got doen wrapping presents, got a shower and was curled up on the couch. DH says I'm really hot and I look over and he is sweating. He does to change clothes and I must have fallen asleep. I am woke up what seems like hours later ( but was only minutes) with him shoving my cell in my face saying call 911 we have a fire and runs out the door......

My first thought is.. that SOB the house is on fire and he just left me... 

When he was coming back from changing clothes, as he was walking down the hall you can see out the kitchen window to my "woman cave" ( single car garage with brooder, feeds and all my frog stuff in it). The woman cave was on fire.  I call 911 and run out the door helping with the garden hose. I must say he was doing pretty good with just a little garden hose.  I had 4 chicks in the brooder. we tried to go get them but were unable to due to the smoke. The firefighters arrived and managed to get the fire out.   After the fire out I hear one of them save. OH MY they are still alive and I went running in to get my chicks. all 4 of them huddled in the corner but still alive. 

All my frog stuff is a total loss and pretty much everything in the garage is a loss ( tools, tanks, frog stuff, feed, bedding, etc) but every one is alive. No one got hurt and things are replaceable.  Ot could have been worse. I do not know what made him start sweating and decide to change clothes but damn I am glad he did.


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## Bitterroot (Dec 18, 2012)

Oh gosh hun I'm so sorry to hear that.  I think anyone who keeps herps' worst nightmare is a fire in the dragon's den.  Glad you and the critters are okay.


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## Four Winds Ranch (Dec 18, 2012)

That is horrible!!!
Glad that everyone made it, but the loss!!!! I sincerly hope you can get built back up without too much problem!


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## Bridgemoof (Dec 18, 2012)

Oh I'm so sorry! That must have been so frightening! The poor chicks, I hope they survive after that smoke inhalation. Sorry you lost all of your frog stuff.


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## bonbean01 (Dec 18, 2012)

That's awful 

Glad you didn't lose any chicks...now I'm concerned that my heat lamp in the shed brooder may cause a fire...did you figure out what started the fire?


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## Pearce Pastures (Dec 18, 2012)

That is so scary.  I am so glad that you and all over you critters are okay.  So sorry about all of your stuff though.


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## ksalvagno (Dec 18, 2012)

I am so sorry about your fire! Glad no one was hurt.

You sure have been busy. Sounds like you need a day of doing nothing!


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## jodief100 (Dec 19, 2012)

I am so sorry to hear of your loss.  Fires are the thing that scares me the most.


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## porkchop48 (Dec 19, 2012)

They think it was electrical.   The heat lamp in the brooder was in the opposite end of the garage that caught on fire so that was not the problem. 


Thank you all for the well wishes.

The chicks are still doing great. I was worried I was going to find them dead the next day from the smoke, stress, etc. But it has been a few days and every one is doing fine. 

 I started some of the clean up today after work. It is very disheartening but still very happy that nothing alive was hurt.

Hubby still keeps asking me what I want for christmas but I honestly can not think of a thing I want.   I have everything I could have every possibly wanted right here on my mini farm


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## bonbean01 (Dec 19, 2012)

hey...you could always ask for another critter...


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## elevan (Dec 24, 2012)




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## porkchop48 (Jan 18, 2013)

Three more cows done   We were suppose to take a break before we started in on pigs again... but the first pig arrived on Thursday.  So much for a break. IT was less than a 12 hour break. 

Work is still awesome. I can honestly say I love my job.  Been a long long time since I said that. 


Tow more round bales are being delivered tomorrow.  Hopefully this is the last two I have to get. I have over 100 square bales over the hill in the other barn but with this funky weather it has been too hard to go over and get them.  Too muddy for the truck to make it work it so the trips have to be made with the tractor.... Oh well as long as the goats get fed I am happy. $20 for a 600 lbs round bale is not too bad of a price either... Atleast I don't think. 

I need to seperate the does out some time this week. A couple of them could start kidding as early as next weekend. It is just so hard to get them the amount of grain that I want them to have while fighting with the mini jack and big Phil the steer. 


I did my see order last night. Even with a $100 discount I still ended up spending over $150 whoops... I started making my newspaper pots last night and hope to get more done tonight. I think I am going to need around 400-500 of them.  I want to do one more order of seeds next week and then I should be set. Got the green house cleaned out today and hopefully can start getting the cabbage and cool weather crops going as soon as they get here. 

Seems I have nothing else to do < insert sarcasm there I might as well get started on the garden


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## porkchop48 (Apr 23, 2013)

Yet another one of those long over due long winded updates. 

  The remodel of the kitchen and dining room are almost done.   The living room is halfway done. Halway done except paint and the 3 bed rooms and bath room have not been started yet. The basement is cleaned and newly painted and done so we are almost there. 

      I no longer have a donkey.   DH shot him on Thursday.   I came home from work at lunch and walked into the house to change clothes to go feed the bottle babies.   DH says did you see your donkey by the dumpster, I had to shoot him.  He then preceeds to tell me the donkey went nuts trying to kill goats.   he said he was flinging babies right and left, chasing the does into the fences, one dove into the burn barrel to escape.   He said he tried to stop him but could not get him to stop.  I am sad over the lose of the donkey but on the other hand happy that the goats all made it thru it for the most part ok.

   Picked up my friend Cricket the other day and drug her to another friends house to look at two nubian does I have been trying to get my hands on.    The other friend is moving and looking to downsize a few goats.  As soon as we walk in I notice a tiny spotted nubian in a stall by itself.   I asked her why she is by herself. She says Oh I think she broke her leg. I ask if I can take her out of the pen. She stands her up and her one front leg bows horribly. I asked her if she was going to take her to the vet or atleast splint it. She says no.   I immediately picked the doeling up and held her.. In my mind I am already not leaving with out that goat.  I said a vert trip should not be too expensive and she just kinda ignores me.  I aksed a couple more times... Are you sure you are not going to take her to the vet or do anything.  I kept getting ignored.   So the two big black nubians make it to the barn. I check them over.   They are both bred to a nubian and due to kid in July. The one looks like she needs some good minerals but over all they both look pretty good.  I decide I am taking them and also purchase a 3 month old saanen doeling for the cricket friend.... I owed her for watching my goats while I was out of town, what better to pay her with than a goat 

So back to the baby with the bad leg, by that point in time I am tired of getting ignored and mad that she has left her like that.   I asked if she would consider selling her. She said well I dont have anything in her any ways but really did not want to sell her.   I offered her $5.00 and she took it. 

   The little girl is now at my house all splinted. A lady that works closely with the local vet helped me get it all wrapped and splinted and she is on limited space so she can not move too too much.  She says she is 6 weeks old.  I wish there was a way to know for sure.     I am going to try to get her into the vet tomorrow to see if he thinks it needs xrayed or anything else done to it. She takes a bottle like a champ and does not have a fever so I am hoping she will be ok. She does put weight on it but after she moves alot. 


    I picked up my first heifer calf on Sunday. She is a 6 month old Scottish Highland. She is red and still a little skittish but slowly calming down. I will get some pics of her soon.  Right now all I have is a crappy cell phone pic that wont upload. 

    Court tomorrow... Yippy. < insert sarcasm there.   My renter decided to quit paying rent and then abruptly moved out. Left most of his stuff there.  Now he is taking me to court for stealing his belonging because I had them moved to a storage unit. This will be fun. Not to mention the 2 and a half hour drive to get there. 

  Cross them fingers for me tomorrow.


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## elevan (Apr 24, 2013)

Wow you've had a lot going on.    Sorry about your donkey and the renter situation.  I'm glad the goats made it through that ordeal.


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## porkchop48 (May 6, 2013)

The little girl who was named Ilene  did not make it. She slwoly went down hill and then quickly took a turn for the worse. Even working with the local vet we were unable to save her. Her broken lag also had a puncture wound which looked like it was healing well, no real fever but after getting her checked out and looking into it more the leg was broken right at at the knee, there was an infection in the knee and it had caused her to go septic. I was devastated.  We tried everything we could for her.   I was and still am fuming mad at the lady I got her from.   She offered to refund the measly amount I spent on her but that was not the point. This was something that happened a while ago and could have been fixed. 


         Moving on to a light note. 2 new nubian girls came to live at the farm. I refer to them as the older style. They are HUge with the big roman noses, just a mild mannered as can be.  They are both bred to a large nubian male with the same features. Due to kid in July. Not real happy about the july kiddings but I will make the best of it. 

   Ditto and Bailey my two smallish nubians are starting to get udders. Neither looks very pregant which I am happy about and hoping for small kids. They were bred to my fainter buck who is only about 70 lbs. Ditto and Baily are about 75- 85  ( ditto being the smaller of the two). None of their kids will be kept. 

    Red the boer buckling is doing great. We had a bout of the bacterial scours and visted the vet and he is back to doing great now. 

The issue with the renters went well. They now owe us for storage fees for the belongings they left behind which is come close to the amount of rent they owe. It will not even come close to covering the damages but I am happy with atleast getting some of the back rent. 

I came from work today at lunch to find two goslings had hatched. The geese were also sitting on some bourbon red turkey eggs so I they hatch as well. My sebbie goose is sitting on a mixture of GUinea eggs and some duck eggs. Hopeing some quineas hatch, I have a waiting list for them. I have a mallard sitting on eggs and about 4 other chickens, plus the one bator is almost full.  Going to have little feathery things coming out my ears before too long. 

Ok I have plenty more to ramble about but have to go feed the kids and check for more hatchers. I think I might pull the two goslings to start with and hope some more hatch. They have new homes waiting for them so I might as well pull them if I can with out losing a finger or hand.


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## porkchop48 (May 28, 2013)

The guineas have started hatching, and the first Bourbon red of the year has hatched. 

I have a waiting list for guineas so they need to get on the ball.   I also now need to grow me up a new male as I peeled my Lavendar male off the road yesterday. 


  I have 4 maybe 5 goats due in July.   The first up is due around July 3rd. I bought  the two big nubians already bred not thinking about the whole kidding in the heat thing. 

  Tom the turkey is stalking me. he spends most night pacing in front of the front porch. Weird bird. 

We signed more papers on the farm across the street and started our 3 year plan.   This year we will start the orchard.  It will be the dwarf fruit tress and roughly 40 of them in the one spot here and another 15-20 across the street.   There will alos be 3 pig stalls/ pens built across the street.   My billy goats and the cows will be moved acorss the street so I can get a better handle on who breeds who and when. 


Bertha, Fiona and Ditto and Bailey are the 4 ( kreature is the possible 5th) due in July. Yesterday I pulled them all into the barn, updated their shots ( CDT and BO-se) hoofs, trimmed, wormed and python dusted. Every one looks good. Fiona and Bertha are sisters. They came from a set of triplets so I am hoping for atleast twins out of them. One is getting much larger than the other.  I plan to keep a doeling or two from them depending on how progress is going across the street. 

Short update - Not feeling well, off to shower and bed.


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## porkchop48 (Sep 10, 2013)

OMg where to start.....

Lets start with the cows  - 3 new cows have joined the herd. Two baldies and one black angus.  The shortly baldy calved about 3 weeks ago and is doing great with her little bull calf.    The Black angus calved about a week later - but unfortunately the calf was run over with the brush hog .. Talk about a not so good introduction to calving and cows.   We are still waiting on the 3rd to calf. She is due closer to October ( we think)

All the goats except for the two fainters have been moved to the other side of the road. They are working dilligently on clearing 20 acres of fence line and doing a great job of it.  I think it will be good for them to get all the extra browse and get some more weight on before winter and breeding time. 

I picked up a new apline name Harley, a new red paint boer named Pockets, a red doeling named Cherokee, a red headed doeling named Hollywood, another almost solid dark red doe named Angle and another dark red head named Starburst.  Firecracker my red buck will be coming next weekend. 

I have a Nubian buck due to come in two weeks to breed my Nubian does and  Harley the Apline was bred to my Alpine buck. The rest of the group will be bred to Firecracker. 

I picked up a 5 day old holstein heifer calf yesterday.  She is drinking 2 qts twice a day from a bucket and I picked up calf starter today. She is a free martin and will be grown up and eaten or taken to the sale in the fall or spring. It all depends on how she grows and does. 

 I sold 3 of my doelings ( two lamanchas and an alpine) well actuallu worked them and a turkey into the trade for the two Boers ( starburst and Angle).  I still have a 2 year old lamancha and her 2 wethers for sale.  I may just end up sending the wethers to the sale and keeping the doe. Just not sure yet. She had twins unassisted her FF so she is a good doe just not where I am looking to go with my herd. 

Starburst and Angle were both 4H goats. They will be bred this spring after they hit a year old. They both are so sweet and gentle since they were 4h projects.  I am very happy to be adding them to my my herd. 

Ok so that is the goat and cow update. 

2 new kittens joined the farm. Both are currently living in the man cave. Well 3 were added actually but McGrew the tabby was killed in a truck incident ( the day after the calf was killed - That was NOT a good weekend).  Chang the siamese mix was delivered by a friend of DH a few days later, a few days after that DH calls me at work and ask me to stop at his work on the way home and bring a box.   I show up and there is a tiny horribly skinny black and white kitten some one had dropped off. So Mulatto came to live with us   

Time to feed Punky ( the bottle / bucket calf) and head to bed. 

Sorry for yet another long winded update.


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## Dino (Sep 11, 2013)

Wow... so porkchop implies a middle-aged fat man, glad you clarified that because I thought it meant you were a pig farmer.  Must be its like being called a cracker .... 








Irony is; I bet my post gets deleted.


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## Nerdy11 (Sep 12, 2013)




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