Goats&moregoats: KickinUpDust Farm Journal

[CntryBoy777]

We let Gabbie chew on limbs and branches....which she destroys very well, cardboard boxes, bones and toys. We prefer to cleanup the mess than to deal with furniture being gnawed on....so far it has worked well....and the raquetball seems to also help in massaging her gums....she sure loves it and reminds me of a kid chewing gum when she is squeezing it in her mouth....

 

[Bruce]

If the help doesn't show up in the next day or so, I will wrestle with the darn things until I get them out.

I know every dollar is a dollar but this is the one I got at TSC. $42. Made for T posts with the C jaw but with a chain you can pull wood posts as well. Definitely worth the money even if you only have a few to pull and they are non compliant.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/t-fence-post-puller

 

[Baymule]

I had bone spurs on my heel so bad that I couldn't touch my heel to the floor. It was painful. I did some homeopathic research and came up with Calcium Fluoride. I ordered some and started taking 4-5 tablets 3 times a day under my tongue. Within a few days, the intense pain subsided. I took them for a month, took off a week, then took them for another month, off a week and then for another month. No more bone spurs. The tablets are cheap. They really worked for me. You might want to try them.

https://www.amazon.com/Hylands-Calcium-Fluoride-6x-Tablets/dp/B00TGU0FRI

 

[goats&moregoats]

@Baymule , thank you for the suggestion. The heal of my foot is becoming quite painful. @Bruce , a thank you to you as well. It looks like a may be making an investment. @CntryBoy777 , Storm has several kong type toys, a few harder plastic type bones & a few harder rubber balls. He just fell in love with the cushions for some reason.

Winchester is 7 weeks today...Nutmeg & Rio 6 weeks today and Juniper 6 weeks tomorrow. The babies are definitely growing well. The girls have almost caught up with the boys in height. I need to get weights again. Will try this evening if it's not raining. Nutmeg made playing look like so much fun that Winchester & Juniper joined in. Rio just hung out beside me.


(1st two pics)Nutmeg, Winchester & Rio (3rd) pic, Rio, Nutmeg & Winchester (4th pic) Rio, Juniper & Winchester

Sage performing a high neck scratch with help from a stump.

pic 1: When Sage and Ginger first arrived. 2nd pick: Ginger this morning. I definitely am seeing a beautiful improvement in looks and she is coming along in the trust department. Neither one run from me anymore. Most of the time they are waiting at the gate morning and evenings. Once they are done eating they hang around the edge of the baby pen talking to the babies. Once I am done hanging out with the babies, both of them meet me at the gate to investigate what I might have in my hands. Then follow me back to the pasture gate and wait while I leave.

Doreen's son came over today and unhooked the pool pump from the electric and water lines so I could take it in for repairs. Hopefully it will be hooked back up today or tomorrow. Then I can start getting the pool opened up and ready for summer use. Looking forward to swimming again. I always loved taking a deep after a hot afternoon of chores. Just found out that it's going to cost about 80.00 to get the darn pump fixed.

I had to run to home depot for a safety gate for the bottom of the stairs in the house. Storm finally figured out how to make it all the way upstairs. I don't want him up there as there is way to much for him to get into. Plus it is the safety zone for three of the cats in the house. The other cat, T-Rouble takes care of herself quite well and enjoys sleeping in the chair next to my desk. Ellie will fight back as well. Trixie just stays upstairs until the dogs are in bed and the CC is just starting to learn to swat at Storm. Before she would just lay there and put up with his crap.

 

[Bruce]

Then I can start getting the pool opened up and ready for summer use.

Definitely want to get on that. Year after year I've had nasty green water in the spring when the air was starting to get warm enough the pool water would start to warm up. FINALLY this year I did something about it early. Netted out what we could before the net frame broke. I assume it is the original one the prior owners bought when they put the pool in however long ago. Fortunately got most of the leaves first. I had a gallon of shock from last fall and dumped that in a week ago as the pool was getting a bit of green haze. Just doesn't seem right since it was frozen 2 weeks earlier! Hooked up all the pump/filter stuff and turned it on ... 1+ month early. It has been raining so much this spring that the water level is only about an inch down from where it should be for optimal skimmer function. Guess I won't have to add much. Added another gallon of shock today since it appears to be clouding up a bit again.

 

[goats&moregoats]

Wow!, the last two weeks have been a mind spinner. My Mom was gravely ill again. Her remaining kidney was going bonkers and starting to shut down, her heart was giving her difficulties and she had fluid around her lungs. Almost two weeks in the hospital. Thought we were going to loose her there at the beginning of all this. So I went down and stayed at the hospital most of the time. Just got back earlier tonight. My Mom was sent home on Saturday with oxygen 24/7. Has a follow up appointment with her kidney doctor first part of June, has to see a cardiologist for her congestive heart failure and goes back to see her oncologist the first part of June as well. She had a bone biopsy well in the hospital and the results will take about a week, plus they are running some special blood test and those results aren't back yet either. They are checking for a specific but rare form of bone cancer.

Well I was down there it was confirmed that my sons 11 year old cat has vaccine associated sarcoma. This is cancer associated with the the rabies vaccine or feline leukemia vaccine. It is to late to do any treatments. This cat has been with us since birth. It will be a sad day indeed when she passes.

So upon returning, I discover that my goats were not cared for as well as I was expecting. So I gave the babies their bottles, filled there pellet dish(piggers dived right into those) and gave them a flake of hay for the night. They will get the same in the am. Adults got 2 cups pellets each and a flake of hay. Tomorrow I have to work on the fence line and saw a broken branch from tree. The branch(good size) is hanging(barely) above the barn, touches the roof and hangs down into the pasture almost resting on the wire running to the buck pen. I think I am going to see if the nieghbor has a chain saw.

To add to this( and I do not normally complain on here) the three men left at home didn't clean anything! OOps, they did the dishes. There is enough dog hair from Storm to stuff a pillow. So the house needs cleaning, laundry needs doing and it rained enough that the yard that was mowed last week needs done again desperately. Weed eating wasn't done last week so it looks like tiny fields are growing around trees, flower beds, the pool and anything else in or around the yard.

My oldest daughter came back with me, along with her four children. They will be staying indefinitely. At least she will help with everything that needs done. The kids will also lend a hand where they can and when asked. More on this another time.

So I have been up since 6am, made a 5 hour drive, unloaded half of the van,farm chores once home, did some weed eating(daughter mowed some), it started getting dark so we stopped for our dinner(everyone else had eaten). Put dogs out and then to bed, then put kids to bed. Meds for Doreen and get her ready for bed. Now at 10:36 pm I am more than ready for my bed, but my other half is sitting on it watching the food channel. We gave up our bed for a couple of the grand kids and we are taking the sofa bed for tonight at least. Still need to go up and turn of lights & TV in Doreen"s room. Morning is going to come way to quickly. I wish they had a emoji for running in circles.

 

[Baymule]

Never a dull moment......I hope you get a good night's sleep and rest. You sure deserve it.

 

[Bruce]

and it rained enough that the yard that was mowed last week needs done again desperately.

That is the way it works here this time of year. Mow Monday and it needs to be done again before a week has passed.

Sorry the "help" wasn't very helpful

 

[goats&moregoats]

Yesterday: After morning chores, we got the house cleaned, got the backyard finished on mowing and trimming & started the side yard. This yard is huge and I just don't have the energy to do all of it in one day in the hot sun anymore.
We also picked up the paper work necessary to enroll the kids in this school. Let me tell you times have changed! She needs a letter from the landlord(we don't have a landlord), plus she is suppose to have other proof that she is a resident...lol...She got here on Sunday, there isn't anything on that list that you would have in one days time. We have to call the school and find out what to do about that. Plus one form has to be signed in front of a notary stating you aren't lying about your residence just for your kids to go to this particular school. Sorry to say, none of the schools in this area are so awesome that one would want to lie to get their kids in.
We also took the time to let the babies out with the older goats for a little bit. Ginger just avoided us and them. Sage acted like she wanted to play, but the babies weren't having that. I am planning on taking them out a little each day(not in the rain) until they are completely weaned. They move plenty fast to get out of the way if need be.
I finally witnessed all the babies drinking water. Winchester is 9 weeks and the other three are 8 weeks. My Nigerian babies stayed on a bottle until they were 12 weeks, is it about the same for the larger goats or should I start really cutting back since they readily eat hay, grain, greens and drink water well? I checked Rio's scrotum and it was gone, healing nicely. I also got some of the fence line trimmed, and washed out the water buckets before adding fresh water.
The grand kids fed the babies yesterday. They all had a blast except the youngest one. Chase(age 5) was feeding Rio and Rio headed butted the bottle which Chase was not ready for. The bottle flew out of his hands, hit him in the headed and then flew up over his head. He was done!
I got enough sleep the last few nights that I am feeling refreshed @Baymule .
So today's plans are rearranging a bedroom, bringing in another dresser from storage, mow and trim front yard. Get paper work finished and back to the school. Farm chores and babies out with older goats for a little bit. I believe this will fill my day.
Pics from yesterday.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Glad ya got some help and rest....I was never so glad to get the girls up and out of schools....the "hoops" ya have to jump thru is simply ridiculous.....