rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

Sorry to hear about Iris's mastitis. It sounds like she is really good doe otherwise. Hopefully you have some of her daughters.

Yes, she gave me two daughters this year out of my buck Aramis. They are his only daughters. One is fawn and the other is Iris' color but covered in more spots. Thank you, Iris. (old pic from before we moved, pardon my mess)
(I still haven't found the Tomorrow or Today to fill her udder up with as she "dries off" so she's just doing what she does right now. I hate moving. It's when you know you have everything and you have nothing.)

 

[rachels.haven]

Found the ToMorrow and Iris got dry treated. Something like 42 day meat withdrawal, but at least she's got a chance at surviving until fall if that puts a cap on the infection. I milked her out and the milk isn't stringy now, but she's still a mess. I vaxed the does for mastitis with VIMCO this year, but I guess Iris didn't get the memo. Everyone but one other doe had reduced SCC from last year so I was hopeful we wouldn't get any surprises. I guess not.

Electric net fencing coming today for either the bucks or does.
For some reason my bucks want are trying to get pushy and ripped now of all times. Proximity to the does hasn't changed, since they shared the same barn before and pen sides, but I did put two mini bucks in with them for the ride and apparently they take after their ND side and and have been rutting since I got them and probably from 6 weeks on and I'm going to blame them for causing it. So we'll be doing 2x daily grain I guess, so I can check waters and feed them in the barn without having to get very assertive. Kenai, my black buck, has especially discovered he can be a turd and has been making "eyes" at me (precursor to courting behavior) and he's a bit of a meat ball so intimidating him would be a bit of a battle. Usually distraction goes a long way.
I think I'll put the bucks out first so they don't get any more into rut before learning that the hot wire that topped their pen is now their pen and it will be ripping hot. They'll be fine over in the buck barn away from the does.

 

[farmerjan]

Found the ToMorrow and Iris got dry treated. Something like 42 day meat withdrawal, but at least she's got a chance at surviving until fall if that puts a cap on the infection. I milked her out and the milk isn't stringy now, but she's still a mess. I vaxed the does for mastitis with VIMCO this year, but I guess Iris didn't get the memo. Everyone but one other doe had reduced SCC from last year so I was hopeful we wouldn't get any surprises. I guess not.

Electric net fencing coming today for either the bucks or does.
For some reason my bucks want are trying to get pushy and ripped now of all times. Proximity to the does hasn't changed, since they shared the same barn before and pen sides, but I did put two mini bucks in with them for the ride and apparently they take after their ND side and and have been rutting since I got them and probably from 6 weeks on and I'm going to blame them for causing it. So we'll be doing 2x daily grain I guess, so I can check waters and feed them in the barn without having to get very assertive. Kenai, my black buck, has especially discovered he can be a turd and has been making "eyes" at me (precursor to courting behavior) and he's a bit of a meat ball so intimidating him would be a bit of a battle. Usually distraction goes a long way.
I think I'll put the bucks out first so they don't get any more into rut before learning that the hot wire that topped their pen is now their pen and it will be ripping hot. They'll be fine over in the buck barn away from the does.

Males... and their stupid hormones.....

 

[Mini Horses]

I hope the buck barn will be cleaner than what you found in the barn. maybe it wasn't used much.....of course, there's the junk pile possibility.

 

[rachels.haven]

I hope the buck barn will be cleaner than what you found in the barn. maybe it wasn't used much.....of course, there's the junk pile possibility.

I'll get pictures of what I'm making the buck barn tomorrow. Originally there was an old barn...I think. Currently it has a bunch of bays (and yes, junk, thanks lady) and there's a middle room section and a back machine shed section and it looks like people tried to do all sorts of things to it and stopped. The roof is new and I think the important parts are in fairly good shape.

 

[rachels.haven]

Spent some time down with a cold not even able to repack much, but yesterday I started putting knobs for more electric wires on the fence posts of one of the strip pastures to get the peeing and pooping does out of the barn. Today I finished the knobs, but I'm in for a break. No more hammer time for today I hope.

The kids are happy during the day and enjoying a smaller home with a more kid friendly layout, but in the evening they break down and want to go home. Yeah, moving with kids sucks. Last night the three year old tried to run away in walmart to the kids bikes and tiny electric cars section because he wanted to take the one that looked the most likely a normal car and drive back to his "big house". He went into full meltdown mode and was bawling his plan desperately all the way out the door and into the parking lot until he and daddy sat down and had a sad talk together with lots of hugs and then we could go home (he wasn't trying to be naughty. He was being a sad, scared, lost feeling little boy). They will get past this, but I'd rather not move again for a long time. Public transport is good enough here that even if DH has to change jobs he supposedly has options around the area he can get to still with little to no driving so we should be fine.

Pen for the bucks is here. I got one for the does, but I opted to just finish adding live wiring to the darn fence in the middle strip. I hope it works.

I didn't get pics of the buck barn because I got stuck on removing our house stuff from the main barn. At some point the movers decided to start dumping things there and I need to get it all out before rodents get it if there are any and stuff got dusty. It was my first day back after being sick, so I have a lot of compensating for lost time to do. I got about halfway through getting everything sorted and moved to their organization location either in the house, garden shed, or buck barn.

I've put Iris through a course of masti clear followed by another one of today. Her production is up from where it was earlier, there are still knots-damaged udder-but today I don't feel like she was as tough, fleshy, and tacky feeling as they are when they have active mastitis. I'm not sure she'll ever produce what she was producing again but if she can milk with a healthy udder and be a brood doe I think I'd be happy with that. Her udder doesn't look terrible from the outside either. It would be nice if it still shrunk down like it did.

We've had one showing on our log cabin home. Original feedback was that the husband loved it and there was a lot the wife would change. The house was custom built by a man by his own designs and hands and it's a very masculine style so I'm not surprised, but what I am surprised by is that they want to put in an offer, but they want a contingency for their own house sale which we're only willing to do if they offer asking price to not put us out any farther so...we'll see. If the house sells well we can pay off most of this overly expensive one (one of the smaller houses in a very over priced area due to DC proximity) and be able to refinance and pay this one off like a normal mortgage.

Either way, I guess I STILL owe this thread buck barn pics. Or maybe project pics, because, you know, pics or it didn't happen. (time to go charge the phone)

 

[Ridgetop]

Poor 3-year-old. Eventually he will adjust but moving can be hard on little ones.

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry for the little one's feeling of being taken away from home... yes, he will get over it... but it is hard on kids. It can be exciting in the beginning, but the other tough thing is going to be you not having the family close to you there ; for the moral and physical "support" of them just being close. It might be better for your DH for work situation, but it will be hard for the kids for awhile... and subsequently hard on you.
You will get through it, hang tough.....

 

[Ridgetop]

Once they are in school/preschool and have friends it will be better.

 

[rachels.haven]

After working like a mad person middle pasture is strung with 3 new poly wire strands and pulsing with just barely probably hot enough and the does and dogs are out. Due to location the dogs may have to be put up or with the bucks for the night. We'll see. Or if they don't stay. Tomorrow I will treat doelings with a round of prevention and add them to the mix. Getting the semi permanent electric nets up for the bucks and jr bucks to get them out of the barn is next priorities. My metals sensitivity is making this difficult. Weak/shaking hands make me feel like it's taking SO LONG. I may want to find gloves for working on the buck fence in spite of the heat. I'm tired of feeling like I'm constantly flexing my arm and hand muscles to the point they don't work.

Cleaning off the energized perimeter fence is going to have to happen before more pastures fenced. Hey, that should be easier, right?

Well guys coming on Monday to hopefully help is fix our property water. Eeww. (Probably showering in more unnecessary bonus metals doesn't help things.) We're not drinking or consuming this stinking mess, btw. Unfortunately the critters are. String filter and UV sterilizer to fix coliform and the obvious might need to be a RO situation. Also in a high radon area with radon mitigation installed for our purchase in the basement so testing the water for radon needs to happen as well.

*As I look at this the filter on the end is comical. In retrospect I may just take it off tonight.