Got some plants started in pots, some Chamomile, and... Oops...My mom reads this, and the other ones are secrets, and I can post what they are once they come up, because then I will tell her. They are some really nice plants, they should be something she'll like.
We took Sarah and Cocoa for a walk today. Sarah had a chain leash, and got it tangled in a chair right before we left. That was the end of the word. The only way she could be untangled would be to let go and let her pull it out, then she started running, and the chain made NOISE!! When I finally caught her, she was so shaken up she couldn't enjoy the walk, because the terrible chain leash was sticking to her!
Also made a chick palace out of a box! It has three stories, a nest, and a ramp! The top story doesn't have a ramp, because there wasn't room for a good ramp. Instead, there is a reward for chicks that fly up, a nest! Made out of strips of an old T-shirt!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Desicions!
Great news! My mom has been sucked into the crazy world of goats! She got her *first* one today! Now it needs a name. She wants to name it Caris, but isn't quite sure. I think it looks like a Peaches n' Cream! As far as looks go, she is a really pretty orange, white, roanish kinda color. (Sorry no photos yet)
There is another big desicion to be made. Whether to band Thomas Hunter or not. There are pros and cons to both sides, and I will post them here.
Leaving Intact
Pros
- No stud fees.
Cons
-Has to have his own pen.
-Can't be let to breed his mom.
-Has to have a wether (banded goat) friend.
-He will stink.
-He will be unbearable when the girls come into heat.
Banding
Pros
- He can live in the same pen with the girls.
-He can detect when they are coming into heat.
-He can make them have more babies. (Won't get into details.)
-He won't stink.
Also, I put Andy on the stand to get her used to it, so that when she actually needs milk she won't put up a fight. She did great! (Then again, she did have grain most of the time!) Her udder is coming in nice. She didn't have any milk at the moment, because Tommy had just had a big meal. But it was nice, even if it was empty! She has really great attatchements, too!
Stella is getting really big, Rugby too! They are about ready to be weaned, too.
There is another big desicion to be made. Whether to band Thomas Hunter or not. There are pros and cons to both sides, and I will post them here.
Leaving Intact
Pros
- No stud fees.
Cons
-Has to have his own pen.
-Can't be let to breed his mom.
-Has to have a wether (banded goat) friend.
-He will stink.
-He will be unbearable when the girls come into heat.
Banding
Pros
- He can live in the same pen with the girls.
-He can detect when they are coming into heat.
-He can make them have more babies. (Won't get into details.)
-He won't stink.
Also, I put Andy on the stand to get her used to it, so that when she actually needs milk she won't put up a fight. She did great! (Then again, she did have grain most of the time!) Her udder is coming in nice. She didn't have any milk at the moment, because Tommy had just had a big meal. But it was nice, even if it was empty! She has really great attatchements, too!
Stella is getting really big, Rugby too! They are about ready to be weaned, too.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Guinea Facts!
Finding out more about guinea fowl, and found out a bunch of interesting facts about them. (You might want to look away, so you don't pass out from boredom)
-Guineas are like homing pigeons, they try to go back to where they grew up.
-Some male Guineas mate with only female, and stay with her for the rest of their lives.
-Guineas eat nearly anything that crawls, and even small mamals, like mice and rats.
-Guineas will kill snakes, and have been know to chase preditors.
-There are over thirty different varieties of Guinea fowl.
Pretty cool, I think! Of course these are probably Duh! inducing facts that everyone but me knows. :)
-Guineas are like homing pigeons, they try to go back to where they grew up.
-Some male Guineas mate with only female, and stay with her for the rest of their lives.
-Guineas eat nearly anything that crawls, and even small mamals, like mice and rats.
-Guineas will kill snakes, and have been know to chase preditors.
-There are over thirty different varieties of Guinea fowl.
Pretty cool, I think! Of course these are probably Duh! inducing facts that everyone but me knows. :)
Goat Visit
Went and visited Andy and Tommy Today. It was too windy to work my lambs, so I just sat in the goat barn with them. Not much to post about it, except that Andy is getting a beautiful lil udder! As far as I can tell, (underneath all that hair) She has good attatchments! To me that is just as important as lots of milk. Tommy is getting big and handsome, he is hardly three weeks old and already huge! He can hardly fit his huge self underneath mom to get a drink!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Guinees!
Yay! Might have found a place in the country, but it has grass up to the house, and the bugs to go with it. But we have come up with a very fun solution... Birds! Guinees, to be exact! Well, 10 guinees, 4 turkeys, and 16 of the cheepest (bad joke, I know) chickens they had that had the same hatch date. (The chickens were for body heat, so there are enough birds to keep each other warm) These will be kept at a friend's house until we are sure about the house and they are big enough that the resident skunk won't kill them. We will leave most or all of the chickens with the friend, along with one or two turkeys, as a thank-you-gift for letting us keep them with them.
Also went to the fabric store and got some fabric (on sale, too!) to make a coat for Andy to wear at the show. It's going to be blue, with sequins (intimidation factor) and maybe some ribbon around the edge (maybe).
Made an anti-marking-belly-band for Peanut, it worked, too! What it is is an old helmet liner from my dad's job with a denim strap, it works well, even though Peanut doesn't like me now.
We lost another rabbit to the dogs that come over the fence. Of course it had to be one of our two girls, not one of our three males! (Not to mention it was the sweetest girl!) So now we have three boys, and one girls, and this is a little out of balance. We are going to give our current herd-sire to someone for a pet, then maybe eat or sell a little male. We have two littles, so we might have at least one more girl in there.
Also went to the fabric store and got some fabric (on sale, too!) to make a coat for Andy to wear at the show. It's going to be blue, with sequins (intimidation factor) and maybe some ribbon around the edge (maybe).
Made an anti-marking-belly-band for Peanut, it worked, too! What it is is an old helmet liner from my dad's job with a denim strap, it works well, even though Peanut doesn't like me now.
We lost another rabbit to the dogs that come over the fence. Of course it had to be one of our two girls, not one of our three males! (Not to mention it was the sweetest girl!) So now we have three boys, and one girls, and this is a little out of balance. We are going to give our current herd-sire to someone for a pet, then maybe eat or sell a little male. We have two littles, so we might have at least one more girl in there.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Halter Trained!
Went and stayed and worked my lambs for nearly the whole weekend, and I am proud to anounce that... Stella is officially halter trained! Rugby is not quite halter trained, yet. Since Rugby is a different breed, he isn't getting bigger half as fast. Unless the judges really take a shine to him, I don't think I will show his breed again. Stella on the other hand, Stella is getting HUGE! I think that she is my best lamb, she's big, friendly, walks, and doesn't have much DRAMA like Rugby does.
Andy is doing great, but I think she could use some copper. Tommy Hunter is getting big, and is friendly now, too!
Andy is doing great, but I think she could use some copper. Tommy Hunter is getting big, and is friendly now, too!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
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Goats and Boots!
Went and visited the happy little goat family today, they are doing great! Andy does not have a very big udder yet, but then again Tommy Hunter has a big appetite! His is doing great, and is no longer skittish! I had a nice long conversation with Andy, not quite sure what was said, but I think it was good bonding time! :) Tommy's rumen is up and going, saw him eatin' some hay with mom, and later felt his rumen roll. I went up the hill to visit and say goodnight right after dark, and didn't see Andy or Thomas anywhere, so I looked in the little goat barn, and there she was, having properly put her son to bed! I talked for a few minutes, then went out of the barn, and prepared to hop the fence out of their pen, and heard a whicker! Turned around, and there was Andy, wondering where I was going! I was all too happy to give her more loves, and Tommy too, of course!
Also yesterday went to the thrift store and got... A pair of perfectly fitting boots for... $5:00! What a score!
One thing I am really excited about is Hairy Dairy, which is coming up in May. If you don't know what Hairy Dairy is, it is a goat show where you don't shave the goat like you normally do. A tad more casual. I am really excited about it! I am going to be helping a friend show her animals, too. She signed up a bunch of goats then realized she would have to be in about twenty places at once is she was going to pull off showing all those goats! So I will be one of many people helping walk a couple goats around the ring. Since I am a goat addict a can't wait to show a sweet li'l brown nubian buck with white spots and ears! He's young, so he's still loveable, unlike he will be in a few months once he hits adolecence.
(AKA Peeing all over himself) The main problem there will be with showing him will be, that instead of standing still like a good goat, he will be jumping all over you proclaiming his love in goat. That will be something to work on with him.
Also yesterday went to the thrift store and got... A pair of perfectly fitting boots for... $5:00! What a score!
One thing I am really excited about is Hairy Dairy, which is coming up in May. If you don't know what Hairy Dairy is, it is a goat show where you don't shave the goat like you normally do. A tad more casual. I am really excited about it! I am going to be helping a friend show her animals, too. She signed up a bunch of goats then realized she would have to be in about twenty places at once is she was going to pull off showing all those goats! So I will be one of many people helping walk a couple goats around the ring. Since I am a goat addict a can't wait to show a sweet li'l brown nubian buck with white spots and ears! He's young, so he's still loveable, unlike he will be in a few months once he hits adolecence.
(AKA Peeing all over himself) The main problem there will be with showing him will be, that instead of standing still like a good goat, he will be jumping all over you proclaiming his love in goat. That will be something to work on with him.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Some Random Pictures
Introduction
This is the first post on my new blog, but then again, you probably know that. :) I live in a a small town in Western Nebraska, and keep my animals at a friend's farm. My mini-herd consists of...
-Andy, An Alpine/LaMancha, yearling doe
-Thomas Hunter, Her 3 week old, Alpine/LaMancha/Toggenburg buckling (That was an accident, will explain later)
-Rugby, A Border Leicester lamb, for 4-H
-Stella, A Sufolk lamb for 4-H
All of these are going to be shown in 4-H this year, but only the lambs are being sold. For Andy and Thomas Hunter, (Who is going to be wethered) this is just experience.
Please don't expect any profound statements or stories, because you'll be disappointed. This blog is just going to be a place to share all of my little adventures working my lambs and spending time with my goats. These are farm animals, so there might be some mildly offending bits if you do not raise animals, too. Those moments will be few and far between, but just a warning.
To explain about Thomas Hunter being an accident, since I keep my goat at a friend's farm, she is around other goats, too. (including several intact bucks) There was one buck, whose name was Gennis the Menace, was an escape artist. What happened, is that Gennis knew that Andy was in heat, and used he "abilities" to get out of his pen. and into her's. Thus the start of Thomas Hunter. She was a tad young to be bred, and she might be a little bit smaller than if she hadn't been bred.
This is going to be both my, and Andy's, second year in 4-H. I got third purple in showmanship. (third choice for first place). I did not show her in market, which is just body evaluation. Due to misunderstanding, I did not show her in that one, so we will never know how well she would have scored. With my lamb last year, I got Blue in Showmanship, and Red in market.
We also raise California White Rabbits, that run free in the back yard. It wasn't always this way, though. First they were in small cages, with a little run for exersice. Then they started the burrow. Now we expect the yard to cave in!(We had forty rabbits down there at one time! The fence worked great, until a rabbit that was too smart for it's own good learned how to jump on a hay bale just so and get out. It then taught all the other, dimmer, rabbits how to do it too! So we just took away the fence so it could be used else where. Then the neighbor's cats and dogs started getting quick meals from our babies. For a while nearly all of our little rabbits got eaten before they were two months old. We put the fence back up. We now have two littles at the moment.
Then there are the dogs. Eddy is our medium size mix from the pound. We think he is has some border collie and some spaniel in him. He has been known to point at cats right before he barks at them. Then there are our three chihuahuas. There is Cocoa, a purebred chihuahua we were given to as a thank you gift when we found some one's dog for them. Peanut is her son, he is supposed to be purebred, but he doesn't look like it. Sarah is also from Cocoa, but a different batch of puppies. She was born with a cleft palete, and bottle raised. At about two weeks, we took her into the vet to see what was wrong with her. He said that she had a cleft palete and that it would be best to put her down. We didn't, since we had gotten her that far, we weren't giving up now! Now she is nearly a year old, and thriving! She is the queen of the house, one bark sends then all scurrying!
This is Sarah
There isn't anything wrong with her, she is just very trusting!
This is her with one of her toys. (You can tell how dominant she is by the size of her toys!)
And just an all around cute picture of her!
This is Thomas Hunter, the morning after he was born! Cute, isn't he? Better than kittens, as my dad says!
This is Thomas Hunter with his mama, Andy! He looks just like her!
-Andy, An Alpine/LaMancha, yearling doe
-Thomas Hunter, Her 3 week old, Alpine/LaMancha/Toggenburg buckling (That was an accident, will explain later)
-Rugby, A Border Leicester lamb, for 4-H
-Stella, A Sufolk lamb for 4-H
All of these are going to be shown in 4-H this year, but only the lambs are being sold. For Andy and Thomas Hunter, (Who is going to be wethered) this is just experience.
Please don't expect any profound statements or stories, because you'll be disappointed. This blog is just going to be a place to share all of my little adventures working my lambs and spending time with my goats. These are farm animals, so there might be some mildly offending bits if you do not raise animals, too. Those moments will be few and far between, but just a warning.
To explain about Thomas Hunter being an accident, since I keep my goat at a friend's farm, she is around other goats, too. (including several intact bucks) There was one buck, whose name was Gennis the Menace, was an escape artist. What happened, is that Gennis knew that Andy was in heat, and used he "abilities" to get out of his pen. and into her's. Thus the start of Thomas Hunter. She was a tad young to be bred, and she might be a little bit smaller than if she hadn't been bred.
This is going to be both my, and Andy's, second year in 4-H. I got third purple in showmanship. (third choice for first place). I did not show her in market, which is just body evaluation. Due to misunderstanding, I did not show her in that one, so we will never know how well she would have scored. With my lamb last year, I got Blue in Showmanship, and Red in market.
We also raise California White Rabbits, that run free in the back yard. It wasn't always this way, though. First they were in small cages, with a little run for exersice. Then they started the burrow. Now we expect the yard to cave in!(We had forty rabbits down there at one time! The fence worked great, until a rabbit that was too smart for it's own good learned how to jump on a hay bale just so and get out. It then taught all the other, dimmer, rabbits how to do it too! So we just took away the fence so it could be used else where. Then the neighbor's cats and dogs started getting quick meals from our babies. For a while nearly all of our little rabbits got eaten before they were two months old. We put the fence back up. We now have two littles at the moment.
Then there are the dogs. Eddy is our medium size mix from the pound. We think he is has some border collie and some spaniel in him. He has been known to point at cats right before he barks at them. Then there are our three chihuahuas. There is Cocoa, a purebred chihuahua we were given to as a thank you gift when we found some one's dog for them. Peanut is her son, he is supposed to be purebred, but he doesn't look like it. Sarah is also from Cocoa, but a different batch of puppies. She was born with a cleft palete, and bottle raised. At about two weeks, we took her into the vet to see what was wrong with her. He said that she had a cleft palete and that it would be best to put her down. We didn't, since we had gotten her that far, we weren't giving up now! Now she is nearly a year old, and thriving! She is the queen of the house, one bark sends then all scurrying!
This is Sarah
And just an all around cute picture of her!
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