Bedding the animals

 I still can't get over the fact that it is mid February and it feels like spring! Although we do have snow this morning, with 40's in the forecast it is unlikely to stay around too long. The chickens sure have been happy, they hate walking in snow- in fact if there is snow on the ground they wont leave the coop! But who can blame them, I don't care to walk out in the snow barefoot either.

Every week I bed the animals. This means I add straw, or hay in the case of the chickens, to their sleeping quarters. There are two ways farmers bed- they either clean out old bedding and add fresh or they do what we do and add fresh on top of the old. This is known as the deep bedding method. There are lots of opinions out there as to which is better and why. We started this when we had the big farm, and before Chuck would add new bedding he tossed corn on the old. In the spring we put the piglet in and they turned up the bedding looking for the fermenting corn.



With only 4 goats there is not as much of a "mess" as there was with cows, but I still like them to have a fresh spot to lay down. The theory behind the deep bedding it that as the manure breaks down, or composts, it releases heat which in the winter time is what you are trying to provide. Here you can see that part of the lean-to is partially enclosed and it is insulated. This way the goats have a protected place to go on those cold, cold nights. And if we need to we can lock them in. The lean-to faces south that way the goats get the nice warm sun during the day- and boy do they love that!

In the protected part of the lean-to before I started putting bedding
down I put a pallet topped with a board down. This elevated them off the cold ground, then I loaded the area up with straw. I would say at this point the goats are probably a couple feet off the ground.

Goats are notorious hay wasters, they grab a mouthful of hay then they look around dropping hay here and there. Kind of like my kids do when they eat at the dinner table. The dogs love the kids, but since the dogs don't like hay I had to figure something else out. I decided to take the hay the goats didn't eat and put it in the coop for chicken bedding. The chickens love going through the hay looking for seed heads or whatever else they can find. The hay heats up nicely in our unheated coop, in the mornings when I open it up I can smell warm hay- love that smell!

I used the same deep bedding method with the coop. Then once or twice a year I clean it out and add it to the compost pile. It is a win-win all around. I don't spend every weekend cleaning and bedding, the composting manure adds heat to the sleeping areas for my livestock, and I get great compost to use on my garden. Could not be easier!

Dinner at a farm

Squash Pie!

Things sure have been crazy this last month. My littlest turned one, so hard to believe that it has been a year. And man is he a big boy, walking and running all over the place. I am looking forward to summer days with the kids running around outside. The garden planning is in full swing, I am day dreaming of fresh veggies.

School is in full swing for Chuck, he is also thinking ahead trying to find an internship. Hopefully something in the ecology field, that also pays. While looking for something for him I stumbled across a job for me. Now I know I am totally busy but it just sounded so perfect that I applied. And guess what- I got it!

Purple Asparagus

Chuck and I have both felt a loss of community since loosing our farm. It was so difficult to deal with our own loss that it became difficult to hear about others farming the way that we were. So we isolated ourselves. Chuck and I spoke often of how we missed and longed to be back in the swing of sustainable farming. And then I saw this ad for a place called Dinner On The Farm she was looking for someone to help spread the word about her farming events. Long story short I am now the social media, public relations coordinator! I know fancy, schmancy!! I really thought this would be a great opportunity for me to talk about what I love, but also connect with others again.

The gist of Dinner On The Farm is that we work with local farmers, chefs, musicians, winery's, and breweries to put on a grand celebration. This year there are plans of 7 farms hosting an event. Monica, the founder, is really into all things local she even works with local companies who make biodegradable dinnerware for the dinners.

Part of my job will be blogging over on the Dinner On The Farm website. My first blog post is up check it out, let me know what you think. And if you think you might be interested in attending one of those farm celebrations stay tuned because next month is the reveal!

The long week

Friday enjoying the warm weather

Okay so it has not been the greatest week here. Joanie prolapsed again, this time we had to have the vet come out and put it back in. Poor Joanie was in so much pain. She ended up pushing it back out again while the vet was here and then tearing some of the tissue. Prognosis is not good. The vet, who was wonderful, said that it will only get worse and having babies is not a good idea for her. So although the prolapse is back in for now we are not sure that it will stay this way. There is no nice way to put this, Joanie will be culled this week.

Joanie's rectal prolapse

Ramona's lump

 Then while giving Ramona a belly rub I noticed a lump. I of course freaked out. Ramona is 10 this year and you would not know it. So I took her in to the vet and decided to have the lump removed. She will go in on Tuesday for the surgery. The lump will be sent in for testing, crossing our fingers that it is only a lump and not cancer. In the meantime I am using oils on her, and I actually think the lump has decreased in size.

All the while Chuck was enjoying a little vacation with some friends- ice fishing. Hope he comes home with a couple meals worth!

A myotonic prolapse

The gardening workshop turned out great! Territorial Seed Company sent me a box full of seed to hand out, added bonus! So now I am on to planning another workshop, this time raising backyard chickens!! Several people showed interest in that and a workshop on preserving the harvest.

And it is finally starting to look like winter outside. We don't have enough snow for Kid 1 to make a snow man, but that did not stop her!

This morning when I went out to feed and water I noticed Joanie, the myotonic, had a something coming out of her. I looked close and it seemed to be coming from her anus. I ran and got my camera freaking out that she had prolaped like one of our sheep. That was an awful experience one I hope never to repeat, so I downloaded the pictures and sent them off to a fellow goat herder. One definitely more experienced than I. I am sure I have mentioned her once or twice (Shonyo Farm), anyway she told me to relax a little. Turns out this can happen in myotonic goats. Now it is something that I need to watch but she explained it as having to do with the muscle tone and if they have a heavy cough this type of rectal prolapse can happen. By the time I had gotten back out the prolapse was back in. Joanie is pregnant and her weight gain, due to the pregnancy, is putting pressure on her innards and then the coughing that I saw her doing this morning did not help. It was also suggested that I drench her with a cup or so of mineral oil and the use of some essential oils. Poor thing, seriously being pregnant comes with all sorts of issues!

You can see in the above picture her back legs are stiffened due to her fainting. I will keep an eye on her and cross my fingers that this does not happen again!!

Free Gardening Workshop

I know it is cold outside, but believe me this is the best time to start planning your garden. I am so excited about this gardening workshop, and about sharing with you what I have learned from growing my own produce.

So if you are interested in growing your own produce, but just aren't sure where to begin? We will talk about preparing your plot, buying seeds, and caring for your plants. Besides learning about gardening I hope it will be a great opportunity to connect with others who share similar interests. Join us on Saturday January 21st from 2pm until 4pm at McPete's in Big Lake. If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me an email.