Missing in Action!

This blog is going to be short.

I'm typing with one hand.

For several years I've been dealing with what is called Keinbock's disease or by it's common name, dead bone disease. Most Keinbock patients have it because of trauma to the wrist. 

I was actually born with it. My radial bone is too long, thus rubbing my wrist bone and killing it.

I finally got in for surgery a few days ago. I'd been on the waiting list for a year now.

The doctor first thought that taking a few mms of bone would do the trick but after opening me up he ended taking almost an inch. He said that he could have taken more but figured it was nice an even.

So for the next 5 weeks I'm a one armed bandit, making typing and other things a pain in the butt!!!

So if you don't see me for awhile, it's because writing is an issue at the moment. 

But I will be back!!

If you're on Facebook Like our Spring Peeper Farm page.

Or follow me on Twitter @Peeper67

Relaxing with my pals.

Even though it's cold still the garlic is pushing through!

New friends for Philomene our widow....Philias and Françoise.



Have a Blessed Day!
Lisa

White Women Can't Dance!

This year the Nocturne de la Baie was renamed

La Clare-té de la Baie. It was to usher in spring since it was a long 

time coming. The festivities lasted all weekend.

I went to some of them, but I missed many of them. Since there's only so many hours in a day.

 We had a lovely girl from Help X

helping us. Thank goodness she was here that week to help.

But that's a story for another day

One night we decided to take it easy and to go see what was going on at Le Rendez-Vous de la Baie.

François Gaudet had painted the Sable Island ponies.

Then we decided to go and watch the African dance demonstration.

It was beautiful to see.

But of course it didn't stop there.

They asked if anyone wanted to learn.

Well since I consider myself something of a dancer (well when I was younger anyway)

 I thought why not??!!

I should have thought...WHY?

But I semi-dragged Barbara (our helpxer) up on the stage and I thought I was doing pretty good.

Till I seen the pictures Dave took.

I'm on the left with the jeans and red T-shirt.

I seem to be in rhythm.

Still going well I'd say.

But here's where I kinda lose it. What am I doing?

I seem completely perplexed here.

But then I seem to regain my bearings.

But when we were done, Jamie was brutely honest.

"Mom you can't dance."

So I figured that Dave would be nicer.

"Honey, you have no rhythm. Sorry."

In my defense I used to do a form of step dancing, which that being said,  there is no upper body movement. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone....

White Women Can't Dance!!!

Have a Blessed Day and a Happy Easter!

Lisa

Not for the Squeamish....

Ok, you've been forewarned!

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The pictures you are about to see are not pretty.

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So go to another blog for this time if you're squeamish.

Ok, you were warned.

This post is about disbudding.

It's a super controversial subject among goat farmers, animal rights activist etc., etc..

I know some people don't mind goats with horns and they say that if the goat isn't nasty that it's not an issue, but guess what...in my opinion horns are an issue.

I have my son to think about and the other kids that come to visit to think about also.

Their safety is my number one priority.

Also our main buyers are 4H-ers and the goats need to be disbudded.

Several years ago, I mean 15+ years ago. I had a goat with horns.

The most docile wether you've ever seen.

One day I had to give him his mani-pedi.

Everything was going well when I turned my head and he turned his head at the same time. Then I usually wore contact lenses. I never wore glasses. But for some reason I wore my glasses that day. Thank goodness I wore my glasses! Because the tip of the horn hit me smack dab in the middle of my eye! It was all innocent. But if I had been wearing my contacts I would have lost my eye.

I swore never again to have a horned goat.

So here goes. This is how you disbud a goat kid.

I thought of doing a video and putting it on U-tube but then I thought that might not be a good idea.

Disbudding should be taught hands-on.

Not on U-Tube. 

It's dangerous and should only be taught by someone with years of experience.

The lady that taught Dave had 25 years of experience.

He didn't learn it on U-Tube.

I'm just putting the pictures on here so people can see what disbudding is all about.

First you take the kid and place it in a disbudding box. Never, ever try and do this with someone holding the kid. EVER!

We shave the kids head. I call it the mohawk. The reason we do this is because it saves on time that the iron has to be on the kid. The iron burns the buds right away instead of having to pass through the fur first. Honestly, the kids scream more about being confined in the box and having their hair cut than they do having their buds burned.

The iron is hot! Make sure it's hot. We have lots of iron marks all over the barn, to make sure the iron is hot enough. It heats to 1500 degrees

The iron is placed on the bud for 5-8 seconds, then taken off to let the head cool off.

We do this 2-3 times. Also we scrape the middle of the bud to make sure the iron gets to that point.

This way we get no scurs.

The most important thing is to make sure you get a copper ring. That kills the bud.

We usually don't get scurs after. The only time is when it's a male and he doesn't get banded right away. My theory is that the testosterone must kick in and cause the scurs.

But that's just my theory.

After it's all done, they don't seem any worse for wear.

But like I've said before, don't try this without having been shown by someone that's done it many times before.

Have a Blessed Day.

Lisa