Speechless...

I'm not so sure how much more I can handle.

This year has been the year from hell for farming.

It's years like this that make you want to give up.

And it's only March! I hope that it gets better instead of worse.

First it started with Woody. The vet had to come twice which is never a good thing.

Money, money, money...

Even after a few weeks Woody was still sick and not getting any better.

I finally thought...kill or cure.

I cut Woody off from his milk and his feed. Only water and hay.

It worked.

Thank Goodness!

Then we had another calf that the dairy had given us because it looked like Woody wasn't going to make it for a while. That one was doing well. Then almost overnight it went from healthy to dead.

The two weeks ago Murphy got sick. He got into too much grain. This was on Friday night. I called the vet and she told me what to do and we made an appointment for Monday morning. (Why do all these things happen on Weekends!) But by late Sunday afternoon he was not well. Not well at all.

So Sunday at 8:30 pm we were off to the vet. Yes, a hour and a half drive on a Sunday night.

So she fixed him up and he was good as new.

We only got home at midnight. But anything for our baby.

Then the ring and pignion gear on Dave's tractor went.

Ugh.

$950.00 later it's not fixed yet. That's only the parts. 

Labour...let's not go there.

We did have good luck with the chicks hatching. We had 21.

We hatch them in our bedroom closet and bring them to the barn in a makeshift brooder when they're dry. Our last one hatched yesterday and when Dave brought it to the barn he noticed Murphy motionless, with his eyes open, on the floor!

He ran to him and picked him up. He was cold and stiff as a board.

He thought he was dead, but he wasn't. Almost.

He called the vet and then called me at work in a panic. (Not that I blame him, I would've been freaking out also!)

So off to the vet we went again.

We had him in a box covered in blankets trying to warm him up. 

A few times I thought he wasn't going to make it.

He would grind his teeth and cry.

Then he stopped crying and grinding.

I was sure he was gone.

But somehow we made it to the vet with him still breathing...barely.

The vet gave him a shot of epinephrine to get his heart pumping again.

Then filled him full of glucose and warm liquids. Took blood for some tests and also gave him some painkillers and a shot of steroids.

When he was stabilized she ran the blood tests.

But they came back inconclusive.

He started coming around and seemed okay considering what he had gone through.

But Dave noticed that he seemed to have slow reflexes on the left side.

The vet called for a second opinion and they concluded that he had head trauma or a stroke.

We were just about to decide on the course of action, when his heart rate started to go down.

This was not looking good. He didn't have a good prognosis.

It was time to decide.

They escorted us into a room to talk and think about what to do.

And to cuddle him a bit longer.

Murphy is in goat heaven now.

I'll never know if we did the right decision or not, we'll never know exactly what happened either,

 but this way his suffering is over.

Ours has just begun. 

We miss him horribly. I'm having a hard time writing this without crying.

We'll have to wait till spring before we can bury him and we'll erect a small monument in his honour.

He really touched a lot of people in his short little life.

Like Dave said, he was our little buddy.

It's times like this I hate farming.

Lisa

The liquor store heist!

I have not been in a liquor store in 10 years.

But a few days ago I HAD to go in the liquor store.

I found a recipe online for vanilla extract.

 I have vanilla beans coming out of the ying yang, I thought I'd try my hand at making homemade vanilla extract.

But the main ingredient was alcohol. Not rubbing alcohol, but the good ole fashioned

 drinking kind of alcohol.

For those of you that are new to my blog, my family and I are Wesleyans. 

So that means that we abstain from partaking in alcoholic beverages.

We've been part of the Wesleyan faith for 10 years now, so that means we haven't touched a drop of alcohol or been in a liquor store in 10 years.

(with the exception of a few years ago, when I had to go buy my FIL a 3 liter of whiskey. Obviously, he's not a part of the Wesleyan faith!)

So Thursday night I went into the liquor store.

They must have thought me nuts.

I have walking around with an empty shopping cart looking lost till the cashier asked if I needed help.

(The shopping cart was because I had been in the grocery store that is attached to the liquor store, not because I was planning to buy them out!)

So she asked if I needed help, thank goodness!

She showed me the various sizes and types of vodka.

My goodness! There's a whole bunch of different kinds now!

So I stuck to ole faithful (what I used to get when I did partake!)

Absolut!

I just got a small bottle. Not the tiny little ones, but the next one up.

So from what I gather, this is the recipe to make vanilla extract.

Take 5 vanilla beans and cut length wise.

Put in one cup of vodka or another alcohol of choice.

Shake and let sit for 8 weeks or so. 

Shake every week.

VOILA! Vanilla Extract! I'll let you know how it tastes in 8 weeks.

I saved the vodka bottle so I can transfer the vanilla back to it, when it's done.

Just to freak people out! Hee hee

Have a Blessed Day.

Lisa

I betch'a can't get just one!

Ok, it all started with one of our goat friends and disbudding customer, Cindy.

First we bartered Peeper from her.

Then she came down with three minis to get disbudding as a part of our deal.

Well, she came with three....

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

but she left with two.

How on God's green earth could you resist this!

I dare you. 

He stayed behind and we're bottle feeding him.

Look at that nose!

He's in love with Peeper and Peeper is in love with his new buddy.

Now what's this little one's name you may ask?

Well a lot of thought went into his name.

He needs a special one.

I found that looked so much like a donkey.

So we named him after Murphy, but since Jamie is so much into hunting these days, he wanted Cabelas or Winchester. At first I'm like ahhh....no.

But then the more I looked at him and the more I found his colouring was like Winchester Cathedral in England, where we had visited many, many moons ago.

So his name is Murphy Winchester III.

Why the third? Why not.

So far Murphy Winchester III is still a he, but in a week or so, he'll be going through the process of becoming a eunuch.

I'm not used to these minis. I'm used to 150 lb goats that eat like, well, like goats.

So the vet had to come over for Woody again. It looked like he wasn't going to make it.

He had a turn for the worse. So while the vet was there I asked how much should I be feeding this tiny little thing.

He quickly did the math in his head and said, "About 2 cups of milk."

To that I reply, "A feeding?"

"No, a day."

oh.

"How much have you been feeding him?"

"6 cups a day. But he won't even look at the grain! He's going to starve!" (In my self defense!)

"No wonder! He's not hungry! Tone it down to 3 cups a day or he'll turn into goatzilla."

oh.

So Murphy Winchester III is down to 3 cups a day. And if you're late for a feeding by even just a few minutes,  he does turn into goatzilla.

So just an update on Woody.  Before the vet got there, we were sure we were going to have a cow funeral. 

Then the vet showed up.

The healthiest calf around! They're just like kids. They'll make liars out of you every time!

The vet said he did have a fever and gave us stronger meds.

But since he was supposedly on death's door that afternoon, Dave called the dairy and put our name for another calf. They said they had one that was a week old, his legs weren't the greatest, but they were getting better. He was walking on his wrists? I guess that's what you'd call them. But they said they usually heal up well. They just didn't want to sell it to anyone. So Dave said that he'd take it.

Dave kept saying I have a feeling that if we don't take it, it won't be good for the calf..if you know what I mean. So we gotta take it. 

Oh good grief.

So Dave went and got the calf, (the price was right, they gave him to us)which is named Cabelas.

And Woody is doing wonderfully!

Have A Blessed Day!

Lisa

Woody

Well here's a quick update on Woody.

He's doing wonderfully!

He's pulling through his illness.

The vet came over Friday night and checked him out. She (Dr. MacHattie's daughter!) gave us extra meds, took his temperature, listened to his lungs and heart and did all the things that doctors do to sick babies.

She also took a sample home...if you know what I mean. Ewwww.

She called Monday to say he had no parasites or anything out of the ordinary. 

So Woody just had the stomach flu. Go figure.

He's supposed to be down to one bottle a day of milk, but since he's lost so much weight I'm keeping him on two bottles a day for a few more days. He's still on penicillin because his umbilicus was swollen (I really should have asked what that meant!)

And another day of electrolytes and Kaopectate for a bit longer.

Dr. Nicole gave us a BIG bottle of Kaopectate. This way I don't have to run to every drug store in the area and clean them out!

It's kinda funny. Whenever I go in a drug store in the area now and ask for Kaopectate they know either a goat is sick or a cow.

People are starting to know me. 

Too funny.

But all in all, Woody is doing A-Okay!

Have a Blessed Day

Lisa

I'm in the wrong business!

Well, well, well.

One of the calves is not doing so well.

In fact we're not sure he's going to make it.

It came upon him quick also.

Daisy the heifer is fine, but Woody is sick.

He was fine yesterday morning, but by evening I noticed he was not getting up when I walked in the barn. That is strange for him. He's usually at the door bawling for food, like Daisy.

I called Dave over and he said the same thing. Plus Woody was trembling.

So we gave him a shot of penicillen and a shot of Newcells.

This morning is seemed like he didn't even want to suck on his bottle.

He only ate half his ration.

So Dave called the vet. He has no fever so that rules out pneumonia. 

So he took orders from the vet and we put him in a stall by himself. 

He's got the poopies in the worse way. So it could be anything.

The vet thinks maybe coccidiosis. So we're giving him Amprol.

But from late afternoon to after supper he went downhill fast!

Dave called the vet again (these guys are the best!) and she suggested Kaopectate and to make a homemade electrolyte solution and feed it to him on top of all the other things we're giving him.

Dave had to leave for a meeting so it left me to try and get a hardheaded sick (half dead) calf, that is still very strong, to drink disgusting medicine and a 2 litre of electrolyte.

So I got everything ready, got dressed in my barn clothes and told Jamie that I don't know when I'll be coming back in!

I marched into the barn determined to save this 3 week old baby!

I came out pretty much covered in cow slime, Kaopectate, electrolyte solution and probably poop.

But you know what...? I loved every minute of it!

I am one strange cookie, yes I know. I've been told this many times. I could do this everyday. I don't mind the slime, gook and gore of animals.

 I just love knowing that I helped a helpless animal. I got him to take all the medicine and he drank most of his electrolyte solution. 

But I actually think he's going to make it.

I told him that he's not going to die on my watch!

I'm praying that God will let him live because he is destined to feed many people.

It's probably not a happy ending for him, but it will be for the less fortunate this fall.

Have a Blessed Day!

Lisa

And my projects begin....a bit early

We had put our name at the local dairy farm for two bull calves this year. Like I mentioned in my last post, we're going to raise one for us and one to donate the meat to people in need.

I wanted the calves around mid February to early March. Because we do have lots of goats milk in a freezer in the basement (that's an understatement! It's a FULL freezer of milk) that's getting old and needs to be used up. So I figured it would get rid of most of the milk and by then the does would have kidded.

Well things NEVER go according to plan. Last weekend the dairy called and said they had two calves if we wanted them. I was like, uh, ummm well... but when they said one was crossed with a beef breed I said yes right away!

You NEVER get them crossed with a beef breed. That meant that one of them is going to have lots more meat on it when it's time for the butcher.

So Dave went to get them a few days after.

When he gets home he tells me that the brown one is a heifer!

HOLY COW!!! Pardon the pun.

They only want purebred Holsteins at the dairy and somehow one of the girls got in with a beef bull.

(Go figure)

I take one look at Daisy's (that's what I called her, not a bright move I know.) long eyelashes and think there is no way on God's green earth I can eat this cute little thing.

So I get a brainwave and tell Dave," We could raise her and breed her!!"

Uh....no.

Woody

I didn't realize that heifers have to be two years old to breed, then another year of gestation, then another year for the calf to grow to maturity. Sooooo...4 years down the road, we'd have meat!

Plus the main thing is that she was sold to us on the condition that she goes for meat.

So we are people that keep our word and Daisy will go for.....meat this fall.

That just kills me.

Daisy. 

Also, if I told you how much we paid for these two you would not believe it!! Extremely cheap. I'm almost tempted to get another one....maybe not.

Because after only being here for 5 days, the freezer is almost empty!!!

We're going to have to buy calf starter because I can't give the calves all the milk. I have soap orders to fill and I can't make goat's milk soap with milk I've bought from the store.

Ain't gonna happen.

So what we saved on the price of the calves we're going to pay in calf starter.

Oh well, it's all a worthy cause.

Have a Blessed Day

Lisa

Bear and the goats

Saturday was a nice day. It was giving rain but it held off for a while so I went outside to take pictures of the goats and Bear.

Some are just so funny.

Peeper is doing well outside with the other goats, but Bear still thinks he's a chew toy.

Ha Ha Ha! That's a goat? Where's the rest of it?

Ok fine, I'll guard it.

There's a small barn on the hill where the goats graze, but the smaller goats could get underneath it and that freaked me out, plus Pisnak would rub his scurs and he was wrecking the shed.

So we had to put wire around it. I feel safer now. Well I think the goats feel safer now anyway.

Maggie and Azelle are both due in mid- March, by looking at them you'd think that Azelle is due today and Maggie not even bred.  The funny thing is that Maggie is due a few days before Azelle.  But I find that Azelle carries wide and Maggie carries low.

We'll have to wait and see!

Well part of my plan for this spring is already starting.

Tomorrow Dave is going to pick up our two bull calves!

It's a bit earlier than what I expected, but they'll just be bigger by the end of fall.

I'll post pics when we get them.

Have a Blessed Evening.

Lisa