New Goat News

I spent the day yesterday driving over to the Iron Range to get our newest goat, Lily. I love that drive! So relaxing, no traffic and there's some farm country to see too.
I spent a couple of hours at Baa-si Farmz, where I purchased Lily, learning now to draw blood, and talkin' goat. It was a blast. I was a bit surprised by Lily's tiny stature. She's only 16 months old now, so still growing. As a first freshener, her udder is only so-so (but nicely attached, and her teats are quite small. I milk with only my thumb and first two fingers.
Speaking of milking, I've done it twice so far. Once at 7:30 P.M. when I got home yesterday and at 7:30 this A.M. Last night's milking was extremely laughable. It took way longer than it should have, me being so inexperienced, and Lily never having been milked. Neither of us knew what we were doing. Molly had to help me hold her leg so she couldn't step in the milk pail or kick me. I got milk everywhere but the pail for a while, then it was a hit or a miss. Lily had just nursed her doeling for the last time right before I drove home. Any way, all said and done, I got a WHOPPING TWO OUNCES OF MILK! This A.M. was slightly better at 5 ounces and no leg holding. We're both catching on!
I don't think she was nursing her baby as she should have been. She had rejected her and was just beginning to take her back. Also, a single doeling doesn't really need all that much milk. For those reasons, I'm sure she's not giving as much milk as she's capable of. She's only 3 weeks fresh, though, so I'm hoping with patience and proper feeding we'll both continue to improve. We should have some time since does generally peak in their lactation at about two months. By her second freshening we'll both be old pros (I hope).
The good news: I'd said I'd be happy with enough for my daughter's breakfast, and she had enough for her granola this A.M. She was all smiles and loved the milk. It was worth it!
Sorry no pictures yet, but at this point just accomplishing the task of properly cleaning everything, and milking, and re-cleaning is taking too much brain power. When I get more used to the process, I'll try to get some photos.

Tomato Help Needed

OK all you experienced gardeners, I need help! I found my first ripening tomato today, and also found these. Can I get rid of these guys? Any suggestions would be oh so helpful. In my arsenal already are insecticidal soap, diatomaceous earth and neem oil. Would any of these be helpful to me? I've been so careful of these tomatoes, and they've come through so much. I've got so many of them near ripening. I hope I don't loose them all now!

Growing Bunnies and Garden NOT Progress

The bunnies are now three days old and beginning to get some white fur. They're still pretty hard to count without disturbing them too much, but we think there are fourteen.
Things to do:

-prepare cage for weanling bunnies
-prepare brooder house for 25 new chicks (coming around June 13th).
-garden????????????

About the garden...I started seeds and planted way too early this year. The broccoli is still alive and doing well. The onions seem pretty happy too. The spinach is alive, but not growing at all. The first two baby leaves appeared, and I'm pretty sure what that spinach thought was, "Woa, baby! It's COLD out there! I'm staying right where I am!"
And it is cold out there. The squash is dead (froze to death). The tomatoes, which I had covered with a sheet during the cold nights, are suffering frost bite...it is altogether not good.
Well, live and learn, I guess. I'm starting over with almost everything. I started more squash and basil yesterday, in pots of course. I don't know what the trick is to starting seeds in trays. I fail miserably at it! This year I spent money on a little "green house" starting tray with peat pellets to plant in. HORRIBLE! I had to plant things way too early because it was apparent that if they stayed in the tray they would die for sure. Ugh...I'm so glad my serious attempt at gardening began last year. I may not be trying it again if it had been this year! I welcome any and all comments with suggestions, constructive criticism, etc...
I'm going to add some garden photos to this post later. Gotta go!

Chicken Update

Before the chicken update, I just have to share my laundry pictures. I'm so excited to have my clothes line fixed, and praying it holds this time. Since I have my clothes line, my 5 year old decided she needed one of her own.



I found this one in the lilac bush near mine. :) So sweet! It's being used again today. My 7 year old hung laundry on it while I was hanging a load today. This time it was clean and part of the load I was hanging. The clothes in this picture aren't clean. Dani explained to me that she wanted some laundry to hang on it, so she got some dirty clothes wet so she could hang them. :) They just do the cutest things!



After spending about an hour and a half today just watching my flock (which I should do much more often) I have found out what's going on. Today it all became clear. The incessant scratching (which I noticed for the first time today), the broken feathers and bald rears, the general ragged, fluffy appearance of their plumage...MITES! So that's at least part of what's going on. After about an hour and a half of observation, I've figured out that they must have pulled their own feathers out. They're not picking on each other at all, only themselves.
Dan always says that it's my job to see anything unusual about the animals because he doesn't notice things like that. Well, I've failed my job! This seems like something I should have picked up on sooner. But, now what? As soon as it dawned on me that mites were the culprit, I added sand and wood ashes to their favorite dust bath spot. I really have no idea what else to do at this point. I'm going to do some research to see if I can find any answers. If anyone has any suggestions for me, I'm oh so ready to hear them! Thanks! :) And hugs to all you smart homesteader types!

Aphid Eating Insects and Garden Progress

I never was able to find neem oil for the plum tree, and my husband brought me back to reality when he reminded me that we didn't plant the tree and we have no idea what kind of plums they are or if they'll ever mature in time to eat, SO DON'T go overboard. When we plant the fruit trees you can learn all about the possible pest problems and organic measures of control. Ok, yep, thanks hun. Point well taken, and now I get to see what God's own design for nature does with the aphids, which is actually way cooler that getting rid of them.

For instance, there are these ugly little insects eating the aphids. Will they do anything to the tree after they're done with the smorgasbord? Stay tuned, and if I notice anything I'm sure I'll let you know.

Then there are these lovely lady bugs. It's fun to go out and see them doing the useful job they do just by eating! I know they're not going to do any damage, so I welcome them. They seem to be out in the morning and gone soon after.
And this very welcome creature. These three insect varieties are really working wonders! The aphids really seem to be disappearing, and it's interesting to watch, to use as a science lab for the kids, and to photograph! So, I guess it's been a blessing in some way.

Here are the onions as of a week ago. Did I plant them too shallow? Are they ok sticking out of the ground so far? They've grown a lot since this pic and stick up even farther now.

Baby spinach!

Baby pea pods, even baby plants are darling! All squeaky clean with no blemishes!



Wild raspberries will soon be ripening in our yard. It seems that things in general are slower in our yard than many other places. I've seen a lot of ripe berries other places. I've also heard that the blueberries are already ready, so if you want to pick I guess it's time. What a great year for it too, no bugs!!

The apples are really growing fast now.

And, I've got blossoms of the tomato plants! Yay!

I guess that's about it for now. I have to go and provide taxi service to all my kids. Yesterday I locked the keys in the van at Holiday, and had to walk all over town, then borrow a car and drive home then back to town to get the van...BIG fiasco! A 2 hour trip to town became a 4 hour trip. I got nothing done and so here I am, ready to do it all again minus the keys locked in the car.

schedule:

9:00 leave home

9:30 drop little girls at Bible school

10:50 pick eldest up from friends house

11:00 drop eldest 2 off at swimming lessons

12:00 pick up all the kids from various activities (at different places at the same time) Ok, the big kids might not be thrilled with how long they will have to wait for me. I, on the other hand, will be kid free for 50 whole minutes!! ;)

The Ants Go Marching...

This is my plum tree. These are the ants that seem to be invading it. They're racing up and down with great purpose. I think my tree might be in trouble...

This is what's happening to the leaves. They seem to be curling up. I can't see anything in the curled leaves. Some of them are turning brown. I'm not sure what's happening.

This is especially irritating to me because this seemed like it was going to be our first year having plums. They're already about half the size they were by October of last year, and already have more color.

I don't know how to get rid of the ants, or for sure if they're causing damage to the tree, or if it is going to damage the plums...Another thing to research!

Update: I was wrong. Inside the curled leaves were aphids that appear to be just hatching. Not that that helps me. I know nothing about the buggers, or how to deal with them. Or what needs getting rid of. Aphids, ants, both?

Happy Little Peas and Onions, and VERY Unhappy Tomato Plants

Green is said to be a very relaxing color. I'm sure this is true. When I was a new mom and had trouble letting my milk down, I would look at my houseplants (it was April). It really worked! I could relax and let it flow. It's still very relaxing for me to look out the window, or be outside near the garden. I especially love looking at the peas and onions this time of year. The green is so brilliant and beautiful.
That said, I'm not enjoying looking at my tomato plants. Especially the cherry tomato. It has issues, and I don't know how to help. Is it just too cold here? It's potted and placed on the sunniest side of the house. It's still tiny and looks sick. When I potted it after picking it up at the nursery I watered it with a diluted manure tea that I picked up at the local dairy. That was about 2 weeks ago. I hoped it would help it thrive, but...
I never have had success in getting any tomatoes to ripen here. I did see Mama Pea's set up. Wow! What sweet looking plants those are! I guess I'll have to do some serious work if I want tomatoes like hers!?! Beautiful, Mama Pea! If you want to diagnose my sick tomato plants, please see the photos following. Mama Pea...Erin...? THANK YOU! ;)

Happy looking peas.

Happy onions. What do you think, Erin? Are they OK?

small and sickly cherry tomato plant


healthier top growth

Sickly looking bottom growth that seems to be spreading toward the top of the plant. The Early Girl planted next to it seems to be slightly affected by whatever it is too. The leaves turn a very dark, spotty green and then the edges begin to dry up. It is well watered, though, so I don't know. That's about all I know about gardening at this point. Weed, water, fertilize...

Chickens: Mixing Flocks is Not the Best Idea

This is a picture of one of our new hens. We got 8 new hens from my aunt and uncle when we went to visit my family. Yes, I did also say we'd gotten bunnies at the same time. Dan said all we needed to be traveling in true hillbilly style were some pots and pans hanging on the outside of the camper.

Picture this: We had our pickup pulling our 31 year old camper. In the back of the truck were 8 chickens in a dog kennel. Inside the camper were some bags of feed, and 4 bunnies also in a dog kennel. Piled around said chickens were lawn chairs, bicycles, and lots of other odd things I can't remember. It was rather laughable, really. Too bad I didn't have a camera at the time, but I'll leave the image up to your imaginations instead.

Any way, we brought the chickens (Road Island Reds) home and added them to our dwindling flock. We were down to 4 hens after the last stalk and snatch by the neighbors dog. Now, we have a major fence that should prevent any sneak attacks. We promptly went from getting 4 neatly laid eggs every day to 0 - 2. The chickens were busy sorting out their pecking order. They cared nothing for laying eggs for about 2 weeks after that. Soon the new hens began to lay in all the oddest places, so we are egg hunting all over the coop. Did you know a hen could squeeze into a 6 to 8 inch space, make a cozy little nest there, and lay eggs? We've found that they can. We've also had some egg eating or eggs being laid from perches and broken. Not sure yet which is going on. We haven't seen any actual eating of eggs yet. That would be a first for us, and I definitely would have to do some research to find a solution for it. I think it may have stopped, so we'll see.

If you're really squeamish, you may not want to read this paragraph. The oddest thing that's happened with this whole thing is the chicken (one of the new ones) who's middle toe on each foot seems to be "rotting" off. It was bleeding from those toes when we got it. By the time we were home with them it seemed to have stopped. After a few days, though, we found that the claws were gone and the toes were turning black. We started to "doctor" (very inadequate doctoring) her with a poultice made of tea tree oil and activated charcoal. This would harden over the toe, stay on, and protect it. It would also draw out any infection (or so I hoped). It seemed like it was working. None of this seemed to bother the hen at all, by the way. She was happy as a clam. Eating and moving about normally. The other chickens seemed to be leaving her feet alone and treating her completely normally. BUT, a few days later, her toes were bleeding again, and the other chickens were pecking at them. We decided to let her free range outside the pen and see what happened. It's been 2 days, and she's definitely on the mend! Provided nothing eats her, I think she'll be fine, though basically a 3 toed chicken. I think what happened was that the blackened ends actually fell off! It doesn't seem to trouble her at all. So, what was all that about? Was she injured somehow on the same toe of each foot? I sure don't know...

Here's the flock now fairly happily adjusted, after about 3 weeks of battling it out. So, I think I've learned something. It would be better to start over, and get all new chickens than to mix flocks. We've mixed flocks about 3 times in the last year, all meaning more work for us and more stress on the hens. Next time, we'll stew them all and do a good house cleaning before beginning again!

OK - I'm off to stake up the peas! :)

Ho Hum...

I really don't have too much to say right now, but thought I'd post before we head south. We'll soon be off to the cities for a home school conference. I get to spend two whole days with my sister, minus the men, children, and pets! I'm looking forward to the time with her, and the great information and ideas I'll surely receive at the conference. I know, however, that I am going to miss my family a lot. It's funny that as much as I might need a break from my normal life sometimes, I'm never really fully away, and never fully immersed in whatever I'm doing. There's a huge part of me that's still busy being Mom. I wonder, will it be like this forever? When they're all grown and have flown the coop...
Well, that's as far as that's going to go right now, because I'm tearing up at the thought of them all grown - even though right now they're being SO LOUD I'll be surprised if you can't hear it when you read this, and one of them just dropped a frosted graham cracker on the floor icing down and then proceeded to eat it.

Today was a pretty good day! I'm trying really hard to get 3 good school days in before the conference, and still have enough laundry done and not come home to a house that looks like it's been through a tornado. So far, part success. Schooled all the kids in math, reading and grammar. Listened to my 7 year old do a beautiful job reading aloud to me. That's one of the most rewarding things about homeschooling for me. I love it when they learn to read! Got some laundry done and cleaned the kitchen. However, I have 5 baskets of laundry in the living room that seriously need putting away, only they've been there so long they're probably in need of washing again. I did have to re-wash the basket of towels that the dog decided to use as a bed. :(

Question for Mama Pea's Mr. and Chicken Mama: What do you do when a hen is being "over loved" by the rooster? She has no feathers on the back of her neck or her lower back, poor girl.

Oh, and one last thing. This one's a prayer request of sorts. Today, Molly fell off her horse during her lesson. She hit her nose on the ground, and somehow also her back, just above her hiney and to the side. She's a tough girl and doing fine other than some bruising, but I'll tell ya, it's really a struggle for me not to be afraid for her. I appreciate your prayers for her safety and quick healing of the bruises. Thanks!

Please pray for me, too, come to think of it! I'm feeling a little...or rather a LOT stressed right now, with all the stuff that's been going on. Lots of good stuff, but too much of it!