Month: March 2010

I’m seriously starting to wonder if we should just cull our entire flock of sheep and start fresh.  I may be only half serious but it’s not the first time I’ve had this thought.  The footrot was not a big deal and has completely resolved as far as I can see.  The lamb losses this year and the ensueing chaos stretched my patience.  Now, we’re dealing with what may very well be a few innocent abscesses.  Or, it could be caseous lymphadenitis aka “CL”.  Google it.  Reeeadd about it.  Pray for us.  ARRRGGG!

Aural Hematoma in Newborn Lamb When we finally had a set a twins thrive and stay alive this spring we were thrilled.  We checked them over for all the basic problems: no umbilical hernia, no cleft palates, no parrot mouth, no inverted eyelashes.  I thought we were good to go.  After a day or two I noticed a problem with one ear on the lighter colored twin.  The lambs’ ears are naturally droopy when they’re born.  Within a few days they begin to straighten up and move about like the adults’ ears.  On this particular lamb one ear remained droopy while the other stood up as expected. The affected ear felt thickened and warm to the touch.  The lamb’s rectal temperature was normal.  She was nursing and acting normal otherwise.  A talk with our vet confirmed what I suspected: an aural hematoma.  It is a condition wherein blood fills the space between the two sides of the ear flap.  Usually, it occurs when the animal’s ears are irritated and they are shaking their head a lot.  The shaking causes small blood vessels to rupture.  In the lamb’s case I suspect the ear was traumatized during delivery.  The hematoma was probably

In the nearly two years that we’ve had sheep we’ve had a few issues arise.  This year a few things came up that I called the vet about.  By calling the vet I expected to bite the bullet and have a big farm call to pay.  Instead, he told me what he would try if he came out and told me to do it.  Ahh, the joys (and overestimations) that coming with being a vet tech! To start this series off I’ll share how we handled it when 2 of our ewes came home limping. Footrot I never actually confirmed that this was footrot but I suspect so.  Footrot is caused by two different bacteria mixing.  It generally occurs in wet or damp conditions.  The only reason I’m not completely sure our ewes had footrot was because it didn’t spread to the other ewes.  Otherwise, it fit the bill, and the treatment for footrot fixed the problem. When we sent our ewes off on their date with the rams two of them came home limping.  I suspect they were in a pasture that was too muddy for too long.  The best way to treat footrot is to prevent it by

Today: Shredded BBQ Chicken sandwiches (for Brian) T: Mama’s Supper Club tilapia parmesan w/ homemade creamy garlic shells W: Grillin’ Beans (for Brian), veggies (for me), and homemade cornbread R: Homemade chicken strips w/ salvaged hashbrowns F: Homemade pizza & breadsticks (Loved that last recipe, using it again) S: Eating at my Mom’s for Easter? S: Going out after church or having a turkey here? M: Meatloaf T: Cheesy Chicken Bundles w/ buttered noodles W: Breakfast for supper R: Marinated chicken on the grill w/ fried rice F: Steak on the grill w/ chips S: Parmesan crusted tilapia w/ garlic pasta S: Leftovers Head on over to I’m An Organizing Junkie to see what’s cooking for everyone else this week.  Are you trying anything new?

As I start making plans for this year’s garden I need a little help.  In an effort to be all naturale I have pretty much done nothing to help my plants grow beside plant them and mulch them to control weeds.  We do spread compost on the garden but I have never used any supplements or solutions.  This year I need to run some soil tests and do some amending.  So… Do you supplement your seedlings?  With what?  Seaweed solution, compost tea? Do you run soil tests?  Do you add amendments throughout or just in certain areas? How do you prep your soil for planting?  No till?  Shovel?  Walk behind rototiller?  Tractor mounted tiller? Those are the three big areas I could use some help in.  What we’ve been doing just isn’t cutting it.  Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Ahh, and so we shift gears.  Up until today it has been plan, prepare, design, print, mail, pour over catalogs, etc., etc.  Today the real work began.  We’ve now entered the time of year where we get busy doing all the things we’ve been talking about.  Why did things change today?  Because the first 100 meat chicks arrived! The post office called at 6 AM.  I was back home with the chicks by 7AM.  They are Colored Rangers from JM Hatchery.  The lovely folks at JM were kind enough to send a few extras.  All 102 chicks arrived healthy and lively.  I’m still amazed at how well they ship!  Right now they are in a temporary brooder in our basement. The latest batch of Heritage breed chicks are down there too, under their own light. The next step is to prepare a bigger brooding area in the barn.  This weekend is going to be colder than the last few so we didn’t want to take any chances but putting them out there right away.  The chicks will be in a brooder for 3-4 weeks and then move to their pastured area.  In 10 weeks we’ll take the first group for

So I got my hair cut.  A LOT.  It was down to my lower back.  I donated it to Locks for Love.  I also had it colored to cover up my old highlights.  Turns out my roots are a lot darker then I thought but I really like it!  Brian likes it too because I’ve atually been styling it.  It’s fun.  There was really no point in having it so long since I almost never wore it down.  Plus, it was giving me headaches it was so heavy! I treated myself to a shopping trip to Goodwill on Friday.  Here’s what I got: Set of scrubs (pants and top) Cute thermal top for under scrubs Little black dress (brand new Target leftover for $2.50!!!) 1 Pair of Jeans (Angels brand – one of my favorites!) Blue and grey comfy top (needs some easy mending) Grey sweater Total spent: $23.  I <3 Goodwill! 🙂 ^ Jeans & sweater, cute enough for church this morning! 🙂 What kind of deals have you found lately?  Where do you get your clothes?

Up until a few days ago we had 3 baskets of potatoes in our basement. It’s not pitch black down there but it is pretty dark. No matter, the potatoes sprouted awhile back. I put a few lids from rubbermaid containers over them but they pushed the lids up, up, and up, about a foot in the air actually! What’s a poor farmer’s wife to do!? We won’t have more potatoes until fall and I just hate to buy them. So, I saved them. They turned out GREAT. I highly recommend you try this. Snap off all the sprouts and discard them.  Some sources say they are toxic so I don’t take any chances. Peel the potatoes.  It doesn’t matter if they’re getting soft or wrinkling up a bit.  Feed the peels to the chickens, of course.  Some say that’s a bad idea too but I’ve never had any trouble. Scrub them clean, and cut in half if you prefer.  I didn’t cut mine. Boil, covered in water, until a wooden spoon can mash into them a bit.  You DON’T want them falling apart. Drain water and let the potatoes sit in the pot awhile to cool. Cover with cold

Monday: grilled cheese & chips Tuesday: chicken on grill & noodles Wednesday: Parmesan crusted fish fillets & garlic pasta Thursday: chicken patties & homemade mac & cheese Friday: roast in the crockpot Saturday: homemade pizza & garlic bread (trying a new dough recipe) Sunday: leftovers M: hamburgers & hot dogs on the grill & chips T: steak on grill & noodles W: tilapia in crockpot w/ garlic cheese sauce & hashbrowns R: spaghetti & garlic bread (or baked rotini) F: ham slices & homemade mac & cheese S: nachos What’s on your menu this week?

Maci after playing in the mud Johnny chewing on a stick Buster the bunny Did you know we raised zebras? 😉 The first batch of chicks from the incubator just moved out to the barn Two hens sharing a nest box Baxter playing with our friend’s little boy June, she’s a heartbreaker, can you tell?