Blossoms All Around

Last Friday after mowing the lawn, I captured these photos of the trees around our home in blossom.  Last year we had a late hard freeze so our fruit trees never blossomed which means there was no fruit!  This year I am grateful to see everything growing so beautifully.  I was even grateful for the first pinecone on one of our baby pine trees lining the driveway.  It's such a wonderful time of the year when new life springs forth so abundantly.

More Chickens

We have lost quite a few chickens this summer, a couple due to the heat (now we have no more White Brahma chickens) and others for unknown reasons, they have just disappeared.  Paul had mentioned this to Pres. Myers (member of Stake Presidency) in conversation, who said that we could have some of his chickens.   He was insistent that we come over and choose some chickens.  So tonight for our FHE activity we all went over to his home.  The girls were in heaven as they got to choose some more chickens. We came home with five more hens to add to our bunch.  One of them was a sad looking chicken with most of the tail missing.  Olivia said that she chose that one because she didn't think anyone else would love it, so she will.

He said that we could borrow his incubator if we wanted to hatch chickens!  Oh, the girls would love that.  We might have to take him up on his offer next spring.

Oh, they just love their chickens!

Baby Alpaca Surprise!

Wednesday afternoon we were on the way to pick up some friends when I noticed in the pasture a brand new baby alpaca!  I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but after blinking a couple of times I realized I was really seeing Cocoa's new baby.  The crazy thing is that we never knew she was expecting a baby because Fudge (the male) has been gone for over 11 months.  However, alpacas have a very long gestation period running 11-12 months.

Things never get dull around here!  In the pictures above, the baby is one day old.  I am amazed how strong she is on her very first day.  For the first couple nights, I pinned the mom and baby in a fenced area for the night.  That gave me the opportunity to hold the baby, she is so sweet.  It's cute to her Cocoa and the baby hum to each other.  The baby has been well taken care of by Cocoa and her aunts (Twix and Angel).

On the afternoon of the baby's first day, Cocoa didn't like me removing her from the other two alpacas.  She was able to escape out of the fence because of it being slightly ajar from me moving the goats.  Then Cocoa ran down the driveway and in front of the house.  I thought she was gone for good.  Luckily I was able to draw upon my unknown alpaca powers and grab and hold her against the fence (I had never handled her before this).  Then with help of a guide rope, I was able to walk her around the fence and get her back inside the gate against her will.  In the meantime, I had Porter call Ben, a 14 yr old friend down the road.  I was thinking that I would need Ben's horse skills to get her corralled again.  He quickly road to our house on his bike with a backpack full of ropes.  I was so impressed with his quick response to my cry for help.  However, I was able to get Cocoa back in the fence just as he pulled up.

Garbage & Goats

I am still in my Minnie Mouse Tshirt and stretchy pants from taking Hal (the dog) on a walk.  We started out for a walk when I noticed lots of garbage on the sides on the road in front of our house.  So I came back home and grabbed a couple large garbage bags.  After a short walk, they were completely stuffed!  That was my exercise today...(plus Paul and I snuck in some volleyball last night - that is our love).

I had already spent an hour tending to the new goats before my walk.  But I knew I better check on them a second time.  So I let two moms and their babies out to the pasture for the first time to roam around and eat.  Then I focused my attention on the two new moms that had babies two days ago.  Shadow (the black goat) had only one baby.  So I am concerned with her getting mastitis because the baby only nurses on one side, thus the other side is FULL.  So after watching a couple youtube videos and talking to Vita (the lady who we bought all the goats from)  I was able to get get some milk to some out!  I felt like that was a huge accomplishment, it being my very first time in doing this. 

Milking Shadow! 

Paul surprised us with carrying in this new baby while we were all busy getting ready.  I am still making waffles.  She is so cute!

Baby's first steps!

Jenny, a brown goat, had two babies.  One of them came out with a kinked neck - very strange.  I think it is showing signs of improvement.  I have been concerned that it isn't eating enough because of the neck problem.  Yesterday I went out to buy goats milk and a nursing nipple.  After all that running around, the baby would have nothing to do with it.   The next day I decided to try and find a pupple bottle and nipple, but had no luck and had to settle with a regular baby bottle.  Still they won't have anything to do with it after much trying and forcing.  I found that it might work best just to give them sips (or their real mom's milk - now that I figured out out to milk them) out of a cup.  It still doesn't work that great but they get a little bit.

 This is Jenny and her new babies

 These are Cookie Dough's babies.  Aren't they sweet?  The alpacas are checking them out.  And that is Oliver, the Nubian goat pictured on the bottom right.

 Oh, I didn't know it would be this much work!  The first two momma goats were so easy and have been a breeze, but these last two have been more challenging.

P.S. I finally did get showered, just in time for my visiting teacher to come at 12:30.  She was on her way to the temple so she took a family file name card from me.  I am so grateful for the help.

Duck with Bandaids

After letting the ducks swim in the concrete irrigation ditch, we noticed one had bleeding feet.  The feet had worn away some of the skin because of the abrasiveness of the ditch.  Poor little thing.  They were also very cold and this one seemed to be getting hypothermia due to the prolonged exposure to the cold water.  So after blow drying the little ducks and warming them up, this one needed special care.  So using my basic mothering skills, I found some extra large bandaids and Neosporin that worked perfect on it's feet.  Now I can add the title of "duck nurse" to my job title!

Goats, Chicks, & Ducks

 Everyone is growing up around here.  We bought baby ducks and chicks over a month ago and now everyone is developing new feathers.  The ducks are the cutest but the messiest and stinkiest little things - they still live in the bathtub.  We are just waiting for the nights to warm up so we can let them loose outside! These are Khaki Campbell ducks.

The newest comers are the baby goats.  These goats were born a week ago, as a set of triplets to Luna, their mother.  They are so playful and energetic!  I wish you were all close to come see and play with them.  We just had another two goats on Saturday, I still need to take pictures of them.

Bye, Bye Babies

This summer we bought a billy goat, three does, along with three baby doelings from the owners who originally sold us our fainting goats.  Now we have the complete family!  

The girls say their goodbye to the baby goats who were sold to another goat lover.  Later we also sold three of our wethers (boy goats who can't reproduce) so now we are down to seven goats, consisting of Dumbledor (the billy goat), Oliver (a Nubian wether, and obnoxious clown), and five does.  We are hoping to have a bunch of fainting baby goats in the spring!  

Milky (the black and white goat shown above) was a favorite because he was very sweet to people and like to shake your hand.  Patches was also a nice boy.  However, Milkshake was the least sweet even though he would eat out of your hand, he didn't love people as much as the others.

Bye Fudge

 Fudge goes to a new home.

As Paul was pulling out of the driveway with Fudge in the horse trailer, the girl alpacas lined up at the fence to say their goodbyes.  I think they were sad to see him go.  After a hot ride, Fudge was introduced to his new home where he will be the protector of two goats.  We were all nervous how he would act - but he seemed to be nice to them.  He was getting over protective here and not allowing anyone to come into the pasture without a confrontation.  Now we feel safe letting the kids in the pasture to play with the goats.

Naughty Rooster

Around Christmas time we gave away our beloved, Jack - the rooster.  We raised him from a chick so he was pretty nice and the girls adored him.  When I heard that a ward member had a friend in need of re-homing their rooster, I decided we were up for it.  What was I thinking?  After a full two hours, I realized my mistake and short memory.  I was already to get rid of him, plus the hens were now upset.  Poor little Chipper (the rooster) quickly was escorted out of the coop and had to live outside of the fenced area.  Soon the girls feared going outside because he was getting aggressive.    I just happened to get a couple videos of Olivia being chased.

After he chased Olivia, I went over to him to give him a scolding and he bit my wrist - so hard!  That was the last straw.  Within a couple minutes, I placed him in a plastic tote and off we went to drop him off down the road to find his next home!

He wasn't very happy about the tote or the ride!  The kids were very upset with me.  I told them that I was only saving their lives.

By Chipper, you naughty little guy!   

Our latest animal purchase

While Paul was searching craigslist for a calf to purchase, he came across this alpaca.  After a quick phone call and a kind friend lending Paul his truck and horse trailer, we now have an alpaca.  This was another spontaneous animal purchase!  The alpaca (still un-named) will be a great protector for the goats and chickens.  It has been fun watching him become acquainted with his new surroundings and the other animals.  The chickens and goats were scared out of their wits the first day - hopefully they will all be friends in the end.

Do you have any name suggestions?  We are trying to get ideas from everyone.

Saying Goodbye to Ham and Bacon

 

Who knew that saying goodbye to the pigs would be hard!  I was probably the one that was the most attached to the pigs, even though they were purchased behind by back (oh, I was furious about that).  I was the one that talked with them and rubbed their noses, back, and between their ears.  I was also the one that fed them the majority of the time (that's probably why they really liked me).  They were sweet pigs.  People always warned us that pigs get meaner the bigger they get, but that wasn't true with these two.  If they were hungry and needing more feed in the feeder, yes, they were a little impatient - but wouldn't you be, too?  They were also so curious.  If we were outside doing something, they would be at their gate checking things out.  The last few days we even let them roam the pasture and run.  Oh, they loved that more than anything.  They would huff and puff because they weren't accustomed to raising their heart rate!  I will miss them.

I knew that their lives were coming to a quick end this morning.  I was nervous about coming back home.  I went out to check on the goats to make sure they weren't more traumatized by the mobile butcher.  They were okay.  I didn't like seeing all the blood in their pen -- it was a little too graphic for me.  Paul is going to clean it up before we let the kids go out there.  I wish I hadn't seen it.  Oh, I have been learning all sorts of things being out here in the country!

P.S. We are up to three eggs per day!

Farm Update

 Bacon & Ham - they are getting big!

 Junior - the newest arrival!

 Chickens galore, 15 in all!

Vivian climbs into the pasture 

 They are getting ready for bed.

 Poor Jack gets babied by the girls.

 The six fainting goats - about a week new to us.

 Jack gets dressed up in a Build-a-Bear outfit!

My garden is producing!  Lots of red potatoes (this is my first dig) that are waiting, plus 100's of tomatoes, and more.