It was an absolutely beautiful day today, calm and sunny all day, with the high being 57. On days like this, I get very motivated to take my camera out and take some pictures around the place. So, here you go-an all-around farm update!
This picture was actually taken yesterday when I was trying to figure out some camera settings. Kate had been pestering me with a tennis ball, but then suddenly I didn't hear from her for several minutes. I took a quick peek around and found her, just laying in a corner, holding her ball and looking around.
Bonny is due is a little over a week and is huge, tired and snappy. She regularly flattens Jinger when Jinger pounces on her, but all it made Jinger do is crawl under Bonny and poke her with her nose, so that Bonny doesn't have to flatten her-all she has to do snap and roar. Jinger still hasn't learned to just leave her alone-maybe Bonny needs to actually make it hurt instead of just roar.
Simcoe and Molly, who are BFFs.
A quick snapshot of the does before they saw me and started crowding the fence. Sonnet is still doing great.
My chickens and ducks. Brittany helped me move the ducks up to the chicken house a few weeks ago, so that they could get supplemental lighting and hopefully start laying soon. I want to start hatching ducklings ASAP, and try to get my incubator problems figured out. Most of my ducklings hatch early-the ones that hatch-and over 50% of them die, fully formed and some even with a hole in the shell. I'm thinking it is too high of a temperature, and possibly something to do with humidity.
I don't have my ducks in the chicken house most of the time because they cause such a mess by playing in the water. I recently got an idea from a watering system I saw for sale, and decided to redneck it for my own use. They can't get into the water and splash, and it's also hard for them to submerge their whole heads and run it down over their necks and backs. They are still making a little bit of a mess, but so far it isn't nearly as bad as it was.
Molly is due on the 28th. I'm expecting twins from her. They will be Mr. Black's only kids, so I'm glad I changed my mind at the last second, and impulsively bred the two.
Mom got me a goat harness for Christmas so that I can give Li a job. I need to find/rig up some sort of cart for her and get started!
I had put my little calf in with the big feeder calves, but he came down with pneumonia. He wasn't sick enough, yet, to let me walk up and catch him, so I didn't know how I was gonna give him antibiotics for it. And even if I waited until he got bad enough to be submissive, after one shot he'd pry be feeling better and not let my catch him for subsequent shots. So, I decided that he was gonna get over it on his own or die. I was ranting to Jeff about my "stupid calf" and he talked me into setting up a small area, and he and Marcus helped me catch the calf and move it, so that I could give it daily shots. Thanks bros! He's doing great now, and making the most of his "winter vacation home." I'll probably send him to the auction as soon as I can so that he won't get sick on me again. He seems to be a poor doer, overall.
As mentioned above, it was 57 degrees today. All these big babies were panting and carrying on like they were going to get sunstroke and die. Goats are such drama queens...
Clare and Izzy.
Izzy is huge and due March 1st. I don't remember what we saw on the ultrasound, but just going by how big she is, I say triplets for her.
My spoiled brats, Minx and Li, who never stay far enough away from me for me to get a good picture of them.
Simcoe chewing her cud, and Molly, who communicates, through groanings and moanings, that she is done being pregnant. Only two more weeks girly!
Star, aka Flash, or Shooting Star.
The puppies were terribly boring this week, and will probably be so for at least another week. Loki was 14 ounces at birth, and is now 2 pounds 1 ounce. Zephyrine was 13, and is 1 pound 15 ounces. That's all I have to say about them because they don't do anything except eat and sleep.
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