Notes
- Feb. 12, 2012
Bubbles had a stillborn undeveloped fetus sometime between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. this morning.
The scapula on the left side was visible as were some of the first ribs and the fore skull was not present. It was also missing some skin on the fore legs. We did not determine the sex, though the rest of the fetus was intact.
Bubbles, who's first kid had leg development issues last year, seems healthy enough. Right now we are chalking it up to either nutritional deficiency (selenium may be the culprit again) or simply a genetic predisposition to poor kidding (small uterus?).
- Kidding by Colin
- Feb. 11, 2012
Sold to Marilyn Plowman of Penobscot
- General by Colin
- Feb. 11, 2012
Sold to Marilyn Plowman of Penobscot
- General by Colin
- Feb. 11, 2012
Sold two pigs today amongst all the hubbub of the kiddings. One spotted hybrid male and one solid black hybrid female to Marylin Plowman of Penobscot.
Helped her move them from our farm and then unload them into her temporary holding pen while she builds an outdoor run for them.
- General by Colin
- Feb. 11, 2012
Four healthy kids born today. Two from Moxie and two from Blackie. Due to time constraints, we failed to check on the moms in the morning. Thus, while we know Moxie's were born pretty close to when Colin discovered them at 3:45 p.m., Blackie's are a bit more unknown.
The kids were quite dry and clean, while Moxie still had some cleaning to do. Either way, both moms seemed to have a fine birth with no complications. Both of Moxie's kids seem to have issues. One is quite small, while the other, a Vern look-alike, seems to have some rear leg issues.
Sam sat with the littlest one all evening, feeding it Aida's colostrum from the freezer, as the kid could not stand up easily on his own. Now with more strength, he's sleeping the bathtub and will hopefully be returned to mom tomorrow or early next week.
- Kidding by Colin
- Jan. 19, 2012
Still no kids. Fixed Merriweather's hutch for the third time, thankfully before a snow storm that should deliver 3 to 5 inches. Not sure if school will be cancelled, but it would be nice to get some things done around the house.
Started getting slop buckets from the Adams and Penobscot schools this week. Merriweather dove into his food bowl like I haven't seen in a while. He must like refined flour bread, or something.
- General by Colin
- Jan. 17, 2012
The day started with an inch of light snow, but has ended with a soaking rain. Poor animals are sleeping in puddles, but there's not a lot we can do.
The temperatures started quite low again this morning, low teens, but crept up slowly all day.
Still no babies out of the dwarf nigerians.
- Weather by Colin
- Jan. 14, 2012
Not a very productive farm day. Spent most of our time watching playoff football. Oh well, it was too cold to get anything done. Temps started out seasonably enough, but dipped sharply as our cloud cover burned off at sun down.
Last check it was -4 F in the calm of our alley way. Weather.com promises the wind knocks it down to 16 below. Ouch. Thankfully nearly everyone has a nice place to hunker down for the night.
- Weather by Colin
- Jan. 12, 2012
First major snow of 2012, and much like the rest of the season, it was a mixed affair. Nearly half a foot of snow fell, but it was quickly followed by a wintry mix of sleet and rain. Merriweather, hilariously, seemed to move his shelter to face against the wind. A smart pig, no doubt.
Everyone else seems to have faired well. No kids yet, and the piglets are largely unclaimed, though we have someone picking a few up tomorrow.
- Weather by Colin
- Jan. 11, 2012
Emma did the chores this morning only to find that our broad-breasted bronze turkey hen had a big gash on her left chest. We poured some hydrogen peroxide over the injury and sequestered her on the porch with a heat lamp for the day.
Probably what happened was she got stuck outside the coop last night and got into a fight with something. We're hoping she pulls through. Ebenezer was found hanging out with the sheep in the pasture, further supporting the idea that the turkeys got shut out.
No more of an update on the expectant mothers. The temperature this morning was hanging around 15 degrees, and it was unlikely to get much warmer before we get a snow storm tomorrow.
- Health by Colin
- Jan. 10, 2012
Did the animal chores this morning again. The nigerian ladies seemed no further along, we could be waiting until February here. I also wonder if the presence of Josephia is slowing the process down.
Otherwise everyone doing well. Temperature was slightly below freezing, but warm enough that a barn coat over a fleece was too hot for chores. Snow should finally be coming at the end of this week.
Checking on the ladies when we got home, Moxie was this time doing some very, labor-like things. Specifically, standing up on her feed bowl, dropping her tail and nipping at her sides. We setup a partition wall to keep the noise of the piglets next door away from them and we'll see.
- General by Colin
- Jan. 9, 2012
Woke up and it was well below freezing out, a rarity for the season this year. Took the dog for a long walk down Ribame Beach, making it to where the shore turns a corner and you can see up and down the bay.
Before I left the sheep had found a weak spot in the fence. Corralled them back in with a bale of hay and some grain. Ground was too frozen to attempt tightening the fence.
- General by Colin
- Jan. 8, 2012
Been keeping a steady eye on all the dwarf nigerians, but especially Bubbles. Emma and I sat in the pen with the ladies until about 2 a.m. watching Bubbles and her contractions, but alas, nothing.
We even woke in the morning to find nothing, so it goes with goat births.
Earlier we moved Aida out with the sheep and Emmett and Vern. Unfortunately this was also weening time for Josephia who we think might be stressing the ladies out a bit.
- Kidding by Colin
- Jan. 8, 2012
A little above freezing outside and it's almost midnight. A strange winter, indeed. Watching the dwarf nigerian does this evening. Still pregnant and their eventual kidding seem like they could either be tonight or three weeks from now. Next door the piglets are awake at an odd hour with an electric energy after I dropped a bale of hay in their newly mucked out pen. Closing up the chickens and it's time to go to bed.
- General by Colin
- Jan. 1, 2012
Happy New Year! So our nigerians are showing signs of giving birth soon. On a better organized farm, we'd have a pretty good idea of when they were bred. But not here. So now we play the waiting game.
For the record, the sign we have is that their vulvas are swelling. Which usually gives you a week or so. So we'll wait.
- Kidding by Colin
- Dec. 31, 2011
Emma and I both noticed that Bubbles' vulva seemed more swollen than usual today. Could be nothing, but it could mean imminent kidding, we'll have to wait and see.
- Kidding by Colin
- Dec. 30, 2011
Brackets, small though he was, went north with Dennis and the other Katahdins a few days ago. We're tanning his hide and had all the meat ground.
- General by Colin
- Dec. 30, 2011
Sent Frank north with Zoey, Dennis and Brackets a few days ago. Tanning the hide now.
- General by Colin
- Dec. 30, 2011
After thinking long and hard, Dennis was sent up to Herring Bros. a few days ago. Looking long term at our flock, we just didn't see a place for the Katahdins and so sent them all north. Dennis was a great sheep, but we didn't like the idea of watching him decline into old age. And at 2, he'll still make great mutton. We also have fleeces from all three sheep and Brackets.
- General
- Dec. 28, 2011
Had a horrible incident with a fence left in the stall with the girls. Eveline must have got her horns stuck in the lower part of the fence and it fell on her. My guess is she died instantly from a broken neck, at least that's what we hope.
- General by Colin
- Dec. 20, 2011
Moved Merriweather back to our farm. The date on this note is not exactly correct, as I'm adding this in post facto, but the point is that sometime in late December Merri returned to us. He's on the U inside the driveway again this winter, with hopes that he'll continue to tear it up and let us plant another milpas next year.
- General by Colin
- Dec. 2, 2011
She went north with Dennis a few days ago. Her fleece is being tanned as I write this.
- General by Colin
- Nov. 30, 2011
Castrated Frank along with Brackets and Vern. He didn't make much noise, but on the first crush he pretty much collapsed on the milking stanchion. He exhibited less soreness than the goats, but was pretty low key for the first day.
- Weather by Colin
- Nov. 20, 2011
We castrated Vern using the "side crusher" from Premier 1. He kicked a bit during the procedure and was sore for about a day or two afterward but has otherwise come through fine. It was a little later than we would have liked, but we also felt good that his urethra was well developed well before we took his sperm-making ability.
- Weather by Colin
- Nov. 20, 2011
Castrated Brackets along with Vern and Frank. He didn't really fight all that hard and, aside from being sore and low-key for a few days seems fine.
- Weather by Colin
- Oct. 31, 2011
Colin did the milking. Aida's left teat (looking down her back, toward her head) was quite blocked up this evening. I got milk out of it, but it was coming out at an off-angle and was much harder to milk than the other side. Something to keep and eye on.
- Milking by Colin
- Oct. 30, 2011
Aida kicked and got dirt in the milk so we dumped what we had and milked her on the floor. She was generally not in the mood to be milked.
- Milking by Colin
- Oct. 23, 2011
Aida got bothered by the turkeys (for the last time...today is turkey slaughter day). So she booted a bunch of milk out of the container and 725 is an estimate. We kept 650 ml. Still, not a bad haul.
- Milking by Colin
- Oct. 22, 2011
Peter won the prize for naming Aida's kid. Josephia is growing well and has spent the last week or so hopping all over anything and everything.
- General by Colin
- Oct. 20, 2011
We only brought about 465 ml in--Aida knocked the rest out
- Milking
- Oct. 17, 2011
Our first morning milking went pretty well. Emma did it by herself. Now we just need to get on a good 12-hour schedule.
- Milking by Colin
- Oct. 16, 2011
Aida's kid was nursing off the right teat today. So while Emma was excited for what she was getting out of the left, she soon discovered why. Also, we're going to start morning and evening milkings tomorrow.
- Milking
- Oct. 15, 2011
Aida has become much more docile at milking time. We still do not have a proper stanchion setup for her, but she willingly comes to the support to be tied to it.
- Milking by Colin
- Oct. 15, 2011
Aida gave a swift kick to the pail as we were milking her, and so we probably got more like 300 to 400 ml from her, but much landed on the ground. Argh.
- Milking by Colin
- Oct. 15, 2011
Emma used some of Aida's milk to make macaroni and cheese. Not a sophisticated dish, but delicious none the less! Also, the first dish made with milk from Timberwyck Farm.
- General by Colin
- Oct. 15, 2011
Maybe the stars aligned, or we caught Aida before her little one could nurse, but it was a good haul today.
- Milking by Colin
- Oct. 15, 2011
After a rocky start here at Timberwyck, Aida has proved herself pretty tough. When I found her lying in the ruminant stall, I was pretty sure she was sick. But after getting Emma from the house, a sack was protruding from her rear, which we later determined to be a baby goat.
So she was improbably pregnant by our stubby-legged buck Emmett. The labor went fairly uneventfully, though I don't dare speak for Aida.
I had to run into town to pick up Peter from soccer practice, and so didn't see the actual birth, though neither did Emma as she was inside getting ready in case an intervention was needed. Obviously it wasn't, and as of today, we still don't have a name for our little one.
- Kidding by Colin
- Oct. 15, 2011
In October 2011, Emmet performed what most might consider a miracle, given his stature. He successfully bred Aida, siring one little fur ball. As best we can tell, this would be the start of a "mini-Nubian" breed, though it would need some cleaning up for it to be a true Mini-Nubian.
At any rate, Emmett is quite the little man. We left him with Aida and an overturned box for a night, and this is what happened.
- Kidding by Colin
- Oct. 3, 2011
Born at approximately 5:30p on October 3, 2011.
- Kidding by Colin
- Oct. 2, 2011
Moved Merriweather to Deborah Evans' place. She'll be keeping him until about Dec. 1, 2011.
- General by Colin
- Oct. 1, 2011
Today we moved Adele over to the Brown's farm. She will be living there with Burt, a mixed breed sheep. Kelly is hoping to use the sheep for fiber production and for the kids to learn about animals and their care.
- General by Colin
- Sept. 25, 2011
Took a turn for the worse with us and the flock, so we sent him to the pot. Actually he's in our freezer, with plans to make a true coq au vin with him.
- General by Colin
- July 3, 2011
Two days ago, Emma woke up and began animal chores when she discovered Candace, amongst a handful of other ruminants, not wanting to move, and generally acting sluggish. While the goats that were acting funny seemed to perk up eventually, Candace remained slow and took no interest in grain when offered.
After getting them on new pasture and encouraging her to eat grain, we called Deborah Evans that evening. She suggested at the very least "drenching" her, or forcing her to drink a fortified beverage with garlic, a little molasses and vitamin C. We added to the mixture some an acidophiles tablet as well.
After using a large syringe to force about 240 cc of liquid into her, we let her alone for the evening.
By morning, she was looking slightly more active. We drenched her again, and watched her urinate afterward, which we took as a positive sign. Indeed, after Jane's birthday potluck on July 2, we went out to find Candace browsing with everyone else, though still looking gaunt.
It's our best guess that she somehow contracted worms and now have her on an herbal dewormer regimen (along with all our animals).
- Health by Colin
- May 3, 2011
Candace gave birth to one healthy lamb. After becoming restless early in the day, Emma separated her from the flock, placing her in the lambing stall. Despite putting her in alone, her daughter, India, hoped the fence when Emma gave Candace some supplemental grain. So she left India in there with Candace to keep her company.
Emma got home at about 5 p.m., and it was shortly after that Candace gave birth. The first lamb took a while being born, and Emma gave a call to a few farmer friends for assurances that Candace would be alright. They also noted that lambing can take quite a while.
At about 10:30 p.m. we still were not satisfied that we had seen the afterbirth, but had to go to bed, so left Candace to her own devices.
- Lambing by Colin