tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279838830512754397.post7949104350834687360..comments2022-08-22T20:51:34.791-10:00Comments on Hapless Homestead: Mud, mud, everywhere....or the hazards of livestock in a rainforest.NancyDehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09565369052850975336noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279838830512754397.post-84970154112575930992010-11-07T16:52:59.421-10:002010-11-07T16:52:59.421-10:00Not at all, Chai Chai. I love the idea of communi...Not at all, Chai Chai. I love the idea of community - and need all the experienced advice I can get! Malaysia and Hawaii have similar climates (although I am considerably upslope which means even more wet and colder, as well).NancyDehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09565369052850975336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279838830512754397.post-86184774886524892422010-11-07T16:01:42.539-10:002010-11-07T16:01:42.539-10:00Hope you don't mind my asking Grandpa to stop ...Hope you don't mind my asking Grandpa to stop by, he has experience in the rain forest climate and may be able to answer a few questions for you.Chai Chaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05845100961653150736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279838830512754397.post-25219859412562321852010-11-07T15:32:09.719-10:002010-11-07T15:32:09.719-10:00Grandpa, a lot of houses in Hawaii are raised as y...Grandpa, a lot of houses in Hawaii are raised as your house is (I peeked at your blog). We are upslope quite a ways, so we actually get fairly cold here (cold for Hawaii, in the 40's). We also planted carpet grass, but the kikuyu that was already here won that battle. <br /><br />However, if I left the sheep in until the ground dries up they could be in there until January! We had the most beautiful sunny summer - I guess I was hoping the streak would continue. Not very realistic of me. <br /><br />When it lets up a bit, I am planning to add cinder to the stall. I tried sand, but the cinder is a lot more available on our island. The chicken pen, though - I really need to rethink that - the roof is already so low. We just turned over one of those big old satellite dishes and used it as a roof and then fenced around it to keep the dogs out. I put in a coop with a roost, and they have nice safe place to be.NancyDehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09565369052850975336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279838830512754397.post-71136996947704638532010-11-07T14:41:23.283-10:002010-11-07T14:41:23.283-10:00Hi, greetings from another rainforest, showed the ...Hi, greetings from another rainforest, showed the way here by Chai Chai. I have this feeling of deja-vu reading your blog...<br /><br />Our animals (even our farm house!) are raised, on stilts of four to five feet. My experience is raising goats, not sheep. When kid is 4-6 weeks I gave orally 1% Ivermectin (1/2 cc first then 1 cc a month later) for deworming. I let the goats out only towards midday when the ground dries up from rain or dew. <br /><br />Where ground is too muddy I put sand or raise the level and turf up the area.Grandpahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13250675550143944134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279838830512754397.post-26138023063603933812010-11-07T08:18:40.040-10:002010-11-07T08:18:40.040-10:00Fortunately, the chickens do have a coop they can ...Fortunately, the chickens do have a coop they can go up in to get out of the mud and wet. We don't have any cinderblocks, but I think we have some cement paving stones laying around...I wonder if they would be high enough? <br /><br />I checked on our Extension website (total newbie to sheep as I am) and worming schedule is a bit inconclusive. I do rotate wormers for the horses, we have to here....I tried to contact the sheep expert at the university, but no answer. Maybe I have to try a different expert! <br /><br />Arrgh - I looked at my garden this morning. It looks like two streams flowed through it. I guess the silt fence didn't do it's job. If anything grows, it will be all bunched up at the bottom (has happened before). THIS is why I wanted the garden on the other side of the house....NancyDehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09565369052850975336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279838830512754397.post-33420268822857436472010-11-07T07:34:40.816-10:002010-11-07T07:34:40.816-10:00Nancy, The building we added changed the water flo...Nancy, The building we added changed the water flow around here as well. Do you have any spare cinder blocks laying around? A few of those in the coop area give the chickens a place to perch out of the mud, a small group in the sheep pen give the sheep a place to stand and it also wears down their hooves a bit.<br /><br />I am not an expert on worm counts in Hawaii but you may want to check to see if worming every month is too much. Worms can become resistant to certain medication if it is over used.Chai Chaihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05845100961653150736noreply@blogger.com