I had a moment yesterday morning when I was worried about Thing 1. He was not terribly hungry and seemed shivery - but only after he'd eaten. But last night, they both ate very well and they were bouncy and playful early this morning.
I have to give a lot of credit to my husband, who has gotten really good at feeding without all the undue spilling and waste of formula that seems to accompany my feeding efforts. He figured out which of the Spring lambs would do best as companions to the babies and made a soft warm place for them (although Oreo, one of Ellie's triplets, kept trying to usurp the place - that turned out okay, because she seems to be taking a shine to the Things and that will give them someone to cuddle with). It's good for her, too, because she has always been a bit standoffish with the flock and the only one she'd sleep near was Audrey. Maybe the Things smell a little like her?
My son has a big race today - the district championships. I really wish I could go with the team, but I have an important meeting after work. He's really gotten stronger in the last couple of weeks. His last mile time was 5:49 and he said he didn't even feel tired. That's a good thing, because the freshman five mile run is coming up in a few weeks and if he sticks with his goal of beating his older brother's everything over the next few years, he'll need to place in the top 3 for the boys. Good luck, because this class has some speedy kāne. In fact, I have a strong hope the team will be the first to qualify for the State meet as a team - that won't affect my son, but it still would be cool - 16 or so of them came in under 19 minutes for their last 3 mile time trial. I wish I could run that fast. I really do. Only God knows why I wish that, at my age, and never having been particularly fast - but I do. It would be amazing.
My seedlings are coming up in the greenhouse - I will need to really go out and water tonight - I just realized I haven't been out there since Audrey went down. Uh oh. So many things to remember all the time.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Bottle Lambs
I have read in several places that bottle lambs are an unfortunate certainty if you have enough lambings to rack up the numbers. It is our turn to bottle feed lambs.
Audrey died last night, probably of milk fever. I gave her calcium, but I don't think I got it there in time. I didn't see the message on my phone for several hours which told me that my husband found her down and I had to wait for lunch to go home. I don't feel confident to do the IV administration, so I had to do the subcutaneous injection route. It didn't work, which is a bummer - from our original flock, we only have Elvis left, which is sad.
And now, I have two ram lambs to feed. So far, they aren't liking the bottle, so we've been syringe feeding them. I am going to try a different nipple style tonight, after I visit the store; gosh, I hope they get the hang of it, because syringes are a pain in the butt and take such a long time. The night feedings are going to kill me. I got up at 3:00 am today and I am feeling it, for sure. Just in case, I will also pick up some more big oral dose syringes because the little 3 tsp ones are ridiculous. You still have to slowly drip milk in, but at least you don't have to stop and refill every few seconds.
I know people do this, but I have to admit I am feeling a little overwhelmed by it - like I am doomed to failure and these little guys will starve. It's a pretty uncomfortable feeling. When we had to feed Buddy, he was a little older and he could still sneak in and get some milk from Minnie. These two are completely dependent on us.
The other issue is how to integrate them with the flock - they're our only lambs right now, and today would be the day I would let them out in the big pasture with their mamma - only they don't have a mamma now. I can't let them out in 5 acres with a big flock all alone! And if we keep them confined, how will the flock accept them later?
I guess you learn as you go.
Audrey died last night, probably of milk fever. I gave her calcium, but I don't think I got it there in time. I didn't see the message on my phone for several hours which told me that my husband found her down and I had to wait for lunch to go home. I don't feel confident to do the IV administration, so I had to do the subcutaneous injection route. It didn't work, which is a bummer - from our original flock, we only have Elvis left, which is sad.
And now, I have two ram lambs to feed. So far, they aren't liking the bottle, so we've been syringe feeding them. I am going to try a different nipple style tonight, after I visit the store; gosh, I hope they get the hang of it, because syringes are a pain in the butt and take such a long time. The night feedings are going to kill me. I got up at 3:00 am today and I am feeling it, for sure. Just in case, I will also pick up some more big oral dose syringes because the little 3 tsp ones are ridiculous. You still have to slowly drip milk in, but at least you don't have to stop and refill every few seconds.
I know people do this, but I have to admit I am feeling a little overwhelmed by it - like I am doomed to failure and these little guys will starve. It's a pretty uncomfortable feeling. When we had to feed Buddy, he was a little older and he could still sneak in and get some milk from Minnie. These two are completely dependent on us.
The other issue is how to integrate them with the flock - they're our only lambs right now, and today would be the day I would let them out in the big pasture with their mamma - only they don't have a mamma now. I can't let them out in 5 acres with a big flock all alone! And if we keep them confined, how will the flock accept them later?
I guess you learn as you go.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Sunday Chores
It's the most amazing day outside, but I decided that, beyond hanging laundry, checking on lambs (and picking grass for mama), a little bit of work in the greenhouse, I need to do a lot of baking and clean floors.
Currently rising in the kitchen are two pans of dill bread (made with dill seeds from my garden) and a big batch of cinnamon rolls. My 14 year old complains we don't have food - what we don't have is microwavable, individually wrapped, preservative laden convenience food. I figure if I put a bunch of cinnamon rolls and pancakes in the freezer, he will at least have something to grab without complaining.
I also have a crock pot full of my own chicken with some vegetables from the Farmer's Market. Unfortunately, my tender-hearted youngest saw the hen and knew it was ours - so it will be tough getting her to eat it. I wish I'd been able to sneak it by her.
If I get done with the baking, pancake making, and floors, I might pull Gibby out again. We are going to the 6 pm Mass tonight, though, which is a good 40 minute drive away, so it will depend on the timing. I would love to go for a long, not so fast walk today, but that will be a timing issue as well. My left foot has a bit of swelling over the metatarsals, although it isn't really sore. I did feel minor soreness while running. I think maybe I had my shoes laced too tightly. I have funky, high arches, so I have to take a long time to up my mileage or my speed.
Basically, that's my Sunday. What did you folks do?
Currently rising in the kitchen are two pans of dill bread (made with dill seeds from my garden) and a big batch of cinnamon rolls. My 14 year old complains we don't have food - what we don't have is microwavable, individually wrapped, preservative laden convenience food. I figure if I put a bunch of cinnamon rolls and pancakes in the freezer, he will at least have something to grab without complaining.
I also have a crock pot full of my own chicken with some vegetables from the Farmer's Market. Unfortunately, my tender-hearted youngest saw the hen and knew it was ours - so it will be tough getting her to eat it. I wish I'd been able to sneak it by her.
If I get done with the baking, pancake making, and floors, I might pull Gibby out again. We are going to the 6 pm Mass tonight, though, which is a good 40 minute drive away, so it will depend on the timing. I would love to go for a long, not so fast walk today, but that will be a timing issue as well. My left foot has a bit of swelling over the metatarsals, although it isn't really sore. I did feel minor soreness while running. I think maybe I had my shoes laced too tightly. I have funky, high arches, so I have to take a long time to up my mileage or my speed.
Basically, that's my Sunday. What did you folks do?
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Gibby's Work
Okay, so I am trying to get Gibby to lunge. This is a really hard thing without a round pen. Today, I actually had my niece on him, my daughter walking next to his head and me holding a lunge line. He did that but he was pretty wigged out by the whole thing.
I tried a couple of different bits on him, but the shanked bit just freaked him out. I think someone did a number on him with a bit like that. He got very frightened and wanted to charge around. I just went ahead and put the copper snaffle back on his bridle. I could almost hear him thinking, "Wow, someone listened to me." He tried hard today. It was a good day.
The kids had some activities today. We dropped our son off at school to catch the bus to a special XC practice, drove to town to drop off our daughter for her fundraiser, and then we went to run. I ran a 5 k in 30 minutes. It might have even been less, but my only watch was a regular analog watch and I forgot to look at the seconds. This was my goal time when I started running a few months ago, and I reached it faster than I expected. I hope to get even faster by December, when I want to run a race with a friend.
The sweet potato slips I put in the random piles of compost (around the ti, near the greenhouse) are really flourishing, which is nice to see. Thing 1 and Thing 2 (temporarily named lambs) are doing well, too. One of them is a bit more tentative than the other, but, in general, they are well. I think Audrey is relieved she had twins this time - much easier to keep track of than triplets. I think one of her daughter's from the earlier birth is missing her. She always liked to sleep right next to Audrey and now I have Audrey in the lamb pen. It's been so sunny - the seeds I planted in the greenhouse are already sprouting. It's good to be getting back on track with the garden and the greenhouse. I hope that this coming year will have a better mix of sun and rain - instead of the basically unrelentingly poor weather we've had up her for the last 12 months. Almost nothing grew for so long.
What's weird, weather-wise, is that the two flowering cherry trees down in Mountain View are starting to put out flowers - which is not supposed to happen until March. I think the trees felt like I do - summer felt like a slightly warmer winter and this finally feels like summer. I hope that doesn't hurt the trees, because the relative cold is coming soon.
I tried a couple of different bits on him, but the shanked bit just freaked him out. I think someone did a number on him with a bit like that. He got very frightened and wanted to charge around. I just went ahead and put the copper snaffle back on his bridle. I could almost hear him thinking, "Wow, someone listened to me." He tried hard today. It was a good day.
The kids had some activities today. We dropped our son off at school to catch the bus to a special XC practice, drove to town to drop off our daughter for her fundraiser, and then we went to run. I ran a 5 k in 30 minutes. It might have even been less, but my only watch was a regular analog watch and I forgot to look at the seconds. This was my goal time when I started running a few months ago, and I reached it faster than I expected. I hope to get even faster by December, when I want to run a race with a friend.
The sweet potato slips I put in the random piles of compost (around the ti, near the greenhouse) are really flourishing, which is nice to see. Thing 1 and Thing 2 (temporarily named lambs) are doing well, too. One of them is a bit more tentative than the other, but, in general, they are well. I think Audrey is relieved she had twins this time - much easier to keep track of than triplets. I think one of her daughter's from the earlier birth is missing her. She always liked to sleep right next to Audrey and now I have Audrey in the lamb pen. It's been so sunny - the seeds I planted in the greenhouse are already sprouting. It's good to be getting back on track with the garden and the greenhouse. I hope that this coming year will have a better mix of sun and rain - instead of the basically unrelentingly poor weather we've had up her for the last 12 months. Almost nothing grew for so long.
What's weird, weather-wise, is that the two flowering cherry trees down in Mountain View are starting to put out flowers - which is not supposed to happen until March. I think the trees felt like I do - summer felt like a slightly warmer winter and this finally feels like summer. I hope that doesn't hurt the trees, because the relative cold is coming soon.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Lots of Work Going On While I Am At Work
From the front of the barn.
Audrey and ? and ? - any suggestions for names.
New Lambs and Whine about Rural Highways
We had an eventful day yesterday. Just about the time we were leaving school last night, there was a terrible accident near our home - which meant that we were stuck in the car on the road for 2 hours. There are no alternative routes to my house, just the highway, so when they close it, we're stuck. This has happened before when a pole fell down due to soft ground from tons of rain. This time it was a fatal accident.
At just about the same time as the accident, my husband was searching our pasture for Audrey who didn't come in with the other sheep. Sure enough, she'd had her lambs back there and decided not to come in. It's a pain (as all of you who have had to carry lambs at ewe nose height know) to get them in...why ewes can't look up to see lambs is a mystery.
I love that Audrey is such a good mama. By the time I did get home (at 8 pm - over 2 hours after I left work), she'd settled in with them. They were strong, nursing well, and all I had to do was dip those umbilical cords and make sure she got some extra feed and water with electrolytes. They are two unrelievedly black ram lambs - a bummer on both the color and the gender - I would have loved two more ewes.
Speaking of ram lambs, I checked my records, and I didn't make a mistake on the two ram lambs from spring. I didn't castrate Buddy because I thought he was going to die (he's the one that got sick) and I did castrate Koa - he's still castrated, but he has some other sort of swelling on his abdomen. I wonder if he is cryptorchid - but he doesn't seem to be in pain and he's growing well. I just have to make sure I do a good job with these two.
Today is a treat. The weather, so far, is lovely, and NO ONE has practice! I am going home to ride after work and looking forward to it mightily. I will have to work through lunch to get the stuff done that I promised myself to do in order to do so, but it will be worth it. I can ride, check out the lambs with light other than the tack room light and a small flashlight, and make a proper dinner.
At just about the same time as the accident, my husband was searching our pasture for Audrey who didn't come in with the other sheep. Sure enough, she'd had her lambs back there and decided not to come in. It's a pain (as all of you who have had to carry lambs at ewe nose height know) to get them in...why ewes can't look up to see lambs is a mystery.
I love that Audrey is such a good mama. By the time I did get home (at 8 pm - over 2 hours after I left work), she'd settled in with them. They were strong, nursing well, and all I had to do was dip those umbilical cords and make sure she got some extra feed and water with electrolytes. They are two unrelievedly black ram lambs - a bummer on both the color and the gender - I would have loved two more ewes.
Speaking of ram lambs, I checked my records, and I didn't make a mistake on the two ram lambs from spring. I didn't castrate Buddy because I thought he was going to die (he's the one that got sick) and I did castrate Koa - he's still castrated, but he has some other sort of swelling on his abdomen. I wonder if he is cryptorchid - but he doesn't seem to be in pain and he's growing well. I just have to make sure I do a good job with these two.
Today is a treat. The weather, so far, is lovely, and NO ONE has practice! I am going home to ride after work and looking forward to it mightily. I will have to work through lunch to get the stuff done that I promised myself to do in order to do so, but it will be worth it. I can ride, check out the lambs with light other than the tack room light and a small flashlight, and make a proper dinner.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Compost!
No, that's not a cleaner way to swear - although, that has possibilities. I will need to practice.
We had approximately 25 cu yards (or more) of finished compost made from yard waste, sheep, chicken, and horse manure and it was causing a water flow problem. It's now mostly gone - distributed under bananas, around ti, around roses, and in layered in the garden, as well as mixed up in potting mix for the greenhouse. Pretty exciting stuff!
I have so many sweet potato slips - I have planted them around the ti and in random spots where a pile got clumped. I still have a large number to get in the ground. Good think I love both sweet potatoes and their stir-fried leaves.
We've been having the most dry days in a row we've had for an entire year. It feels like the summer we really didn't have, at least up my house - which makes being at work a little harder than it usually is - I want to plant things! Good thing I mostly love my job!
On that note, one of my student's asked me if I missed school during break. I had to answer, "Yes," although there was more to that answer - I also loved seeing my oldest child and my parents and getting on the horse, and getting the greenhouse cleaned out. The student said, "I knew you missed it!" which makes me think I am doing a good job of transmitting some of my excitement about reading and writing to the kids - now if only it rubs off.
We had approximately 25 cu yards (or more) of finished compost made from yard waste, sheep, chicken, and horse manure and it was causing a water flow problem. It's now mostly gone - distributed under bananas, around ti, around roses, and in layered in the garden, as well as mixed up in potting mix for the greenhouse. Pretty exciting stuff!
I have so many sweet potato slips - I have planted them around the ti and in random spots where a pile got clumped. I still have a large number to get in the ground. Good think I love both sweet potatoes and their stir-fried leaves.
We've been having the most dry days in a row we've had for an entire year. It feels like the summer we really didn't have, at least up my house - which makes being at work a little harder than it usually is - I want to plant things! Good thing I mostly love my job!
On that note, one of my student's asked me if I missed school during break. I had to answer, "Yes," although there was more to that answer - I also loved seeing my oldest child and my parents and getting on the horse, and getting the greenhouse cleaned out. The student said, "I knew you missed it!" which makes me think I am doing a good job of transmitting some of my excitement about reading and writing to the kids - now if only it rubs off.
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