I spoke with a neighbor this weekend who said she is having a terrible time with domestic dogs chasing and/or killing her livestock. So, she’s been shooting them (this is entirely legal, btw). I don’t blame her, this kind of predation is perhaps the most frustrating of all, because it doesn’t need to happen. These dogs have kibble at home, they aren’t trying to make a living like a wild predator, they are just out having a good time! Continue reading ““Shoot, Shovel and Shut Up””
This weekend I caught all the lambs individually. I wanted to trim their hooves and weigh them. Continue reading “Weighing Lambs”
We enjoyed some summer weather last weekend with Chicago Style hot dogs (well, sausages, actually) made on the grill. Oh yeah! Continue reading “Chicago Style Dogs”
This week we had a little earthwork done for the farm. I say a little, and for the farm, because in our state, under the “right to plow” law, if you are moving a reasonably small amount of dirt and it is for farming activity, you don’t have to get a grading permit. Continue reading “A Little Earth Moving”
I’m gearing up to start another round of fencing. I do add concrete my fence post holes, because in the floodplain, the flotation forces of full-submersion flooding can cause whole fence lines to float- or so I’m told by a neighbor who learned this the hard way! So the question I’m pondering this year is, pour the concrete in the hole dry and let it cure on its own, or pre-mix the concrete first? Continue reading “Fence Posts: Wet or Dry Cure Concrete?”
Kirk continues to find any excuse to use his “Inferno” propane tank torch attachment. This now includes lighting the BBQ grill. 😉
On the plus side, we don’t need to use lighter fluid or chemical-ey charcoals anymore. This baby lights up plain old charcoal in a minute or two!
I only had one ewe single this year, but I took full advantage of that and milked colostrum out of her three times in the first twelve hours, to freeze for future use. The rest of the ewes had twins or triplets, so I didn’t want to rob any of them. Continue reading “Frozen Colostrum For The Future”
A funny thing has happened with the recently sewn-up duck and the babies with which she’s sharing her A-frame. They’ve decided they’re family. 🙂 Continue reading “Sewn-Up Duck Adopts Babies”
Know what this little blob of material is on the roof of the sheep shelter? It’s an “owl pellet,” Gentle Reader. I bet I’ve unconsciously seen these a million times in my life, but never knew what they were, until last year. Continue reading “Where Owls Barf, Fortune You Will Find”
Last Sunday I was awoken by the Border Collies barking madly at 2am. I took a look out the window to see the ducks all clustered, standing at attention in their pen. My flashlight caught Ms. Coyote behind their pen as she dashed away. I tromped out in my robe and boots, all looked ok, until I got to the back of the pen. Darn, she got one. Or did she? Continue reading “Sewn-Up Duck”