Bubbles had a huge single lamb, which is just perfect, it means I get to milk her as the second lamb.. Fresh Milk! YES!
Its been a busy day, and its not done yet, so I am just popping in.. to share the good news and wee fluffy(sort of, still has some birthing fluid on it) cutey!
thank you ladies, we have been hunkered down, we have been shoveling, we have been fence fixing and nailing up extra boards as the snow is drifting, hubby had to climb a ladder and climb over six foot pens and jump into snow drifts on the other sides to dig doors and pens out.. snowshoes and sleds.. my girlfriend was out on the plows for longer then can be.. they say more is coming next week..
we have had power blips, we missed pickup on our food box, so no fresh fruit or veggie on no buy feb, our boxes went to the local food bank, because we did not get off the farm..
I will do my feb no buy round up post tonight.. but this only having hubbies laptop shared while mine in shop and the storm is really slowing me down.. keep warm, keep safe..
Sorry about going missing, we have had cold, and more cold.. it got down to -45 and we were holding, and then came the snow.. it started out fluffy Christmas snow and it just kept coming.. and coming and coming.. over 2 feet in 24 hours and then came the drifting..
Hubby had gone into work, and they let everyone go early, the buses were stuck so he hiked 2.5 km from his work across the river to the next big bus area and finally got a bus (the average person waited an hour to get on, instead of the normal 3 to 5 min) at rush hour..
Then I got the call at the truck.. you see the wind was blowing and drifting was coming.. and he needed to shovel out the truck.. the snow had blown in and was at the height of the roof of the truck… ya, you read that right.. ROOF of the truck.. so shovel, shovel, shovel and then take it slow and steady in 4 by 4 drive on the way home.
I on the hand shoveled paths, hauled water and hay and needed to dig out the square bale shelters.. and chores were done with snow shoes on, pulling sleds to get things around. The hounds love the snow.. Love this opps photo of the ying and yang of their colors.
I was ever so grateful that farmer R came and dug out our main driveways and lanes.. otherwise it would have been many more hours. Sometimes you need to know when to call for help when you can.
We had a tiny power outage and wow are quail chicks fragile an then some.. they need that heat.. and extra protein.. hard boiled eggs and fresh sprouts. They have already doubled in size and they are getting tiny wing feathers.. Stay safe out there, and hopefully I will be back tomorrow..
Wishing you a awesome day with your loved ones.. be that with family, friends, critters or yourself! or any combo of the above 🙂
while this photo was taken a few years ago, it was a on the moment thing, he picked me a flower to present to me.. and its one of my favorites.
So in keeping with it being a day of sweets but it being no buy feb, I snuck off a lovely piece of dough and made little yeast doughnuts and made a mix of honey-butter as a glaze, with a hot cuppa on a cold day it was lovely.
(it was so cold, I had to heat my flour before making my bread, buns and flat breads today.. brrrrrr)
Ps for a extra dose of cuteness!
While they recommend paper towel, I use a drying towel instead so it can be shook outside and washed and reused over and over again, they have their feed all over the place as they learn what is good to eat and what is not.. I appear to have five with darker brown stripping and three with yellow stripes instead, time will show me the adult coloring.
Because I have tried everything I can think of in terms of getting this to post in, which I used to be able to figure out on the old way to post.. but not on this one..
If you want to see the wee hatched chicks then you need to pop over on this link and watch it on facebook, its a open to anyone video.
https://www.facebook.com/Just-another-Day-on-the-Farm-368072153244945/?fref=nf
My small test batch is hatching out well at the moment, and we are just about done with this hatch, and have had a good result so far, we are just waiting for the last eggs yet. The ones that have hatched are active, bright and strong. I can’t wait to get them out of the hatcher and into the brooder where I can take photo for you.
Speaking of which, my laptop is acting up at the moment, so I am on hubbies, I am hoping that the fix will be covered by warrenty because its a newish one. we will see..
So the news today has a warning to it.. it says that this weekend, that we are going to get down to -40 (including windchill) and let me tell ya.. that be cold!
we have been at -27 to -30 ish this week and its cold, you need your long underwear, you want your layers and your winter gear.. but when it its that -40, the air is cold enough that it hurts if you are silly enough to breath it in without wool wrapped around your face to warm it up..
Its cold enough that the moisture from your breath with create ice to form on hubbies beard and I will be wearing my hair down for just that extra layer tucked into my scarf and into my jacket..
It’s the type of cold where you understand and are so grateful that your deep cold winter jacket has either coyote or wolf fur on the hood, because no matter what the world view on fur is, we know that thick winter Canine fur will split the wind and creates a barrier that will allow your face to be degree’s warmer as long as you are not directly in facing the wind.
It’s the kind of winter day, that you will put on the sunglasses.. I know, I know. but sun, white snow and brutal cold.. you can freeze your eyes and gets a mild lovely case of snow glare..
Photokeratitis is caused by damage to the eye from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Sunlight is the main source of natural UV rays. Photokeratitis can be caused by sun reflection from sand, water, ice and snow.
But having said all that, the truth is other than worrying a touch about one of the ewes deciding to have lambs this weekend, I am looking forward to the whole farm taking a deep breath and hunkering down. Its going to be a slow weekend, they will burrow into their bedding and eat more food and give the outside world the stink eye, and the sheep and horses will come out of their barn with blinking eyes a twice a day and grudging do the walk up to the front by the yard for their fresh warm water (they can come any time for the big heated tough) but the truth is.. they will wait for that room temp warm to them water..
They will grin to themselves over the fact that it seems like there is extra in their feed.. o.. extra grain and did you see a scoop of BOSS (Black Oil Sunflower Seeds) into the mix for the extra fat and calories. And unlimited hay to stuff and chew, chew, chew..
For us in the house, I will check my kits, for just in case of power out, otherwise, frozen pipes is about the only thing I will give the eye to myself.. so far this year, we have done fine, our last fix so far as done amazingly well this year, but this will be the coldest yet.
So in the barns, out of the wind.. and before the animals heat, the temp is going to be -27 to -30ish. the pigs will just borrow in their inside pen in a huge pile straw, and they will lay end to tail and when they rise out of their straw like big pig boats, they will steam and eat and drink and grunt and then use their bathroom and go right back to bed.. The only sign of them, will be the steam rising from their bed..
The sheep will sleep in a herd, the smaller will snuggle closer to the bigger, leaning back to back for that extra warmth and they will be on their deep pack that has been growing all fall and early winter.. it is a mix of straw, poo a urine.. we have had lots of warm days, which while odd has been great for the deep pack, its composting under the newest layer of bedding, which means that all the pasture critters when laying down in their deep pack have in floor heating.
And the truth is, the horses will both join them and not.. they will spend the night in the barn and they will lay down and enjoy that warmer floor themselves, but they will also stick their heads out the door and they will wait.. and if the sun shines despite the cold, they will come out and they will park themselves in front of the barn, out of the wind, standing side by side and then they will sun doze..
As long as they have access to the barn, wind breaks and all their needs meet, who am I to tell them in their thick winter coats that they can not sun themselves.. because the truth is the sun is warm right now.. When the sun pours into my living room, it can add up to an extra 5 degrees over the day in that room right now.. I will take it.. free heat, and the purrpots and hounds are found sleeping on in the sun..
Speaking of the hounds, my oldest hounds have a heated bed to sleep on, and the purrpots will join him I am sure.
So Lets talk about the things that must be prepped for this cold.
For me, my oldest purrpots are in the house and use a litterbox, no need for them to be exposed at all. but my oldest Elder hound, that is hard, bathroom s outside, so my best advice, either bundle up and go out with and as soon as done, back in the house, or put on a leash – 30 foot long line and put out, watch out the window and as soon as done, bring in. Consider a dog coat, make sure they have a heated bed to warm up in.
For me, the young is a less them a week old nest of rabbit kits, they are in a big old pile of pulled fur in the back enclosed rabbit sleep area, lots of bedding, the key for them is to keep momma in lots of water updates so she can make milk, increase her feeding to unlimited and top with a tbp of BOSS and then because I am a worry wort, cover the whole hutch with a tarp to cut out the windchill factor.
Now I only checked the nest on day three, and I had at least 8 plus fat bellied warm kits and the night temps were -27, so if I can take the windchill out, then I have every reason to feel they will do just fine.
For the fowl, out doors are blocked keeping them inside and square straw bales have been placed in some areas to create draft blocking for at floor levels and in other cases, square bales have been placed in the shelters so that they can be slept on.. goats love to be up higher 🙂
There you have the must do’s.. clearly if you have a wood stove, you should have wood for it, but as that is a daily thing for those that heat with wood, I did not think it needed to be on the list.. but if you only have wood as a backup heating source.. you should prep that as well.
Hope everyone has a grand weekend an just as a side note. I am luck when it comes to the garden, I have a snow pack with a ice cover on it.. it will go along way to help protect my plants, others are not so lucky..
This recipe is listed as coming from Grandma Brownell..
Apple Sauce Cake
Bake 350 for 40 min ,till a knife come out clean.. With as much clove as it has and no cinnamon, its a different taste them most modern Apple Sauce Cakes.
Have not had one of these in a while and I am running today….so you get photos today!!
And last but not least.. its lock down day.. cross our fingers that we will have fluffy butts for Valentines day! on my first test run of the year.
Hello Folks,
Well, the first week is done and it was both easy and hard..
The easy part was we are not lacking.. while I am already out of fresh fruit, we have lots of canned and frozen fruit, we have some dried and I also brought in my pre-potted rhubarb roots that was done in the fall to start thawing and growing for fresh rhubarb in the middle of winter.
I am out of extra greens, so we are down to sprouts and pea greens as well as frozen or dried greens.. nothing that you can’t deal with.. Lots of eggs coming in the house, so great there and I have three ewe’s that are walking baby bellies!
The harder was my day out, I was grateful that Deb paid for my breakfast so that I did not break the rules but while I really enjoyed my looking at the shopping trip afterward, I would have gotten a great granite bowl and grinder for sure and we went lee valley tools…
YES, I went to lee valley tools and left the store without buying anything.. talk about will power!! LOL
The really hard was realizing that I am one hair wash away from being out of my favorite conditioner.. (how did that happen, why is there not any extra, because it’s not been on sale for months, or more like for at least a year plus) which let me tell you did not make me happy..
My longer hair needs to have a softener added after being washed.. but we have eggs for a deep condition and we have lots of rice.. so I will be doing rice water rinse
Did you just go.. huh, rice water rinse? The joy of this is that you just need to soak your rice in water (which also cuts down the cooking time) and instead of putting it down the sink.. it has a job to do.. or you can make your rice with extra water just for this, either way, it’s very little extra work and because it can be stored in the fridge and or fermented to a point, it does not need to be made daily and it should be diluted
Rice water, in its simplest form, is the water that is leftover after washing off rice in preparation for eating. It can be concentrated or diluted and even fermented to bring out most of its benefits.
Rice water contains nutrients that can fortify hair and renew skin when used as a facial wash or hair rinse, and unlike many products for skin or hair care on the commercial market, it is an easy and natural way to care for your skin and hair.
http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/rice-water-for-hair-and-skin/
Other then that surprise, we had a cord give out, and it was a important one, its the cord that runs the heater in the big water trough.. its needed.. its been taken care of but while we have smaller cords, at this point, we have nothing as a current backup longer then 25 feet for outdoor winter left.
If I did not believe in solar power so much, and was a normal person that has more cords around, it would not matter but its a area that I will need to increase the backups on the farm.
That’s it for now.. how did everyone else’s week go..
Savings for week one
Total Savings for week 1 – 108 dollars
Now it might seem that given that I have a background which included time on a farm or two with my folks, a good amount of time in teen years at my uncles farm working with horses and farm critters that the story of our first piglets here on the farm would be a smooth one..
Get a cup of coffee and pull up a chair and get ready to laugh at us.. and remember that it never works the way you expect.. no matter how much planning you think you have done.
First year on the farm, I want to raise pigs for the freezer, I start hunting down heritage piglet breeders and finally I find piglets available that are everything I want, natural born momma in big piles of straw, outdoor huts and lots of rooting going on.. so we drive 3 hours (one way) to pick up Fred and Barney. They are young, in the 40 pound range is my guess and we load them in the big old dog crate stuffed with bedding and they grunt and keep each other company.
Now back on the farm, I had a huge indoor piggy area all prepped and a pop out door to a small but sturdy pallet fence outdoor area so they could sleep in the sun and dig up greens. Now remember when we bought my farm, no fences, everything is open and the hundred plus acres around me are in hay, edges by the creek on one side and the river on the other..
So we get home, we carefully carry that crate down and I open it in the pig pen, they bolt out, zoom, zoom around the pen they go and the tiny holes that we had put up a board across that were to be small for them to get out.. WRONG!
Both piglets are threw and out and they run right out of the barn, into the barn yard and then freeze! This not their farm.. we try herding them with boards.. NOPE.. off they go.. now they running around the barn, zooming out into our pasture and hubby tried to cut them off..
Now I will not lie, at this point I have already said to my man, just stop. you can’t catch them and I am just standing there.. but hubby is slow moving up to them and then at times he bolting.. I finally lose my temper a little and pretty much say..
That’s it.. STOP CHASING THEM< I am going to the house.. and he follows me in.. at this point, they are specks and then they are down into the creek and gone..
Fine.. great! just great..
So we go out, and I move a pan of tiny bit of food before the place they came out of and nice big pan of food and goodies in the pen itself but can be seen from the doorway, I put out a second pan of fresh water, and I set a board ready to be nailed up to stop any further we are out of here moves
And I head to the house and it gets dark, and my man worries, ok, I might have worried a bit as well but I was pretty calm.. we only had two ways this can go..
The next morning at 4 amish but barely daylight, I gear up and head as quiet as I can to the barn.. and I look.. at first nothing..
Then I heard them.. grunt, grunt , the straw shakes and little fat snouts and wide floppy ears pop out of the bedding to look at me..
Did you bring us breakfast? I say! go back to sleep silly piglets and we nail up the board..
I know that the fact that they were raised outside, coming back the shelter at night was taught to them but let me tell you, we did the whoop of joy after we left the barn and look at each other.
home again, thankful that they came home!
Just another Day on the Farm 