Summer Is Busy

Seems I should be doing something right now. Something entailing cleaning up, feeding, doctoring, looking after something is always the theme around here. Not that I mind, its what I do. Its where I have put myself. Sometimes it just doesnt make for too much time sitting on the computer though, and that is something I like to do.

So let me tell you what has been going on.

I got a phone call back last weekend from Joe. Joe is the goat man. He is the one that sold the emus to me when they were babies. I met him through needing help with one of my goats when I first got them. Oh, speaking of which, not to get too far off the subject, BUT I have neglected to tell that...that being, I sold the two goats. Yes, I know, it is hard to believe that I could part with any of my animals. Remember the guineas? I had had enough of them, and had to sell them. The goats had reached their breaking point with me, as the guineas did. I can only take so much. It seemed they had to make work for me on a daily basis. If they weren't busy tearing something up they were chewing up the side of the garage...it really does look like a T Rex snacked on the side of it. :( I was always fixing something, they were tearing up the pens, chewing through the chicken wire if you can believe it, to get to the chicken feeders. They had a whole three acres of pasture, but NO, they had to get to the chickens feed. Same goes for the fenced off area where the chickens reside. They found ways to break into this area too. I had had enough. They weren't even pettable anymore as they stunk so bad from peeing on their faces. This is normal buck behavior, but I found it stinky and nasty and smelly, not attractive at all. All the stinking, snorting and scrubbing on everything annoyed not only me, but the poor pigs too. The goats were trying to take over the pigs resting spot. We had all had all we could stand of the goats. So I put an ad in Craigslist. They have gone to a farm somewhere in Rockmart, not too far from here where there is nothing they can tear up or get into and there are nannies there, so they should be happier.

So I said I wouldn't get too far off track, but there you go, I did it anyway. Lets get back to what I was talking about. I was talking about Joe, his phoning me, and needing help right away. He had a mama goat die that had two three week old twins to feed. They are kiko/angola cross. He asked me if I could finish up feeding them on the bottle to get them on pasture and then he would take them back. I said that I would, so he brought them on to the house right away. When he got there nothing was mentioned that they had scours. :( Scours is goat diarrhea, and in baby goats can be fatal in a few days time. They get dehydrated fast. One was already weak and not doing so good. I put them on blankets in a small pen I keep for temporary enclosures. More or less a rabbit play pen type set up. I put them on the floor in the dining room. I really expected them to be small, and not have scours. That was the only reason I had this set up for them ready when he got there. It turned out they were larger and messier than I expected, so the next day they were out in the back pasture. It was good I set them up for the night in the house though. We had a terrible torrential bout of storms come through that evening and into the night.

So, with these two to care for, then I am caring for the neighbors animals again while they are away for a week on vacation, plus my own animals to care for, I have my hands full. I had to get some supplies to get these goats fed. Joe brought over a lame excuse for a bottle (an empty water bottle with some old nasty nipple pulled over the top) and some powdered milk replacer for livestock, that had weevles in it...which would just make them sicker, so that got thrown out.

I made a trip up to Tractor Supply, and Stephanie said the same thing that Joe had said, that I could mix 1 part buttermilk to 2 parts whole milk and it would stick with the babies better than the milk replacer formula. I made the trip to Walmart buying two baby bottles and the milk, along with some Pedialyte and Pepto bismol. I read up and found that in a case of dehydration a tablespoon or so of the pepto and pedialyte would help. They sucked this down with gusto when I got home, along with the milk.

While at Tractor Supply I was telling Stephanie all about the babies and she wanted to buy them, but, her husband would prove difficult to convince, so a guy that works there also wanted to buy them. Fine by me, I called Joe, he said sell them if I can. Brad came to pick them up that evening. He said one might not make it, but he would do all he could for the little one. He didnt have the money to pay me until payday, which is tomorrow, I know where he lives and where he works, so I am not worried, I will get the money for the goats. Part of the money will go towards reimbursing me for the things I bought, the rest I will give back to Joe. I don't want any extra payment, I am counting on good karma to come back around to me, like if I am ever in a bind he will be there for me in a pinch.

Here are the babies, they were only with me one night and half a day.





Onto other news. The chicks I got on Friday. I love them. I have lost four though, and am a bit disheartened by this. I have lost two buff laced polish chicks and two golden laced polish chicks. One of the goldens was weak when I got it though, and he was given to me in the event I could save him from dying. I wasnt able to do that unfortunately. I don't know what is causing these deaths, but I have put Terramycin in the water now, an antibiotic. I am hoping that whatever is wrong will be corrected by this.

I was also surprised by one of my silkie hens this morning with three brand new additions to the flock. Silkie hens are determined. If they are wanting to hatch, and they can hide those eggs from you, they WILL hatch. She had three little babies in tow this morning. I had to take them from her, poor girl. If I didnt the cat might have gotten them. Mocha is pretty good about not messing with the grown chickens, but with chicks, I am afraid she would kill them. Though silkie moms are dedicated I don't think she could have kept the babies from Mocha. I put them in with the polish chicks. Mama was clucking at the porch door and babies were crying for Mama, but I had to take them from her for their own safety. In a few days she will be okay. The chicks will learn to eat and drink from the feeder and waterer from the older chicks.

Here are a few pictures I took this morning of the new little babies. You can see the two in front are smaller, they are the silkies babies. The black one is hers too, it just wanted to hide in the corner though.

I realize that the polish chicks may have something, and may pass it on to the three new babies, but I am hoping this won't be the case. I really don't know what could be causing the deaths. I have had them for almost a week now. It would seem if they had anything, really HAD something, they would have already died.










Forgive the fogginess of that one picture. It was so humid and steamy this morning when I went to take the camera out onto the back porch the temperature change from the camera being in the house caused the lens to fog. I kept having to wipe it and quickly take a picture before if fogged up again.

We had a double rainbow the other day after a pretty good thunderstorm rolled through. I took many pictures hoping to capture the fainter outer rainbow along with the main rainbow. See if you can see it...I can see it, but then I was there, so I am looking for it knowing it was there! :)














That should catch my blog up for a few days anyway. :) Ian is off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. When he is off, I am not on the computer, so it will be Monday before I will post again. I hope everyone has a wonderful summery weekend!