A Lot Of Catching Up To Do

The last post was about the tractor not running right. Well it turns out an algae build up in the fuel lines. I had no idea. The dealer suggested that I add a fuel additive with algaecide to prevent this in the future. Done.

We paid off most of our debts so Lisa suggested that I retire to work the homestead. So, my last day at my previous employment was September 3rd 2021.

We got a call a few weeks ago about some baby squirrels. The nest had fallen out of the tree during a thunderstorm. The people whos yard they fell into were doing all they could to rescue them but they didn’t have the time or knowledge to do it. There were 4 but they lost one right before we got there. They were very dehydrated and it took a couple days of regular feedings before that was fixed. They are now healthy and very feisty little squirrels. We moved them to an outside cage yesterday. Well all but one. Noah escaped and made his way back to the house where we saved him from one of the cats who chased him up the Bell pole. We will reunite him with his sisters today and then open the cage in about a week once they get used to being outside.

It’s been a very wet year so we’ve had a good year for muscadine and scuppernong grapes. I missed most of the muscadine harvest due to back problems but scuppernongs are still falling. I’ve got one gallon of muscadine wine and 2 gallons of scuppernong wine bubbling on the counter. I was able to make 10 pints of jelly with more to come.

I’ve started selectively laying down trees to open up more pasture and increase our firewood pile. Starting with pine and sweetgum trees. Once they are removed I will thin the oaks as needed. I hate cutting anything that produces food and animals love it when the acorns start to fall.

Olives heifer, Sassy, is nearly grown and we are hoping Olive will have another in the near future so we can have fresh milk again.

Violet gave us a little bull calf at the end of July. A good friend of Lisa’s runs a nonprofit Monkey rescue. She wants to add a petting zoo to help raise funds so we donated the little guy to the cause. We didn’t need another bull he will have a good home so it was a Win for all.

I have passed the General HAM radio test.  My computer/radio area is nearly organized and I have my antennas up. It’s time to refocus on studying for the Extra Class license.

With all the rain the garden wasn’t what it could have or should have been. A lot of green beans and some purple hull peas but everything else drowned or was choked out by the weeds.   

Braconid Wasp

We always have a few hornworms in the garden and this year was no exception. They usually get tossed to the chickens or turkeys who make short work of them.

This is the first time I have ever actually found one that had been the target of the Barconid Wasp. I’ve seen pictures in books and on the internet but never first hand. That is until last week.

I found this one on a wilted pepper plant. Come to think of it, the few worms that I have found this year have all been on hot pepper plants and not on the tomatoes.

New Arrivals

We went on our bi-weekly feed run and came home with two baby gosling’s. Remember George the gander we raised from an egg in the incubator a while back, well we got him some company.

Rosie gave us another little heifer on the 25th. She sure does have cute calves. I have decided to keep last years heifer and may keep this one as well. Marla may have to move on to make room. I’ll cross that bridge later.

The weather finally decided to act like spring instead of winter so we got the garden planted.

A couple of weeks ago I had to fix some comb in the bee hives. I checked on them Sunday and all three hives are doing well. I placed some small hive beetle traps in each hive. I haven’t seen any of these pests this year but I don’t want to get messed up like I did last year when I lost all the hives partially to the beetles.

Bee Struggles

Well the bees have gone again. All started out well but the last couple of weeks I have been struggling to control small hive beetles. The bees finally had enough and both hives left for better surroundings. I had moved the hives closer to the house so I could keep a better eye on them. The problem might have been that the location had more shade than I realized. I’ll just move the hives again and see if I can catch a late swarm or two. If not I’ll buy more next year and start over again.

On a better note, when I checked on Bobby Jo after work Friday she had a brand new heifer calf. The last four calves have been heifers. Lets hope that continues.

Even with all the rain and the weeds trying to take over the garden it is producing well. At least the green beans are producing. Squash, not so much and the peas are just starting to come in. I dug a few potatoes. Most are small but they will be good in soups and stews. It’s still too early for the sweet potatoes.

 

And then there are the egg eaters. I usually catch two to four of these a year. Caught this one last week and it was the first for this year. Lisa called me today to let me know there was another one on the porch that needed to be rehomed If it was still there when I got home. It will probably be gone because she said the cats were keeping a close eye on it.

The deed is done

We sent our first steer to the butcher this morning along with a boar hog.

It took me longer than expected to find someone to do this so Porterhouse was becoming too pet like. If he would have been around much longer I don’t know if we would have been able to butcher him. Well one of we. If everything goes well with this butcher it will be a regular occurrence. I have too many pigs right now and two more steers that are either going to be sold or sent to the freezer. I know one is next years freezer steer but the other may be sold.

 

Over two weekends I worked to straighten the comb in the hives. It was a mess. Instead of following the guides down each bar the bees built at a 45 degree angle across the bars. I caused so much disruption that I haven’t been back into the hives. I wanted to give them a chance to get all the comb reattached. I use hair clips and string to hang the comb in line with the bars and that means they have about an inch or more to fill in.

I was pleasantly surprised to find both queens had stayed with the hive and both were full of larva and hatching baby bees. I was watching the bees come and go this morning and about half looked like they were carrying white saddlebags.

 

The garden is doing very well this year with all the rain. So are the weeds.These pictures were taken right before the last series of rains. Now the beans have grown up and over the fence. It is a green wall.

May 1st 2017 and spring is in full swing on the farm.

A couple of weeks ago, April 18th to be exact, Rosie gave us another healthy little heifer.

Here she is at two days old enjoying the morning.

We have five turkey hens sharing a nest. They each have a few eggs under them so I guess they are just sharing the nest site. This brush pile is relatively close to the house so they should be safe from predators. They usually nest out on the fringe of the property and we loose a couple each spring. The dogs just can’t be everywhere.

I got the garden planted and set a box trap with chicken feed to catch a few chickens that are determined to fly over the fence. Not only did I catch several chickens and clip their wings I also caught several members of our squirrel population. Here are two. 

Friday the corn started to break through to the sun. Buy Sunday evening the crows had eaten every single one. Each of those little pock marks was once the home to a new corn plant.

Notice the bare patch in the back. Crows…

I replanted about 2/3 of that spot in corn and the rest in sweet potatoes. If something gets the corn again I’ll just plant something else. Maybe okra. I didn’t have room for it this time.

The little garden is only about 40 x 40. I am adding 12 to 16 feet along the back but it won’t be usable until next year and it won’t be good then. I have some work to do building up the soil back there.

I received notice that my bees have been shipped so I will be re-hiving them in the next day or so. I have two of the top-bar hives cleaned up and ready for them. I’m debating on if I need to buy another package or two to fill the remaining hives or just hope to catch a swarm. Decisions, decisions.

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a very nice day yesterday visiting with family at two separate gatherings. My niece Ashley and her husband hosted Thanksgiving dinner for my side of the family. Then we went to Lisa’s moms house to visit with her side of the family. Good food and company all day.

It’s been a while so a little catching up is in order.

I don’t think that I mentioned the last hive swarmed late this summer. I don’t know what caused it but my guess is it was a combination of ants and the drought. So, I’ll buy some more bees and start over in the spring. Maybe I can catch another swarm or two. I didn’t get any last summer.

With the drought still in full swing and the unusually warm weather I never did plant a fall garden. I placed the last two sows and their oops piglets in the garden area for now. The plan is to castrate the males this weekend and move them all back with all the rest. Then I can plant my garlic and onions. The weatherman is saying that we have a good chance of some rain in about a week. We’ll see. A lot can happen in a week.

A couple of weeks ago my cousin, his girlfriend and her daughter came to visit the farm. The piglets were a hit but nothing like Ava. We have gotten used to Ava stealing the show.

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Everyone waiting for breakfast.

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Something you don’t expect to see at Tractor Supply. I stopped in for a few items and had to get a picture of what was in the trailer next to me. Lisa wouldn’t have believed me without proof. It might be a little hard to tell but there are two camels in the trailer. A large one on the left and a much smaller one on the right.

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Found this little guy in the basement when I was feeding the cats. He was small and cooperative so he lived and went for a ride to a new location away from houses. I was able to slide a pet carrier up to him and he went right in. He must have know what the alternative would be.

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Here we are torturing Ava with pecan pie. She wanted out badly. I missed getting a picture of her head upside down looking through the mesh. She is just too quick.

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Due to other commitments Lisa’s younger brother Greg and his family wouldn’t be able to attend Thanksgiving so they came down a day early. We had a nice visit and as usual the animals were a hit. Especially for little Cooper.

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The only remaining registered boar for sale may have gotten a stay of execution. If the weather would have stayed cool this week he would have made it into the freezer this weekend. I just got a call from someone who wants a pair of American Guinea Hogs. If he takes the offer he will be getting a deal. I’m over run with hogs and need to move them.

The aquariums in the basement are full of fish and I noticed tilapia fry in the outside tank. I will have to try and move them this weekend or they may not last if the temperature drops again. The heater will keep the water warm enough for adult fish but I don’t know about fry.

 

 

Look what I found!

I was cleaning out the canister filter on one of the tilapia aquariums this weekend and found these 3 little guys in the bottom. How they have lived in there for so long is a mystery. Yes they are alive. The largest is about 2 inches long. The line going into the filter is only about a half inch so he has been there for a while.

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I emptied the sump tank and cleaned it out yesterday and there were all these fingerlings in there. I knew they were there but didn’t know how many. There should be more in the main tank as well.

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Pigs, Pigs everywhere. If anyone is interested in KuneKune AGH cross pigs I’ll make you a deal. Shoot me an email.

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Some random shots of the cows and calves.

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I cleaned out the compost and scattered it on the garden. I don’t know how well you can see in these pictures but it was full, I mean full of red worms. The garden is going to love this.

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Got all the compost tilled into the garden and brought in 20 bales of straw. I’ve started breaking down and scattering the bales but I’m not finished yet. It’s almost time for the fall garden.

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Here is a picture of the new home of the pig we sold that now lives in NY. We are waiting for updated pictures of him. He is living in hog heaven for sure. Wish that was my pond. Maybe some day.

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And here is Billie Jo we sold earlier this year who now lives in Arkansas. She sure is a pretty heifer. I hear that she has a stubborn streak though. Personally I think they all do.

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We still have hens, turkey and chicken, that have gone broody. Here is the latest batch of chicks. The hen made her nest in an unused portion of the aquaponics system.

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Lastly, is Smokey. She more than any of the other cats loves new spaces. Boxes, bags or open cabinets. Leave something open and she will crawl in and make her self comfortable. We are using it for our bathroom cabinet but it is actually my Great Grandmothers bread making cabinet. Smokey is laying on top of the flour sifter. All original including the sliding glass doors and the sliding counter. It could use some work but would lose some of its charm.

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Peach Blossom

The peach tree is about to explode with blooms. The hens are laying eggs again and we have a hen turkey and goose getting ready to set. Looks like Spring is upon us.

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The calves are growing well. I applied dehorning paste on them several weeks ago. It looks like it worked some on Billie Jo (Jersey cross) but I don’t think it did anything on Mark (black baldy). The paste may have gotten old. I will do it again this weekend with new paste.

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Almost time to plant the garden. Around here we always wait until after Easter. Most years we have one last frost right before Easter. Potatoes will go in this weekend and probably should have gone in sooner than that.

Spring is by far the busiest time of year for me. I just hope I can keep up this year. I sure don’t want another wasted year like the last one where everything got away from me.

Fall Garden 2015

I finally got the fall garden in week before last just before the rain started. The rain is over and the sun has been out for several days now and the garden is doing well.
This picture was taken the day after planting.

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I really like cabbage and sauerkraut so the first two plus rows have 54 cabbage plants. After that are 18 broccoli, 18 cauliflower, romaine lettuce, swiss chard, kale, brussel sprouts, arugula and red and white onions. I bought some garlic and Egyptian onions, which just came, in going into the ground tomorrow. After that heavy mulch with wheat straw.

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After a couple of weeks and some sunshine things are starting to take off.

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Cleaned up between the rows before putting down mulch.

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Otis in the back photo bombing the picture.