Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Ned Newby

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.

Everyone waiting for breakfast.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Ned Newby

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.

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.

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

Some random shots of the cows and calves.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

At least it missed the tractor

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Ned Newby

As if I didn’t have enough going on we had a tree go down over night. It just missed the tractor.

All the chicks are now hatched from the incubator that are going to hatch. Very low percentage of success this time around. I had a hard time maintaining a constant temperature. It never got off to much but maybe enough to prevent a good hatch. We ended up with two turkey chicks. Praying they are hens because Lisa is already making pets out of them. We also got five easter egg chicks from blue eggs. There is still 3 goose eggs in the incubator that I don’t think will do anything but I will give them a few more days just in case. Goose eggs take a few more days and since the temp was bouncing around it might even take them longer than normal. Everything else was a day or so off.

We fought to save one little turkey chick but lost that battle. It had trouble freeing itself from the shell and never stood up even when we were hand feeding it medicated water. It finally lost it battle some time after 11:00 last night. I was staying up late to feed it and Lisa was getting up a couple times at night and even took it to work so she could feed it over the last couple days. Most wouldn’t have spent that much effort for one chick but if nothing else we can honestly say that everything gets a fighting chance on the farm. Most of the time at the expense of money, time and sleep. I feel like a zombie today. I’ll be calling it an early night tonight.

The puppies are growing fast. All are spoken for except for two white males and one gray male and someone is interested in two of them. Born on March 19th they all will be ready to go to to new homes after the first week in May.

We don’t need another dog but have decided to keep one of the gray males. His name will be Teddy. We took him for a visit and he got to play in the grass for the first time. He dove into it and swam through it like it was water.

Last Saturday, April 14^th, Rosie gave us a little heifer calf. I knew she was due any day and last Friday right at dark I saw her heading for the back of the property when everyone else was coming to the barn. Saturday morning I found them safe and healthy.

We got some unusual eggs from the hens last week. One was from a very young hen and was not much bigger than a nickel if that. The other didn’t have a shell.

Here is a good picture of Mike next to the water tank. He is a good bull. We got lucky with him. If Bobbie Jo has a heifer in another month Mike will have sired four heifers and two bulls in two years. I’ll take anything 50% or better any day. The fact that he is also nice doesn’t hurt either. I’ve never been afraid of him. I don’t let my guard down either because he could still hurt me if he ever took a mind to. At which point he would probably be burger.

A hen with nine chicks helping me milk. Olive spills a lot and they clean up.

Peach Blossom

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Ned Newby

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.

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.

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.

Just some pictures from the last weekend in January

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Ned Newby

I finally got the new gate up for the milking area. The old one was too big and will be used on a section of fence I am rerunning.

Everyone is lounging around soaking up the sun before the coming rain.

Bobbie Jo wondering if this muck is ever going to dry up.

Calves watching to see if I am going to put ropes on them again.

Lazy mouse catcher. Tux is catching a few rays like all the rest.

Bobbie Jo getting a chin and nose scratch. She should be giving us a 1/2 Jersey calf this spring.

Otis is still all puppy but he is also the biggest dog on the place.

Bees sucking up some sugar water.

Hen setting on a nest in the barn. She doesn’t know it is still January.

Olive washing Billie Jo’s face. She’s a good mama.

New batch of muscadine/ elderberry wine bubbling on the counter. The first batch went so fast I’ll have to ration this.

Winnie letting me know her bowl is empty. She should be giving us a litter of puppies in late March.

Even in January you need to watch where you put your hands. On this day the ground was frozen in the morning but the temperature had risen significantly by the time I found her. She was quite active and could have ruined my day had I not been paying attention.

Happy Winter Solstice…a day late

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Ned Newby

Time for a little catching up. Lisa named the calves. Marla’s little white faced bull is now Mark and Olives little heifer is Billy Jo.

Its been busy but at the same time I don’t feel like I have accomplished much. Thats just how it is sometimes I guess.

I’m back to milking olive again and we have an over abundance of milk once again. It was getting a little scarce there for a while milking Rosie.

I castrated all the little boars except 3 just in case someone is looking for boars for breeding. One registered AGH and two Orange AGH/KuneKune crosses.

This is the first time we have had calves that are the same age. I enjoy watching them chase each other around kicking their heals up as they go. Here they are just milling around and taking notice of Otis who really couldn’t care less about anything except for what ever he is chewing on.

Billy Jo and Mark with their new gear. They are not real happy to be locked up from the cows. No real need to lock up Mark except to keep Billy Jo company. I guess that’s reason enough.

Billy Jo learning the rope. She is the funniest thing. She will lock up like in the picture and then just flop over to one side or the other. No thrashing or kicking just flop right on her side.

Since we had the a dry spell after I robbed the bees with little blooming this fall they are short of honey so I have started feeding them. It took them two weeks to start hitting the sugar water after I put it out. Once they found it they went through 3 gallons in about 5 days. Of course I’m feeding every wild be in the area as well as mine. I know there is a hive in one of my mothers trees and I can watch the bees leave the feeder and head in that direction. I lost all but two of the hives to wax worms so I am going to nurse these through the winter until spring on sugar water.

And last, Ladybug coming out of the woods. She is getting old but still likes to run. She gets a nose full of something and just won’t let it go.

Marlas Little Bull

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Ned Newby

Marla finally brought her calf up to the barn last night. Until this morning I had to go hunt for them in the woods to check on him. I finally got to see him nurse yesterday. I’m always nervice with new calves until I see it with my own eyes.

Here he is soaking up the sun Monday afternoon.

Thanksgiving Calf

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Ned Newby

Marla gave us another Thanksgiving calf this year. A little whiteface this time. I didn’t want to stress her so I didn’t get close enough to tell if it is a little bull or a heifer. I’ll get a better look tomorrow or Sunday.

Ruby

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Ned Newby

Ruby went to her new home today. She is now a Mississippi Heifer. Thanks Toby E. for buying Ruby. I’m sure she will give you a good start on your mini cattle herd. She’s a little wild right now but you will have her following you around like a dog before long.

Banding Porter

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Ned Newby

Seems like everything got away from me this summer. I never got Porter banded when he was still small so that left me with either buying a different bander or castrating him. I didn’t want to cut him because it has been so wet and mucky and I didn’t want to risk infection. Banding is just so much cleaner and I don’t have to worry about flies or muck causing any problems.

If I can’t find what I need locally I can usually find it on Livestock Concepts website. The had the Tri-Bander Castrator and it was reasonably priced so I figured I would give it a shot. I was very pleased with how easy it was to operate. I may never use the old bander again.

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