Sunday, October 28, 2012

It Is As It Is

  • We're expecting a hurricane, or something up here tomorrow.  Today I spent some time putting things away that were likely to blow away. 

 Good times.

The good thing is, that since I'll most likely have to stay inside, I'll have nothing to do but clean my office/sewing room.  And believe me, THAT is a very good thing.

  • I also put the rabbits out for a bit of fresh air, since they're not likely to be able to run outside for quite a few days, depending on how soggy it gets.  They have nice cages, but I always feel that a bit of a run is good for everyone.
Daphne agrees.  She can't see very well, but she loves how outside smells.

I really think they love being outside, and it's great for me, because it gets them used to being handled.  And snuggled.  In that order, pretty much, but more snuggling than handling. 
  • This morning the turkeys went to turkey heaven.  We didn't process them--they were WAY too big for any pot, cone, or even plucker we have.  I found a person through Craig's List up here who lives not too far away and would come, pick them up and process them in exchange for two of the Narragansetts.  That seemed more than fair to me--I love bartering.  I discovered a fellow homesteader this way, too.  It seems that he and his wife produce everything they eat.
Something to strive for, definitely  We've made a date to meet up so I can look at his gardens.  I've got to see how big they are, to see how they're feeding his family.  What I loved so much was how enthusiastic he was about homesteading.  He was inspirational.  I always figure I'm the only nut who thinks it's fantastic and everyone should do it, but he's the same way.  It was truly nice to meet a kindred spirit.

Most disappointing thing about the turkeys overall?  After 26 weeks of walking them to their stupid coop every night, and feeding them buckets of feed, and putting up with their stupid shenanigans and truckloads of poop, the two Narragansetts weighed 7 and 8 pounds, and Great White turned out not to be great, and weighed a whopping 17.  Return on investment?  Not really.  I'm thinking that we may not venture down this road again, or do it very differently if we do.

Blah.

  • I did get a chance to speak to the vet about Min and Lilly, and she told me that she didn't see a need to separate them out from Dulci, as CAE is hard to transmit unless through milk or by blood.  So basically, if there's an injury, I need to stay on top of it, but I'm in contact with them all the time, so that shouldn't be a big deal.  She suggested that Min could still be bred if I catch the kids, and never allow them to nurse, but that Lilly should be a pet, as different blood tests showed some other issues.  She'll be retested in a month, but it's most likely that she'll just be a buddy from now on.  So she's "Companion Goat", and that's all right.
Min I won't breed this year, as I don't want Dulci's babies to suckle from the wrong mama at any time.  I'll breed her when Dulci's babies are no longer nursing, and yes, I'll catch the kids.

We had a good time with the girls today.  Min did her usual sneaking through the gate thing, and so I let them all out.  Most likely, they won't be out too much in the next few days, either.  My son and I raced them up and down the driveway.  What a blast!  They are fast as lightning, and there was no way either he or I could beat them.  We ran so much we had Dulci panting.    They are a barrel of fun, those girls.

I'm not happy with the way the tests turned out, I won't lie, but I know that in my heart, I can never part with my girls.  Fingers crossed that they don't show signs, but if they do, I know I won't ever write them off easily.  They are my girls, after all.  And I love them so.

And they smile:
 

And eat leaves:

 
And climb things they shouldn't:


And I've taught them to trick or treat.  So the kids should easily triple their haul this year:
 

Unless, of course, Halloween is washed out. 

And that would be bad, since I love me some horrible-for-me Milky Ways and peanut butter cups.  So bad for me, but so, so good.

Ah, my girls.  I love my girls. 

Be well, friends.  I hope you are all out of the path of this weird storm, and if not, batten down the hatches and good luck!

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7 comments:

  1. We've "talked turkey" but weren't sure about it...thanks for sharing your perspective.

    Be safe!

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  2. I hope life calms down and gets back to normal soon!!! Stay safe through the incoming hurricane, and please keep us updates as to how you're doing. I'll be thinking of you all!

    Best,
    Mandi

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  3. Loved the happy goat pictures... and we keep turkeys here not to eat, but because we love their chirruping and friendliness, much friendlier than the chickens.

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  4. Hi Jocelyn,
    I just got the hub to agree to two trios of goats -when we get our farm. So your most recent post was totally appro po :-) I'm glad you've created a workable solution.

    Is the gardening/self sufficient guy named Kevin, by any chance? If so, that's the guy i was telling you about . His garden is AWESOME. Every step, you're tripping over something, but it all serves an important purpose in their grand scheme. There's so much i want to learn from them.

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  5. I have been worried about you! So glad for the update. How did the storm turn out for you now that it has passed? So sorry to hear about the CAE. It used to be a big issue in WY, but not so much here in NE. From everything I had learned though, it can be spread through saliva, but maybe there would still need to be an open cut or sore. I know you love your goats unconditionally. The turkeys have been a huge pain for you, but I bet the taste will almost make up for it. Let us know : )

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  6. Love how you caption your pics! They make me smile!!
    Hope all is well with you and your family and farm with this hurricane/tropical storm!

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  7. Jen--I think they can work out if you have a lot of room for them to roam that's not directly next to your house. Since we've got so much wooded acreage, the animals here tend to be close to the house. They were a problem because of that.

    Mandi--Thank you!

    Mary Ann--They are very friendly, that's true.

    Christine--Yep, that's him. Things have been put off since not having electric, but I still hope to get there to see.

    Michaele--The storm is over, thank goodness. Now we're supposed to get another minor one. Fun! The goat saliva thing only applies to open wounds. That's why I'm keeping my eyes on them. CAE is an issue in NY, mostly because almost no one tests. Now that I know, I can act accordingly. But they are still my girls, and I love them so.

    Sweetland--Thanks! We did ok. Thank you for your kind thoughts.

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