I started the herbal deworming schedule recommend by Fiasco Farm today. Three of the goats ate their dosage balls; three I had to stick it in their mouths. I’ll be a bit more careful about doing it tomorrow AM. I was told by another woman who is doing herbal deworming that you could put the herbal mixture on jelly sandwiches and the goats eat those right up. I guess I’ll make some jelly sandwiches first to see if they’ll eat them.
Milk production was down a bit in some of the goats both last night and this morning. I put the calf in with the goats yesterday morning and Lil in particular acted like a put a lion in there with them. Last night, the sheep were up with them. Maybe the slight (and it is very slight) reduction is due to stress (from the calf and to some extent, Rose) or perhaps they were not able to get as much food because of the sheep (probably not the case) or maybe it’s just because it’s been bloody hot.
We’ll see how it goes.
We should have re-set the fence last night. I went down before Wally got home and set the lines, but unfortunately (but really fortunately) it rained about three-quarters of an inch before he got home so we were not able to mow the paths. He goes to the auction tonight so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to set it. Even though it interfered with setting the fence, I was glad to see the rain. It is not supposed to be quite so hot today which will be good.
I postponed my friend’s visit originally scheduled for today until it cools off a bit. It’s no fun being outside when it’s over 90 degrees and humid. While I have A/C, not much cools off a cardboard house when it’s that hot. Plus, I didn’t go to the farmer’s market yesterday afternoon as originally planned to get the ingredients necessary for the corn relish. In a little bit I’ll head down into the garden and pick tomtoes and do another batch of sauce and can it.
As I write this, the sheep are grazing in the back “yard” and the goats and calf are out in the front pasture. The calf continues to do well. I’ve been feeding him four times a day which means he’s consuming two gallons of milk a day. I might go over to the dairy and pick up a few gallons of cow milk to take some of the demand off the goat milk … it probably isn’t necessary … I worry too much. We packed up 70 pounds of whole chickens yesterday evening and when we were rearranging the freezer to get them in, I found about six packages of frozen goat cheese. I should probably use that up before I begin to worry about running out of goat milk. The dairy is close enough so that if I need more milk, I can get it easily enough and it’s only $3 a gallon.
I’m thinking seriously about getting a pressure canner. While I am able to can tomato sauce and relishes in a hot water bath canner, I’d like to be able to do soups with meat and chili. Like many people, a pressure canner scares me, but like many things, if you do it right, it is perfectly safe. I bought a book called Stocking Up published by Rodale Press, Inc. and I highly recommend it. I need to take the time and really read through the pressure canning process. When I do go back to work, and one day I feel sure I’ll find another job, it will be nice to have cans of stews, pasta sauce, soups, etc. ready to heat up for a quick meal.
Until later …