Bee~ Journal of then...

[keljonma]

Bee, one of my friends pays a local Amish girl to help with her meat rabbit program. Friend pays $8/hr here in NE Ohio. The girl keeps a journal of the time spent with the rabbits and what she does during that time.

Almost two years now, and the Amish girl is helping my friend with improving the breeding program. Not only that, friend has been contacted by a restaurant looking for rabbits. So it really has helped my friend.


ETA: the ear wax thing - was that the water in ear/OTC swimmers ear stuff thread?

 

[Beekissed]

Nah, that was the cold sore remedy! Cknmom tried it and it worked for her also....cool, huh?

I don't know if I could afford to pay $8 an hour and she probably wouldn't expect that, but if I go even $50 a wk for two weeks I would be breaking even with just buying two weaned lambs for $100 each.

I'll have to study on this one......

 

[freemotion]

Got anything to barter that she might be interested in? Something you could teach her, maybe?

 

[Beekissed]

Well, they are a strange sort of family....sort of Pentecostal? Wear dresses and don't cut their hair and are sort of backwoods, if ya know what I mean? The girl is 19 and was home schooled, has no plans to go to college or get a job....just stay there at her mom's?

In other words, they aren't real ambitious in the learning department...a real closed-minded kind of folks...pleasant enough if you don't hurt their feelings...and you never know what will do that or if you even have, you know?

The last time I saw them I took them a couple dozen eggs for Christmas and they dropped off a box of candy...the time before that? My dogs practically ate one of their dogs whole...didn't even salt and pepper him! So...I can't really tell if they are feeling neighborly at the moment or not...they are a hard read. I will stop by and ask them soon and see if they will even LET her do something like this. I've never seen her anywhere by herself or driving a car~don't even know if she has a license!

 

[freemotion]

Oh.....hmmm.....maybe they'd like some more eggs? A chicken or two? Sounds like maybe dd would likely do something in exchange for something that would benefit the df (dear family!)

 

[Beekissed]

We'll see....she is a sweet gal...her mom is a big, whiney baby(I used to be her supervisor at work! ) Complained with every breath on every shift about everyone and everything....when it came time to stand up and speak up about changes to make things better? Refused to say a word! Said, "No one would listen to what I say anyway!!! I told her, "Robin, honey? We've been listening to what you say for a year now~can't really help it!" I was a good boss, so even she couldn't complain about me, though!

 

[Farmfresh]

Here is an idea... why not ask her?

She may not be interested at all OR she may be willing to do it very cheaply or for fun.

You never know.

I'd just ask her and ask her what she would possible want to barter or charge.

I took care of my neighbors dogs when I was young (there were dinosaurs then) for a $1.00 a feeding and got a cassette recorder for caring for them for over two weeks once while the owner was on vacation.

I was on cloud nine!

 

[Beekissed]

Here is an idea... why not ask her?

She may not be interested at all OR she may be willing to do it very cheaply or for fun.

You never know.

I'd just ask her and ask her what she would possible want to barter or charge.

I took care of my neighbors dogs when I was young (there were dinosaurs then) for a $1.00 a feeding and got a cassette recorder for caring for them for over two weeks once while the owner was on vacation.

I was on cloud nine!

You must be about my age then, as my boys claim that I rode a dinosaur to school!

I agree....she may just do it pretty cheap~just to get out of the house, who knows? I just know that I don't want to bankrupt myself, but I don't want to take advantage....does that make sense? I just figured I'd have the lambs by now and Eli would have been available to feed them while I was at work....and he still may if he doesn't make weight this time when he goes to processing.

You see, if I take this new job, my schedule will no longer be as flexible as it is now.....heck, I wasn't even planning on getting a new job~the idea and opportunity sort of dropped out of the sky!

Oh, well....I'm sure it will all work out somehow.

Don't want to get too embroiled in the whole lamb drama, as I hear its been complained about of late...the whole personal drama posts thingy!

 

[FarmerChick]

I don't have a clue what to pay someone for that work.
But do the math. Figure 1 1/2 months they will need to be fed on regular intervals...after that you can introduce little feed and they will be munching grass, and you can get away without those feedings.

Once you do the math on the money, it might be cheaper to buy lambs already weaned.

So the pen and paper is the best choice right now to determine which way to go.

Weaned lambs that don't require tons of work will still bond with you. Just keep a hands on approach and all will be fun!!

 

[Farmfresh]

If working mothers can figure a way to nurse a new baby AND work full time (I don't agree with this philosophy, but lots of them do it) - YOU can figure out a bottle lamb while you work.

You would probably only need a feeding or two during the work day and that only for a while. As soon as they start on solids they can creep feed during the day and have their milk before and after work can't they?

Live is never simple. One problem is no sooner solved than another pops up. Good luck.