Cackling Ranch - A journal of things and stuff.

[Ferguson K]

Between the best ears on the planet, and the best view in the world.

 

[Ferguson K]

If this rain doesn't stop soon I'm going to need to build a raft to get around with. After the drought in 2011 and the near drought in 2014 I will never complain about to much rain... however I do have things I need to get done around the yard that I simply can not do if it is raining every time I'm off!! The pretty days only seem to exist when I'm working.

The rain is taking its toll on the goats, too. If this rain doesn't let up neither will the parasites and my pasture is saturated. The goats look pathetic. I have had to dry almost all of my milkers up so my milk supply is dwindling. Good thing the kids are weaned and I don't have any bottle kids.

Even the garden is starting to not like the amount of rain. Blight has started among the tomatoes. If it stops tomorrow a little, I need to move some of them to bigger pots.

 

[Ferguson K]

No not July. AUGUST.

 

[Ferguson K]

It stormed until 4 this morning. We have a small break in weather now and I just threw the herd 40lbs of alfalfa pellets. I would top of the hay feeder, but that will just get saturated so there's no point.

 

[Ferguson K]

I wormed the goats again. Well, most of them. I did not hit the entire herd because the entire herd did not need redosing. I'm a mean person, though, and teased the goats with the promise of grain to get them into the smallest pen I have. One by one I checked eyelids, dosed appropriately, and kicked them back out to the main pasture. Normally I spray them with orange marking paint (livestock friendly) but Beau ate my paint can.... SOOO I had to do it another way. In between each goat I had to write it down and keep going. This caused a problem.... goats LOVE paper. They think it's a great snack and that they should all eat it! It took me longer to keep track of my health book than it did to worm the goats. I normally don't take it in with me and leave it safely outside of the fence but I needed to keep track of who was given what dosage... and my husband isn't home this weekend to help!


One of the goats, Zinnia, has had issues with this wormer in the past. Two weeks ago we almost lost her due to fluke worms after worming with this wormer... I'll be keeping a close eye on her. She's my matriarch. My oldest and most beloved. She's a total PITA but she was my first registered La Mancha. I have two of her daughters and they're just lovely.

I picked two tomatoes earlier to try and keep them from catching the blight on the plant next door, they were delicious! I've been fertilizing them with goat poop from the pasture and chicken poop from the coops. Soak it for 6-8 months and make a nice, STRONG, tea... the plants just LOVE it.

 

[Ferguson K]

This is Zinnia in all of her glory when she's healthy. She typically stays at around 180lbs. Right now she only weighs about 120 and it's scary how bad she looks.

We teamed up with the vet and a group of goatsperts and were able to bring her back from the brink of death. She's still rough, but she's alive. I'll probably give her this fall off and let her recover before breeding her again. Her longest lactation with me was 14 months so I'm not worried about not having milk from her.

 

[sumi]

I couldn't help smiling when I read about the goats trying to eat your book!

I've been fertilizing them with goat poop from the pasture and chicken poop from the coops. Soak it for 6-8 months and make a nice, STRONG, tea... the plants just LOVE it.

@Chic Rustler is experimenting with poop tea for the garden at the moment.

 

[Ferguson K]

I have found that a 1/10 works best for the garden but a 1/4 works best for pasture fertilizing on Bahaia.

I have to cut it back for flowerbeds and each mixture is marked so I don't burn something... the garden does NOT like the heavier mix.

BUT

The 1/10 can be used on everything.

 

[Chic Rustler]

I couldn't help smiling when I read about the goats trying to eat your book!


@Chic Rustler is experimenting with poop tea for the garden at the moment.

Yeah. Im happy with it too. I just saok it for a few days though. Soon ill start aeration and see how that works

 

[Mini Horses]

The hardest part of loving is letting them go when it is time. I'm sure you will always have endearing memories to go with those great pictures. I know I do with mine and know the pain of walking out to their "not being there" physically. IF you listen carefully, they will still softly talk with you.