lorihadams
Always doing laundry
What a cutie! So glad that he has a good home to go to...you guys are doing good work!
Quail_Antwerp: Words from the Barnyard...
- Thread starter Quail_Antwerp
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- #422
Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
Well, I had a loss today. Velvet, my silkie, expired sometime last night. Not sure if it was from the cold or if they all slept ontop of her and smothered her. I hate to lose one, but at the same time, I am thankful that this is my first real loss this winter. Well, of my older birds that is. I have had chick loss, but Velvet was 10 months old.
Everyone else seems to be surviving alright. I am not letting them out but everyone is shut up in the coops with heat lamps. I am having to go out and change the water every few hours, though.
My step dad showed up with hay and straw for the goats. I'm a little not too happy with my parents over these goats. Yes, 3 of them are ours, but they have 2 out there as well. They do NOTHING towards helping with their care and we pretty much have to beg them to help with the getting of the hay and straw. When they bring it out they don't even make the effort to go see their goats. My mom brings in grain once a month and step dad brings in straw/hay when we tell them we are running low. Usually it takes 3 days of telling him. We buy hay/straw, too, but we feel it's only fair they chip in. We have been going through 1 square bale a day feeding 5 goats. And I'm giving them carefully measured grains 2 times a day, morning and afternoon.
So today he comes and it's freezing outside. He drops off the bales (3 straw 2 hay. Yea that's gonna last) and says, OK I'm gonna go now it's too cold for me. WHAT???!! So Dh and I got to freeze our patootie's off spreading out some straw for the goats to bed down in and making sure they had food/water, etc. I'm a little upset. I think they could at least put some effort into helping or at least stick around long enough to see how much we are putting into THEIR goats. Their two little pygmies eat TWICE as much as ours. It's really frustrating.
AND they act like it's torture to them when we ask for them to help with the feed costs. They wanted the goats, they asked us if would board them for us, and we said yes if they provided feed. I shouldn't have to beg them to help with the feeding costs. If it's such an inconvience for them to provide feed for THEIR goats, then they can just let us have the goats and I'll leave them alone.
These goats aren't good for anything other than pets. They are friendly enough and we do enjoy going out and petting them, when we aren't freezing our butts off that is....lol
Everyone else seems to be surviving alright. I am not letting them out but everyone is shut up in the coops with heat lamps. I am having to go out and change the water every few hours, though.
My step dad showed up with hay and straw for the goats. I'm a little not too happy with my parents over these goats. Yes, 3 of them are ours, but they have 2 out there as well. They do NOTHING towards helping with their care and we pretty much have to beg them to help with the getting of the hay and straw. When they bring it out they don't even make the effort to go see their goats. My mom brings in grain once a month and step dad brings in straw/hay when we tell them we are running low. Usually it takes 3 days of telling him. We buy hay/straw, too, but we feel it's only fair they chip in. We have been going through 1 square bale a day feeding 5 goats. And I'm giving them carefully measured grains 2 times a day, morning and afternoon.
So today he comes and it's freezing outside. He drops off the bales (3 straw 2 hay. Yea that's gonna last) and says, OK I'm gonna go now it's too cold for me. WHAT???!! So Dh and I got to freeze our patootie's off spreading out some straw for the goats to bed down in and making sure they had food/water, etc. I'm a little upset. I think they could at least put some effort into helping or at least stick around long enough to see how much we are putting into THEIR goats. Their two little pygmies eat TWICE as much as ours. It's really frustrating.
AND they act like it's torture to them when we ask for them to help with the feed costs. They wanted the goats, they asked us if would board them for us, and we said yes if they provided feed. I shouldn't have to beg them to help with the feeding costs. If it's such an inconvience for them to provide feed for THEIR goats, then they can just let us have the goats and I'll leave them alone.
These goats aren't good for anything other than pets. They are friendly enough and we do enjoy going out and petting them, when we aren't freezing our butts off that is....lol
keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
Sorry to hear about Velvet!
Tough road there, QA! Since you and your mom are close, maybe you could explain exactly what you are expecting in return for boarding their goats.
Stay warm!
Tough road there, QA! Since you and your mom are close, maybe you could explain exactly what you are expecting in return for boarding their goats.
Stay warm!
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- #424
Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
We've tried talking to mom. Would you believe that's like talking to a brick wall? She actually gets irrate with us for saying anything. In fact, most of the time we get a "Tell Gary" out of her...meaning she wants us to take it up with my step dad and leave her out of it.keljonma said:
BUT we did tell them that since they are in with Elroy, there's a good chance he has bred them. Mom got upset when we told her we were going to keep or sell the kids. She said if the goats have twins, she'd like one. I said No. Maybe that was a little harsh, and unfair, but I said any babies born on our property this spring will be sold and that $ used to put back into fencing, feed, etc. She isn't happy about that.
It might not seem fair that we are going to keep the kids, or sell them as the case might be, but those two little useless only good for pet goats ate EVERYTHING even the trees out of our pasture. They chewed the bark right off. Nan, Elroy, and Nugget never chewed on the trees. Every time we went out there (before our snow fall) Sasy and Snowball were practically climbing the trees ripping off the bark. UGH. The pasture we have just isn't big enough for five goats. So, we reasoned sell the kids, enlarge the pasture field with fencing purchased from kid sales.
Mom's not seeming to happy about it. She hasn't argued about it, I think she's just hoping the goats will kid multiples thinking she'll take the twins. I am looking at it this way: they can't have the goats where they are (even though my mom has mentioned that she might try to sneak them over there), and we don't see them moving to their country property anytime soon, and even if they did, they aren't set up to have goats there, either. I really see these goats being here for awhile. So I need more pasture.
We went through this once before with them. You would think we would learn. They had a milk goat and got in trouble for keeping her in town. They asked us to keep her out here. We agreed. Again, they were to furnish the feed for them. They finally got so tired of us telling them that the goat needed food that my Step Dad told us to take her to auction and keep the money for our troubles. They want the fun side of having an animal without the repsonsibility of caring for it. At least, that is how it seems to me.
Ya'll should see...er smell...my mom's coop. My husband built her a coop just like mine I've posted pictures of (the one we painted red). My coop has no odor to it. Her coop is less than 3 months old and smells to high heaven! You'd think there were hogs or dead and dying animals in it! The smell about knocks ya out just by opening the door. She is hoping I'll hatch her out some chicks for this next spring. Until she does better caring for the chickens she has now, I'm not giving her anymore!
punkin
Don't Quote Me
Quail,
Sorry about your silkie.
Sounds like you are having quite a time with the goats. I don't blame you about wanting to keep the kids. You are the one putting in all the time, effort and most of the money for upkeep.
Your parents know you will take good care of them no matter what (& it sounds like you are). They're just going to let you.
Sorry about your silkie.
Sounds like you are having quite a time with the goats. I don't blame you about wanting to keep the kids. You are the one putting in all the time, effort and most of the money for upkeep.
Your parents know you will take good care of them no matter what (& it sounds like you are). They're just going to let you.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
It sounds like you are in a pickle, girl! You are much nicer than I would be in the same situation. I would have sold the goats long ago to recoup my costs of keeping them, gave mom half of the proceeds to just be nice and kept the rest, even though it won't pay for the feed and the trees. Then...I would never do it again!
I've rarely ever heard good stories about people boarding other people's animals "as a favor" and I've heard the "I'll pay for some of the feed" countless times....it never happens! Then there is hard feelings and he said, she said kind of family arguments.
I've rarely ever heard good stories about people boarding other people's animals "as a favor" and I've heard the "I'll pay for some of the feed" countless times....it never happens! Then there is hard feelings and he said, she said kind of family arguments.
- Thread starter
- #427
Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
I am sooooooooo done with winter. 
Yesterday we had to thaw out our washing machine. I mean, we may not have a fully plumped house, but we still use the drains! Toilet...froze up...sinks...froze up....UGH UGH UGH.
So while I'm out feeding chickens, trying to get up frozen waterers, giving fresh water, feed, etc DH is trying to get the drains thawed. Not thawed yet but still working on it.
I was really happy to find all my chickens Ok this morning. No more losses yet. I was a little worried about my new Light Brahma Roo, Aaron. My older LB Roo, Levi, greeted me at the door. Aaron was kind of iffy last night. I was really afraid I would find him lying on the floor this morning. He seemed to be barely able to walk last night. He was just kind of flopping around, trying to keep his balance. Well, I just prayed for God to care for my chickens last night and this morning I spent extra time with them and made them up a special salad of oats, cornmeal, shredded lettuce, shredded carrots, and diced tomatoes. I fed that to them ontop of their regular morning feeds.
Aaron was the second chickerdoodle to greet me. Boy was I happy to see him! He seems to be doing a bit better. He immediately filled his crop up on the goodies and helped himself to some fresh water. I think the biggest issue is he lets the girls go first...and well the girls are greedy. So I gave Aaron his own private stash of goodies. Gotta make sure he's eating ok.
Couple of the roosters have a bit of frostbite. I'm hoping they will be OK. This is the first year I have wintered over birds. Now I remember why I didn't want to have chickens before HAHAHAHA Not that I am regretting having them, just wish it was warmer.
Yesterday we had to thaw out our washing machine. I mean, we may not have a fully plumped house, but we still use the drains! Toilet...froze up...sinks...froze up....UGH UGH UGH.
So while I'm out feeding chickens, trying to get up frozen waterers, giving fresh water, feed, etc DH is trying to get the drains thawed. Not thawed yet but still working on it.
I was really happy to find all my chickens Ok this morning. No more losses yet. I was a little worried about my new Light Brahma Roo, Aaron. My older LB Roo, Levi, greeted me at the door. Aaron was kind of iffy last night. I was really afraid I would find him lying on the floor this morning. He seemed to be barely able to walk last night. He was just kind of flopping around, trying to keep his balance. Well, I just prayed for God to care for my chickens last night and this morning I spent extra time with them and made them up a special salad of oats, cornmeal, shredded lettuce, shredded carrots, and diced tomatoes. I fed that to them ontop of their regular morning feeds.
Aaron was the second chickerdoodle to greet me. Boy was I happy to see him! He seems to be doing a bit better. He immediately filled his crop up on the goodies and helped himself to some fresh water. I think the biggest issue is he lets the girls go first...and well the girls are greedy. So I gave Aaron his own private stash of goodies. Gotta make sure he's eating ok.
Couple of the roosters have a bit of frostbite. I'm hoping they will be OK. This is the first year I have wintered over birds. Now I remember why I didn't want to have chickens before HAHAHAHA Not that I am regretting having them, just wish it was warmer.
keljonma
Epicurean Goddess
Sorry to hear about your water problems. Our kitchen sink is frozen, but the rest is okay. Hopefully, with this "heat wave" we're supposed to get (I hear mid-20's! 
), they'll free up soon!
), they'll free up soon!- Thread starter
- #430
Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
I'm sure hoping! It's supposed to go up to 29 today!keljonma said:Sorry to hear about your water problems. Our kitchen sink is frozen, but the rest is okay. Hopefully, with this "heat wave" we're supposed to get (I hear mid-20's!
