Shiloh Acres - RAIN!!!!!!! and maple syrup! ;)

[Denim Deb]

I was able to find some RBs for $25.00! It's a grass mix. I pretty much avoid alfalfa because of the haflinger. They're prone to founder, and from what I've read, alfalfa isn't the best bet for them.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

$25 RB is unheard-of here, except straw or last year's hay. And I don't have to worry about alfalfa -- it won't grow here. I worry about my rabbits getting too much though.

I'm not sure if there's seed in it, but I normally grow Bermuda and clover anyway, and I planted rye last winter but it was too dry and didn't come up till spring. Speaking of which -- I'll plant it again this fall. I wonder if I CAN collect seed from it? It's fairly pricey to buy every year. Takes around $50 for the seed, which would buy me a RB.

I hope I have enough. I tried calculating. I used 5 RBs over the past year, but one of those was super-small, and all five of these are bigger than any I bought. I didn't use a haying on the first 3 bales, so there was a good bit of waste. For that matter, I'm thinking of building a hay access in the barn that would work like a hayrack instead of rolling the bale in. Or ... Just using a hayrack and forking it in. I may let them eat in the barn instead of rolling it into the weather. I'm still new to all of this.

Last year I had more goats ... Two full grown bred does and the two doelings and bucklings. This year, the kids are bigger, but my does were killed by coyotes. And I have one doeling. I have one llama instead of two. And I have more geese and rabbits. I think overall my needs will be ABOUT the same. I've learned a bit more about pasture management and hope I can provide more grass, but honestly, the browse will never recover to former levels. I am considering planting bamboo, kudzu, and cultivating duckweed. And I'm about to double my pasture area (except some will go for the buck as I'm sure I need to separate him and the wether soon). And I'm trying to grow more feed.

Will 5 RB be enough? I'm afraid I have no idea, and it was my best guess. I have not enough experience, too many factors to consider, and too much will depend on the weather and harvest. Welcome to farming?

And I'm SO looking forward to learning canning. My tomatoes are all still green, and I've gotten only one pepper so far. Peas and onions fizzled, and everything else is wait and see.

I DO have a big bag of oranges, and there's a recipe for honeyed orange slices in there. I have everything I need, so I'm thinking of giving it a try, though I'm not even sure what to do with jars of honeyed orange slices.

 

[old fashioned]

I grew some rye & other grains last year in my backyard garden as a test...just to see what would happen. So YES you CAN save the rye seed. I let mine grow until it seemed dry enough (around regular harvest time). The seed heads have long stiff hairlike spikes attached to the seed. If you will use it for re-seeding, no need to remove the spikes. Actually I guess the 'spikes' are part of a 'leaf' covering the seed (?) I tested for dryness with my fingernail. If it was soft or easy to puncture it wasn't ready. If I remember right, the stalk of the rye plants stayed kinda bluish/green even after the oats, barley & wheat had turned brown. Even though the barley & rye were winter varieties, SOC ad said it could be planted anytime of the year. When planted in fall, it's supposed to grow a little, die off in winter, then grow back in spring......just some fyi of my experience with rye. But then you are in a very different climate than I am.

It does sound like you will probably have enough hay for your animals with these rb's being so much bigger and having fewer larger animals and more smaller ones (different sizes vs different needs).

As for your garden, atleast you have tomatoes to be green One of my plants actually has one or two flowers on it, the others don't And when I checked on my homesaved carrot sprouts I found the roots were white! Since the carrots were Danvers (orange) I wasn't too happy. This was the 2nd time I had tried saving carrot seed and again failed. Though I will say they sure smelled good. Now I'm gonna have to clean out those rows, buy new seed & replant grrrrrr The cabbage seed seems to be doing well, slow but well.

Best of luck to you, I think you'll do just fine!

 

[dragonlaurel]

I don't know where you are at, but be careful about the Kudzu. It can be extremely invasive and has chokes the trees in many forests in the south. It spreads easily by roots or by the little potato looking things it makes. They fall and roll then start another stand of it.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks OF. It does sound by our gardens that we are in different climates. No way could I grow carrots right now. And rye here won't sprout other times I'm told (or if it does it browns off and dies) but it's SUPPOSED to grow around Oct-Nov then stay green till very late spring. I've grown it as a lawn grass a little south of here and that's what it did. Hopefully our drought will end by then.

And Kudzu ... Yes, my neighbors would probably have a fit if I mentioned it. I've driven down Louisiana highways and seen nothing but kudzu, covering all the trees like a carpet. I've battled it before (and lost) ... And joked about getting goats then.

If I DO plant it, I will do so in an interior space, so it won't be near the edge of my property. And I'll keep a close eye on it. Honestly though, I think the kudzu wouldn't have a chance. I doubt I can get it established enough to be a fodder, and if I did, I'd probably run the risk of it being a pest. At least the duckweed I could contain, and bamboo doesn't grow that rampantly here. Probably kudzu wouldnt either -- I think it's just a bit too dry.

But the goats wiped out so much browse so fast, I don't think I have to worry about any sort of overgrowth as long as they find it palatable. I do certainly know to keep an eye on it though, and I need to check first to make sure it's even legal. Some places I know you can be fined for planting it. I appreciate the warning though. I certainly don't want anything that would overcompete with trees and other plantings I value, so I won't be letting anything get out of hand.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Not a particularly great day.

I always keep a close eye on the weather, but sometime overnight there actually built up some rain. Luckily I woke early, heard the thunder, and made it out to tarp the two RB that are still on their sides. A few drops fell, enough to get wet, then it stopped. Not enough to water anything. Oh well, the bales are covered now but I did plan to try to get them in the barn today if I can get some help.

I guess what's got me down is one of super-broody's chicks. One of the BR pullets I bought at the feed store for her. She must have gotten it over by the goose's water bucket. The poor thing drowned. I drained it out and patted and rubbed it for a while, hoping I'd caught it soon enough, but it never moved. I think they are probably too old now for a new one to take to a hen, and probably she'd know it wasn't hers. I really wanted at least two to raise some babies from later. And she's so obsessed with being a mama, I guess I feel bad for her. The fact that I took one of the waterers out of that yard (she ranges all the yards and pastures) and gave it to the ducklings isn't helping my guilty feeling either.

I always worry about chicks and water. The trough is probably too high for them to easily get in, but I have two pools and three buckets for thx geese. Any of those are deep enough to drown chicks, and have to be, since the geese need deeper water.

And one of the setting goose's eggs burst. It was a stinky one. Either the high temps cooked it, or more likely it was infertile. They were still breeding a little before she laid, but it is so late here for geese. I was/am really hoping for a few more goslings. She has 8 she was setting on, and I have 4 hatched and still living. That's out of over 100 eggs laid this season. Part of that was mismanagement on my part, because I've never had the competitive nesting issues before that I had with this flock.

Well, at least I know better on that count. And I finally got a few Muscovy ducklings that hopefully some will be hens that will set goose eggs for me. I hope they are old enough next year.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

The good news is that I got my hay in the barn and we may get rain!

A neighbor came to help move the hay. He has horses and said it's GOOD hay that he would normally pay $70 a bale for. I got it for $50 a bale and the whole load delivered for another 15, so he asked me for the guy's number. I'm glad I got good hay, since I thought so but I'm a hay noobie, glad my neighbor might have a better hay source cuz of me, and glad if that farmer can have another customer. It's all good.

They had forecast SIX DAYS of heavy rain. The chickens and goats would've hated it, but we need it. Badly. Well, they kept cutting it and now they are saying one day there's a slight chance and another day it's at least better than half a chance. Guess I'll take whatever we can get, but I must say I'm disappointed.

Even the trees are suffering. I'm really blessed with trees, this being a place where not many grow and my place is the only one on this road with more than one mature tree. Most of them have none. I have dozens, probably. But it looks like fall in the chicken yard. The hackberry trees (I feed branches to the goats) are raining wilted leaves. The netting over the chicken run is almost totally covered in them. I guess I'll take the goats back there to eat them so they won't be wasted but ... Sigh.

The WIND is crazy. I mean, we've gotten almost no rain since early last summer really, and temps are over 100. That's bad enough. But the WIND! Normally we get wind in early spring, but it's almost July. I looked it up, and we've had winds 17-25 mph constant for MONTHS with many gusts up to 40mph often. I need to do laundry, but there is so much dust blowing around I think there's no point. I have to wear safety glasses to work outside because of the dust getting in my eyes.

Most folks have given up on their gardens. Mine is still doing ok, well, at least the potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers, as well as my berry bushes and fruit trees and grapevine, but I have to water the garden twice a day and the trees and bushes daily. The wate bill is under $30, but we are alread in stage 1 drought restrictions and if it goes to severe I wonder if I will be allowed to water my garden.

I've been watering the pasture, but it's ... Well, I get green sometimes, but it's sooooo short and the animals eat anything that comes up. I wonder if I should keep doing it at all. The cow pasture behind me looks ok -- he does rotational grazing and doesn't water -- but just about every other pasture I see looks gone. I hope mine is only dormant. I can't actually REPLACE it.

I dunno. I wonder when the wind will stop. I'm not sure the best way to manage the pasture, gardens, trees and all. Been praying for rain!!! (Didn't they have FLOODING across most of the country this spring?!?)

 

[Denim Deb]

If you go into drought restrictions, save your gray water, and use that. And, if you're not allowed, then make a solar still, and distill your gray water. You'd be able to use that water w/no problem.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I have an aerobic septic system, so everything that goes out of the house gets sprayed on the pasture anyway.

I do have some 400 gallons worth of barrels, and might be able to get more. I don't really know what came in them (I think a soap product) so I hadn't earmarked them for water barrels but maybe I should, for the sake of some of the plants. Not sure how far 400 gallons would go actually.

I'm supposed to be able to use up to 10,000 gallons a month, and I only use about 1,600 now (which I thought was a LOT) so ... I may be able to fly under the radar easily as far as usage ... Just have tote the water since you have to use a watering can.

Most of the law is written for ornamental plants and lawns. There are exemptions for agricultural use. I'm not sure I wanna run down and fill out all the forms and get the municipal gub'mint all up in my bidness though ...

At least not yet. But I think I'll see about saving MORE of the gray water to divert where I need it, in case it's needed.

Hopefully one day I can afford to have a new well dug and be done with it. Though I'm wondering how even the wells are doing these days.

Note to self: plant more herbs. They are doing better than anything else!

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Now I feel bad for complaining yesterday.

I woke up in the early morning hours to the sound of .... RAIN!!!

And that was our 20% chance. The 60% has now dropped to the 30-40 range, but I'm just so glad we actually got some rain!!!

And the wind has died down considerably. Only 10-15 mph which is MUCH more pleasant, and supposed to remain that way today and tomorrow (that's as far ahead as I can view wind forecast). AND the temperature has dropped 10 degrees! We're only getting into the lower 90's!!!


Not only that, but I kinda splurged and has pecan waffles with REAL maple syrup and maple sausage (the sausage was storebought, but still tasted good!) for breakfast.

Real maple syrup has been a surprise. I wanted to try it for the longest, but it was so expensive. I have been working on getting all the HFCS out of my diet, and while I rarely have waffles, syrup was the last big one to go. I splurged and bought a bottle at at Costco, hoping I would love it since it's a big bottle, but much less per ounce.

I wonder if it really IS all that much more expensive? I find it a lot thinner than the fake syrup, so I REALLY have to be careful pouring it, but even more so because it seems so much sweeter? I'm not one for a lot of syrup anyway, but a tiny dab of this stuff goes a long way!

Now I have a half bottle and an unopened bottle of fake corn-syrup syrup to figure out what to do with.

But it sure is a good day!!!