About Our Blog

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Our blog is to inform and entertain you as we pursue our goal of starting a farm. Here we plan on recording thoughts, projects, farm additions and other note-worthy happenings. You may even see us on a magazine or two. If you would like to comment on our blog or just say "Hi" feel free to do so on our SHOUT-BOX to the left.  Just enter your name and a message, then click the 'submit' button.  It can be a bit touchy at times and won't leave a "shout" so don't be afraid just to email us a note. Yahoo users: feel free to contact us...our profile is mn_nice_couple.  Just because we don't appear online, doesn't mean we're not.  When you send us an IM, please identify yourselves... and let us know why you're contacting us. Put yourself on the map! CLICK HERE to show us where you are in the world.

Carol on a magazine cover.

The Blog 

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February 28, 2008
- Booger & Peaches

Our little baby goats are growing quite quickly.  Peaches has been nibbling on sweet feed since she was 3 days old... Booger - I'm not sure.

Today, I watched them a little more than usual, just to see how they acted.  They sure love the tree stump Carol and I put in the pen yesterday. At the same time, Carol placed an old dresser drawer about 18" from the stump.  Booger and Peaches sure look like they enjoy jumping from the stump to the drawer and back again.

Booger seems tamer than Peaches does.  I have yet to pet Peaches w/o catching her first... while little Booger comes right to the gate waiting to be scratched.  If you itch his back, he stands perfectly still until you quit or move to a spot that apparently doesn't seem to need the same attention.

They both have an appointment with the vet in Willmar.  They will be 2½ weeks old... time to disbud them both, as one or both of them will be a 4-H animal.  According to fair rules, goats cannot have horns if they are to be shown in competition.

Rich

- Rubies are red or are they orange?

Yesterday, we received news that my sister Amber and her husband Craig (in Arkansas) just adopted a calf.  It was a twin.  Right away I emailed her back asking if the other twin was a male or female.  I was a little concerned that if the twin was a male, would Amber be prepared for the news that she is bottle feeding future steaks and burgers.

This morning, we got a reply.  She was happy to report that the other twin was a female as well.  There is a back story to the circumstance as to why she received the calf, but I don't know her husband Craig well enough to comment about it on this blog.  Let's just say that my little sis is probably prancing around the farm yelling, "I told you so, I told you so!!!"   LOL.

Although we have only received one pic of the little girl.  Her name is Ruby and she appears to be red or orange in color.  It's been awhile since I've been in the dairy biz, but the calf might be a Guernsey.  I can't really tell from the pic if it is dairy breed or beef.  We can't wait to see more photos.

Rich

February 27, 2008
- Pig juice.

Today, Carol and I arrived at the farm to find the water hydrant by the barn was frozen.  I think the water to the hydrant is fine, it's just that the handle mechanism keeps seizing.  Luckily, we had a stewpot half-full of water, sitting on the stove in the trailer (I must of put it there thinking we would need it at least once to thaw something out).  After heating the water, I got the hydrant working just fine.

Carol didn't mention that Wilbert (the pot-bellied pig) was running free.  It seems he escaped from his chicken wire abode.  At first I thought the dog was tugging at my pants and thought nothing of it.  The second trip I made with water pails in-hand, I noticed our little fatty running towards me.  Knowing Carol had been tending to the barn animals for at least 20 minutes, the idiot in me couldn't resist asking the question, "Did you know the pig was out?"  She gave me a look as if to say, "Duh, yeah... hello!"

Before I knew it, Wilbert was humping my leg... evacuating his pig juice at my feet.  What a nasty gesture.  And I thought he liked me... it turns out he loves loving me instead.  This young man-pig of ours desperately needs a female companion.  At this time, I think it's fair to say, that Wilbert wouldn't mind if she's a bit on the slutty side. 

If you know of someone who has too many potbellies... and needs to get rid of a female or two, please contact us.  If you have a free female to donate to the cause... then effect... we'll be more than happy to share some of the litter with you.

February 25, 2008
- Chicken equipment.

Yesterday, Carol saw an ad on craigslist that looked interesting to her.  It was a fellow trying to sell some older chicken feeding equipment - waterers and feeders mostly.  After playing phone-tag, we learned his name was Justin.  Carol set an appointment for 10:00 AM today to look at what he had.  The ad stated Olivia, but the Justin's place was even closer than that.

As we drove the long driveway, we noticed that it was a work in progress.  Without talking to the owner, we could feel that Justin was doing the same thing we were.  He was reshaping a farm site.  You could tell the farm was neglected before he took it over... even easier to recognize was the effort he had already put into it.  We thought it was beautiful.

As we walked to the shed where he had some of the listed items, he briefed us on the history of the place (the short version).  Here was a guy, younger than Carol and I, but saw things as we did.  Here's an example:  There was a silo with about 10 ft of 20+ yrs old silage in it.  Instead of looking at the rotted silage as a burden, demanding time and energy to remove, he saw it as we did... tons and tons of compost in a tall, but convenient storage container.  Justin had hundreds, if not close to a thousand dollars worth of quality compost.  We were impressed.

We talked about gardening, his 3 acre bass pond, grape vines and beer.  We also shared our similar views on the crappy lunches the schools are serving our kids nowadays.  And how the same school officials who are responsible for teaching our children aren't smart enough to figure out that the school lunches they are offering our kids is what is helping cause poor eating habits, child obesity and ADHD. There aren't many schools out there that make meals anymore.  Most of it is processed freeze-n-serve garbage (i.e. mac & cheese, corndogs, cheese sticks & chicken nuggets).  And don't get me started on the fact that most schools have pop/soda machines in the halls.

Anyway, if you need some good used poultry equipment at a fair price, give Justin a call at 320-523-1201.  Or check out his craigslist ad (K-Line Chicken/Turkey Feeders - (Olivia)).  He's a good guy.  We bought 2 feeders, 3 waterers, a hanging metal nest-box and 4 antique glass chick waterers.  Hopefully, we also walked away knowing there is a friendship waiting to be formed with someone who shares similar views on homesteading and self-sufficiency.

Rich

February 23, 2008
- More pictures.

I just updated our photo album with some pictures of our goats the night they were born.  I didn't realize that Madison's camera had some pics from that night on it.  It seems so long ago they were born but not really, they will be 2 weeks old on Tuesday.

I also added photos from our trip to the farm today.  We brought Chas with to see what she would do when a goat was presented to her.  I think she actually enjoyed it.  She interacted with Booger more than I really expected. It was pretty neat.

Bad news came this am...  my chick order from McMurray's Hatchery is going to be delayed due to poor hatching.  They were suppose to arrive Monday.  Looks like it will be a couple weeks yet which just might be a good thing, it SHOULD be warmer by then.

~Carol

February 22, 2008
- Dehorning/disbudding our goats.

I didn't realize 'horn-growth prevention' was going to attract so much attention.  We have received many, many emails regarding it.  Some folks wanting to learn more about it, others voicing their dismay, while a few discussed how and why it's done in their area.

Sometime next week we will have a vet disbud our new baby goats (Booger & Peaches).  The main reason is so Madison can show them for 4H at our County Fair.  It's a rule they have.  Kind of like "No shoes, no shirt, no service."  Simply put, if you want to show goats, they cannot have horns.  At this time, that is the only reason we are dehorning the goats.

Why do folks dehorn/disbud? 
Some herd owners claim it is for safety.  If you've ever fed goats using a pail, you'll see bodies and horns zipping and zooming in all directions.  So far, we have never been butted with horns or snagged by the horn tips, but the potential is easy to recognize.  Another reason for dehorning is for the safety of the goat themselves.  Most goat owners who pasture their animals use either cattle panels or a woven wire style fencing.  If a goat has horns, then sticks its head through these types of fencing material, you can bet a dollar to a doughnut that it will get stuck.  Horned goats and fences are like the two pieces of Velcro™... put them together and you won't easily get them apart.  In the two short months we've had our goats, we've had four different goats get caught in the cattle panels nearly a dozen times.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but most milking goat herds are dehorned for the safety and convenience of those who do the milking. 

Why do some goats have horns?
There are some breeds of goats that are naturally polled (w/o horns).  But there are far more breeds with horns than without.  So why keep the horns on?

Horns make great handles.  Ever try to hang onto a goat that doesn't want to be held?  Enough said.

Another reason to leave the horns on the goat is for defense.  If you have predators in the area, one of the goat's only real defense is putting their head down and using their horns for protection against an attack.  In our area, dogs and coyotes will cause the most damage to goat herds.  In addition to leaving the horns on the goats, farms will often buy guard animals (trained dogs, llamas/alpacas or donkeys).  We have two llamas.

The school of thought on this subject seems to be this:
- If you are going to be handling your animals daily for show or milking... you disbud your goats for your personal safety.  If you don't, eventually you will feel the sting of a horn on your face.  Goats are curious and they want to know what is going on.  If your face is too close to theirs... they'll get you... usually by accident.

- If you have meat goats on pasture or simply have an animal or two on a hobby farm, don't worry about it... you probably won't be in the situation very often where you wish you had them dehorned.  If you've ever seen a video clip on how dehorning is done, the cries of the goat kids will probably prevent you from disbudding your pet goat.  The process seems very cruel... but it really isn't.  Most baby goats will cry louder if they can't see their mother than during disbudding.

Our goats are going to be pastured and part of the fence will be electrified.  We're hoping the goats will not try to put their heads through the fences and getting stuck.  Actually, we just hoping that the fences will contain the goats. 

February 20, 2008
- How to dehorn your goats in west-central Minnesota.

I am not going to explain how to do it or where to find the correct equipment.  Why?  Because I can't do either.  Not now anyway.

First, I thought I would ask neighbors and friends (and heir brothers) if they had dehorning equipment we could borrow.  After a few door knocks, the answer was no.  It seems nobody does this anymore.  They simply call a veterinarian.  OK, nowadays, this sorta makes sense as the average farmer with livestock is busier than a one-legged man at a butt kicking contest... fair enough.  Fortunately or unfortunately, Carol and I are not too busy to do it ourselves.  Strike one.

Let's go to plan 'B'.  We figured we would be able to locate an electric dehorner at a local farm store.  When that didn't pan out, we thought we'd try some not-so-local farm stores (in Benson and Montevideo).  That turned up nothing as well.  OK, let's try the mega, multi-state Mill's Farm and Fleet store.  WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!  They didn't have one either.  Strike two.

Time for plan 'C'... we too will call a vet to dehorn our goats.  We tried our regular vet... she says she doesn't have any dehorning supplies or equipment.  We also tried a few other area vets.  Some dehorn, but cattle only; while others don't do it all.  Finally, we called the vet clinic in Willmar.  WOW!  Someone who actually dehorns goats. 

We are still wondering how this can be?  After half a day of driving and calling, can we come up with only one person/clinic/supplier for dehorning our goats?  Goats are more popular now in the US than they have ever been... yet it seems as though finding equipment or a veterinarian to dehorn these animals is more scarce.  Could someone please explain this phenomenon to me.

- Too cold for home made ice cream?.

Nope.  It seems about right.  It's another cold, cold day here in Minnesota.  We're expecting a high temp of -2ºF which should be perfect for cooling our home made ice cream canister.

Carol said she is making some sort of winter crisp dessert for dinner tonight, and wanted to serve it with ice cream.  Then we remembered that Madison ate the last of the ice cream last night.  In fact, we caught her eating right from the pail... the kid loves her Schwan's ice cream.  We both agreed that it was too cold and sort of a waste of time and gas to run to town just for ice cream, so why not make some at home.  It might not taste exactly like Schwan's but it runs a close 2nd.

The ice cream making canister is suppose to sit in the freezer for 7 hrs to cool correctly.  Well, it don't take no college idiot to figure out it's cold enough to freeze stuff outside.  The canister is made of stainless steel and has some sort of magical gel inside of it.  Once chilled, it stays frosty cold for quite a long time, which is needed when making ice cream by hand.  After we pour the necessary mixed ingredients into the canister, it starts to freeze to the sides of the canister.  We then turn the paddle, which scrapes the newly formed ice cream from the sides... more becomes frozen... more gets scraped from the sides.  Freeze, scrape... freeze, scrape... until we have ice cream.  I know the ice cream will be good... but I'm not sure about Carol's winter crisp... we've never had it before?   I guess we'll find out tonight.

Rich

February 19, 2008
- WOW!  And no camera with

Today we saw an incredible sight... and it was close to home.  While driving to Mike's farm to get milk, we (Carol & I) saw a pair of Bald Eagles by the Shakopee Creek, just north of the farm.  First, I noticed an eagle perched on an old fence post and as I slowed the car I noticed another eagle on the creek bank.  Since the water is frozen, I can only assume the one was chasing a mink or muskrat or something.  We are now hoping that this is a nesting pair from near-by.  We'd love to see more of them.

Rich

February 18, 2008
- Belle's first vet trip

Belle went in for her appt at 10:15 am today.  The vet thought she possibly felt a baby yet so we did an x-ray but she saw nothing.  Belle was put on antibiotics. Since the baby delivered was torn, she is at risk of toxic shock and infection.  $80 later, Belle is doing better, she likes her medication and is caring for her babies.  She's eating and drinking.

~Carol

- Is it cold yet?

It's chilly, yeah... but cold?  Cold comes tomorrow.  Tonight's low is only going to get down to a negative 8ºF.  Of course our main concern at the farm is the little goat babies.  When I looked in at them, they were playing, running and having fun with Mom.  I don't think they noticed it was chilly in the barn.  Sucking, amusing themselves and pooping is all they need to concern themselves with.

Rich

February 17, 2008
- Another Artic Blast coming

We had another nice day at the farm.  It was the second day in a row that the temp was above freezing... as well as the last day before another artic blast.  Tomorrow's high temp is suppose to be less than 5°F.

It was nice to see Mary's babies doing well and finally nursing on both sides of her.  It is not uncommon for goat kids to choose one side above the other.  Yesterday, Madison helped Peaches (our little female) to nurse on the right side.  It must have done some good because today when I did chores, Booger was on the left and Peaches on the right.  I was hoping this would happen sooner than later.  I really didn't want to hand milk Mary until the kids started sucking both sides.  It probably wouldn't be such a bad thing if we had dairy goats, but meat goats just don't have the proper sized teats for hand milking.

Rich

- Kits arrival was tough

Belle's kits arrived yesterday afternoon.  She had 5 but unfortunately 2 were dead.  Now, this is not uncommon, kits have a high mortality rate.  What was uncommon was the size of the last kjt, it was huge, almost twice the size of the first 3.  Poor Belle, she still seemed to be in labor, I could see her pushing.  Normally, rabbits deliver in about 20 minutes.  So, on to the internet I went, to read on kindling complications.  We've been raising rabbits for 3 years and this has never happened.

After reading on some breeder sites, I came to the conclusion, we had a stuck kit (esp. considering the size of the last one).  I made a call to our vet and left a message.  Madison watched Belle for hours.  Belle was drinking but not eating.  I couldn't feel another baby but she continued to labor and was obviously uncomfortable but there wasn't much we could do until we saw something.

About 9:30 pm, we finally could see something but was it a head or a butt.  Madison and I decided to try to help Belle, poor mama, she was so uncomfortable.  We were able to deliver the head and the shoulders of the baby but the rest wouldn't move. So, we decided to leave Belle alone and see if she could work it out on her own.  It was now about 11:30 pm.  Crying, Madison was sure her rabbit was going to die.  I wasn't sure myself what would happen but I knew we had to leave her do some work on her own.  I follow my gut in these types of situations and it usually doesn't fail me.

I got up at 5:30 am and headed to Belle's cage.  Sure enough, she passed the rest of the baby overnight and it was huge.  There was also afterbirth so I figured she was done.  She was eating and drinking.  No more appearance of labor.  PHEW!!  And she nursed the remaining live kits which was a relief.

The vet did call back and we are going in Monday am to have Belle checked over to make sure she is alright.

~Carol

February 16, 2008
- New farm buildings on the way

After looking at a few used buildings for sale over the last couple of weeks, we decided to put a deposit on two of them.  If a farm or homestead is in need of structures, I would recommend used.  One of the buildings we decided on is a charming pint-sized version of those grand round-roofed dairy barns.  I say pint-sized because it measures 24ftX36ft... the cost is only $3000.  The other building is a Quonset style metal arch-shaped building, measuring 24ftx40ft.  The Quonset cost only $2500.  Both of the sellers, knowing that our farm is short on cash, agreed to a small deposit instead of full payment.  They ask that they receive full payment before the building(s) is moved in the spring.  Sounds fair to me.

The reason we felt we needed these building is simple.  The round roof barn attracted our attention because of it's 15ft high hay-loft.  At the present time, we have no secure storage for hay or straw.  The small amount of square baled hay we do have, is all but destroyed by the goats.  In no time, the goats turned our small stack of hay into a large pile... same for the straw.  The bonus of the barn is the fact that it's a barn with stalls/pens.  It's much smaller than the steel pole-barn we have the animals in now, so keeping critters warm will be much easier.  We also like knowing that we are reclaiming and using a building with history.  The barn was built in the mid-40's.  Here are pics of the barn.

The Quonset will be our building with the potential to be the most multi-purpose.  I believe it's primary function will be a small machinery shed with bulk feed storage towards the back.  Someday, we hope to bring electricity to it and use it as a small shop for equipment repair and for minor welding projects.         See the photo   →

 - Nesting

It appears we should have baby bunnies today.  Belle is busy building a nest this afternoon.  I will update when something happens.

~Carol

February 15, 2008
 - single dad

Rich stayed at the farm last night due to the cold.  We were lucky, looks like it only hit -10.  Yes, I know that's still pretty cold but better then -14.  Rich reports the kids are doing fine.. nursing and playing.  They stayed in the barn with mama all night.  He found them running in and out of the hutch this am.  He says he feels like a single dad and that we (Madison, Austin & I) are missing all the milestones, lol.  I was just happy to hear they were doing fine.

Chas goes to respite this weekend and Rich was hoping to start on her closet project, but I'm afraid that project may have to wait due to the goat kids but we will see.  He might still find some time to start.

Madison wants to spend the night at the farm and "keep Dad company since Ellie isn't much company."  Personally, I think it has more to do with the new arrivals in the barn then Dad, lol. I'm working overnight so Madison being at the farm works well.  I can sleep in the am without worrying about her.

We are also expecting another litter of bunnies.  Madison's blue ribbon mini lop, Belle, should kindle this weekend.  She produced some beautiful babies last spring for us so I'm hoping for the same this year. We'll let you know when they arrive.

~Carol

February 14, 2008
 - They're soooo cute!  Oh, and Happy St. Valentine's Day

I think it's safe to say Carol is in love with the baby goats.  She keeps telling me how cute they are.  I, myself, had forgotten how tiny these little creatures really are... they're like living toys.

Getting these pint-sized animals to survive that first night was worrisome.  Our philosophy was simple - one drop of colostrum is better than none, teaspoons are better than drops, and ounces are better than teaspoons.  After three successful feedings, we were pretty sure we were out of the woods there.  That seemed so long ago, already.

Less than two days old, they are finding Mama's teats easily and can identify the tallest item in the calf-hutch they know as home.  We have a small 4 inch box in the hutch that a heater is sitting on... and of course Booger & Peaches take turns climbing on it. We have the heater wired into place so it cannot be knocked over.  From time to time, we see them poking their noses out of the blanket covered hutch, but as of yet, they have not left the 'house'.

Tonight will be the real test of the hutch.  The winds are picking-up and temps are already dropping and supposed to dip down to 15-20 degrees below zero, before warming up again on Saturday.  Tomorrow's low is forecasted at 5°F with a high of 6°F... then back into the 20's and low 30's for high's. 

After a little father-daughter church event this evening with Madison, I'll be going back to the farm.  I want the goat kids to stay with Mary, but if they don't seem to be able to maintain their body heat, I'll bring them into the trailer between feedings.  I already have a small pen set-up, waiting for them.  Wish us luck.

Rich

February 13, 2008
 - Kid update

You are stuck with my blogging tonight as Rich is at the farm with our newest additions, Booger and Peaches.  Yes, I wrote Booger, Rich named the buckling, Booger, as he looks like he has pooh on his nose or so Rich thinks.  Madison, Austin and I think he's quite handsome, nose and all!

Anyhow, after returning from the farm and a quick trip to Wal-Mart at 2:30 am (we checked on Mary just to make sure she was done kidding, which she appeared to be) we gave our hungry babies another feeding.  Unfortunately, I was unable to get much colostrum from Mary, maybe 5 ounces.  So I mixed up a natural milk replacer of whole milk, evaporated milk and buttermilk for the munchkins and we mixed it with what was left of the colostrum and hoped for the best.

At 6:15 am, both were awake and screaming.  So another feeding of milk replacer and off for another nap.  They are very much like human babies, cry, eat, sleep, and poop.  I also discovered that both had working bowels and bladders ;).

We brought them out to the farm at 11 am to see if they would nurse and if Mary would take them.  Mary was so happy to see her babies, instantly when she heard them, she was "mama baaing" at them.  After a bit, we were able to get both of them to nurse... Rich is much better at getting them on the teat then me, must be that farm boy background.  We placed a heater in the hutch and left them with mom.

I headed back out to the barn at 12:30 to find Peaches nursing on her mama.. I was so excited!  Rich came back out with me to help get Booger on the teat.  He's struggling a bit to find food but once he's on, he does very well.

Its now 11:30 pm and Rich remains at the farm.  He reports that the kids are nursing every 2 hours and have nice round full tummies and Mary is doing great with them.  The kids are very tame and remind us of little puppies, when you pet/scratch them they wag their little tails and lean in for more attention.  Rich will stay the night at the farm and only bring the kids into the trailer should it get too cold.  He also told me to make sure I wrote on the blog.  Hope I didn't bore you to sleep as writing is not my forte.

~Carol

PS:  Click here to see the new arrivals.

February 12, 2008
 - More babies on the way?

When Carol and I did the chores at the farm today, Mary (our expecting goat) was acting oddly.  Granted, most goats act odd anyway, but Mary was acting oddly for a goat... and her udder... it grew about 25% over night.  Carol mentioned that one of the many signs of labor is the ears sticking out... especially if they normal hang down.  With Mary's ears sticking out, she kind of looked like a really ugly version of Sally Fields' character The Flying Nunn. 

Other signs of approaching labor that we recognized was very short contractions, a udder that is quite hard and blood-shot eyes.  I'm not sure if this is a sign on impending labor out not, but her tail is now cocked to the side.  Usually it is sticking straight up, like a little flag.  If you know anything about goats, we'd appreciate a little feedback on this subject.

Shortly, we'll be leaving for Willmar.  Tonight, Madison has 4H Bunny-Bowl practice.  This is the second year she's participated in Bunny-Bowl, but this year the county has two teams; a Sr. & a Jr. Team.  Madison is the only one with experience on her Jr. Team.

On the way back from Willmar, we'll stop at the farm to check on Mary.  If she's in true labor, I'll stay out there to make sure she delivers OK.

 Leave me a comment here -

- More babies on the way - part two

Like I mentioned earlier, on our way back from Madison's Bunny Bowl practice, we stopped out at the farm.  There were some unfamiliar goat cries... you should have seen Madison's expression.  As soon as she opened the barn door, she made sure that everyone in the county knew we had new goats.  She was very excited.  "We have babies, we have babies!... There's two little goats!"

Sure enough, there was a black and white buckling and white and tan doeling.  The doeling was WAY fresh.  She was still wet and covered with goat goop.  Carol did her best to dry her off quickly.  We knew if we didn't get her dry, she'd freeze to death.  The temp at the farm was approx. 6°F.  The heat lamp in the hutch brought the temp up about 15°-20°, but hey, that's still cold right?

I quick drove home to get Carol & Madison some warmer outer clothes, to get the camera and more towels... and a couple beers for yours truly.  Upon my return, the girls were trying to get the kids to suck on Mama, but Mama Mary wanted nothing to do with the added attention.  Me, being a farm kid at one time, knew that without nourishment, the goats are as good as dead.  Milk equals calories, calories equals energy to produce heat.  These little goats were lacking.

I crawled in the hutch and held Mary and Carol grabbed the buckling, since he was older.  After a few failed attempts, we got the buckling to suck a few ounces... not enough.  The doeling we couldn't get to suck at all.  Carol milked about 12 oz. from Mary, thinking we could feed the babies from a baby bottle.  That was a lost cause.

As a last resort, we removed the goat kids from Mom and brought them home where Carol got the goats excited about eating by using an eye dropper filled with milk.  I hate the thought of feeding goats this way.  My feeling is that once the get used to something other than Mama's teat, you'll never get them back on Mom.  So I asked Carol where she kept her surgical gloves.  Once found, I then tied off the fingers, poked a few holes in the thumb and filled it with the colostrum Carol collected.  We split the milk between the two babies.  We filled the glove up and offered it to the doeling first.  In no-time she sucked the glove empty... the same went for the buckling.  The glove worked perfectly.  Hopefully, the kids will feel like they were drinking from Mom.  Bottle babies have a significantly decreased survival rate.

Before retiring for the evening, we plan on checking on Mary again.  At that time, we'll attempt to collect more of her milk.  Wish us luck.

We'll post a few pics from tonight, tomorrow.

Thanks
Rich

February 11, 2008
 - We had babies last night.

As big of a deal as we were making about our goat having babies, these are not the babies that arrived last night or early this morning... sorry.  The little ones that arrived were from Carol's two rabbit does Marshmellow & Sweet Pea.  These 8 little kits will be pet quality only as they are crossbred.

Marshmellow, our big California-Rex Cross, and Sparkles, a Rex Cross buck, are proud parents to 3 solid black babies.  We were hoping to see some white babies from this crossbreeding but no such luck this time.

Sweet Pea, a Mini Lop, and Butterscotch, a Mini Rex buck, brought us 5 little kits.  4 babies have a broken pattern and 1 appears to be solid colored.

Both moms and all babies are doing well this morning.

Marshmellow	Marshmellow's nest	Sweet Pea	Sweat Pea's Kits

Most folks never get to see what newborn bunnies look like.  Here's your chance.

Rich

February 10, 2008
 - Fixing the draft in the barn.

It's approx. 2:00PM right now and we are looking at a high today of -10°F.  I believe with wind chill it currently -33°F.

The goats looked fine.  The extra hay I had set out for them seemed unnecessary, as much of it was wasted and spread out.  With the winds so high and whipping through the barn, it often pushes the doors open.  Since I went to the farm today alone, I thought I would spend a few moments to secure the doors even more.  Today, I simply reused an old hook and staple that I found and relocated it to the door that the goats often push on.

Rich

 - Making more rabbit cages.

As most homesteaders realize, about the time you need something you don't have, there isn't enough time in the day to either make it or buy it.  So, when at the farm, I grabbed my metal shears, thinking today is a good day to make a project or two inside.

Carol mentioned that she would like a double or triple cage to use in the future.  And with the rabbit cage that I made last night turning out so well, I thought, "Why not."

 At 5 pm, Marshmellow (Carol's rabbit) is starting to build a nest... babies are coming!

Rich

 - Looking toward spring.

Yes, here it is -8 outside and my nose is buried in seed catalogs as I look forward to spring and planting our vegetable gardens. I have my Gurney's order in already and now I'm on to the other catalogs.  I'm going to be trying heirloom tomatoes this year as well as plant a strawberry patch.  I'm hoping to have plenty of vegetables to make the area Farmer's Markets this year.

This year I will have a green house at the farm to get an early start on my plants.

I can't wait to start canning.  I've been in the basement looking at and organizing my empty jars.  I'm trying to figure out if I need to be on the lookout for jars at garage sales.  Last year I really did well with finding canning supplies between the yard sales and auctions.

I have also ordered my spring chicks from McMurray's Hatchery.  34 new chicks should be arriving the week of February 25.  Madison is planning on taking chickens to the county fair this year so she ordered her own chicks, a crested type chicken.  We'll have pictures when they arrive.

~Carol

 - Rhubarb this time of year?

Sure. Why not? Carol just made her delicious rhubarb coffee cake for dessert this evening.  Check-out her recipe page.

February 09, 2008
 - Rabbit cages for sale.

We are now in the rabbit cage building business.  We built our first custom cage.  It measures 24"Wx24"Lx18"H.  I positioned the cage floor 2" off the bottom so rabbit droppings can fall through to a tray below (or the ground if outside).  Our cages also have a built-in hay-feeder and are configured to fit commercially available cage racks. 

Until we can get the supplies cheaper, we will be charging approx. $20/cage.  Comparatively speaking, this is a real deal.  We priced a similar type of set-up at our local farm store.  They retail for $25/cage and you will need to purchase a tool and then put cage together.  If somebody requests a double, triple, quad style cage (up to 12), we will be willing to build these as well.  Quads or longer are well suited for hanging.

On a different note, we keep getting promised a snow storm or a blizzard.  As most Minnesotan's will tell you, we haven't seen one in at least a decade... maybe longer.

Is it cold here?  Heck yeah!  But it ain't no REAL storm.  The temp is just over zero with wind gusts of 40+MPH.  I can only assume the wind chill is -20°F to -30°F.  Big deal.  If we had to guess, this would be a good weekend for the goat to have her little ones.  Unfortunately, when I went to the farm to care for the animals, Mary was not in labor.

According to the weather channel, it is suppose to dip to -17°F (w/o the wind chill factor), so I gave everyone extra feed and hay... just incase I don't get out there in a timely fashion tomorrow.

February 07, 2008
 - Another bunny gone.

Ok, well 2 more bunnies are gone really.  Today I (Carol) received a call from a nice young man named Isaac, who was interested in a bunny or two.  He came over and fell in love with Polly and Butterfly (yes, we name all our rabbits whether they are for sale or not).  With out much hesitation, he took them home.

We are now down to 5 bucks for sale. Of course, we have more bunnies coming... with spring almost here.  While Madison was at 4H Rabbit bowl practice tonight, I made a trip to Running's and bought supplies for Rich to make some cages.  Since so many people ask us if we sell cages when they call about rabbits, Rich is going into the rabbit cage building biz. I've also asked him to build nest boxes and nest box building kits.  It's great being married to a handyman!!!

While going through some older photo files on my laptop, I found a set of pics that might be of interest to many of you homesteaders out there.  It's a set of hatching pics of our very first chick... make sure you take a look at our Dreamz McChicken photo gallery. 
What's a newly hatched Dreamz McChicken look like?  Well, click here and find out for yourself.

February 06, 2008
 - Jump rope for heart - Feb. 14th.

Our 9 yr. old daughter Madison is participating in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope For Heart event at her school. She will be jumping rope to help the American Heart Association raise money to fight heart disease and stroke. She asks if you could help by making a donation?  She will be jumping in memory of her grandpa (my dad), who suffered a heart attack a couple years before beginning his fight with kidney cancer.  It's his farm that Carol and I are trying to rebuild, as a tribute to him. 

The American Heart Association's online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you want to donate less, that's ok. You can just send the check right to her and I'll make sure the American Heart Association gets it (make the check out to the American Heart Association).  Please contact us for those details. Thanks!

Follow This Link to visit Madison's personal web page and help her in her efforts to support the American Heart Association - Midwest Affiliate.  This will be her 4th year of participation in this event.  We're very proud.

Thanks
Rich & Carol

On the farm side of things.  We have a couple of rabbits either going into or are in labor tonight.  We'll know more tomorrow.  I'll post a pic as soon as there's something worth photographing.

February 05, 2008
 - Adding structures to the homestead.

Here's a little trick I used yesterday when trying to figure out a location for the barn we're thinking about buying and having moved in. 

Back on Feb. 02, I posted a link to some pics of the barn.  I also posted a photo of what the building might look like on the farm site.  As most of us know, not everyone has the aptitude to superimpose objects into photos... or has the desire to waste hours upon hours trying to learn how to do so.  Although it's a neat little trick, there's a MUCH easier way of doing very nearly the same thing.  If you have a digital camera (as most of us do nowadays) simply take a photo or two of the object you are thing about acquiring. 

Then print it out on your printer (it doesn't have to be fancy).  I print in grayscale.  When the ink is dry, take your handy-dandy, blunt-tipped, blue-gripped scissors (green if you're a lefty) and cut it out.  I hope you remembered not to run with them. When you find a place where you think your possible purchase (or freebie) might look good, hold up the cut-out with one hand and take another photo with the other.  Pretty simple heh?  See the photo   →

click here to enlarge photo

Leave me a comment here -

February 04, 2008
 - More firewood please.

A few days ago, I cut some trees down.  For you tree-huggers out there,.,., heck, who am I fooling?  Tree hugger don't read homesteader blogs.  Anyway, the trees I cut, were scrub type trees.  They grow about 12'-18" apart and are ugly.  These trees serve no real purpose, except to make the old homestead look overgrown.  The exact opposite of what we want.

Well, today I noticed we are running very low of llama hay.  And the trees I cut down were blocking the entrance of the llama yard.  If I want to have someone bring in some hay, I need to have the gate area clear.  It took approx. an hour to cut 5 trees into burn sized logs. We only need to wait about year or so and BAM!  Instant firewood.

FYI:  Mary the goat has yet to have her babies.

February 03, 2008
 - Super Bowl Sunday.

That's 4+ hours of my life I can't get back.  The last 4 minutes of the game was the only part worth watching... the 2nd & 3rd quarters... forget it.

February 02, 2008
 - Something I read, concerns me.

I added a news article to the Links & Services page.  The issue is regarding a farmers right to sell raw milk and the inform public's right to purchase it... but with a legal twist.  Check it out.

We took a look at the barn that we are interested in acquiring.  It has newer walls, but still has some old barn character.  The owner said the barn was built in 1947, which suits us just fine.  It would be nice to have a structure with a little history.  Perhaps, we can keep one old barn from being destroyed... at the same time, give it renewed purpose.

After looking at the structure, we told the guy we were interested in purchasing it.  The deciding factor would be the cost of moving it and setting it up.  Check-out the barn pics here.

February 01, 2008
 - What's the value of a barn? - part 2

I got a call back from a local building moving company.  The owner was somewhat familiar with the barn we're interested in buying.  It seems they were the company that moved it in, 5 years ago.  He said that he or his son would meet us at the barn on Saturday, when we look at it.  When I asked about the cost to move it, he ball-parked a figure.  He thought he could do the job for $4500-$6200.  That would include the backhoe work and the set-up at the new location.

Carol came home today from shopping with a rabbit cage kit.  It was kind of an unexpected buy.  It seems the local Running's Farm & Fleet Store had a hard time selling a rabbit cage, due to the box being damaged.  Their loss is our find.  They knocked $10 off, making it nearly half price.

It may be too early to mention, I don't know, but any 4H'ers looking for State Fair Quality Mini-Lop Show Rabbits, might think about contacting Carol.  Last year, our doe was judged Best of Breed (and qualified for a trip to the State Fair) and two of her off-spring that we sold were blue ribbon winners. She also produced the top three spots in the Open Class Junior Mini-Lop category.  You can also check out our for sale page.

Leave me a comment here -

Rich

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