Spring Gathering 2016

Plans are coming together for our 2016 Spring Gathering at our homestead on May 14th, 2016.  We are very excited to be able to offer educational sessions along with a time to share ideas and experiences with like-minded people.  We are planning to run sessions from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.  We are hoping this will allow ample time for morning and evening chores and still give you time come and enjoy the day.

At this time we are scheduled to have 9 presenters who will be offering information on many topics: raising rabbits and goats, growing and using herbs, blacksmithing, wooden bowl making, natural gardening, butchering small animals, basic beekeeping and more!  Our day will be available at no charge to attendees.  Bring your lawn chairs and a picnic lunch and plan to spend the day with us.

You will be able to choose and attend 6 of the 12 sessions that will cover various topics.  The schedule for the day is outlined below.  Sessions followed by (*) will only be offered at that time, all others will be offered at two different times during the day.

9:00-10:00  Soap making--a simple soap made from common kitchen ingredients
                    Raising Goats Naturally--Raising and natural treatment for common problems
                   Growing Herbs*--Basics of herb gardening and common herbs that are easy to grow  

10:15-11:15 Basic Beekeeping--Understanding the miraculous honey bee
                     Raising Rabbits--Raising Rabbits and dealing with common issues        
                     Blacksmithing*--See and watch some new items made from common metal  

11:30-12:30 Natural Gardening--Growing produce with natural pest control and soil enhancement   
                    "Pellet Free" Rabbits--Feed your rabbits in ways that don't involve processed pellets
                    Dispatching Fowl*--process chicken, quail and perhaps and prepare for the freezer
 
12:45-1:45 Basic Beekeeping--Understanding the miraculous honey bee     
                   Raising Rabbits--Raising Rabbits and dealing with common issues
                   Dispatching Rabbits*--process rabbit and prepare it for the freezer 

2:00-3:00   Prepping Herbs*--Learn various ways to prepare, preserve and use common herbs
                   "Pellet Free" Rabbits--Feed your rabbits in ways that don't involve processed pellets
                   Natural Gardening--Growing produce with natural pest control and soil enhancement   

3:15-4:15  Soap making--a simple soap made from common kitchen ingredients
                  Raising Goats Naturally--Raising and natural treatment for common problems
                  Wooden Bowls*--Watch as Caleb works to turn a slab of wood into a shallow bowl   
                 
The sessions will be informal and questions will be encouraged.  You may choose at any point to skip a session, spread a blanket and have a picnic lunch, or you may eat lunch during one of the sessions. We have a large grassy area, and will have bottled water and drinks available.  Again, there is no charge for anything throughout the day and a box will be provided for donations to help offset costs, IF you choose to do so. 

One of the goals with our own homestead is to help others take their dreams to a realistic point.  You don't have to own a large acreage to provide healthy food for your family.  You can grow a garden anywhere; you can make soap and other projects in your kitchen; raising rabbits, chickens and even goats is possible in small areas; growing and using herbs will take your cooking to a whole new level, and many have medicinal uses as well; beekeepers are found even in large cities!  Some towns even allow small animal husbandry, with some restrictions.  Check the ordinances where you live.  You can preserve healthy foods by attending farmers markets, shopping produce sales at your local grocer, or trading your neighbors for their excess produce.  Nothing is impossible.  We hope to teach some basics and begin to offer resources of knowledge and networking to give you the motivation to start!  My point is that you can do this! No matter where you are in your life, there are ways you can provide better, safer, more enjoyable food and items for your family.

Papa and I were both raised on farms and it did not occur to us until recently that we have knowledge, and a wealth of family and friends with knowledge that should be shared.  Many people do not have access to this knowledge, so this is our way of beginning to share with others.

In addition to Papa and myself, we have had 7 others step up to help organize and put together this event.  With their help, we hope to make this a recurring event at least twice a year.  Look for the organizers, the day of the event, in their bright orange shirts.  Let them know how your day is going, and let them know what we can do to improve future Gatherings.  We already have several topics in the works for a Fall Gathering if you all would like.  Your feedback after the event will help us determine what sessions to plan for the Fall Gathering and will help us make improvements to best meet your needs.

Please, let us know of your intentions to attend, so that we can have plenty of drinks available, and plan for parking accordingly.  Visit  2016 Spring Gathering on FaceBook to reserve your spot, learn more about the presenters and find out additional information as it becomes available!  No FaceBook account?  Email me with 2016 Spring Gathering in the subject line!

We hope to provide you with a day of fun and knowledge, please come hang out with us.

Thinned Mint, Anyone?

The past week has been another roller coaster around the homestead. We've worked in the garden, planted in the greenhouse, begun work on re-doing pens in the barn for the animals, worked in the rapidly growing herb bed, marked our queens in both our bee hives and added supers for honey stores, and made a trip to the ER with our son.  All the while we have begun planning a 2016 Spring Gathering for local homesteaders/self-reliant persons/farmers etc.  We are excited about how well it is coming together and I will be doing some individual posts regarding the event, presenters and schedule for the day.

Yesterday, I worked in the greenhouse and herb garden.  I have always wanted mint....and now I have MINT....three kinds....fast growing....oh-my-goodness-mint!  The best advice I have for anyone growing mint is do not be afraid to pull up the runners and dispose of them!  Mint is prolific, some even say invasive!  My Homestead Mint is a very hardy variety and yesterday I thinned at least a bushel basket full.  I pulled it, roots and all, and know that I will be doing this regularly.  I planted it in a buried container initially, to help contain the roots, but it still sends out runners and likes where I put it enough to spread like wild fire.  I don't say all this to discourage anyone planting it, in fact just the opposite, I encourage everyone who wants any kind of herbs to grow mint.  Mint is an easy herb to grow and has many uses.  Success is almost assured, but you do need to be aware of its prolific nature when choosing the planting site and be prepared to spend a bit of time to keep it controlled.

In trying to keep the mint from taking over the other 10 or so herbs I have in one bed, I spent the day yesterday pulling the runners.  When I found myself with no less that a bushel of pulled mint, I began to think of what to do with it.  No way did I want to just burn it, or waste it.  I wasn't sure about feeding it to the rabbits or chickens, so I decided to make sure it was used for human consumption until I can confirm its safety for my animals.  I had always thought of harvesting herbs as a one time thing, much like corn or green beans.  You pick it, process it, and your are done.....with herbs though, you can harvest all season long.  Each type has it's ideal time, and depending on the intended use, you may choose to harvest certain times of the year for specific processes, but you can harvest it any time.  I'm not an herbalist, and am just learning much of the basics about herbs and their uses, so I won't give specifics that I may or may not be accurate about.  I encourage you to do some research.  It is fascinating.

After thinning out the herb bed and removing all the wondering Mint, I selected some nice healthy starts and potted them into cups, with large holes drilled for drainage.  I made sure to choose plants that had large root systems.  These will be offered for sale for $2 each as soon as I am certain the roots are strong and the plants are growing.  I will also be starting, sage, lemon balm, spearmint, peppermint, and others as time allows.

After potting,  I pinched each plant back  to encourage new, bushier growth.  Each place that was pinched back should send out 2 more shoots.  I used to avoid pinching back plants.  It just didn't seem right to pinch them back after they had worked so hard to grow. Now that I understand exactly how the plants grow, and how pinching back encourages healthy, bushy plants, I find it much easier to accept this part of the growing process.  The end results are much stronger, healthier plants that produce more.  I also saved all the leaves that got pinched off and added them to my extract, so nothing was wasted at all.

After pinching all the tops, making sure the starts got a good drink of water, the top leaves were saved for washing off and making my first start of mint extract.  I took the rest of the plants I had thinned into the Canning Kitchen.  I removed the roots and washed the stalks and leaves to remove any bugs or debris.  The stalks were then stripped of the leaves and discarded.  When I got enough to pack tightly into a quart jar, the leaves were packed tightly and covered with Vodka.  After making sure the leaves were all submerged below the surface of the liquid, and air bubbles were removed, the jar was tightly capped and was set in a dark cool place to set for several weeks.  Most people who do extracts recommend colored jars/bottles to avoid breakdown from the light.  I don't have a good selection of blue or brown glass jars or bottles, so I am using a cool dark corner on one of my canned good shelves for now.  Hopefully this will get me by until I can get some more appropriate jars.

I then set out to clean the rest of the mint.  Prep it for the dehydrator so that it could be dried for tea.  I dumped it in the sink, cut off all the roots, washed and rinsed it and laid it out on one of my drying screens to drain. 

These drying screens are invaluable to me.  I made them to store my sweet potatoes over the winter, but have many other uses in the canning kitchen.  I will be making more very soon.











There are couple different schools of thought on the drying process.  Some require stripping the leaves prior to drying, others allow the leaves to remain on the stems.  If you bundle the stems and let them air dry, the stems are necessary to tie to.  I chose to leave my leaves attached to the stems for the dehydrating process.  I will remove the leaves as I crumble them for tea.  This works best for me and they seem to be removed faster after they are dry than removing the leaves when they are green.  With my dehydrator, the mint will be completely dry overnight, even with the stems.  If you are drying in the air or sun-drying on a rack, it might be worth the effort to remove the leaves so that you are not retaining moisture in the stems.  When dry, the mint has a beautiful blue/green/brown appearance.  I will eventually mix my leaves with lemon balm, chamomile, and other herbs for various flavored teas.  I am excited to experiment with various flavors and see what I can brew!

I know my ancestors did not have the benefit of electric dehydrators and had to utilize the sun, air and other means of drying.  By being a Modern Missouri Pioneer and using my dehydrator I can do in a few hours what it used to take weeks to do.  This should allow me the time to experiment and come up with some tasty teas for both summer and winter.  Many of the herbs I am considering, have medicinal properties as well as wonderful flavor.  These teas, tinctures, extractions, decoctions and infusions can be used in combination to boost our health and treat illnesses, all naturally.  They can be used in making salves, lotions and soaps.  The possibilities are nearly endless.  I've only just begun to learn.

I'm sure my son, would love it if I could grow a plant or whip up a medicinal that could repair bone and replace teeth.  He had a mishap a couple of days ago.  While working on a ladder, he leaned one way, the ladder went the other and after the air conditioner effectively removed two of his front teeth on the way down, his right arm "broke" his fall, literally.  He will be laid up a while, recovering from both orthopedic and oral surgeries.  The lessons learned are many, not the least of which is remembering that that little sticker on the top of a ladder that reads, "NOT A STEP" it is really important to pay attention to. 

Everyone be safe when working outdoors in the Spring.  It only takes a moment to do things safely, and it may take weeks or months to heal up if you choose an unsafe method that you think is faster.  Sorry, Son, but you gave me a teachable moment....and you did photobomb my phone last week!  I love you!

A Week in the Life...

This previous week has been an ever changing series of events.  At times I've wanted to cry, occasionally I have laughed, and more frequently than my Mama would be proud of, I have cursed!  In dealing with a multitude of events, and trying to make sure we are caught up with the quickly approaching Spring, my blog post got put aside, twice.

Many people assume that living on a farm, or homestead, whichever you choose to call it, is a day to day life of serenity and sunshine, where you awake to the birds chirping, the sun shining and a day free of stress and obligation.  A part of that is sometimes true....occasionally....once in a while..... 

lA better description of the reality of my life is that I awake to the rooster crowing, goat kids screaming and/or an alarm blaring, the varied Missouri weather of 70 degrees one day and 30 the next, and a day that no matter how much you get done, you know more is waiting to be done.  The ever changing events of any given day can lead to frustration beyond belief.  Those are the days I realize that I need to learn to react to with a shrug and laughter, more often than anger and frustration.  Sometimes though, you just have one of those days.

We were actually making progress on the stands for barrels for planting in the green house.  We went to town and bought lumber, measured carefully and, after a couple of adjustments due to something that didn't cross our minds about how we were seating the half barrels, we ended up with some sturdy, waist high stands.  These stands will hold 4 half barrels that will be used for planting "salad" in the green house in the fall in hopes that we will have fresh grown greens and other salad fixings all winter long.  The plan will be to grow lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, and onions, directly sown in the barrels.  I'm sure we will adjust our plans as we get further into the project. 



In the meantime, while we need to start seedlings for the summer garden, at least some of these barrels can be covered with a firm surface to create "tables" for our starter trays.  I cut some scrap plywood for that purpose, but I am getting a bit ahead of myself.  After finally completing the stands, I knew we were within minutes of getting my greenhouse to the point I could actually set a plant in it!  We hauled the stands to the greenhouse......only to find a minor problem.....

Though the greenhouse had withstood the high winds of spring on top of our hill for three weeks, for some reason it decided to succumb to the winds that day and go belly up!  We discovered it rocking back and forth on it's top.  It was amazing how quickly my demeanor flipped.  I went from feeling satisfaction and pride in knowing we were almost ready to add plants.....to wondering how in the world we were going to undo what Mother Nature had just accomplished. 

In looking back, I can laugh at how ridiculous my precious greenhouse looked, and can almost hear Mother Nature's witchy cackle as she reminded me that I needed to take the time to do things right.....like stake down the greenhouse!  Fortunately for us, we have a wonderful group of friends and a great family, so within a half hour of our frustrating discovery, we had help on the way, with a plan for up-righting the greenhouse and the rope it took to get it done.  I wish we had taken pictures of the process, because it actually turned out to be a very simple undertaking, that I couldn't see in my stressed out response.  We simply rocked it to one side, secured a rope to the bottom board, that was actually on the top, at the moment.  That rope was secured to the UTV and three of us guided and supported the greenhouse to it's proper position, while Papa pulled the rope with the UTV to pull it over. It's been 6 days since the greenhouse decided to do somersaults in the wind, and now is upright, staked down, door back on, barrels in place, plywood cut for tops of barrels, and a few plants started.  It feels and smells like a greenhouse.  It will have additions made to it, changes made to it, and further work done to it.  Just like life, it will be a constant work in progress.

Despite all the unforeseen issues, the past couple of weeks have allowed us to move the broilers to a large pen in the barn and make them a new feeder and waterer that will ensure they will have what they need to grow fast, and prevent many of the trips into the pen with feed and water.  We have moved the turkey poults to an outside pen, moved the quail to the large brooder box, butchered a pig to teach a friend who was uncertain how to butcher one himself, set the incubator full of Chukar eggs and officially check my digital thermometer for an accurate temperature reading, helped a friend milk out a Nannie goat with a sore udder, hung some shelves in the canning kitchen, had a short visit with my parents, and hosted Easter dinner complete with massive egg hunt. The nice days have been busy with outside activity and the rainy, cold days have been used to plan the outdoor projects that will be done when the sun shines again.

During my upside-down day, I realized a few things.  First of all, life is never still.  Life is a constant stream of changing events.  Our reactions to those events our what help to determine whether we are going to have good days or bad days.  I work on my reactions constantly, and while some think I am too laid back, others think I am too volatile and harsh.  I have high expectations.  But none of my expectations are any higher than the expectations I set for myself.  Rolling with the punches must be a developed skill to allow life to be enjoyed.  In addition to learning to roll with the punches, it has been critical for me to learn to understand the differences in Men and Women.

No, I have not just now discovered the physical differences in the sexes, but have focused on the psychological and emotional differences.  Do I respond well to those differences?.....nope....not usually, just ask Papa if there is any doubt.  I am still, at times, totally confused by these differences, but I am aware of them.  This awareness is the beginning of understanding and compromising. 

Let's take for a minute, laundry.  Ladies, did you know that most men DO NOT MIND dressing from the basket of clean clothing?  Really, they don't care!  Their clothing is available and clean.  Good enough for them!  Men, did you realize that there are women who find it important to fold and put away laundry after it is clean and dry, but also ORGANIZE their closets and drawers?  Yes, my clothing in my closet goes from white to cream to gray to black to brown to rust to red to pink......and each section goes from sleeveless to short sleeves to long sleeves to sweaters/jackets.  I can find what I want quickly, put together outfits that I feel good about wearing and quickly change from dirty jeans and boots to something clean and nice to run to town for feed.  And, yes, that is important to me.  I truly feel better about myself if I go to town free from the odor of pig or chicken shart. 

How about the perception of tools.....and their storage, or lack of.  Some men truly find it easier to return to the place where they last used them, and search for them than to have to open a tool box or cabinet to find them.  They actually usually know where they used it last, and are perfectly happy with the extra time it takes to do a project caused by the search for the elusive 1/2" box end wrench, that they used 4 weeks ago to replace the lawn mower blade.  The see no need to waste time organizing the screw drivers by size and design in a separate drawer from the wrenches arranged in size order.  They will be used and thrown in the last opened drawer, if they don't get left where they are.  On the same line, gentlemen, do not be surprised if your tender loving lady becomes a fire-breathing-rainbow-word-spewing-dragon.....when, even though they have bought you the fourth set of screwdrivers in less than that number of months.....they can not find one to complete a 2 minute job.   

Gentlemen, the view of watching your lovely farm woman use your best screwdriver, along with your new Eastwing hammer to chip away the large boulder that is preventing her from planting that new rose bush in the perfect spot, is about as pleasant to you as the feeling she gets when she finds Gramma Emma's antique bowl in the dog pen full of dog feed!

The author who wrote, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" surely lived on a farm where two very intelligent people are trying to come to an agreement on the best plan to get the same result.  Or they lived in a home where the most important jobs of getting ready to have company for dinner have been strongly debated for eons. 

For the lady of the house, the importance of mowing the yard for the third time this week is definitely up for debate.  While the man of the house, sees no need to make sure the floors are swept for the second time today....after all, "those young 'uns are going to be running in and out all day anyway"....and who will know whether the stove was shiny and the counters were spotless, because they are soon going be covered with delicious food and no one will care.

Life has away of giving us balance, if we accept it.  It gives us ups and downs, it gives us sun and rain, it gives us cold and warmth, it gives us men and women, all of which are not only necessary to survive,  but useful to creating a life we enjoy and want to pass on to our children and grandchildren.  I recently had an impromptu Easter dinner at the house.  No one who came knew that my stove was not as clean as I wanted it, that both my washer and dryer were full of laundry in various stages of completion or that my bed was not made.  And apparently no one cared that my laundry basket was full of clean clothing waiting to be folded, nor did they care that there were cobwebs in the corners or that I didn't take time to change from my "chore clothes" to "company clothes". 

They did enjoy the food, loved being outside for a HUGE Easter Egg hunt, and visited and hooped and hollered throughout the afternoon.  The grandchildren will not have memories of a dinner where Nana was cranky and running them out from under foot, but will remember getting to sweep the floor (even though the corners were missed) without someone coming behind them making them feel like they weren't good enough.  They will remember getting to "stuff" the Easter eggs with candy with their Great Grandmother.  My 8 year old granddaughter will remember getting to peel potatoes for the first time (with a vegetable peeler).  My grandson will remember feeling the pride of putting the baby goat back in his pen, by himself, without being made to feel like he wasn't fast enough to do it himself.  These are the feelings I want everyone to feel when they are with us.  These feelings are only nurtured when you allow yourself the time and opportunity to truly and realistically set priorities and gain an understanding of the that are truly important to others.   

Spring is definitely a busy time, where every spare minute can be filled.  No matter what you get done, there is more waiting to do.  So I challenge you all to take a deep breath, smile at your family, and enjoy what you are doing.  If you are doing it just because it needs to be done, you are missing so much.

I mean really, who would want to miss a moment like this?  Welcome to my life! :)

Birds of a Feather

The latest addition to our farm is a group of these little guys.  We have been talking about raising quail again, but hadn't decided when to do so. I had talked to a friend who will be having Jumbo Brown quail this summer about getting some eggs to hatch, but this little flock appears on Facebook and were an excellent deal, so we started now.  Funny how life will put things in front of you when you least expect it.  These 23 chicks were advertised as Texas A & M white quail, and Papa's previous experience with quail lead him to believe that they are truly the A & M.  This was the kind he was wanting, the price was right, so we made arrangements to purchase them.  They were eight days old when we picked them up yesterday and seem to be healthy and lively. 


Why would we want to raise quail?  There are actually many reasons.  The meat from quail is a very light, white meat and is quite delicious.  The eggs are considered by many to be a high end delicacy especially when boiled and pickled. The birds themselves mature rapidly and reach maturation and start laying eggs at approximately 8 weeks, and are ready for processing around 6 weeks.  This makes the time from birth to freezer one of the shortest of any meat animal.  The area needed for quail is small.  A nice pen or hutch could easily be placed in an urban yard.  There is no noise associated with them, so they are a good option for an urban homestead to raise some of the family meat supply, providing there are no zoning restrictions.  Papa and I are the only ones at home now, so many times a whole chicken is just too much for us.  We get tired of eating chicken before we get it all eaten. The smaller size of the quail makes them perfect for a single meal for the two of us. 

While there are many positive reasons for raising quail, I would be remiss if I didn't mention some of the negative aspects as well.  Each person should do their research and become familiar the requirements, pros and cons of raising any animal before making the decision to move forward and add it to their farm or homestead.  Some of the disadvantages to raising quail domestically are their broody habits, or lack of.  Quail are prolific egg layers, however they will seldom "go broody", set and hatch their own eggs. Unlike the Bob White quail that are native to Missouri, the Texas A&M and other Cortunix breeds seem to lack the natural instincts for setting and hatching.  The eggs will need to be incubated to hatch and replace the adult birds as they age.  While the size of the birds make them great for a meal for Papa and myself, if you have a large family you will need to take into account the small size of the birds when planning how many to raise and how much to place in a package together at processing time.  While most of these quail will not have the natural broody instincts they will have retained their natural flight instinct when startled, which can lead to broken necks when they are startled and hit the top of their cages.  They will need an area that free from sudden noise and other things that might startle the birds. They are also susceptible to drafts, cold and dampness, so their shelters need to have attention paid to those issues.  And finally, predators can be a problem, especially when the birds are kept in lightweight cages. 

Do your research, learn all you can and if you decide to start raising quail, I don't think you will be disappointed.  Let me show you how our birds will spend the next few days. 

Several years ago, Papa made our small brooder box to hold baby chicks in the first few hours after hatching before being moved to our larger brooder box in the barn.  It is a small lidded box that has a screen in the top for ventilation, a porcelain light fixture for a bulb for heat, and room for a small feeder and a small water dish. 






The light bulb is enough heat to keep them warm because of the small area and close proximity to the chicks.  The cord runs out the back and plugs into a standard outlet.  There is no switch to go bad, plugged in is on.  The lid lifts for easy access to clean bedding, refill feeders and add water.

These little guys did surprise me, and I quickly realized that much greater care needs to be taken when opening the box.  The flight instinct is strong even at 8 days.  I realized how high they could fly after two flew out and I had to pick them up off the floor before they disappeared under the couch.  We will leave them in this small brood box for 3 or 4 more days, so that we can keep a close eye on them.  They will then be moved to a larger brooder box, that is made similar, but has an area to hang a larger heat lamp and room for larger feeders.  They will also be able to be provided with more water.  They will eat and drink a remarkable amount over the next 4-6 weeks, considering their size.  When they are almost mature, and the weather warms a bit, they can be moved to a quail house and outdoor run. We will shut them up at night, even as adults to avoid attracting predators, which could include opossums, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, hawks and more. 

I'm not an expert in raising quail, though we have had some in the past and while they have some specific special care needs our job for these birds is the same as any of our other animals.  We must provide food, shelter, clean water and protection from elements and predators.  In return, they will provide us with food for the table.  Food that we know the ingredients and freshness of.  Just as the Pioneers of yesterday, provided sustenance for themselves and their families, we are also the providers for our family.  Yesterdays pioneers had many more difficulties to overcome.  As a modern Missouri Pioneer, I am glad to have the electricity to provide power for a heat lamps that will keep our birds warm.  I am glad to have running water and the choice of commercial feeds to make the care less labor intensive, but I am still proud to be able to provide farm raised meat for ourselves and our families.   

Goats, Goats, Goats....Bob, David, and Daffodil

 The newest additions to our farm family include three boer baby goats, 2 bucklings and a doeling.  Thanks to Papa and the grandkids, they are now fondly known as Bob, David, and Daffodil.  The grandkids named the boys...something to do with Minions!  ;)  I never know what those children are going to come with next.  They always have a long, thought out reason for their decisions.  One of them named every animal he got "Bucky".  He even went so far as to call his little sister "Maddie-Jo-Bucky" when she was born.  I am relatively certain she will be very glad he has outgrown that, if she is not already.  But, I digress. 

These three cutie pies are now 3-4 weeks old and are weighing 11 - 12 pounds each, gaining a pound to a pound and half each last week.


Having bottle baby goats has been a new experience for us, but thanks to the help of some great friends and some helpful Facebook groups, they, and we, have done well.  We did not realize when we got into the goat business, that we picked one the few animals that will actually eat themselves to death!  We were warned over and over again not to over feed them.  We were told that they would eat all the milk a person would give them, to the point they could actually become fatally ill.  So we asked a lot of questions, and researched many resources on the internet.  According to the charts we are still over feeding slightly, but they are gaining, doing well, and have only scoured for a day or so when changed feed and mixed the new milk replacer a bit richer than it was supposed be mixed.

We are currently feeding them three times a day, the minimum for 10-15 pound goats, and giving them approximately 13 ounces per feeding.  They are each starting to eat some grain, and are developing their personalities.  They think we are their momma.  They will be moved out to a pen in the big barn as soon our current cold and windy snap is over, but for now they remain in a lean-to off my canning kitchen, out of the wind and with a heat light available in case it dips down too cold. 

At this point we plan to band the bucklings making them wethers and butcher them when they are big enough.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-8 months based on our research.  We enjoy beef, but it has become outrageously priced.  Our second option for red meat is venison, when one of us is successful during the fall hunting season.  Last year it was me that put one in the freezer and this past fall Papa got one.  We have been told that goat is a meat that is between those two, so we are confident we will like it, but if not, there is also a high demand in our area, so selling the boys at butcher weight will not be a problem. 

Miss Daffodil is expected to be our herd Matriarch, as we build a little herd to supply our family with meat and add a bit of income from, and for, the farm. 

Feeding these three has been an entertaining experience with some trials, a little frustration and a lot of laughter.  Since they constantly think they are starving, it was a juggling act to try to feed one at a time with the bottle.  It worked ok the first few days, but soon became nearly impossible to manage them one at a time.  Papa decided that as soon they knew what the bottle was, it was time to build a bottle stand so that all three could eat at one time.  A couple of hours in the shop and few wood scraps and viola!

Hands free feeding of three!  You can also see in the above picture, we wasted no expense on bottles!  These 20 ounce soda bottles are perfect for feeding them and we bought some nipples that screw onto the bottles from our local feed store.  Cheap, easy, and here are three bottles that are not in a land-fill.  I'm uncertain of exact dimensions, but will post a picture of the stand so that you can get the idea and make your own if the need arises.

We do have a large coyote population in our area, so we decided that this was the perfect time to add a large guard to our farm as well.  Meet Sally, a Great Pyrenees puppy that we purchased from a local family.   Sally lives with the goats and will soon be the herd protector.  We will have to introduce her to the other animals slowly, one at a time so that she understands that she is to protect them too.  They are not a threat to her goats and belong here as well.  She is becoming a sweet heart, bouncing over to get her petting while the babies eat.  She runs and plays with the goats, to the point that I actually think she may believe she is a goat.  :)   For now we are the protectors of the goats, and of Miss Sally, but it won't be long until the farm will be hers and she will keep the predators at bay.  I am going to enjoy that day, and look forward to being able to have turkeys once again without loss to predators. 

As I finish this post, I am thankful to live at a time that I can use modern conveniences to keep our animals warm as needed when winter cold snaps get our attention.  The use of heat lamps, running water to maintain a good supply of fresh, thawed drinking water, a barn to give shelter from the rain and snow in the cold temperatures, without having to work for hours on end out in the elements ourselves, are all blessings.  Though we are moving toward a more self sufficient lifestyle, doing more or ourselves and depending less on processed foods and big box stores, it is nice to know that we do not have work as hard our forefathers, making me very happy to be able to be a Modern Missouri Pioneer. 

 

 

 

Recycle and Re-Use for Rabbit Hay Feeders

 

We have now had our rabbits for a year.  We have raised several babies, and learned many lessons on the best way to care for them.  Most recommend that the rabbits be given all the hay they want to eat and limit the amount of pellets the receive to about a cup per day for the adults.  Of course the you ones that we are growing out to butcher size, get more.  We were doing this backwards in the beginning, keeping the feeders full of pelleted feed at all times and giving them hay as a treat.  We would put hay in their cages, where they would eat some, but much of it would end up under the cages, mixed with the poo and end up as compost.  The wasting of hay and over feeding pellets, were making a dent in our budget and also keeping our adults too fat.  A fat doe may not breed, and fat buck, may lose his desire to breed.  We knew we needed to keep hay in front of them at all times, but do so in a way that would allow for minimal waste, and not blow the budget on fancy feeders.  I had made some wire hay feeders for the outdoor summer cages that worked well, so when I found a video on Facebook that shared a way to make a hay feeder from trash, I decided to give it a try.  The results were perfect! 

We now have these feeders on each cage that we can keep filled with hay.  The Rabbits simply pull the hay through the wire and munch away! I chose to put a little larger one on each grow out pen since there are multiple rabbits in each pen.

I started with some coffee containers that I had saved.  I also found a large Tupperware container at my local thrift shop for $1.25 and purchased it to use for the larger feeders on the grow out pens.  Otherwise, this project cost nothing.  So I have 8 feeders for $1.25, making them a little less than a whopping 15 cents each. 

I began by drawing a vertical line down the side of the containers and cutting them in half on the band saw.  If you don't have a band saw, the plastic can easily be cut with a hand saw. 

After being cut into two equal pieces, I drilled four holes, one on each side at the top and bottom, close to the cut edge.  Wire was then run through the holes, across the outside of the container, and back through the corresponding on the other side.

 The ends of the wires are then used to attach the feeders to the sides of the cages.  Where the rabbits can have access to all the hay they want.

I did end up cutting out a wire in three places on the front of the feeders to allow more room to pull the hay out, but after finding one empty that I had missed doing this to, I don't think it is absolutely necessary.












In today's world of plastics, excess trash, and being a part of a "throw-away" society, it is nice to know that we can continue our progress to live as Modern Missouri Pioneers, by re-using items that otherwise have no value.  We have turned our trash into something useful.  This project was easy to do and basically free.  The feeders are easy to fill, the rabbits love the hay, and the hay waste is minimal.  We just bought a new bag of rabbit pellets and these Modern Pioneers are hoping to see it last at least twice as long as the last one. 

What projects have done that have been a benefit to your Modern Pioneer lifestyle at little to no cost?  We'd love to hear!