Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[frustratedearthmother]

Meaties are definitely not 'programmed' for a long life. But, in the past I've had some live for a couple years...but certainly can't have them on full feed. They do pretty well free-ranging and staying active. The roosters are all gone now - they seem to be the ones that drop dead for no reason. I've picked out a few of the hens that look like they've got good legs, walk the best, and run the fastest, lol. Definitely survival of the fittest for them! The ones we've harvested are really nice looking birds.

Back to work today but certainly can't complain. Would I rather be home on the farm? Yes. But this is a good gig!

Happy Monday ya'll.

 

[Denim Deb]

I can't say I blame you for wishing you could be home. I know the feeling!

 

[hqueen13]

In the annoyingly boring days in the office I remind myself that I get to be on the farm the other four days!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

It's about to get better here. Our school is closed on Fridays during the summer so this is my last 5 day work week. Starting next week I'll have 3 day weekends until mid-August! See why I love my job?

OMG - dinner was just yum! We had some chicken fried chicken guts, lol! I've never been a huge gut fan, but those fresh livers fried up crispy just can't be beat. DH is a gizzard and heart man, but I love me some chicken liver. Funny thing is I never, ever liked 'em before I had the chance to have them fresh. The ones you buy in the grocery store are good for nothing but fish bait in my opinion, lol! Gotta say dinner would have been absolutely perfect with some of those sourdough choclate chip cookies for dessert - but still trying to watch carbs and I had enough with the breading on the chicken parts.... sigh.....

I need to sell some goats. The two baby girls really need to go along with a few more of the pygmies. It's so haaaaaard to sell them though.. I never think they'll go to the right home and I worry about 'em. But - it's a fact of farm life that you can't keep everything. At least I can't. I don't have unlimited space for them to roam or unlimited funds to feed 'em and doctor 'em and everything else that goes with being an animal owner.

Thought I had lost my old blind, deaf Westie boy yesterday. I had let him and the Murderess out of their prison to spend the night in the (fully fenced) back yard. I've seen rats under the quail pens and I thought the dogs might do some rat control. Got up yesterday morning and could NOT find him anywhere. In his younger days he was an escape artist but he never really went anywhere but out to the pond and then he'd come right back to the door. Not yesterday... I was late getting to work because I walked the entire pasture looking for him... I drove up and down the road we live on and even up on the main road... all the while with a serious sense of dread and being afraid I'd see a white lump in the road - but nothing! I went home at lunch yesterday determined to look some more. I go in the house, change to farm clothes, walk out into the back yard and there he sits. ARGH!! (happy argh!)

One of two things... he either really was out and came back or he was hiding somewhere fast asleep. Deaf dogs don't wake up when you call them, lol. Whatever the case - he is back in maximum security luxury prison and won't be spending the night out anymore. Geeze...

 

[Britesea]

DH claims that liver isn't worth eating unless it was in the living animal less than an hour before. Kinda like corn on the cob or peas, eh?

 

[Denim Deb]

Glad you found your dog.

 

[hqueen13]

Silly pup! Glad he's back!
Hmm I wonder if I would like liver that way.... I've been trying to find a way to eat it because it is so good for you.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Thanks ya'll! He must've had a big adventure cuz he slept most of the next day, lol. He's such a sweetie and he doesn't seem to understand that he's blind and deaf now... he still frolics around the yard and acts silly. If he knows I have food he'll sit up and beg, but half the time he's got his back to me or he can't see the food when I hand it to him. Couple times now he's been too enthusiastic about a treat and has gotten my fingers.

He knows when he smells a rat and tries to follow his nose, but of course he's waaay too slow that way. My biggest fear when he was missing is that he got into the pond and couldn't find his way out. In his younger days he lived for dips in the pond. I kept thinking that if he got in there he'd probably just swim in circles until he drowned if he couldn't find the bank again. From now on I'll make it a point to take him out for his swims, but have a long line on him so I can pull him back in if he needs it, lol.

I had two broody hens each fighting/sharing a nest. I didn't really want a bunch of mixed breed chicks but I couldn't seem to break these hens from their broodiness so I left them each ONE egg. Wouldn't you know it - they both hatched, lol. Now if I can just keep them from becoming rat snacks... I don't know what's up with the rat population explosion. I've NEVER seen them so bad. I put out poison a couple weeks ago and found 4 or 5 dead ones - but that hasn't made a dent. My neighbors are having an issue too. Sooooo, DH used that as an excuse to go buy a new gun yesterday. It's a Ruger pellet gun and it shoots at 1200fps. It has a scope too. It got really good online reviews. Hopefully we can get it cleaned this evening and get it sighted in and start rat demolition! Between the dogs, the poison and the new gun I hope we can convince the buggers to go somewhere else - but I'm not counting on it...

I have another broody hen sitting on about a dozen Black Orpingotn eggs. I hope she does as well hatching hers as the other hens did. I WANTED these chicks so of course, Murphys Law being what it is... they'll probably all rot under her.

Should be having a goat birth pretty soon now. I think 145 days is this weekend - hopefully Sunday because I have to work Saturday. We're taking our students out for their annual end of school year fun day. They look forward to it all year so I know they'll be on their best behavior.

I picked zucchini yesterday! Woo hoo! And a few more peas and radishes. Part of the garden is starting to get into production phase while I've still got planting to do in other areas. Our weather is still pretty nice. We've had real low humidity for this time of year and temps have been in the mid - to high 80's. Really pleasant. However, things are a changing, lol. Supposed to get rain this weekend - harumph - I've heard that before!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

What a looooong day. It's 10pm and I just now got to sit down. After work I came home and started work! Had to unload a bunch of feed, then did the milkin and fed the critters, pulled a few weeds, picked some zucchini, yellow squash, peas and radishes! YIPPEE! And, the meaties that we butchered on Sunday have been sitting in an ice chest for a couple days....now they're sittin in the freezer! Yippee! One of the roo's weighed in at 6+ lbs and that was with one wing missing, lol. He was a big 'un for sure! He flopped around so hard he broke a wing and we had to amputate...poor thing. I'm sure he was relieved that we waited to amputate the leg until after we had amputated his head!

Then, just cuz the extra refrigerator is bulging at the seams with all da stinkin milk these wonderful gals are producing - I started some Chevre and some yogurt too. Then I re-heated the leftovers for DH and told him how lucky he was to have 'em, lol! He, of course, agreed.

 

[Denim Deb]

Glad he realized it!