Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[NH Homesteader]

Plus milk has a lotta fat in it!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Milk absolutely has a lot of fat in it. This changes a little bit of my original plan which was to milk-stand train these little does - but that can happen at a later date if necessary.

 

[Mini Horses]

Hope this last cold snap was IT for our cold weather. Now if we could just stay dry!

Second that! Woke to 30 this AM. Broke ice. Didn't have to tote hot water but -- ENOUGH!!! Almost at freeze tomorrow, they say.

Yeah, band those boys and run them with the herd. You can still milk the moms, just not full 2X day. It will "train" them. Plus it will keep the udder fuller. Besides, if only one kid...she needs to get milked, esp if a ff. The horns won't be huge at 6-8 mos. It'll work.

 

[NH Homesteader]

You can still milk them! You're going to have lots of does in milk... you might have to teach DH to milk for you!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yes, I could milk them but it wouldn't be the simple, easy procedure that it is if they were staying up in the front pen where the little barn is. I have a room there with a concrete floor and a milk stand. I don't have that out in the big barn. In the past I've trained the milkers that were in the pasture to come up to the little barn for milking - but that was when it was dry. The area they would have to come through right now would put them walking through knee deep mud to get through the gate and that just ain't gonna happen, lol.

I think what's going to happen is that I'm going to put Lucy and her girls out in the pasture soon. Her girls are BIG and they're really starting to pull her down so I'm thinking weaning in a month or so for them. Then I could bring Lucy up and milk her. I'll keep Cameo and her two up in the front and separate at night - at least for spring break. I know most people separate at night and milk in the morning but that's hard for me. I already spend about 30 - 40 minutes outside every morning to feed before work. I can't see adding any more time to that routine along with needing to process the milk.

DH can't milk - his hands are too messed up for that. I could get the milker set back up and going again...but I dunno...just not sounding workable right now. He would have to get out there early to milk and turn the babies out - and right now I don't think he could even walk through the mud that I go through every day... (but hey - my legs are looking like the legs I had in my youth, lol) Hard, and toned and strong. They've been getting a workout twice a day during the week and at least twice that on weekends for month upon month now.

I'm waiting on two more does that I think may (or may not) deliver within the next couple of weeks - then I think I'll get a break for awhile. Maybe...

 

[NH Homesteader]

Ohh, right, mud. Yuck! I have a hard time hand milking, I love my machine. I forget you have more logistical issues than I do, everyone lives in one place where my milk stand is.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

DH has "plans" to build some kind of pathway over the mud when he's off. I'm not sure how doable that is for him but maybe if I grab some pallets somewhere that would suffice. His balance is terrible on flat, stable footing...in mud he would be a fall waiting to happen. And, he's clumsy by nature. I'm gonna tell a funny story on him and it's a little in the line of TMI but here goes. DH is a bit of a rebel by nature so a lot of times he just walks out the front door at night to go potty. It's a dead end road - very little traffic and with the porch light off there's no chance of being seen. A couple months ago he did that and came back inside dirty, scraped up and shaken up also. He had intended to lean back on my truck when he was doing his business and completely missed the truck ending up on his a$$ half on the concrete driveway, half in the grass with his pants open! I didn't laugh at him at the time but now it cracks me up ever time I think about it. I only tell that as a small example of his clumsiness, lack of self-awareness, and his plain ol' bad luck.
Poor darlin'...

 

[baymule]

Good thing that he doesn't read this form!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yea, probably, lol!

 

[Mini Horses]

Agree with you both! MEN!! I hope he was through with business before he leaned back -- otherwise there would be a real "wet" mix there.

Poor guy, we shouldn't be so amused.

Then milking...it was 21 this morning WHAT???? Supposed to be 70 Sunday. Fortunately, I do not have THE depth of mud you describe FEM. Slick though! It's depressing. It is a push to get morning milking here many days during this time of the year. This year none are in milk yet...looks like kidding begins end of month, or? Can't wait to quit working.