Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

frustratedearthmother

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I was quite pleased, lol! I sold them for a 'group' rate which was considerably less than had I sold them individually. BUT - I'm not worried about that because I sold FIVE bucklings!!! It will make a difference in the feed bill and a difference in my sanity so it was all worth it!

I've still got two bucklings....one I'd like to keep, but that means I've got to sell one of my adult bucks and that's a hard decision too. The other ND dwarf buckling will need to move on. He's just a tiny little thing so I'll hold him a little while longer.

I'm going to look into getting some hay today. Hope I haven't procrastinated too long. The hay has been on Craigslist for a couple of days and with the hay scarcity around here I just hope he's got some left. I'll be making that call this morning.

Gonna be hot, hot, hot today so maybe I'll find some house work that I can concentrate on and leave some of the outside stuff until later.

Happy Saturday ya'll!
 

frustratedearthmother

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I have a mini stallion that is really ruining my day. A real Houdini & he was out again this evening

I felt that way last fall when the bucks were out EVERY TIME I TURNED AROUND....GRRRRR! That was during the time my mom was hospitalized and I just didn't have time to sit around and watch where they were getting through the fence. Other times it was obvious because I'd find the fence panels knocked down because they just pushed until the staples popped out.

Hope you figure it out and "Houdini" stays put!

We put out the last round bale this morning. BUT - I'm going to pick some up this afternoon. It's Bermuda - and my goats aren't crazy about Bermuda - it's just too clean for them. But, the horses will love it and the goats will eat it if they're hungry. With the weather we've had this year I'm afraid NOT to get some when the opportunity comes up. I'm going to get 3 round bales today.

Not sure whether to go back and get more of this hay or just hope the field that I want hay from gets cut and baled later. That particular field hasn't been cut this year and because I drive by it every day I know what kind of shape it's in. It's bad right now and I wouldn't want first cutting off if it...so I'm torn. Get hay while I can... or hope for more/better later? Guess it'll help to see the hay I'm picking up today. It's first cut too, but the guy says it's in good shape for first cutting.... :idunno We will see. If it's good I might just get 3 more. Decisions, decisions...
 

Britesea

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We have a Houdini also... Millie the LGD got out again this morning. I got a call that a young couple living down by the highway found her. Luckily she's very friendly and went up to them when they called so they were able to catch her and bring her down the road to us. We walked the back fence and found the spot-- there was a small pile of cinderblocks next to the fence and flattened grass on the other side of the fence. So now we need to move the blocks out of there.
 

frustratedearthmother

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Scary when the dog gets out @Britesea . Most of the time a herd animal like goats and horses will stay around - but escaped dogs tend to wander - like you've discovered! My first LGD was the worst I've ever had. We ended up putting electric around our entire 2.5 acres. It was the only way to keep her in.... geeze!

I got three big round bales yesterday. It's Jiggs Bermuda and is decent looking hay for first cutting. It's hard to tell too much about a round bale by just seeing the outside, but I think it's going to be fine. It was so funny while driving to pick this hay up - almost EVERY FIELD in the area has just been cut! People were baling hay everywhere. Guess it's true that you've gotta make hay while the sun shines! :lol:

Woke up this morning to a minor flood in the barnyard. UGH... had a fail on a hose and I'm back to wearing mud boots even though everything else around is dry. :he

Need to get outside and do something. We still have to unload the round bales and get them covered. Have a few doelings that I need to get wormed and give coccidia preventative to. And, have to find a way to keep the ND buckling confined so I can wean him (and keep him away from the girls) BUT, he's like Mini Horse's stallion and Britesea's LGD - I can't keep him in! He's such a little thing he just wiggles his way through anything/anywhere. Silly goat - he keeps this up and he'll lose his goobers, lol. He would make a precious wether, but I don't need a wether. I eat wethers. He needs to understand that, lol.

Better get busy. Happy Sunday ya'll!
 

Mini Horses

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Grats on the hay! If my water pump were not in my garage I would have some floods -- when it keeps running, I go check what I didn't turn off :old

Yes, horses & goats return because they are food addicted! In fact, if I can't find their escape, I rattle the feed can and they more often than not come back in same way.....rascals! Now, most dogs are not so helpful. I've been told that a LGD will guard what "IT" determines to be it's perimeter. Often that's as far as they can see & often, travel. Britsea, at lease yours isn't so honed in on guardianship issues. Hey, what's better than a nice walk?? Seems the grass WAS greener on the other side. :lol: Glad someone knew where her home was.
 

Britesea

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Oof! Sorry about the broken hose- that's a mess! One reason why we are redoing the irrigation in the garden is most of the old soaker hoses had leaks, and were more patch than hose.

With Millie, our LGD, I'm hoping that putting the 6-foot non-climb all around the perimeter with keep her in. The only reason she got out this last time was because there were some cinderblocks piled up against the fence, giving her a leg up.
 

hqueen13

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Yay for selling goats!! That's fabulous!! Income and less mouths to feed!!
 

frustratedearthmother

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It's hot. There, I said it...I'm a whiner but 'oh well'.

After months of rain, I guess now we're gonna have months of heat. Pretty typical for this time of year - it IS summer, lol. But it sure doesn't mean I have to like it.

Need to have another round of goat selling. This time I think it'll probably be the Nigi babies. They're cute, but not the direction I want to go. I'll keep the original buck I bought to make mini-Nubians, but the babies are going to be next on the sale list.

I keep telling myself to sell Dusty - the big ol' Nubian buck. Problem is that I looooove Dusty. Other problem is that the rut is coming and Dusty is hard to keep contained and he's getting bigger and stronger every day. However, he's pretty much the perfect buck for my herd. He throws TONS of color - and more importantly - he is putting beautiful udders on his daughters. And, their mothers udders are crappy. I never thought I'd see that much improvement in one generation - but he's doing it. Along with the three Nubian does, he bred two kinder girls last fall and they both had beautiful babies. Two bucklings and one doeling out of the Kinder moms and I'm keeping the doeling. She's awesome. I'd like to repeat those breedings again this year and hope for more girls. He sired 12 kids this year 7 doelings, 5 bucklings. Almost all of them were highly colored - even from solid mama's. Decisions, decisions.

Noticed yesterday that they are baling the field that I've been watching. I got great hay off of it last year, but this is the first cutting and I know it's kind of crappy....but goats kinda like kinda crappy hay, lol. So, if the price is right I might pick up a couple big bales from there to go with the ones I got a few days ago. It's kind of a damned if you do - damned if you don't situation. Do I buy potentially crappy hay now - or wait and HOPE there is another cutting that's better quality?

Starting to think about turning all the pigs out together too. I'd like to have piglets in the fall. I'll probably wait another week or so and then go for it. Need to put up a short fence that will keep the pigs out of the goats loafing area and then there's no reason not to do it. Stay tuned...

Alone in the office today. Need to take this opportunity to get a couple things done that are best done with no interruptions.

Happy Thursday, ya'll.
 
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