NH Homesteader's journal

[NH Homesteader]

Working better but DH helps me before he goes to work still. Mimosa is getting to the point where she almost doesn't need a leg held. Bellini is kicking less but she's still a a whack job. Once they stop kicking I shouldn't need help anymore.

Ok question for you. How do you tell the difference between a meaty udder and withholding milk? Bellini milks out great but Mimosa doesn't soften up as much. They're both giving about the same amount of milk but Mimosa is a 2F and I'm wondering if she's being a turd and not letting down. Or if she just has a meatier udder.

Oh, and we have a spot to keep turkey eggs that should help. First year toms don't always have great fertility so let's hope he is smarter than average! I've only seen him do his job once or twice...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Ok question for you. How do you tell the difference between a meaty udder and withholding milk? Bellini milks out great but Mimosa doesn't soften up as much.

That's a darn good question. I've never figured out a way to tell exactly...but usually when their babies are weaned and gone they get better about NOT holding back and that's when I can usually figure out if they just have a fleshy udder or if they were holding back all that time.

So, the short answer is - I dunno, lol!

For a virile turkey tom!

 

[NH Homesteader]

Ok so not just me! Lol. Bellini doesn't hold back at all, she apparently thinks her kids are all set!

Must make more chevre tonight. We may have eaten it all. Maybe... It's really good on bagels!

I posted on local FB bird page looking for Dominiques. Half hour later and someone with show quality birds offered to hatch them out for me for $60/dozen with 90% guaranteed fertility. That isn't bad for Doms. They're starting the incubator this weekend. I bet DH will be thrilled! They're usually $15-20/pullets so even if we get a lot of roos it's worth it!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Cool on the Dominiques! You're such a sweet wife - this should to get you massive kudos with DH!

 

[NH Homesteader]

I should've surprised him like I did with his turkeys but I already told him I found some. Duh.

 

[baymule]

Glad you found your favorite chickens. So far, I still don't have a favorite breed.

 

[Mini Horses]

NH do you have a Blue seal dealer near you? I use their steamed/rolled barley (my feed store orders it special for me)...it's a flake like oatmeal...and pay about $14-15 for a 50# bag. Then I add rolled oats & alfalfa pellets to the mix & top dress on milking with a couple ounces of Purina Enrich 32, lots of vit/min, high protein & copper. We can get whole barley here for about $15 per 50#. I have read that the goats are better able to utilize the barley if it is processed rather than whole/raw. I know mine race to the milk stand!! I also keep some extra alf pellets & hay for them to eat if they finish the pan before I finish milking. That keeps them standing and patient. A bribe!

I actually prefer the glass mason jars to the buckets because I can switch out lids and stick it in the freezer for a while to chill it. Then to frig. I don't mix the different does milk at milking. Most of mine are full sized girls and fill jars. The 2 mini nubs will get milked for a while again this year but, they don't impress me with the shorter legs and smaller teats. Milk is slightly richer, so great for cheese and they have GREAT udders with nice capacity for smaller does. Will milk them more this year so that I can get into the hard cheese, cream & butter production more than before -- now that I have the equipment for that. I have several people who are waiting for me to get back into milking & cheese spreads again! It's been several months now as I dried them up early last year. Hope to keep at it full bore this year. It's harder to manage the milking schedules with your children's needs. I can adjust mine around work schedules but, not always fun to.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Yes my feed store is a Blue Seal dealer, that's all I use. The girl looking it up for me was not a farmer type, but if one of the old timers was there I would have asked why is barley so stinking expensive??

Milking in the morning and giving their kids back is working pretty well. Evening milking would be a challenge right now. I would rather have that milk, but such is life!

I'm stealing Patty's baby this weekend. She's gonna be MAD! I think he's 10 weeks old and he's huge. I don't know why my smallest goat had the biggest babies, but she did!

 

[NH Homesteader]

No pipping, I might have a 0 hatch rate. Oops.

Tomorrow or Sunday DH and I need to clean out the other side of the barn. So not fun. But it'll be done and we'll get back to non- deep bedding and we won't have to do it again til next year. Or ever!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Was the girl looking up 'feed' barley or 'seed' barley? I just can't imagine it being so crazy expensive unless there was some strange reason for it. It's about $14 bucks a bag here for steam rolled barley.

Uh oh on the hatch....Kinda stinks, but a zero hatch is better than 1! I usually leave mine in the incubator until day 23-ish..."justincase."

Glad the milking is going better!