Pink Fox: its Raining...IN MY HOUSE! :/

[pinkfox]

well thus far its been a month of ups and downs.
but to top it lal off my christmas gftsfrom my familydidnt raiive untll yesterday...
today i woke to find my 2 linie keets dead, ive no ideawhat happend they were fine yesterday (though ill admit to not checking them closely as im sick an birds pik up respitory isues so easily) and this morning they were gone, passsed soetime in the night judging from temp and startof rigor.
the pair of p-lets seem fine...so that realy upsets me...
and ive got a wicked cold (didnt get one last year..this year i got my flu shot since its so bad around he this year and instead i get myself a virus! FUN!
throat feels like ive been swaliwing sand paper, sounds like a goose when i cough, heavy head and eyes and toay congetion joined the fray. *YUCK!*

on the upside however i had a lovely christmas dinner with friends, got a new drill and am geting fruit trees for christmas (parents are giving me money to use to put my orchard together) and im alive.
the days are already starting to get a little lnger which mens the darkest time of year is behind us and spring will be on its way soon and ive got more plans for this comming year for this little homsetead.
the big goal this year is geting the tree and berry orchards in and getting the place fully fenced so the goats have even more room.

ups and downs, back and forths, in the immortal words of a famous little fish..."just keep swimming"

 

[frustratedearthmother]

three steps forward and two steps back...

So sorry about the keets...

Hope you feel better soon. Every time I've taken the flu shot - I get sick too...

 

[Denim Deb]

Hope you feel better soon. Sorry about the keets.

 

[snapshot]

Hope you feel better real soon!!!!! A little warm up would be nice too!

 

[pinkfox]

or at least a ry off, i swear ive never seen so much rain in the US...its a soggy mud bath out there and there saying more rain today.

im starting to feel better form this bug, tired, sore throat and a VERY tender nose (even the with lotion) tissues have done a serious number on my poor little nose, but otherwise i thinkim on the other side of this nasty little cld vorus...definatly not the flu, no aches/pains no fever ect...but ive never had a cold like that before. YUCk!

im currently debating if i feel well enough to attend a little new years shindig tonight...doc has given the all clear to let myself out of my slef iposed quarrentine, but still.
going to have a good hot shower and see how i feel after that.

thing are otherwise proceeding with normaility around here...
the goats are doing well, aspen has settled right in with the girls now, no more crying atthe fence for me for an hour every morning
the buns are doing well in their colony setups, things are peacefull, but no signs of nesting yet. buns can be daylight sensitive though so im hoping now we'll start seeing some real progress as the days get longer
id realy need to see breeding in about 2weeks to get babies ready for spring/easter time so...heres to hoping. but honestly right now id be happy to see any babies having no luck through fall i need a glimmer of hope that my buns arnt broken lol.

the ducks are laying nicely now, im getting 3 eggs 5 days a week out of 5 females. on average, though occasionally theyll throw me off with a 4 or 5 egg day and once in a while ill just get 1 or 2.
im loving my duck eggs though enough to make me fairly certain that my spring order will contain 1/2 a dozen khaki campbel ducks too, the 2 flocks will be kept seperated so i can pull eggs for incubation and hatching, but ive already got 3 semi regular buyers for eating eggs and will need about 4 doze eggs a week to keep up with the my own and thier demand befor any advertsing.

i will be moving the ducks to a different area of the property as my drake is a little identity confused and harrasses the geese...so the geee willbe staying over in the orchard and the 2 flocks of ducks will be placed in another section close to where i eventually want the pond put in. theres a lean to on the sie of the old barn that i think if dividie would be perfect for making a couple of small duck runs...then each flock will be kept seperate for spring and fall hatching egg collection and allowed to integrate during winter and sumer when eggs will be mostly for eating (unless i get huge dmeand for hatching eggs/ducklings in which case ill have to keep the duks penned seperatly)

the goose flock will be increased, id like to add another 4 geese who will be allowed to free range the orchard and then seaosnally allowed to brows the berry area too as weeders.

2013 brings plans for fencing, increasing the goat pasture,fixing the old barn if posible and MABE a trio of pigs, i know exactly what breeds i want and have someone fairly local with guinea x kune crosses...its just a case of raising enough money to buy them and still set some aside each month to buy hay and straw and stock up on winter feed in the fall again.
the first few years im expecting to continue along the line of "ha...profit...your funny" as i get thigns in line...sell a baby goat to buy a baby pig kind of situation...but im hping if i can get everything together over the first 3-5 years, after that i should be able to realy start seeing some return...im not expecting to get rich...but as long as this place supports itself...id be happy if it could pay for the feed and bedding for the livestock, and cover costs to repair/replace ect, and extatic if it could pay its own mortgage...
but we'll see.

Anywho...
i hope eveyrone has a safe and happy new years eve!
ill see you in 2013!

 

[snapshot]

Happy New Year to you! Hope you feel better!!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Happy New Year, Pink! Hope all your plans work out just the way you want them to!

 

[pinkfox]

well i got the all clear on contageon factor form the doc, whent to the newyears party last night but now im semi regretting it...think i did too much too soon lol
thats ok, can sit and chill and be lazy again.

had 2 bunny litters in Silvers colony this morning...
unfortunatly both litters one of 6 and one of 5 dead...
they were cold, and no fur had been pulled in either nest BUT no injuries.
the no injuries is a big deal as theres always worry in a multi bun colony that another doe might kill a litter ect... but all kits were perfectly formed and other than one missing the tip of its ear they looked normal aside form the Dead part.

theres 3 does in silvers colony, haystack, blackberry and bluebell, given NO nests were built (no fur pulled at all) im betting they were haystack and blackberry litters, both are first timers...
it SUCKS that i lost 10 beautifully marked babies (looked all to be brokens) but it did do 2 things, 1 proved that silver is fertile (up untill this an unproven buck), and 2 gave me a little hope for live litters in the future.
im going to be watching the boxes closely in both colonies now that i know silvers colony is proven. with silver broken and only 2 litters born im waiting on a 3rd litter in that colony and if im right about blackberry an haystack and simply "new momma syndrome" it means i could have a bluebell litter comming up and shes a well proven doe and thus far been a great mother.

bigwigs colony is currently unproductive but theres 1 proven and 1 unproven doe in that group too, so itll be a case of watch close.
ill check boxes this evening when i turn everyone in for the night, i added lots of fresh straw to both pens this morning and im hoping thatll help. weve had so much rain this past 2 weeks that the pace is also a mud bath and the babies probably got damp and chilled with a lack of fur to keep them safe.

ive got a note now on the calender though to watch silvers colony at the end of january for more kits. and again will be keeping an eye for litter #3 in that grouping. bluebell chose to be in that group, she kept getting through to silvers colony depite being put in bigwigs, so im hoping thats a sign that itll be a good group with some expreicence. also hoping bigwig ill give me some nice production
sucks to loose them but hey, first time mommas rarely keep a litter.

otherwise...
REALY want this rain to quit...its a muddy soggy squelchy mess...im british i can handle rain..but the mud...UGH! noones happy out there, heck i think even the ducks have had enough!

I need to realy think about having a truck load of gravel delivered, my "driveway" is a muddy pond...
once things dry out some im planning on putting in some kind of french drain to try and divert the rain down the side away from the concrete pad and then i need gravel, LOTS of gravel...i cant get to my mailbox without my waders at this point...
if i can get a pvc pipe cut in 1/2 like a trough, dig it down a little along the front of the concrete pad and put an elbow on it with another pv pipe directing it down the hill it should help...then try and level it otu some and add a THICK layer of crushed rock ontop of evrything it should solve some of the wading mud hole issue...*i hope*

and come summer we'll be complaining about the lack of rain lol.

otherwise thats about it...nothing else going on...
got to "do the books" tomorrow for the monthly financials...
and then thursday is go buy feed day.

im trying to figure out some money saing options to avoid buying layer pellet...its the most expensive of my feeds and with the winter im going through itmuch too quickly.
someone suggested oats and rabbit pellet for the geese but the guinea and ducks need higher protein...so ive got to do some homework before then.

 

[CheerioLounge]

Bummer about the buns, Pinky. I guess that's pretty common with first time moms?

Oh, and I'm glad to hear your feeling (sort of) better.

 

[Denim Deb]

I hear ya on the mud! There are places out at the farm where I feel like I'm walking thru mud and poop soup!

Sorry you lost the buns.