tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79745455765684823892024-03-08T06:33:47.817-05:00Nes' FarmSmall-scale organic farm in eastern Ontario. We raise and sell chicken, turkey and beef, as well as keep lots of other interesting animals.
We're just starting out in farming, so join us for all the joys, all the laughs, and all the silly mistakes.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.comBlogger375125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-56235946800720832992012-05-01T17:00:00.000-04:002012-05-01T17:00:00.441-04:00So awesome blogger can't contain the BBB any more!<h1 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 0.8125em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span data-mce-style="color: #33cccc;" style="color: #33cccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625;"><strong style="color: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.625;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/" href="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/" style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/"><span data-mce-style="color: #33cccc;" style="color: #33cccc; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625;">http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog</span></a></strong></span></h1>
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Also known as... I ran out of space on picasa for all the pictures :#</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cowhead.png" href="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cowhead.png" style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="BBB logo" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1651" data-mce-src="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cowhead-236x300.png" height="300" src="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cowhead-236x300.png" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; color: inherit; display: inline; float: right; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; height: auto; line-height: 1.625; margin-bottom: 1.625em; margin-left: 1.625em; margin-top: 0.4em; max-width: 97.5%; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 6px; padding-right: 6px; padding-top: 6px;" title="BoothBoysBarn" width="236" /></a></div>
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So, I've had to move the blog. I really apologize to anyone who has to update links, bookmarks, RSS feeds, I hope you stay with us!</div>
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I've gone straight over to the dark side and into wordpress since that's what my website server supports.</div>
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I'd also like to apologize for the messy & sudden switch over, I was trying to upload some more pictures today and we're just right out of room!</div>
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The blogger to wordpress import isn't perfect so please let me know if you notice any coding problems on the new blog. I had to copy all the blogs one at a time & may well have missed one.</div>
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On the upside, I was able to import over my old Nes' Garden blogs so you can go back in the records of the new blog and see my first venture into gardening & blogging.</div>
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More new posts tomorrow! It's been a busy week, I cleaned out the bull pen & hubs fixed the barn door, plus I forgot to blog about my purple potatoes!<br style="color: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625;" />-Vanessa</div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625;"><strong style="color: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.625;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/" href="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/" style="color: #1b8be0; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625; text-decoration: none;" title="http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog/"><span data-mce-style="color: #ff0000;" style="color: red; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: normal; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.625;">http://www.boothboysbarn.ca/blog</span></a></strong></span></div>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-87209295514717042312012-04-30T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-30T23:02:56.529-04:00What Eggs Do you Choose?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZFgcppy6KYrliTn63xH0PX-GH9GRqkbJ67Q8bqdRkGcBCL8jeh_XvfrPUBwWcL-mrXM1LIlhRPv7NGf8GPm7HamoiJA6ll_4fsqP88fJfxCMqrMVRwpPrUEpgpUfTkngtxhJoQkfR1gI/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidZFgcppy6KYrliTn63xH0PX-GH9GRqkbJ67Q8bqdRkGcBCL8jeh_XvfrPUBwWcL-mrXM1LIlhRPv7NGf8GPm7HamoiJA6ll_4fsqP88fJfxCMqrMVRwpPrUEpgpUfTkngtxhJoQkfR1gI/s320/IMG_1191.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
Having several Easter Eggers sitting (on & off as always...) we've got 4-5 nests going right now, we'll see if any of them actually hatch this time! I was asked on the weekend which eggs I would select to have the hens raise, which which is a really good question.<br /><br />The first answer is all of them, we really want hens that can incubate their eggs naturally, a trait that seems to be largely bred out of modern chickens. Of course, if your hen is sitting she's not laying, so you don't want them all going broody all the time; but we want chickens who both lay really lovely eggs and will hatch some really lovely chicks!<br /><br />So the second answer is that I pick eggs that have been given the best reviews by our customers, my own experiences as well as chickens I like. Hen will not lay eggs exactly like the ones they came out of, what they will la,y is a combination of their rooster & hen's eggs (look to the rooster's hen for an idea of what he would lay); but picking good eggs also gives you the best chance of getting good eggs from your future hens.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9rT46RlO0EhC29_8pPJOZjTE8Td6QHiWMLgYmgNLGRxH4DjD03uo8A-MqjxrWsxu9-e8HLwFmY1D9BmcYLVhyES9btKxUBOYBg53b_YB6KGbw-xY9-vjq7ZrM4U4hTPasst6o7GfGNYz/s1600/IMG_0202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9rT46RlO0EhC29_8pPJOZjTE8Td6QHiWMLgYmgNLGRxH4DjD03uo8A-MqjxrWsxu9-e8HLwFmY1D9BmcYLVhyES9btKxUBOYBg53b_YB6KGbw-xY9-vjq7ZrM4U4hTPasst6o7GfGNYz/s200/IMG_0202.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">A rotten duck egg</td></tr>
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You want to avoid any eggs that are cracked or excessively dirty. You also want to avoid any that appear porous when candled, partly because spotty eggs can be a sign of bacterial contamination as well as porous eggs being a symptom of weak shells that can break easily.<br /><br />I usually don't get around to candling the eggs right away, but with 2 roosters & 3 cockrels running around, fertility is not a problem for us! I do try and candle half-way through or if any eggs appear discoloured. You want to remove any bad/rotten eggs as soon as possible so they don't contaminate the rest of the nest. Rotten eggs are usually fairly obvious, the inside looks dead. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4qBLt4jtuZQpktPMGVl_hIUCxWMbYGg-Vrj4jCPpn8JBpdZFR2wsvOmTqMaVT5jeGA-9l7U9OeVBT_K5YU048NSnLQBeeoiwpvQ85HSXTjbqyjhpp4kX37MktpiiEMvLzgZGXjPuThkD/s1600/IMG_0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4qBLt4jtuZQpktPMGVl_hIUCxWMbYGg-Vrj4jCPpn8JBpdZFR2wsvOmTqMaVT5jeGA-9l7U9OeVBT_K5YU048NSnLQBeeoiwpvQ85HSXTjbqyjhpp4kX37MktpiiEMvLzgZGXjPuThkD/s320/IMG_0203.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good duck egg, about 3.5 weeks old</td></tr>
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<br />I try to record when the eggs should hatch so that I'm ready that day to check the coop a few extra time & check on the chicks (although I usually forget to write it down!!). I have found it completely necessary to write large Xs on all the eggs with a sharpie because of other chickens sneaking in to lay additional eggs. I've had one of my poor bantam easter eggs going from sitting on 6 eggs to 15 in one day. She was trying to cover them all as hard as her little chicken self could! </div>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-63982572069304907812012-04-29T13:20:00.000-04:002012-04-29T23:39:34.342-04:00Maddie's Nap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAF2rqTRbSuLTMMUXunyfYXaennJFwccnHYV0XiRUh8wRYia_7GY_fj3-yXOEq-jpjQiqfgnRMglpo0b1Kcjj755GH4KnnMpE9lk-5UbGxXPmJwZQOZ99Zx9sGnvMl0PrQ-k7vseE1gWMk/s1600/IMG_0815.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAF2rqTRbSuLTMMUXunyfYXaennJFwccnHYV0XiRUh8wRYia_7GY_fj3-yXOEq-jpjQiqfgnRMglpo0b1Kcjj755GH4KnnMpE9lk-5UbGxXPmJwZQOZ99Zx9sGnvMl0PrQ-k7vseE1gWMk/s320/IMG_0815.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Every time I try to get a photo of him he gets up, but he does this almost every single day, and I think it's hilarious every time he does!!!<br />
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-13305939480545284612012-04-28T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-28T17:58:39.590-04:00The piggies out for a walk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYosrUkhN-qscNpekEgjlgkRfyPo2x37fiMrbqBM8_DSl6zmbYSg8NAa5BNdN8pxvcnSiM48f7eggpQsG-DnWvJEtQv2OjJhc8Gwabz1orHpKMYvxeoSbgXUeww0aVTurP5OtdpbCJvohM/s1600/IMG_0636.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYosrUkhN-qscNpekEgjlgkRfyPo2x37fiMrbqBM8_DSl6zmbYSg8NAa5BNdN8pxvcnSiM48f7eggpQsG-DnWvJEtQv2OjJhc8Gwabz1orHpKMYvxeoSbgXUeww0aVTurP5OtdpbCJvohM/s320/IMG_0636.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I was out in the field yesterday so figured I'd let the pigs out for a little run around. They've moved to Maddie's stall, so they've got lots of space, but I hate keeping them inside even though our fences can't keep them in yet. Thor is VERY curious about the funny little dogs things, and they were staying in the paddock pretty well until he got too curious and out they slipped.<br />
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I went around to herd them back but they just looked so happy I had to sit down for half an hour and watch them play.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miss Piggy took the manure pile to get in a good roll</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While Wilbur stuck his face in the grass and didn't<br />
get it out of there. </td></tr>
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We'll be replaced the external fences very soon, and then the pigs will be able to go out in the field every day. For now they've got the sunshine coming in from their wood-slat door and lots of hay to play around in. I throw their feed out over the whole stall so they have to dig for it to keep them busy.<br />
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They sure do come running when I call them though! Here pig, pig, pigs!Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-23220693865175242372012-04-27T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-27T17:00:00.987-04:00Why we're not CO, why I hate labels todayI've been working away on extra fun things for the farm, not.<br />
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Things like researching certification costs and benefits, I find myself frequently contacting these organizations to ask, no what is it your organization is going to do for <u>US</u>? Why should I send you my hard-earned money? What are you going to do with it?<br />
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Not surprisingly, I don't seem to be getting many e-mails back...<br />
(Except from Practical Farmers, I think they've got some new members!! Very impressed)<br />
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One that we'd especially love to participate in, but is not going to happen any time soon, is becoming certified organic. There are a few reasons why:<br />
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(1) And I would LOVE to be wrong on this one, looking at the CSI organic certification policy manual (CSI being the closest group too us), to my math, it would cost us $1450+ to become certified, and $1200+ every year to maintain that certification; and that's just for Canadian certification. Becoming CO will <u>not</u> add $1200 to our bottom line, we're not big enough and no one wants to pay $15/kg for chicken.<br />
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(2) Does it really make more sense to truck in tons of organic food for $$$ more money, when we can get the same quality non GMO feeds grown more locally? Now, there is some leniency in the organic regs to make up for this dichotomy, but if we can get organic feeds, we need to use it and pay for it.<br />
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(3) Logistically, for instance we're sending the cows out to another farmer's pasture for the summer so we don't have to bring a bull in (again, we're too small - not worth the money, hassle or risk without proper facilities); and this causes all sorts of issues and would be a paperwork nightmare for the CO people.<br />
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That's it. It's all about the money really.<br />
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Other then that we will be fully organic compliant as soon as we get a hedge row growing along our back fence, and even that I'm not sure we even need it (our neighbours don't spray right up to the fence).<br />
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So if we're not going to be C.O. what else can we get in on?<br />
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A lot of these certifications cost money, where it's $20 or $1000; I'm having a hard time seeing the benefits of "officially" labelling our products. I want to be supportive of some of these initiatives, but at the same time we need that money to stay on the farm to support our initiatives.<br />
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Instead I'd just like to label our products myself:<br />
<ul>
<li>Hormone free</li>
<li>Antibiotic free </li>
<li>Cruelty free</li>
<li>Bee friendly</li>
<li>Bird friendly</li>
<li>Fish Friendly</li>
<li>Farm fresh</li>
<li>Ecologically minded</li>
<li>Sustainably minded</li>
<li>Heritage minded</li>
<li>Organic </li>
<li>Local</li>
<li>Grass-fed</li>
<li>Family farm</li>
<li>Low oil</li>
<li>Small scale</li>
<li>Full of pain in the ass goats</li>
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But try fitting all that on a 2x4" sticker.<br />
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We are, however, part of Foodland Ontario.<br />Which basically means our food is grown here, in Ontario. Well... duh...</div>
</div>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-78860988219717294832012-04-26T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-26T17:00:00.095-04:00Adopt a Pond, Help protect our Wetlands<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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We're big supporters of Frog Watch & the Ontario Turtle Talley, and I've submitted more then a few sightings (& hearings) to them.<br />
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<a href="http://www.torontozoo.com/adoptapond/index.asp">TorontoZoo.com/AdoptAPond</a><br /><br />It really takes only a few moments to send one in & you're helping to map out the habitats, and get a rough idea of their population.<br /><br />Last year we found an endangered Blanding's turtle on our driveway & headed towards a very busy road (at our old house); so I snapped a few pictures, and got him turned around back towards the pasture where he really wanted to be. <br />
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With the pond on property we're trying to figure out a balance between providing space for wild critters, and re-claiming much needed pasture space around it. So we haven't quite figured out what we're doing; but so far it's been home to a lovely bunch of leopard frogs, as well as the mallards that just moved in*!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNK3RAsEL6wJIYwopnrIQkIhlJ6PBIReSPxEBnDdz_mwKHvgblEUTvw_oCrpGqk_SScueibvYZi0nIeA0vz94HPqk-fTS_gA-kH-4sazGhPN6PUBksPWj6hoUe4sBzoJS8WIS6sFQSp-7v/s1600/IMG_1186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNK3RAsEL6wJIYwopnrIQkIhlJ6PBIReSPxEBnDdz_mwKHvgblEUTvw_oCrpGqk_SScueibvYZi0nIeA0vz94HPqk-fTS_gA-kH-4sazGhPN6PUBksPWj6hoUe4sBzoJS8WIS6sFQSp-7v/s200/IMG_1186.JPG" width="200" /></a>*I wrote that then thought to myself I should go sneak around & check and see how they're doing. The nest has been abandoned, looks like something got into it. Lots of eggs were missing, several were opened. I'm really disappointed, but that's nature.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-15345414048548675562012-04-25T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-25T17:00:01.705-04:00Ducks<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For your Wednesday</div>
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-60666218988129268952012-04-24T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-24T17:00:02.162-04:00S**W!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The slushy snow only lasted a day but mother nature is making a fool of us all for thinking it was spring!</div>
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Little duck prints in the snow are even cuter then big duck prints in the snow!</div>
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Ducks taking refuge out of the wet stuff on the goat's see-saw. </div>
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Everyone is hungry and excited to see the hay wagon.<br />We've run out of bales so we've got more coming today, will have to order jut a few more for next year.</div>
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This is all hay that got stuck under the pallets from the goats jumping in the hay,<br />there is lots more left in there but it's really time-consuming to get out to the animals. </div>
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Thor & Megs have a really acrimonious relationship these days.<br />Meg has always been very dominant and will push any of the other animals off "her" food, Thor has taken exception to this. So any time she puts her ears back at one of the other critters he puts the run to her. </div>
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<br />She's not trying to kick him, actually she's quite intentionally aiming high over Thor's head, she's far more scared of him then she's letting on.<br /></div>
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There they go again!<br />I'm just standing around laughing my butt of at Meg finally getting pushed around by someone!! </div>
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Now Thor is happy!<br />Everyone has their own pile, Meg's been told to behave </div>
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I'm sure he'll have her joined-up in no time...<br />(lol)</div>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-8839514412951799652012-04-23T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-23T17:00:13.230-04:00Earth Day Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've had some Mallards hanging around the edge of the farm. If I get up early enough in the morning, or on a quiet afternoon I usually get to see them out of the corner of my eye taking off from the pond.<br /><br />While trying to retrieve my dogs from the bush just over the line on the neighbour's property (they were chasing the duck!) I found out why we've been seeing so much of the wild ducks lately.<br /><br />
So I figured a sign was in order, the neighbours don't usually run through there but I wasn't sure I'd catch them before they came back here to start planting.<br />
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We'll have to keep a closer leash the dogs so they leave the poor duck alone, and hopefully we'll be able to catch a little glimpse for some more ducklings on the pound in the very near future!Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-13064008161377334552012-04-22T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-22T17:00:07.138-04:00Earth Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbLgE-wpxunI6NV3QmJ7qGhhsk-7znfiyDVLVPWXBOMfJaSshk9AaO8loRxV7iYybCM5l4iHlaDWqxcKKU9CAvYyQ7pBC-fKS8YTqD90h0qv_Bq9k9cn6ccgiH2GAOGtIMrewCWVS34Px/s1600/IMG_0811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJbLgE-wpxunI6NV3QmJ7qGhhsk-7znfiyDVLVPWXBOMfJaSshk9AaO8loRxV7iYybCM5l4iHlaDWqxcKKU9CAvYyQ7pBC-fKS8YTqD90h0qv_Bq9k9cn6ccgiH2GAOGtIMrewCWVS34Px/s640/IMG_0811.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Earth Day from the Booth Boys Barn</span></div>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-71059401674416532332012-04-21T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-21T17:00:06.444-04:00Big Fat Yankey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6puBwxOS_RlcTUF1yIEkWGJM1gPQruXDeJRjDZsw16lOd6FcJ7vLzqfgPNqCEML48D0f4offQfr4dORkJBmRuJjOKdRREgs5O8Ith0iw-msW62IPT1ZZv7GVrRUv6-DEZt3_TUT0cRMG/s1600/IMG_0740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc6puBwxOS_RlcTUF1yIEkWGJM1gPQruXDeJRjDZsw16lOd6FcJ7vLzqfgPNqCEML48D0f4offQfr4dORkJBmRuJjOKdRREgs5O8Ith0iw-msW62IPT1ZZv7GVrRUv6-DEZt3_TUT0cRMG/s320/IMG_0740.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Poor girl, shouldn't tease her for being pregnant!<br />
Expecting early June kids, EXCITED!!<br />
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-7101547988278977182012-04-19T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-19T17:00:00.585-04:00Quick Cat Repair What a week!!<br />
<br />Rufus had a little abscess on his side, I missed getting a picture of it, but basically it grew to be the size of about a golf ball but more oval shaped. I could feel it petting him, it was soft but firm and would not slip around under this skin (which is what happens if it's a little fat ball). Not sure how he got it, could have been a cat bite (he arrived with a good scratch on his nose) or an insect bite, or something else.<br /><br />The best treatment was to just leave him be & let it burst on it's own, which it did, and now he's feeling much better. I thought he'd be on the other side of the barn as soon as I got him with the liquid bandage, but he really didn't seem to mind. A ball of frozen ground beef really helped with that though!<br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ19g6jxk3JNGxq-oC_sA4mQ294udGWwv-4xfsFPPVp3YcGwAUiczddw6J3DlEe4v7O1hDw3-qT48JDj_31Tj1l8QP_oWXFx_en1HSVs9olgbCG4WsILzuZGVfIbcVo4EodZxI3EKYtk_0/s1600/IMG_0877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ19g6jxk3JNGxq-oC_sA4mQ294udGWwv-4xfsFPPVp3YcGwAUiczddw6J3DlEe4v7O1hDw3-qT48JDj_31Tj1l8QP_oWXFx_en1HSVs9olgbCG4WsILzuZGVfIbcVo4EodZxI3EKYtk_0/s320/IMG_0877.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burst Abscess</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeJOotwHAc8RqIOQ_oYY6xw8SAlZlrS-zUm2Mccshvwt0dDY0zv9mxJp9xwr60_Q_oHyAzZpbji4jxrWa_p9VLqW2fogpuxNkWWwC2DSCV-bKbuiwwKZaSj1S2VeC4qxB2Tvfe3I0EwdN/s1600/IMG_0884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIeJOotwHAc8RqIOQ_oYY6xw8SAlZlrS-zUm2Mccshvwt0dDY0zv9mxJp9xwr60_Q_oHyAzZpbji4jxrWa_p9VLqW2fogpuxNkWWwC2DSCV-bKbuiwwKZaSj1S2VeC4qxB2Tvfe3I0EwdN/s320/IMG_0884.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporting some bling of his own</td></tr>
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-34359151543897616432012-04-18T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-18T17:00:04.724-04:00Quick Goat Repair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXujGnKIEJ86nu40l4VCQznX9TQvq0wNLe_gabfaikLZaWmFM2SOEaJa_kQg92-WCePBrLU4z5Y5HbOdim-Smek80ESxd_xOTIOkgSrhyphenhyphenr3KFfCUhbaVeS4iQnCV1zFEGn8e6X-aZiRmHO/s1600/IMG_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXujGnKIEJ86nu40l4VCQznX9TQvq0wNLe_gabfaikLZaWmFM2SOEaJa_kQg92-WCePBrLU4z5Y5HbOdim-Smek80ESxd_xOTIOkgSrhyphenhyphenr3KFfCUhbaVeS4iQnCV1zFEGn8e6X-aZiRmHO/s320/IMG_0791.JPG" width="320" /></a> Around here we spell "trouble" H.A.R.R.Y.<br /><br />Not sure what he did to himself, but looks like he might have ripped it trying to crawl under the fence or something.<br /><br />Iodine & liquid bandage again, I should just start bringing them with me to the barn every day!!<br /><br />(I keep everything in the house so it stays at an even temperature)<br /><br />I will probably have to clean up the ripped skin in the future, but I wanted it to stop bleeding before I did anything else. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKg-7jo-Zc729QlrP5z37JVnpn3CIwZJpUSnv3U0qWVV9SAZcn2pbt76jRm_p4dUylc2-a2o0a4o_ED2ZQGfGe_wWZkimGKSNmjPvQlRXGhKmiRTmcx2CoXRD-yt0mpUr_v1IlNJs1MxVq/s1600/IMG_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKg-7jo-Zc729QlrP5z37JVnpn3CIwZJpUSnv3U0qWVV9SAZcn2pbt76jRm_p4dUylc2-a2o0a4o_ED2ZQGfGe_wWZkimGKSNmjPvQlRXGhKmiRTmcx2CoXRD-yt0mpUr_v1IlNJs1MxVq/s320/IMG_0802.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbAT5Se_FUqTvK9sQ-nKNA7icppI6ARQ3igTRp2V8amw9AKWy5Jff_vG-xzpEdKs3sMTxlIOycR_xM3qqzADsUmsXBrTyUw8Fpwm988ngdH2UHJca4BCMF2P7-LfOzcHS1ntWKxF25vum/s1600/IMG_0798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbAT5Se_FUqTvK9sQ-nKNA7icppI6ARQ3igTRp2V8amw9AKWy5Jff_vG-xzpEdKs3sMTxlIOycR_xM3qqzADsUmsXBrTyUw8Fpwm988ngdH2UHJca4BCMF2P7-LfOzcHS1ntWKxF25vum/s320/IMG_0798.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-32755041650401272792012-04-17T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-17T17:00:03.936-04:00Quick Chicken Repair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMEiirErkfv0ewpYYLdGISLlKNLz8K1N2aEje-E8EnRUjgaWmxr6-HxGo9yr_i7VX7mEP0CMJ7_kP54cqTfhZDyJ7SeU7d6a9A5rHwappAhlg0pzYjZsjpD580J1YRM7Y_I6TEemyColl/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAMEiirErkfv0ewpYYLdGISLlKNLz8K1N2aEje-E8EnRUjgaWmxr6-HxGo9yr_i7VX7mEP0CMJ7_kP54cqTfhZDyJ7SeU7d6a9A5rHwappAhlg0pzYjZsjpD580J1YRM7Y_I6TEemyColl/s320/IMG_0724.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd10xR63rInjv5kTQ1Qa_lxcfBImR6zvEm559jssZGTOyHTmM-qEkYEoMh6XzS9w9KAZ4_xEtespxZeeiiYFSb3gPMOiPTEwdPpOhf09AbIvBlgsAkRh0RpCRo3dZpIYF7AfUmrkwJ04rr/s1600/IMG_0725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd10xR63rInjv5kTQ1Qa_lxcfBImR6zvEm559jssZGTOyHTmM-qEkYEoMh6XzS9w9KAZ4_xEtespxZeeiiYFSb3gPMOiPTEwdPpOhf09AbIvBlgsAkRh0RpCRo3dZpIYF7AfUmrkwJ04rr/s320/IMG_0725.JPG" width="320" /></a> I've run out of good animals names and the new hamburgs have been saddled with "Spotty" and "Dotty". Yep... Poor things.<br />
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'nyway, the hamburgs have a neat high-stepping gate, but dotty has been spending a lot of time, either laying down or when she does move she's REALLY picking up her feet, so I noticed quickly something was off. The trick was catching her!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m5iov-LOfy5sDwiRyHt25Ta8bUlZZF6U-hhLT9Rld5e2qlkInb-XSBLE1DO2k5pFOruRoUJiQTTF3hRDSF3oVBiW5Hsf3L_7GtJf6jhge9L_FxCuyoVysGa0LK9a94FKrdn-1cTF2zZV/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m5iov-LOfy5sDwiRyHt25Ta8bUlZZF6U-hhLT9Rld5e2qlkInb-XSBLE1DO2k5pFOruRoUJiQTTF3hRDSF3oVBiW5Hsf3L_7GtJf6jhge9L_FxCuyoVysGa0LK9a94FKrdn-1cTF2zZV/s320/IMG_0644.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEEW6NW7ZVay3xIEpvF5NjQnnYLaq8DVOCRzkVygTzHfj_tHmw9zi-bzgcEjHelpeA4ogU5kKdEYvgRRxf0BKS-YFhmB2sU5xIGxHlEU3svHzsSzOnpT7rGAyz0V3wSQWkZGiZ5FVaTfK/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIEEW6NW7ZVay3xIEpvF5NjQnnYLaq8DVOCRzkVygTzHfj_tHmw9zi-bzgcEjHelpeA4ogU5kKdEYvgRRxf0BKS-YFhmB2sU5xIGxHlEU3svHzsSzOnpT7rGAyz0V3wSQWkZGiZ5FVaTfK/s320/IMG_0646.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnoUxF0C-lOx3VTetqWG2gN4kW9AA3b0eJ1NxGnMRpt2JycvMfWRAElfviJoDTKYmx9WLYyn-yOLgervpJ_Cxcqkb6Y8jI1Xiln748QPTsi5j4VipgVyDbebxAF0djNXVAFOfZlS5vct_/s1600/IMG_0645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnoUxF0C-lOx3VTetqWG2gN4kW9AA3b0eJ1NxGnMRpt2JycvMfWRAElfviJoDTKYmx9WLYyn-yOLgervpJ_Cxcqkb6Y8jI1Xiln748QPTsi5j4VipgVyDbebxAF0djNXVAFOfZlS5vct_/s320/IMG_0645.JPG" width="320" /></a>I was told by her last owner that they were great birds, always running around the barnyard. I will tell you, my chickens who run around the barnyard, who peck and scratch in the dirt, wear their nails down very quickly. Dotty's nails are not nailed down. Nor are her feet those of a particularly young bird.<br />
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Regardless, first of all her nails needed to be cut. This is just like trimming a cat or dog's nails, try to avoid the quick. So her toes just got a little trim, as soon as her foot heals she should be out scratching around.<br />
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She also had a few small cuts in her foot so I used iodine and then my liquid bandage to cover it. She's still hopping around quite a bit but looks a whole lot more comfortable and has been out & about out of the barn finally.<br />
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Spotty & Dotty are just attached at the wing-tip though, I've never seen anything like it. If Spotty goes out to get a drink or go look for food Dotty will start screaming bloody murder for him to come back. So at least I don't have to lock them in a little cage to keep them breeding pure, as they're doing that on their own. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabiwrXkfYOXviRvkhCY8zzPfTRjjlYqCFnCplj7ZqgJVrUqz1TyHNRYhssuOlDZrgCBCRnde7cGAybM28t9zD5EUYZX_dyE2Pgd-aJj1h2NKjHNkhcNGlkFixtP0IvJREERYKcqJY3EHX/s1600/IMG_0649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabiwrXkfYOXviRvkhCY8zzPfTRjjlYqCFnCplj7ZqgJVrUqz1TyHNRYhssuOlDZrgCBCRnde7cGAybM28t9zD5EUYZX_dyE2Pgd-aJj1h2NKjHNkhcNGlkFixtP0IvJREERYKcqJY3EHX/s320/IMG_0649.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrq12lSWgyVRZAGw9vOCYkYL3AGoWQ9oNNHHaSin4NT4qMDOmTqHgvj08INkBKZsS9yv2qwy_p-vpEzEy0H-KI0Zp0tKHbTFkX4IXNTjx2I1xBnAxyhYTpJjBbt7xCo-idTZicpbpOwQo/s1600/IMG_0647.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrq12lSWgyVRZAGw9vOCYkYL3AGoWQ9oNNHHaSin4NT4qMDOmTqHgvj08INkBKZsS9yv2qwy_p-vpEzEy0H-KI0Zp0tKHbTFkX4IXNTjx2I1xBnAxyhYTpJjBbt7xCo-idTZicpbpOwQo/s320/IMG_0647.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-34550049811068492352012-04-16T17:00:00.001-04:002012-04-16T17:00:00.997-04:00Cupcake linersCupcake liners are something I <u>never</u> remember to pick up at the store, so I made these homemade ones on the weekend instead! Very simple, I did find making the edges not straight (I made them wavy) made them bend easier.<br />
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<a href="http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/white-chocolate-mocha-cupcakes-with-homemade-liners/">http://oneordinaryday.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/white-chocolate-mocha-cupcakes-with-homemade-liners/</a>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-55038774830436481102012-04-16T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-16T17:00:04.808-04:00Pasture Clean Up<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkynluZ_n3ArUqGygE0KSW9fdsclBMJ92niJYWN0BegPtO3_BeNWbKtH1a6OjY19SljNq-XToFh-G_ZekXoVMlEKw5N_Nz-qxlOMfQqdsbeksaK5m7o8AuWQ8ysd5b7VkBf9L5plgdVXW/s1600/IMG_0657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNkynluZ_n3ArUqGygE0KSW9fdsclBMJ92niJYWN0BegPtO3_BeNWbKtH1a6OjY19SljNq-XToFh-G_ZekXoVMlEKw5N_Nz-qxlOMfQqdsbeksaK5m7o8AuWQ8ysd5b7VkBf9L5plgdVXW/s320/IMG_0657.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wasted Hay<br />Texans look away.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGunqh4Chezv8nzl628Qa1ur7KPJuunejgYqBToooc6pMFN32ockEImc5ZifXxkTVo_2En9Fb2uf0S9Ig7ppvzVwNi5pbN47j1I5IxgqHP0_Xq2UOCMNPYZXFrfH7oMjh0Yia8j__fEnZ/s1600/IMG_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGunqh4Chezv8nzl628Qa1ur7KPJuunejgYqBToooc6pMFN32ockEImc5ZifXxkTVo_2En9Fb2uf0S9Ig7ppvzVwNi5pbN47j1I5IxgqHP0_Xq2UOCMNPYZXFrfH7oMjh0Yia8j__fEnZ/s320/IMG_0669.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite a bit was still frozen in the middle<br />Something the article suggested would happen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making little bunches to pick up</td></tr>
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Overall the winter bale grazing went well and we'll do it again. Next year I'm going to combine it with restricting access to one bale at a time, as well as keeping the cattle penned away from the feed over night. (This is based on another study I'll share later)<br /><br />In the mean time, I have to clean up the hay rings left from the hay out in the field. There was only one bale the animals didn't eat and it was very very mouldy. Probably bales wet from the edges of the hay pasture.<br /><br />The original article says that a few inches of hay is fine, the grass will come up through it, but anything deeper needs to be chopped or moved.<br />
<br />Ideally we'd be keeping the animals off the acreage we'd used to winter bale graze, with limited space and no fences we're not able to do that this year, so manual labour is my only solution.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or this one I spread around to even out the nitrogen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the bales got eaten completely down<br />and don't need any attention</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pastures are coming back nicely<br />and hopefully well fertilized for this summer! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trouble goes by the name "Harry" around here<br />On the ground they want nothing to do with it<br />but now it's all piled up on the trailer... </td></tr>
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-53198670126054331242012-04-15T17:00:00.001-04:002012-04-15T17:00:05.457-04:00Musky in the Egg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx9FNGztpiP0VpK98Q4xC3ROwZbLqALfTDf4OMinJZw2JT2Yw6nP25ShhAaZHP81aAzbqI3KNZ3Hlr0j_gOfg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />Muscovy ducklings right before they were about to hatch!<br /><br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-90266634010997511012012-04-15T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-15T17:00:01.635-04:00 We started off this spring with 3 duck nests with 29 eggs. Well the cows got one nest (it was in a bad spot anyway) and then Andy let the PBPs out and they got the other nest; but Daphne picked a great spot up in the loft and after 35 looooong days (for me!) they're hatching!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUurdzVhY8IlZCSxi3V9k5ijyfe3Ae1n8LJMwsRLPMQeYuwwEAQWGdKoDlmmON8U0nTXEdIjgWXg9XYW2nr0IPTmMbNSAKT3w-qilEekDdIgFx7zKzjO1kLlWA0D6RwImRbD_4CLCi33L1/s1600/IMG_0782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUurdzVhY8IlZCSxi3V9k5ijyfe3Ae1n8LJMwsRLPMQeYuwwEAQWGdKoDlmmON8U0nTXEdIjgWXg9XYW2nr0IPTmMbNSAKT3w-qilEekDdIgFx7zKzjO1kLlWA0D6RwImRbD_4CLCi33L1/s320/IMG_0782.JPG" width="320" /></a>I candled all the eggs the day before they hatched, because I wasn't quite sure of her hatch day I've been keep careful track of when they're going to hatch.<br /><br />I could see movement in 5 of the 7 eggs, and put Xs on those ones with a sharpie. The 6th had a duckling in it, but he doesn't seem to be moving, so that one has just a / on it & I put it back under mom just in case. The last egg was rotten and got buried in the compost.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZP29II1oEVOMxYTimMLFTAcEqN52Jo58ZnqvUVqr8WoYyapjsMuhQeGfWo9_Eizc6thHkvhuiY9Y024O5cB9MQMPVwGN8Yd4ICfQ7BtfDWoLJ7lecK_mqODiuIngyEJ1aaFfeO2vuqAt/s1600/IMG_0785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZP29II1oEVOMxYTimMLFTAcEqN52Jo58ZnqvUVqr8WoYyapjsMuhQeGfWo9_Eizc6thHkvhuiY9Y024O5cB9MQMPVwGN8Yd4ICfQ7BtfDWoLJ7lecK_mqODiuIngyEJ1aaFfeO2vuqAt/s320/IMG_0785.JPG" width="320" /></a>One thing I learned this week is that duck eggs take a long time to actually hatch! I thought they'd be more like chickens who barely take any time between the first pip and when the chicks are out & running around, but they can take as much as 24 to 48 hours between that first pip and actually hatching.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb89F-C8xTz4ip6jv3XFLnJaa4CiTqeHSeeYvOUzlu7JWPPbs9uSge6LA_B3WFwlAZtzhTfVzXnKmXq0bEzdjm4HzW0TcxWMo5qv8kmU3DiFkDdI-BRSAG3B1jrHa50kjdBwmRZi-oxbOp/s1600/IMG_0860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb89F-C8xTz4ip6jv3XFLnJaa4CiTqeHSeeYvOUzlu7JWPPbs9uSge6LA_B3WFwlAZtzhTfVzXnKmXq0bEzdjm4HzW0TcxWMo5qv8kmU3DiFkDdI-BRSAG3B1jrHa50kjdBwmRZi-oxbOp/s320/IMG_0860.JPG" width="320" /></a>Once they do hatch they're absolutely adorable!! Little tiny muscovy babies, we're all so excited to see them.<br />
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I put food and water up there as soon as the babies started hatching, because they're up in the loft they aren't going to able to keep using this as a nest spot for the ducklings as they grow (because they can't fly up there with mom). I didn't want mom trying to take them too far for food until I get a chance to move them all once they've all hatched. <br /><br />Daphne's pretty pissed at me for mussing with her but she actually looked relieved (if that's possible for a duck) and stopped hissing at me as soon as I brought the food up.<br />
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-85140322197846438712012-04-14T17:00:00.001-04:002012-04-14T17:00:02.522-04:00Chick Day!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little guys LOVE chick time!</td></tr>
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Time for our first order of chickies!<br />We're staggering all our chickens this year and we're going to start with 50 now, and another 50 at the end of the month and see how things are looking from there.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">50 +2 little yellow fuzzy bums</td></tr>
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They're so cute at first! My kids are great and being very very gentle with the little chicks, so we trying and make sure the chicks get lots of handling right from their first days. It helps to keep them calmer and less stressed on their last day when they're already used to being moved around and handled.<br />
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Because they've had a long trip, as I remove each from the box I'm gently holding them to the water so they can get a first little drink. About half of them just wandered off while they other half stayed and had a good long drink after I put them down.<br />
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The newspaper keeps the chicks from eating the shavings that are down underneath. This happens sometimes with brand new babies, they don't realise the shavings aren't food, and will starve to death with a full stomach. After only a few days they won't need this any more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">The chick ma-hal! </span></td></tr>
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I did put the light down a little lower after I took this pictures, it wasn't keeping the chicks warm enough (I could tell because they were all clustered underneath). All the books, etc. will tell you that you want to see some chicks drinking, some eating & some under the heater and then you can tell the chicks are the right temperature. Like most chicken keepers I've noticed my chicks actually like to sleep in big dog piles of chickens, which is how they would sleep under mom so it makes sense.<br /><br />I could tell the chicks were the right temperature because they slept in a donut shape under the light, so right underneath they would have been too warm, but they were all sleeping where they were comfortable. Right now the light is only a few inches off the ground (there is a cage on it which is an inch or two off the bulb) and I'll raise it a bit as the chicks get bigger.<br /><br />Last year I kept the chicks in the main part of the barn, but with the new barn kitty putting them inside the coop seemed like a MUCH better idea. It does mean the roosters Nasty & Junior are inside the coop together, but thankfully they seem to just be keeping away from each other, for the most part.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7hVz6qma7yxNgXTNAcM-72GVPFJ-MaokPMByDdfXoo_4FeQUDnCA9Q9DAXT-D9OkuG1Vmukm279fE0XEsLN1KI3x4I9hI4O7fW148MedCbKw3BCuN8XnbmSKmvKlMfVHMD3_RmQwc8T0/s1600/IMG_0790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7hVz6qma7yxNgXTNAcM-72GVPFJ-MaokPMByDdfXoo_4FeQUDnCA9Q9DAXT-D9OkuG1Vmukm279fE0XEsLN1KI3x4I9hI4O7fW148MedCbKw3BCuN8XnbmSKmvKlMfVHMD3_RmQwc8T0/s320/IMG_0790.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are 2 too many roosters in that nest box</td></tr>
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-35717604358706158352012-04-13T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-13T17:00:03.857-04:00Easter Garden Work Pt. 4 I got driven out of the garden because of rain and other obligations, but I got the ground work laid for the last bit of work in this section of garden.<br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX40TTn28all0ZvwXfFukpY4O1gRBSEIHsl6lKFJhiFDPmT-SishSAT9aVdQtdvTtCZWXb5_5NfQk2uB5anMUn12n5wPQ4zcFqZWFdL5Eb5sd5inpCHhjIMZkdFeS7wr0eAuRr3SBQNs7/s1600/IMG_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrX40TTn28all0ZvwXfFukpY4O1gRBSEIHsl6lKFJhiFDPmT-SishSAT9aVdQtdvTtCZWXb5_5NfQk2uB5anMUn12n5wPQ4zcFqZWFdL5Eb5sd5inpCHhjIMZkdFeS7wr0eAuRr3SBQNs7/s320/IMG_0764.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomato horn-worm larva a.k.a. the enemy<br />But good things is, they are delicious! Uh, to chickens!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH8xyX62UUHGjo8TiwrZjk4G_FB1E0E6GXOZvtvcDhvYoKNk-zeG1rW0Nav6AohqCJc-tc03SQrnGH3_VFqusOubVMszcDWvZ0yGqpa5XRxnDDFQfXsj1FBXhXYeOsYfmWhYBO6hNBom7/s1600/IMG_0767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH8xyX62UUHGjo8TiwrZjk4G_FB1E0E6GXOZvtvcDhvYoKNk-zeG1rW0Nav6AohqCJc-tc03SQrnGH3_VFqusOubVMszcDWvZ0yGqpa5XRxnDDFQfXsj1FBXhXYeOsYfmWhYBO6hNBom7/s320/IMG_0767.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chickens helping me look under<br />the sod</td></tr>
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I'm going to be removing all the sod in between the garden and the current bushes. Mostly so I can grow more things! I'll be covering the paths around the garden in wood chips from my giant pile (another great use for them!).<br /><br />Right against the shop I'll have some lattice of fence or something holding up things like peas and climbing beans.<br /><br />Then the next bed in will hold things like bush beans, and lots and lots of carrots and other root veggies to get down into the stone-dust.<br /><br />The largest bed will hold all my hot plants since it get the most sun, things like pepper and tomatoes.<br /><br />Then the smallest bed on the far left is for corn since the sun moves left to right across my garden from this angle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XgaU41Imw-vtFganaIij9CQ3y0zRyISSD31mSbBcP4WTnc5HvDGXT8e6FtISCsMW71SaU3YmhpW1kq6asZc7bsmJTE8Dv1-I19pjpi_xEONgypHb0vfrOWJigQeL4BLfh-0hOW_eeWXD/s1600/IMG_0769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4XgaU41Imw-vtFganaIij9CQ3y0zRyISSD31mSbBcP4WTnc5HvDGXT8e6FtISCsMW71SaU3YmhpW1kq6asZc7bsmJTE8Dv1-I19pjpi_xEONgypHb0vfrOWJigQeL4BLfh-0hOW_eeWXD/s400/IMG_0769.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />I still have lots of space on the back of this photo up to where my first beds are (covered in plastic there). I'm going to put some more beds in there to hold squash too!Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-58979998175776893742012-04-12T17:00:00.001-04:002012-04-12T17:00:07.103-04:00Easter Garden Work Pt. 3<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NZyDDmDAHQk8gm4kYELrN4u8CEEYRnaR3-3DrAkEMJDQH84B4fBbJPsC9_pIL1VvxtElRAE4gibvrEW1HR13cHKv7wrzLl9czav4Cj7aMpHOCw3KpdwrVkcf-oePI0pfxCIMca4tsDpm/s1600/IMG_0695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NZyDDmDAHQk8gm4kYELrN4u8CEEYRnaR3-3DrAkEMJDQH84B4fBbJPsC9_pIL1VvxtElRAE4gibvrEW1HR13cHKv7wrzLl9czav4Cj7aMpHOCw3KpdwrVkcf-oePI0pfxCIMca4tsDpm/s320/IMG_0695.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy chickens full of worms</td></tr>
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I let the chickens join me in the garden for a few reasons, the best of which is free food for the chickens! They've been removing pests from my garden while saving big on our food bill which is fantastic. They also help to break out the clumps of soil while they dig, which is less work for me.<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuvRcmBxapyK6f-PR6z3yYAxHWYhOm_dzqqzNhD-bk58SqnJ6skeRWrod0LTRZWQY9SPKOSbcT__21I0slArKfQ33FWRY7-Ldlw3_sJ4Z0B-VGTLbcRrS_phvzGrELXOseRu77zp-_UwE/s1600/IMG_0698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcuvRcmBxapyK6f-PR6z3yYAxHWYhOm_dzqqzNhD-bk58SqnJ6skeRWrod0LTRZWQY9SPKOSbcT__21I0slArKfQ33FWRY7-Ldlw3_sJ4Z0B-VGTLbcRrS_phvzGrELXOseRu77zp-_UwE/s320/IMG_0698.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Garden is starting to look like a real veg patch! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeb-pok3wlfDCdDG7HEtYllVz3ZIv4k2dwTCV1iAkBYZTYBA-tgxbZ6QB0Ua_sJ6eyawNmzMCMs95k9AF7jRXUyqQwvk_IVmcjXPSSDyIjqkKGW9zwtt0jiLr66XFAJ9EncQ9HS4fNuu0/s1600/IMG_0707.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMeb-pok3wlfDCdDG7HEtYllVz3ZIv4k2dwTCV1iAkBYZTYBA-tgxbZ6QB0Ua_sJ6eyawNmzMCMs95k9AF7jRXUyqQwvk_IVmcjXPSSDyIjqkKGW9zwtt0jiLr66XFAJ9EncQ9HS4fNuu0/s320/IMG_0707.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moved the compost inside the garden.<br />Not much goes in it since we have the manure piles<br />but it is more convenient for kitchen scraps. </td></tr>
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Since I wasn't able to double-dig the end of the garden closest to the camera here (because of the stone dust) I'm hoping to be able to stimulate the weeds to grow so I can pick them out (or break them off with the hoe) before I start planting in these beds. Part of this is to water the beds, so I'm watering my weeds!<br /><br />Of course then it rained for two days... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUO4FqQiNbWPgMdxH4oTVsu7d2IAhFpH8-QzUwXQDQA1P-_3BwMJXdnUBm1fYVEYjnryNwXktXLMIkzN8oNStrZyrXlrBX46pBIKTu5b3-Jtq3kGer-skcGZSU2KePm_LFVULD6qaTXSd/s1600/IMG_0716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUO4FqQiNbWPgMdxH4oTVsu7d2IAhFpH8-QzUwXQDQA1P-_3BwMJXdnUBm1fYVEYjnryNwXktXLMIkzN8oNStrZyrXlrBX46pBIKTu5b3-Jtq3kGer-skcGZSU2KePm_LFVULD6qaTXSd/s320/IMG_0716.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done for the day!</td></tr>
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Over the coming years we will be able to add all the lovely manure from the muck pile to the garden and build up a really nice deep layer of soil so this won't be an issue.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-68939540622068779392012-04-12T12:00:00.000-04:002012-04-12T12:00:09.597-04:00Cow/Calf Update<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeenZUI2J72wh4lk2ScJ2nHx7Z9ingkWDUnOtcmVfGNHMZFg3oVrrdXG1nCEgUoPHw2qeIGMf5sRl6f4WrCqXLf3m93eZdKmZiTd7p34BVxS69lPgo9AxlMWM7kJETIgkthwyzGrfYSkjg/s1600/IMG_2744.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeenZUI2J72wh4lk2ScJ2nHx7Z9ingkWDUnOtcmVfGNHMZFg3oVrrdXG1nCEgUoPHw2qeIGMf5sRl6f4WrCqXLf3m93eZdKmZiTd7p34BVxS69lPgo9AxlMWM7kJETIgkthwyzGrfYSkjg/s320/IMG_2744.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burger & Steak our first little calves last year</td></tr>
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Well, there is no update.<br /><br />We've now elapsed all possibility of the cows having been pregnant and we are definitely not getting calves this year.<br /><br />Because I didn't see them come into heat at all this year, I fear we've done something wrong more then the bull not doing his job, but I don't know.<br /><br />Cows are going off to camp at the end of the month to spend all summer with the bull and we'll have to buy some calves to bring back with them now.<br /><br />Welcome to real farming.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-77738096951106670902012-04-11T17:00:00.001-04:002012-04-11T17:00:06.363-04:00Easter Garden Work Pt. 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-qaft-6HNKK42dmyEMjk30pLhPXhseNRnlSB0mdpZcP6IlQTyhn2wBzbziqIjuD2V4tJhUAUowGedSKG1Ba8DoZMGD36ED_rnUYodDm-HAOJRUfEDsVYd41CiAUFETTlXX6WjGPxYPVg/s1600/IMG_0599.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-qaft-6HNKK42dmyEMjk30pLhPXhseNRnlSB0mdpZcP6IlQTyhn2wBzbziqIjuD2V4tJhUAUowGedSKG1Ba8DoZMGD36ED_rnUYodDm-HAOJRUfEDsVYd41CiAUFETTlXX6WjGPxYPVg/s320/IMG_0599.JPG" width="320" /></a> Day 2 brings even more digging and lots more chicken friends!<br /><br />I use twine & step-in posts for the fence to keep my lines straight as I make my beds, measuring evenly out from the shop.<br /><br />The shop has some covered over doors, and I think someone used to keep pigs in there, long before it was a shop. So as I dug I found both a hard bedrock layer, and in some areas, evidence of stone-dust having been put down.<br />
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Which made double-digging these areas really difficult because I couldn't get through those spots and I had to single dig.<br />
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The length of the beds have to do with where the sun/shadows stop, so these beds won't be as hot and sunny as the next ones out the garden. The width of them are simple the length I can reach into the beds from either side. It makes <u>no</u> sense to have beds you can't reach in to weed with out stepping on your veggies.<br /><br />I'll adjust how much veggie plants needs to be spaced out by how big the beds are. With good, fertile, soil you can squish things much closer together then you can with poorer soils.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzhn-uj72mntm7R-JY0jlWydHdMiu-56au22jtrmwCFVD0e-1wlko3TsW-Gc5fbz9Ot7tG1AYccQIiy3BZH1yHovMEdExhLiDFHmhr3OVV-3r5cezXf-tgXNzleQrKayTfdl8wLtpAPY1/s1600/IMG_0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuzhn-uj72mntm7R-JY0jlWydHdMiu-56au22jtrmwCFVD0e-1wlko3TsW-Gc5fbz9Ot7tG1AYccQIiy3BZH1yHovMEdExhLiDFHmhr3OVV-3r5cezXf-tgXNzleQrKayTfdl8wLtpAPY1/s320/IMG_0609.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ready for planting!</td></tr>
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-28013827692210824382012-04-10T17:00:00.002-04:002012-04-10T17:00:05.002-04:00Easter Garden Work Pt. 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZmIChANcC6J0gSoLMyPHhtYeuBjYUCdvAxHT1Ec73zqrJ1GKMep08AyfM2ZpQ6LozNKSvIv-si4SenhCS1Ag-wpxL3U2Bwtvu2Kyn5rgk8OyMFZNIwUtbOjvB1LzPg41HTkwBPRL2PxY/s1600/IMG_0579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRZmIChANcC6J0gSoLMyPHhtYeuBjYUCdvAxHT1Ec73zqrJ1GKMep08AyfM2ZpQ6LozNKSvIv-si4SenhCS1Ag-wpxL3U2Bwtvu2Kyn5rgk8OyMFZNIwUtbOjvB1LzPg41HTkwBPRL2PxY/s320/IMG_0579.JPG" width="320" /></a> I got a tremendous amount of work done in the garden over the easter holidays, so I'm going to have to split it up into a few posts; so here is part 1<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTu352VdTn14NRBSB5mRjbdsL27EkfppZYgwl0uwWRIvI9nCQxepK1Buuy56n9AhstsltKze5nN1uYZKfd8v0CY5nhLxdlhWIvNH-oXghLJYjzzcLA4GDjHtkojlOBKPfhw4nZxlxmlLl/s1600/IMG_0587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTu352VdTn14NRBSB5mRjbdsL27EkfppZYgwl0uwWRIvI9nCQxepK1Buuy56n9AhstsltKze5nN1uYZKfd8v0CY5nhLxdlhWIvNH-oXghLJYjzzcLA4GDjHtkojlOBKPfhw4nZxlxmlLl/s320/IMG_0587.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every gardener needs a garden cat<br />
to supervise. </td></tr>
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My plan is to double-dig as much of the garden as possible. This helps to bury the weed seeds, as well as preping a nice soft bed for the new veggies. Double-digging is a method I've always used, especially in our last garden where I was turning under a stone-dust & <u>heavy</u> clay dog run into a veggie plot.<br />
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To double dig a garden, you simply dig a big long trench, the length of your bed, removing that soil. Then you're loosing the dirt at the bottom of your trench. Then you take a step back and turn the top soil from the next section into the bottom of the first. This disturbs the weed seeds enough that they should germinate and start growing, but be so low under ground they can't reach the surface to become weeds.<br />
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Plus, it's loosening up & aerating all the soil for your new veggies, and very easy planting if you've got seedlings to go in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbVpdh55VEs5UPAXqpEktwoUwHeWnUTtYH8DokVIuWBTY1VnB9qpSHIBh48gMaUPIgvh4lPnSwPYIGCrSIuYhLCUIqRMpNT5nzl59CNb0MXDHKrCnDVc2dDfpYW-aoNFTPf-OpqdGqQ30/s1600/IMG_0588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbVpdh55VEs5UPAXqpEktwoUwHeWnUTtYH8DokVIuWBTY1VnB9qpSHIBh48gMaUPIgvh4lPnSwPYIGCrSIuYhLCUIqRMpNT5nzl59CNb0MXDHKrCnDVc2dDfpYW-aoNFTPf-OpqdGqQ30/s320/IMG_0588.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Should have taken the picture BEFORE I took<br />
most of them out, now they just look sad!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xCsKLiKmV4UsZba7_d9iHu3S_0rziGOb7crtahJZZxK5s8N9nmKuGSJybJrE-sNWTYslXM6xn2QvMtvYA73JpSwIN0Wher8QlhFDQbYeyjDX_FclU93Q-Kwe51v5UiHfyTksZFYy6-31/s1600/IMG_0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6xCsKLiKmV4UsZba7_d9iHu3S_0rziGOb7crtahJZZxK5s8N9nmKuGSJybJrE-sNWTYslXM6xn2QvMtvYA73JpSwIN0Wher8QlhFDQbYeyjDX_FclU93Q-Kwe51v5UiHfyTksZFYy6-31/s320/IMG_0591.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teeny little sprouts!</td></tr>
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For my first little bed I'm planting some Ruby Queen Beets that I had just sprouted in the kitchen. <br />
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I spaced the sprouts around 4"apart on a off-set grid pattern. The boards & plastic are to protect the sprouts from the cold, but even more so, the chickens until we get the fence up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vs-BWrFYiDuDMrhLozFcUpw20BlKgIXU5Sb6bqdkwF6tLxrt-azj0r5_wTvmVOxWYJDYAFf-8htEpaYMxbshn2QMO2Xwtdvl-iiTczFORzHf2X8wBE7e4wZIMzpMcEBFhE3XpIHyIXW8/s1600/IMG_0594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vs-BWrFYiDuDMrhLozFcUpw20BlKgIXU5Sb6bqdkwF6tLxrt-azj0r5_wTvmVOxWYJDYAFf-8htEpaYMxbshn2QMO2Xwtdvl-iiTczFORzHf2X8wBE7e4wZIMzpMcEBFhE3XpIHyIXW8/s320/IMG_0594.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The colour of my hands all summer</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnVA8G8x_stMD0171ShlroTCm8dVsR3b9H30igAIOg5N5ugCqzQF8QhlVkGCWeGCKAddH4eS5dYIdbzBY1NyMchPtFyy0Rbp5HbVvvySq78oUus8uXejKHLhgAu_W5U8jEoSVLKlgpw1q/s1600/IMG_0595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBnVA8G8x_stMD0171ShlroTCm8dVsR3b9H30igAIOg5N5ugCqzQF8QhlVkGCWeGCKAddH4eS5dYIdbzBY1NyMchPtFyy0Rbp5HbVvvySq78oUus8uXejKHLhgAu_W5U8jEoSVLKlgpw1q/s320/IMG_0595.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boards to hold the plastic off the plants</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzt3yMM4pfVoAaA2cq6bNhvm39YMKMVuPWRBPuQVC2vfwXDo59Yaq47Nd-Yl5ARBB4JBQ28MlCevnecDxqbXJet4OKZ_7bb4pJphS-8IFxbpj2bkzHw0r8ZJe72O7zIV_fX3m464a-QsP/s1600/IMG_0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzt3yMM4pfVoAaA2cq6bNhvm39YMKMVuPWRBPuQVC2vfwXDo59Yaq47Nd-Yl5ARBB4JBQ28MlCevnecDxqbXJet4OKZ_7bb4pJphS-8IFxbpj2bkzHw0r8ZJe72O7zIV_fX3m464a-QsP/s320/IMG_0596.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keeping it covered from cold & chickens</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtIaz6L2YPrkaL4Wkh8p3NunN4UQP7jcQjxWIlWLXfimBtjuygf6siiV0lUn-3sLEyEfL2Gdi9pRGzK7eAh1b0twg-xbqidJ-7GMg0TmqtUR45AeXWxeTP8hQhxIHnmJPQ9-ja2EX2p3n/s1600/IMG_0598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtIaz6L2YPrkaL4Wkh8p3NunN4UQP7jcQjxWIlWLXfimBtjuygf6siiV0lUn-3sLEyEfL2Gdi9pRGzK7eAh1b0twg-xbqidJ-7GMg0TmqtUR45AeXWxeTP8hQhxIHnmJPQ9-ja2EX2p3n/s320/IMG_0598.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These chickens</td></tr>
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7974545576568482389.post-67996876168011429742012-04-08T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-08T17:00:00.694-04:00Ahhhhhh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil782LTOoIFWuMy3q0eyn4r2Poya61iLdqhLJjLnGEgsJ8OE48CUA7LkjLUQN7APcoo3KnGbRiC8BIZDaCSOZuahyq_Zw_8sUnNW7hXpIDPoD5DWZ7nFNp6lKuGm75VJELS7I4zs35HeVP/s1600/IMG_0513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil782LTOoIFWuMy3q0eyn4r2Poya61iLdqhLJjLnGEgsJ8OE48CUA7LkjLUQN7APcoo3KnGbRiC8BIZDaCSOZuahyq_Zw_8sUnNW7hXpIDPoD5DWZ7nFNp6lKuGm75VJELS7I4zs35HeVP/s320/IMG_0513.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Run! It's a big scary bull eating out of the bucket in my hands...<br />Tried really hard not to make Steak "friendly" because he's still a bull and could be dangerous, but his shorthorn nature shines through pretty well!Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11375259718817439088noreply@blogger.com0