Strawberry Jam

Fry's had strawberries on sale for $0.97 per carton. I had been meaning to pick them up for several days but it never made it to the top of my to-do list. Finally yesterday I realized they would be going off sale today so I went out and picked up 24 cartons. 

Elliot was overjoyed at the prospect of jam!!

He likes to help in the kitchen and gooshing strawberries has to be one of the best tasks ever!! 

Noah didn't like the idea of squishing them with his hands so he used a potato masher.

There are several good things about making jam at home. One is a reduced cost. I also like that I have control over the amount of sugar that goes into the jam. I have tried sugar substitutes like homey and coconut sugar, but nothing is as good as nasty, white, refined sugar...so I just use less than I would find in commercial jam. 

Waste is also eliminated when I make it from home. After hulling the berries the hulls become chicken treats!

 Quinnie had a great time feeding them. Who needs clothes on the farm?!?!

When all was said and done, I spent $23.28 on strawberries, $9.88 on pectin, $5.97 on sugar, $4.76 on lids and made 27.5 jars of jam. That works out to a total of about $1.60 per jar. 

Woo hoo!! Now I have a year's worth of jam!

Lots of Little Ones

While we have had more loss here than we would have liked, we have also had a lot of birth. Delilah had her babies. She birthed seven babies on the 4th. All seven have survived and she is proving to be a good mother! 

Lots of chicks. Just lots. 

Our Muscovy, Helga, successfully hatched 3 chicks. She laid close to 20 eggs so three hatching is not a good turn out, but as these are the first fowl ever successfully hatched on Mediocre Acres were are excited! And as a side note, our four breeding Muscovy are named Helga, Rowena, Godrick and Salazar. (Any Harry Potter fans out there?!)

She was not a fan of me getting close to take pictures! 

Since we messed up in breed selection for Julia's poultry 4-H project we have tried to salvage the project by buying her a Silkie chick. They are bantam chickens so they will be a more manageable size for her. She is very excited. She has also decided she would like to take on a dairy goat project. We are so proud of her increased interest of what is going on here. 

When Silkie (ya, that's what she named it) grows up s/he will look like this:

They are such goofy chickens!

Nelson

Despite Nelson's initial improvement, he began to steadily decline after that day. On the 8th I noticed that he was not eating as much as the other goats. Then on the 9th he completely stopped nursing. I would tip the bottle up and milk would pour out. He would swallow, but he was not sucking. By this time, we had determined that he was completely blind on one side and significantly, if not completely, blind on the other. Blind animals can still thrive in a farm setting, but they have to be able (and willing) to eat.

On the morning of the 10th I came out to feed the bucklings and Marley and Willie met me, tails wagging, but Nelson was conspicuously absent. When I walked into the shed I found him lying down and unable to walk. I picked him up and he immediately fell back down without putting any weight on his legs. He seemed to have no use of them whatsoever.

Losing an animal is always difficult, but when that animal is less than a week old and you have taken an active role in its daily care, that loss is felt a little more sharply.

I have noticed that since the loss of Nelson, feeding time for the baby goats is less stressful. I knew Nelson was not going to make it. I knew that every day I went out to feed and snuggle him I was getting one day closer to losing him. It is easier to go out and see healthy, thriving babies.

After Nelson died I was on the verge of getting rid of our entire herd. We lost Fey on the 6th and Nelson on the 10th. There was this toxin present that was killing our goats but we didn't know where it could be. After discussing recent events with out vet, we determined that when we dug out a portion of the goat pen to put hay on the garden, we dug up some decomposing hay (which is great for the garden, but toxic to goats). Bailey ate some and got sick. Fey ate some while pregnant and it killed her and caused some amount of brain damage to Nelson. Nelson died as a result of that brain damage. .

This realization made me feel better and worse at the same time. It was our actions that caused the death of Fey and Nelson, but it was no longer a mysterious toxin lurking ready to kill the rest of our herd. We were fighting a known enemy. Now we have a plan of action. By attempting to clean out the pen right now we will be exposing all the babies, Mary Jane and Bailey to more of the toxin. In the coming weeks we will be borrowing a tractor, pulling down the fence (it needs to be replaced anyway) and digging out the entire pen. New bedding will be put down and a new feeder installed.

We made a mistake and we can not go an un-make it, but we can learn from it and improve the way we manage our herd.

Chickens, Do My Work!

We have lots of poultry right now. Like LOTS. We have 39 Cornish Cross meat chickens, 9 broad breasted white turkeys, 11 broad breasted bronze turkeys, 6 barred rock chickens (these were supposed to be Julia's 4-H project until we realized that a barred rock is entirely too big for her to show at only 8 years old.) 1 silkie chick (we got it for free and it is a far better breed for Julia to show) and 23 assorted layer chicks. This is in addition to the 4 Moscovy ducks, and 1 Peking duck. We have acquired all of these birds in the past 3 months. We have a current laying chicken stock of 10 hens and 2 roosters. That is over 100 birds on the property!!! 

Raising these animals humanely is the top priority for us. It is important that our birds are able to eat greens and bugs in in addition to the feed and water they get. Protecting them from the dogs and the raptors that fly around is also important. Our answer for our meat birds is chicken tractors!! They are 3x5x2 cages with no bottom and a hinged top. I do all the building here because spacial relations are not Leigh's strong suit. But I do use him for the heavy lifting. 

Look! It's a picture of Leigh! 

The added benefit of the chicken tractors are mobility. Coincidentally (well, it's not really a coincidence) the tractors fit into our garden beds. Every two days we move the tractor 5 feet down the bed and this gives the birds fresh greens and bugs. The birds also drop delightfully free fertilizer onto the beds. Their scratching tills the fertilizer into the soil and then we can go through with a hand tiller and dig it a little deeper.   

These Cornish crosses are 5 weeks old. Harvest age is 6-8 weeks. We will harvest closer to 8 weeks as we break ours down into breasts and leg quarters. We have found that this makes the meat go farthest when feeding a family of 7. 

These are some of the younger chicks. The darkest birds are the bronze turkeys, the whitish fluff balls are more Cornish crosses, and the light brown birds are layers. We splurged on our brooder this year. We bought a galvanized tank for $135 at the feed store. It was one of our better extravagant farm purchases! We like that the birds don't have to live on cage floor for any portion of their life. It is easy to clean and disinfect in between batches of birds and I'm not worried about my shoddy workmanship biting me in the butt. If you can purchase one of these with cash I highly recommend one! 

We are very proud of the growth of our poultry program this year. We plan on running another round of 50 Cornish crosses and another round of 40 bronze turkeys. Now, if we could just get our goat milk to be as productive!!  

Gotta Get That Green Thumb!

Leigh asked if I could take the lead on the garden this year. I am a bad gardener so that was a little stressful. Though I come from a long line of farmers and backyard gardeners, I tend to kill stuff. I give it too much water or not enough water. Sun exposure is a mystery to me. Don't even get me started on growing seasons and fertilizer! 

We start our seedlings under grow lights in the shed in February. We re-pot  into bigger containers the end of March and then transplant to the ground mid-May. Our last frost date is May 5th. (We are at 4600 feet so even though we are in Southern Arizona, we get cold!) 

We do direct sow with many of our plants but the watermelons, zucchini, melons, tomatoes and peppers are potted first. We also start all the herbs and greens in small pots. They will be grown solely in containers on top of the rabbit hutches to maximize space and help keep the bunnies cool this summer. 

They are getting to spend a little time outside in the direct morning sun now.

These mint plants are a little victory of mine! Our neighbor gave us 2 cuttings of mint that had a little bit of root growth. I potted them in organic potting mix and remembered that they like LOTS of water and a shady cool place. They have taken root and have lots of new growth. I need to remember to fertilize them! 

Speaking of fertilizer, I am thinking that my zucchini might be needing some fertilizer...or maybe it is getting too much direct sun. Maybe the air is too dry...Remember how I said I was not a good gardener? Well, this is why! I fertilized with fish emulsion and pinched off the crinkled leaves. I also am giving them less "outside time"

They seem to be doing better...I think.

Baby Goat Update

We just completed the first 24 hours of bottle feeding Marley, Willie, and Nelson. Things have gone very well! They have adjusted to the bottle exceptionally well. We purchased some big bottles and lamb nipples at the Cal Ranch. The feed store only had cow nipples and those are just way too big for the little goats. We don't have to buy milk replacer as whole cow milk from the grocery store works fine (And it's on sale this week!!)

Nelson is doing well. He is a little delayed compared to the other babies. (More on that later)

Marley is the dominant of the brothers. He eats first, and the most. He is bigger and more energetic. (He is also my favorite. Shhhh! Don't tell the others!)

Elliot got in on feeding the kids. He would get frustrated when he forgot to hold the bottle upside down enough and they would head butt him. 

 Noah thought it was fun to feed them too. Quinn, on the other hand, just thought it was fun to take the bottle and dump the milk into the water bucket. She was also rather annoyed when the babies would head butt her for the bottle. She sure was offended when I suggested she put the bottle down. 

Now, back to Nelson. When Nelson was born, we could tell he was different. He stood very still all the time. He stood with his head curled in and it looked as if he didn't have a normal neck. I didn't have much time to spend really looking at him and watching him interact because we were dealing with Fey, but this morning I noticed more specifically what was different with Nelson. He didn't walk. The other goats were already running and bouncing off stuff, and Nelson just stood there.

Even though the other two were with me at the bottles, Nelson wanted to come, and he stood there crying, but he would not walk to me. I picked him up and carried him to where I was sitting and fed him. I then plopped him down in the middle of the shed (knowing he would want to return to his corner to sleep off his lunch.) I was determined to watch him walk. He stood there FOREVER. Then finally I saw him take a very few steps.

Of course! Now all these things were running through my mind. He had a broken leg, he was brain damaged, he was going to die!!! Unfortunately (or fortunately) I didn't have much time to sit and worry because I had a house full of kids who I needed to care for. Nelson was eating and peeing and pooping and that would have to do for now. Because he didn't seem in any immediate danger, I figured I would reasses at a later feeding. 

YAY! He was improving. My the 9 pm feeding, he was walking pretty well. He was able to go the length of the pen and came out to meet me when I brought the bottles. He was even able to get a little spring in his step when one of his brothers wanted to play. He still falls down more than the others, but hey, I fall down more than most people, and I'm allowed to live here. 

For whatever reason it seems like Nelson didn't learn how to walk that first day. He is not as strong of a nurser and I am not convinced that he sees very well, but for now he is improving. Mobility and basic bodily functions enables you to see another day here at Mediocre Acres, and for now (and hopefully in all the days to come) Nelson has made the cut. 

The Circle of Life

Today was a bad day. Like a really bad day.

It started out rough...Now, I am not saying I am psychic. Not at all. If I was I think life would be a lot easier, but there have been a few times in my life that I had a "feeling" about something and it turned out to be right. Today was one of those days.

Our Alpine goat, Fey, had babies on Friday. I have been meaning to blog that. Anyway, She has three bucklings. She has two brown and black ones, and a white and black one. We named the white and black one Marley after Bob Marley and the brown and black ones Willie and Nelson.

Marley: 

.

Nelson:

 Willie:

I was not very concerned with Fey's mothering ability as this was the third time she kidded. I heard her in labor and went out to check on her. She delivered Nelson, then Willie a few minutes later. Withing a few minutes after that she was on her feet cleaning and tending to them.

Elliot, who had watched the whole thing said, "Mom, look there are some feet in her butt." I looked and there was a little nose and two little hooves poking out. They popped back in and Fey continued to care for her other little ones. Having only witnessed one goat birth ever, I was a little concerned that Fey seemed unconcerned about a third baby. I messaged Chrissy and asked how long the baby could stay there. She was working, and before she was able to get back to me Fey let out a very loud scream and out popped Marley. She was standing when she delivered him so he fell right on his nose. She quickly truned to care for him as well.

I was so happy that she was attentive and both her and her babies were up and walking within 30 minutes or so. I went back inside.

The first 24 hours everyone looked great. Fey was eating and drinking and peeing and the babies were nursing and peeing and pooping. What more could you ask for? Last night Leigh noticed that she was dragging a little. She was not getting up as quickly as normal and her head hung a bit and her ears drooped a little. I brushed it off as having had triplets the day before. Mary Jane was not her spry self for about 3 days after having babies.

I woke up this morning at 2 am because Quinn had climbed in bed with us. I had an overwhelming feeling that Nelson had died in the night. (Nelson is the smallest and weakest of the three and was not nursing as strongly as the other two). I brushed that off too. When I woke up this morning at 7, I was dreading going out to the pen because I did not want to find a dead baby goat.

When I went out to the pen I was surprised to find three happy bucks, but Fey was down. I could not get her to stand and she looked terrible. I called Chrissy (Sunday is her day off and I felt really bad!!) but she answered right away. Chrissy had me take her temperature (97.4, NOT good!) and after describing her symptoms, we decided to drive Fey and the babies to Tucson so Chrissy could examine her.

Upon arrival her temp had risen to 99 and it was clear she had mastitis (her milk was bloody) but she had labored breathing, was drooling, couldn't stand and was in shock so badly Chrissy could not find a vein. Within 20 minutes of our arrival, Fey had died.

Less than 24 hours ago Fey was the attentive mother of triplets, and now she lay dead at our feet. We agreed on a necropsy because with Bailey's Polio less than a week ago were were worried for the rest of our herd. For whatever reason Fey's rumen was full, but dry. It has become impacted. (Apparently a rumen should be gooshy and watery with fermenting feed...yummy!)

The exact cause for this was unknown. As a precaution we threw away all of our remaining feed and bought new. We were fearful of mold or a toxin in the feed.

This all happened so fast and it left us with a few problems. The most pressing was the three bucklings that were now orphans. We had worked so hard to ensure that Mary Jane was a good mom so we would not have to bottle feed kids, and now we had three to feed anyway. Luckily goat kids can drink whole cow milk from the store and you can start with 4 feeding a day (no overnight feedings) for 2 weeks and every 2 weeks decrease a feeding and wean them by 8 weeks. Not too terrible!

The other issue was what to do with Fey. We were not in a financial position to cremate her, but Chrissy's clinic cannot dispose of animals on the premises, so we had to take Fey home. Once it was determined that the steroids, vitamin B and fluids we gave her would not harm the pigs, we decided the best thing to do would be to butcher her and use her as feed.

This may seem very callous, but in our eyes cremation and burial are very wasteful things to do. Fey died and she can become food for another living thing that can then become food for us, then the circle of life as God intended it is continuing. Elliot even opted to feed his pet rabbit that died to the pigs because he didn't want her to go to waste.

So after having to say goodbye to a very dear little (well big, she was about 150 lbs) goat we then had to butcher her. It was a very difficult task, and was the first gutting and skinning I was a part of. Though it was difficult, we were at peace that her remains were respectfully prepared and purposefully used.

It is hard to go out to the pen and not see her. It is hard to hear her babies call for her, but I think the hardest part is hearing Mary Jane call for her. Goats form herd bonds. Fey was the matriarch of our herd and we can tell Mary Jane misses her. We miss her too.