More Escapes and Making Fodder

     Since we have brought Jacob (the goat) to our farm he has mastered the escaping from the pen. We went out to feed everyone today and he was waiting for us in the yard. He knocked the feed for the pig’s right out of Pop’s hand. I got him back in the pen. He is very easy to get back in as he must have been escaping at his old place too. Just a shake of the feed can and in he goes. Went back into the house and a little while later Pop told us he was out again. I had to go and see where he was getting out. At first, I thought he had squeezed out of the gate. I had tied the bottom of the gate with wire, but the second time it couldn’t have been it. We inspected the pen again and found where we thought he got out. I wired it up too. I just checked on him when I went to get eggs (two more today!) He was still in his pen.

    

     I have been researching how to make fodder for my chickens. I have some rye and wheat berries soaking now. If this brings my feed bill down I will continue to grow it. I know how the chickens love it. I love the link I posted earlier on how to grow it in 5 gallon buckets. But for right now I have just a small jar to see if they will sprout. I might have to buy some more seeds because I use these for bread and keep them in frig.I have been saving all my egg shells for my girls too it is the best way to give them back there calcium. I feed them peanuts too.

Jacob and the Girls

     Yesterday was a busy day here on the farm. My daughter was here getting her car ready for her trip but in the mean time she brought Jacob over. He is the goat I was talking about the other day. He is a Nigerian beauty. He is very sweet and very smart. He wasn’t in the pen for more than a half an hour and he already escaped. See, Chloe was being mean to him and she wanted to let him know by all means she was the boss. He found a weak link in the fence and out he went. I am glad I was right there. We had gone down to the barn to check on him because our G-daughter say Chloe was head butting him. I sent her to the house to get some feed for the two goats and scooped him up and put him back in the pen and called for some wire to “batten down the hatches.” We gave them cool water and I drug the dog house that the dogs never use down for him to have his own house to hang on and in. We collected some grass for both of them and hoped that would be a truce for the two of them. Dad went down before bed to check on them. Things were settled down and Jacob was on his house and Chloe on hers.

     I collected 2 eggs yesterday, so I guess that the new girls were happy in their new home. I got to hold Lil Red yesterday too. She is very sweet and I see why the G-kids wanted to keep her. I will be moving her in with the other reds here soon. Sad thing happened though, my big white hen that took care of all our new babies died. I knew she wasn’t going to make it for too much longer. She was a broiler house chicken and I know they are short lived. We all have to be prepared for death on the farm whether it is for food purposes or natural causes/ predator. I feel bad but things are what they are. We move on. I will be excited now to leave eggs for the girls to hatch though which makes up for the loss.

     

I love all my animals and spoil them all rotten. I spend a good bit of time scratching pigs yesterday as of every day. The love to line up by the fence and wait for a scratching. Minnie and Cersei are always the first in line too. They will most definitely flop over too. My farm keeps me sane and moving forward.  I am looking for the day where that is the only thing I do besides  the Kingdom work.

CHICKS, RABBITS, PIGS, GOAT & KIDS

My daughter’s boyfriend has decided to hang up the farm life and go back to work. They wanted to know if we wanted to buy the rest of their chickens. We have room for a few more in our miscellaneous coops and they are already laying eggs, so this is a no brainer. Anyways the g- kids wanted us to save their favorite chicken, Lil Red. I am such a softie.  My daughter will be bringing them to us this afternoon when she gets off work.

Truck is coming along slowly but surely. New parts are about to go into it. The tear down is down to a bolt or two. It will be nice to have it all done. We need it running for the work we have to get done here.

The g- kids have been getting a lesson in backing over the last few days. They have baked muffins for us a few times now. Now if only I can get them to finish cleaning their room, which would really make me happy. I have a warned them already that they have to keep their new room clean or they might lose it altogether. They get their space including bath and loft bed in a whole area off the main house and it should make them very happy if they abide by the rules. Today is their laundry day and yes I do make them do that too. Little by little they get rid of things that they don’t need which will make their transition to the new room easier to move.

Well it must have been a false alarm on the rabbits part because we have no babies as of yet. We need to move a few hutches close to the house so I can maintain them when the girls go back to school easier. They seem to like their new homes. The kids say they are heavier. The kids want to start training them. They saw something on Pinterest last night they thought was cool, “How to train a rabbit with a clicker.” They wanted us to build them a suite in their room too. Not! It was a cool but not in the small house we will be living in.

The goat seems to have settled in well too her coat is shiny and she is letting us pet her more. She was very skittish when she got here. I am making plans for a few stalls in the barn maybe this fall. I have been looking at others set ups for their goats and a playground will be one of those things I will put in the pasture for them.

We have a new escapee in the girls pig pen. Sox has made her way into the boy’s pen a few times now. She could well be pregnant also.  I hope not because she is the tiniest pig we have. The days have been so hot here the pigs stay in the mud holes most of the day. Temperatures have been near 100 degrees. Even the pool seems very warm these days. We all just do the best we can to keep cool and continue on though.