Thursday, April 4, 2013

Spring Break?

Schools in Delaware take the week surrounding Easter off for spring break.
Spring Break?
 So un--necessary considering school is out in 6 more weeks or so.
Anyhoo in this house spring break is "get your butt in gear and catch up on things break"!
Hence so far a few missions accomplished are...
 Month old Pinkey has been caught up daily, haltered and tied and been forced on grueling 5K's each day. OK maybe just a 100 ft walk, stumble, refuse to move adventure but still...
Both of my Angels walking the calves .
Start  them young and life is so much easier later on in the show ring.
Kids and Calves there doncha know!

Miss Diamond is laying around waiting on April 22nd , her due date.
Fingers and toes crossed please.
Last year was still born, 2 months early :/

Bones the steer has had his head clipped to promote more even growth.
He and his girl Star were weighed and feed rations adjusted for growth pattern we need.
With a lot of effort the board that is supposed to be dry erase was chiseled clean and rewrote
with new rations for pigs and steer/heifer set.
Lambs were sorted and "felt up" to pick possible candidates for market shows.
2 were watchers, 2 in reserve as maybes and 2 rejects for sure.
We'll re-evaluate in 2 weeks before sending 4 to sale before Greek Easter and 2 kept for LN to show.
 

Lambs were then weaned with angry screams all around.
A few went hoarse but most just chilled out.


                                                    Ewes were wormed and feet trimmed.
                                                                Oh my aching back!
                                                      Thank goodness R helped there.
Oh yea LN was "helping" NOT!
She was gangstering it, lil brat.
She helped catch, halter and hold sorta, mostly, sometimes.
Look how badly 1 ewe needed wormed.
Embarrassing but really on the rest I checked eye color and they were all dark pink so I don't know why just her was so bad off .
All were wormed since it's been a year and chucked into the alley field away from lambs.
Silence of the lambs my eye!
Screaming of the lambs is the rule and ewes screaming too.
Sounds of spring!

Pigs were walked, weighed and feed adjusted.
More grain pleased them greatly.
Cinder was helping, keeping an eye for mice needing "weighed" in his mouth.
Mouse is standing in my garden.
Think we need to put fence up and till very shortly.
I can taste spring peas in my mind at least.

Seedlings are sprouting.
Won't be long now.
I didn't take pictures but the goats have been sold mostly, leaving 1 ten yr old Wendy just because I can't send her off.
Otherwise only 2 goat kids for market animals remain.
3 young nannies were sold to young man wanting to start his own herd and 1 old goat went to the auction house last night.
A few odds and ends animal wise to shuffle around and then less drama and work for me.
 
Spring break is not a break for country folks with animals and gardens.
I wouldn't change with townies or city folks though and don't get me started on development residents who move to the "country" but never leave their un affordable houses except to complain about manure spreading, animal smells and sounds and equipment on the roads.
 
Hard work never hurt a person (at least mentally) but sometimes I wonder.
Oh well spring break is almost done , gotta get cracking.
 
 
 
 
 


8 comments:

  1. I think I need a long nap after reading this post. With all that fresh air and exercise, you have got to be in great shape, Ms. Lisa!

    Seems like there's never a time of the year when it's NOT busy, but you gotta admit we're all heading into the REALLY busy season!

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    1. Not good shape MamaPea ;/ That's why I go to the gym to at least get in moderate shape :]` The girls help so everything is shared labor right now. When the weather turns hot they melt though so I need to mentally prepare to keep going. That's why my garden is a mess in July and August. This year I'm going to try to keep up but no promises.

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  2. Lisa,

    Love your pictures of your girls helping out with the animals. Your extremely busy with the animals and now just in time for gardening.
    Your sprouts look for healthy. I'm a bit disappointed, my sprouts were doing well in my green house. I left for 1 week to help my parents out (out of town), when I returned all of my sprouts were pretty much dead. I left my husband in charge of taking care of the sprouts. I'm going to have to just start again, this time directly planting in my garden beds.
    Have a wonderful evening and try not to work so hard this week!

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    1. Good Luck Sandy. I always overplant so a few no shows are no problem. Yea I know what you mean about husbands left in charge. I try not to leave during this time because of that issue ;/

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  3. My, that's a lot of cattle/sheep/pig walking you do! Ever thought of getting a livestock treadmill?

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    1. Carolyn, funny you should ask. My husband built a heavy contraption for the tractor that un cooperative cattle can be walked with tractor power. I prefer to get them when they are less than a month old if born here and halter them when I can still force walking on them. My ex BIL had a walker for sheep that went in a circle similar to a horse walker and others have bars they can be tied to and towed behind 4 wheelers or such.

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  4. Whew, I'm tired just reading about all the stuff you got done! You are right, there are no "breaks" for country folk. The animals just wouldn't understand "Sorry, I'm not feeding you today because I need a break." LOL!!

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    1. Some days I feel like trying that Candy C. lol I bet their response would NOT be nice.

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