Getting Ready for Baby Goats. . . 09.19.2017

It's been a long time coming,  but we are anticipating the birth of baby goats within a month's time.  This road to breeding goats and successful kidding has been a struggle and it's not exactly the struggle I want to share as a blogger and homesteader, but maybe my experience will help another goat newbie.  I feel like it's worth sharing.

Two years ago I bought our Nubian, Luna, who was already in milk.  She was a two year old freshner, meaning that she had just given birth.  All went well that first year with milking and her health. But last year came and we spent the entire breeding season running her back and forth to the breeders home (thankfully, they were only 5 minutes down the road) trying to catch her cycle so that his buck would breed with her.  It was a very frustrating time. 

First, breeding animals is not as easy as just putting them into a pen together.  The doe needs to begin cycling, which for Nubians happens around August and lasts until January.  This doesn't give much of a window of time.  Each time we thought we had a successful breed, the next month she would show signs of heat again and the final time I actually administered a blood test thinking we had won victory, only to get a negative pregnancy test.  Second, I found out goats need to be up on their minerals to actually go into a full cycle.  I was at my wits end and didn't know where to turn.  

I needed answers and quickly.  So, I began researching websites of goat owners that had been raising goats longer than I.  Two sites kept coming up with lots of information; Fiasco Farms and Land of Havilah.  Plus, an excellent book to read is Pat Colby's Natural Goat Care.  The overall consensus of information I read lead me to realize that my goats were not only copper deficient but selenium deficient.

The only way to boost copper is to copper bolus - which is where you stick a gigantic pill down the goat's throat for them to swallow.  I bit the bullet, bought the bolus gun and tried the pill.  YouTube is a great resource for information, but even after watching the videos over and over again, I still didn't get the pill all the way past the back of the throat where goats have some serious molars.  Each of the goats had a nice tasty chomping of a copper capsule.  Uggh!  

Right after this first blousing, I also began administering 1 teaspoon of selenium powder every night.   I was in shock; within weeks this is what I saw.  Mocha went from a dull, dreary rust color to a vibrant chocolate brown, her coat was once coarse and fried feeling was beginning to have a smooth and shiny character to it and she went into a raging heat within two months (I knew this because Doug was going nuts trying to get into the pen with her).

Deborah Niemann of the Thrifty Homesteader top dresses her copper.  Most sites recommend copper blousing every 6 months, but I did find several recommendations that if the goats are in an area where there is much sulfur in the water to copper bolus every 3 months because sulfur inhibits copper intake.  This led me to try three months later top dressing the copper.  This worked well, but some of the copper remained at the bottom of the feed pan.  I think that I will continue to top dress the copper only because it was less stress on this owner and all goats participating.

Fast forward to August and I actually witnessed Luna go into her first heat.  It was a very quick one of only several hours, but it was a start.  I can now see that the health of my animals is on the right track.  Here's hoping she'll be pregnant by the end of the year.

Mocha was actually bred in May to our little Nigerian buck, Doug.  I was worried that she wouldn't be in top health for her pregnancy so I did a few things to help her put as much energy into growing healthy babies as she could.

• I dried her up from milking as soon as we got the pregnancy results.  Goats can actually be milked up to two months before kidding, according to Fiasco Farms, but like I said, I wanted her putting energy into growing healthy babies, not making milk for me.
• I began administering an herbal supplement that included nettle, spirulina, alfalfa, dandelion and marshmallow leaves.
• I began giving her Diamond V Yeast Culture - It improves digestion, muscle weight gain, litter weights, milk production, conditioning, and even survivability in all the various animals it's been tried on.

My girl, Mocha, is getting bigger everyday.  My birthing kit is almost ready.  All that's left is to clean out her stall about a week before her due date.

I've seen slight movements on her right side which I'm hoping is those precious babies getting closer to coming out to meet us.  The farm kids are so excited to hold some baby goats.

I realize this post went rather long, but if it's helped please let me know by leaving a comment.  I would also appreciate hearing any comments on anything else that I need to do to prepare for goat babies.

Canning Tomatoes. . . . 09.14.2017

Oh my!  I just looked at my calender and realized it's really halfway into September.  Has anyone else had that "Awh Ha" moment?    School is in full swing in our house;  I have 4 still participating in our Bibby Christian Academy; one in 9th, 7th, 5th and 3rd this year.   The excitement for beginning a new school year lasted all of  . . . 30 minutes.  No, I'm really kidding. . .  it was more like 3 days!  Lest you think that after 16 years of homeschooling I have it all together, pssshhh - Homeschooling is an ever evolving learning process for not only the students but for momma.  We always begin the new year with an annual "let's burn last year's papers" fire in the fire pit.  That coupled with some really dry pallets made for a very enjoyable evening with delicious smores.

Tomatoes, tomatoes everywhere.  That has been the motto of my kitchen part of August and into September.  When the tomatoes ripen, one must can tomatoes, make salsa (green and red) and spaghetti sauce.  Have I ever mentioned that my hubby my family really likes tomato based recipes?  So, hop in the car with us as we travel to our favorite spot to get THE BEST organic tomatoes.

It's only a 20 minute drive from our home, southbound on the 101.  If you haven't taken the time to travel through the Avenue of the Giants. . AKA - the Northcoast Redwoods. . .you need to!  There is something magical about driving through these towering giants looming over the top of you.  Gene and Ginger Sarvinski are the proud owners of the Corn Crib.

Sunflowers greeted us a we pulled up to the stand.  My children were more enamored with the sweet dog that needed some attention (which I am absolutely sure, she gets an abundance of all day long!)  Our first trip out there we loaded 80 pounds of tomatoes into the back of the van.  While that seems like a lot, it's really only 4 big boxes.   Since, then we've been back for 4 more boxes.  Yes, I am that crazy tomato canning lady!

The girls helped me immensely one day. . . it was homemaking skill learning day.  I'm not sure if they will can food for their family one day, but I sure think it's a skill worth passing along.  It is frustrating knowing that we can buy already processed food so much cheaper than canning our own. .  BUT . . I'm committed to teaching these children of mine a different way of life.  The time went by so much faster this way and it's a memory I will treasure for years.

Every good canner needs good products.  My water bath canner is on the verge of springing a hole in the bottom of it, so off to a flower planter it goes.  I'm due ready for another one anyway.  You will also need a set of tools.  George's favorite tool is the magnetized lid picker-upper - he calls it a "fishing pole," and always asks if he can go fishing with me.

In the end, after a lot of hard work and energy, you CAN(no pun intended) end up with a pantry looking full and stocked for the winter.  Plus, you will have the satisfaction knowing that you put it up with your own hands.  The Lord intended us to work hard. . 

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. Exodus 20:9

You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. Job 1:10-11

I said in my heart,
"God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work." Eccl 3:17

November happenings on the farm

I did it again. . .  I blinked and the year is almost over.  Has anyone else ever done that before?  It seems like just yesterday it was January and we winding down from the holiday festivities.

We are 10 weeks into our school year this year and have been enjoying our morning school time.  Some of the resources we are using this year are really starting to shine in the way of results for each of the kids.  I always have my doubts when I begin something new, but I believe the key to trying something new is to keep at it for awhile.  Unless of course you hate it yourself and find yourself dreading teaching it - that's the time to let it go.

Xtramath is a fabulous online drill practice for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  The lessons are short each day - maybe 10 minutes and the teacher, Mr. C, is not my children's favorite, but now it has just become a joke about how he hates the kids when he doesn't move them up a level.

Hodgepodge has become our favorite art curriculum.  The kids love coloring with chalk pastels.  We have used their Spring Chalk, Fall Chalk, American Landscapes and Sharks curriculum.  Tricia Hodges shares her love of art, that she received from her mother, in an easy to use PDF step-by-step tutorial.  One of my favorite things about the curriculum is that she walks us through each step of the drawing so that even George, our 7 year old,  can master the drawing.

People always ask me how do you homeschool?  Most of the time I believe they are asking, "How do you have all the skills necessary to teach each of the required subjects, because one person just can't possibly be equipped to teach everything - right?"  I truly believe that God has equipped each parent with the necessary skills to teach their children, regardless of their own educational background.  BUT, if even that scares the strongest of parents, you can relax in the comfort of knowing that so many other talented educators are available to help each of us in our weak areas with excellent curriculum.  There are online curriculums, workbooks, E-books and numerous websites and blogs ready to assist even the feable hearted homeschool mom or dad.  This is our 14th year of homeschooling and we have already graduated two students.  Both of which are doing very well. 

Homeschooling isn't about producing the smartest, brightest or most intelligent student.  It's about equipping our children with the skills and knowledge to be productive adult citizens in our ever unproductive society.  Any child, homeschooled or public schooled should be equipped with the ability to further their own education by having the tools to seek out knowledge and learn new things.  Okay, enough of my soapbox.

Happy Fall Everyone!  And a BIG THANK YOU to all of our followers.  You are so special to us.

Come Along With Us

Having a Great Pyrenees, Kevin, join our life has added its fair share of joys and difficulties; one being the scheduling of his daily walk.  Today happened to be my day for the walk, so come along and follow Kevin and I on our favorite walk of the week.

It was a beautiful afternoon, sunny and warm for a change here in Northern California.  Today, I noticed the dreaded fog was not going to invade my walk.  Putting on my tennis shoes and grabbing Kevin's lease we were off.  Our favorite, rather should I say Kevin's favorite walk takes us up William's Creek Road.  I would love to say it's because of the beautiful scenery and lack of people up that way, but let's be real. . . he has a girlfriend and her name is Bossy.  She is a Pyrenees mix and he loves to stop and say "Hi" to her as much as possible. 

Our creek fascinates me every time we pass by it.   During the winter it is overflowing into the fields and carrying gigantic broken logs downstream, but by spring it is back to a slow meandering flow with lots of lush greenery to fill in the edges. 

Kevin must always stop and sniff the bridge.  We studied last year in science that a dog can smell up to 10,000 different smells.  There must be about 9,999 of those smells on that one corner post to keep him entranced for what seems like hours when I'm standing there.

I love Ferndale, Cow Town as it is properly known.  Who can resist an adorable brown spotted, wet nosed, cud chewing cow?  All the girls were out in the field today, but today only one stopped by the fence to see Kevin and pay him any attention.

One of our neighbors own sheep and they were out to flash us a quick wink and a "baaaaahhh" for our journey.

This is just one of my favorite red barns.  Don't you just adore how it is set back against the hills?

We are on our way back home.  And to think I thought we'd get back quickly, nope, we had to stop at Bossy's house yet another time.  Do you see her brown house in the image on the left?  That boy is obsessed with her.  Some familiar landmarks trigger Kevin to realize he is almost home . . .  first our neighbor's red barn - can you tell red is my favorite color?  

And then our very own historic, old fashioned cement bridge running over another spot of the creek.  One of our cherry trees is on the left side past the bridge.  I can feel Kevin pulling harder, almost wanting to bolt into a run.  I love that he knows where he is at and I'd like to think that if he ever broke loose from his lease he'd know where to go.

But alas, he is a Pyrenees, and they are not known for their highly intelligent minds.   So, over to his tether, while still being attached to his lease and a big bucket of water to drink and Kevin is ready for a late afternoon nap.

I am so glad you could come on a walk with us.  I hope your weekend is blessed.

Burdock Oil

 

 

Science in our home this year has consisted of studying herbs; their medicinal properties, identification, harvesting and preparation for use through a monthly study called Herb Fairies.  This curriculum is put out by Learning Herbs.

 

I am just beginning on my journey of immersing my children in the benefits of herbs. Plants have been the basis for medical treatments through much of human history, and such traditional medicine is still widely practiced today.

 

 

Our study this month was on Burdock:  Arctium is a genus of biennial plants commonly known as burdock.  The plants have dark green leaves that can grow up to 28" long. They are generally large, coarse and ovate, with the lower ones being heart-shaped. They are woolly underneath. The leafstalks are generally hollow. The plant generally flowers from July through to October.  The prickly heads of these plants (burrs) are noted for easily catching on to fur and clothing, thus being the inspiration for Velcro.

 

Burdock has many medicinal uses, one of which uses the roots to make an infusion in oil.  Burdock oil is used mainly on hair to lessen thinning hair, improve growth, strength and luster and to also give relief from dandruff and itchy, irritated scalp.

 

This is the recipe that we used from our Herb Fairy book on Burdock.

 

 

First, we needed to make an infusion in oil.  We took our herb which I purchased in root form from Mountain Rose Herbs.  We put about 1/4 cup of the ground up root into the top of our double broiler pan and covered it with olive oil.  We let that simmer for about 2 hours on the stove.

 

 

Next, we strained all the herbs out and placed the remaining oil into a pint size mason jar.  It needed to sit for two days in the sun to separate any water from the oil.  Here is what our finished oil looked like when it turned out.  Since we used dried root instead of fresh, there was no water separation.  The oil is now good to use.

 

 

 

Here is our final guinnea pig, I mean herbalist trying out the new oil.  To use, place a small amount, massage into hair and then rinse out.  Dry hair as usual and enjoy that soft, silky feeling.

 

I also found this very informative video from Herb Mentor.

 

 

 

Disclosure:I am not a medical professional and do not have any "professional" education in regards to medicine. Please use common sense when using any recipe found on the internet. Any advise given on this blog is simply a sharing of our family's experiences. Not everything works for everyone. If you have more questions, please contact your medical provider. (Or preferably an herbalist or alternative medicine provider.)

 

 

End of Summer

 

I have been absent for far too long. . .  and here we are at the end of summer.  This summer was so unexpected for us.. . . we had many days upwards of 70 degrees with our top hottest days last week coming in at 84 degrees.   This weather turned our garden into a massive producing machine.  I've been harvesting and canning green beans since early August.  I must have put away 45 quarts of green beans and 15 quart size bags of shelled peas with an enormous bag of dried peas for next year's crop.  Every day there are carrots, onions, broccoli or cauliflower to harvest.    Our greenhouse even became too hot and the doors to it have been open for the last month.  Too much heat caused most of my tomato and pepper plants to die prematurely and not fully produce, couple that with root bound plants in pots makes for a poor tomato/pepper crop.  So, we rolled with the punches and got six 20 pound boxes of organic tomatoes from a local grower and spent several days canning them. 

 

Our Nubian goats are growing larger every day.  Right now, I am currently watching them closely to see when they begin their monthly cycles so that Anne and I can take them to the breeder.  The General Manager is definitely wanting some return on investment from them in the form of MILK!  

 

School has resumed for the kids as of last week.  The first week back to the books went rather smoothly here at One Blessed Acre.  My favorite subject this year has to be our herb study, The Herb Fairy Book Club from Herb Mentor.  Each month we receive a new book, plus activity guide for a particular herb.  This month we are studying violets, so while we can't enjoy any of the violet recipes right now, we are still learning a lot, information that we'll be able to use in the spring!

 

I also finished barn #10 in our Quilty Barn Along with Lori.  This block is called the "Summer Star."  I'm a little concerned that the red in the barn might be too overpowering compared to the rest of my barns, but at this point, I'm just really excited to finish up the blocks and get it off to the quilter.  Two more blocks to go!

 

Have a great week!

 

 

No Quilting. . . just kid cuteness

Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine having 68 degree weather in Northern California EVER, let alone in April. . . . but it happened.  Better yet, it happened on a day that I had not planned to do much school because we were headed to a field trip in the morning. 

Waste - water - treatment - plant is not words that excite my crew. . . . how does one get excited to learn about "sludge?"  Our plant in Ferndale happens to be a newly constructed state of the art, waste water treatment facility with only one other like it on the North Coast.  After they do their field trip write up sheets tomorrow I'll see if the field trip was a "big hit" or a "flop."  Probably the most interesting fact I learned was that we can now use the end product (all the bad bugs) as compost in our gardens after it has been thoroughly heated through and turned over to the worms.

 

 

The remainder of the day was spent having lunch, spending some time in the front yard weeding, riding bikes and sunning themselves on the back porch.  I just love these precious peas of mine - they are just too cute!

 

 

 

I love seeing all the plants that are blooming in my front yard.  Keeping up with the weeding is a sometimes overwhelming task, but it is very relaxing for me so I don't mind too much.  Plus the kids were running through the sprinklers having fun, so I really didn't notice how fast the time had flown by.

 

How are your spring days going?



2013 Book List

I have never managed to make out a list of the books that I read in a year, but I have begun to record them in my journal as I read them.  I also keep track of the ones to read by adding them to my "to be read" list.  As a home schooling mom of five children, making time to read and educate myself  is not always an easy task to accomplish.  Reading usually comes late in the evening after everyone else is asleep.  It's one of the ways that I love to relax (even though the General Manager would say that I never slow down).  I wish I could say that I finished all the books I began or put on my list, but life often times has different plans.  So, I thought I would share last years list as well as this years.. . .

 

Here is a quick list of the books I read last year:
1.     Plenty

2.     Pursing God by Bill Mills

3.     Amish Peace  (I really enjoyed this book and the simplistic way she approaches each facet of life)

4.     Rhythm of the Family  (I love reading Amanda's blog - her posts are very inspirational in simplifying life and enjoying each moment)

5.     Emilie's Creative Home Organizer  (I can always use help organizing.  I love searching pinterest for ideas too)

6.     Gardening When it Counts

7.     Out of the Saltbox - The Savour of Old Vermont

8.     Taste and See

These are the books on my night stand for this year.  Some of them may be a continuation from last year's list.

1.     The Family Table

2.     Almost Amish

3.     Lessons for Living

4.     An Everlasting Meal

5.     Pursing God

6.     Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything For You

7.      Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

8.     She Did What She Could

9.    Practical Paleo: ACustomized Approach to Health

What is on your night stand this year?