This can't be real!

This is what I say to myself on a daily basis. I read some of my blogs and look back at the last few years and think people must not believe the stuff I write, but I assure you it's true. Here's a look at the last few weeks.

• First, the sick/missing pig showed up at the neighbors after being missing for over two weeks. He managed to survive although he did lose a lot of weight,

• K1's horse is allergic to bug bites...who know exactly which bugs but he has broken out in hives twice = vet bills/ medicine.  Now he goes out in full body gear (fly sheet,including neck & face)

• Our dog JD has allergies to something that causes ear infections = a crazy dog who is constantly bothered by ear pain. We've switched to food that is now twice as much & we feed 3 dogs (215 lbs of dogs). We  I clean his ears dailey and put in ear drops twice a day. We are on our 3rd round of ear drops!

• K1 took her horse to his first horse show. She was practicing the night before the show & fell off. She lacerated her liver (normal kids break bones,but our girl is special)= 4 night in the hospital and no riding for 3 months. Guess whose job it now is to exercise the horse. Which is actually fine, because I do love to ride, but boy am I sore after riding yesterday

• Unfortunately, I will no longer be a full time farmer. I have accepted a job as a preschool Para in Pittsford. The bottom line was health insurance for a family of five when we were both self employed was becoming too much. Once school starts we will be open only on the weekends, and we will most likely be open less next year.  

Here's our newest members of Triple K Farm:

Emma & Ella 

Polkahontas - She is a Normande/ Holstein heifer 

Patch - He is a Normande/Jersey bull calf.

Missing Pig!

First, I have to apologize for being MIA for the last month. Summer is so busy! I'm blogging tonight because first cut is finally done, giving us a little breather before second cut. I spent the whole day home :) so my house is respectable, dinner is in the oven -salsa rice chicken casserole (my salsa & triple k chicken), blueberry cobbler (thanks to K3 for going blueberry picking)  & veggies (local & my garden) ready to grill, and I am blogging on the deck with a cold drink. I'm feeling pretty content right now.

So here's another pig story for you. I read my blogs and think people must think we are making this up, but I assure you it's my life and not as funny as it sounds!

Tuesday night Mark feeds the pigs. Two come to eat, but one doesn't. Mark thinks it's because he had drank too much whey that Mark had brought in the afternoon. Mark comes in to shower & then we head out the door to family dinner. We hear a zapping sound followed by a pig squeal...then again & again. Mark investigates & the pigs head is in the page wire fence & it's getting zapped by the electric fence that's around the bottom. Mark gets the pig out and it's shaking. Than the pig turns around  & walks back into the fence & get zapped, again! We put him in the corral & think the poor pig is not thinking straight because he was  just repeatedly zapped. This pig is 3 months old & has always been small - it was the runt.The next morning I get up and go check on the pig - it's dead. We go to the barn do chores & come back. Mark goes to feed the pigs. He comes in and says another one is sick. The pig is shaking, didn't eat, and Mark thinks it's dying. Now I'm stressed. What is going on? I call the vet.

Here's his assessment. The pigs hadn't had whey for a few days, so when Mark fed them they drank too much, it's salty. The salt combined with the hot weather made them drink too much water & caused fluid on the brain. The fluid made them blind & disoriented. He felt the first one died from the shock of being electrocuted. His recommendation was to feed them pig mash, and keep them out to pasture on grass. He would get better. That night Mark fed them and they both ate. Phew! It was going to be OK.....until morning!

Mark fed the animals here & then was going to work. I went to the barn. He called me " the pig is gone, I can't find him anywhere." Me "are you kidding?" He was not. After chores K1 and  I looked all over...the pig was gone! That night we put on pants, long sleeves, and bug spray to  search the woods/swamp for the missing  pig. Nothing, no sign of the pig. Here's our assessment. The pig was worse than we thought,and he couldn't see, went through the fence into the swamp.  A-he died or B- something ate him, or C - we just started a wild boar population (actually he's fixed so this isn't actually a  possibility.)

So long story short- we lost two pigs =  a big financial loss, less bacon come this fall, and the remaining pig is very lonely.

Not in the contract

Chasing animals is not in the contract. That's what Leo says every time as he's chasing our animals. Not only does he help us, he comes OUT of the house to help us. Here's a few examples, last year our ram lambs got out at 9:30 at night. Someone stopped and told Leo & Arlene. They called us and by the time we got to the farm, they were driving up and down the road looking for them them. Then there was the one sheep that we couldn't catch....and where was Leo? Running around trying to catch that sheep with us!

We had runaway Radar (donkey,) he bolted out of the barn as I was leading him. When he decides to take off, there's no holding him back.  He ran all around and both Leo & Arlene came out to help me. Leo reminded me, chasing animals was not in his contract.

Last week while K1 was getting out of her horse out of the pasture my mini horse Nancy slipped out of the gate. She ran all over the lawn, including Leo & Arlene's garden. Before I got a chance to tell them. Leo told me he broke something of ours and I replied..."that's good, cause Nancy ran through your garden, so now were even!" He just chuckled.

We have the Best Landlords!

Milking Goats

Last year I got 2 Nigerian dwarf goats. I chose this breed for a few reasons. First of all they are small. They only come up to my knees & weigh  about 50 pounds.  They come in a variety of colors & markings, and they are a dairy goat. I had googled soap making, and attended a workshop. I had it all planned out. I would milk goats & make soap to sell. 

I was so excited to make soap that I bought a gallon of milk from a local farmer & experimented with soap making. It's harder than it looks. Mark & I have been using  the soap I made, but it's not selling quality... yet! My bars are uneven and have air bubbles. Soap takes several ingredients, and actually very little goats milk Than it  has to cure at least 6 weeks. Maybe, this winter I will have time to perfect it, but for right now I just make enough for us.

 At first, I thought when my does freshened I was going to take away the kids immediately.  Than I would bottle feed them and  milk the does.  As the time got closer, I was running to the barn day & night on maternity duty (checking pregnant sheep & goats). I realized I really didn't want to bottle feed, especially because  the goats were the last ones to have their babies & I could actually get some sleep and not run to the barn in the middle of the night. So I researched & talked to others who kept the kids with the does. This is how it works:  kids stay with does for 2 weeks, than you separate them at night, milk does in the morning, put the kids back in and they nurse all day. At 8 weeks ,  I will wean the kids & milk does morning & night. Sounds easy, right?

It's only two little goats, I figured I can hand milk them. Nala freshened first & only had one kid. I decided I could take a little milk morning & night. I had a little plastic dish to squirt the milk in. Her teats are like an inch long & the width of my finger. Oh, and and she kicked! Both feet in the air. She was locked in the milking stand & I swear her feet went straight up over her head.  Here's the scenario: I am trying to get milk out of these miniature teats and squirt it into the bowl. Than once I got a few ounces of milk she would kick & spill it all (reminded me of my pumping experience when I was breast feeding). Work so hard to get the milk then spill it all ....you know the saying don't cry over spilled milk. OMG...I'm going to have to milk two of them....What was I thinking? Any milk that I did manage to save was full of dirt & hair. This obviously wasn't working, so than I ordered a hand pump milker. When that finally came, we were milking both goats. S'more has slightly larger teats & doesn't kick...ever! At least she was easier, but the hand milker was a disaster. It took two people. One to pump the hand pump  to keep the right pressure,& one to hold the milkers (plastic syringes) on. Finally, we decided to customize our cow milker (which is complete with motor & vacuum). This works like a charm, and best of all it only takes one person. Nala doesn't mind it, maybe because it is fast, so she rarely kicks. The only downfall is it's a lot to clean. Several feet of hose and a 5 gallon milk pail for one quart of milk. A little overkill but  it's worth it.

As for the milk, we actually aren't getting enough. In a few weeks we will wean the kids and hopefully production increases, because we will be milking them at night also. We started by using the milk  in our coffee and to cook with. Then, Mark started drinking it. Than me, and then the girls used it in their cereal. Sometimes I buy cow's milk, but sometimes I don't.  And...there's CAJETA! A seriously delicious caramel made from goats milk. My recipe calls for a gallon, so if I make Cajeta  I have to buy milk & save the goats milk for 4 days. Mark is totally addicted to it, and I do have it for sale at our store. 

I should have been a vet!

Here at Triple K, we have 3 different vets. First, we have our small animal vet, that takes care of our dogs & cats. Then we have our large animal vet, that cares for all the farm animals except  horses. Which means I have a horse vet.  

A few months ago I had J.D fixed and completed all his puppy shots. While he was there they noticed he had an ear infection. That met that 2 x a day I had to put drops in his ears.  J.D. was not a fan of this. I got to wrestle with the 65 lb puppy (who knew that the cute little 4 lb pup that I rescued last fall was going to be such a big boy) twice a day. Then it was time for Carter & Miley to have their spring shots and  Ryder our cat also need shots. An office visit is $35 per animal, even if you bring them together. Plus shots, plus flea/tick meds, and  then of course the dogs need heartworm meds.  J.D still had ear problems so he had to go back in. This time I had to clean his ears once a day, wait an hour after cleaning,  than apply different ear drops 2 x a day. Now, we get to wrestle 3 times a day for ten days! Let's just say I have spent a small fortune on these pets this spring. Good thing I love them.

Now, let's talk about my large animal vet. They have a call charge of $40 plus they charge by the minute. For example I will get charged 20 minutes of professional time, plus a call charge, plus supplies. S'more my goat has a skin condition that my vet has looked at several times. Our best guess is it's a vitamin deficiency that was brought on by pregnancy, because she is getting better now that she had the kids. If he is here for any reason he checks  on S'more. I've  had a lamb with a sore leg. She has an abscess that I was cleaning twice a day. It's been a month, it's all healed, and we don't know what else to do or why she is limping.  Kent (vet) joked that he never knows what he's going to find to challenge him at Triple K (he researched skin conditions in goats trying to come up with a diagnose). I told him, he should be paying me for the education. These guys are great. I can call & they will give me advice over the phone with no charge. I've had them swing in to drop off something, quickly look at my animal on their way home, or on a Saturday. As I said, they don't do horses. Glen (vet) was here a few weeks ago (dehorning goat kids) & I begged him to check my pony (more on that next paragraph). I promised she wouldn't kick or bite, and he did. They really are nice guys!

Keely is my horse vet. I've had her as long as I've had horses. She treated our old horse Dee when she had Potomac horse fever. Dee should have went to the animal hospital but I couldn't afford it, so Keely helped me treat her at home, and she survived.  I love Keely. Now, here's my pony story. The ponies  had been out to pasture for 3 days. I saw them every day, everyone looked good. When I brought them in I noticed Nancy had something on her leg (6 pm on a Friday! Think emergency call charge). When I bent down to look, I noticed she had a huge nasty cut. It was on her belly right where her leg connects (think armpit). It looked awful, infected, and a few days old, but she wasn't even limping. I called Keely and she told me to send her a picture (gotta love technology). Then she called me back & told me how to clean/care for it and to put her on penicillin for a few days. Then we made an appointment for her to come a week later & do spring shots. All the horses needed spring shots, but we definitely wanted to give Nancy  an updated tetanus. Her cut was 6 inches long with a huge chunk of hanging skin, and at least an inch deep. I have pics, but will spare you! Happy to report Nancy is all healed & doing great.

Let's just re-cap what my days looked like, because yes, this was all at once! Go to barn and catch lamb to flush her leg with an iodine solution. They catch Nancy who is 33 inches tall. Get on all fours & crawl under her to flush her wound,  spray with a antibacterial spray, and lastly a special fly spray for wounds. Go home to clean J.D.'s ears...wait an hour than put in his drops. Repeat again at night.

Once again, we are Livin' the Dream here @ Triple K ...and several hundred dollars poorer! 

It's a Dirty Job

This is just too cute not to share. I had a first grade class come to the petting barn on a field trip. One little boy came up to me and we started talking about my goats. I told him that I milked them. He got excited and told me that I could make soap from goats milk , but "it's a dirty job." I told him that I DO make soap with my goat milk. He went on to explain that you need lots of other ingredients to mix with the goat milk...but "it's a dirty job." I told yes, I do put in different oils & scents to make soap, and I asked him why was it a dirty job?  He replied "do you know Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs?  I watched a show about making goat milk soap....it's a dirty job!" I just busted out laughing.  Now I know why making soap is a Dirty Job!

Life is good.

Life is good, here at Triple K. Mark & I have been putting animals out to pasture, buying a few new ones, and opening the petting barn. The warmer, longer days are busy and seem to go by fast....

We got all the cows & heifers fly tagged and put out to pasture. They are enjoying the green grass & big area to explore. We are excited for our Herford, Bailey to calve in July. We raised her from a calf & she is one of our favorites.

 Our mama sheep & their lambs have all gone outside, in the pasture  across the road. We put up a shelter, so they can have shade & a place out of  the rain. It's fun to see the lambs running around. There's a lot of noise outside. The mama's are constantly calling to their babies, checking up on them.

K1 brought her horse, Ranger here. We set up a round pen for her to ride in. Ranger has been sharing a small paddock with his new friends, the ponies.

Our second batch of meat bird are now two weeks old. We moved them out of the barn & into the mobile coop. The last few nights have been really windy & last night it rained hard. I wake up in the middle of the night, worrying about them, but so far they are all doing great.

Today, Mark is working on getting the piglets outside. Remodeling a shed we have to make it mobile and then checking the fence. It's a constant shuffle of moving animals, building fencing, and making sure everyone has shelter.

We made a day trip to Bradford, VT to pick up our new buck- N'ver E'nuf Cash. Here he is, enjoying the new area we set up behind the barn for the goats. He's sunning himself after eating his fill of grass.

  We went to Hinesburg to pick up a boar piglet, and Starksboro to pick up our female piglets. With any luck, next year we will have our own piglets to sell.

Petting barn is open on the weekends until June, than we will be open Wednesday - Sunday. We spent quite a few days cleaning & doing a little paint touch up to get the barn ready. We had our Spring Fling, which was a great success. We had 125 people, plus our family & friends that helped us.