Over-The-Fence Chat Thread 4-15 thru 4-21

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We spent most of the day in the garden yesterday, weeding and tilling up some rows. The strawberrys are blooming, mint and asparagus are up, and the onions. Everything is in bloom, the redbuds are purple, the dogwoods are bright white and the walnuts, oaks and maples have sprung leaves overnight it seems. The whipperwills were out in the woods crying when I was taking my clothes off the line just about dark. We mowed tall grass everywhere, the goats got baskets of dandylions, and we have lots of new baby bunnies.

All our baby goats are doing great, even the ones we bought have settled in and come to me now. One of the new ones, a black Alpine doe, comes to steal the milk when I put Holly on the milkstand. She is a fat little thing and strong. Since I sit behind the does to milk, she goes to the front, then Holly starts acting up and I am grabbing for the milk container and guarding that full bag and trying to push her away all at the same time!

All the animals are shedding, and we need to give the horses a bath today. What are you all up to?

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 15, 2001

Answers

Got two of the young studs gelded Friday so have them out on fresh pasture by themselves where I can watch them. The older one is doing fine ... he is such a laid-back guy it is like nothing happened. The younger one fought the anesthetic and insisted on getting up way before it wore off ... got up, crashed, got up, crashed ... seemed like forever before he could stay up ... so he has more swelling and isn't as comfortable. But will say in all the years of raising horses, this vet has done a better job with gelding colts than anyone else I've ever used.

ALL the mares are in heat ... which makes life interesting on a small acreage ... with three stallions!

Have had the warmblood mare and her 2-week old foal out lawnmowing the last two days ... have to really congratulate Venture ... am thinking of renting her out, as she does a super job. Did a great job trimming around the evergreen bushes ... and even left the two clumps of violets that are blooming!

-- SFM in KY (timberln@hyperaction.net), April 15, 2001.


It was a great week. The garden is looking good, with the onions up and the raised beds in the rest of the garden almost done. The trees around the pasture are exploding in green and the redbud is beautiful.

The lightning bugs are back and make the hillside look like Disney Land in the evening.

We got the bathroom floor tiled and now are working on the laundry room. It's beginning to look like we might get the house done. We are living in it but still have so much to do. One thing at a time.

Got a new tablesaw yesterday and I'm going to play with it today. Ooops, I mean work with it.

-- Doug in KY (toadshutes@yahoo.com), April 15, 2001.


Hey Doug, my lightning bugs aren't here yet! We sit on the porch at night now, it seems like dusk is a hour long now, so beautiful, with amazing sunsets. SFM, I love warmbloods, they are beautiful horses! I watch all the jumpers on OLN and used to work with them teaching jumping many moons ago.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 15, 2001.

this week has been very busy,but very productive!we worked on the new portable chicken coop, gardened,the peas are coming up as well as the asparagus and lettuce,the chickens are laying well and the muscovy ducks are finally laying regularly. we did lose a pet rabbit,but she was getting on in years.We are still waiting on the sheep to lamb.Sis'sgoats have started the kidding,her one alpine gave birth to four healthy kids last week,they sure are cute.the kids(two legged) have enjoyed a week out of school,withnice weather.Happy Easter to all!

-- julie (nelson3@bright.net), April 15, 2001.

I am so envious of all of you with gardens coming in. We've finally gotten rid of the snowcover on our garden plot but it's still way to wet to even walk on, much less do anything in. At least my crocuses are blooming.

I did hang clothes outside for the first time since October. I slept great last night on fresh line-dried sheets. Heaven!

My chickens are finally giving me more than one or two eggs per day. Winter was very hard on them, too. They refused to walk in the snow, so after every snowfall, I had to shovel out their front yard so they would come out of their house. Such babies!! We had fresh eggs for breakfast this morning and homemade toasted bread.

The air smells so good and I can finally open the house up for a while during the day. I love Spring. We're still a ways away from lightening bugs but the Spring Peepers are carrying on like crazy. What a beautiful night-time chorus.

I hope everyone has a glorious Easter.

Thanks for reading.

-- Dianne in Mass (dianne.bone@usa.net), April 15, 2001.



Well, hopefully this week is better than last...what with Star being sick and all. The Prednisone still hasn't came in so he hasn't been started on meds yet. Night before last the momma hamster escaped out of her cage leaving 13 babies. The babies are barely old enough to care for themselves but I think they'll be OK. I saw momma hamster last night (briefly before she dove under the dryer) so maybe she'll smarten up and come back to the babies. She has point tho I don't think I'd be in a big hurry to go back to 13 babies in a cage (grin)

Can't even think about gardening yet. I'll start sheet composting the aged manure on the garden this week. The daffodils are up pretty good tho. The trees haven't started budding yet, I think soon. The temperatures are supposed to drop into the 20's at night this week. Yuck.

SFM, I couldn't get my TB mare to settle last year so I envy you your foals. I'll be looking for another TB mare, or possibly a Irish Sport Horse mare, this year. Emer (registered name Keshia) will be bred the end of next month--I've got my fingers crossed she'll settle this year. She had a touch of a uterine infection that the Vet missed on her breeding soundness exam last year...we treated it so this year should be OK. I still haven't decided on a stallion tho. I've made arrangements with both stallion owners-both really want to breed her- so I have to make a decision soon.

Well, I have laundry to hang out, chicken coops to clean, and fence to tighten so I better get at it.

Have a good week, and Happy Easter.

Stacy Rohan in Windsor, NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), April 15, 2001.


Cow herd still owes me about eight calves. Two of those delinquent are from the original seven I purchased. They were full mouth at the time so will have to mouth them the next time they are worked to see if it is time for them to put in a resume with McDonalds. No calf losses so far, but did have the orphan I bottle fed until I sold him for good money ($200) at 2 1/2 weeks. I was confident enough to give a 30-day guarantee on him - if he dies, bring him back for a refund. Buyer called a couple of days ago to say he was doing great and to ask if I had any more.

Had my neighbor overseed one pasture of about 30 acres, then triple disk about 3 1/2 acres around the pond, seed it and cultipack it. Fertilizer truck came right before it rained, but the lime truck didn't make it in time. Has been raining just enough to keep the seeds wet, and to help the hay field grow.

When I was at the livestock auction for my calves and cow/calf pairs I culled to be sold, they brought through a 1,500 black bull the owner said was 2 1/2 years old. Nice looking bull. Angus build but short-haired. Well I bid and would have dropped out at the next bid. Put him in the corral which separated him from my 3 1/2 year old Angus so they could acquaint themselves through the fence. After working him (his neck is so big my headcatcher couldn't full close even at the widest setting) I turned him in with the Angus and a yearling bull I kept out of my herd. They played bulldozer for a while until the new bull became the new boss bull. Yearling played it cool. Just laid and chewed his cud until it was over, then went over to introduce himself to the new bull, "Hello, my name's Johnny and I'm a bull also. Just wanted you to know I have no problem with you being boss bull."

I thought they had it out of their system but when I went out the next morning I was one bull short - my Angus. Looked like they played bulldozer during the night again and the new one pushed the Angus through the electric fence. Since I had forgotten to close a couple of gates I found him in with the herd. Sorted him out and walked him back home. He grumbled all the way. Sounded like he was saying, "All I wanted to do is to say hi to the girls."

All three bulls are well-tempered and easy to work with.

Will turn five heifers in with the bull in about a week, then the bulls and heifers back into the herd about the middle of May to retain my desired calving season.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), April 15, 2001.


LOL, Ken. I really enjoy hearing about your cows. What breed is the new bull? You said he's built like an Angus but is short haired?

Stacy Rohan in Windsor, NY

-- Stacy Rohan (KincoraFarm@aol.com), April 15, 2001.


Well, everything here at emilyfarms is doing great. Spring has sprung no more babies for a while. Garden is cut up, tomatoes, onions and potatoes are in the ground and then it rained for 3 days. Everything here is so green, apple, pear, peach and plum tress are blooming. I am looking forward to 2 weeks from now vaction time for hubby and I (only 3 days) but for three days we will be attending a auction in MO. and hopefully we will come back with our new buffalo. Have a great day.

-- tracy emily in TN (emilyfarms@tsixroads.com), April 15, 2001.

Everything is green, green, green! Especially after that rain last night and beautiful sunshine this morning. Garden is pretty well in. Got hummingbirds and yes lightning bugs too. Should be hearing whipporwills soon. Mare is 3 weeks overdue on her foal and her bag is so big and full I'm starting to feel sorry for her.Taking Paint mare to breeder's next week.Happy Easter. Happy Spring to all.:)

-- Eve Lyn (evelynv@ipa.net), April 15, 2001.


Happy Easter to all. We had a beautiful Easter Sunrise Service at the top of the gondola lift at the Gore Mountain Ski Area. The sun was out and the mountains were spectacular. Some of us rode the Gondola back down to the base lodge and some others skiied down. With about 18" of snow still on the ground in our field, it will be a while before we are ready to do too many things outside. The swallows and robins are back, so the promise of spring is definately in the air. I don't know what the swallows will find to eat, but I trust that they know what they are doing. Just finished up with our maple sugaring for this year. We made just a bit over four and one half gallons of syrup. For all of the syrup producers in our local area this year has been a total disaster. The temperatures were not what they should have been, and then we got 2 snowfalls back to back ( 30" & 18").It made for a bad sugaring season. Well, I have probably rambled on enough for one day and I better be going on my way. Once again HAPPY EASTER TO ALL. 73's and may God bless ,, Arnold

-- Arnold (ajkc2fli@localnet.com), April 15, 2001.

Stacy:

Don't know his ancestry. Will have to find out though as you now have my interest raised. Intend to sell two of the three bulls at the end of the summer. Will see which ones makes the cut. Kind of like Survivors.

Ken Scharabok

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), April 15, 2001.


No garden here in NH yet. Most of the snow is gone, but there is still a few patches of 4 - 5 inches here and there. The tomatoes and peppers just started coming up, in the greenhouse. Still 5 - 6 weeks before they go into the ground. We decided this morning, to build a new and larger chicken coop this summer(14 x 24 feet). The current 10 x 12 foot one is just getting too small. Everyone have a great week.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), April 15, 2001.

Things pretty quiet here on our place. All the new babies are here with the exception of one ewe, I think is pregrant!! She's fat so hard to tell for sure but she was acting strange this morning so will watch her closely. She's eating ok, just staying away from everybody else. Hope she get's a bigger bag before she lambs, doesn't look like much milk there.

Can't do much in the garden except clean up winter junk. It's going to be cold here in Michigan this week again, so will probably get some house stuff done. Set inside during some of the best days this year doing taxes (ugh) and now it goes and gets cold. My punishment for procrastinating. Need to put the third new window in the shop, have been replacing them this winter on nice days and have two more to go out of four. Shop was built in the fifties out of cement block and had metal framed windows. Planning to put heat in there so I can do woodworking during the winter so needed new windows, amoung other things.

Looking forward to getting sheep/goats out on grass so I can take a few days to visit some friends around the state. Need to get away for a day or two to refresh my mind and baby myself a bit. Planning a trip to the Maryland Fiber Festival with sister in May and a trip to Premier Sheep Equipment farm in Iowa in June with friend who started me in sheep. We may go on up to Pipestone in Minnesota too. Love to travel.

Thankful for another good health week, the guys home from China, and everyone in the family healthy and happy. Every once in a while I have to stop and realize just how good I've got it. Have a good week everyone.

-- Betsy K (betsyk@pathwaynet.com), April 15, 2001.


Just finished up a huge Easter dinner with my mother-in-law and my son and his family. Cooked a 25# turkey (homegrown, of course) and all the homegrown fixins'. STILL have snow on my garden, altho it's melted everywhere else. Go figure! My last and biggest doe is due to kid tomorrow. Tonite, though, she insisted upon going into the "birthing stall" for the night. So I didn't argue with her...she's 8 yrs. old and an old pro at this pregnancy stuff!! So far, out of four does I've gotten six kids (5 does and 1 buck). Depending on how many does I get from this last one will determine whether I use the same buck again. So far, he's doing pretty good at producing does!! Have to finish some repairs and tightening up on my electric fence tape tomorrow. I shut my charger off through the winter as the snow piles up and buries the fence. But now the snow is gone and pretty soon the goats might discover that the fence is not "hot". Then I have to figure what to do with all that leftover turkey!!!! Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), April 15, 2001.


Hi Cindy in KY Finally a warming trend, snow's all melted here in N.Pa. Plowed the garden Saturday, Tractor had a smile on it's grill! After plowing hooked on tiller attachment, soil rose and fluffed up like levin bread! Snow showers predicted for Monday, Tuesday, Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Hava good week!

-- woodsbilly (coleenl@penn.com), April 15, 2001.

Hello all, I agree with Diane in Mass. on two points. I'm envious of all the GREEN gardens, we haven't had snow in a while but everything is dry here in south- central Montana. My strawberries are just starting to wake up, and to think someone above already has blooms. The second point I agree and laughed about was about the chickens not coming out in the snow. Ours are babies too, my ds had to shovel their yard and paths around the yard( they free range during the day) LOL!!!! Ours layed well all winter, we ran a light a few hours each evening and when it was really cold. Lately they've backed off from 10/ 12 eggs a day to 8, they are all healthy, maybe they are starting to molt. Wensday (18 th) is going to be an eggciting( okay I couldn't help myself ) day, we are incubating chicks and this is the day they should hatch. When we checked them on the 14 th day they were all alive. My dd is so excited she's about to explode. Our weather is mild and we're looking for lots of spring showers. We drove across the Yellowstone River going to my parents for Easter supper and you could wade across it in most spots. I know all the farmers and ranchers are so worried and they should be I don't know where the water for irrigation is going to come from. The mountain are so behind in snow pack, there won't be much run off. I plan on geting some flower beds cleaned out and have a couple to move( we're in a suburb and I think sidewalks are coming this way soon :o( ) we are looking for land but everything is so high, I'd like to be out of here before the sidewalks come. Have a wonderful week !!!

-- Kelle in MT. (kvent1729@aol.com), April 15, 2001.

Howdy from the southwest, you all. We are enjoying wonderful spring weather in NM; tulips & peach trees are blooming, things are greening up; juniper trees are letting a tremendous amount of pollen fly (doesn't effect me, thank Goodness!); we are seeing very rare aurora borealis here due to the recent solar storms (missed that, drat). But, since I'm planning to shear my goats next week with MY NEW OSTER SHEARMASTER CLIPPERS (YAY!)... we'll probably have our final hurrah to winter with the last snow/hail/wind... I've got sweatshirts ready for everyone. Five Angora does due to kid, the first due May 2, the other 3 due around mid-May, and one will be a surprise. Did the apple cider vinegar-thing, so here's hopeing for girls. Can't wait to see what my brown buck produces, either color or fiber-wise! I'm all wound up over it; I'll be a first-time goat grandma and can't wait, can't wait, CAN'T WAIT!

That's the bright spot in my world. The rest of my life is in limbo- land... trying to sell my house & keep it looking like Martha Stewart would for the realtors, still haven't FOUND property to buy 250 miles away... can't really put in a garden, so will live vicariously through you all this spring. Starting to worry about everything falling into place, hauling animals... at once or several trips? Should I find someone to haul for me? Will I have to move the much coveted welded wire panels and pallets? Or will the new owners want them? Will I find a place with some outbuildings to use as a barn/chicken house or will I have to hustle my bustle and build everything? Will it be raw land or with a dwelling? Will I at least find someplace with fencing for the livestock & dogs? Will there be time? Will there be money? Will I go crazy? Arrrrrrgggggh! Well, that's MY life in a nutshell. Happy chatting with you over the fence & happy spring. Stay tuned for more cheerful submissions to The Forum after the house sells. dh in nm

-- debra in nm (dhaden@nmtr.unm.edu), April 16, 2001.


I had to clean out the stove pipe and start a fire yesterday afternoon, and push the wheelbarrow full of wood across the green grass and dandylions, kinda odd. Well, we had 2 weeks of hot weather at least and this isn't gonna last more than a couple days. It was supposed to snow, but it didn't! I wished it away!

We are getting a hard frost, about 28*, this week. Do you think my bloomin strawberries will be ok? There's about 60 feet x 3 feet wide of them. Should I get out all the styrofoam boards and cover them? I know strawberries are hardy, but not too sure about the flowers.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 17, 2001.


Lite dusting of snow this morning! Looked odd, the bright green of the grass and the white of the snow. Kind of a wet, cold and not at all comfortable day for outdoor work. I hear the couch calling.

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), April 17, 2001.

Yeah, John, I hear ya. I cleaned about a gigabyte out of my computer yesterday! Too cold to go out there for a sissy like me. It did get warmer in the pm when the wind quit, and I did cover the strawberries with old hay from the other goat shed. And a big cardboard box is over the bloomin lilac bush!

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@hotmail.com), April 18, 2001.

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