I Make Horse Calls: Book Review

I attended the Alabama Horse Fair earlier this month and while there, I met the author of the book, I Make Horse Calls, Marcia Thibeault, DVM.  She was working her booth selling the books that she has written.  After speaking with her about her books, I purchased the first book in her series:  I Make Horse Calls, Living a Dream With Horses.  She said many moms have purchased the book for their homeschooling children.  She also assured me that I would not have to worry about the language in the book, unlike other veterinarians that have written books.  And she was right!

This books is VERY informative without being dry.  Her heart is to teach about horse care and she succeeds, even with this book just like she did as a veterinarian.  She often uses common terminology and then educates one on the proper medical terminology.  She teaches about the importance of having a relationship with your veterinarian and the benefits of regular horse care.  She shares her real life experience of progressing to and through vet school.  And she does all of this while maintaining the reader's interest and being entertaining!  That equals one talented author!

So, do I recommend this book?  YES!  My thirteen year old son will be the next to read this book and then we will read it as a family read-a-loud.  More importantly, I'm looking forward to purchasing the next book in her series:  More Horse Calls A Dream Fulfilled

Once you read her book, share with me your favorite story.  I would love to hear from you!

Tongue Tied Chicken

Being raised in the city, one does not usually come in contact with farm critters. Unless, of course, one has family or friends who are willing to 'train' a greenhorn. :-D

Chickens are an easy start to homesteading...though there is a LARGE amount of information we have learned in protecting and providing for our feathered friends.

One of the first lessons we learned: chickens like to take dust baths, me, I prefer bubble, but chickens like dust baths. When they are done they lay all splayed out - in fact they look dead.

After our initiation into this 'position' we've learned to be cognizant of how chickens act, lay, etc.

Older chickens are a tad easier (though they can be naughty as well) as they have 'been there, done that' and have learned some basics.

Young chickens, like children, are clueless. Hence my title and the example...we had a baby cage (more on that in another blog) with very young hens. These were probably around 6 weeks old.

I was walking through the yard and noticed a pullet (baby chick) lying down, first thought, "ahh, she is soaking up sun and relaxing after a dust bath." Then thought, no...she is not laying on her side, but head down, like she is stuck.

What could she possibly be 'stuck' on or with? Drawing closer, it was obvious that she was definietly 'tied' down. As I got closer it was obvious she had 'caught' a string from the blue tarp we had over the pen.

My thought? Dense bird, you can't eat that, just let it go. All the while drawing closer and observing, hmmm, she acts like she is trying to get away but can't. On top of the pen (so to speak) at this juncture, the chilling realization:

OH NO! She can't get up because she has swallowed the string! Instantaneous thoughts flashing through my mind...she's swallowed that string and it is wrapped around her intestines and HOW am I supposed to get that out of her?!?!

Quick run into the house for a pair of scissors - remember always point scissors AWAY from you, especially if you are running. I know, I know, cardinal rule: DO NOT RUN WITH SCISSORS. But I did...snatch the cage up off the ground (no it is not light), snag bird (heh she couldn't run from me now could she?), snip the string and bring the bird into the house.

Now animals (as well as children) do not like to voluntarily open their mouths, especially when they have something in there that they ought not. In the house, bird locked under left arm so she can't flap around, left hand prying open the mouth (all the while blue string flapping around), ahhh, thank you Lord, the string is only wrapped around her tongue.

No wait...it's TIED! Somehow in her pecking at the string and trying to 'eat it' she managed to literally tie her tongue. (Shame I didn't get a picture, but was short on hands at this point.) Notice that the tip of the tongue has already had a loss of blood (lack of color), thoughts still flashing rapidly though mind on WHAT TO DO!

Decide that even if I **could** get the string untied, her tongue tip is probably not going to rejuvenate...plus sticking a pair of scissors (or any other sharp instrument) into a wiggling, non compliant patient's mouth is not something I really want to do. Chickens do not have very large mouths (though they can be quite vocal).

Decisions, decisions - finally, the only option at this juncture...cut the string as close to the knot as possible, perhaps it will come unloose once the pressure is off. I never did go back and check to see if the knot was still there.

She (and I) survived the minor surgery - she actually did quite well. Though she always remained somewhat smaller than the other chickens, she laid the most beautiful pink eggs.

Goat Lice... A Common Problem!

Goat Lice

Lice are a common parasite found on goats, usually (but not necessarily!) in winter. Look along the goat's back, ruffling the hair backwards while looking for the insect or the nits. The lice themselves are easiest seen on a light-colored goat, while the nits can be easily seen on dark-haired goats. I think goats with a fluffy undercoat seem to harbor more lice than those with without. These lice are not going to infest humans, but will happily infest other goats! We have dealt with them on our goats occasionally, and to treat them we simply dust them liberally with Sevin dust. A few lice are no big deal, but severe long-term cases can result in anemia, or even death, usually because the goat is already in a weakened state and if anything else goes wrong, they don’t have much in the way of strength to fight.

If you have a goat that scratches a lot, whose hair looks ‘off’…not laying down flat ,wispy-looking, broke hairs shafts, or patchy…or a goat that is just not doing well…always check for lice. Also, if you get a new goat…it may be a good idea to treat them to be on the safe side, unless you absolutely know the breeders and their farming practices. And…if you loan your buck out to breed, or transport your does out to be bred…consider treating them. As I said, I use Sevin Dust, but there are other methods of killing goat lice, some more natural, some more toxic. Sevin Dust is definitely toxic, but breaks down quickly. You can talk to your vet, breeders, and even your local health food store to find the option that is right for you.

Goat lice are very common, but sometimes overlooked. It’s a good idea to get in the habit of checking for them even if you don’t think you have a problem. I try to check my goats when I trim their hooves or do other maintenance on them, and I have a habit of checking other people’s goats as well when I come in contact with them. That isn’t one of my hobbies listed on Facebook though! :)

Reasons to Disbud Goat Kids

We raise dairy goats. My son shows them at ADGA shows, and in order to be shown they must not have horns. But, that is not really why I choose to disbud all goat kids born on this property. I hate the process...it does hurt them, and that bothers me. Disbudding is done when the kids are very young…less than 10 days old. We use banamine to help with both the pain and inflammation. I also believe it helps reduce the risk of over-burn symptoms, where the brain actually is affected. I have seen one kid with over-burn…she kept walking around in circles, and trembling. It was scary, but she recovered. I think it was the next year that I decided not to disbud the buckling-soon-to-be-wethers, as they were just going in the freezer later on in the year. Why put them (or me) through that unhappy procedure? Several months later it also became the year I decided to disbud ALL future kids born on the property, and the following reasons will explain why!

First of all, those wethers got their heads stuck in the fence with amazing regularity! It was very frustrating trying to get their heads and horns out of the fence…it was like those aggravating mind-teaser games sold at Cracker Barrel where the object is to get the ring off the string without damaging it or the person giggling at you trying to figure it out! However, ‘the goat with its head stuck in the fence’ puzzle is larger, louder, and usually panicking. And we got to do this over and over, as the wethers never learned not to put their head through the fence!

The final straw in the disbudding decision, however, was when one of them accidentally gored my house sitter. The goat didn’t mean to do it…it was a domino effect of one goat slamming into another, who then slammed into him, which made him throw his head back in surprise. And, when he did that, he accidentally drove his horn into my friend’s upper leg. Good house sitters are hard to come by, and she was the best. It really is better to leave good help (and friends) un-punctured.

So…horns have no place at our farm. A goat with its head stuck in the fence is in danger of death, be it by strangulation or predator. And, a goat with horns is essentially walking around with two small spears on their head. An accident waiting to happen.

Property Lines

Mark them! Mark them while you can, before they disappear! I am talking about your property line pegs. If not, you will find yourselves doing what we are doing, shoving aside bunches of leaves, rotted debris, roots, and saplings saying “I thought it was right here!!! Where did it go?” You may even have tantalizing flashbacks of what the peg used to look like, exactly where it was, so pristine and clearly visible…I am having those flashbacks! And they’re not helping me. I think we are going to have to invest in a metal detector. I have cut brush, raked, yanked roots, used a shovel and even hauled the leaf blower out there…no luck. I know the peg isn’t far. At this point, though, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack! I will try to keep you posted as we get this figured out.

Alabama Horse Fair

I went down to the Alabama Horse Fair this weekend.  It was another great horse fair with lots of great speakers, clinicians and VENDORS!  If you live within five or six hours or even 8 hours of Montgomery, Alabama, you should really consider attending next year!

I saw Amber Mathewson who owns Trouper.  Amber competed about 18 months ago in the  Extreme Mustang Makeover and that is where she first met Trouper.  She had 100 days to take this wild horse and train him to accept a saddle, rider and a variety of situations.  She did a wonderful job with Trouper who stole her heart and will stay with her forever! 

At the horse fair, Amber was representing Redmond, a salt company.  She has been using this all natural product for about six months and has really become a believer in the benefits of this product.  So much so, that she brought this product to the horse fair to share with everyone who will listen...which included me!  I have used Real Salt for my family for years; now I'm giving it to my animals!  I'm looking forward to seeing improved health as these animals consume what Yahweh created for them!  If you are interested in learning more, here is their website:  Redmond Natural Equine Salt & Minerals.  And while you are at it, join their facebook fan page and tell Amber that the Townsons referred you!

The other reason that I attended the horse fair is because I was very interested in another product:  EquiPride.  I'm a member of a trail riding Yahoo group and one of the members has spoken VERY highly of EquiLix.  Michele has been using this product for a couple of months now.  When she first put this product out for her six mares, they ate a good bit of it and the 125 pound tub lasted six weeks.  The second tub she put out has lasted those same six mares twelve weeks.  Wow!  Think of that!  She is ONLY feeding this product and hay:  THAT'S IT!  Nothing else and her older horse is GAINING weight during the winter months.  I found this INCREDIBLE!  And they have products for sheep, goats and cows...so you know I brought some of this home to see how our animals will respond.  I'm hoping that I will see a weight gain on our cows that are destined for our freezer.  I'll keep you posted.

A pleasant surprise was meeting Dr. Marcia Thibeault, DVM.  She has authored several books about real stories from her veterinarian practice.  I purchased I Make Horse Calls and am looking forward to reading it this week.  I'll let you know how I enjoy it in a couple of days.

Those were the highlights of my 'vendor' experience at the horse show.  Thank you for reading this blog and if you have any questions about these products, let me know.  I'll do my best to answer them for you.  Have a great week!

Why We Got Dairy Goats

My family owns dairy goats. We have Nubians and Saanens, nine altogether. We run a CL and CAE tested free flock. We drink the milk, raw. Now, I never really wanted goats, but about twelve years ago my husband had very bad pneumonia, and when he came off the antibiotics he had severe digestive issues. Doctors tested him for cancer, parasites and a host of other things, but could not find the problem. To me looking back…with him coming off a triple course of antibiotics, his problem should have been quite obvious to the doctors!! But, he was sent home with the diagnosis of ‘We really don’t know what is wrong with you.’ We decided to cut dairy out of his diet and the digestive issues mostly stopped. Eventually we found out through trial and error that he probably has an issue with cow milk proteins and peanut butter. I learned to cook with soy milk. Notice I did not say ‘learned to like it’…I HATE soy milk!!!! It’s a great way to ruin a perfectly good batch of mashed potatoes! The children didn’t mind the flavor, and using it meant that we could share our meals together, instead serving ‘our’ food and ‘Dad’s’ food. That may sound silly, but everyone eating and enjoying the same food together was and still is important to me. It’s a simple way to unite a group of people. I guess it’s a universal principal, though I really hadn’t given it a lot of thought until right as I was writing this!

Anyway, one day, we tried goat milk at a friend’s house and were surprised to find that: A. It tasted great! B. My husband had no issues with it! So, we got goats. Ok, it wasn’t that simple, but that is another post!

Through the years his ability to digest cow milk products has dramatically improved. He can eat yogurt, many cheeses, butter, and cream. Whole cow’s milk is still off limits, as well as American cheese, cream cheese, and anything with peanuts. But, the goat milk really brought eating and cooking almost back to normal for us, and it was…and still is…wonderful!

Black Gold

(Que Beverly Hillbillies theme music)

{Note, click on the link and open in a separate window.}

Come and listen to a story about a gal named City Gurl,

once steeped in the fast lane now moved out to the rural,

took up homesteading and met up with some fellow of her kind,

went out to the hen house and what did she find?

Black Gold, ingredients for Manure Tea

Well next thing you know O City Gurl is got a garden,

planting those seeds and seedlings and similar kin,

Tomatoes and peppers, cucumbers and spuds,

its been a learning process, playing in the mud!

Chicken Manure

Poultry manure (chicken in particular) is the richest animal manure in N-P-K. Chicken manure is considered "hot" and must be composted before adding it to the garden. Otherwise, it will burn any plants it comes in contact with.

Harvest time! Out to visit the hen house. I needed to clean out the coop for quite a while, as evidenced by the 'build up' in the box.

Scraping the box is really not that hard...I don't know why I delay this task.

Bet the 'girls' were glad to have a clean spot to rest.

That is a 5 gallon bucket...it is 3/4 of the way full. As stated in the paragraph above (which has a link to the original article) I can not apply it directly to plants until it is aged. I can however, make manure tea.

I found a few 'recipes' online. From Ehow - take a burlap or grain sack (50#?) and fill 3/4 of the way full, tie off and submerge in a trash can or bin. Let 'brew' for 3 weeks.

That one is just too complicated for me. Sorry. A few years ago a friend gave me some cow manure, I put it in a plastic bucket, added some water, let it sit (who knows how long) out in the garden area, uncovered and dipped an old pitcher into whenever I wanted to water the plants.

I don't know that I will be any more scientific with this batch of chicken manure. Maybe I could bottle it to sell? LOL!

Also, once I am ready to put my plants in the garden I will dig down deeper than needed, place a small shovel full of manure in the hole, top up with some dirt and then place the plants in there.

While searching I did find a forum which was discussing making manure tea, they had some interesting suggestions.

If you'd like to age your manure, you can add it to a compost pile for 6-9 months. This site, had some good information as well.

How much manure can one chicken produce in a year? 50 gallons! I might could rustle up some jingle if I sold it...just maybe.

Composting

Composting - Outside

We decided to make our own compost bin using wooden pallets. Off to the local hardware store ~ they had an abundance they were HAPPY to let us have. Found a friend with a truck. Bribe friend with homemade bread. :-D Delivery of pallets complete. Wooden pallets can serve an array of needs (more on that in another blog).

We arranged our pallets in a square with no opening. Took baling wire and wired the corners together. The original idea was once the first bin was full, add three more pallets and build a row of composting bins in various stages of 'cooking.'

This is similar to ours:

You can throw a variety of items into the bin ~ most of our food scraps go to the chickens ~ a few items NOT to include are:

• Ashes from coal - or processed lumber;
• Colored paper;
• Diseased plants;
• Inorganic materials - metals, foil, plastic, glass;
• Meats, bones, fish, fats, dairy;
• Pet droppings; and
• NO chemicals

A few items you can include in your outdoor compost pile:

• Fruit waste/Vegetable stalks
• Straw
• Newspaper - shredded
• Garden waste
• Coffee grounds
• Leaves
• Corn stalks
• Pine needles
• Grass clippings (only NON-chemically treated)
• Manure
• Cardboard (shredded)

Obviously this is not an exhaustive list, but gives you an idea of some of the common items that can be used in a compost pile. This benefits the community by reducing the amount of solid waste in the landfills, helps provide habitats for micro-organisms and provides good mulch for future needs.