When we were first building a house in Oregon on property we planned to homestead, I told Brandon one day that I wanted to try keeping a hive of bees. He thought it was weird and wasn't really on board. That doesn't happen very often - we usually endorse each other's weird ideas or at least sit back and see how it goes. Shortly after that, it seemed like only days, our future neighbor came by the office and talked with Brandon for a while. The topic of bees came up. Apparently, he had a couple of colonies and knew how to make beekeeping not seem so weird, which is funny in hindsight because he could be odd (but nice) sometimes. Brandon told me he thought it was a good idea, but maybe we should get two colonies. I was good with that. In fact, I had already decided I wanted two but thought I'd let him warm up to the idea of one first.
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I want to start by saying that I am not an expert at composting. We have enough animals that we having a meaningful amount of manure and soiled bedding to compost differently than in a backyard garden. When we had a garden compost pile, I had a ring made of fencing material and I would toss retired garden plants into the ring. The idea was to turn it every month or two, and by spring it would be ready to incorporate into the garden. Rabbit and other vegetarian pet waste could go in it, but no cat or dog waste, and no meat or dairy products. I've also seen containers that you load and turn, which look nice, but the volume it processes is not a good fit for a small farm or homestead with livestock ... unless you have a couple dozen of them, I suppose, and lots of time to tend them. I've also found information about large-scale composting such as at feedlots and high-density dairies. I think a small farm or homestead is probably closer to those in that I don't want to do it all by hand, but it's still not the same. Composting doesn't have to be that complex. (You can look into the carbon-nitrogen ratio, but it has seemed fairly good for me so far.) Properly composted livestock waste kills pathogenic microbes, some seeds (but not all), and promotes the growth of soil-building microorganisms. We currently use a tractor, but with the fencing of our "official" farmyard, we will also use hogs. Homesteading and living on a farm is a busy job. Usually, you know which big tasks are coming up and you can anticipate them. (Then there are the dozens of things you don't anticipate or can't schedule the keep you on your toes!) What I am busy doing changes by the season. Weather and seasons mean a lot more when you homestead or farm than knowing what outfit to wear or if you should bring a jacket or umbrella. We also realize that the weather forecasters are often wrong, but for some reason it's hard to get over being disappointed each time they mislead us. I find they are often in the ballpark with regards to rain versus sun ... usually. I preventatively treat my cattle, sheep, and goats for coccidiosis, also known as bloody scours. This means I add a coccidiostat such as amprolium (CORID is my preferred brand) to their drinking water without them even showing signs of the illness. While I do vaccinate and don't give antibiotics for weight gain or without illness present, my one exception is that I treat preventively for this protozoal infection. It's mortality rate can be high among lambs and kids, and calves are miserable. Amprolium is also very specific in its action. Coccidia (protozoa) are naturally occurring in the environment and adult animal immune systems usually combat them without problem. When there is a upward trend in temperatures and snow starts to melt, there seems to be an explosion of these protozoa in the environment. Younger animals (or weak elderly) do not have as robust of an immune system and can not fend off the protozoal attack. I have seen one of my healthy young bucks show early symptoms, so I view them all as at risk. When I was first offered pickled eggs, it was at my uncle's home ... he's my husband's uncle or I would have probably been offered them as a child. I thought they were bar food, which to me means not real food. I also thought they sounded gross. However, I have been proven wrong and am willing to try most things. I've tried tripe, brains, and cartilage and am not really interested in eating them again. I've tried raw fish, sweatbread (thymus and other glands), and super-stinky cheese and liked them. Pickled eggs fall into the second category - tried them and liked them. When we've had groups of animals, there is often one that has a knack for getting into trouble or giving me headaches. Among our Lowline Angus, it's a little heifer (soon to be cow) named Easter (because of the day she was born and not because of any religious qualities). Of our horse's, it's my daughter's mare, who happens to be a very good horse but a bit boy crazy at times. Among our dogs, it's also my daughter's - Link. We acquired him as a puppy when we were building our house the first time where we homesteaded in Oregon. He peed on everything, slobbered any hand hanging low enough to reach, and liked to unload our laundry basket and chew up dirty clothes, then sleep on them. He also has a sensitive stomach but is the first beast to eat unholy things he finds outside - often after rolling in them - and then gets diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. Horses, cattle, and even sheep and goats are treat vending machines constantly leaving treasures for him to eat and perfume himself with. I don't know how many times he came back from a "quick bathroom break" outside with green stinky smears from shoulder to shoulder. But hey, he's a dog. We usually have at least half a dozen each of cats and dogs on the farm, sometimes more. Cats are fantastic at rodent and bird control (so we get a few cherries and blueberries). Dogs are livestock guardians or companions who also help guard the farm. They contribute and are valuable members of "the team," and we enjoy their personalities and friendships. Some of our pets have sensitive stomachs and we watch what we feed them. Most do fine on good-quality commercial pet foods. However, we have found that when homesteading and living on the farm, we have the ability to provide them a far superior diet. |
Mindy HelmsWife to Brandon, mother to Tess and Liam, farmer, entrepreneur, cook & baker, nurse, and accountant who loves to try new things, travel, and work toward greater self-reliance. Archives
March 2020
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