The big tractor isn't working again :(. Can't get it to start. It has 2 new batteries, new starter, new alternator, but looks like no desire to actually work. I had to give the Scottish Highlands a bale with the little tractor this week, which is more difficult as I have to reverse up the ramp onto the feed trailer, lower the bale, move forwards, then go back again while lifting to tip it over, while today Herbie helped me give the Jersey girls a fresh bale, also with the little tractor. He did the lifting of the bale feeder, I did the tractor driving. We can't find a backyard mechanic to look at it. John Deere charges $100 an hour, so we're probably going to take it to the New Holland dealer who "only" charges $86 an hour next year when we get our tax refund. Which means Herbie is going to have to reinstall the manual hydraulic lift to the haybine too, once we get that working again.
Farm life - always something that doesn't work. The truck was leaking fuel, took it to Ted. Rotted out air line to l, or from, the diesel tank. $450 for a replacement line from the dealer. Plus Teds' labour. So no truck for a while, as it wasn't an in-stock item and the dealer had to order it. Hopefully, it'll be fixed early next week. I've been using Noddy for schlepping chick and cow feed. Have agreed to buy 12 adult guineas from a friend of Mandas', but I can't fit them in Noddy.
Had to get the vet out, as they wouldn't sell me more mastitis meds for Daisy May without a farm visit. They were here last in 2014, so I suppose it's not unreasonable, but Herbie freaked out when I said they'd been. We can't afford it !! Well, I'll have to pay for it from next months' milk money then, because Daisy May has a swollen, hard, back right quarter, and no amount of massaging, milking out, aromatherapy or garlic in her food was fixing it. Carly, a young Korean-born, American adopted woman came out. She understood that I didn't preventatively shoot my animals full of anti-biotics, took a milk sample for culturing, and gave Daisy May a steroid shot to help with the inflammation. Called today. She has a bacterial infection, probably staphylococcus, but this will be known on Tuesday once the culturing has been done. Then we'll work on a treatment plan. I'm not against anti-biotics used for treating a specific problem, and if she needs them, we'll get her better. I need to find out how it could have happened so that I can prevent it in future. It does mean that there'll probably be a milk-withholding period, but now that I'm milking Eleanor too, we should be able to provide all our herdshare owners with good milk.
Harvested a whack of elderberries yesterday, and will start making tonic tonight. Need to make sure I don't get any stems into the pot, as they seemingly make the tonic bitter. Could also harvest some Sumac, and make an elderberry sumac jelly. Betsi made some a few years ago, and gave me a jar in trade for eggs. It was one of the yummeiest jellies I've tasted. Just the sumac part is tricky. You have to soak them in water to get their tartness, but I don't know the water to berry ratios, or how long they have to soak. Betsi said something about 1st and 2nd soak too. Well, if it was easy, then everyone would be making it.
Planted another 2 blueberry bushes, we have 12 now. Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to harvest our own berries next year. But, I'll need to net them to keep the berries safe from the birds. I really don't mind sharing the efforts of my labours with the other critters, but they don't seem to understand that the concept of sharing means I get some too. This year, they ate all the sweet and tart cherries, and all the peaches too. When they were perfect to pick, I went out and there was nary a one on the tree. And the chickens cleaned up what had fallen on the ground.