Was a warm 43 degrees F here today. The ground was soft and mushy, bits of snow still lying around on the North side of trees. Went to get another 2 bales of hay from Mike. He wasn't there, but his man, John, loaded for me.
We have decided to sell some of our cows. With feed being so expensive again this year, and Bambi having such difficulties with her udder, we will sell 7, send Doofus to butcher. Will keep Dolly, calf due in June 2014 and Daisy May. She is 18 months old, Buttercup and Brownies 1st calf. She's preggers, think due January. Both Dolly and Daisy May are polled, so their girl-calves should be polled as well so we won't have to de-horn. On the fence about Star. She's the lead cow, preggers with her 3rd calf, due in February. I worry about Daisy May, as she may be too small to birth easily, and like Pearl who lost her 1st calf earlier this year, think she may also be impossible to milk. Maybe offer Mabel to Larry, the guy we got the barley from. So Pearl, Worsie, and Bambi, for sale, keep Boytjie to be the Jersey stud for a few years. Pearl is preggers, due about January and Bambi should be preggers as she had sperm today again.
On the Scottish Highlands, will keep Little Red and her boy-calf, Big Red. He's about 6 months old and should be ready for butcher late 2015. Then also Gabriel, Butterscotchs' 14 month old. Can breed him with Little Red. Sell Pigtails and Butterscotch, they should both be preggers, but not vet-confirmed.
We will then concentrate on making hay next year from our hayfield so that we don't have to buy hay next year.
On the sheep, need to send Mr B to butcher, and want to sell Wanda and her mum, Strawberry. Strawberry should be preggers, not sure about Wanda.
For now, I think we'll keep the 3 alpacas. They don't eat much, just need to be monitored for the menengial worm because if the white-tailed deer we have here.
Need to butcher about 25 or so chickens including 8 roosters and 5 geese, 2 Chinese white boys, and 3 Toulouse / mixed boys. That will leave about 25 chickens, 1 rooster, 5 ducks, 1 guinea and 6 geese. That will give is meat in the freezer, and fewer poultry to feed through the Winter.
My dad is in England, miss talking to him. He will come and stay with us late Summer next year. Have to organise which projects are most urgent that we can do together.
Want to take a moment to thank my DH for being in my life. He is such a good man, a hard worker, kind, caring, strong and so very, very good to me, and for me. I love you, Herbie.
Still have my cough, but am feeling much better. So it's easier to do the chores.
Found a superb pumpkin pie recipe. After putting it back in the oven as it didn't set the first time, it came out perfect. But maybe it is our own farm-grown squash that makes it sooo delicious. I'll make another one as a trial run for one for Christmas.
Have been playing lots of frizzbee with Anni while filling the water buckets for the cows. She is tireless, but doesn't want to walk in any mucky ground. She will stand at the edge of the wet mushy parts, drop the frizzbee and look at me. Was throwing it in the dark tonight. She lost it a couple of times, and I had to go find it with her. She watches my body to judge where the feizzbee is going to go, and sometimes she is tricked. The other day, she came to me outside with a stick. I asked her where her frizzbee was and she ran around a little, looking for it. I remembered I'd last seen it in front by the sheep pen so told her to go find it there. Off she went and came back with it. Such a clever girl. She should be coming on heat shortly, so hopefully I'll take her to Carrie and get her preggers.