tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89465668906542775092024-03-18T19:55:55.266-07:00Merciful Hearts FarmDeb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.comBlogger442125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-74791014815007559492015-03-05T15:53:00.000-08:002015-03-05T15:53:08.210-08:00Almost Lost OneA week ago today we had another episode of weather. We'd had a combination of rainy snow through the night. My sweet husband, Al, had done his 5 a.m. walk around & all was well so he went on to work. I was just trying to get some things done in the house but kept having the feeling that I ought to go out to do my usual chores a little early. I headed out, glanced across the first pasture & laughed at myself when I hesitated because a pile of snow seemed almost lamb-shaped. No sheep were around it so it obviously couldn't be a lamb. I took a few more steps, glanced over again & just wasn't sure. I put down the egg bucket I was carrying & walked over to the fence. There was a lamb laying in a puddle. I raced through the closest gate, swooped the little thing up, stuck it inside my coat & glanced around. About twenty feet away I noticed that #802, a Romney ewe, was busy cleaning up a lamb. It seemed I had a twin tucked in my coat. I took the lamb over to #802 but she was interested in her newest lamb. I put him right at her face & she did take a look at him. I was encouraged that she didn't shove him away. I was also glad to see that she'd taken some time to clean him up initially before she stopped to deliver brother.<br />
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I called Al at work to let him know what was going on. He is fairly flexible so offered to come home to give me a hand moving the new family through many gates & into the stable. I took a few more pictures as I waited on him. It was pretty obvious that mama was not worried about her first lamb.<br />
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He was cold but strong & fighting for some attention.</div>
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His brother was not as thoroughly cleaned but mama was busy helping him get situated to nurse.</div>
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Al & I got them all into the stable & we put them under a heat lamp. I spent extra time working the outcast brother over with a dry towel. </div>
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Brother #1 was too cold to try to nurse & at that point mama's colostrum was just coming in. To make a long story short, I ran to a friend's for frozen colostrum & started the little fellow on a bottle. I usually keep a supply here but had run out. The time that I was on the road gave #1 a chance to warm up even more so that he was ready to be able to take a bottle when I got back. </div>
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We have had many bottle lambs through the years but would much prefer that mama raise her young. We left the little fellow out with his mother & brother & brought him a bottle every few hours. After a few days of noticing how well they were all getting along, I decided to try one more time to get him back on mama. At bottle time, Al & I both went to the stable. Al held mama as I laid on the ground & worked hard to stick #1 on a teat. It took some work but after about 10 tries the little fellow finally latched on & I could hear him nursing. He was even wagging his tail - an almost sure sign that he was actually getting milk. We watched him very closely. He was up under mama as often as his brother. He quit crying for us when he heard us come into the stable. He began to fill out. After 6 days of very close supervision, we let the little family out of the stable to explore.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">So far, so good. Mama loves & feeds both of them.</span></div>
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And we still tell the boys apart by who is the clean one & who is the dirty one.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-29876062310604482142015-02-17T05:50:00.000-08:002015-02-17T05:55:39.412-08:00A Little WinterWe did get sleet & ice last night. We also got a new lamb. Al found the little one at five this morning & assumed her to be about an hour old. Mama was doing a great job with her. Al tucked them both safely in a stall with lots of fresh hay & water. I waited until almost daylight to go out & take a few pictures. It was dark in the stable even with a few small lights on so I simply set the flash on my camera, pointed in the general direction of ewe & lamb & just shot away. I managed to get a few decent pictures.<br />
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Although I never got a good picture of the little eweling standing up, I can report that she has some crazy long legs. Her little belly is full & mama is very attentive & sweet to her.<br />
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We had a bit of damage to the big dog kennel as a large pine branch came crashing down into it. We only use that kennel when we babysit our children's dogs for short visits. The kennel was empty & we have time to repair it so no complaints.<br />
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We also had some pine branches down throughout the pastures. The sheep & sweet little Ralphie, the goat, were already hard at work on clean up.<br />
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This sweet sheep was just trying to ignore the whole thing.</div>
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Gwen was tucked away in the old barn. Again, I had to just sort of point & shoot in the dark to get a picture of her. She was just wagging her tail & grinning. We'd let the back sheep into the old barn for the night so Gwen had obviously chosen a high perch to keep track of the flock.<br />
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Once I was sure that all of the animals were safe & sound, I did take a few pictures of the ice. It really was beautiful.</div>
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Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-46796789808012738362015-02-11T04:59:00.001-08:002015-02-11T04:59:22.200-08:00RaviLast week as I was walking in from gathering eggs I noticed that Ravi, one of our Anatolian Shepherds, was perched on top of a round bale in the front yard. I had one egg that had a small crack in its shell so I handed it over to him. He very delicately nibbled away the end of the shell and enjoyed eating the raw egg.<br />
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I went out today to gather eggs & discovered Ravi resting in the tractor shed. Since all of our chickens are free range egg gathering can be a bit of an Easter egg hunt! We do have nest boxes in several buildings around the farm. Those buildings have small openings where the chickens can come & go all day but the dogs cannot get in to steal eggs. Many chickens lay there but some of the gals are a bit more random with their laying. Someone had made a little temporary nest in the hay on the floor & had laid an egg just a few feet from Ravi. </div>
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He was ignoring the egg when I noticed it. I asked him if he knew it was there & this was his response:<br />
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I laughed at him, added the egg to my bucket & walked around behind him to look at the little nest that a few of the gals share between some of the square bales that we loaded in last week. This is what I noticed as I walked behind Ravi.<br />
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I added that egg to my bucket as well. I attribute my lucky finds to the fact that Ravi had already had a nice breakfast & was more busy sleeping it off than seeking out a midmorning snack.Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-70861615219955085012014-08-31T11:29:00.000-07:002014-08-31T11:29:32.561-07:00Silly Bird<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDA2hZl9dI1_2Rayj0iMpKqclFnpgpHXxKOTRX5_-fQXGYAobnmNMFkZgSs9UWqZXWke5xFkef6UBDDK5I7AFKoIGReYROPJ4bsj1KVMB4u7dMPisX1cUVit-Cm6IwWKqbhyphenhyphenUSsYYLqhny/s1600/photo-22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDA2hZl9dI1_2Rayj0iMpKqclFnpgpHXxKOTRX5_-fQXGYAobnmNMFkZgSs9UWqZXWke5xFkef6UBDDK5I7AFKoIGReYROPJ4bsj1KVMB4u7dMPisX1cUVit-Cm6IwWKqbhyphenhyphenUSsYYLqhny/s1600/photo-22.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Yes, this is a Shetland ewe examining a Pearl Leghorn pullet (young female chicken) who just happens to be in my egg bucket & on the way to the house. I came out to do my usual egg collecting when I heard one of the young pullets carrying on outside the back door of the old barn. I opened the door to discover the noisy bird perched on the edge of the water trough. It was squawking at the other bird who was barely keeping her head above water by standing on the small ledge inside the water trough. She was soaked from about the shoulders down. Her wings were spread out on top of the water but were beginning to weigh her down as they were getting wet. I pulled her out of the water, tucked her under my arm & went about my egg gathering. I set her down in the sunlight hoping that would help to dry her. Her friend went on about her business as soon as I pulled her out of the water. I gathered almost a full bucket of eggs & checked on the little one again. Even though it is a warm day, she was shivering. I decided I needed to take her into the house & dry her off well. As I walked across the barn yard, a few of the sheep came up to see what I was carrying. They often glance in my egg bucket but as soon as they realize that the bucket contains only eggs they usually walk away. This time my bucket was a lot more interesting. A few of the sheep stopped to nuzzle the pullet as I walked through their pasture.<br />
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Now, those of you who know me probably would guess that I am not a blow dryer type of gal. I wash my hair each morning in the shower & then let nature take its course. But we do keep a blow dryer because you never know when a lamb will be born on a cold night or a silly chicken will decide to fall in a water trough. I plugged it in & began to systematically dry the little bird from head to tail. I lifted her wings & heated her chilly skin. In a matter of minutes she was dry & looking a lot better. She will stay in the bathroom for a little longer until I am ready to gather another bucket of eggs but at this point it looks like all will be good.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-77909000321303661732014-06-24T09:55:00.002-07:002014-06-24T09:55:57.450-07:00This Is Why<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghfliJ_8DDzWZXI2qMri6LbDhiL2sKch2fVI11WH6TbussQF0TH_XBBaWOjbArA34UHW8qvPXfBBqk9muNLepSk2g-0F14y4LI3_JJt8B-XJZz9vOJkvhcGLBWqz0u77CPvwXQdqpOoGu/s1600/sheep+in+twine+one.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghfliJ_8DDzWZXI2qMri6LbDhiL2sKch2fVI11WH6TbussQF0TH_XBBaWOjbArA34UHW8qvPXfBBqk9muNLepSk2g-0F14y4LI3_JJt8B-XJZz9vOJkvhcGLBWqz0u77CPvwXQdqpOoGu/s1600/sheep+in+twine+one.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
1) I always carry a knife in my pocket when I am at home. I never know who will need rescued. I used to always carry a knife in my pocket, period. But I often go into schools as artist in residence & coming in fitting their definition of armed & dangerous is frowned upon. I also have a good pair of scissors hanging on a nail in just about every building on the farm. You just never know. I even keep a tiny pair of stainless surgical shears for cutting little shreds of baling twine out from between the toes of chickens.<br />
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2) I walk the farm frequently throughout the day. This silly girl had only just gotten herself wrapped up in a mess of baling twine while sampling a new round bale that was not supposed to be eaten quite yet. She had not yet realized that she was going to be in trouble so had not started to struggle & pull at the twine that was still attached to a 750+ pound bale of hay.<br />
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3) We spend lots of hands-on time with our animals so that they do not panic when we do have to work with them. Many, in fact, will come running to us when they can or at least call out to us when they have a problem. I know it sounds hard to believe but it happens frequently enough that I know it is not just a coincidence.<br />
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It took me just a moment to pull my knife out of my pocket, cut a few wraps of baling twine, look the gal over to be sure nothing was still wrapped around a hoof or ear & then let her go on about her day. I also trimmed up the remaining bits of baling twine dangling from where she'd gotten into trouble.<br />
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Years ago we sat in on a lecture with a goat expert who started his presentation by stating that a goat gets up every morning & the first thought that goes through its little goat head is, "How can I kill myself today?". I don't think sheep are as intentional as our goats when it comes to getting themselves into trouble but that certainly doesn't mean they don't find plenty of ways to do it. Which is why we take this shepherding business quite seriously!<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-14853398560679207182014-03-25T10:06:00.001-07:002014-03-25T10:09:35.386-07:00LambingWe've been occupied with babies lately. We're up to 13 lambs as of just an hour ago. Here is the very latest little one. It is cool & rainy here this morning so she was a colorful little addition to the dreary day.<br />
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I actually noticed her because Regina, our oldest Anatolian Shepherd, was down at the edge of the pasture snooping at something. I couldn't see what was going on because of the drop of the hill in the pasture but I knew there was something I needed to investigate as Regina did not come up to the top of the pasture to greet me when I walked through the gate & down the hill. She is a good dog & quite pretty as well.<br />
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Once Regina realized that I was coming all the way down to where she was working she came to join me. I did have a chance to watch as she calmly helped the ewe clean her lamb. This old ewe was not at all disturbed by Regina & was licking on one end of the lamb while Regina gently licked at the other end. The lamb was trying to lift its little head but was being held down by all that licking. Once Regina came up & sat with me, the little one lifted its head & worked itself up to standing. It was poking around trying to find mama's udder while mama was still working to free it from the rest of its birthing mess. I decided to give the two of them a little more quality time together before moving them into the stable. I took Regina with me as I figured she'd helped quite enough. I went on to gather eggs while Regina parked herself up on the stable porch to oversee all the lambs in the barnyard. They are just going about their normal business on a cloudy day.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-23737320732873030602014-03-04T04:07:00.000-08:002014-03-04T04:07:51.792-08:00Just Working<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The dog in the background is Baloo. He's just having a normal day at work. He is 3/4 Great Pyrenees & 1/4 Kangal & comes from good working stock.<br />
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We adopted Baloo from a goat farmer in North Carolina several years ago. He was a young dog & part of a litter that were much more accustomed to living with their goats than engaging with people. In order for us to purchase Baloo, the owner had to put feed out & jump on the dog that we'd pointed out to him. The big white furball did not want to be held but we just knew he would be a special dog. We loaded him into a kennel in the back of the car & headed for home. It was a fairly long drive so we stopped for a quick bite to eat. We got Baloo a plain hamburger & placed it in his kennel. When we got home the food was still on his kennel floor & he was laying silently next to it. He was too anxious even to eat. He needed to learn to trust us.<br />
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He spent the first few days with us in the house. He gradually warmed up & now is a friendly & loyal dog who does his job well. Although he can wander most of the farm, this time of year the best place to find him is near a lamb. He has his priorities well in order & we just adore him.Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-54778690666078608242014-02-22T17:01:00.000-08:002014-02-22T17:01:16.125-08:00Really? How peculiar.I was on my way to the back to gather eggs & noticed that another piece of one of the old pines had fallen. That happens regularly with the older trees, especially when the woodpeckers have been working at them. I hear the woodpeckers having a great time out there on a daily basis. Something about this hunk of branch caught my eye.<br />
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The first thing that crossed my mind was, "Oops, I think someone had best notify OSHA as it seems we've had a work related mishap." I looked a little closer.<br />
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These were not woodpecker colored feathers. I figured I might as well pull out whatever was inside. The hole was a little bigger around than a silver dollar & the bird was carefully wedged in. Here is what I found.<br />
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From the looks of it, the bird had been attacked on the neck, killed & shoved into the hole. I am suspecting it is the work of a squirrel. Squirrels are nothing more than fancy rats & we have had rats drag off newly hatched chicks & shove them into their rat holes. I believe a squirrel was probably storing this little catch for later in the same fashion that it would bury acorns. And the secret stash just happened to be in the rotten end of the tree branch. I guess that whole circle of life thing can make for an interesting little blog post.Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-69236980186438025792014-02-20T04:22:00.000-08:002014-02-20T04:22:33.027-08:00Dogs In SnowIt is hard to believe that we had a 3 day snow & sleet episode last week as our temperature was 75 yesterday. I went back & pulled out my favorite pictures of the dogs in the snow. Again, no explanation needed - just browse on through.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-58665430505962812782014-02-17T03:49:00.000-08:002014-02-17T03:49:23.988-08:00Some Interesting WeatherWe had our second snow episode in the Upstate last week. We were fortunate to only get snow & sleet followed by a small earthquake on Friday night. We never even lost power so I spent most of the down time having fun taking pictures which I will simply share with you. They pretty well speak for themselves.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-21146585152969822622014-02-06T06:15:00.000-08:002014-02-06T06:15:13.311-08:00Just another dreary day?I woke up shortly before five this morning & was thinking about the fact that I needed to write a blog post. We have had dreary wet weather with an occasional sunny afternoon. I knew if I took pictures around the farm most would show beige, brown, white sheep on beige, brown pastures. I thought perhaps to brighten things up I should take a few pictures of the latest spinning & dyeing projects for a little color. I just really wasn't feeling it today.<br />
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As I was getting out of the shower, Al came in from the morning chores to announce that he had found a pair of twin Romney ewe lambs that had been born sometime in the very early morning. SO... here's the dreary pictures from today but I will follow them with a few new baby pictures.<br />
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And here is the sweet little family. Still not a lot of color but I figure the cuteness makes up for that.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-11302914009799611592014-01-29T07:00:00.000-08:002014-01-29T07:00:59.173-08:00Winter WeatherI am originally from Ohio so have no problem with winter in South Carolina. We do have an occasional interesting episode. Yesterday snow was predicted & it started coming down shortly after noon. It was 32 degrees when the snow started. I scurried around outside & refilled water troughs then drained the hoses I used. I also fed the dogs a little early & gathered my first round of eggs. We were actually seeing snow on the ground in about 2 hours.<br />
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I had been in touch with a friend whose husband had to travel west for a family emergency. They have a single cow & the husband had arranged for a young man to care for the cow for the 5 days he intended to be gone. Because of weather throughout the country, his flight had been delayed for a few days. He got word that his flight would be delayed one more day & that the cow had just eaten all of its hay. I offered to bring some over then called my sweet husband to ask if he could come home from work a little early so that we could do that before the roads got bad.<br />
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We feed round bales so decided it would be easiest just to take him the inner core of a round bale. Our sheep needed more hay in their pastures so Al stripped the outer core of the bale. We were hurrying as the roads were icing up & we wanted to get over there & back before dark. I ran ahead of the tractor, opening gates to the pastures that needed hay. I also took a few pictures. Those of you who know much about farming will see these first pictures & think, "This is how you end up as part of show & tell at farm safety camp." I would not recommend this to everyone but Al is spry & the tractor is well weighted. The footing was slick as the snow was falling.<br />
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Once we were down to the core of the bale, Al loaded it into the truck & we took off for what should be a less than 20 minute drive.<br />
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It took us a solid half hour. We were taking back roads & the trees protected the pavement from some of the snowfall. At the same time I was on the phone with the woman who owns the cow. She was trying to get home from work & was on a main road that was just a mess with folks sliding into the ditches.<br />
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When we got to her house, we quickly unloaded the hay near the driveway & then used a trash can to carry a few loads down to the cow. The last thing we wanted was to get the truck stuck trying to drive the hay down to the pasture. We managed to complete our task just as it began to get dark.<br />
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We made it home in half an hour. I think we were best staying on the back roads as we barely saw half a dozen other cars. Our friend called us when she finally got back home. It had taken her an hour & forty minutes to complete her usual less-than-half-an-hour drive. She was just thrilled to know that she was safely home & that her cow was happy.<br />
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Our sheep don't seem to be particularly concerned about the weather. They know they will be well fed & also have plenty of shelter should they choose to use it.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-18462673723455250482014-01-18T09:24:00.000-08:002014-01-18T09:24:20.767-08:00A Little WorkI have not quite gotten back into a routine since the holidays. One of the things that is taking a lot of my time is our 17+ year old dog, Amanda. She is a sweet old lady who is still quite alert but has physically declined to the point that I spend a lot of time carrying her out to the bathroom, bringing her food & water & readjusting her bedding. She really does nap a fair bit of the time but also needs plenty of attention. We adopted her from a shelter in Jacksonville a few years before we moved here. She is the last of our creatures who made the move with us 15 years ago.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaS-bXOJnlMAa5iu7Ommi6ac4YbR_RqeoXr9A8mXQCfv3ZExFGtr01cbli5sfH54dT_Z9mPbNCeXsCEuJpTRV3_BX5BHT3Ld8zStqZEhB6tLH0150OH7eNrsrFfDMi3G3qR8V-dHL1rqB/s1600/Amanda+&+Belle+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaS-bXOJnlMAa5iu7Ommi6ac4YbR_RqeoXr9A8mXQCfv3ZExFGtr01cbli5sfH54dT_Z9mPbNCeXsCEuJpTRV3_BX5BHT3Ld8zStqZEhB6tLH0150OH7eNrsrFfDMi3G3qR8V-dHL1rqB/s1600/Amanda+&+Belle+008.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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My sweet daughter-in-law also went back to work at the hospital 10 weeks after our first grandbaby was born. I am so fortunate to be staying with Jane for a day or two a week. I resist the temptation to post lots & lots of baby pictures so will only share a single one from this week. Jane has learned that she can actually aim her little fist & grab things. So far, that seems to be a great way to spend time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvtRpu1lLFVzrKEAD8ZVhRR7obT1zeJt4abHnvuXe3v15u9xcu1TZ03GpnloJ97Ic8BGUWMg_7ICTms-jiV6gd9HDCq9QVTJ5cHp9K-MqkMO0hgymVEfglce03jzMQNh-wgWGArr1JFPV/s1600/Jane+right+hand+bird.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqvtRpu1lLFVzrKEAD8ZVhRR7obT1zeJt4abHnvuXe3v15u9xcu1TZ03GpnloJ97Ic8BGUWMg_7ICTms-jiV6gd9HDCq9QVTJ5cHp9K-MqkMO0hgymVEfglce03jzMQNh-wgWGArr1JFPV/s1600/Jane+right+hand+bird.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Our weather has been a little crazy. We have gone from single digit cold weather to temps in the low 50's within a single week. I need to do more dyeing but it is a little tricky when the dyed roving freezes on the line before it even has a chance to begin to drip dry. I simply kettle dyed this but it spent 3 days on the line before it was ready to spin. The first day it froze so firmly that it could have stood up on the table on its own. </div>
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It did spin up a bit more orange than the wet roving looked like it was going to be but I am still happy with it. It is on the right. The work on the left is from some roving I'd dyed all the way back in October but pitched in my stash & managed to lose for a while. I am pleased with the way it is spinning up.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVHu2Bu13sK44MUhBT9OEpFd6WzfSi4NzmGeWPX5uaiil8Jws7BVg9mK6XEmZp9Ehb32us9S5R_o3N-rAMj8A89MEXf7eDm5TImyEazEv0eNR1t8NwNkI9C1SstJz0yX-5QI4p7Yv4A9J/s1600/odd+blue+yarn+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVHu2Bu13sK44MUhBT9OEpFd6WzfSi4NzmGeWPX5uaiil8Jws7BVg9mK6XEmZp9Ehb32us9S5R_o3N-rAMj8A89MEXf7eDm5TImyEazEv0eNR1t8NwNkI9C1SstJz0yX-5QI4p7Yv4A9J/s1600/odd+blue+yarn+005.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have decided to discipline myself to spin for at least an hour a day, even if it means I spin up some white roving to dye after it is spun. It is hard to believe that market season will be here before we know it.</div>
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Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-48517707932311702352014-01-06T15:19:00.003-08:002014-01-06T15:20:07.072-08:00Ready for Some Cold WeatherWe have had a fairly mild winter so far but things are getting exciting. We had rain all night while the temperature hovered around 40 degrees. It has dropped throughout the day and is now in the 20's. We are expecting to be in single digits tomorrow. Now, compared to other parts of the country where the weather has been just ridiculous, we are doing fine but we still do a lot of extra work to prepare for weather extremes.<br />
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We have an excellent hay man who does a great job keeping us in very nice hay. Al picked up another four round bales over the weekend. When he unloaded the trailer he intentionally lined them up as an extra windbreak for some of the sheep. We make sure everyone has plenty of clean hay since a full belly is like a little furnace running as digestion produces heat for the ruminants. This little Shetland is obviously enjoying the lunch selection.<br />
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When I was out at noon to feed the dogs and gather the first of the day's eggs I noticed that a lot of the animals had not yet seen the weather forecast. They were enjoying a brisk sunny day. I guess they were letting me do the worrying for them.<br />
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The free range chickens, however, were not too enthused. They preferred not to "range" today but hung out in various buildings around the farm. Fortunately we have plenty of warm spots out of the wind for them to spend the next few days in & they love snacking at the seeds that fall off of the hay. The wind has picked up through the day. I spent time down close to the ground feeling for spots where the wind was blowing into the old barn & filling them with hay.<br />
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The cold is not predicted to last long but we want everyone to be as comfortable as possible through the next few days. And I believe I'll have to gather eggs a bit more frequently throughout the day tomorrow to prevent any frozen ones!Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-66063068393602989182013-11-09T04:47:00.000-08:002013-11-09T04:49:24.707-08:00A First for Us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was 15 years ago this month that we moved to Upstate
South Carolina. At the time, our oldest
child was about to turn 13 & he wanted sheep. We had told the children that when we moved
to the farm they could have any animal that they wanted to be responsible for
if they would read 3 books about the breed & pay half the cost. </div>
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Glen wanted sheep & we knew exactly where
to get his first sheep. You see, a few
years before we moved to South Carolina, we were travelling from Florida to my
parents’ home in Ohio. We made our usual
stop at Tamarack on the West Virginia Turnpike.
As we walked through the parking lot we saw a truck with a few beautiful
sheep. The owner was just walking back
to the truck so we struck up a conversation.
It turned out that the gentleman was from Anderson, South Carolina. We were familiar with the area simply because
my father-in-law was a Clemson graduate (class of ’49!) & we came on the
annual family trip to homecoming. After
a nice chat with the sheep farmer, we started to walk away but I turned back
& asked if he had a business card on the chance we might one day visit on
the annual Clemson trip. I tucked his
card in my purse. That came in handy a
few years later as Glen wanted to acquire a small flock of sheep. It was Glen’s interest in sheep & the
need for me to figure out what to do with their gorgeous wool that has helped
us to evolve to where we are now as a farm.
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Five years ago, Glen married a delightful young lady whose
family own a berry farm in Anderson. Kelli & Glen decided that they wanted their own flock of sheep at
the berry farm. Although Glen started
with Tunis sheep here many years ago, he decided that they wanted to raise
Romneys at the berry farm. We all did a
little research & he found a handful of ewes in North Carolina. After we’d all visited the flock & Glen
& Kelli had chosen their favorites, Glen & my sweet husband returned
the following week with a trailer & brought them back.</div>
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Glen was not done, though.
He located a young ram in Georgia so one day he & I took a
meandering drive over to check out the ram.
The plan was that we would go look at the ram & that Glen & his
father would return later with the trailer to retrieve him. </div>
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As we drove along, it became obvious that we were travelling
quite off the beaten path & that it was a bit longer of a trip than we
imagined. I told Glen that I did have a
tarp in the back of my car so perhaps we should just throw the ram in &
drive home with him rather than make another trip. We’ve done more foolish things in the
past. The ram was quite handsome &
only about three quarters grown. Glen
bought him, we spread the big blue tarp & a few spare towels, wrestled him
in & hauled him home. I drive an SUV
so Glen rode home in the backseat just in case the fellow should prove to be a
jumper. After a few moments of
uncertainty, he plopped down & behaved for the two hour ride.</div>
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Glen & Kelli have taken very good care of their little
flock. They acquired Jack, a handsome
Anatolian Shepherd pup, who has grown to be a wonderful livestock
guardian. And they’ve had several lambs
through the years. Their flock gets lots
of admiring visitors at the Hardy Berry Farm.</div>
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Every spring my sweet husband shears their flock. The Romney wool is long, wavy & has such
a pretty sheen to it. They have sold
some of their fleeces but I also have some of them here. When they announced that they were expecting
their first baby at the end of October, I decided to get busy on a very special
project. I carefully picked through the
fleece, washed the best & spun a
nice yarn. Once they discovered that
they would be having a little girl, I pulled more wool & dyed it one of
Kelli’s favorite colors. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjdfIXqfVYbJqmTU07PB7CWwvSY9PgaFmeCs64HPzjeRPnq7ANA9_hP-Rg8fjmsftzNTXrU9cuUTohFYD755Nr98IZ5Lgdy3qVU71hgPu7I5BOtDiZLKj3ptORsnrc-SEXDL10YBfSGLL/s1600/Glen's+ewe+lamb+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjdfIXqfVYbJqmTU07PB7CWwvSY9PgaFmeCs64HPzjeRPnq7ANA9_hP-Rg8fjmsftzNTXrU9cuUTohFYD755Nr98IZ5Lgdy3qVU71hgPu7I5BOtDiZLKj3ptORsnrc-SEXDL10YBfSGLL/s320/Glen's+ewe+lamb+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Although I do
knit, I wanted something “perfect” for our first grandbaby so I talked with a
sweet friend who is quite the expert. I
met my friend, Jan, many years ago when Saturday Market was just starting. She was a knitter who was sucked in by my
weekly yarn display. She would often
come minutes before market technically opened to see what was new. I had custom spun yarns for her in the past
& was quite confident that she would not only do wonderful work but would
enjoy being part of our heirloom project.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">After some discussion & much browsing, we chose a
pattern for a little asymmetrical baby jacket.
She sampled the yarn I’d already spun, told me how much more I would
need to produce & went to work. </span><span style="text-align: center;">She
even found the most perfect little sheep button!</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">She delivered the finished treasure to me
this past week & the first thing my husband said was, “Well, now you have
your final farm story for this season’s market.”</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">So here is baby girl’s wool jacket.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">It is from Mama & Daddy’s sheep which
were shorn by Grandpa, spun by Grandma & lovingly knitted by a very special
friend.</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">And it seems like the perfect
way to end our eleventh season at Saturday Market where I have been blessed to
sell yards & yards of yarn through all these years!</span></div>
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Our very first grandchild, sweet little Jane Autumn Potter, was born on October 31st. She was merely hours old when we presented her with her sweater.</div>
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Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-67862657536944579602013-10-28T11:01:00.000-07:002013-10-28T11:01:07.510-07:00A Little Itch<br />
Bitsy loves the edge of the old tub that we use as a water trough. I've seen her do this before but have never had the chance to catch a video. The look on her face is priceless. Thought I'd share!<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-40042959286733223912013-10-16T04:19:00.002-07:002013-10-16T04:19:13.163-07:00Silly Sheep"3" is one of our Tunis cross ewes who loves to spend time in the front yard. She & her rapidly growing lamb are quick to race to the gate so that they can come up front with me. Now that her lamb is about eight months old they don't spend much time side by side but do like to be within sight of each other. I let the two of them up front to help trim the lawn.<br />
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Yesterday afternoon I went out to gather some eggs & discovered this as I came around the corner. "3" had obviously been around the far side of the house in the grape vines. This leaf was snugly tangled in her fiber. It took me a while to catch her & finally yank it off but I didn't even try until I took a few pictures.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-35290738282771148062013-10-13T11:49:00.000-07:002013-10-13T11:49:18.977-07:00Quiet SundayIt has been a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid 70's with a bit of a breeze. Except for the tree leaves occasionally rustling, it was perfectly quiet. Everyone is just having a lazy Sunday afternoon. The sheep are mostly laying around ruminating. The chickens are meandering around looking for a few extra treats but have eaten well all morning. Al had put out a new round bale of hay earlier in the day so the scuffle for that is long past. Even the immature Guinea Hens that usually run around screaming what sounds to me like, "Come back, come back, come back" were just strolling through the pasture. I just quietly wandered taking pictures.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-55033078524548004752013-10-04T06:23:00.001-07:002013-10-04T06:23:22.163-07:00Friday WalkI just wanted to take a little jaunt around the farm this morning while it was still misty. I took the camera with me but didn't think I would get many decent pictures. Of course, the cows insisted on helping. Not only did they hog the picture but they love to come up behind me & jostle my arms as I try to focus.<br />
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And, speaking of cows, I attribute this to them. I discovered a spider web quite high up that was holding a tuft of grass, roots & all. I can only assume that a cow was eating, flung its head back to shake off a few flies & managed to pitch this morsel high enough to land in the spider web. At least that is my guess. The pine needles make a lot more sense as they fall from above.<br />
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I always explain to our egg customers that our birds are free range. And by free range, I mean that they go wherever they want on the farm. The fencing is there to keep the other livestock safe. The chickens ignore it & roam. This hen has managed to raise her three chicks to be more & more independent every day. <br />
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This little gal decided to pop on through the fence & visit a few sheep on the other side.<br />
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After a few minutes mama called her back & they went on about their exploring as a little family.<br />
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As I finished my walk, I noticed that a few of the goats at the top of the hill were just appreciating the warmth from the morning sun.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-89996413045108274772013-09-24T06:58:00.000-07:002013-09-24T06:58:27.923-07:00Another day on the farmI love a quiet morning walk. Of course, with all of our livestock it isn't always quiet by many standards but I don't count animal noise as something that bothers me. Gwen, one of our Anatolian Shepherds, loves to trot along beside me when I walk her pasture. She is not much for posing for pictures but I managed to get a pretty one before she realized what I was doing. The next one I shot shows her turning her shoulder to me & walking off.<br />
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I always look for problems as I walk. I did notice this & fixed it right up. It wasn't bothering the ram but I still felt obliged to take care of it.<br />
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Of course, since all of our chickens are free range, they are most everywhere I wander. We not only have the 300+ mature chickens out & about but we have been moving the young pullets out to join them. I thought I'd show the new gals what I expect them to aspire to over the next few months. <br />
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See that turken in the center of the picture? I love those silly looking birds! I especially love to pick them up & just marvel at the cute little naked necks. My husband is not as keen on them as they look like some sort of genetic mishap but I love variety so admire them & love seeing among all the other chickens we have.<br />
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I just love some quiet contemplative time out back with all of our creatures. And so does this Shetland ram watching over all the pretty ewes in his pasture. I do believe he is quite handsome.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-84508278315379897652013-09-08T02:55:00.001-07:002013-09-08T02:55:10.551-07:00Indie Craft ParadeI am in the thick of Indie Craft Parade here in Greenville but thought I would share the promotional video. Part of it was filmed here at the farm but we were in the thick of record-breaking rains so we did everything at the front of the house. We moved a small flock of sheep up front which worked out just fine as it had been way too wet to mow. The sheep were thrilled & the Indie folk got a few nice pictures of some of the fiber babies. <br />
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The video is well done but I have to admit that my favorite part of my own interview is the little outtake at the very end.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/73257179" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/73257179">Indie Craft Parade: What's it all about?</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3995522">Indie Craft Parade</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-39720566397353330842013-08-13T10:10:00.002-07:002013-08-13T10:11:53.622-07:00Just a little different...<br />
As I walked into one of the small buildings that holds a set of nesting boxes, I spied this. <br />
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The hen is tucked into an overturned part of a galvanized feeder. There has been such an abundance of grass & other interesting growth this season that we've had to use very little supplemental feed. This feeder was simply up against the wall in the shed waiting for winter when it will be needed again. Obviously, the galvanized "home" reminded this hen of the nice silver walls of the nesting boxes so she was just compelled to lay an egg.<br />
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She was content so I imagine that is all that counts. And I could collect her egg without having to risk a peck on the hand as I reached for it.<br />
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We have more than enough nesting boxes but we're also just fine with a gal expressing her individuality now & again!<br />
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<span id="goog_301795103"></span><span id="goog_301795104"></span><br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-16002609926964039862013-07-06T16:47:00.000-07:002013-07-06T16:47:34.675-07:00A Not-so-little SurpriseA few weeks ago I gathered an unusual egg on my regular rounds. It was in a nesting box with two other eggs.<br />
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It was quite a handful.<br />
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I weighed it.<br />
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It would not fit into an egg carton but since Saturday Market was the next day I thought it would be fun to take it along to put on my table. I carefully packed it up. It was quite a conversation piece. There was much speculation as to what might be inside. I told my customers that I would check when I got home. Many thought that it would at least be a double yolked egg. Little did we know.<br />
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The shell was fairly substantial but I was careful when I broke it. The large egg contained a normal yolk & white along with another intact egg. I removed the whole egg, dried it off & weighed it.<br />
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The intact egg from the inside of the gigantic egg weighed 2.2 oz. so it would have been sorted out as an extra large egg. And I did check this egg as well, finding that it contained a perfectly normal yolk & white. It sure would have been funny if it had contained a small egg inside.Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-56484977954913860702013-06-24T12:14:00.001-07:002013-06-24T12:14:39.299-07:00Look what came in the mail....Each year we order more newly hatched chicks so that we always have young hens to lay eggs for market. Our replacement hens are to keep up egg production, not to really "replace" the older gals. We let the older ones just retire on the farm. As hens age they lay fewer & fewer eggs. The eggs from the older hens are also more likely to have flawed shells or otherwise end up as culls. In order to keep all of our customers happy, we need to continually add new layers & this was the day the latest newly hatched pullets arrived.<br />
<br />
The post office calls early in the morning to let me know that I can come on to town to retrieve them. I always get there before the post office actually opens for business but if I knock on the door someone peeks out & hands me my birds. I can usually hear them even before the postman opens the door. This time there were supposed to be 150 little ones cheep-cheep-cheeping away in the two large boxes. I loaded them up & they serenaded me all the way home.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45Z0o3QQoMQWsENVU4nnkCs6AfsqKtwNVIA0O2LP-rJ3ogvltHphLYkD1Z9W0rq8XCKhh6afRyyPxsULByLCl2jJB8uXvgLzZsVMCqiKt75AZ3GpAx8ePuBxFwnIIfVCVEUeahYms7JdN/s1600/photo+(52).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45Z0o3QQoMQWsENVU4nnkCs6AfsqKtwNVIA0O2LP-rJ3ogvltHphLYkD1Z9W0rq8XCKhh6afRyyPxsULByLCl2jJB8uXvgLzZsVMCqiKt75AZ3GpAx8ePuBxFwnIIfVCVEUeahYms7JdN/s320/photo+(52).JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
There are dividers inside the big boxes so that there are four sections inside. The chicks are packed in tightly enough that they stay warm & also don't get banged around during handling. They left Iowa on a plane yesterday but when newly hatched are good for about 48 hours without any food or water. I love to peek through the quarter-sized air holes.<br />
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Once I got home I had to move them all the way out to the stable & spend a good bit of time getting everyone safely set up. This time Moo-fasa, our Dexter bull calf, was very interested in seeing what I had in the wagon. <br />
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I managed to dodge a few more cows, a sheep & two of the Livestock Guardian Dogs as I made my way to the stall in the stable where we will raise out the little hens. I left the boxes in the stall while I finished my preparations. I had to fill waterers & feeders. We use empty water troughs to brood them in so each had to be lined with paper towels. I will add different bedding later but I want to start them on the paper towels so that they can find their food easily & so that I can just pull up the towels each day & clean up. I not only filled the waterers but I also filled a small pan with water so that I could dip the beak of each bird in it for her first drink.<br />
<br />
I finally pulled my milking stool up between the shipping crate & one of the empty watering troughs so that I could begin to unpack the little gals. This time I had ordered a random assortment of brown egg layers so I was interested in seeing what I might find. From the looks of it, I have a nice mix of birds.<br />
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I was particularly tickled to find a fair number of Turkens in the mix. They are funny looking chickens who are also referred to as Naked Necks. They are good layers & I like to see them among the other hens but my sweet husband thinks they just look weird. I know he will laugh at how many we ended up with. Here is a birds-eye view of one.<br />
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I spent a good bit of time dipping beaks, gently placing the birds in their new home & then watching to be sure that they found their water & feed. I counted as I unloaded. Although I ordered 150 birds, the company that I work with is good about throwing in a few extras just in case. I ended up with 156 busy birds. <br />
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Once everyone was loaded in I went back into the house for some lunch. The whole process had taken a good two hours. When I checked back an hour later everyone was looking pretty good. I did adjust the height of one of the heat lamps as it was too low. The birds showed me that they were too warm by avoiding standing directly under the lamp. You can see that on the left hand side of the above picture - the birds have separated into two groups, leaving the center of the trough right under the lamp empty. Once I adjusted the lamp they began to stroll around the entire trough.<br />
<br />
I did have to laugh when I was setting things up. I had walked outside the stable to wash out the waterers. The wagon that I used to haul the bird boxes back to the stable was about fifteen feet from the far door. As I walked in I caught Ralphie, one of our ornerier goats, with his feet up in the wagon. He was pushing it along & did not stop until he got to the far door. I managed to get a quick picture. I think the lambs saw the camera & wanted me to know that they had nothing to do with this stunt.<br />
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<br />Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8946566890654277509.post-6153977092575197912013-06-21T04:43:00.000-07:002013-08-06T06:42:25.306-07:00Sweet Regina<div class="MsoNormal">
On Tuesday I went out in the late afternoon to gather one
final bucket of eggs & to feed the six Livestock Guardian Dogs scattered in
their various pastures. We have a
routine where the dogs go into the stable, the old barn & a separate
pasture area so that they can eat without having to fend off the nosy sheep,
goats or cattle. Everyone took their
places except for Regina, our oldest Anatolian Shepherd. At suppertime she is usually sitting at the gate to her
pasture waiting to be let out into the barnyard. She circles the stable once, sniffing at a
few lambs as she passes by & then meets me at the big door so that I can
let her in & feed her. By the time I’ve
finished gathering eggs she is done & ready to prance out as I open the
door. She is quite energetic, especially
considering that she will be ten years old in the fall. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Regina was not at her gate.
I called her, thinking perhaps that she hadn’t returned to her pasture
last night & was napping somewhere around the barnyard. I didn’t see her. After a fair bit of searching, I called Mr.
Potter at work & asked if he’d seen her.
He said she had wanted to go into the back pasture in the morning so he’d
let her through that gate & into the woods.
It is not unusual for her to go prowl in the woods for the morning but
she usually ends up at the back door of the old barn by the time she wants her
afternoon nap. I checked but did not see
her there so decided to walk down through the woods as I assumed she was
napping down by the creek where it stays a little cooler. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked down the long hill towards the woods, calling her
name as I went & expecting her to pop out of the trees at any moment &
trot back up the hill with me for dinner.
She was nowhere to be found. I
started to actively search for her.
After much walking & calling I found her curled up in a huge hollow
tree next to the creek. She lifted her
head, happy to see me, but would not step out when I called her. She has plenty of room inside that tree so
she was certainly not stuck; she has napped there many times in the past. I couldn’t coax her out so reached in to grab
her collar. She flinched & would not
budge. I tried again & this time she
shifted her weight so that I saw that her right front paw was just a bloodied
mess. I called my sweet husband &
asked how soon he would be home from work as I didn’t want to pull her out
& then discover I had to carry her all the way up the hill myself. And, as sweet as she is, I also didn’t want
to try to pull an injured dog out & find that she wanted to turn snarly on
me out of pain or fear. He said that he
was on his way.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
When he got home we managed to get her out & discover
that her only injury was to her foot but it was quite an injury. One of her center toes was stripped to the
bone. There was not a shred of skin or
muscle left, just a raw pink bone. There was not another mark on her & we
did not have a clue what could have happened. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We knew that she had to go to the
emergency vet so we loaded her in the car & took off to the wonderful
emergency clinic in Anderson. We had had
to use them once before so knew the way.
Regina rode quietly in the back of my car, unloaded without even
flinching & trotted into the clinic.
They took her in just as soon as we signed the “we understand we owe you
at least $88” paperwork. The vet on call
was delightful. He suggested that since
we have our own vet that he would clean her foot, start her on pain meds, an
anti-inflammatory & antibiotics. She
would have to have the toe amputated but once it was bandaged it could wait
until our vet was available. He even
gave us a prescription for the antibiotic so that we could take it to Publix where
the antibiotics are dispensed for free. Regina calmly followed the vet tech
into the back room to have her foot cleaned.
When the vet opened the door to update us we laughed to see our 96 pound
pup laying on the floor with two young ladies sprawled across her while a third
worked on her foot. Regina was calm,
seeming to enjoy the attention. The whole evening at the emergency vet cost us
$225. Regina came home with a sack of
pills & a nice giraffe-patterned bandage on her foot. </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I contacted our vet as soon as they were open again &
was informed that they already were expecting Regina as the emergency clinic
had communicated with them. I drove
Regina up to our vet & left her for the day. I retrieved her at the end of the day. I got a report on her surgery as well as a
description of how she did not even need to be kenneled while awaiting her
lunch time surgery – she simply laid on the floor in the back room, quietly
watching the day’s work. This time she
came home with a nice purple bandage, an awkward Elizabethan collar to keep her
from chewing on her foot & a few simple instructions for her follow up
care. Her entire surgery was only $400 –
not an expense we had planned on but certainly very reasonable for what was
involved. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the vet tech helped me load
her in the car I mentioned that we just didn’t know what could have
happened. Regina has tangled with many
predators in her pasture in the past but there wasn’t a single other bite on
her or any marks on her face that would indicate that she had been in a
fight. Katy, the tech, said that when
she looked at the wound it almost looked as if a snapping turtle had bitten her
& stripped the bone. Although we
have a shallow creek it might not be out of the question that she had found
one, pawed at it & gotten bit. It is the best guess that we have as of
now. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I have to say about Regina is that she is a remarkable
dog. She is a big baby but we’ve also
found the shreds of raccoon left over after she discovered it sneaking in to
threaten her chickens. She will viciously fight one of our other Anatolians
should it accidentally enter her pasture.
But she also carefully watches a ewe in labor, keeping an appropriate
distance as she lambs. She doesn’t leave the farm. Last year when the vet was out to see the
cattle I asked that Regina get her annual shots right in the pasture. She does
not take car rides. She never has to
walk on a leash as she just trots herself in & out of her pasture. She does on occasion come all the way to the
front of the house if we are moving in hay & have the gates open but she
soon returns to her own territory. We
don’t have many visitors to the back of the farm so she does not routinely see
strangers. But through this whole
process she trusted us fully. She never
balked at getting in the car, walking on the leash, entering strange places
& patiently letting people work on the raw & bloodied foot. She is now napping in the dining room. She will have a bit of a challenging recovery
period as she has lost a weight-bearing toe but we are tickled that she will be
better. We will wait to see if she will
return to her duties or be a house dog but either way we are glad that her
adventure ended up no worse than it did.
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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Deb at Merciful Hearts Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08252383584451435044noreply@blogger.com4