The Every Day Life On The Homestead

No, here at the Homestead it is not always picture perfect summer, with green grass, and clear blue skies, or the wonderful harvest time of fall- you also have to deal with the snow and ice of winter, and the MUD of young Spring.

Right now it is starting to melt, but it is still freezing at night so we have mud AND ice! Slipping and sliding to the barn twice a day with our heavy barn coats, sometimes with our gun belts if we hear that cougars or stray dogs are in the area. We have 4 basic chores with the animals- Food, Shelter, Water, and Health.

Once a week a big square bale of grass hay is lowered into the corral by Matt or Father on the tractor while the girls are holding the animals back so they don’t get crushed by a 1,000lb bale! We put the bale in the same spot as the last- on top of the trampled left-overs- since it keeps it out of the muck. The animals always love the fresh hay, and there is this one lamb that always jumps on top- first. 

Another job is keep a layer of fresh straw in each stall and kennel, because paws and hooves track a lot of snow and muck in, and you can’t have unhealthy sleeping conditions. The goats always find straw to be tastier than any other food -at that moment- so they are always very “helpful”. 😉

Sometimes the ice on the water troughs is so thick that it is more than a match for a boot, so we bring out the sledge hammer and pound it out. We have found rubber troughs to be the best for freezing weather, because ice pops right out; we have tried heaters, but they use a lot of electricity- and the goats always find a way to pull it out! The ducks always appreciate a new trough of water! 🙂

In the winter and mud you must always be alert for the well being of your flock. The wet and rain makes goats prone to indigestion and bloating. The lice come out when it warms up, which we combat with a Pyrethrum powder. Freezing temperatures are dangerous to ears and chicken feet if proper bedding isn’t used. We prefer the deep bedding method for our animals- it is warmer, less work, and you have a big layered pile of “black gold” for the garden. This is also a good time to de-worm, because you have all those animals in a barn yard. The few times we have done this I have used Ivermectin paste and pour-on for the sheep, and wormer pellets for the goats.

The puppies have new, wool insulated dog houses (see Building Doghouses- For Washington Winters ) that keep them nice and warm. But you have to watch that they don’t get stuck in a straw bowl which could lead to suffocation.

 

~Ann