In Search of More Water...

Water.  We all need it, and when we don't have a sufficient supply, it causes many problems.

The well at the "other farm" has never been very strong.  There are three families living in the farm house, and  we house our dry cows and heifers there as well...anywhere from 20-25 animals at any given time, and that takes a lot of water!

Several years ago, a new well was drilled at the "other farm".  After drilling to somewhere around 500 feet, they got water...not very much, but enough that the second well could be used to supplement the old one.  However in dry weather, there just isn't enough of a water supply to meet the demand. What to do?

For the past few weeks, we tried this...

A local company that supplies water, parked one of their tankers in the meadow.  This tanker holds 4500 gallons of water.  There was a hose trickling water slowly into the well to supply water for the house, and Jim filled this stock tank with a hose directly from the tanker.  The cows quickly learned where to find their water...

The water tanker has been refilled several times, with no sign of the well making a strong recovery, even with the several inches of rain that we've had.

Next option...

Drilling a new well is very expensive, and with the history of trouble with finding water, the family decided to try something new...

Hydrofracking the well...

(you can read about the process if you click on this link.  I understand the basics of how it works, but it's explained very clearly on the website from the company we used.  Better than me trying to explain it!)

This morning, the plumber came and pulled the well pump.  The pump itself will at the least need to be repaired, and possible replaced...

The tank truck to the right is filled with 5000 gallons of water which will be used in the hydrofracking process...

Uncle Ray watching...

Here they have their equipment lowered into the well, after the pump and piping has been removed...

Adding pipes to lower into the well...

Hooked up to the water tanker and ready to go...

Watching the pressure gauges...

Almost immediately at the first level, the water pressure dropped from 500 psi to 0 psi.  That, in the words of the boss, was "a home run"!  A large fracture occurred, allowing the water to escape, opening up a channel for more water to flow into the well.

They flushed the fracture with 2500 gallons of water, added more pipe to descend to a lower level and repeated the process.

Now the pump just needs to be replaced, and we'll hope for a sufficient water supply.  That will make everyone happy!

The End of a Busy Week...

It's been a busy, busy week around here...we've had cousins from Virginia, and cousins from Illinois visiting...and on Friday evening Jenna showed her goats at the 4-H Round Up!


We've had a little rain on Thursday evening...

...almost an inch!  The storm ended up not being nearly so wild as it looks in this picture.  We've been VERY fortunate around here.  While it was a little dry for several weeks, we can be very thankful for the rain we've had!


And then it was Friday  and time for Round Up with Jenna, Dilly and Pickles...


In the afternoon, Jenna washed her goats one more time, and around 4:00 we headed over to the fair grounds for weigh-in.  Dilly weighed in at 66 lbs, and Pickles at 68 lbs, both middleweights.


Here she is, waiting to go into the ring with Dilly...

Lining up for the judge during the showmanship competition...

That's Dilly, during the market goat competition, doing his dance.  Goats have minds of their own, and it doesn't matter whether or not they're in the show ring.  If they want to dance, they dance...

Here, the judge is checking out Pickles...he's feeling the loin...the most important part of the market goat...

It was a long, hot evening...but the goats did well.  Dilly came in 4th out of 9 in his class, and Pickles came in 2nd, finishing behind the goat that eventually won grand champion!  Not bad for the goat with the most unique personality (and loudest mouth) that I've ever met!


It was late until we got home, as we had to help clean up the barn after the competition was over.  Luckily, we live only a few miles from the fair grounds, so Dilly and Pickles were soon home in their pen and settled for the night.  Jenna gave them a snack of Maple "helicopters" and we said good night.


The rest of the weekend has remained busy, and we will have family visiting until late this week.  which makes for a lively house hold.  If I don't keep up with blogging, you'll know why!


(and if anyone can tell me why my text is highlighted, I'd be glad to know!!)

Preparing For Roundup...

It's getting closer...Friday night is the 4-H Roundup where Jenna will show her goats.

There's a lot to do to get ready.  Last week we clipped their hooves and weighed both goats.  Dilly weighed in at 68 lbs. and Pickles at 66 lbs. so they're right on target.  Weighing is "interesting". They're heavy enough that I can't lift them very easily any more, so Jim holds them and steps on the scales with and without a goat.  They don't exactly like to be held!

On Monday, Jenna's 4-H leader came to help clip the goats, answer any last minute questions and give pointers for the show on Friday.  I must say, she has a great leader...he goes above and beyond to help out, especially with new(er) members.  It's a priority for him to help the kids have a good experience so that they continue with the program.

Monday morning bright and early, Jenna gave both goats a bath...it's easier to clip them if their coats are clean.  Surprisingly, for as much as goats don't like water, they actually seemed to enjoy their baths!  Maybe they just liked the attention...

Dilly is always a bit more high strung for things like this, but he did well.  Look how his ears are at attention...

Of course Murphy always needs to be in the middle of it all.  She parked herself a few feet away to make sure everything went well...

The goats had a little while to dry before Jenna's leader arrived for clipping. The cows were out of the barn this morning, so we put the blocking stand inside the barn and out of the sun for this job.  It's a time consuming job, about an hour total between the two goats, but it went pretty well.  Pickles did great.  Look who had to be right in the middle of things again. Can you find her?

While Dilly got clipped, Pickles was bored, but he found ways to amuse himself...

After they were all clipped, they got another dose of wormer, which Pickles immediately spit out.  We use "brand A" and Jenna's leader brought "brand B" along to dose them with, as it's good to use different kinds.  Some kinds work better on different types of worms, so this way our bases are covered.

Then Jenna did a brief run through of showing, with her leader pretending to be the judge.  The goats need to be used to being "set up" and touched.  If they freak out when the judge touches them, we have a problem!

The rest of the week here we'll continue walking them, wash them again on Friday, and head over to the fairgrounds for weigh in around 4 pm on Friday afternoon.  If you're not doing anything Friday night, come on over and watch the show!

On another note...an update on my friend Glenda...


After being in a medically induced coma for 7 days, all sedation has now been stopped, and they are waiting for her to wake up.  We are waiting with her family, hoping and praying for her recovery.  Yesterday she began wiggling her toes and jerking her arm when a main nerve was pinched.  I haven't heard any updates on her progress today, as they are 3 hours behind us out in Oregon.  If you'd like to read her story and follow her progress, here is the Caring Bridge website.  Thanks for your prayers on her behalf!

Still Growing...

Despite the intense heat and humidity...(or maybe because of it) things are still growing!

I took a peek at my lima beans, and found a bunch of pods just beginning to fill out, and lots more blossoms...

This Juliette tomato plant doesn't seem to know where to stop!  It has grown up through it's cage on the left and across the top of the next one.  And yes...that is a lot of grass and weeds that you see all around.  I wouldn't normally show you these, as I'm not exactly proud of them...but the heat and humidity has taken it's toll.  I'm just not going out there to pull weeds in this weather...

Peanut's kitties are growing in leaps and bounds.  Poochie and Gato are spoiled rotten. Gato looks just like his grandma, Slinky, except for the black spot on his paw...

That corn stalk...and all the others around it...have reached their full height, tasseled, and are growing big ears.  In about another month, +- a few weeks, they will be chopped for silage...

These volunteer beanstalks sunflowers that I replanted are way over my head.  I wouldn't be surprised if they're 12 feet high.  I don't think I've ever seen them grow this tall...

The zucchini are doing their thing...

And last but not least...and much to our dismay...the holes in the yard are growing too!  The dogs (although they have numerous cool spots to lay, like in front of the fans in the barn, and on the cool, shaded cement floor above the cistern) dig up the grass and make holes to lay in when it's hot.  We'll be needing to fill in with topsoil in numerous places this fall...

On another note...I recently received this cute project bag in the mail...

I never win anything was lucky enough to win this bag in a drawing from Holly, at Easing Living the Hard Way.  She has an etsy shop called The Calico Bush...it's worth popping over and taking a look!  She's a wonderful seamstress, and on her blog you'll learn about life on her farm in Northeastern Wyoming.

And one more thing...much more important than how things are growing here...would you please pray for my friend Glenda and her family?!  She and her family were vacationing and visiting family on the Oregon coast this past week.  Yesterday morning as she rode her bike to the beach, she had an accident which left her in a coma with a severe head injury. Until the swelling in her brain reaches acceptable levels, it's unknown the extent of her brain injury.  Your prayers for her, for her family, and for her caregivers would be appreciated!

Thank you!

Dilly and Pickles...

Here are a few recent picures of Jenna's goats...

Dilly is doing well after his episode with Urinary Calculi.  We know it may recurr, but so far it hasn't.  We've been doing some preventative measures and hoping for the best.  He might not be quite as "fleshy" as the judge might like, but being healthy is more important.

Jenna's giving him a treat of  maple tree "helicopters" as a reward for walking nicely tonight.  Doesn't he look happy?

Pickles has one thing on his mind when he's out of his pen...green stuff!  It makes it a challenge to walk him, but he really is sweet.  After all, he's a goat!

We moved the wagon in their pen so that they can more easily reach the yummy tree leaves...

Pickles will go to great lengths to get to extra food.  He's quite the acrobat...

It's been fun interracting with these guys.  We had them out walking tonight, practicing for the 4-H Round-up, which is in less than two weeks.  Round-up is where 4-H'ers from all over the county come together with their projects...steers, dairy beef, pigs, sheep and goats for a show.  The kids have opportunities to win prize money for their animals and for showmanship, and it's great practice before their respective fairs, where they will again compete and then sell their animals.  It's a nice way to get an idea of how their animal looks in the eyes of the judges.

Next week, we'll wash Dilly and Pickles, get them clipped, trim their hooves, and do a "mock show" with Jenna's 4-H leader.  It will be a busy week!

Ecola Reunion Weekend...

I haven't been doing much blogging this week, as we've been busy planning for and hosting a reunion this weekend.

Both Jim and I were students 20+ years ago at Ecola Hall Bible School in beautiful Cannon Beach, Oregon.  This weekend, we had some visitors...friends that we both knew from our respective years (who married each other and live in Oregon) came to the east coast for their family vacation.  They stayed with us for the weekend, and today we hosted a potluck at our house with a bunch of other Ecola alumni who live (or did live) in this area.  The turnout was great...50 people, and the weather held out.  It was hot and muggy, but the thunderstorms that were forecast didn't bother us.

Here's the gang, minus the families...

Most still live in the area, but some came from New Jersey and Virginia to join in the fun.

It sure didn't feel like twenty + years have passed!  We are thankful for the wonderful blessing of friendships!

Replacing the Barn Cleaner Chain...

Ok, you're thinking...this sounds really, really boring.  But...it's what we're doing, so it's what you get to read about!  :)

It's a dirty job, and it needs to be done daily...cleaning out the gutters full of manure with the barn cleaner.

The barn cleaner chain runs in a loop through each side of the barn.  It runs clockwise on this side of the barn...down the first row behind the cows, up the elevator where the manure gets scraped off into the manure spreader...back down the elevator, behind the cows in the second row and across the back of the barn, completing the loop.

As you can see, some of the paddles are either broken, bent or missing...

What you can't see, is how thin the chain links have become over time.  Manure is hard on anything!  This particular chain was replaced within the last ten years.  It was already used when we got it, but still had a lot of life left in it.  By now it was in pretty bad condition...the chain links were worn thin and would either break or slip off the sprocket at the top of the elevator.   Of course it would usually happen on a Sunday morning.

About a month ago, we carefully measured and ordered 148' of new barn cleaner chain.  Yesterday, Jim went to the manufacturer and picked it up.  It came in these two large, very heavy boxes...

Hmmm...I wonder how long it will stay this clean?  Look at how thick those chain links are, and how straight the paddles are...

Here Jim is working at removing the old chain.  You can see the new chain coming up the far side of the elevator...

 The new chain is now in place, but needs to be tightened and tested.  It can't be twisted, and needs to run smoothly through the gutters.  That's the old chain laying in a heap...

The paddles on this new chain are closer together than on the old chain, which will make it easier to clean out gutters, especially after a rain or when the gutters are particularly full.

Ready to go...

This is Harold, the man who has for years taken care of barn cleaner issues for Jim and before him, Jim's Dad.  He was here today to help...

Yes, it's definitely a job where you're gonna get your hands dirty!

Doctoring Goats...

We had our first real experience with doctoring goats last week...and we really wish we hadn't had it!

Dilly meets Kitty

On Tuesday evening, Jenna came into the barn to tell us that her one goat, Dilly, wasn't eating, and was just laying down inside his hutch.  I went to investigate.  He would stand up and walk around, but then go right back into the corner and lay down.  His temperature was only slightly elevated, but he seemed uncomfortable...straining as if he needed to urinate, but wasn't able.


Light bulb!


We were taught about this at many goat meetings...the dreaded Urinary Calculi  (a fancy name for kidney stones)   Jim talked to the vet, who confirmed our suspicions just by asking a few questions.  He agreed to come to see what he could do for Dilly.

Here's the good news...

He sedated Dilly and was able to remove the  tiny stone which was blocking his urinary tract, offering the poor goat some relief!  He's been fine ever since...eating vigorously and yes, peeing as any goat would.  We celebrate every time we see it happen!  (it's the simple things!)

Here's the bad news...

This condition doesn't often have a happy ending.  Once a goat develops these Urinary Calculi, even with a successful procedure like the vet performed on Dilly, there are usually more stones that make their way down the urinary tract, causing more blockages.  If they can't urinate, their bladder can burst within 24-28 hours. 

Here's what we can do...


We got some Ammonium Chloride powder from the feed mill, mixed it with Karo syrup and a little water...

Pulled it up into the drench gun...

...and administered it to both goats every day for five days.  The purpose of this is to hopefully dissolve any more stones that Dilly may have, and also prevent Pickles from having the same problem...

Pickles in his favorite spot

Dilly

We really weren't expecting this to happen...we were feeding them a goat feed which already had Ammonium Chloride in it, for this very purpose...to prevent Urinary Calculi.  We were feeding them the recommended amount of grain, and the Phosphorus/Calcium ratios were correct.  We thought we were doing everything right.  However, for various reasons, it happened anyway. 


Young male goats that have been castrated at a young age are most susceptible.  Females rarely have this problem, because their urinary tracts are short, straight and wider in diameter.

Boer goats are also susceptible...perhaps because they are raised primarily for meat, and are often fed more grain to get them ready for market. 

We are thrilled that for now, Dilly seems to be doing just fine, and we are getting more attached to him every day. We won't know the end of the story until "who knows when"  He might get sick again, and we feel a little like we're sitting on pins and needles, just waiting.

But for now, we'll enjoy listening to him yell every time he sees someone who might give him food, watching him eat huge mouthfuls of weeds, and watching Pickles stand on his back to try to reach the leaves on the tree that are just out of reach!