Tiring week

The greenhouse is sprouting.

Most of the days I'm opening the windows just to keep the greenhouse from hitting 30C, but almost all of the seeds I planted have sprouted and the first batch of radishes is on their second set of real leaves.

For three days the goats couldn't go out and the chickens had to be fenced into one place because we had some guys here cutting down trees. This worked well with the timing of the chicken deworming. I started the chickens on their deworming medicine and that went as expected. They're not 100% back to their old selves yet but they are all laying again.

The guys did what I'm thinking of as "the first pass" next to the rockwall. All the trees are chopped down, the big logs can be stacked for later uses, and all the lil branches got chipped into oblivion. That is, except for the willow trees that I specifically asked them to leave behind. They're great for soaking up water and I wouldn't want to have to start from scratch when I need some willow cuttings.

The vet came to give Star and Honey their checkups and vaccines. He said they're both a bit thin so increasing their food would be a good idea. A day and a half later I noticed a small lump about the size of a pea in Star's neck. Seemed like a swollen gland so I contacted the vet's office to see if this was a known side effect of the vax or a possible problem. They said it was a possible side effect and (being Friday) I should monitor over the long weekend and they'd check in Tuesday. 

Well, Star's temperature and lump remained unchanged but she's feeling crummy and not as hungry. The vet said that's fine and might last 2-4 weeks. Her booster shot is 4-6 weeks after the initial shot so we may have a goat who's feeling poorly for two whole months.  Honey's doing well and I'm glad we gave them their shots but .... poor thing. 

Oh, AND we clipped their hooves over the weekend which is like wrestling a preteen while clipping cat claws; Physically demanding and precision is required. 

That's all for now. Feeling kinda run down myself after all that noise and then worry.

A month already?

Solar update:

May 1st was slightly cloudy but not raining and it was warm enough to have the heater off all day.

The first bill after installation hasn't come out quite yet but the billing cycle is complete so I can compare with last year's:

This year, March and April. (Solar connected March 26th)

Last year, March and April.

Next billing cycle will be even better because it will have been connected for the whole time, and we'll be getting into summer but wow!

Cat update:

Shadow is doing well but has decided that I must get up at sunrise so we'll see how long my sanity lasts. 🙃

Chickens update:

They seem to have a case of worms right now which is reducing their egg production to only 2-3 a day (out of the usual average of 4), but I've got them on the meds and they should be getting better within the week. Before all that, one day there was a tiiiiiiny egg. It was only 16g instead of the approx. 55g the blue ones usually are. This sometimes just happens and is usually called a fairy egg.

Greenhouse Update:

I've got the greenhouse finally all filled and planted. I also got the gravel guy who did the base to come and put another inch or two on top of the critter guard hardware cloth so the mouse that was looking for stuff before I even got the dirt in wouldn't be able to find the edge. 

It'll be a while before we see anything come out of the greenhouse, but the radishes are already starting to sprout. They're just 4 weeks from seed to harvest so we should get them first and often. I've had to open up the greenhouse a few times on sunny days because it gets up over 25C in there and I want to sprout the seeds, not cook them.

This was the original greenhouse plan. I'm working on making up an updated version with how I actually laid it out... but these are the plants that I'm growing right now.

I also got the potatoes planted with the garlic. There's some inter-planted and some just nearby, but all the outdoor garden is surrounded by electric fencing. I don't know if the deer would eat potatoes but I'm not interested in letting the goats make themselves sick. Star has a habit of taking a nibble out of just about anything she physically can.

Wildlife update:

On the topic of deer, they don't come around as often now that the goats are here. A momma deer tried to stomp and snort at the goats one day and I came out and stood with the goats telling the dear to leave until she did. Only really see one or two young deer occasionally now instead of the 7-10 deer herds that used to roam through. It's a good thing. Deer can carry a lot of things goats can catch so I don't really want them being friends or around too much. 

We did spot a rabbit this week. I was certain we only got 2 of the 3 locals last year but we stopped seeing them. He must have been hibernating through the winter. I'll put out the trap this week and hopefully be done with that for a couple years at least.

Goat update:

The goats are mostly staying indoors, with a few field trips through the week, so I do my best to bring the outdoor indoors by clipping fresh branches for them to nibble on. We go for hikes through the woods and I'll sometimes sit outside while they roam the yard, but I can only really give them a few hours of supervision a few times though the week and still have time for everything else. I do plan to get a proper barnyard set up in the back of the barn, but until that time, this is the routine.

Other updates:

We've also contacted the power company to move the streetlight that's right by the house down the driveway a bit. As it is, we can't sit on the back deck and look at the stars because the ultra bright LED streetlight is litterally pointed at the house, AND the driveway is long enough that if you try to walk down it at night it gets REALLY dark about halfway down. We're moving the light to that spot halfway down so it peters out by the time it gets to the house. This way the deck lights actually have a job besides attracting moths, and we can have dark if we want. I don't know if this photo really does it justice but, trust me... it's bright.

We've also been out to celebrate my birthday and our wedding anniversary so it's been a busy but good time. I'm hoping to get the next post out before the end of the month. Until next time, stay safe and have fun. :-)