Happenings

 I'm behind on updating!!

Here are some things going on around the homestead:

I'm definitely getting goats again this summer, so I'm working on installing better fencing than I had last time. Below is a picture of some of the posts I've cut. I'm using Eastern Hemlock because it has decent rot resistance, and am debarking each post and painting it with Linseed oil to help preserve it.

This shows the idea of how the fence will be set up, though I only had a few rails ready at the time. It'll be 4 feet tall when done, and I can always run hot wire along the top if I need a bit more height.

Because this is obviously very time consuming, I'm planning on only doing this for the perimeter. For creating paddocks within the interior areas, I will probably still cut my own posts, but will use woven wire or stock panels instead of wooden rails to save time. I think the perimeter fence is going to be beautiful, sturdy and unique, though, and I'm very excited about it! 

I got a bunch more Icelandic chicks several weeks ago as a trade of eggs for the use of an incubator. 8 chicks are reserved for purchase by someone, which will be the first money I've made from the birds in 3 years of owning them! 😂 

I also had my first rabbit kits born on the farm, and I'm absolutely in love with them. ❤️ Sadly, I lost a doe and her 7 kits during a heat wave a few days before that - she miscarried and I think she died from the heat and stress combined. So I was very relieved when the other doe kindled (gave birth) without issue. It's a small litter of 3, so they're all little butterballs, lol.

Clawdia is getting bigger, and is a very sweet kitten. I haven't let her outside yet... maybe after she gets a microchip in a couple weeks. 😝 I think she's going to be a good hunter.

Lol, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "HOW many dogs do you have?" I feel like I have to add the qualifying word "currently" when I answer that - as in, "I currently have 5 dogs." 😂 I only had 4 last week - Molly came back from a trial home this past Thursday, so now I'm back up to 5. She will be meeting another prospective owner soon, though, so we shall see.

Another dog update, and one that I'd appreciate prayer about is this: I've been having an issue with Breeze, Molly and Enna that could be something that would cause me to retire them from breeding. Right before Molly left for her trial home, I noticed a little depigmentation on her nose. In her new home, it flared up significantly, to the point that her person brought her to the vet. She was put on antibiotics in case it was some sort of infection. Meanwhile, Enna and then Breeze developed the same condition, though less severe - some roughness around the edges of the nostrils and inside them, and some depigmentation (pink spots on what should be black). This can be a sign of a type of dog lupus, so I was very concerned and had a biopsy done on Enna. Unfortunately, it was not definitive. Molly seemed to respond well to the antibiotics, and her nose appeared to be back to normal by the time she came home to me. Enna's nose is improving. Breeze's still looks a little rough, but I think is getting better. I'm honestly not sure what to do next, and my vet wasn't sure either... I don't know if, out of an abundance of caution, I should give up my plans to breed Breeze and Enna, get them spayed and place them in pet homes?? Or assume it was just something environmental since all 3 got it around the same time?? Whatever they have certainly is not a devastating health issue in the form in which it presented, but if it is hereditary, I don't know if the next generation could get a worse case of it??

So you can see my dilemma and my need for God's wisdom and guidance. I really wanted to get one more keeper female from Breeze this fall, and I was very excited about breeding Enna when she is old enough. But I can't, in good conscience, breed either of them if it is lupus.

This is how Enna's nose looked shortly after I noticed that she had the mystery condition:

Everyone seems otherwise happy and healthy. Hazel is 21 weeks old, and weighs around 33-34 pounds now. Enna was around 48 lbs at 10 months. 

Here's Hazel: 

Oh, and this is unrelated, but I thought it was pretty neat - I was walking down my driveway the other day and saw a couple pumpkin or squash sprouts poking up. I had been given a lot of pumpkin and squash for the animals last fall, and dumped a bunch of them near the truck. Even though the soil is fairly packed and very coarse and sandy, these seedlings still came up. ❤️ I moved them to some better soil, and they're doing well. Lol, at this rate, they might be my entire garden this year! 😂 They make me smile, though.

I hope everyone is having a good week so far! Happy Wednesday!