Farm News 05-08-05
Farm News
Sunday morning, after chores, 70° and sunny
Editor Misses an Issue
Sorry about that. I had a week of diarrhea and completely ran out of shit.
Peanuts
That is her name, Peanuts. This winter I decided that Lucy wasn't pregnant. Friday I found out that I was wrong, for after Paula and I made a trip to Lawrence we returned home to find a new goat in the pasture. She is light brown with dark brown markings, definitely a nice little goat.
When I did Friday morning chores I realized I was mistaken about Lucy's reproductive status. She had 'bagged up', her udder was enlarged and her teats were engorged and sticking out. She was holding her tail high and making a lot of noise. She looked plump, not pregnant, and holding her tail high and making a lot of noise could indicate she was in heat. Bagging up, though, means a baby is on the way.
Lucy found a patch of bare soil in the pasture and dropped her baby there. There was a full placenta, covered in dust, lying there to show me that she had cleaned out. Lucy ate most of the umbilical cord and it's various attached membranes, a behavior which gives her a burst of various hormones that all work together to set her up for motherhood.
By having her baby on a patch of bare earth, Lucy was able to cover her teats with dust. That dust, contaminated with goad manure, will the contain bacteria and spores that will find Peanut's rumen to be an ideal habitat. By the time Peanut is ready to eat greens she will have a complete population of rumen symbiotes.
We are told that ruminants, animals that chew their cuds, have a rumen, a stomach-like pouch where bacteria break down their coarse green feed. That is true, but it misses the most interesting point, I think. Ruminants have micro-organisms living in their rumens, several different kinds. Living inside of those micro-organisms are smaller micro-organisms that help them do their job. Living inside those smaller micro-organisms are yet smaller micro-organisms that help their hosts do their job. Living inside the yet smaller micro-organisms . . .. Actually, there are over twelve levels of things living inside things in at least one of the chains. Peanut was born with a 'sterile' rumen, but in a few days she will have an amazingly complex biosystem in her rumen that contains at least one chain of twelve or more of organisms inside organisms.
Before the sun went down Peanuts did her part by finding a teat and starting to nurse. Mother and daughter spent Friday night in the barn, sheltered from the weather and shut in together so that they can bond a bit more. This is Lucy's first excursion into motherhood and she will benefit from a bit of assistance.
Saturday afternoon Lucy went out into the pasture to graze. Peanut, well bonded by now, stuck close to her side; in a few days Peanut will learn to curl up and nap in a sunny spot while Lucy browses, but, for now, she is sticking close to mama.
Omigod! The First Tree Order is Here
The order from Musser Forests came in today. Now I have to get off my butt and start digging holes; actually, I should have dug the holes a long time ago. I limited myself, so I only have to dig 22 holes. Here's what I got:
5 Serbian Spruce, Picea omoronika, $12.95
5 Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica, $12.95
2 Sourwood, Oxydendron arboreum, $7.00
5 Shadlow Serviceberry, Amelanchier canadensis, $13.95
5 Black Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, $12.95
The most reliable evergreen around here is the wild Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana. Pines grow quickly but tend to die quickly, also. Serbian Spruce is a very elegant tree which grows tall and slender with gently drooping branches. Red Cedars tend to have a 'shaggy' outline and Serbian Spruce have a smoother outline. Three Spruces will go near the northeast corner of the yard and two will go into pots for the next year.
Black Gum trees have great Fall color. Two of them will go down near the pond and the rest into pots for now.
Sourwood is a pretty Appalachian shrub. Global warming has increased the chance that it will succeed here. One will go at the northeast corner of the house and one in the southeast corner of the yard.
Serviceberry is a nice local shrub. Two or three will go on the east side of the yard, just under the edges of taller trees. The rest will go into pots.
Aronia is a small shrub with brilliant white flowers and black berries. It grows well in the shade and I will put all of them along the paths in the woods.
I've planted a few of them and heeled in the rest to hold them until I can dig more holes.
Ayte Does It Again
Rabbits are wonderful: they produce cute little bunnies with great regularity. Ayte did it last week, right on schedule. I didn't check the bunnies for a week, and when I finally did I found an even dozen baby rabbits, too many even for a big cow like Ayte. Two of the bunnies are tiny runts and I should toss them out for the owls, but I get tender-hearted.
Are the Frosts Finally Over?
The potatoes look terrible, even though they were covered with heavy duty row cover during the frosts. Rabbits are starting to nibble on the peas and I've seen signs of what looks like an early burst of Flea Beetles. Sevin will probably help and also stop the insect outbreaks that are just now beginning.
It's time to plant squash, melons, and cucumbers. That means I need to finish tilling the garden, which will be a bit rough this year. There are two old strawberry beds and a bed of wheat in the part that is left. All that should make the tiller grunt and groan a bit, as well as the tiller operator.
Sunday morning, after chores, 70° and sunny
Editor Misses an Issue
Sorry about that. I had a week of diarrhea and completely ran out of shit.
Peanuts
That is her name, Peanuts. This winter I decided that Lucy wasn't pregnant. Friday I found out that I was wrong, for after Paula and I made a trip to Lawrence we returned home to find a new goat in the pasture. She is light brown with dark brown markings, definitely a nice little goat.
When I did Friday morning chores I realized I was mistaken about Lucy's reproductive status. She had 'bagged up', her udder was enlarged and her teats were engorged and sticking out. She was holding her tail high and making a lot of noise. She looked plump, not pregnant, and holding her tail high and making a lot of noise could indicate she was in heat. Bagging up, though, means a baby is on the way.
Lucy found a patch of bare soil in the pasture and dropped her baby there. There was a full placenta, covered in dust, lying there to show me that she had cleaned out. Lucy ate most of the umbilical cord and it's various attached membranes, a behavior which gives her a burst of various hormones that all work together to set her up for motherhood.
By having her baby on a patch of bare earth, Lucy was able to cover her teats with dust. That dust, contaminated with goad manure, will the contain bacteria and spores that will find Peanut's rumen to be an ideal habitat. By the time Peanut is ready to eat greens she will have a complete population of rumen symbiotes.
We are told that ruminants, animals that chew their cuds, have a rumen, a stomach-like pouch where bacteria break down their coarse green feed. That is true, but it misses the most interesting point, I think. Ruminants have micro-organisms living in their rumens, several different kinds. Living inside of those micro-organisms are smaller micro-organisms that help them do their job. Living inside those smaller micro-organisms are yet smaller micro-organisms that help their hosts do their job. Living inside the yet smaller micro-organisms . . .. Actually, there are over twelve levels of things living inside things in at least one of the chains. Peanut was born with a 'sterile' rumen, but in a few days she will have an amazingly complex biosystem in her rumen that contains at least one chain of twelve or more of organisms inside organisms.
Before the sun went down Peanuts did her part by finding a teat and starting to nurse. Mother and daughter spent Friday night in the barn, sheltered from the weather and shut in together so that they can bond a bit more. This is Lucy's first excursion into motherhood and she will benefit from a bit of assistance.
Saturday afternoon Lucy went out into the pasture to graze. Peanut, well bonded by now, stuck close to her side; in a few days Peanut will learn to curl up and nap in a sunny spot while Lucy browses, but, for now, she is sticking close to mama.
Omigod! The First Tree Order is Here
The order from Musser Forests came in today. Now I have to get off my butt and start digging holes; actually, I should have dug the holes a long time ago. I limited myself, so I only have to dig 22 holes. Here's what I got:
5 Serbian Spruce, Picea omoronika, $12.95
5 Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica, $12.95
2 Sourwood, Oxydendron arboreum, $7.00
5 Shadlow Serviceberry, Amelanchier canadensis, $13.95
5 Black Chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa, $12.95
The most reliable evergreen around here is the wild Red Cedar, Juniperus virginiana. Pines grow quickly but tend to die quickly, also. Serbian Spruce is a very elegant tree which grows tall and slender with gently drooping branches. Red Cedars tend to have a 'shaggy' outline and Serbian Spruce have a smoother outline. Three Spruces will go near the northeast corner of the yard and two will go into pots for the next year.
Black Gum trees have great Fall color. Two of them will go down near the pond and the rest into pots for now.
Sourwood is a pretty Appalachian shrub. Global warming has increased the chance that it will succeed here. One will go at the northeast corner of the house and one in the southeast corner of the yard.
Serviceberry is a nice local shrub. Two or three will go on the east side of the yard, just under the edges of taller trees. The rest will go into pots.
Aronia is a small shrub with brilliant white flowers and black berries. It grows well in the shade and I will put all of them along the paths in the woods.
I've planted a few of them and heeled in the rest to hold them until I can dig more holes.
Ayte Does It Again
Rabbits are wonderful: they produce cute little bunnies with great regularity. Ayte did it last week, right on schedule. I didn't check the bunnies for a week, and when I finally did I found an even dozen baby rabbits, too many even for a big cow like Ayte. Two of the bunnies are tiny runts and I should toss them out for the owls, but I get tender-hearted.
Are the Frosts Finally Over?
The potatoes look terrible, even though they were covered with heavy duty row cover during the frosts. Rabbits are starting to nibble on the peas and I've seen signs of what looks like an early burst of Flea Beetles. Sevin will probably help and also stop the insect outbreaks that are just now beginning.
It's time to plant squash, melons, and cucumbers. That means I need to finish tilling the garden, which will be a bit rough this year. There are two old strawberry beds and a bed of wheat in the part that is left. All that should make the tiller grunt and groan a bit, as well as the tiller operator.
posted by The Geezer at 8:56 AM
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