No Time For Work and Play

I swear between the weather and teaching and the stress of teaching and farming, I can’t seem to actually get anything done.  I have several projects around here that I’m working on (or should be working on).  I can update you on my llama wool rug.

Maybeline

I do try to do at least a couple of rows every evening.  It’s relaxing, so it’s definitely a good thing to make sure I do each night.

It’s not quite half way done.  I can only imagine how amazing it will feel beneath my feet while I stand at the sink doing dishes.

I want to use the rest of the cored yarn to make a couple more rugs, but I think I need to change from knitting.  I got a book that will help me learn the skills that I need in order to do the rug I have in mind. That should also be fun if I get time to do it.  I have so many other fiber/crafty projects I want to do.

My nephew brought me a manure spreader last weekend (right before the crazy rain started).

It will be a good project to get done.

When I came home last Friday it was pouring rain, and there were even a couple of hailstones, so I decided I had to put the truck in the garage. I did it!

It wasn’t pretty, and it really emphasizes how much I need to get all the bedding out of there, but I got my truck in before any storms came!

Another project that is left from last fall is going around the new yard fence and the goat fence we put across the bottom and tying it to all the metal posts.  That will be another big job.

kingbird

I should probably step away from the computer and get busy.

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Signs of Copper Deficiency

When I discovered what was wrong with my goat herd, I was actually happy.  I got the impression that if I gave my goats the copper capsule twice a year, it would be wonderful.  Life would be perfect with them again.

Casey

But my goats are in worse shape now than they were when I first gave them the copper last year at this time.

Flower

The whole herd.

Thankfully, the copper I gave the girls last fall seems to have worked wonders for the kids.  None of them show signs of deficiency from before they were born.

Snow White

But the moms…many didn’t have milk.

Bonnie and Socks

They’re thin.

Annie

They’ve had bottle jaw from the severe anemia.

Mary

It’s not just the moms.  We had lice (parasitism is one of the signs). I actually had to get the vet here for Harley because the treatment I did wasn’t taking care of the problem for her.

Harley

We’ve had diarrhea.

Litha

Stormy even had bottle jaw, and she’s been retired from having kids for two years now.

Stormy

Their fur is coarse, thin, and coming out.

Dolly

It’s just a nightmare.  I am worried about my girls who are due in June.  Vinnie’s losing hair on her side.

Vinnie

Even Cupid, who was new to the farm last fall and was getting sweet feed with copper all winter is quickly losing ground now that she’s with everyone and not getting the extra feed.  She has a fish tail and is losing the fur from her tail.

I finally decided that the recommended dose was not enough.  The amount I was told to give them is half the dose on the directions that came with the capsules.  I gave everyone another capsule; hopefully, that will do the trick.

I really am at a loss of how to get things to improve.  If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what I’ll do.

An Ideal Summer Weight

I am so pleased with how Tony is doing.

Tony Llama

If I can catch him up by the building alone, I’ll invite him in to eat llama feed.

Did you say snack?

He sometimes eats it all; other days, it’s just a light snack.

I do think he’s back to an ideal summer weight.

You have to feel their backbone to judge a llama’s weight.

For the record, he weighs a lot more than he did last October when the first idiot vet from ISU said he was at an ideal summer weight. I might still have some hostilities to work through with how Tony and I were treated.

I wouldn’t even be upset if he kept gaining to become overweight again.  I’ll take an overweight animal to a skinny one any day.