Still Struggling with the Weather

We’re still cold.  It’s miserable.  I swore I’d never have kids in February again because it just doesn’t work well.  It’s hard for moms to meet their own needs and feed kids when they aren’t out on pasture.  It’s hard for me to make sure they get enough hay.  Even though we are half way through April, this is what we’re struggling with.

Ava and Giselle

I have a whole lot of kids who are getting bottles.  I’m going through a little more than a gallon a day.

It takes about an hour to make bottles, feed kids, and clean up.  I don’t know how I’d do it if my mom weren’t coming out to do the morning feedings.

Zeus

It also makes it challenging to do anything.  Every time I step into the barnyard, they seem to think I should give them a bottle.

Zeus, Hera, and Juno

Hopefully, I’ll be able to get a cute picture or two of Punkin without camera shake.

Or without her running towards me.

On top of that, my moms can’t even go to pasture to eat, and it’s getting hard to get hay.  Luckily my nephew made tons of hay last summer.  He even bought a few more big bales.

He brought me two big square bales today.  It’s a challenge to carry those flakes in and try to get them where everyone can eat, but I’m just glad I still have hay to feed them.

I don’t think I ever remember a more challenging year to be able to take care of everyone.

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Still Waiting for Spring

We are having our coldest Easter in ten years.  Our forecast for the next week or so is calling for temperatures averaging about ten degrees below our historical average.

Maybeline “I love my thick wool coat right now.”

Poor Vinnie really wishes she could be a snowbird and spend winters in Florida or Texas.  She is still huddling inside most of the day.

Vinnie

Still, if you can find a place in the sun and out of the wind it isn’t too bad.

Betty Lou

The kids that weren’t in the garage don’t mind it.  They don’t know how much nicer it’s supposed to be.

Hermes

We are still going through a crazy amount of hay.  They are almost done with their second round bale.

Zinnia

We are all way more than ready for real spring warmth.

Still, if you look closely, you can start to see a hint of green in the pasture.

A Round Bale

I’ve been worried about having enough hay to get me through the winter, and since winter doesn’t seem to want to quit, my nephew brought a round bale feeder.  The poor llama lladies were disappointed it didn’t have hay in it.

It wasn’t long until my nephew came back with the round bale to put in it.

By then the girls had given up and gone back to the barn, but Buster was here to supervise.

You’d swear I starve them all.  I have been cutting back on the hay I give them because I want them to go eat out in pasture.  I can’t really blame them for wanting to hang out and wait for me to give them hay.  It’s much better quality than the stuff they can get in pasture, but I really needed to use fewer bales.  We decided to try this feeder.  It didn’t take long for the ladies to figure out that a bale was being delivered.

Maybeline was making a pig of herself.

The goats were soon to follow.

The fat weathers were quick to jump in and eat.

Yes, Casey, I’m talking about you.

Maggie was the first one to hop in.

They seem to like it, but I’m going to have to make sure everyone–young, old, fat and shy–manage to get enough to eat.

We’ll see how it works.  Hopefully, it will get me through until the pasture starts greening up.

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