December 2019 – Living de Good Life

Elsie – Making a Name for Herself!

It’s been such a wonderful day here on the farm: gorgeous weather and fun with the animals, but everything pales in comparison to the antics of our newest resident, Elsie, who has now earned the middle name of “Trouble”. Oh my! She is such a little character who tickles my funny bone with her personality!

It started off this morning while I was mucking the stall. She was flying around and kicking up her hind legs in the stall and literally skidded in the straw to keep from running headfirst into the wall! But that close call didn’t stop her! She went at it again! She was running around so fast that Mocha had to literally do circles just to keep an eye on her!

She thinks she can share Mocha’s feed, although Mocha doesn’t share willingly and almost seems to gobble it up so that she doesn’t have to share and, she literally helped herself to the mineral and sea salt. She would eat the hay if she could reach it and when Mocha throws some on the floor, she inspects it thoroughly.

While Mocha had some “girl time” with Jersey in the pasture, Elsie had her first lesson with the lead rope and I must say that her stubbornness showed through very clearly! Calves have what I will call a “natural defense mechanism” when they don’t like or don’t want to do something. They literally put their heads down and their legs together and fall over on their side! It is hilarious to watch once you know to expect it, however, the first time it happened with Hershey, I was afraid I had done something wrong or he was hurt. Some of our calves have been more insistent in wanting their own way than others…and those calves fall over quite a bit until they get the hang of the lead rope. Learning to be led on the lead rope is usually when that mechanism becomes most apparent.

head down, getting ready to fall into her defense mechanism

We finally got her to the pasture where she met her sweet Uncle Herbie. She was more concerned at first with her displeasure at being led on the lead rope, however, she eventually became curious about him. He was very curious about her, but each time she fell down, he went over to her as if to say “Are you ok?”. He was so very sweet and gentle with her! I know that some day they will be best buddies!

Herbie and Elsie getting to know each other!

Elsie also had her first, second, third and fourth lessons with the electric fence. The last time I saw a calf get zapped that many times in such a short span of time was our first calf, sweet Hershey! Elsie got zapped on the nose again and again, but she kept going back for more! She then went over to the electric fence on the opposite side of the pasture to see if she got the same reaction!!!

Elsie also got to meet Odin who was very interested in playing with her. He weighs more than she does, but they aren’t too terribly different is height. I think he was excited to think he had someone his size to play with! She was a little interested, but really was just more concerned to get back to the barn!

Then tonight, after I had milked Jersey, listening to Elsie run circles around Mocha the entire time, I began cleaning Mocha so I could milk her. Elsie was continue to run crazy around the stall and I heard a loud THUMP! and when I looked toward the direction of the sound, I was shocked to that Elsie had LEAPED into Mocha’s 100 gallon tub of hay and was hanging with her front legs in the tub and her back legs dangling helplessly outside the tub! I jumped up and literally lifted her up out of the tub and set her down on the ground. I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed! I wish I could have taken a picture with just my eyes, so that you could see what a feat she had accomplished, but I was too concerned with her safety to grab my camera! Her little acrobatic antic upset Mocha so much that she danced around and knocked over my water bucket and milking stand!

So, Elsie was born five days ago tomorrow morning and she has already made several names for herself: Adorable, Precocious, Smart, and Stubborn as well as a few others! Make no mistake: She is a wonderful addition to our farm and if she continues on her current path, I am sure she will continue to break milestones set by previous calves. She is DEFINITELY Mocha’s daughter!

Mocha taking a rest while Elsie runs circles around her in the stall

WELCOME, Elsie!

Elsie, born 3:30-4 a.m., Tuesday morning, December 17, 2019

SHE IS SAFELY HERE and her name is Elsie. She is named after the Borden milk cow that was on the carton of milk that my grandpa used to bring home from the store! I always wanted a dairy cow named Elsie!

Mocha showed signs of early labor last Friday morning, so we prepared her stall with fresh straw, hay and water and brought her to the barn. Jersey wasn’t happy to be alone in the pasture and I totally get it! We separate Herbie around 5:00 a.m., which means Jersey was by herself all day until evening milking time. So, since Friday morning, I have made umpteen trips to the barn, averaging every 2-3 hours, checking on her progress, which was fairly slow. Four nights with little sleep brought back reminders of when my boys were babies. But, with all the waiting, she still arrived the day before she was due.

My son had to be up early this morning so rather than head to the barn when I had planned, I saw him out the door and then braved the icy weather. Each time I arrived in the barn, even before I could see into Mocha’s stall, I would assess whether her calf had arrived by whether she was laying down, which almost every time she was. However, this morning, she was standing up…making that sweet, low sound. I knew in an instant that her precious calf had arrived!

Mocha being the good mama she is, cleaning and drying Elsie

She was still very wet, so my best guess is that she arrived between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. Mocha diligently continued cleaning her up so her fur would dry. I ran back to the house to grab a towel to try to help her get dry and warm her up.

Elsie trying to stand up, but she isn’t quite strong enough.

She has tried to stand several times, but when i left the barn about 20 minutes ago, she still was too weak. Mocha stimulates her to stand up by licking her on her back. It will just take a little time for her to be strong enough. I am going to eat a quick breakfast, make my hubby’s breakfast and lunch and head back out. I am relieved that she is safely here…but now comes the watching to make sure she gets that rich, nutrient-dense colostrum so that she will get her energy and be protected against illness at her young age.

I will post more later…but just wanted to share with everyone who has been anticipating her arrival that SHE IS HERE!

can’t you just see her saying “Awww, c’mon, Mom!”

Also, I must apologize if there are grammar and spelling errors in this post. The lack of sleep is wearing heavily on me! But I just had to get the word out!

Laughter is Good Medicine at de Good Life Farm

My pretty girl, Mocha, eating lots to build up her energy for birthing!

I know my last couple of posts have been pretty heavy, but that is because life around here has been about heavy stuff…death, beefing up protection and trying to catch a cunning predator, etc. But, I thought I would share with you some of the joys of this morning.

First, I am pretty bleary-eyed due to the fact that Mocha began the early stages of labor on Friday. So, for the past two nights, I have set my alarm and dragged myself to the barn multiple times through the night to check on her. To date, no calf, but it’s only a matter of time! Her due date is actually Wednesday, but when I saw the beginning signs of labor, I thought she might deliver early.

Each time I go in there, I muck her stall so the baby has a soft, clean place to land and I love on Mocha. I love spending time with her during this phase because she is especially responsive to my loving. I rub her side, and this morning I talked to her calf as I was feeling her/his hoof and told him/her that I was so exited to meet him/her and that she/he has a sweet uncle who is eager to play with him/her. I hope he/she was listening! Feeling that little hoof move under my touch is just about one of the coolest things!

By the way, if it’s a little heifer, her name will be “Elsie”, after the Borden milk cow. My grandpa used to bring Borden milk home from the company store where he worked and I just loved the picture of that jersey cow. If the calf is a little bull calf, his name will be “McQueen” and that simply because we named Herbie, not after the VW Bug, but it is also the name of a famous car…so I thought I would continue the trend to this calf and name him “McQueen” after “Lightning McQueen”! So, we shall soon see which name applies!

Big boy Herbie has only a few days left to enjoy his mama’s milk.

The second laugh I had this morning was while was mucking Herbie’s stall and had his back to me, I was startled and might have let out a little yell when HE TRIED TO RIDE ME!!! That’s the first time he has tried that but Oh! my word!

Merlin and some of his girls enjoying being outside.

Thirdly, I was in the chicken coop feeding and watering them. I keep them in the coop for the first half of the day so that they lay their eggs in the coop and not in various hide-outs they find around the farm. Anyway, behind me there was quite a ruckus and squealing! Now, since the attacks on our chickens, I am a easily startled to sounds of squealing in the hen house. But, when I looked to see what the noise was all about, I laughed out loud to see Merlin desperately doing his little dance, trying to stir up some romance with his girls and NO ONE wanted a thing to do with him!

So, as I head into the house, I hear Mocha and Herbie yelling from their respective stalls in the barn and Jersey yelling from the shelter in the pasture. They do NOT like being separated, even if it’s for a very good reason! But, I know I have done my best to love and care for the animals who have been entrusted to my care! And, I love every (well, almost every) minute of it!

I hope you have enjoyed my tales of laughter here at de Good Life Farm this morning. Watch for news of the arrival of Mocha’s calf! It will, no doubt, be very soon!

Predator Woes – Life on the farm

It has been a nerve-wrecking and stressful week here on the farm. If you follow my Facebook page (@dianeramseyorr), you already know that last Sunday morning, as I was feeding the chickens in the coop around 7:15 a.m., I heard a strange noise behind me. I spun around to discover that the sound I was hearing was one my layers expelling her last breath. I was heartbroken and the tears started flowing! It was a gruesome sight. Besides my sadness at her death, is my disappointment at my own inability to protect the creatures entrusted to me!

We buried her and I think I was in shock and disbelief. We had believed that our coop was pretty safe. After losing our entire flock in the span of two nights two years ago, we installed a solid wooden floor in it and covered the outside in half-inch hardware cloth three feet high. But, when it happened again the next morning, I knew something had penetrated the security and I was on the warpath!

A dear friend who who is part of our herd-share program and her daughter helped me inspect the coop to determine where it had gotten in. Her experienced eyes quickly found the points of entry. I spent the day making a plan and gathering supplies.

Because it was such a big job, we loaded up the chickens into dog crates and drove them around and settled them into the safety of the garage for the night. Then, we proceeded to spend hours in the coop installing hardware cloth on the inside and repairing the hole that the unnamed predator had made. We were exhausted and just could do no more that night, so we stopped.

heading back to the pasture…rattled, but safe after a night in the garage

The next morning, the flock was loaded back up into the back of the truck and I drove them around to the pasture so they could lay their eggs and eat and drink. Understandably, they were not so keen on spending much time in the coop. I spent that day researching and gathering more supplies so that we could finish the job that night.

By the time we finished chores Tuesday night, the chickens had already put themselves to bed and since the side of the coop that needed finished was on the opposite side of their roost, we decided to leave them in the coop, hoping that the light, the talking, the drilling and pounding wouldn’t bother them too badly. They were so cute! A few of them slowly opened their eyes to see what we were doing, but overall we didn’t seem to disturb them much at all!

Thankfully, we finished a little earlier than the previous night and although we had covered the holes and now had a good layer of hardware cloth between them and a potential predator, I still didn’t rest easy that night. I was so rattled and concerned. It’s tough to protect against an unknown enemy that can decimate your entire flock in one night.

So, since both of the attacks happened between the hours of 6 and 7 am, right after Jeff finished chores and before I went out to milk, I decided that I would sit in the coop with the chickens and drink my tea until daybreak and the time of the greatest threat was passed. The first morning, they seemed a little confused why I was sitting in there with them. The second morning they weren’t sure what the sounds were when I played music and talked on the phone. As I prepared to leave at daybreak, I sang the famous Carol Burnett song “I’m so glad we had this time together….” They cocked their heads and listened!

In addition to the improvements we made to the coop, I have been setting a trap each night. Tuesday night we put some salmon I had on a cardboard and set the trap. Each morning, the trap was empty. One night it was tripped but the bait hadn’t been touched and every night after that, it wasn’t touched or tripped. I was a bit discouraged but I was determined to do all I could possibly do to protect our flock and trust God for what I couldn’t do!

My practice has been to set the trap only once Ollie and Gandalf (our sweet barn cats) were safely secured in the barn for the night so they wouldn’t get trapped! But, last night I couldn’t find Gandalf! I called him from every side of the barn and he never did come. So, again…I almost didn’t set the trap, but was afraid not to! I have struggled much with where to place the trap, but settled on putting it right by the coop in the area the predator gained access to the coop on Sunday night. Finally, I got it set and headed in.

Last night, I was so tired. We worked to winterize Odin’s kennel, just the two of us doing a job that really needed three pair of hands, but we persevered and got it done. After dinner, around 8:30, I told Jeff I really didn’t feel like going outside to set the trap, but I was afraid not to!

In addition to all the things I have mentioned, I also started letting our golden retrievers out into the back yard between 6:00 and 6:30 a.m., so that there was some deterrent until I got to the coop. I was just trying to cover as many bases of protection as I possibly could.

Then, this morning, Jeff forgot to leave the corral light on and I was so concerned…but when I got out there, I made the discovery that thrilled my heart and I ran all the way to the house saying “I praise you, Father! I praise you, Father!”

we caught the murderer of my two morning layers!

“Micah, are you awake? Get your gun! We got him!! We caught a weasel!”, I breathlessly squealed, my voice shaking as much as my knees were! Actually, we had caught a mink, but until I had done my research, I didn’t know the difference! All I cared about that WE GOT HIM! I am telling myself that finally we caught the scoundrel that decimated our flock in November, 2016 and had killed these two layers this week! I felt so thankful and victorious!

Now, I have continued the practice of sitting in the chicken coop and drinking my tea each morning since, EXCEPT today, when as I approached the coop, I saw that there was something in the trap I had set. I couldn’t tell what it was but I knew it wasn’t a cat! I ran to the barn to put the feed back so it wouldn’t get wet and headed for the house, literally saying “Praise You, Father, Praise You, Father” the whole way! I burst into the sliding door and called for Micah to find out if he was awake and to tell him to grab his Henry Golden Boy and come – we had caught something in the trap!

Micah came back in a short time later….it was a neighbor cat! Bummer! However, I have continued to set 3 traps each night since then and to date, we have caught nothing! I am relieved…I feel sure if there were others out there, we would have caught them, but I will continue to set traps for a few more days before I will be convinced that they are out of danger…for now!

Merlin with some of his girls enjoying a sunny day in the pasture

Now, the chickens seem less afraid and settling back into their normal routine! They are enjoying days in the pasture seem to be feeling safe again. I take it very seriously to care for all our critters here on the farm. I may start relaxing again soon….BUT WAIT!

As of this morning, Mocha is in the beginning stages of labor! We will soon have our newest resident here on the farm! Stay tuned! Big announcement coming soon!

Farm living: life and death

Let’s be honest! Farm life is hard. Rewarding but hard! Especially when the circumstances are beyond your control….like the pasture being too wet for the cattle to be in it during the spring, and a heat wave once they can get in and start eating which means it stops growing! Top that off with a bad growing year for hay so, the year we have to feed hay all summer long…it costs a lot!

Yes, there are many rewards for living this good and hard life…the joy of caring for animals, the ability to know where your food comes from…literally knowing what that animal put in it’s mouth every day of it’s life and that you know it was raised with respect and in the most healthy way you could raise it. Living close to the earth and being dependent God for the outcome of your labor is a very humbling, and yet, wonderful way to live. However, there are some real hardships, circumstances that are beyond your control, which call your faith into play…the WHY you do what you are doing.

This post, I’m sorry, will not be one that tickles your funny bone and gives you that “good feeling” that a lot of my posts about the farm may do. It is with a heavy heart I write that I lost one of my layer hens this morning. I have no idea what happened, other than I heard her body expel her final breath while I was in the coop feeding them. It crushed my heart.

The death of our animals/critters, even after five years here on de Good Life Farm, is still so unsettling and heartbreaking to me. Even the planned “one bad day” deaths are difficult for me to deal with, but the unexpected ones just crush me.

The first death we experienced here on the farm was Heidi, Hershey’s mom. We brought her here to give Mocha companionship because she was so lonely being here on the farm without her mom, Jersey. Mocha cried day and night for days, so Jeff decided to search Craigslist.com for a friend for her. He found a lactating Jersey whose personality was described as being “more like a pet.” When she arrived at the farm, it didn’t take long for them to become best buddies.

Heidi gave us Hershey, our first beloved Angus/Jersey cross steer, but she died a year later before giving birth to her twins, from a disease we couldn’t have known about beforehand and one which began in her body before we even brought her here to the farm. Watching a massive animal die in front of your eyes…one that that has become part of your “family”, when what you were expecting was to celebrate the joy of new life, is pretty heart-breaking and devastating! The feeling of sadness and helplessness was overwhelming!

Then a few years ago, a weasel or mink took our entire flock of layers in two nights, including our sweet rooster, Griffin, who died doing his best to protect his flock. Now, I’m not a “chicken lover” but I greatly appreciate the beauty and diversity of the chicken breeds and I love gathering their eggs, besides the asset they are to our pasture and cows.

Other losses we have experienced were meat chickens through the summers, and although it makes me sad, because of their make-up and the heat of the summer, it is somewhat to be expected. We have lost cats we had hoped to make a good home for, who because of their upbringing ran away rather than trust us.

And, then there are the calves that we raise for beef. I am fully aware when those precious babies are born, that in about two-years’ time, I will have to say good-bye to them as they fulfill their purpose. Raising the calves is probably my favorite thing here on the farm. Jeff frequently has to remind me that I am not their mama…but, I bond with them from the moment they are born and spend time each day, loving on them, just hanging with them and making sure they are getting everything they need. I spend time training them to be led on a lead rope so when they weigh 7 or 8 times what I weigh, I can have some control over where they go.

People have said “You shouldn’t name them”! Are you kidding me? Would knowing them as “254” or “ABC” mean that I would love them any less, or be any less emotionally attached to them as I care for them each day of their lives? NO! So, I may as well give them a cute name befitting their cute personality! It means that truly, they are given the best love, care and respect that I can give them for EVERY day of their lives except for their “one bad day” when we load them on the trailer, knowing they are completing their destiny by providing food for our family and others who choose to buy their meat from us. So, amidst tears (sometimes cried over the previous two weeks, or longer), we say “good-bye” and “thank you.”

Yes, I have a very tender heart, but it’s more than that. I give these animals the very best care that I can give them while they are here and maybe what hurts me about the unexpected ones is trying to figure out what I could have done to prevent that death. I find joy in the mundane, monotonous day in and day out routines of the farm chores. But the days here are anything but dull and mundane to me!

So, when you think of me, or read my funny and wonderful stories about life here on ‘de Good Life Farm’, please remember there are many tears shed amidst the bursts of joy and laughter. And…thank a farmer for doing their best to provide you healthy food for your family!

SAD UPDATE: Before I could get this edited and published, discovered another death in the chicken coop this morning. Hope I can educate myself and figure out how the predator is getting in and out so that it can be remedied before dusk tonight. This is a hard day!

(I will add pictures later…my computer is spazzing and I just want to get this posted.)

Month: December 2019

Elsie – Making a Name for Herself!

WELCOME, Elsie!

Laughter is Good Medicine at de Good Life Farm

Predator Woes – Life on the farm

Farm living: life and death

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