10.14.11

Chaffhaye update & Fridays

Posted in Chaffhaye, Goats, hobby farmer at 11:42 pm by Administrator

You have to love Friday’s weather you work a full time job or are retired! Friday’s are special, typically getting some extra zzzzz’s but not on a farm, animals are on a schedule so 7 AM to them is the same everyday, especially dairy animals.  The morning’s have been cool! afternoon’s warm, but no rain. We planted a pasture in winter wheat for some extra grazing but we need rain to bring it up just one good soaking.  My bucks are in a Mini Rut! unlike most goats Nigerians breed all year long, most breeds are seasonal and fall is rutting season=Breeding! so my two bucks go into a Mini Rut walking near their pen gives you a extra whiff of whooo eeee! definitely not walking through a rose garden.   Coming up  we have the OSU Master Cattleman’s Summit just for graduates of the course. Two days of lectures, workshops and a steak cookout  NO Chicken here!  They are having some good business lectures on drought also.  Can’t wait for steak yum.   Chaffhaye update Wednesday was day 7 of Chaffhaye so they are now fully transferred to Chaffhaye, they get a little sweet grain with some BOSS (black oil sunflower Seeds) and about 4 lbs Chaffhaye twice a day.  They love it and I will be anxious to see the results after a few months of the new feeding plan, I will say it did bring the milk production up after 5 days, Shirley is milking over a quart I have to bring another bucket for the overflow.

Fall Colors in Oklahoma

Fall Color's in Oklahoma

10.12.11

Rain! Thank you

Posted in cattle, Chaffhaye, Goats, hobby farmer at 12:12 am by Administrator

Saturday we planted a pasture in Winter Wheat for the cattle winter grazing why? because there was so little summer grazing! Sunday it Rained! 1/2 inch but enough to bring up the wheat, and heavy dew Monday & Tuesday which is actually enough to keep grass green.   So yippee! and Wednesday 60% chance of rain. more Yippee!.  Have to run in to feed store to pick up some seed.  The Chaffhaye is going well.  Day 4, the goats are getting less pellets, a little sweet feed and about 4 pounds of Chaffhaye in the AM regular PM feeding pellets and hay. The girls are really loving the Chaffhaye they eat every bite I do have to say I really like the NO waste.  I have 9 guinea keets I am raising they are almost 2 weeks I raided the hens nest when they were born, since Guineas can only raise 2 keets to 3 mths  out of 10 that is 20% survival chance.  I know guinea hens at least mine do a good job of raising teaching the keets but they loose too many from one day old  those little keets have follow mom all day over 20 acres, they get lost they get eaten they drown in the water tank, so I decided to raise these till feathered then put them in the chicken coop till 5-6 months old and then let them go the older they get the better.  More work for me but that is life on the farm.