It’s been a very eventful week here on the farm. I didn’t have work this week so I was able to focus much of my time on the farm. Mainly working on the corral in the beginning of the week. Our oldest son came down Wednesday and helped me work on it that afternoon. It was a great to have the help and be able to visit with him, our daughter (in-law), and our grandson. Yesterday, our youngest son and I finally finished the temporary corral. Unfortunately, it was time to feed all the animals by the time we were done so we didn’t get to test it out. Maybe one evening this week we can run the cows through it.
Today, our youngest son finished hooking the wood splitter he made for us. The thing is a beast. It runs off of the hydraulics of the tractor. We spent a few minutes testing it out on some rounds that we had laying around. It worked marvelously. It won’t be much longer till it will be time to start burning the wood stove in the house so we better get to work splitting some wood.
In addition to getting the wood splitter done today, we moved the bucks into the pasture across from the girls. Hopefully, the girls will take interest and we can get them bred for some baby goats early in the year. We also fortified Dozer the calf’s nighttime enclosure since he has barreled over the non-electrified portable chicken netting the past two mornings to get to his mom Bessey for his breakfast. He now has three strands of electric wire. We shall see in the morning if it keeps him at bay.
The main event for the week was trying to keep our new calf Scarlet alive. Wednesday evening she took a turn for the worse. She had a fever and very labored breathing. We decided to move her to the house for our convenience of treating her throughout the evening. Honestly, we didn’t think she would make it when we first got her into the house. She was pitiful. We gave her an initial round of meds, Pedialyte and Gatorade throughout the evening, and a slumber party in the living room floor. She got another round of meds in the morning and we kept giving her liquids throughout the day. That evening she was much perkier and back on her milk. Of course, she got another slumber party in the living room and by Friday morning we were ready to evict her from the house. So back to the barn she went. Scarlet is doing well now and tonight she is braving the new world by getting to hang out with Dozer in the pasture. Today was a great end to the work for Hillsite Farm.
Hillsite Farm 