Pig In A Blanket

My beautiful pig in a blanket:). Amelia... Our "mini-pig," of at least 120 lbs:). lol

Meat Eating Horses

Am I the ONLY one who JUST heard of meat eating horses???? I am floored! 

http://www.lrgaf.org/deadly_equines.htm

Dog/Animal Treats

Got the dog's favorite cookies made. I used organic whole wheat flour, pureed green beans, pumpkin, oats, farm fresh eggs, coconut oil, and peanut butter. My potbellied pigs also enjoy these cookies. Going to test them out on the horses today:). 

Farm Life

Farm life is NEVER boring... From broken water mains, to harrowing pastures, to vaccuming stalls, to messing with chicken vents..... Never a dull moment:).

Awesome Roo

I have the most awesome roo in the world. He is so gentle with the ladies and always goes and picks mill worms for them, dropping them at their feet before ever helping himself.

Chickadee is Coming Home

We thought our chicken had a prolapsed vent. Thankfully, took her to a wonderful vet who said she had an abcess. He popped the pouch, emptied it, gave her a "stay suture", steroid shot, and an antibiotic. He was the ONLY vet I called that would see a damn chicken. Other vets who said they see birds, REFUSE to see chickens which is annoying as hell. So, they only want to see birds that do nothing but sit in a cage and look pretty as opposed to a bird that actually has a job? I called 5 vets who supposedly see birds, and NONE would see her:(. So, we drove 2 hours to see one who would. 

Poor Coon

I felt bad, and let the bastard go, but now wish I would have shot him. Next time..........

Shart

"Shart"... Well, I can say it's something you never want to experience away from home. If this is what getting older looks like, you can keep it:). What happened to aging gracefully????

"Fox in the Hen House"

We had a red fox chasing our guineas and chickens yesterday in the middle of the day. Then, we had a fox/potbelly pig "stare-down." The fox came up to our dog gate and stood nose to nose staring at our potbelly pig, Amelia. Scary.... Put out a live trap hoping the trap the bastard. He'll keep coming back for sure. I am afraid for my ducks. Gotta get this obviously brave sob.

Old Friends

Had a super visit with one of my oldest friends this weekend. We haven't seen one another in over 15 years (living on opposite coasts, etc...). We laughed and talked like no time had gone by at all. It's wonderful to have "true" forever friends.

Novel

At approximately 42,000 words on my novel so far........ Need about 15-20k more before I submit it. THIS is shaping up to be one hell of a book. It is thrilling, pegs the "creepy" factor times 100, and is a  fascinating tale about survival........... Super exciting writing the book but thinking about the possibilities for it:). Just have to get it published, lol:).

Stinky Pig Scent Glands

Peeewww-freakin'-weeee! Just expressed my indoor pig's scent glands. They have four on the back of each front leg. When they need to be "expressed," they look like pimples and they stink. For an idea of the putrid smell, let me awaken the senses of my friends in the medical field. The smell is similar to those patients that don't wash between their fat rolls........... Uggggggggg........ Makes you wanna puke..... Happy Tuesday:)!!!

Wanting to Ride this Gal in a Christmas Parade

Soooooo wanting to find a close Christmas parade to ride this girl in this year..... She has come such a long way with me and I think she's ready:). Gotta love your draft horses! 

Horse Blankets

Temps will be getting down into the low 20's tonight. If the weather report calls for rain also, I will be blanketing my horses, to their dislike. I don't want one especially, fighting to maintain weight.... Uggg..... The "musts" of a horsey mom:). lol.

Farm Life

So happy our hens are producing even though this is not really "the" time of year they are super active. I had a busy day yesterday searching for eggs, getting kicked in the head by a goat (trimming hooves), and getting crapped on by a chicken. lol....... Not to count mucking goat and horse stalls:). Love farm life!!! 

Crazy Hen

Hubby can now add being pecked in the eye to his list of farm experiences. This hen was sitting on his shoulder yesterday. He turned his head, and she must have thought the whites of his eyes looked yummy. OUCH.......... Thank goodness I keep lots of animal meds around, lol. I washed hubby's eye out with visine and applied  Neomycin and Polymyxin B Sulfate and Dexamethasone Ointment (for horses) to his eye and bandaged overnight. Perfectly healed and no redness this morning:). 

Poop-Veggies:)

Well... Nobody can accuse us of not feeding the pigs, goats, sheep, horses, and chickens well. Went out to the compost pile today and found corn stalks growing, tomato plants with blooms, 3 small watermelons on the vine, 7 nice sized cantaloupes growing, and another type of squash or zucchini with blooms. Recycling at its best, lol.... 

Flu Season

Well.... It's that time of the year again... FLU season is here. DR's offices want you to get flu shots, but when we called, they were booked out a MONTH for flu shot appointments. lol.... Receptionist suggested going to a drug store or pharmacy for a shot, which we may need to do. Booked out A MONTH? Craziness!!! 

Dealing with Ebola or any Mass Outbreak

Suggestions.... I highly recommend people prepare for emergencies (Ebola, etc...) BEFORE a mass outbreak actually occurs. One MAJOR thing people can do to help themselves BEFORE such an outbreak occurs is to purchase the best grade face mask they can afford. If you can only afford the cheap paper masks, something is always better than nothing. An example of a fairly affordable mask is http://www.discountsafetygear.com/3m60sefufare.html. I am NOT a physician and am not recommending THIS product or website. I am simply giving examples of things available. It would be advisable to purchase the replacement cartridges and filters when you buy these masks. If you wait until an outbreak actually occurs, TRUST ME..... You will have a hell of a difficult time finding one. Don't wait...... Be prepared. 

Ebola

WHY must we revert to seeking other sources of information when our CDC should be telling us the WHOLE TRUTH??? Answer... Because scientists have KNOWN Ebola CAN GO airborne and can mutate FOR YEARS. Trying to feed us "partial truths" to prevent panic IS NOT the way to handle it. Even many healthcare workers in the US admit most do not have special training or equipment to deal with such an outbreak. SAD... SAD... Bottom Line.... DO THE RESEARCH... If CDC has a DOG in quarantine..... Someone, somewhere, isn't telling another someone, somewhere the whole truth. Darn.... 


http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-20341423

Growing concerns over 'in the air' transmission of Ebola

By Matt McGrathScience reporter, BBC World Service

The infection is thought to get into humans through close contact with bodily fluids

Continue reading the main story

Related Stories

• Fresh Ebola outbreak in Uganda
• Little chance for ebola vaccine

Canadian scientists have shown that the deadliest form of the ebola virus could be transmitted by air between species.

In experiments, they demonstrated that the virus was transmitted from pigs to monkeys without any direct contact between them.

The researchers say they believe that limited airborne transmission might be contributing to the spread of the disease in some parts of Africa.

They are concerned that pigs might be a natural host for the lethal infection.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

What we suspect is happening is large droplets - they can stay in the air, but not long, they don't go far. But they can be absorbed in the airway”

Dr Gary KobingerPublic Health Agency of Canada

Ebola viruses cause fatal haemorrhagic fevers in humans and many other species of non human primates.

Details of the research were published in the journal Scientific Reports.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the infection gets into humans through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs and other bodily fluids from a number of species including chimpanzees, gorillas and forest antelope.

The fruit bat has long been considered the natural reservoir of the infection. But a growing body of experimental evidence suggests that pigs, both wild and domestic, could be a hidden source of Ebola Zaire - the most deadly form of the virus.

Now, researchers from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the country's Public Health Agency have shown that pigs infected with this form of Ebola can pass the disease on to macaques without any direct contact between the species.

In their experiments, the pigs carrying the virus were housed in pens with the monkeys in close proximity but separated by a wire barrier. After eight days, some of the macaques were showing clinical signs typical of ebola and were euthanised.

One possibility is that the monkeys became infected by inhaling large aerosol droplets produced from the respiratory tracts of the pigs.

Pigs could act as a host and amplify the Ebola virus

One of the scientists involved is Dr Gary Kobinger from the National Microbiology Laboratory at the Public Health Agency of Canada. He told BBC News this was the most likely route of the infection.

"What we suspect is happening is large droplets - they can stay in the air, but not long, they don't go far," he explained.

"But they can be absorbed in the airway and this is how the infection starts, and this is what we think, because we saw a lot of evidence in the lungs of the non-human primates that the virus got in that way."

The scientists say that their findings could explain why some pig farmers in the Philippines had antibodies in their system for the presence of a different version of the infection called Ebola Reston. The farmers had not been involved in slaughtering the pigs and had no known contact with contaminated tissues.

Dr Kobinger stresses that the transmission in the air is not similar to influenza or other infections. He points to the experience of most human outbreaks in Africa.

"The reality is that they are contained and they remain local, if it was really an airborne virus like influenza is it would spread all over the place, and that's not happening."

Hidden host

The authors believe that more work needs to be done to clarify the role of wild and domestic pigs in spreading the virus. There have been anecdotal accounts of pigs dying at the start of human outbreaks. Dr Kobinger believes that if pigs do play a part, it could help contain the virus.

"If they do play a role in human outbreaks it would be a very easy point to intervene" he said. "It would be easier to vaccinate pigs against Ebola than humans."

Workers prepare to disinfect during a recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda

Other experts in the field were concerned about the idea that Ebola was susceptible to being transmitted by air even if the distance the virus could travel was limited. Dr Larry Zeitlin is the president of Mapp Biopharmaceuticals.

"It's an impressive study that not only raises questions about the reservoir of Ebola in the wild, but more importantly elevates concerns about ebola as a public health threat," he told BBC News. "The thought of airborne transmission is pretty frightening."

At present, an outbreak of ebola in Uganda has killed at least two people near the capital Kampala. Last month, Uganda declared itself Ebola-free after an earlier outbreak of the disease killed at least sixteen people in the west of the country.

Busy, Busy, Busy Summer:).

I haven't been very active on here in a couple of months and really miss it:)... I like writing and sharing life. Summer around the farm keeps everyone busy. From re-seeding pastures, to clearing woods, to painting houses, barns, and other outbuildings, to organic pest control when you can go the organic route...... One of my major "tasks" for the past few months has been combating fire ants. Although I have tried using organic methods to combat these pets, I have been unsuccessful. The only thing that seems to work is chemical eradication, which normally, having other farm animals, I wouldn't go for, but these pesky insects make everyone and everything cringe. In ground bees have been more pesky than usual this year. I do, use an "organic" method for killing those bad-boys, however.... Horses and in ground bees DO NOT mash. But.... Neither do humans and in ground bees. Believe it or not, I have spent at least 2 days a week for the past couple of months fighting those pests... I don't bother bumble bees or honey bees, but HATE, HATE, HATE wasps and yellow jackets with a PASSION! So, of course, farm duties coupled with "general life," makes for a super busy but fulfilling schedule. But..... Not lost, are the days of enjoying "CHICKEN TV," (watching the colorful and very active chickens, guineas, and ducks play), and our goat herd (that includes 2 sheep and a barn cat). The barn cat loves HER HERD, and goes everywhere they go. She is their shadow. Gotta love barn kitty! I will be more active on this blog from now on:). Can't promise HOW active, but certainly MORE active!!! 

First Garden Ripe Watermelon

Our very first garden ripe watermelon...... Super sweet!

Quack Quacks

Our babies playing in their outside yard until they are old enough to free range.

Gotta Love Them Kiddos:)

I just love my goat/sheep herd. Blessing, the goat at the bottom, is such a great milker..... She LOVES tree leaves. Probably her favorite food......... Above..... Roxy and Eduardo enjoy grading. Eduardo is a Herdwick sheep (very rare). Had his balls banded as a baby and wish I wouldn't have now.... The picture above the sheep is what happens when you yell "here Kiddos," around my house, lol......... They are my shadows and I love it:).

Horsin' Around

Ayla's (appy x) first day in a side pull...... Her appy brain kicked in and she tried taking off, not stopping, etc....... UNTIL...... I got after with the quirt and we had a "discussion or two." Fine after that....... Going back to the bit with her. She respects it........ Paisley (in the fly mask) will be wearing a fly mask most of the year b/c of her newly found "pre-cancer" in the 3rd eye lid...... She is now taking a rigorous mix and mash of many vitamins and immune boosters........... Hoping for the best b/c she is the sweetest filly I've ever seen. Chloe, at the bottom, continues to amaze me. I am definantly a percheron fan after having the pleasure to love Chloe. She is super smart, SWEET, and does everything you ask of her.............. Lover buns!!!!

Ayla Swimming

Ayla going out to swim in the wonderfully warm lake:). Fun day!!!

Snake in the Chicken Coup

I hated killing this beautiful black snake today, but it was in the chicken coup, had already killed a duck and was looking for a smaller chicken. I don't usually kill non-poisonous snakes, but if I would have simply tossed this one back in the woods, it would have come back that night and wiped out all of my chickens. A bummer on two counts (the chicken and the snake). This snake did encourage us to "Ft. Knox" our coup, however.........

Swimming

 Took Ayla for a swim in the lake today. She hasn't been swimming in over a year and a half, and never without another horse. She was a little hesitant at first, but eventually got out there and enjoyed swimming in the deeper water. I love my girl!

Avoiding Disaster

Thank god for super well trained horses with bomb-diggety genetic mellowness, lol..... Was riding Ayla back up my driveway today and my other three horses took off running, bucking and farting in the pasture up the fence line. This scared the guinea hens that were pecking away in the pasture..... Three of the guineas darted over the fence line flying over Ayla's head literally less than a foot and a half away. One of the damn guineas landed on Ayla's head between her ears...... She didn't flinch and didn't skip a beat. Could have been an absolute disaster though if it weren't for her training and awesome draft bloodlines.

Bummer

We lost one of our Indian Runner Ducks to a damn black snake today...... Super bummed. Our beautiful Indian Runner Duck was about 2-3 months old now, and was developing beautiful color and feathers. She was the largest of the 2 indian runners, and tried protecting the other ducks/guineas/chickens from the snake. She lost her life. The other sad part is that I had to kill the snake. I don't like to kill non-poisonous snakes, but this snake would have kept coming back for food if I would have simple tossed it out in the woods. Was about a 6 ft long black snake. Double bummer!!!!!!!

Lamancha breeding (hopefully)

Had a chance to try for a free Lamancha breeding. Damn....... Hoping my girl came into heat early so I could get her knocked up early........ If not...... It'll be AI through the buck bank in the fall.

Hobby Farms Magazine

Submitting a picture of your farm critters is a wonderful way to show off your livestock and to enjoy other peoples critters too.......... Simply submit an instagram pic and tag #hflivestock......... www.hobbyfarms.com. I pasted the picture of my goats on the hobby farm cover. They won instagram pic of the month for July/August. Fun:)...........