LGD

Kangal, Bouvier, and Pyrenees mix:). Great first day on the job for this lovely girl!

Helle Knife

If you are ever looking for an AWESOME gift for someone (or a treat for yourself), I can't say enough about Helle Knives. They are made in Norway and are beautiful but rugged and practical. I bought one for my husband for Christmas. He sliced the sheath one day and emailed the company in Norway asking for the price of a replacement sheath. They emailed back the very next day and said they will send the sheath at no cost to us (we aren't even paying shipping). LOVE LOVE LOVE these knives!!! 

http://www.helle.no/products/knives/

Poop

Banamine-check
moist poop in shoot-check
holding tail up and acting different-check

actively pooping-notta
gut sounds-in some area

Observing Ayla at this point and watching for poop. Praying and hoping for poop and then for more poop..........

Bobbing for Apples

Horses had a blast bobbing for apples today. They have been bored because I have their far pasture closed because of all of the rain. It is a soggy mess up there. So.... I gave them something to do today. They spent HOURS bobbing:). 

Eating Crickets???

I have heard so much in the news lately about people eating crickets. I have to say, the idea is tempting. I haven't tried using crickets in any manner yet but found an interesting article on making your own cricket flour. You can buy cricket flour on amazon, lol:). 

http://www.amazon.com/JR-Unique-Foods-Cricket-Flour/dp/B00OMCTODQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422193066&sr=8-1&keywords=cricket+flour&pebp=1422193082370&peasin=B00OMCTODQ

How to Make Cricket Flour

Learning how to make cricket flour requires crickets.  Obvious, but not all crickets are the same.  Most companies use the cricket Acheta domesticus due to its high protein content and taste.  However some cricket flour companies buy live crickets from local cricket farmers, get shipped frozen crickets from cricket farms, or breed and raise their own crickets to make cricket flour.  Additionally, some breeders report that the taste of the crickets can be determined on the choice of food fed to the crickets such as apples, mint, etc.

While most companies harvest their crickets around 8-weeks in their development, companies can harvest them around 6-weeks before their exoskeleton has fully formed.

Once the crickets have been gathered at the cricket processing facility, they then need to be dried before the cricket milling process.  The crickets can either be dried in the sun, freeze-dried, placed in a food dehydrator, or baked in an oven.  Depending on your time requirements and desired taste profile, you will want to determine what is best for your cricket flour operations.

Generally, the dried crickets are then ground using two different grinding or milling machines.  The first machine is set to a coarse grind.  Once the crickets have been placed in the first machine, the coarse cricket flour is then sifted to remove the lighter content which consists of legs, wings, etc. and is removed from the final cricket flour product.  Next, the remaining coarse cricket flour is placed in the second milling machine which is set to a fine grain size to produce a smooth and fine cricket flour.

Each company will use proprietary processes ranging from the cricket feed, the freezing processes, drying processes, and final grinding procedures as well.  However, most cricket flour production processes will follow this general framework.  As you can see, learning how to make cricket flour is fairly straightforward and can be done on small and large scale production levels. (http://www.cricketflours.com/how-to-make-cricket-flour/ )

LGD

Getting our Kangal/Great Pyrenees puppy next week. Opted for a female just because I like female dogs. Hoping the Great Pyrenees mellows out the Kangal's fondness of roaming. Don't need a roamer. Fingers and toes crossed... Wish us luck!!! 

http://www.akc.org/breeds/great_pyrenees/index.cfm

http://kangal.ca/breed-information/temperament/

RIR Rooster

I have a RIR rooster that is about a year old. He was given to me by a friend who moved and could not keep him. We have 6 roosters already and integrating him is proving impossible. He is beautiful and is healthy. We have just begun the integration process. We have had him in quarantine for three weeks. He gets along great with hens and people. If you are looking for a great rooster for your hens, he's a looker and is FREE (you transport). He NEEDS to go to a home with NO OTHER ROOSTERS.

I posted the above ad on 8 fb sites AND my page. NO takers:(. Stew pot tonight....... Dang!

Diggin up Rocks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9mYYdHb4ic

Instead of singing the Randy Travis song, "Diggin up bones, I'm diggin up bones," I should be singing, "Diggin up rocks, I'm diggin up rocks." lol..... Been digging up rocks all morning to use to make the base for my tack room.

I am using the japanese hori hori tool that I use almost DAILY and LOVE. It is the most versatile thing ever.

My back is hurting, and fingers are cracking, but I am taking a nice pizza break and then back out to hunt rocks...

Anal Glands

Well... Yesterday was anal gland day around the farm. Got 7 dogs done, lol. Stinky affair, but much needed. It's easy-peezy to do, and much better than paying a vet's office 20.00 per animal to express them. Attached is a video that is a perfect example of "how to." 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn2Zm-KwKy4

Rain Rain

Rain, Rain.... Very happy to have a dry day with sunshine. Really NEED to till compost into the garden, but can't get the tractor in there with the wet ground. Likely going to need 7-9 days of DRY before that can happen. Our compost is looking SWEET:)! Going to be checking the horses hooves for any rot with all of the mud. Kopertox is a miracle worker as far as thrush and other things go, thank goodness! 

Preventing Heart worms using Ivermectin

I can't possibly be the ONLY person disgusted with the price of heart worm medication. With our five dogs to treat, plus my father in law's dogs, we were spending rite at $400.00 every 3 months on heart worm preventative. So........ I did some digging, and began concocting my own heart worm preventative at home using the same active ingredient listed in heart guard and others (ivermectin). I purchase Ivermec 1% injectible for cattle (with nothing else added). I also bought some propylene glycol to help mix the ivermectin because you use so little. The little bottle of ivermectin was around 40 or 50 dollars and will last us YEARS. The propylene glycol was less than 20.00 and will also last years. I measure the amount of ivermec needed, mix it with 9 drops of the propylene glycol, squeeze a fish oil capsule to the mix (to help bland the taste), and squirt the solution in the dogs mouth (back of their mouth). I found a helpful website and will share it. I have my dogs tested for heartworms annually. They all come up negative:).
 http://www.dimestorebudget.com/money-matters/affordable-diy-heartworm-treatment/

Harrowing the Pastures

Well.... We've now had 3 days without rain-whoot whoot!!! I will be harrowing the horse and goat pastures while my hubby takes loads from our compost pile to dump on the tilled garden rows. But... Gotta wait until the day heats up to above freezing to get any of it done, lol... While I am waiting, I'll be hoping the wind dies down. uggg. I guess I can also throw some dog anal glands in there while I wait. That should make them happy (not really). 

Who's Jiggy?

Okay... This story is too funny NOT to share, lol:). The other day was a rainy day, and in the middle of the day, I said to my husband, "We should go get jiggy." He looks at me as serious as he could be and asks, "Who's jiggy? OMG did you go buy another horse?" taaaahaaaahaaaahaaaa.

Kitchen Sink Soup

Kitchen Sink Soup.... Oh how you make my taste buds wonder:). Can't wait until dinner. This soup batch is made using the duck broth from the last duck I cooked, vegetable stock, beef stock, bok choy, spinach, caggage, fennel, celery root, turnips, tomatos, black eye peas, zucchini, tri colored potatos, reconstituted wild mushrooms, rotini noodles, leeks, onions, and garlic.... HEAVENLY!!!

The Chicken Chick

I have to say that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the "Spruce the Coop," dried herbs I bought from The Chicken Chick. Our chickens, ducks, and guineas would eat the whole bag at once if I would let them. I feel great knowing they are eating all natural products that also work as an anti-parasitic. This will certainly be ONE thing I keep in my coop from now on. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/ I personally think her website is a little confusing, but it's easy enough to stumble through to find what you need:). 

Amelia rockin' her new halter

She FINALLY outgrew even a XXL dog later, so I found one that fits her perfectly. www.pigs4ever.com saved us. I searched amazon and everywhere else

 I could think of until I googled pot belly pig harness. lol