Arrgh!

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by KiddinAroundFarm

We've got bigger problems now, our septic tank is shot. We are taking showers, doing dishes, etc, in the tub, and bailing water w/ a bucket after each of these activities. Laundry now will have to go to the laundromat, and well, it pretty much is awful. I've lived this way before, but there's so much MORE to do now. Oh well, such is life, and it will be fixed soon enough. Probably w/in a few weeks. We can live for awhile. lol

Has the leach field caved in, or does the thing need to be pumped? K said to tell you once you do get it online again, to get the biggest block of bakers yeast you can find, crumble it up small and flush it down the highest commode. One block a month, he says, according to some old feller with 54 yrs plumbing experience that K worked with at one time. Unless you have lots of company, like for the holidays, then you need to use an extra one... Whatever you do, do NOT fill up little balloons with lime and flush them. (don't ask me, I am just typing....) And don't bother with RidX or the like... be careful flushing or putting strong chemicals down the drain too.

As far as "where meat comes from"... it comes from the store in anonymous plastic wrapped packages. He grew up that way and even though he KNOWS, it's an intellectual knowing that is far different from seeing Sir Loin in the pen and then in the pan. I guess one could say that he doesn't want to eat his friends... We were talking about this again this week and he said that if Sir Loin was in the pen when he left and some time later paper wrapped packages appeared in the freezer he might be able to cope, but maybe not. I never would have thought my mom, who grew up on a farm, would have been like she was either, so who knows where I get it from. I just don't like to butcher it today and eat it tonight... enough is enough and tomorrow is soon enough, in my book. And as you know from our discussions, I have no issue with being the one to actually DO the "rendering it dead" part.

Good luck with your tank...

[edgey]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

This evening an adventure in our life has come to a close. I write this with an odd mood, I am angry, I am confused, I am disappointed.

Months ago a fellow vendor at the Farmer’s Market, had spoke of her goats being bred and needing a market for the kids. I inquired further and we ended up with a deal.

All 34 of her milkers [purebred Alpines] are expecting in April. Last year they mostly dropped triplets. She offered them to me, for $10 each, if I took all of them, and did not become picky about male or female, just took them all from her. She makes a living from making cheese, and she does not want to keep any of these kids on milk from their mothers longer than necessary.

I urged her to keep a few for replacements for her milkers, but she insisted that this year she did not need to do that. Her milkers are at their peak production, and any kid getting milk will cut her profits. So okay fine, I agreed to take all of her kids.

We have been planning, and preparing. We have built pens for them [enough pens to hold 60 kids, and a neighbor wants in on this deal and wants any and all kids beyond our 60]. We bought a trailer for hauling them. We got bottles for feeding 30 kids at a time. We got nipples. We got powdered milk [125 pounds of it]. We stocked up on meds. We stocked up on vaccines.

We are psyched up for it, knowing that they will need four feedings each day for a week, then three feedings each day for three weeks, etc.

<Time delay>

Two weeks ago [one week before April when the milkers were timed to begin having their kids], I contacted this vendor once again. I reminded her of our agreement. And I assured her that we are prepared and waiting. She reminded me that she wants to get rid of them each as young as possible, and I told her that so long as they each had their colostrums, I am willing to take them each at 12 hours old.

<Time delay>

Tonight I sent her an email asking what is happening, she responded to me:

“Sorry to be out of touch! I've been out straight in kidding land for the last week.

We didn't have as many triplets this year as last,
… I need to keep extra replacement kids for myself.
… I'm trying to do an inventory for everyone who has asked for kids this year.
… At this point it looks like I can let you have 6 buck kids. If you can pick them up either Friday or Monday (the two days I will be at home this week), the price will be $25 each. Every week I have to hold them after that, the price will increase $20 to reflect the cost of the milk I have to feed them.”

???

Next chance you get make a to-good-to-be-true deal with her, offer her what you think she needs most. Then let the deal fall through. This dealer won't do so much "bad" dealing in the future.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by edgey

Next chance you get make a to-good-to-be-true deal with her, offer her what you think she needs most. Then let the deal fall through. This dealer won't do so much "bad" dealing in the future.

This sounds like a very bad idea - IMHO.

[RANGER.101ST]

Originally Posted by edgey

Next chance you get make a to-good-to-be-true deal with her, offer her what you think she needs most. Then let the deal fall through. This dealer won't do so much "bad" dealing in the future.

if forest done that it would bring him down to her level.and im sure he a better man than that.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by AustinB

Well, Forrest, this is just one more reason to never, ever, trust goat herders.

What do you do with the goats?

How about goat ropers?

Sounds like it may be time for a submarine launched cruise missile training exercise...

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by Bydand

I would be tempted to send her a bill for the time spent building the pens, milk purchased, anything to do with the preparation for the arrival of 60+ kids.

Then place an ad in the Bangor Daily News.

Well said. Too bad it wasn;t in writing this is the amount you could sue her for. Not to mention, your billable hours spent in preparation.

[Submariner]

As it turned out, soon after that contract fell through, our home was flooded, so we would have had more problems if we had 60 kids.

Our milk replacer is stored, sealed, with dessicant in a drum; so it should be fine until needed.

The pens I built were a good exercise.

What goes around, comes around.

I learned a lesson here about dealing with her.

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

As it turned out, soon after that contract fell through, our home was flooded, so we would have had more problems if we had 60 kids.

Our milk replacer is stored, sealed, with dessicant in a drum; so it should be fine until needed.

The pens I built were a good exercise.

What goes around, comes around.

I learned a lesson here about dealing with her.

I'm sorry to hear about your flood. Hope everything's better now!

[Submariner]

Our apple trees are growing nicely. I have finished setting up drip lines for them

I caught one goat up on a pallet that we are using to protect the trees, she was eating the apple leaves. So I have strung electric wire around all of the trees.

Our first hatching of spring chicks is outside in a tractor, our second hatching is in a brooder getting bigger. Our third hatching is done and in a brooder. Today [Sunday] I got a call from the post office that our chick order had arrived. So I drove in to Hampden and picked up three dozen Araucana chicks [now in a brooder].