Monday, September 23, 2013

Birthing News on the Farm

Last blog, I left all with some not so happy news. This week I have something special to share. The girl which we did not think was pregnant any longer, blessed us with a male cria.

Although these pictures were actually of Valentino's birth, some of you have asked that I share.



 This is Sangria giving us a hint she is in labor and starting to dialate.

This might be what we as humans call crowning. We get ever so excited when we see two hoofs. This is when we think, ok, we are almost there. No intervention will be needed. 

I
 Mamma, the hardest part is done! Swoop, and cria is now on the ground. We quickly check for heartbeat...and let Mom sniff. This is usually when all the other "Auntie's" come to investigate or what I call approve. At this point Mom usually  gets some yummy supplement and delivers her placenta. We step away and watch to make sure cria is up and nursing within 30-60 minutes.


  By the way...this is Carlitos Belcher, born September 4, 2013. Can you guess why his name is Carlitos Belcher? Well, we try and keep our names with a "Spanish" twist for those birthed here. So, thanking Charley Belcher (Tampa Fox 13) for doing such a fun story on our farm and store...we thought we would name our last birth of the year after him.
Charley Belcher feeding Razz



Carlitos Belcher hanging with Catch Me
Modeling for the farm photo album
Dang photographer after me again!



 Busted! I knew I would catch Carlitos after nursing!

That concludes our 2013 breeding season. We had more boys then girls this year, but this gives us the opportunity for adding some amazing genetics to our farm. Hopefully, this will bring us some amazing beautiful fleeces come shearing season.

We have a new batch of chicks arriving over the next few weeks and the seeds are starting to get planted. I've been pulling some great leeks, basil, parsley and jalapenos from our garden.

Our neighbor across the street - Twiss Trucking, has added us to their perishable list. So, any non-dairy or non-meat freight that is damaged (literally the box damaged, but unable to deliver), he has offered to our chicks! Wow, you should see how happy they were with their fresh bread. And soon, we will have the beer mash from Barley Mow's. I stopped it earlier because is encouraged too many flies. But every day, we try and lessen ours or others foot print on our gentle earth.

So, for entertainment value, some of you have asked that I share our latest adventures in North Carolina. That will soon follow! So, to those....join our blog and comment!

2 comments:

  1. Congratulations to your new addition "Carlitos Belcher"! Enjoyed all the birthing pictures. Good reading! Hope to hear about your "Off Grid" homestead in North Carolina. I'm sure you have some good stories to share!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! And here shortly goes. This last trip was "eventful". Thank you for your support!

      Delete