Blimps on legs.....

As the final weeks come before the arrival of the kids we have to start preparing the does for the new arrivals.  One of the important tasks that needs to be done at this time is the CD/T vaccinations of the does.  The vaccination is done about a month before kidding to allow time for the immune response to be transferred to the kids before birth.  The kids need this immunity to keep them from becoming ill and dying from "overeating" disease.  The process is fairly simple, gather all the does in a pen, move them down the chute and one by one give them a 2cc sub-cutaneous injection of CD/T toxoid.  The ladies didn't think too much of this process.  They would have rather stayed up in the pole barn munching on hay and lazing around in the sunshine.  What, a shot!  No way!  But in the end, everyone received the dreaded shot.    

Water, Water, Everywhere!

Wow!  Another rainy and warm day.  Monday we had almost 3 inches of rain and on Friday 2 3/4 inches more!  Add to that the melting snow and the water was deeper in the swamp and the bottom of the pasture than I have ever seen.  The water in the pasture was probably between 5 and 6 feet deep in the southwest corner where the culvert goes under the railroad tracks.  I could see the top couple of inches of a corner post for the fence and if I remember correctly that post stands about 5 1/2 feet tall.  The water was gushing through that culvert as well as heading north across the hay field and going through the culvert up there.  Incredible.  The swamp looked to have water way out into the hay fields on the west side of the tracks.  I know that in the morning I had to make several detours with my school bus to avoid flooded roads.  This was a little bit of inconvenience on our parts, but it does not begin to even compare with the devastation that they are experiencing other places in the Northeast and certainly nothing of the magnitude of the destruction that Japan has experienced with the earthquake and tsunami.

But on the plus side, most of the snow is disappearing at a rapid rate.  The days are getting longer and the sunshine stronger.  While the Farmwife and I were taking a walk this afternoon with Daphne, I was seeing lots of clover leaves starting to poke up through the dead grass.  Soon the calender and the day length will tell us that Spring has arrived and the grass will really start to wake up and turn green.  I can't wait.

Spring is just around the corner.....

Well here we have another snow day off from school.  The Goatfarmer's school bus will have to stay put today.  Does give me a chance to catch up with some of my other tasks though.  We are on the tail end of quite a storm.  The rain gauge at the garden gate had over 2 1/2 inches of rain before it turned to ice.  That on top of the snow melt was enough to put over 4 feet of water at the bottom of the pasture.  Quite a sight!

Just yesterday, I was noting the daffodils starting to peek through the mulch around the blue spruce in the yard.  I also saw some around the old apple tree and the snow drops are pushing up in the yard by the house.  Definitely signs of spring.  The flocks of red wings and grackles are now regular visitors to the bird feeders and can empty the sunflower seeds out in very short order.

But another sign of spring is the seed orders I placed last week for the pasture revitalization we are planning this spring, when the weather warms up a bit.  The plan is to renovate the field on the south side of the farm with a mix of meadow fescue, rye grass, timothy, Kentucky bluegrass, clover, chicory, and sericea lespedeza.  This is all being seeded into the pasture with a forage oat nurse crop.  Should have the goats smacking their lips when they get into that salad bar.