Stall Cleaning

On October 27, we went to the farm and cleaned the stall that the goat gave birth in and the one that the goats and donkeys share. First we slit into two groups, one for each stall. We then used shovels to pick up all of the loose hay that was on the ground. Whenever a shovel was filled with hay, we would then step outside of the stall and dump it all into a garbage bucket. Along with the hay, we also cleaned up the feces that lay on the ground. Once most of the top layer was cleaned up, we then had to use the back-edge scraper. This is a tool that is meant to remove all of the caked on dirt. This helps to make the stall more sterile. One person uses the scraper to peel the dirt off the ground, and then others use shovels to pick it up and dispose of it. Cleaning the stall makes it a much more sterile environment for the animals. We must do this often so that the hay, feces, and dirt do not pile up excessively.

The Fundamentals of Bees

October 19, 2017

Bees do not require a lot of money, time or space. Just having a place where flowers grow is all you need. There are less beekeeper in the United States since 1970, according to the American Beekeeping Federation. Urbanization had played a huge role in this. Today, there are a big spread of parasitic mites that have decreased production. A few healthy hives will bring pounds of honey to keep, sell, or share with friends and family. Bees help play an essential roll of pollination. This is the "transfer of pollen and allows plants to reproduce." Many beekeepers rent out the bees to pollinate crops. That is a main source of income for the beekeepers. Honey bees can successfully pollinate hundreds of different plants as they collect nectar and pollen for the colony to use it. They are native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. Bees live in a complex, three-caste society with thousands in a hive. There is a Queen, drones, and workers that make up a hive. The Queen is used to reproduce and keep the hive thriving. Drones are males that are primarily used for mating. The workers are females that have stingers. These bees are used to collect nectar and pollen. Keeping a healthy hive is very important to the honey production. The colony will need protection from parasites, diseases, pesticides, and predators. Varroa mites are very dangerous to a colony. They can destroy a hive in a few seasons. Beekeepers can harvest honey by extracting the honey from the combs. You would need a uncapping knife to cut open the wax combs, an extractor to spin the honey out, and a strainer to filter out bits of wax and other debris. It may seem very complicated when first starting, but eventually it becomes easy.


The queen bee is the biggest and one in the middle of the picture.

Care of Pregnant Doe

On October 19th at approximately 5:00 p.m. the kids of Michelle were born. Michelle displayed many signs that she was about to give birth. Goats usually pace around the stall and will act like they are about to urinate when nothing comes out. Also, there is white vaginal discharge that will accumulate. The goat also will breathe faster in and out and grunts when contractions occur. It is important to give the pregnant doe a good mixed grain so she can provide nutritious milk for the kid. The pregnant doe should also get grain that is about 12% protein. Also, make sure there is plenty of water in the stall as well. It is important before the goat gives birth to vaccinate them with a tetanus shot.

Inside the Life of a Honey Bee

October 19, 2017

When we were at the farm on Thursday, we headed down to the bee keeping area of the farm where boxes that included hundred's of honey bees were producing honey in the frames within the boxes. When we got there, we used a smoker to separate the bees from one another so we were able to access the honey. We then took each box one by one and gathered the honey. Worker bees gather pollen in order to be placed in each honey comb in order to produce honey. The queen bee is responsible for reproduction of bees, while drone honeybees are primarily used for reproduction and later die shortly after mating. Every single bee within the box has a specific job and each bee must carry out that specific task in order to keep the hive thriving.

Birthing of Goats

October 19, 2017

A goat's gestation period is usually around 150 days (approximately 5 months). Goats can have up to five kids, but normally they have twins and sometimes triplets. Generally, a goat's first pregnancy produces one or two kids. Does are in season every three weeks. When a goat is about a week from giving birth, the kid(s) will drop into the birthing canal, creating a hollow right below their hips. When kids are born, their nose and feet must come out first. If this does not happen, you must adjust the kid yourself. At the base of the tail there are ligaments that feel soft and smooth if they are about to give birth and if it is hard they are likely not about to give birth. Once the babies have been safely born, you must dip the umbilical cord in iodine so it will dry up properly and not become infected.

Video of goat birth, viewer discretion advised

Rory The Farm Dog Getting Spayed

October 9, 2017

What is being Spayed? Being spayed is common for female puppies. This is the removal of the female dog's reproductive organs. The vet removes the ovaries from the puppy, and this is so she is not able to have an babies. The dog is usually 5-6 months when they get spayed. Rory is still recovering and needs to rest a lot, and also wear a cone around her neck to prevent her from licking her stitches from the surgery. It takes about 1-2 weeks for the dog to recover.

     

Hoof Trimming

On October 6th and 11th, we went to the farm and trimmed the sheep's and goat's hooves. If goats and sheep do not get their hooves clipped, bacteria can hide within the hoof causing hoof rot, which can occur in the sole of the foot. Also, hoof disease can occur which can make it painful to walk. When the hooves overgrow, they curl upwards and it is very difficult to be balanced. It is best to clip the hooves after a rainy day because the hoof will be softer and easier to cut. First, we cleaned the dirt in the middle with the hoof trimmer and then cut the hoof wall. Once we cut the hoof wall, we were able to see white, which indicated new healthy hoof. It is also very important to provide a healthy environment for the goat's hoof health. The bedding in the stalls should be mucked and replaced with clean shavings. Also, it is important to inspect the pasture for any metal or class that can cause any injury or damage to the hoof. The hooves should be trimmed every 2 to 4 weeks.

Cleaning the Ear Tags

October 5, 2017

The way we identify cows is by their ID number, listed on their ear tag. It is important to keep the tags clean so we can tell which cow is which when giving vaccinations and more. Because of this, it is necessary to keep their ear tags clean. We noticed that the cows ear tags had gotten very dirty, so we decided to clean them. To clean the ear tags, we put the cows in the headlock feeder, a feeder that traps their heads so that they will be stuck but still can eat. We then climbed into the feeder and cleaned their ear tags while they were still eating. We used paper towels and Windex spray cleaner to get rid of the dirt on the tags. The headlock feeder can also be used to make giving the cows vaccinations and medications. We also use it to keep the cow still when trying to weigh them.

Measuring the Weights of Cows and Goats

On October 12th and 14 we weighed the goats and cows at home winds. Most people would use a scale but in our case we used a tape measure. Using a tape measure in less expensive and as accurate as a scale. It's also less of a hassle because you would have to physically move the animal and make sure it stayed in place. When measuring a cow or goat you have to wrap the tape around right behind the two front legs. It also helps to measure the heart girth of the goat or cow. To get the carcass weight you must take 50% of the live weight.  The only major issue using a measuring tape is human error. This is why we have to average out multiple measurements. The main weight in a cow is in the torso and also in the goat, But when measuring a animal theres always a possibility of getting hurt by a kick.  

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!

On September 29th we went to the garden to do apple picking. Apples are a healthy food that people consume every day in their diets. They contain a high amount of fiber and vitamin C which can help with your digestive system and your immune system. The fiber in the apple cleanses and removes food through the digestive tract. Also, apples contain no fat or cholesterol and no fat at all. They also may help with preventing cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. The skin of the apple provides many nutrients and antioxidants. Eating apples can also assist in weight management, bone health, and pulmonary function. However, apples are acidic and can lead to damaging of the tooth enamel. Apples are grown in every single state in the United States. They also come in shades of red, green, and yellow. The different types of apples are Red Delicious, Gold Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Empire, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Macintosh, and many more.

Cow Feeding

One of the main factors of taking care of cattle is nutrition and health. Cattle must be fed at least once a day with food that is proper nutrition within it. Cattle sweet feed is filled with protein, carbohydrates, fiber vitamins, and minerals that cows must intake in order to stay healthy. If apples are leftover from the orchard, chunks of apple will be placed in the cows feeder for them to eat as well. Along with the sweet feed, cows forge for their food grazing the grass and plants that are in the area. At the Home Winds Farm, in order to feed the cattle, the head lock feeder is used as a method of feeding. The head lock feeder locks the cattle's head in place while they feed, so if they need to be inspected or vaccinated then they will not escape. These head lock feeders are made out of twelve gage steel, which is very strong for the size of our cows.





The Cattle in the head lock feeder and grazing the fields.

Duck Stall Cleaning 2

On September 28, we went to the farm to clean the duck stalls.

They had been sent for processing and the stalls needed to be cleaned. First, we had to look around in the stall in order to find eggs that may have been hidden. Then we used pitchforks and shovels in order to clean up the hay in the stall. In order to scrape up the dirt that was layered on the cement, we used a front blade. We were wondering how long this task would take if one person were to do it all. Since it took us about 15 minutes with five people working, we figure that it would take about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete.

Duck Stall Cleaning

The ducks went to the slaughterhouse to be killed and used for meat. We used the various tools to completely clean the area that the ducks lived in so that a baby goat could be born there in October. We started off by raking the pine shavings into a big pile and scooped them into huge cans. There were dried feces and dirt stuck to the ground which we scraped up with a scraper tool. As we were scraping away the dirt, we saw some insects living in the dirt. After the floor was clean, we put the cans full of pine shavings and dirt and all that was on the ground into the back of the cart that is used around the farm to transport things.

Apple Picking

Apple Picking at the Garden

On Friday, September 29, we went to the garden and picked the last of the apples. It was the last picking of the season; any remaining apples would go to waste. The best apples were saved for human consumption, the less attractive ones were used for apple cider, and the rest were used for animal feed or were disposed of.

good apple; fit for people to eat

bad apple; used for animal feed

Decent apple; used for making apple cider