Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Birth, Death And Our Crazy Farm Life
Last week was nuts and you know what? The nuttyness factor is popping into this week as well.
Yes, the nuttyness factor.
It's a word!
First of all, we lost momma goose. However, it was really stupid how we lost her. No, we didnt' take her to town and drop her off or anything. Last Monday it was really windy and the geese and ducks like to lay in the shade and wind protection of our 2004 3/4 ton GMC lawn ornament (the tranny's out on that pick up).
Not sure what sparked her to run straight into the running board on the driver's side, but she clotheslined herself and had enough oomph left to crawl under the truck and die there.
I know...dumb.
Apparently, they mate for life (or so Big D says so he can butcher the gander) and he's pretty lonely. He now goes up to anything with a chrome on it and talks to himself. I don't know what the conversation is, but the standing in front of my vehicle when I'm trying to get up the driveway has to end or he will. It's getting bad when I have to carry a cattle stick in my truck, quickly shoo him away and hurry up the driveway as he chases me as if to say, "hold on...I have no one to talk to!"
I know...even dumber than a goose suicide.
We need to be a reality show.
Then we had great news!
Sunny was born! Number four for my future herd. We almost got killed by a Hereford that thought we were taking her baby away (sorry girl, remember, we took yours away the week before.) Lets just say, she tried to push her way through a sucker rod fence to get to me, bellaring "MAAAAAAAAA!" and shaking her head the whole time.
I was scared!
Then, here's where the crazy came in.
We had a sheep start to lamb.
Wohoo!
Cute enough, a ram lamb that I can register and sell. Awesome! She's pretty fat, is there another one in there?
Not looking good. She couldn't pass this to save her life. It took two strong doses of Oxytocin before it came out, along with this:
Finally she passes a ton of this white stuff. At first I thought it was fat, (she may have ripped) but I knew better, it would have been yellowish. I thought maybe it was a decomposing lamb, but I thought that would stink to high Heaven. =)
I called the vet and he confirmed that it was indeed a lamb absorption (there was way more white chunky stuff especially all over my hands) to come after this photo. So gross. It didn't stink because it was in a sterile environment and no bacteria was allowed in.
I learn something new every year.
I also learned that this mother is a doorknob. The next day she laid on the lamb, even though she had a huge pen and killed him.
Glad she's not my momma!
Sincerely,
Fairchild "Crazy Life" Farmgirl
P.S. Don't worry about the goose. He found a new friend. The dog. They hang out. He bites her a lot and she lets him.
I know...even more stupid than goose suicide, gander self talk and lamb suffocation.
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It makes you wonder about an animal that has a higher consciousness than a human (in that they mate for life) but is dumb enough not to 'duck'. (bad pun, I know.) xoxo Terah
ReplyDelete=) Terah!
DeleteThat's a rough thing to happen - but that's farming! You can't save them all!
ReplyDeleteI wrote about our experience with life and death along those same lines in this post Mishaps and Miracles (see below)
http://wagonramblins.blogspot.com/2012/03/mishaps-and-miracles.html
Good post! That's why i stay pretty non chalant about it all. BUT the lambs were tough because they are registered and $400 a lamb. That always burns a little! =)
DeleteOuch! I had boer goats in FFA, I had 1 registered doe that I paid dearly for - she was also the only goat I've ever had die on me! LOL
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