When Grain Is Important For Goats

Why oh why do I grain my does and the borrowed buck during breeding season? Less can me more. Let me explain. Bucks lose a great deal of weight typically when it is breeding season. All those heightened emotions, calories burned, and adrenaline being the culprits. The does can loose weight also as they are emotional and the buck chases them about the pen.

For the first time this year I simply put a buck in with the does. He is a well experienced guy and not as huge as my last buck, Touch. What a sweet heart he is. I wouldn't mind owning this guy. I'm not worried that he might hurt one of the does by accident. And with all that has been going on, I just haven't been spending as much time at the corrals and I've not noticed when my girls have come into heat. They have been more subtle than usual or I more blind and distracted which is probably the real reason I haven't notice. Without a buck next to them to flash their tails at it is far more subtle. Not so with my Saanens but these Nubians are another breed. No flashy tails have been notice let alone the unmistakeable wide eyed screaming that my Saanen girls performed each year. 

Nope no hand breeding this year, which I'm sure I'll curse come kidding time. Hand breeding gives me a time zone within the day and a few hours time of which they are most likely to kid. That saves fifty trips to the pen to check. A biggy when your pens are miles away from the house like they are now. Not quite as imperative with the girls soon to be housed just beyond the house.  I can check day and night with just a short walk. I do love a moonlight stroll. This year as I'm so slow in getting a buck in with the girls it will be a nice warm midnight stroll. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I like walking in the dark. When I was a kid my best friend and I had full moon rides each month of the summer. Just a halter horse ridden bareback, a bright full moon, and a country road was all we needed.

Besides I have to grain. I just can't send home a buck who is skinner than when he came. I have this philosophy of when you borrow, you send it back at least in the same condition, if not better. People don't mind lending when you do that as long as it isn't often. The advantage of feeding grain just before and during breeding season is you up their nutrition just when the eggs attach to the uterus. That means more eggs are likely to attach because of the rich nutritional environment. It's a fact.  More viable sperm, more eggs, more babies and that is one of the mysteries solved as to why my goats typically have twins and triplets every year. By three years of age it is mostly triplets. Yes, genetics are involved but the same girls that gave me triplets each year have gone to other owners and produced singles there after.

In sheep they call this feeding of grain shortly before and during breeding - flushing. Of course a doe and buck need to genetically have the disposition for twins and triplets in their bloodlines but that is pretty common. If the doe has twins or triplets she will produce more milk. More babies to sell and more milk is a win, win situations most times. Fewer feet to trim, less feed, less housing needs for more milk and kids. More for less -- always a bargain.

Now after breeding season the story changes.  I cut down on the grain or out completely and give some beet pulp, sunflower seeds, and occasional beef pellets which has a little grain it but is high in protein. High protein is what is needed in the cold winter months to achieve peak body condition. This is maybe twice a week depending on the weather and the goats conditioning. Next week it is to be bitter cold so supplements and lots and lots of hay will be given.

Too much grain, too early in the pregnancy produces too much fat which complicates birthing. It also messes with the digestive system and lowers milk production later on. Timing, timing, timing is the key. Grain comes in once more a couple to a week, to a week and a half before kidding. Just small amounts depending on the individual goat and how she looks, belly excluded. Your paying attention to the fat levels cross the backbone, hips, and ribs.  A doe looses a great deal of weight in the first week after kidding. Of course after kidding you increase the supplements once more.

I hear goats have a phytic acid problem too. Oh the things I will change at the new place. This problem of digestion is partly why I feed beet pulp. It aids in digestion as well as being a nutrition supplement.

Another time we will discuss the types of grain you should use and when.

Sprouting Grains For the Chickens

Thanks Kno3 I checked out your profile while I had a few moments and saw this blog in your list. http://holistic-hen.blogspot.com/2013/11/sprouting-grain-and-pulses-for-your.html#comment-form   I had to take a peak. I'm glad I did even though it gave me a guilt trip. Apparently chickens have difficulty  in digesting the nutrients in grains also. It's a duh thought really. I know I've read about this but somehow it just didn't hit home with such impact until now. I can be slow at times. I think I was putting off the responsibility part and denying somehow that phytic acid for chickens was also a big deal. Maybe it was that things have slowed down a bit and my mind had an opportunity to cope with the problem. But for whatever reason it struck me hard the other day. Chickens are to have a 70 / 30 diet. Meaning 70% grain and 30% bugs and vegetable matter and in that view the 70% then becomes a really big deal because it is the bulk of their diet.

And as that thought roamed through my head, it was this line in Holistic Hen's post that sent daggers through my consciousness.  "Furthermore, phytic acid, once consumed inhibits the uptake of various trace nutrients such as copper, magnesium, calcium, iron and in particular zinc, which is why a totally dry grain diet can cause deficiency problems."

Calcium is blocked from absorption because phytic acid blocks Vitamin D-3 absorption. Calcium is a huge deal with chickens. Egg shells are calcium. And if the hen doesn't get enough, she will rob her bones to get it. Yes there is such a thing as an osteoporosis hen.

With today's hens producing far more eggs than yesteryears, they last a shorter period of time because they can not consume enough nutrients and that includes calcium. Makes you wonder if this is not due more to poor nutrition than just higher production. In my experience it does not matter if a hen is caged or in a home flock, most are fed a poor diet. Just one maybe a little less so than the other. We live in a pretend world where superficial is norm. You have an egg and people assume it is good for them. Remember the carrot post, well eggs are no different.  


My guilt trip was complete. Yes, I was going to have to do something about this malnutrition in my hens and not wait until after I move. My hens are confined due to legal restrictions. They will be confined in the new place too but with far more area to roam. I will set things up where they can roam the garden part of the year and with a much larger garden I can grow crops with them in mind. But that is in the future and my chickens are in the here and now so though they may eat better than most chickens I need to step up my game. I eat essentially what they eat because it comes out in the eggs. Which means my eggs could be FAR more nutritious with a little more effort.
 
So out came a ice cream bucket. Just love these things. They are so handy for so many tasks. Wish I had more of them but I'd have to eat the ice cream-- not happening. That much fake ice cream just grates against my nerves. I'll have to find someone that eats this stuff because I can see I will need more buckets. I got off track there, sorry. Determined, I set to work. I filled a bucket half full of mixed grain and poured in water to cover it by a couple inches, letting it sit over night.

The next day I drained it. Then rinsed and drained three times a day for the next two days. Took only a few minutes of my time a day.

I figured it was a good idea to start small as my first experiment. Already I can definitely see this game is going to have to be stepped up big time. Morning of the third day of rinsing and the grain is just barely sprouted. This will likely take at least four days.

Morning of the fourth day and I think they are ready to be fed.

Questions, questions, questions, is all I have right now and those who know me know my brain is whirling with ideas. If I do this twice a week starting my second batch the night before I feed my first batch to the chickens then they will get the supplement twice a week. The problem being with increasing beyond this is I just don't want a cazillion buckets taking up my very limited counter space in the kitchen and there is no where else for them to go. Some is better than none and this is after all my first time.

Later I hope, if the garage isn't too cold in the new place, I will up the bucket size and amount of soaking grains. In the summer I may not need to do this at all -- or will I? 

If the chickens are fed soaked grains then will their appetites decrease because they are more satisfied? That thought was inspired because of my own discovery last week when I bought hamburger buns for over four dollars for eight. (How do people afford buying bread?) After eating one, I wasn't satisfied. It was a honey and butter sandwich. I had to have another and that didn't satisfy me either. I wanted one more. This was a shocker for me since it has been some time since I've bought any store bread. 

Out came the wheat grinder and I ground corn and white wheat to put in the freezer for the next few weeks of needs. This unsatisfied feeling doesn't happen when I use Montana White flour to make bread so what is the bread factory doing wrong? They probably don't think it is wrong for after all the unsatisfied feeling creates a greater demand. I'm not sure I want to find out what horrors they are doing. It doesn't seem like anything in the grocery store is safe these days. 

 I can't imagine how much store bread it must take to feed a family with this unsatisfying mixture. Will I find the same to be true of my hens? Will they need far less grain if it is sprouted? That could be a real savings. Higher nutrition on less money. I like that idea. Now to see if this theory holds up under experimentation.

If that is true and I could find some ranchers growing grain that they would sell a small amount of to me ----my dream then would come true. More for less once more. But alas, I've yet to see evidence of grain fields. No stubble in sight. I'm definitely going to ask around at the local feed stores in my new area for names of any ranchers who produce grain or corn for that matter. I've always dreamed of coming home with a truck bed load full of dried corn cobs.

I need to cut my budget way down to afford buying this place in a short amount of time. We need to get out of debt once more to reach self-sufficiency or shall I say a greater sense of self-sufficiency. I don't plan on making my own toilet paper or doing without.  

One thing I have learned this past couple years is that the chickens sure love oat straw in their coops. Much better than sawdust as they scratch through it and I'm amazed how much they digest. Alas, the oat straw came from Montana a couple years ago. Yes, there is some grown up north of where we live and surely I can find some in our new area. It is my hope. 

The change in bedding has kept my hens more occupied and gives them a more natural environment where they forage for their food.

I can't wait to move. Oh the possibilities that will open up to us. The sun room being one of them where I can grow a couple flats of wheat grass besides flats of food for us. Sprouts and wheat grass with high levels of Vitamin C, oh my, my ten hens are going to think they've come to the Tashma Hall. Wheat grass in our smoothies would be good for us too. I'll have to try that.

Oh please, can't we move next week? Our banker keeps asking us if we don't want to move sooner. We do. The present owners don't.

Thanks once again Kno3 for your inspirations and for following my blog.

I'll keep everyone updated on my new experiment. Meanwhile I've got to let you know that the raviolis turned out great. No insides whirling around in the water. SCORE!!!!

Angel Food Cake, It's What's for Breakfast

I figure this is a breakfast food, after all their are fifteen egg whites involved. Thirteen in the cake and two in the marshmallow like frosting. And since my doctor says you should have protein in the morning because your adrenals are working hardest then and they LOVE protein, then this is a perfect breakfast food with the plethora of eggs involved. My son loves that word plethora. And when you compare this to Fruit Loops, Sugar Pops and the like, it has to be more nutritious and safer too. I use King Auther cake flour without all the nasty chemicals, white and powdered sugar, salt, cream of tarter, and eggs. That's it. I've skipped adding all the words I can't even pronounce. You know the ones on the cereal boxes that tongue tie you. Besides getting my protein and skipping a plethora of chemicals, I figure I'm getting my vegetables too.  My chickens eat lots and lots of vegetables and fruits and so my angel food cake must be a healthy breakfast food.

Not buying it? Well how about if I put a dab of Nutella on top, a sprinkling of raspberries, and a dollop of whip topping. Then you are getting your nuts and chocolate (chocolate is good for you isn't it?), berries, dairy, and protein. Sounds good to me. In fact this is my favorite version of angel food cake but I'll happily tear chunks off as you would free form bread and skip the toppings all together. I'm not picky, I like our oldest grand daughter consider this my favorite cake but only if it is home-made and made with high quality fresh eggs. I've had home grown eggs that taste just like the store's or shall I say are tasteless like the stores. I suspect they are fed grains only. I feed mine a nice variety of fruits and vegetables, sunflower seeds and of course a variety of grains too. Not hard when I have a bucket in the kitchen for the tops or ends of  broccoli, celery and other vegetables or fruits I'm serving.

 So what is your vote? Who will stand with me? Is angel food cake a breakfast food?

Home-made Raviolis

I made raviolis, whoo, hoo!!Not that this is the first time but the first time with my second hand ravioli attachment. Those of you that know me know it takes a while before I get around to things but eventually I do. This find of my daughters sat on the shelf for several months before I tried it out. The push being I was packing up things from the kitchen I thought I could do without for a couple months and this was one of those items.

I was thrilled this other name brand attachment fit my machine and even more thrilled at how well they turned out. The second time that is. I've used a ravioli plate before.  With it I have a tendency to use too much filling and the raviolis break open. I cook them too long and the raviolis break open. It takes too long for the raviolis to cook because I think they are too thick. Partly because I got this hair brain idea that they needed to be thicker to keep from breaking open. How does that saying go, "If you don't succeed try, try again." But my favorite is from the Bible, "In all labor there is profit." So I'm going to think positive and say like Edison that I have not yet failed, I've only been taking steps to success. I'm hoping success is mine at last. Not that I won't have to tweak things a bit but just a decent ravioli without all the filling going into the water it boils in would be a great success as far as I'm concerned.

Of course I did this today first. I do learn the hard way. I put my first round of some home-made Pesto I had in the freezer into the machine and this is the result. The Pesto has been in there a while and I had forgotten the pine nuts where whole. The machine wasn't impressed. The chickens were though. They love my flubs.

So I dumped the pesto and some cottage cheese in the blender and pulsed.

So much better.

But before I started all this I had to yes, you know it, I had to hit the Internet and watch a u-tube. I'm glad I did because I learned what this little do hicky was in the box without instructions. It is to cut your long strip of noodles so they fit perfectly into the attachment making everything square up. I think I just might use this to cut out lasagna noodles too to a uniform size. The other thing I learned was instead of using two strips was to use one long one and fold it in half. Then you tuck the fold edge into the machine which catches it more easily. I know this because I tried it both ways. The other advantage is your noodles end evenly. The only other big trick was to figure out how much filling to put into the machine. I found it didn't take much.

I also learned pretty quickly that I didn't need this white attachment but don't tell anyone I said that or I'll deny it. It is a safety guard and you know I never disregard safety. Yeah right, like these fat fingers can possibly get stuck in the machine anyway especially when it is hand crank.

I made two tightly packed large cookies sheets of raviolis and stuck them in the freezer while the Bolognese sauce simmered in the crockpot. If you are going to bother to make them, you might as well make enough for at least several meals. I plan on later using some in tortellini soup and who knows what all else but I've got this hankering for noodle dishes lately. Those frozen cubes of Alfredo sauce I spied in the freezer are calling to me. I love noodle dishes and I have not made very many in the last few months. Hopefully these zucchini ravioli noodles cook up just right. It is the last of the zucchini powder and August is a long ways away when I can make more from the garden produce. I've got to say that spinach, zucchini, and beet powders were a pretty smart idea. I'm definitely doing that again. I've used them in noodles and tortilla shells but not much in bread. I need to start using the pumpkin powder for that. See I really am slow but there are just too many experiments waiting to happen and so little time and energy.

 

Well it is off to bed. I've got a full day ahead of me tomorrow. I've got to make tortilla shells to go with the spiced refried beans and spiced rice I made today. enchiladas here I come.  

 

By the way, what is the difference between a tortellini and a ravioli shell? Any Italians reading this?

Thinking Herbal and Concerned About the Absence of Thymol in Commercial Carrots

 I haven't told you just how excited I am about the new place -- today that is. My mind is whirling about the possibilities. I noticed when we were there last week that there was a couple newly planted rose bushes in the backyard which got me to thinking of herbal teas. What could I add to raspberry leaves, and rose hips to create my own infusions that I could grow on the place? Any suggestions for Wyoming? In one of my seed catalogs I just received it recommended a few medical herbs in particular to put in your medicinal herb garden which included mullein and marshmallow root. I've never grown them but I did use a great deal of those two herbs when the kids were little along with a little licorice root as a catalyst. Not sure you can grow licorice root here but I should look into it as it is one thing also occasionally used for my Addison's Disease.

As I age my asthma is growing worse and I'm on meds a couple months in the winter. I wonder if mullein and marshmallow root would eventually eliminate my need for a allergy pill and inhaler meds? They are great for the lungs and what I used on the kids if it sounded like a cold was going to their chest.

Of course I'll need peppermint and chamomile in my herb garden, which I've grown before and then what else do you recommend -- yarrow? The plan is to take these huge wood boxes that large equipment came in at the mine and from one form a raised herbal garden. The largest of which I want to make into a very small greenhouse apparatus to extend the season on a few plants. Financially a large greenhouse is down the road a ways so I'm trying to figure out how to put together small budget size ones.  

We also want to put in a bed of carrots in sand that will keep through the winter. We had a cold frame sunk in the ground with a window top and protected against the weather at this house many years ago and we had carrots all winter. As an experiment I let some of the carrots remain in the sand and produce seed the next season and the next and the next. But eventually the carrot seed produced pale and woody carrots. Why? I've always had in mind since that experiment to  figure out how to grow carrot seed and not have that happen. Anyone know why it does this? 

I also want lots of grapes. Grapes to eat, grapes for juice, and grapes for raisins. I love raisins in cookies and cake in particular but a handful is nice too. My in-laws have kindly agreed to give me slips of their grapes which flourish in our new area. 

Not only is this new place what I've been working for for years but with the new swine virus killing off vasts amount of piglets, the drought lowering our cattle herds by a quarter, and who knows what is in and not in our present food we buy I feel an extra push to raise all I can. The security of our food just isn't there anymore.  I just learned about those nice little bite size carrots sold in the stores. They are kind of handy but I'm not buying them anymore.
 Dr. Aruna Weerasooriya, researcher and professor of agricultural sciences at Prairie View A&M University, says a perhaps larger, less known health concern is how the manipulation of certain vegetables degrades their nutritional value.
“When you look at wild carrots, they have high levels of Thymol, a phyto-chemical that is essential for the body to control bacteria and ward off viral infections,” he said. “Now, when you look at some of these new carrot breeds, this type of phytochemical just isn’t there.”
Weerasooriya believes that carrot companies are trading in nutritional value for increased convenience to the customer – and profit for themselves. “Research should focus on how to retain some of these nutrients, but instead companies are probably more concerned about a longer shelf life.”
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/01/07/truth-behind-baby-carrots/

This was a big push to return to storing carrots through the winter. With tomatoes, lettuce, and cukes in the house and carrots in the garden protected, we should have pretty good salad fixings all year. Now to figure out how to make it happen.