To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!
Jim Reports:
This week I finished hauling all of the limbs from a big windfallen fir to a burn pile. Thankfully, there was a large clear spot just 75 feet away where it will be safe to burn.
I slaughtered and butchered another batch of seven chickens. Most of these were excess roosters.
I relocated the sheep milking stand into our Ancient Breed flock’s shed.
I replaced a rotted-out cedar post that was just outside of our bullpen. This was a bit more complicated post replacement than usual, because this post had a mounted electrical outlet (for a stock tank heater) as well as an outdoor light pole.
I also installed two more light fixtures in our shop.
Now, Lily’s part of the report…
Avalanche Lily Reports:
Dear Readers,
Beautiful weather week with highs up to Fifty-four degrees Fahrenheit. We received one inch of rain early in the week. A couple of frosts with lows of Twenty-six degrees Fahrenheit.
This week was again, a lot about the sheep and the Bummers. But we have had yet another change in my approach to feeding them. For the Dairy Flock mother “N”, her favored baby was getting all of the milk. So finally I decided to separate both babies from mom and then let them feed at the same time every three to four hours. When mom got used to that scenario she became much more friendlier and compliant. With this new method, I straddle her head between my legs, bend my knees for balance and grip and a squeeze if need be to get her to be compliant, and hold her fast. It also helps to grab the fence or to push my back against the the roof of their shed, depending on where we are in the pen to help balance myself if she decides to move. For the most part, she will let them nurse for a full two minutes. Yeah! Both are faring equally now. In the morning I let them nurse then hang out with mom and the rest of the flock for an hour. Then I separate the babes from mom for a couple of hours then let them nurse again, then let them hang out a bit more then separate them again. I keep them separated through the evening except for a couple of feedings until bed time. I pet mom and love her up and she loves that when I’m straddling her and she even has asked for attention from me now when I’m just hanging out in the run with them. I’m no longer the big bad enemy and I have so much more peace, too.
I have a second Dairy ewe, whose udder is getting downright turgid. I expect her to lamb any day now. My other yearlings are beginning to look as though they might be pregnant, but no udder development at all as of yet. I don’t expect lambs from them until May or even June.
With the Meat and fiber Flock, I did decide to milk moms this week. So, at night I separate all the moms from their babes into one pen, I give them some grain rations. “Gr” can happily nurse from his mom and the foster mom while they are busy with the grain, so that releases me from holding them down come nighttime feeding him. In the morning, I hold down the two moms for him to nurse from. I don’t milk them. During the day, I get the two moms in from outside in the run a few times to help him nurse, but I have also saw him stealing now, so that is good. I have four other moms that I can milk, but I really only take for myself milk from two mom’s with single lambs. The other moms have twins. I just hold them down for a short bit for “GR” to get a nip from them. Also after I milk to the two single moms, I let him get a nip. So he has a right full tummy in the morning. And I take between the two moms a total of about eighteen to twenty ounces. I’ve made yogurt for myself, twice thus far, and have drank one glass of the raw milk, so far. It is yummy. All moms are then released outside to join their babies and the rest of the flock. Their babies nurse and have the moms all day and they are all also nibbling hay now.
With all of the craziness with the boys visiting and the lambing and Bummers, I had not been replenishing the two flocks’ Mineral Buffet. I finally, did so this week. I watched to see what the Meat and Fiber Flock would do. Interestingly, the babies all went for the Sulfur and the mixed salts.
Our senior cow birthed her heifer calf this week, surprising me. I had missed her bagging up, being so distracted by the sheep. She is an excellent seasoned mom and trusts me totally around her and the baby. It is so nice not to have to worry about your life when around a new mom. But, even so, I am always still on my guard watching her body language and listening to her tones when I’m near baby. This week I have milked her twice to ease the pressure in her udder. I froze both milkings which were mostly colostrum and the beginnings of her milk coming in. It is important to have frozen colostrum on hand from all lactating animals. One never knows when a baby will need an extra boost…
We butchered seven more hens and roosters this week. We are working down our flock for our own meat use. I have a lot of older birds that need to be culled.
I also prepared our egg incubator and am slowly gathering eggs to start incubating eggs again. I will probably start them on Sunday.
We are now attending a new bible study in addition to our Saturday one, with our newish neighbors. It’s always pleasant to meet other like-minded folk and to share the Word and hear their insights.
May You All Remain Safe, Blessed, and Hidden in Christ Jesus,
– Avalanche Lily, Rawles
o o o
As always, please share and send e-mails of your own successes and hard-earned wisdom and we will post them in the “Snippets” column this coming week. We want to hear from you.