Dog days of Summer

Really don't know what that means. Probably has something to do with it being hot. Too hot to get up. Too hot to run. To chase things. To lead the goats to a new patch of browse. Being hot, the heat slows things down. Productive things, necessary things. Like worming goats. Goats have worms okay? Get over it. They just do. Doesn't mean they're dirty. Doesn't mean they're spoiled (spoiled as in rotten, not spoiled as in being given their way all the time). They just have certain parasites that show up in their intestinal tracts from time to time. There are ways of managing the worms to be sure. Changing fields every 2 weeks is a good way. The worm's life cycle is about 2 weeks. When the adults have climbed to the tender tops of the waving grasses, with their little grasping limbs waving in the air hoping to ensnare a new bearer, You switch the goats to a new field closing off the wormy one. When the worms realize that you have outsmarted them they get mad, give up and die.
Then the goats frolic in the new field laughing and having cocktails. Eventually they have to poop (please be sure kids avert their eyes when reading that) and the worm cycle begins all over again. It's hard with just 15 acres to have enough fresh browse to eat (for the goats) and be able to rotate fields enough to keep the worms from building up to a dangerous level. Danger from worms? You betcha. In the goats digestive tract they burrow their blood sucking mouthparts into the stomach lining and suck like they've never sucked before. One worm won't harm a goat. But thousands will. The goat becomes anemic, their eyelids will look pink when healthy, white when there are too many worms. If you wait too long a goat may get "bottle jaw" This condition is indicative of an extreme infestation and immediate action is needed to save the goat. Delores has been fighting off bottle jaw for weeks now. We have wormed her with Cydectin a powerful worming treatment. It is having a positive effect but she is not over it yet. We are also drenching her with Red Cell an equine treatment for low red cell count (anemia). We also give her Magic from time to time to boost her energy level. Magic is a mixture of corn oil, molasses and corn syrup. Goats love it. Some who aren't sick come over and demand it.

In other news, the peahen has been sitting on her clutch of 3 eggs for nearly 2 weeks now. In another 2 weeks we are hoping for a blessed event. More peachicks!
The chickens are doing fine. We're getting dozens of eggs a day now and need creative ways to get rid of them. I give them to employees and Kristi sells them at work. The chickens nearly pay for themselves as far as feed costs. The peacock pays the peafowl's way too with feather sales. Oh he hates it when we come after him with the pliers.