A Lesson of Life

Growing this business has not been easy.  I have learned about my self along with how to breed and raise animals.  This last lesson was one of the toughest lessons I have ever learned.  It was so tough I didn't want to share with you what happened.  I was able to express my feelings in my final 11th grade English paper.  When my mom read it she encouraged me to share with my followers.

So here goes!!!  This is my paper for your reading pleasure.

Life and Death

            It was a cold spring day near the end of April. My breeding season was about to come to a close with my last heifer about to deliver. The birthing period for all my animals was a great success and I was looking forward to seeing what I could accomplish with all my new animals, but the last heifer was a little off. She had been prolapsing her bowels and we were concerned that she would have another stillborn or even die during birth.  The previous year was rough for our animals. We had a couple of devastating losses that were hard to cope with but with the end of that season I had started to look forward to next year’s production. After all the waiting, it finally came and was about to end with the birth of a beautiful new calf.
            When I went out to feed, I noticed the heifer acting weird around this black thing on the ground. Once I got closer to the fence I saw the black thing move its head and saw a white face and knew that our last calf had just been delivered.  I quickly called my mom and notified her that we had delivered our final calf. She was very excited and even congratulated me on a successful year of breeding and deliveries. I carried on with feeding to give the cow and her calf some room to be together until my mom got home. I finished feeding once my parents got home and we all stood at the gate admiring our newest edition to the herd, but something wasn’t right this time. The calf was still laying on the ground and hadn’t tried to get up. With the help of my father, we went out and tried to get her up with no avail. We decided that we should give her time and she would get up on her own. We went inside, ate dinner, and waited.

            About an hour later I went out to see if she had gotten up. I was shocked to find that she wasn’t and she was still in the same spot. I slowly walked back to my house trying to figure out what we should do with her. I told my parents and we decided to wait a little longer.  I was in my room when I heard my mom shout something that I couldn’t understand. I ran downstairs, threw my boots and jacket on, and went outside. Once I reached the barn I saw my dad carrying the little calf into the barn and my mom was trying to get the mom in.

            I asked what was going on and my mom said that the calf was still on the ground and she was almost frozen. We grabbed a heat lamp and some towels and tried to warm her up. We spent about half an hour rubbing her down and keeping the heat lamp on her when we thought that we should try to get her to drink from her mom. We had brought the mother in earlier so that we could try to get her to drink. We coaxed the mom in the barn with some food and got her to eat near the calf.

            The calf had barely enough strength to lift her head so we had to try to get some milk from the mothers utters and put it in her mouth. This was no easy task so I told my mother we should get some milk replacer so we could get her to drink a little bit. Once my mom returned I dribbled some milk into her mouth only to find out that she wasn’t drinking it. I turned to my mom and she said “there is nothing we can do now. We have to leave her in her mom’s hands now”. As everyone left I stayed for a small period of time thinking that I would never see her again. When I finished grieving I got up and left the barn.

            I went to bed that night trying to think of a way to accept the fact that once I awoke in the morning, my dad would be burying her in the pasture behind our house. I woke up the next morning and laid in bed for a while. My mom came into my room and told me she had some news. I feared for the worst that she was dead and I would have to help burry her. Instead my mom said “she’s up and moving”.

            I replied blankly with “what?”

            She said in response with “Dad went out earlier and found her standing up in the barn and as healthy as can be.”

            I got out of bed and ran outside to see the calf that should be dead. I walked into the barn and saw the little calf standing with her mom like nothing happened the night before. I walked back to the housed again but this time instead of sorrow I felt happier than I had throughout this whole ordeal. The entire day went good for the little calf as she hung out with her mom and got to bask in the sun. That night was amazing and I went to bed ecstatic that she had made it through the night and I hoped that she would live to see many more.

            The next morning I asked my mom to feed so I could get to school early for a project. That day at school was one of the best I had had the entire year. I went home happy as could be until I pulled into the driveway. I noticed the mom was no longer in the barn and the baby was missing. That’s when I noticed a body in the wheel barrel and came to the conclusion that she didn’t make it.
             I went inside and sat by my mom.  She finally confirmed that it was the baby and that she had died and once my dad got home from work, she would be buried.  We sat side by side for a while in despair when she said something that I will never forget.  She said "I'm sad too but I realized earlier today that we only lost one animal this year.  This was a large improvement from last year because we lost five.  It sucks but this was a success in my book."  I took what my mom said and realized that no matter how bad or depressing the situation is, there is always a brighter side and that I should look for the better parts in life and not get hung up on the bad.

            

This was a tough lesson in deed but I know there are something's  that are meant to be and this was clearly not one of them.  Now to share my knowledge gained through this experience.



1) The day she was born was very wet and cold.  That is extremely hard on calves.  It is important to get them dry as soon as possible.  This is why we moved her into the barn and rubbed her down and added the heat lamp.   



2) When a calf is born it is important that the cow connects with that calf.  This is done by smell.  Typically the cow will lick the calf off immediately following delivery.  This helps the bonding.  If your cow doesn't initiate that process it is important to get that calf right under that cows nose.  I was told by a local rancher if you have to put grain on that calf to get the cow interested DO IT.  We didn't have this issue but I wanted to share this tip with you.



3) It is very important in the first several hours that that calf get the cows colostrum.  If that isn't happening you should try to milk the cow and give the calf the milk. 



The key is wet cold weather is the worst for calf deliveries and tend to cause the most deaths. 
And in this case you just may have a cow that can't be successful with birthing.  This was her second attempt with two epic fails.  While she has been one of my favorite cows we have come to a cross roads. 


I would like to say a special THANK YOU to  Mr. Tim Ward & Mr. Frank Falen for all of your mentoring with this project.  I would not be able to have come this far without the two of you being willing to take our crazy calls about cow drama.


Hope you enjoy this!
From My Barn To Yours
Brad~

The Discomforts of Agricultural Life

Sometime here in the barn bad things happen even when you have taken every precaution possible to ensure every animals safety.   Sometime the animals have different ideas.  In late January when all our kids were being born we had one such incident that has caused a lasting effect on one of the kids. 

One of our mommy goats decided to have her kid a few weeks early.  This came as a surprise to all of us as she showed no signs of being ready to deliver.  Every pen we have set up has a shelter but this doe decided to attempt her first delivery outside vs. in the provided shelter.  Because  we were unaware she was going to deliver so early we had not moved her to a birthing stall in the barn.  This doe also belonged to one of the youngest 4H members we have been helping with her breeding project.  As a mentor it is hard when something awful happens to one of the kids you are helping. 

Unfortunately, this kid was born outside in the snow which resulted in some issues with frostbite.  This was our first experience with frostbite and what a lesson it has been.   I decided to discuss this with you because he recently lost part of each of his ears due to the frostbite. 

We were all very fortunate he only experienced frostbite on his ears and not his legs as this would have been more life threating.  Once we found him in the snow we rushed him and his mother into a stall in the barn.  They were both placed under a heat lamp.  The kid was wrapped in a blanket to help warm him.  We knew within days that he had frostbite because his ears began to swell.  Once the swelling went down we noticed the tips of his ears were dead.  This last week the tips started to fall off. 

 

This isn't our goat but this is very similar to how his ears look. 

 

 

This has been a very upsetting series of events for us here in the barn but it has also been a very educational experience.    First thing you must do if you expect frostbite:  start to warm the animal.  You will want to warm slowly and provide a warm place for them to rest.  Second: watch the progress of the impacted area.  We have inspected his ears daily since his birth.  We have watched to be sure he is healthy and eating appropriately.  Fortunately for this little kid he has been very healthy other than his ears.  He has been gaining weight and is very strong.  Third: When the ears  come off you want to monitor for a clean break.  If they come off leaving an open wound you will want to be sure to treat the wound.  We were very luck with our kid that they came off in a clean break.  The good news for this whole event is he only lost the tips of his ears, not his whole ear. 

 

Many things can go wrong in the barn and while most of what we experience is the joy of watching each of the kids grow and develop sometimes these life lessons are also priceless.  I would like to say Marica has done an amazing job not giving up hope on her little kid and she has decided even with his ear issues she will still show him at fair.

 

 

From My Barn 2 Yours

Bradley

Congratulations!!!

We are all so very excited here in the Barn for the fellow 4Her's we assisted with breeding projects this year.  We were successful with all 4 projects and look forward to helping each of these families again in the future.


We started off our success with Mikaela Hayes and crew.  She bred her 2 Does with our Buck (Bobby) .... to produce 3 amazing kids!  This is Mikaela's first year breeding and we can't wait to help her again next year. 

Congratulations Mikaela and Good Luck at Fair!

Our next success story comes from Devon Anderson.  Here in the Barn we helped Devon breed the gilt he showed at fair last summer.  She was bred with our Hampshire Boar (Brutus).  She took the first time and he successfully delivered his first litter of piglets mid-January.  This was Devon's first time breeding pigs and we are so excited for his success.

Congratulations Devon and Good Luck at Fair!

Our third success story comes from Marica Quick.  This was Marica's first year ever showing goats and breeding goats for that matter.  What a big accomplishment for such a young person.  Marica bought her doe from our Barn last spring, after showing her at fair she didn't want to part with her.  Since we run 3 varieties of bucks here at the Barn we matched Marica's doe up with a suitable male and she produced her first kid.  We are all very excited for Marica and her new adventure.

Congratulations Marica and Good Luck at Fair!

Our final success story comes from my friend to the north -  Morgan Love (pictured on the right).  This is the second year we have helped Morgan with his breeding project.  He has had 2 very successful set of twins.  This year we changed up the buck he used to see what they produced.  Morgan now has a set of twin buckling's to raise this summer.



Congratulations Morgan and Good Luck at Fair!

Here in the barn we do so much more than breed and raise show & market animals.  We help build memories and success stories for other 4H members with our Give Back Program.  There is nothing more exciting than knowing you bred and birthed your own project.  Along with the breeding process we hold clinics on goat cares and necessary treatments for fair prep.   We also hold showmanship clinics to help those that purchased goats from the Barn.  Watch our FaceBook page for dates and time for the clinics if you are interested in coming and helping or learning to show.  

How do you get started in our Give Back Program.  Purchase a breedable show animal (Goat, Pig, Angus).  Once you have shown your animal at fair you can contact us about developing your breeding project.   We look forward to helping many more fellow 4H members by fulfilling their dreams of breeding and learning about production.


I would also like to thank all my Barn Help, I could not do this without that assistance of my parents, my sister and the 4Her's who come and help.  Thank you all for helping making these success stories.


From My Barn to Yours,
~Bradley

Winter Weather and Livestock

We are in full swing winter here in the Barn!   Now is the time to be sure you know a few things about taking care of your animals during the harsh winter months.  I decided to write this piece since we had some super cold days and nights this last week. 

Pigs actually do very well during the cold months, much better than our goats do!  The main thing to remember about your pig and the snow is to make sure they have a dry spot for bedding - weather they are in a barn or out side.  If outside be sure they have a shelter so they can get out of the elements, wind is the worst for them.  If your temperatures drop below -45 degrees you may see little to no activity from your pig.  They will hold up in their warm spot until the temperatures start to improve.  Always make sure you keep them with plenty of food.  A sow will need roughly 7500 kcal/day to maintain.  They also really enjoy slope so make sure you keep them fed and plenty of water if you don't feed in a slope fashion.

 Goats .... They are bit more tricky when it comes to winter weather. 
Make sure you keep them with water at all times, they will not break through ice in a bucket so we suggest you use heated buckets.  Those have worked the best in our barn.  For the kids make sure to have heat lamps going if it drops below 30 degrees.  If you are in kidding season as we currently are, you have to keep a close eye on the nannies.  Once the kids arrive you will need to get them dried off so they have a good shot a surviving.  When using heat lamps make sure you are only using those approved for barns.  Heat lamps have been known to cause barn fires.  Make sure you keep your nannies supplied with plenty of hay and grain with minerals.  During cold weather make sure to increase by 15% to help them maintain.  If you have goats that aren't in a barn you may want to increase feed another 5% and always make sure they have a suitable shelter to get out of the elements.




Cows are the easiest of all of them!!!! They are built to withstand the cold.  Even when calving they do well in the elements.  They really only need a wind break, unless you are experiencing days of snow fall or cold rain they will have very few issues with the cold weather.  When dealing with maintaining your cattle during those cold months, remember to help the out with increasing their feed.  Ranchers usually recommend for every 10 degrees below 30 degrees you increase feed by 10-13%.   You will also want to be sure they have a water source.

  

We hope all these little tips and tricks help you out with your livestock during our winter months. 

We can't wait to show off all our little ones coming due this spring.  Make sure to keep checking back for updates and information.

Brad ~

Barn2Fridge

Stress On Show Animals

My livestock here in the barn experience a couple different kinds of stress.  Stress can occur with weather conditions or when transporting.  With fair coming up here are a few tips that have helped me control my animals health / stress.

Weather Condition Stress

Now that we are into the heat of the summer it can sure take its toll on your livestock.  It doesn't matter if your animals are for breeding, show or family pets you need to make sure you are doing a few things to help keep them less stressed.


1.  Water is the most important factor during our summer heat.  Make sure they have plenty of water.  I have to check water 2-3 times a day when it is hot to make sure they have plenty to drink.  It is always wise to change the water out each time so it is cool and clean.  Approximately 55% of a pigs body weight is water, imagine what damage can be done if they don't have enough water to keep them hydrated in this heat.



2.  Shade is so important in this heat.  For all the animals at the barn we make sure they have a way to get out of the heat of the day.  For those of you that don't know the heat of the day is considered those super hot hours in the afternoon before the sun starts to set.  If they can't get into a shady spot they will easily over heat and potentially become dehydrated.  We make sure they have shade from a building or a way to get inside the barn.  This is a little harder with the horses & cows, so we just make sure they are in a pasture that has some form of shade.


3.  Cooling barns, if you are able to set up a cooling system for your barn (i.e. swamp cooler or AC units).  Make sure you don't cause your animals the reverse effects from conditions too cold.  You need to remember while this seems really nice for your animal if you are taking it to fair .... there will not be any AC units at fair.  You also need to make sure your cooling unit is working properly and not blowing hot air onto your animals.  In my barn I just wet down the ground during those hot afternoon hours so they can cool down.  The pigs love this and will wait for me to show up.  I don't do this with the goats, horses or cows they have fur to help regulate temperature and it is best to keep them dry.

Fair Stress

The transportation to fair is where the stress begins .... from there it can go all down hill if you don't do a few things to help your animal out.

1.  Water ... Have I mentioned how important that is to your animals?  A pig can loose up to 5% of its weight when stressed and if it goes past 15% of its weight it could die.  I take water very seriously when it comes to transporting.   Make sure your animal has access to water up to the very moment you load and then again when you unload.

2.  Car Ride ... Or in our case truck & trailer ride.  This will cause stress the very first time you do this.  Anything you expose your animal to that he is not familiar with will cause anxiety for him.  But particularly the unsteady feeling on your feet feeling they have with their first ride.  We make sure to take all of our animals for at least one ride prior to hauling them to fair.  This helps calm the nerves and they know what to expect when it is all over. And what every you do don't over crowd the ride - don't haul all your animals in one load if they won't comfortably fit in the vehicle. Hauling your animal has always seemed to be much tougher on the goats than an of our other animals.

3.  Exposure .... What do I mean by this?  Well several things.  When they arrive at fair they are going to experience all types of exposures - to other animals, hoards of people, city water and a new pen.  Stress city is going on inside your animal during this time.   At the barn we always have people out looking at the animals - this helps with the people exposure.  We also change them up in their pens at the barn - this helps them not stress when they leave their current roommate.  Sometimes they have to spend a few weeks next to the pigs or by the cows.  This helps everyone not freak out when their situation changes.  There are a couple of tricks to the city water dilemma I will share with you a bit later.  New pen,  make sure you bring something familiar with them too their new pen. For me it is a watering device or feed dish.   Also, I like to take them to a jackpot or 2 - this really helps calm the nerves when they get to do it again.

This is Lunch Box - at a jackpot in Colorado I went to in June.

Stress Tips

1.  Water, Water, Water -  Make sure they have some.  Make sure it is clean and cool.  Give it to them before and after transportation.  Check it frequently.  Your animal can go without food for a day or two but lack of hydration will kill him.

2. Exposure - Make sure you don't keep your animal in an isolation room.  Let him see what is going on in the world before you thrust him into the fair world. 

3.  Electrolytes - What?  This is my secret ingredient for all the animals.  For the pigs we start electrolytes in their water about a week or so before fair (this also helps with the city vs. well water issue).  With the goats we do the same.  I don't show my cattle so I have never had to worry about this.  Below is what we use for electrolytes - 

Pigs - Gatorade -  you may need to try different flavors but most of my pigs just love the stuff.  Or you can buy an over the counter type of electrolytes.

Goats - Home Made - half gallon hot water / 2-6 TBSP un-sulfured blackstrap molasses, 1-2 TBSP sea salt, Epsom salt, baking soda or table salt / 1 cup apple cider vinegar - mix well and serve.  You can also use over the counter electrolytes that come in paste of powder forms.  With goats you can drench them with the electrolytes.

When and how do I do this.  I usually start a week before the fair but at the very least the day before.  I make sure they have some on board before loading, then I make sure they get them when we arrive.  This way when they start to stress it doesn't cause more damage to their digestive tracks and they remain hydrated.

Hope these tips help.  Can't wait to see everyone at fair.  Make sure to follow me on FaceBook, I will be posting fair highlights as we go. 

From My Barn to Yours -

Bradley







Goat Showing Tips

Goat Showmanship is pretty easy if you follow these 10 simple steps

1. Practice walking your goat before the show.  Don't wait until the day before, you should start walking them daily on a halter then switch to a show collar months before fair.  Practice, practice, practice because he is just as nervous as you are so the more work you do together the more he will trust you when you get to the ring.


2. Properly  prepare /shear your goat about a week before the show.  Look at the rules for show to make sure your goat is uniformly clipped / sheared for the show.  A good rule of thumb is 3/8 inch or closer if the show doesn't have any rules listed.  You can leave hair on the legs up to the knee / hock and a little tuft at the end of the tail.  Some shows will have you tip the horns if your goat has horns.


3.  The day of the show clean and groom your animal.  Make sure not to forget to trim the hooves so the judge can see he walks correctly and doesn't have defects of the foot / leg.


4.  Next get your self ready.  Dress appropriately.  Make sure to check on the dress code for the show.  Many shows will not allow you to wear blue jeans.  I usually wear dress slacks and a long sleeve button down shirt.


5.  You are now ready for the ring.  Make sure to keep eye contact with the judge at all times.  Smile and look like you are really enjoying yourself even though you may be nervous inside.  Make sure to follow what the judge tells you to do.  Don't talk with your neighbor, it is rude.


6.    Keep your goat between you and the Judge at all times.  To change sides do a roll turn, remember to always change sides at the head.  Move to the front of the goat when the judge is viewing the goat from the rear.


7.  Keep his feet set to display his muscle.  Set the leg closest to the judge first.  It is ok to reach over your goat to set the legs.  Make sure his weight is evenly distributed.  Avoid slapping the legs, pick them up and place them.  To set your goat, you can brace from the front with your inner thigh.  When the judge is looking at the front, hold his head high and step to the side to show off his chest.


8.  Remain calm even if your goat is misbehaving.  Even though you have worked with him, he may become scared or bored and start acting out.  Don't hit, drag him or treat him in a rough manor.


9.  Do what the judge asks.  You will typically start the show by walking the goat clockwise around the ring.  Keep your goat under control and by your side.  Don't drag him,  if he won't move you can grab his tail and give a little encouragement to move forward by lifting his tail.  Once the judge asks you to stop, set your goat.  At this point you will stand or squat with your goat at this head.  If you are much taller than your goat, you may want to work on squatting with your goat in his stance.  Make sure to pay attention to the judge at all times and wait for your next request.


10.  Be a good sportsman.  Make sure to shake the judges hand when he has completed his rankings.  Make sure to congratulate other winners. 

More Than Just A Barn....

Here at Barn 2 Fridge we are about more than just a barn for the animals I raise to sell.  It is about sharing our knowledge and helping others start a project. 

 

I would like you to meet Morgan .... and his 2 kids (Bruce & Willy)

Morgan and the kids are part of another opportunity I offer here at the barn.

 

Morgan showed his doe goat last year at fair.  When he didn't want to sell her he asked for my help in starting his own breeding project.  We brought his doe to the barn and bred her with Roger (see my previous post).   Now Morgan has his Nanny goat to show in breeding class and 2 amazing little kids to show in market class this year.  It was so amazing to see the excited look on Morgan's face when he got to see his baby goats for the first time.  I look forward to helping him again this year.

 

 

 

GOAT CLINIC

Knowledge is only beneficial if you share it, And that is what I am doing here in the barn.

I had my first Goat Clinic of the season on April 23rd.   We vaccinated the kids, placed ear tags (for scrapies) and banded the males.   When that was done they learned how to put a halter on their goat and how to start working with them for showing.

 

 

  

  

 

 

These clinics are about a little more than just me sharing my knowledge .... They are about giving children who live in the city an opportunity to learn how to raise an animal and prepare it for showing at the Laramie County Fair.  This year we have 3 members of the Barn 2 Fridge goat clinic / goat showing opportunity.  All 3 children got to come to the barn and select their kid.  Each week they come out to the barn and learn new skills, participate in cares and attend educational clinics.  This year will be the first year for each of these kids (Mik, Anthony & Caden)  to participate in fair.  As this experience progress I will do my best to keep you all updated of everyone's progress.

 

I'm really looking forward to this years fair prep in the barn.

 

~Brad~