The Seismic Man Came to the Farm

Today a man visited the farm.  He had with him a map and lots of permits and contracts.  It seems the company that owns the mineral rights to my farm, and all those around me for miles was on the prowl.  They want to do seismic tests in the area.  As a property owner there is really nothing you can do to stop them. 

On his map I could see my small hobby farm, just an inch big.  The map was criss crossed with green and red lines.  The man pointed out my property, it had a green dotted line right through the middle of it, and a red line running down the side, but in my neighbors property.

He informed me of intended tests in the area which involve running a cable through my property (the green line) and drilling 30 ft deep holes for small explosives on a neighbors property (the red line).  I was not the only one.  These lines criss crossed a huge map, I was but a blip. 

He informed me that as a land owner I would get paid for this.  He also informed me of my rights to get a well test prior to the procedure.  I took him up on the offer for the well test, as water is too valuable to risk.  The contract stated that if any "damages" occurred as a result of the geophysical testing I would be compensated.

Since my property was small I would get their minimum pay out, but that payout (I am not sure I am allowed to say what it is) is about the same as I would make working a few days.  Heck they would even pay me (a smaller amount) for my trouble if they decided to cancel.

It is winter here, but he assured me that is the best time to do the tests since some of the land they have to test is swamp, they prefer to cover it in the winter when the ground is frozen. 

Of interest the entire project, just to do these geophysical seismic tests the land this way, is going to cost around a million dollars, about $2,500 per quarter section (by the time they pay land owers and the guys to lay the cable, drill holes, and so forth).

I will let you know what happens later, he figured it would be a month before the guys were in my area to lay the wire.  I told him to make a note that the crew watch out for the curious llama, perhaps I should have warned them that the ram is getting pushy too.

Why Don't Sheep Shrink when they get Wet?

A question was recently asked on WebAnswers. A person asked “How come sheep don't shrink when they get wet?”. This thought must come from the fact that wool sweaters sometimes shrink after washing.

The answer is simple really, sheep are living things, it is the wool that shrinks, not the animal beneath the wool. A wool sweater may shrink but it is not made up of “sheep” it is made up of the fleece that the sheep has produced.  As well how the wool was treated makes it more prone to shrinkage.

What really causes a wool sweater to shrink is not so much the washing, but rather the drying. When the wet wool gets hot the fibers naturally cling together, they have a natural crimp that grabs on to the other wool fibers and do not want to let go.

An actual living sheep might get wet, but it does not get hot enough for this to occur. Also the woolen fibers on he sheep are all growing naturally in the same direction; from the skin out. Sheep hairs are not as smooth as human hairs, they even have minute scales, after being spun into yarn the fibers are all over the place, and the texture of each fiber grabs onto those next to it. If agitated further these fibers can be made into felt. This is why the hair of some animals can be spun into yarn, or made into felt, but you cannot do the same with hair from every animal.

So to get back to why the wool on sheep does not shrink, but the wool in sweaters does, we see that the wool in sweaters is not as well arranged as on the sheep – the fibers are going every which way, when you add water and heat, the fibers grab onto each other, pulling each other together resulting in shrinkage.

To prevent shrinkage, some wool is treated with chemicals to remove some of these scales, this does result in less shrinkage, but shrinkage in sweaters can also be prevented by not heating up wet sweaters – they can be dried safely with cool air.

If you happen to have accidentally shrunk your wool sweater you can “un-shrink” it by soaking it in warm water with a bit of hair conditioner added. Pull the sweater gently while it is soaking. Remove from the water and lay flat, pulling gently again relax the hold the fibers have on one and other, and to pull it back into its proper size.

If you would be interested in joining WebAnswers (they pay to Google Adsense) you can join here and have fun answering questions on many topics. 

The Winter Flock and Guardian Donkey

The other day was warm, I thought it would be a good day to take pictures of the sheep, but they didn't seem t be doing anything too interesting, they were just standing in the sun, in the shed.  I still thought this would be a good time to take pictures since the pictures can be used to show people what a shed for livestock looks like.

At the time only the sheep, and donkey, were in the shed.  Crystal, the llama, must have been off somewhere doing her own thing.

The lambs are not due until March, which is much better than last year when they started delivering new years eve and continued through the cold months of January and February.  This year has at least been warmer, and lots less snow too.  I am sure the sheep are happy to have a better winter.
 

I took these pictures only a few days ago, everyone is on their best behavior, waiting to see what Santa might bring them for Christmas.

I had to take two pictures of my small sheep flock, and have no idea of how to splice them together to make one big picture.  In the first pictures we have, from left to right, Girlie sheep, Patsy sheep (laying down) and Aggie the donkey, as well as Mrs White Katahdin.

*Yes, some farmers do name their animals.

In the second picture we see, starting from the left, the as yet unnamed Dorper ram.  In front of him is Diamond sheep.  In front of Diamond is Blackie, and Blackie's mom, Favorite Sheep (the one that had the stroke a few years ago).  Back in the shed, behind Diamond we see Mrs Dark Brown Barbado (named Dark Brown because when we got her we first had two and she was the darker one), and to the far right, and still in the shed is Mrs Brown Katahdin.


I think for Christmas we will give them an extra snack of hay around noon and some cut up apples.  They really love those.  We buy the discounted apples at the grocery store as they make a nice treat for the sheep and Aggie.   We may even put a few out for the birds too.

On behalf of myself, husband, and daughter, and all our critters, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season, be sure to keep extra care of your pets over the holidays, so many times we get busy and forget about them out in the cold. 

Goats that Fall Down

When I attend the odd and unusual livestock auctions everyone always looks forward to the fainting goats.  These small goats are super cute and when scared their legs freeze up and they often fall right over, they lay there fully away but immobile for about 5-15 seconds, until their muscles relax, then they jump up and carry on. 

The condition these goats have is myotonia congentia and as a result they are often called Myotonic goats, fainting goats, or wooden leg goats.  The gene responsible for this condition is recessive, but has been found in other animals, including humans and cats.

I found the above video on YouTube, it is not my Goat, his name is Gonzo.

In the goats one sudden scare causes their muscles to freeze up, they lose balance and fall to their side.  The younger goats are more prone to falling, as the older ones soon learn to brace themselves.  Although once used as meat goats these animals have since become popular as novelty pets.

Myotonic goats  tend to be docile as a result of their condition and have a poor time climbing fences - which is something many other goats are noted for doing, as such they can be good pets for people who are new to the world of keeping goats.  The biggest concern is that they are very vulnerable to predators, such as coyotes or dogs.  It is not necessarily true that predators will be confused when the goat falls over, it might just be thrilled at the chance for an easier kill.

If you are looking for a cute, novelty, goat breed, then Myotonic goats may be just what you are looking for.  I have seen prices at the Innisfail Auction Market, Alberta, for Myotonic goats being anywhere from $30 to over $100.

Free Cats for Farmers

Farmers often have no problem getting “free” cats for their barn, but many do not bother to vaccinate their cats, or to spay or neuter them, as a result they often have more kittens than they need, or have sick cats.

On the other side of the coin there are always cats surrendered to animal shelters that are not suitable for adoption in most homes. Cats who are not using their litter box for behavioral reasons rather than treatable medical ones, are normally euthanized as “unadoptable” by most shelters.

Most of these cats would make suitable barn cats, or good shop cats, and as such many shelters are now trying to saves as many of these cats as they can by offering them up in such a way.

The Edmonton Humane Society is one place that has recently started a “Barn Buddies” program to give these cats a second chance. The cats are free (but donations are always welcome) and come vaccinated, chipped and spayed or neutered. They are also friendly. To note, some shelters do adopt out feral (less friendly) cats to farm homes as well. The Edmonton Humane Society requires interested people to apply with them for this program.

Potential adopters are required to have:

• A barn or building where the cat can find shelter from bad weather.
• Food for the cat. Note that a well fed cat is a better mouser.
• The right attitude to make sure the cat is cared for and receives veterinary attention as needed.

If you are bringing home a new cat to the farm or shop, it should be kept in an enclosed space with food and water for several days to help it bond to the area.

If you are a farmer who could benefit from such a program please contact your local animal shelter to see if they have cats available under such a system.

The information for the Edmonton Humane Society's Barn Buddies program is here.

Snowy Morning and Bad Llama

A couple of days ago we woke up to snow, the first so far.  Normally, here in Alberta, we would have had more by now, but the fall has been wonderful.  Even the bit that we did get was not enough to shovel. 

The animals can still get grass but in the fall there is very little nutrition in the grass so we feed hay, just once a day for now, they will get fed twice a day later when we really start getting snow, and winter sets in. 

Naughty llama

We do have proper feeders near the barn for feeding hay, but have 2 bales near the house which we are feeding now.  One of the round bales was just a bit too close to the fence and Crystal decided to help herself.  As a result she has bent the fence.  I nailed a board across the top, but she leaned on it so bad it broke off.  Eventually the bale will be out of reach, but it's funny because even when there is plenty in the pasture she insists on eating from the bale.  I think it is because she has it all to herself that way. 

I always try to throw out several piles of hay because the animals tend to move around from pile to pile and push others away, by having extra piles it means everyone gets something to eat.

Patsy and Girlie having breakfast

As we only have 10 acres we do not grow our own hay, rather we buy it and have it delivered.  We do not even have a tractor to move bales around, so must feed by hand.  Certainly small square bales are easier to feed, but they cost more money, and are getting harder to find.  As such we buy the large round bales and have them delivered. 
We put tarps over the bales to protect them, sun can take away nutrition from hay, and if water gets into the bales they will rot!

When we buy the hay it is always hardest to know how much to buy.  In the past we have not bought enough and had to get some in the spring.  This was often because it kept snowing, and snowing, and snowing, so we kept feeding, and feeding, and feeding.  Hopefully this spring we will not have to worry about that and I will not need any more hay.

Pumpkins for the Sheep

A few years ago I carved a pumpkin and left it outside over night, when I woke up the next morning it was gone, only the burnt top remained.  I thought somebody stole it, but deer droppings made me realize that the deer had come by and eaten it up.

Sheep like pumpkins too, in fact most animals do.  After Halloween this year I had 3 pumpkins and no plans to make pie so I thought it would be nice to throw them over the fence for the sheep to eat.  I think the action of throwing these massive orange gourds over the fence scared the sheep for a few minutes, but it was not long before the more curious ewes approached.

Diamond sheep (pictured to the right) seemed  enjoy eating these large squash the most, with her sister, Favorite, and niece, Blackie sheep, also enjoying some pumpkin too, while most of the others stayed back.  Blackie (below) was quite comical as she even tried to roll the pumpkins around, pushing them with her forehead.

Pumpkins are loaded with nutritional benefits for pets and people.  They have beta carotene for eye health and are loaded with fiber to keep everyone regular.  The pumpkin seeds are said to help reduce the worm load in some animals, but are also noted for being particularly good to combat depression.

Giving pumpkins to the sheep to eat was also a way to break up the monotony of their day, even zoos often give some of their animals pumpkins at this time of the year, to play with and eat.

Many of our house pets can eat pumpkin too; birds, cats, and dogs, as well as rodents and reptiles.

If your pet has not had pumpkin before be sure to introduce this treat slowly.  As carnivores, cats won't eat too much pumpkin, but it is noted for helping control hairballs.  Rabbits will also enjoy pumpkin too.

If you used your pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns be sure to remove any candle wax and burnt areas from the inside of your pumpkin before you give them to your pets.

Crystal, our llama, usually charges ahead to investigate anything new but even she was concerned about these strange round objects.

Your pets will certainly enjoy this post-Halloween treat.  If you do not have pets, be sure to leave your pumpkins out for deer or birds, who may enjoy the different treat.