Water Water Everywhere

When you live the life of a farmer, you become a  'jack of all trades'.  A truck breaks down, you become a mechanic, when a cow gets sick, you become a vet, when a hydrants waterline springs a leak........well.....

Martina Rose has a Baby!!

Surprise!! Without a whole lot of warning signs Martina Rose delivered her heifer calf yesterday afternoon. We knew she was close, but she didn't show the usual signs that we always look for. Somewhat like humans, Cows may labor on and on and others just have it so easy!!  Just to clear up some confusion, Martina Rose is Martina's daughter.  Here are some of the pictures of our newest addition..... Enjoy!!

Still a little wobbly

I would love to know what that conversation is about!!

OK, now it's time for another nap.

STOP looking at me!!

Martina had Her Baby!!

Martina is trying to find the perfect spot

OK, there she goes....

Here he is

Now he's up!

Candy is watching

Martina Rose and H are watching too

Don't Steam the Chicks!

First of all, I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea. I love my animals. I care for them and they are treated very, very well.  That said, I had something happen earlier in the week that is.....well, embarrassing.  I did not realize that there was a crack in one of my chicks water containers. Every bit of the water emptied into the brooder tank. The bedding soaked it up, the heatlamps created a sauna effect. Needless to say, the 'steam heat' took the downy feathers right off of the baby chicks.  UGH!!!!

Orphan Kitten Formula

On the farm we sometimes have to take over, and become 'mommy' to our animals. In this case, a family friend had some kittens, 6 all together.  Mommy was probably a year old and this is a lot for a seasoned veteran, let alone a mother cat that is so young.  We have used this Newborn Formula for kittens, puppies and in a pinch calves.

2c. 2% milk
1c. half & half
1 egg
1Tbls white Karo corn syrup

Mix well. Warm to feed. Use and eye dropper or syringe.  Store in the refrigerator. It will separate so mix well before each feeding. This will keep according to the dates on your milk and/or half & half.

House Finch

We have some visitors on our front porch

Here is daddy

Here is mommy

This is the Spring wreath that I bought at Michaels (which will probably be thrown out when she gets done with it).

And here is a nest that our resident finch worked very hard to build

She is so proud of her work. They get very upset when I come out of the house and sit on my front porch.

Four little blue eggs

And here she is, as I look at her from the inside of my house.

Baby Chicks Get a New Lid

I was not satisfied with the top we had put on the tank which houses our new baby chicks. Quite frankly it was a mess! we had chicken wire bent around the top of the tank. Plywood on top of chicken wire with a square cut in the middle, where we put the heat lamps, and just in case something (a predator) got in, we weighted the whole mess down with 2x4's.  UGH!! Talk about a chore trying to get in and out of there!!! SHEESH!!!
So.....today, I made a trip to Lowe's. This was going to be taken care of TODAY!!!  Since Papa Bear was in the field, I figured the coast was clear for me to get a little creative, screw things up, cuss, cry, and still have everything put back in order and 'perfect' by the time he got in tonight.  Uhmmmm......no such luck. He was in the barn lot when I got home, working on filling the planter and talking to a friend that we farm with.  So all of this had to be done, under his watchful eye. I'm sure he was just waiting for me to either say, 'would you just take care of this' or 'I give up'. .....Not happening buddy, not on your life!! I am going to fix this, and it will be perfect, and effortless!!!
Here is my creation, I am sure this is not an original. But I am very satisfied with the results. AND the bonus is, I got a compliment from Papa Bear!

 Finished Project

 See where I have hinged the 2 shelves

 Here is a better picture 

 Here are the zip ties at one of the ends

 Zip ties in the middle

I took the custom shelving, using 2 shelves per tank. I used the plastic zip-ties to join the 2 shelves together and fashion a hinge. I then zip-tied the heat lamps to the shelving and they fit perfectly over the tanks.  I didn't cut the length of the shelving, just in case we get a longer tank sometime in the future.

I think we are going to leave them set up, and use them as a pen if we ever need to separate some of the hens.

And so it begins.......

Springtime at the Mosier Farm

Mink in the chicken coop

Well, it has been a long 4 days at the Mosier Farm. We have lost a total of 5 hens.  This makes me so sad. The Buff Orphingtons are a very docile breed, they often become a pet.
Walking into the chicken coop the first time and seeing 2 of my hens dead, was disturbing. Papa Bear and I did some sealing up and repair work on the coop. We believed we had everything buttoned up and the hens should be safe. I still dreaded opening the coop door Sunday morning, but all was well, everyone was safe and sound. We felt pretty good about what we had done the day before.  Not so much on Monday morning. Opening the door and finding 3 more hens lay dead. That was IT for both of us, something needed to be done and it had to be handled right now. I found a business in Eureka that makes all sorts of mini barns and sheds, Countryside Barns. When I called them, I found out that they already had a chicken coop made up. It will hold 20~25 chickens AND we would get a discount if we took the display model AND free delivery! Can you say SOLD!!! Delivery on our new coop is this morning at 10:00AM. I am so excited and will post pics soon!
After we knew that a replacement coop was on its way, we decided to do some damage to the old coop and see if we could find out what was slaughtering our hens. After tipping up the old coop, a mink ran out from underneath and of course Papa Bear took aim and pulled the trigger. I can rest easy now, knowing that they are safe and sound in a new coop and the predator creating all this damage is now gone.

Unwanted Visitor in the Chicken Coop

It's a sad time at the Mosier Farm.  We have had a predator visit our chicken coop two nights ago.  2 of our girls were laying inside the door, dead.  The poor things were so upset, I'm not sure when they will start laying eggs again.  We believe we have found where IT got in, however I am just about as nervous as my girls are!

Mosier Farms Fall Update

Whew!! It's been a while since I have written.  A lot has happened in my tiny corner of the world.  We have butchered 40+ chickens, started and completed harvest.  We have been so blessed!  Another successful year either in the bin or already hauled to the elevator.

I am traveling to my son's house every Tuesday and 3 Friday's for the next 8 weeks.  My daughter in law is finishing up her student teaching and I get to spend the day with my happy go lucky grandson! Life is good!

10 Commandments of a Farm Wife

10 COMMANDMENTS FOR THE FARMER'S WIFE

Rosa E. Borntreger, Riceville, IA



1. Thou shalt not chase cows with your hands in your pockets because husbands don't like that.

2. Thou shalt cook meals that can be served 30 minutes early or two hours late.

3. Thou shalt learn how to keep farm records.

4. Thou shalt love with thy whole heart the aroma of new mown hay and sweet smelling cows.

5. Thou shalt be inspired at seeing the sun rise and relieved to see it set, even if the sink is full of dirty dishes.

6. Thou shalt learn how to open gates, guard them carefully and close them again.

7. Thou shalt thrill at the sight of a newborn calf and rejoice after you have succeeded in teaching it to drink.

8. Thou shalt live closely to God with a true faith that exceeds that of those who don't know what it's like to live on a farm.

9. Thou shalt cherish your meals together and patiently endure long waits for the vet to arrive and take the time to make decisions as when to mow the grass.

10. Thou shalt love lunch together even though the smell of the farmer may be stronger than the food on the table.

Baby Chicks

I am so spoiled, my entire life has been spent on the farm.  I first was a farmers daughter, granddaughter and have been a farmwife for 30+ years.  Because of this lifestyle I have grown accustomed to several things, one includes homegrown farm fresh food.  In particular, I have a hard time eating any meat we purchase from the grocery store......well.....I won't buy beef, pork, or chicken at the grocery store, period.  If we don't have a supply of 'home-grown' we will purchase our meat from the local locker plant.   We just received our shipment of baby chicks, 11 Buff Orphingtons which will continue to lay eggs, even in the winter and 41 Rhode Island Reds, that we will butcher at the end of the summer.  There is nothing better than farm fresh eggs!   McMurray Hatchery also included with our order a 'special' chick.  I believe it is a Partridge Cochins.  For now we have them all settled in with a heat lamp, food, and water.  They have settled down over the past couple of days and so far we haven't lost any chicks. Praise the Lord!

A Day in the Sun

Here is Martina Rose.

They're out and ready for mischief. Look at that face.....Yep! I see you!

It's a Boy!

We have a new bull calf born yesterday (Friday, February 18th).  In case your wondering, bull is a boy.  This will be our second one this year.  Martina Rose is the mama, and Rocky Balboa is the papa.

Sylvester

Please say Hello to our newest addition, Sylvester

Good Morning Sylvester!

Hello Martina, now be nice!




The birth of a new calf always amazes me.  The baby is conceived and this tiny thing is nurtured inside its mother for 9 months.  The baby is born, it instinctively takes a breath, he snorts the mucus out of its own nose. How does it know to do this?  The mother immediately goes to work cleaning the baby and nudging it to its feet.  The baby walks wobbly to the udder and after a few tries he latches on and begins to feed.  The mother continues her due diligence with cleaning and nurturing the little calf.  Instinctively she is protective and puts herself between us and her new little miracle.  It warms my heart to see mother and baby, I give thanks to God, he is the only one who deserve the credit and praise.  This is Gods’ work, no doubt about it!