The New Calf Pen

The new calf pen is finished!  They have been staying in a pen approximately 10 ft by 12 ft, layered in straw, and being let out into the big pasture during the day.  It's pretty small for long term, but for the short term it was sufficient for their size.  The new pen is 20ft by 25ftish.  It still has grass in it, so for now we are just putting a small amount of straw in one corner for them to sleep on, and they can graze grass.  Which has been handy, because I am not letting them out when it is raining, and so they are still able to graze, as well as having access to grain throughout the day, which they don't usually, and they don't have to share their hay with the horse.  I have been sick so my husband has been feeding them.  When I feel better I'll get a picture.

In the meantime, Jim has been putting in water and power hookups next to the animal pens, one set on the pig/chicken side, and one set on the calf side, so that it is easier to take care of the animals.  The calves are still on formula, though they will be getting weaned over the course of this next month, and the formula mixes best with hot water.  Each calf is getting 2 bottles of milk.  I mix all the milk up in one bucket, which I then distribute evenly between their two feeding buckets.  So I have been bringing the bucket over to the house, where there is a water spigot, for both hot and cold.  Because the cold water has been hooked up to a hose going to the pig pen for their constant water access, I only have access to hot there.  I mix up 3 bottles of hot water with the formula there, and then go to the other faucet on the other side of the house where the cold water is hooked up to a hose with a nozzle at the end, and add in another bottle of just cold, and this makes the temperature just about perfect.  As you can see, if you were able to follow that, it's quite the process, as well as rather time consuming.  So with the new hookups, it will be right there by the calf pen, both hot and cold, available at any time, and with the proper attachment, I can just have it tuned to the right temperature at all times.

On the business side of things, I may have a source for essential oils for the sheep's milk soap that Susan and I will be making from her sheep!