Been a VERY exciting week!

Hi readers,
I have been quite a busy girl lately, so that explains my lack of posting!  Here's the rundown of this past month...

On February 6th, me and most of the family headed out on a 12 hour roadtrip to TN (for another consultation with the Lyme doctor), leaving the farm in the hands of my dad who stayed home.  That was an event all in itself  :)

When we got back, the farm was, well, in somewhat of a mess.  But, everything is fine and back to normal now!

This past Monday, a neighbor drove up in my driveway and told me he had a stuck, breech kid and needed help getting it out.  So, we hopped in his truck bed and off we went to his barn!  The doe was having a lot of trouble, so I stuck my fingers in there.  The reason it was stuck wasn't because it was breech, but because it was folded in half.  Since my sister's hands are quite a bit smaller than mine, she was able to get in there and reposition the kid to where it would come out.  Everything went smoothly and the mama and kid are happy now!

That same day, Cloudy, our Saanen doe, went into early labor, having slight contractions and a filling udder filling and squatting.  Me and my sister got up a few times in the night to check on her...nothing.

Then, at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Cloudy had her first kid...a little, pitch black buckling!  I'd say about 30 minutes later, she had another black buckling.  Everything went smoothly and her placenta passed with ease.  The significance of this birth was this was my problem birther 2 years ago!  You can read the whole story here: http://7thundersranch.blogspot.com/2011/02/indy-kidded.html

Cloudy's two adorable bucklings

In addition to Cloudy having her kids, about two hours later, I came out into the barn to find a doeling of Frosty's (Frosty is one of our Nubian does) on the ground already, being licked off by Cloudy, LOL!  Before it was all over and done with, Frosty ended up with two beautiful doelings!

I'll just say that I've slept very well for the past week from being so tired!  It's been about a year since we've had bottle kids, so we're getting back into the swing of things  :)

The first doeling of Frosty's

This is what makes farm life fun and FULL of surprises!  In one way I look forward to kidding season because I like bottle feeding and playing with the kids...but on the other hand, I always get just a little bit tense before a goat birth as you never know if the goat will deliver perfectly or have a stuck kid or...the list could go on and on about what "could" go wrong at a birth.  Thankfully, we've never had a goat die, but we've had a few close calls.  It's not always glamorous life, but it's a blessing of a life to live.  I praise God for putting us here on this beautiful piece of property and allowing us to have a farm and be as self-sufficient as we can be right now.

Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it  :)

Goodnight!

~Hannah

P.S.  I'm, Lord willing, going to a Ron Paul rally tomorrow to see him speak, so I'll try to post about that when I get back!  I went to a Ron Paul sign wave yesterday afternoon at the corner in our town, Tahlequah.  That was pretty fun and we got a lot of response!

Snapshot Sunday

This is Bandit, our goat dog! More pictures later Lord willing :)

Music Video: Ron Paul Will Lead The Way

This music video was produced by me, my family and some very good friends, to inform others about the simple message of Constitutional Freedom and how those freedoms are slipping away.

How does each candidate in this year's Presidential election stack up when compared to the document that was intended to secure those freedoms? Every one of them fails the Constitutional litmus test - except one.  Ron Paul.

If you want to continue living in the land of the free, being able to own a gun, raise a farm and do what you want in the privacy of your own home, I strongly encourage you to watch this video, share it with others and take action!  The very country our forefathers fought and died for has been infiltrated by Constitution-trampling, special interest-pleasing, inflation-creating politicians.  Freedom is eroding.  Wake up before it's too late.

I hope you will share this with others!

VOTE RON PAUL 2012!!

Thank you for watching!  Please post your comments and opinions here :)

~Hannah

Shared on:  What's Cooking Wednesday  ~  3fourandunder  ~  Get Wired Wednesday  ~  Blog Hop 7

Ron Paul 2012 - Why vote for him?

If you have been watching the GOP candidates, you've probably heard of Ron Paul.  I would strongly encourage you to vote for him in the 2012 election!!

Why should you vote for Ron Paul?

1. Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate for a balanced budget and a plan to get there
2. the ONLY one who would bring US troops home immediately
3. the ONLY one who would end the Fed
4. the ONLY one who believes in the free market
5. the ONLY one who believes gold should be used for currency
6. the ONLY one who plans to cut $1 TRILLION dollars in the first year as president
7. the ONLY one who will (Lord willing) be true to his principles, just as he has for decades
8. the ONLY one who has NEVER voted to raise your taxes
9. the ONLY one who stands to protect YOUR constitutional right to own a gun
10. the ONLY one who is 100% Pro-Life

If this isn't enough to convince you that he IS electable and that he IS the right president for this country, please check out this website for all 30 reasons on why you should vote for him: http://www.wethepeoplehavepower.com/2011/12/30-reasons-to-support-ron-paul.html  -  Or, just go to Ron Paul's website at:  www.ronpaul2012.com

Here are some very interesting statistics on Ron Paul compared to the other candidates running for president...

Very interesting difference!!

It's interesting to see that our US troops, in all branches of the military, support Ron Paul!

Please click here to see Ron Paul's plan to Restore America!  http://www.ronpaul2012.com/the-issues/ron-paul-plan-to-restore-america/


Thanks for reading!

~Hannah

Milking goats 101

I know that some of you are just starting out and getting your first milk goats, so I thought I'd put up a little lesson about how to milk a goat properly.  This routine is what I use every morning and night.

Give her some grain

make sure your pail and jug are squeaky clean :)

I use antibacterial soap water as the teat cleaner.  Just spray both sides of each teat

Use a clean rag to wipe the teats with.

Put your thumb at the base of the udder, followed by your index finger (don't go up too high or you'll wind up pinching her udder...and that wouldn't feel too good :)

Place your middle finger on next

Follow the last step with your "ring" finger.

And last but not least, your pinky finger!

Of course, this is a step-by-step process that you'll get better at as time goes by, but this is just an educational post for all the newbies.  Once you've been milking for a couple years, your milking technique will get faster and probably not look exactly like the steps above, as you will develop your own personal technique.

Careful technique insures you will get all the milk out of the teats and not shoot it back up into the teat, which can cause serious problems, such as mastitis.

Anyway, that's your short lesson on how to milk a dairy goat!

Thanks for reading :)
-Hannah

Shared:  Barn Hop #42

Iodine Deficiency in goats

"Iodine is as essential in goats' diets as it is in humans. Goiters are the most visible sign of iodine deficiency. Newborns whose dams are iodine deficient can be born with goiters. Commercial feeds and minerals contain non-iodized salt, so it may be necessary to offer iodized salt on a free-choice basis. A quicker method of getting iodine into the goat is to paint 7% iodine on the hairless tailweb and to offer kelp (seaweed) free choice."  -  Courtesy of Tennessee Meat Goats

I used the kelp & 7% Iodine method, which has worked VERY well!  Below are some pics of how to do an Iodine Deficiency test and treatment...

Just make sure the goat's tail web is clean.  Then apply a pretty good spot of 7% Iodine to the middle of the tail web

Check the the tail web 24 hours after you applied the Iodine

You'll know they're deficient if in 12-24 hours, the spot is completely gone and you see no trace of the Iodine.  But, if you can still see a mark, then the goat is most likely not deficient.

It's a good idea to test your goats for iodine deficiency often.  Another good practice is to paint the tail of the deficient goat every day, with the iodine.  The painting of the tailweb allows the goat's body to soak up the iodine.  If you don't want to test them, you can just give them kelp anyway...it won't hurt them!

Hope this was helpful to everyone :-)

Have a good weekend!
-Hannah

 

What is Homeschooling All About?

Since day one, I have been homeschooled by my two loving parents.  From my first day of school, I have enjoyed learning in the comfort of my own home, away from the many distractions that can often be present in a traditional public school.  Real-life experiences are in every aspect of my daily life, and here are some examples of what my siblings & I are involved in:

               - Buying & selling animals

               - Having both business & personal conversations & daily interactions with adults 

               - Learning to cook, organize and be a homemaker & homesteader

               - Gaining knowledge about lost & dying trades & activities

               - Slaughtering and butchering livestock

               - Learning to live off the land by growing & harvesting our own food

               - Field trips with other homeschoolers

               - Line dancing and choreographing dances with friends 

               - Learning how to start and operate your own business (most of us have some sort 

               - Lessons on managing money, time and finances

               - Songwriting and singing

               - Learning to play musical instruments

There are many more things that we learn on a daily basis that I could list off, but there are too many to list here.  Many of the activities in this list are the real-life things that a public school child might not have time to learn, considering the limitations he/she has due to the typical school system schedule.

I would also like to take this opportunity to dispel some of the most common misconceptions about homeschooling, & to answer some of the most common questions we hear from curious folks:

Question:
"What do you do about socialization?"

Answer :
We have the benefit of learning to socialize with many different age groups, not just our peers.  Field trips and other learning activities with other homeschoolers take place on a weekly basis, and are a very important part of our education experience.  Being able to carry on a good conversation with an adult is a very important skill to learn and starts at a very early age.  This skill enables home-educated children to be able to communicate with the real world when they grow up.  Most of my siblings & I already have our own home businesses that we run, in which we communicate with clients on a regular basis.

Question:
"How will they ever be able to get a college education?"

Answer :
It is often thought that we (homeschoolers) won't be smart enough to go to college.  Well, that is not at all true, in fact, home schooled kids often excel when compared with the average public school student.  Check out this article from the Home School Legal Defense Association:  http://hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000017.asp  -  Many homeschooled students go on to receive a college degree, & many universities actually desire home-schooled students because of their self-motivated style of learning & excellent track record of excelling in the college setting.

Question:
"How can a parent teach without a teaching degree?"

Answer :
Although some states in the US require a teaching credential for a parent to home educate their child, most states do not.  A parent makes a perfect teacher, because they know their child better than anyone else could.  There is a one-on-one connection with the parent & the child, & the parent can focus on strengthening any learning weaknesses the child may have.

Question:
"Aren't you bored with being schooled at home?"

Answer :
The fact is, no, I'm not bored with home schooling at all.  I'm so busy with being taught new things every day, meeting new people all the time, studying, running my own business and socializing with friends, that there really isn't any time or reason to be bored.  I feel very protected and safe right here, being taught by my parents at home.  Because of my great home-education experience, I will be fully armed in the future with the information & skills I will need to be successful.

Question:
"Are you out of school today?"

Answer :
This question is asked by people when we go shopping or run errands on a "school day".  Usually when we go to town, we are either just taking a break from bookwork to run into town and grab a few needed supplies, or we pack the backpacks full of our books and do school on the road...but school is never over for us!  The grocery store is even a learning experience.  Problem solving & math equations in the aisles are very common for us, LOL!  For example, Mom will teach us how to calculate the unit price on food items in order to get the best value on the product.  So, the answer is really no, we're not out of school today!  We're on a real-life learning "field trip"  :)


There are quite a bit more curious questions we get asked, but it's just too many to list!  I think there are many well-meaning people who are simply curious about what home-schooling is all about & they want to learn more about it.  I am more than happy to help them understand this wonderful method of education.

This was my essay project today, which my mother (teacher) assigned to me.  I hope, by reading this, you've gotten a better appreciation for homeschoolers and their unique place in our society.  The conclusion to this article is that homeschooling, if done correctly, can and will (Lord willing) produce a generation of smart, ethical and resourceful citizens of the United States.

Have a blessed evening and please feel free to leave your comments or questions!

~Hannah