The Albon we have been using to take care of the coccidia seems to be working. Buddy is spending more time on his feet. He seems to be eating better, too.
Since we are battling coccidia and the Corid didn't work, we decided to put all the milking does on the Albon (no milk withdrawl) and see if they act any differently. We've still been fighting the Mastitis on Glacier, after 10 days of 10cc Penicillin (5 cc twice daily) we gave her a break from shots and antibiotics. The next day the clumps were worse than before. After 2 days on the Albon, she had almost no clumps at all.
Last night the clumps were so large and so hard that I had to mush them around inside her teat so they would break apart. Then I was able to pull them out gently when they got to the oriface. Hubby said the harder clumps are better because the slippery ones were live colonies of bacteria, while the harder ones are probably dead colonies.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Rumensin vs. Decoquinate by Karin Christensen
This post was on GoatBiology (yahoo group) as a response to the question about the differences between Rumensin and Decoquinate. The post is dated Thu May 28, 2009. Karen Christensen is an amazing resource on the internet when it comes to goats. Her website can be found here.
Rumensin trade name for monensin is an ionophore antibiotic. It will kill protozoans like coccidia including the protozoa in the rumen. It will also kill gram positive bacteria, including those in the rumen. It is used not only as an anti-coccidial but to reduce problems in the rumen from feeding high concentrate diets because it kills the type of bacteria that produce lactic acid. It is considered to enhance growth, but mainly it helps put fat on the ruminant since more propionate is produced from the concentrates while reducing the problem of rumen acidosis. It works by inhibiting the movement of ions across the membrane of bacteria or protozoa.
Decoquinate (Deccox)
Acts on the sporozoite stage so it can't continue to develop in the intestinal cell. Disrupts electron transport system in the mitochondria. Acts on the early stages of the life cycle
Amprolium (brand name Corid) is a vitamin B1 (thiamine) analog. The structure of the amprolium molecule is very similar to thiamine. The coccidia need thiamine to grow especially in stages where they are in high levels of reproduction. If they take in the amprolium instead of thiamine (amprolium competes with thiamine) then the cells cannot grow.
Sulfadimethoxine, brand name Albon.
Sulfa drugs block essential biomolecular pathways in the cells of protozoans and bacteria. Kills the coccidia in most of the stages by interfering with molecular pathways.
That's kind of brief, but I didn't have much time to put this together today.
Karin
***************************
Rumensin, decoquinate and amprolium all disrupt the life cycle at some stage or another. They are considered coccidiastats. Sulfa drugs are considered coccidiocides as well as bacteriocides, killing the cells outright. Although monensin probably also kills the cells.Rumensin trade name for monensin is an ionophore antibiotic. It will kill protozoans like coccidia including the protozoa in the rumen. It will also kill gram positive bacteria, including those in the rumen. It is used not only as an anti-coccidial but to reduce problems in the rumen from feeding high concentrate diets because it kills the type of bacteria that produce lactic acid. It is considered to enhance growth, but mainly it helps put fat on the ruminant since more propionate is produced from the concentrates while reducing the problem of rumen acidosis. It works by inhibiting the movement of ions across the membrane of bacteria or protozoa.
Decoquinate (Deccox)
Acts on the sporozoite stage so it can't continue to develop in the intestinal cell. Disrupts electron transport system in the mitochondria. Acts on the early stages of the life cycle
Amprolium (brand name Corid) is a vitamin B1 (thiamine) analog. The structure of the amprolium molecule is very similar to thiamine. The coccidia need thiamine to grow especially in stages where they are in high levels of reproduction. If they take in the amprolium instead of thiamine (amprolium competes with thiamine) then the cells cannot grow.
Sulfadimethoxine, brand name Albon.
Sulfa drugs block essential biomolecular pathways in the cells of protozoans and bacteria. Kills the coccidia in most of the stages by interfering with molecular pathways.
That's kind of brief, but I didn't have much time to put this together today.
Karin
Friday, May 29, 2009
Sugar Water for Bees
This discussion gets into a bit of chemistry, hubby's profession, as well as beekeeping. At one of the last Beekeeper meetings someone said, "If there are 10 beekeepers in the room, there will be 20 opinions!" Probably true!
One of the very experienced beekeepers asked Hubby about sugar water and these are the emails:
Greetings,
We beekeepers have been having a "heated" discussion about sugar syrup to feed to bees. When I make bee juice, I bring the water up to a boil, then add the sugar, stir, then return to a boil. I am under the impression that the continued boiling actually inverts some of the sucrose into glucose and fructose, making the resulting simple syrup sweeter.
The counter side to that is continuing to boil the solution will result in carmelization. I think that this is incorrect, as long as there is water present, the temperature can not raise above boiling and carmelization does not occur until 320F. Is my logic incorrect, or am I missing something?
Thanks,
Invert sugar is easy to make, just as you suspected. Boiling accelerates this process,but it continues even at room temp. Carmel color will not hurt the bees, but there is very little nutritional value left. As you know, the temp does not rise much until most of the water is gone, so I would not boil more than 15 min or so to achieve the desired result.
So, there really is no carmelization at the boiling point of water. I would have to boil a 1:1 solution for a rather long period to get carmelization. I've also been told that the addition of glucose helps prevent the sucrose from recrystallizing.
The addition of glucose would in fact inhibit crystallization, just like any impurity. Boiling point elevation and freezing point depression are related issues and the central fact is that when any "impurity" is added to a solution it will change the physical properties. This is the short version of a fairly complex subject in chemical thermodynamics, but you do not need the long version (at least not yet). Corn syrup would also change the crystallization properties, so inverting sucrose is the easiest way to add glucose and modify the physical properties. Acid will increase the rate of inversion much more than heat, so adding 1 gram of lemon juice or citric acid would accomplish nearly complete inversion in about 20 minutes of boiling.
One of the very experienced beekeepers asked Hubby about sugar water and these are the emails:
Greetings,
We beekeepers have been having a "heated" discussion about sugar syrup to feed to bees. When I make bee juice, I bring the water up to a boil, then add the sugar, stir, then return to a boil. I am under the impression that the continued boiling actually inverts some of the sucrose into glucose and fructose, making the resulting simple syrup sweeter.
The counter side to that is continuing to boil the solution will result in carmelization. I think that this is incorrect, as long as there is water present, the temperature can not raise above boiling and carmelization does not occur until 320F. Is my logic incorrect, or am I missing something?
Thanks,
Invert sugar is easy to make, just as you suspected. Boiling accelerates this process,but it continues even at room temp. Carmel color will not hurt the bees, but there is very little nutritional value left. As you know, the temp does not rise much until most of the water is gone, so I would not boil more than 15 min or so to achieve the desired result.
So, there really is no carmelization at the boiling point of water. I would have to boil a 1:1 solution for a rather long period to get carmelization. I've also been told that the addition of glucose helps prevent the sucrose from recrystallizing.
The addition of glucose would in fact inhibit crystallization, just like any impurity. Boiling point elevation and freezing point depression are related issues and the central fact is that when any "impurity" is added to a solution it will change the physical properties. This is the short version of a fairly complex subject in chemical thermodynamics, but you do not need the long version (at least not yet). Corn syrup would also change the crystallization properties, so inverting sucrose is the easiest way to add glucose and modify the physical properties. Acid will increase the rate of inversion much more than heat, so adding 1 gram of lemon juice or citric acid would accomplish nearly complete inversion in about 20 minutes of boiling.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Buddy Update and Janice's milk production
Buddy is doing better. I almost can't believe it. He is up and walking, eating hay and grazing on the pasture. He is drinking milk and some water.
He had 5 days of Albon. Our new order arrived yesterday but we decided to give his body a break from antibiotics for 48 hours to see how he does.
We also weighed him last night. He weighs 32 pounds. He has gained weight through his illness and that is wonderful!
Also, whatever has happened to Janice through this last pregnancy and kidding season has been a wonderful blessing. This is Vet2B's fancy 6* milking doe that didn't seem to ever produce much milk. Yesterday morning she gave 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Last night she gave 8 pounds 11 ounces. She has small teats that are nearly impossible to milk when she is producing that much milk, so we use the milker at every milking. Last year we were lucky to get 4 pounds from her at any milking.
The things that changed this year are that Janice had twin bucklings, she lost weight before the pregnancy, is grazing very well after the pregnancy, and is taking a multi-vitamin and vitamin C every day. She looks very good. I think she is about 7 years old, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her on the outside.
Janice was raised at a dairy and then spent some time at a friend's home before she came to us. The friend taught her how to get milked by hand and how to be around people. We finished the job here. Because she was at the dairy and then at our friend's home, she had never grazed before. She had to learn that last summer at our place. This will be her second summer with us and it looks like she is doing very well.
Tuesday (May 25) was the first day all the kids (except Buddy) were in the dry lot away from their moms. They yelled most of the day, of course. But they are eating and drinking and doing fine. Someone is coming to pick up one of Janice's bucklings today, and someone else is coming this week to pick up Gingers doelings.
He had 5 days of Albon. Our new order arrived yesterday but we decided to give his body a break from antibiotics for 48 hours to see how he does.
We also weighed him last night. He weighs 32 pounds. He has gained weight through his illness and that is wonderful!
Also, whatever has happened to Janice through this last pregnancy and kidding season has been a wonderful blessing. This is Vet2B's fancy 6* milking doe that didn't seem to ever produce much milk. Yesterday morning she gave 8 pounds, 7 ounces. Last night she gave 8 pounds 11 ounces. She has small teats that are nearly impossible to milk when she is producing that much milk, so we use the milker at every milking. Last year we were lucky to get 4 pounds from her at any milking.
The things that changed this year are that Janice had twin bucklings, she lost weight before the pregnancy, is grazing very well after the pregnancy, and is taking a multi-vitamin and vitamin C every day. She looks very good. I think she is about 7 years old, but you wouldn't know it by looking at her on the outside.
Janice was raised at a dairy and then spent some time at a friend's home before she came to us. The friend taught her how to get milked by hand and how to be around people. We finished the job here. Because she was at the dairy and then at our friend's home, she had never grazed before. She had to learn that last summer at our place. This will be her second summer with us and it looks like she is doing very well.
Tuesday (May 25) was the first day all the kids (except Buddy) were in the dry lot away from their moms. They yelled most of the day, of course. But they are eating and drinking and doing fine. Someone is coming to pick up one of Janice's bucklings today, and someone else is coming this week to pick up Gingers doelings.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
More Ducklings
Last Tuesday was a busy day. We got more ducklings in the morning. We weren't expecting them until Wednesday morning. The Post Office usually calls by 6:30 AM when the ducklings arrive. This time I got the call at about 9:45--just when I was supposed to be leaving. It actually all worked out well, things kept getting delayed with our friends so we ended up leaving for the city later than expected. If we had left on time, the ducklings would have been sitting at the Post Office until late afternoon.
When I opened the box, all the 'Grow Gel' was gone. Usually there are a few crumbs left. Not this time. They acted as if they were starving! I put them in their brood box with water, food, and grass hay (for bedding). As soon as I dipped their beaks in water, they were drinking. They started eating quickly, too. They stayed in the box for about 24 hours, then they were switched into the old rabbit cage.
Here are most of the ducklings sunggled together in the brood box. There is usually a light over head, but I removed it so you could see the ducklings better. Most of these ducklings are at their new home. I love the way they look when they are all together, so I snapped a picture of most of them in the brooder. The dark ducklings are Golden 300, the yellow ducklings are White Layers.
This is the box that the ducklings were shipped in. They are shipped through the US Postal Service. We have lost any ducklings in shipping.
More than half have gone to their new homes. We placed the order for our family along with 4 other families. All are doing well. We ended up with one that had very weak legs and didn't look like it would make it. But after a few days she is doing fine. I think it is because it needed better access to the food and water, something that is difficult where there are 27 ducklings around.
We order our ducklings from Metzer Farm. They have always been very good to work with and their prices are very competitive. I always order the grow gel since I think it is better for the ducklings. Technically, the ducklings have just absorbed the yolk and are fine for about 60 hours after they are hatched. But I don't mind spending the extra $0.40 or so per bird to give them food and water just in case they need it.
Metzer Farm also includes a free duckling in all but the smallest orders, so that if one dies during shipping, they have already 'replaced' it. We got one duckling free this order.
Ducklings do just fine in shipping. They are warm because they are in with other ducklings, they have food and water (from the grow gel), and the Post Office does a surprisingly good job of taking care of them as they are being shipped.
We order a breed called "Golden 300" or "White Layers" since the reason we have the ducks is for their eggs. Both of these breeds are well known for both their egg laying ability (close to 300 per year) as well as their calmness. We love the way Runner Ducks look, but they are more exciteable. Since we have so many visitors, we tend to like the calmer breed of any animal so that their production remains more constant, whether there are visitors or not.
So, Vet2Be has 7 more female ducklings that will be laying eggs starting this fall.
We feed our ducklings Turkey Grower since they do better on a higher protein content and no medicated feed. We aren't able to get a 22% protein content feed in our area, so we use Turkey Grower (at 26% protein content). We haven't had any trouble with Angel Wing, so we haven't worried about the higher protein content yet.
When I opened the box, all the 'Grow Gel' was gone. Usually there are a few crumbs left. Not this time. They acted as if they were starving! I put them in their brood box with water, food, and grass hay (for bedding). As soon as I dipped their beaks in water, they were drinking. They started eating quickly, too. They stayed in the box for about 24 hours, then they were switched into the old rabbit cage.
Here are most of the ducklings sunggled together in the brood box. There is usually a light over head, but I removed it so you could see the ducklings better. Most of these ducklings are at their new home. I love the way they look when they are all together, so I snapped a picture of most of them in the brooder. The dark ducklings are Golden 300, the yellow ducklings are White Layers.
This is the box that the ducklings were shipped in. They are shipped through the US Postal Service. We have lost any ducklings in shipping.More than half have gone to their new homes. We placed the order for our family along with 4 other families. All are doing well. We ended up with one that had very weak legs and didn't look like it would make it. But after a few days she is doing fine. I think it is because it needed better access to the food and water, something that is difficult where there are 27 ducklings around.
We order our ducklings from Metzer Farm. They have always been very good to work with and their prices are very competitive. I always order the grow gel since I think it is better for the ducklings. Technically, the ducklings have just absorbed the yolk and are fine for about 60 hours after they are hatched. But I don't mind spending the extra $0.40 or so per bird to give them food and water just in case they need it.
Metzer Farm also includes a free duckling in all but the smallest orders, so that if one dies during shipping, they have already 'replaced' it. We got one duckling free this order.
Ducklings do just fine in shipping. They are warm because they are in with other ducklings, they have food and water (from the grow gel), and the Post Office does a surprisingly good job of taking care of them as they are being shipped.
We order a breed called "Golden 300" or "White Layers" since the reason we have the ducks is for their eggs. Both of these breeds are well known for both their egg laying ability (close to 300 per year) as well as their calmness. We love the way Runner Ducks look, but they are more exciteable. Since we have so many visitors, we tend to like the calmer breed of any animal so that their production remains more constant, whether there are visitors or not.
So, Vet2Be has 7 more female ducklings that will be laying eggs starting this fall.
We feed our ducklings Turkey Grower since they do better on a higher protein content and no medicated feed. We aren't able to get a 22% protein content feed in our area, so we use Turkey Grower (at 26% protein content). We haven't had any trouble with Angel Wing, so we haven't worried about the higher protein content yet.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Duckling Care
This is a handout that Vet2Be had for the volunteers at his Eagle Project on 25 April 2009. I thought I would post it here in case someone is interested in how we raise our ducklings.
Keeping ducklings warm
Keep ducklings in a warm and safe environment. Use a heat lamp with a 40 to 100 watt bulb. Make sure heat lamps are secured and the area is large enough for the ducklings to get closer if they are cold and further away if too warm. Adjust the height and wattage according to your ducklings behavior. If they seem warm and settled, not huddling under the lamp, they are probably warm enough. If they are scattered out, away from the lamp, and panting, they are too warm. During the first week the lamp is hung on the inside of the cage. We use a 75 watt bulb in a reflector. During the second week, if the weather is nice, we put the lamp on top of the cage. We also cover the cage with an old wool blanket to keep in the heat and keep out the drafts.
Bedding and housing
Hay can be used if available for bedding. Never use newspaper or a smooth surface, as it could cause leg problems or a condition called "splay leg.” We put our ducklings in an old rabbit cage. Make sure the ducklings feet can't go through the wire at the bottom of the cage. The bottom of the cage is covered with old grass hay. We change the bedding every day. The rabbit cage allows most of the water to drip through onto the dirt so we don't have as much clean up. You can also put your ducklings in a large plastic tote or an old fish tank with pine shavings for bedding. This needs to be cleaned more often and tends to smell. We raise our ducklings in the barn, if you are raising yours in the house or in the garage, we recommend you use a large plastic tote or an old fish tank depending on how many ducklings you are raising.
Feeding ducklings
Feed game bird starter, un-medicated chick starter, or a commercially prepared waterfowl starter for the first 4-6 weeks. Never feed medicated chick starter or poultry feed, as this is fatal to your ducklings. Also anything moldy is fatal to your ducks of all ages! Bread, although thought of as the ideal "duck food," is also dangerous to ducklings, because it expands in their crop and chokes them. For the first few weeks they will need a constant supply of food and water. If they have food, water must be present or they can choke to death. Ducklings will take a mouthful of food and then take a drink in order to swallow. Never use any moldy bedding. Ducklings need starter feed with 20-22% protein for 3 weeks. Too much protein can cause a condition called "Angel Wing" where the feathers on the wings protrude upwards. Too little can cause nutritional deficiencies and serious health problems. Cracked corn is a popular and inexpensive food for ducks. It contains half of the protein a duck needs to stay healthy.
A growing duckling will eat 1-2 ounces of commercial ration per day gradually increasing to about 8 ounces a day when it reaches full size. We free feed our ducklings, they have access to food at all times. The protein content of their feed can be reduced at 3 weeks (to 17.5%) and at 9 weeks (to 14.5%).
We use an old tuna can for a feeder when the ducklings are very young. We switch to a half-moon rabbit feeder when they get to be about 3 weeks because it fits on the edge of the rabbit cage. We use a purchased poultry waterer to water the ducklings although you can drill a ¼” hole in the lip of an old plastic can or container (about ½” from the lip) and sit it in a pan or lid that is about ¾” tall. Fill the jar or can with water, set the lid on top and flip the ‘contraption’ over. The water should fill the pan, but stop when the water reaches the hole.
Spring 2009 we raised our ducklings on turkey starter. A 50 lb. bag of turkey 27% starter mash costs $16.99 at IFA. Although most information says this is too much protein for ducklings, we have found they do fine in our area.
Water
Ducklings love to play in water however they are not old enough and will soil their water. We use a poultry waterer. You can also use a cake pan with a piece of fencing made into a cylinder and placed in the center of the pan. The cylinder should be about one inch in diameter smaller then the pan. Never let the ducklings go without water, without it they will choke on their food and die.
Ducklings and swimming
Without the protective oils produced by the Mother, or feathers with barbicels that provide a waterproof barrier, a duckling's down soaks up water like a sponge. They will tire quickly and drown. Once they are fully feathered, about 30-45 days after birth, they are safe to be in water without their mother. Always be sure they can get in and out of the water safely on their own. Never leave ducklings unattended near water sources they can't stand up in. Be sure their drinking water supply is the shallow reservoir type (found in pet stores) otherwise they will try to swim and poop in it and if it's too deep they can drown.
How much space do ducklings need?
Age in Weeks
1-3 4-8 9-17 17+
1 sq foot 3 sq feet 3.5 sq feet 4 sq feet
Although ducklings are messier to raise than chickens, they are much easier for us to take care of as adults.
Here are some websites that we found helpful as we were learning how to raise ducklings.
Metzer Farms
How to Take Care of Ducklings
Phelps Waterfowl
How To Do Things. com
Live Ducks
*****************************
I prefer to raise the Golden 300 ducks from Metzer Farms because they lay more eggs than many breeds of chickens. Golden 300 ducks are a calm breed.Keeping ducklings warm
Keep ducklings in a warm and safe environment. Use a heat lamp with a 40 to 100 watt bulb. Make sure heat lamps are secured and the area is large enough for the ducklings to get closer if they are cold and further away if too warm. Adjust the height and wattage according to your ducklings behavior. If they seem warm and settled, not huddling under the lamp, they are probably warm enough. If they are scattered out, away from the lamp, and panting, they are too warm. During the first week the lamp is hung on the inside of the cage. We use a 75 watt bulb in a reflector. During the second week, if the weather is nice, we put the lamp on top of the cage. We also cover the cage with an old wool blanket to keep in the heat and keep out the drafts.
Bedding and housing
Hay can be used if available for bedding. Never use newspaper or a smooth surface, as it could cause leg problems or a condition called "splay leg.” We put our ducklings in an old rabbit cage. Make sure the ducklings feet can't go through the wire at the bottom of the cage. The bottom of the cage is covered with old grass hay. We change the bedding every day. The rabbit cage allows most of the water to drip through onto the dirt so we don't have as much clean up. You can also put your ducklings in a large plastic tote or an old fish tank with pine shavings for bedding. This needs to be cleaned more often and tends to smell. We raise our ducklings in the barn, if you are raising yours in the house or in the garage, we recommend you use a large plastic tote or an old fish tank depending on how many ducklings you are raising.
Feeding ducklings
Feed game bird starter, un-medicated chick starter, or a commercially prepared waterfowl starter for the first 4-6 weeks. Never feed medicated chick starter or poultry feed, as this is fatal to your ducklings. Also anything moldy is fatal to your ducks of all ages! Bread, although thought of as the ideal "duck food," is also dangerous to ducklings, because it expands in their crop and chokes them. For the first few weeks they will need a constant supply of food and water. If they have food, water must be present or they can choke to death. Ducklings will take a mouthful of food and then take a drink in order to swallow. Never use any moldy bedding. Ducklings need starter feed with 20-22% protein for 3 weeks. Too much protein can cause a condition called "Angel Wing" where the feathers on the wings protrude upwards. Too little can cause nutritional deficiencies and serious health problems. Cracked corn is a popular and inexpensive food for ducks. It contains half of the protein a duck needs to stay healthy.
A growing duckling will eat 1-2 ounces of commercial ration per day gradually increasing to about 8 ounces a day when it reaches full size. We free feed our ducklings, they have access to food at all times. The protein content of their feed can be reduced at 3 weeks (to 17.5%) and at 9 weeks (to 14.5%).
We use an old tuna can for a feeder when the ducklings are very young. We switch to a half-moon rabbit feeder when they get to be about 3 weeks because it fits on the edge of the rabbit cage. We use a purchased poultry waterer to water the ducklings although you can drill a ¼” hole in the lip of an old plastic can or container (about ½” from the lip) and sit it in a pan or lid that is about ¾” tall. Fill the jar or can with water, set the lid on top and flip the ‘contraption’ over. The water should fill the pan, but stop when the water reaches the hole.
Spring 2009 we raised our ducklings on turkey starter. A 50 lb. bag of turkey 27% starter mash costs $16.99 at IFA. Although most information says this is too much protein for ducklings, we have found they do fine in our area.
Water
Ducklings love to play in water however they are not old enough and will soil their water. We use a poultry waterer. You can also use a cake pan with a piece of fencing made into a cylinder and placed in the center of the pan. The cylinder should be about one inch in diameter smaller then the pan. Never let the ducklings go without water, without it they will choke on their food and die.
Ducklings and swimming
Without the protective oils produced by the Mother, or feathers with barbicels that provide a waterproof barrier, a duckling's down soaks up water like a sponge. They will tire quickly and drown. Once they are fully feathered, about 30-45 days after birth, they are safe to be in water without their mother. Always be sure they can get in and out of the water safely on their own. Never leave ducklings unattended near water sources they can't stand up in. Be sure their drinking water supply is the shallow reservoir type (found in pet stores) otherwise they will try to swim and poop in it and if it's too deep they can drown.
How much space do ducklings need?
Age in Weeks
1-3 4-8 9-17 17+
1 sq foot 3 sq feet 3.5 sq feet 4 sq feet
Although ducklings are messier to raise than chickens, they are much easier for us to take care of as adults.
Here are some websites that we found helpful as we were learning how to raise ducklings.
Metzer Farms
How to Take Care of Ducklings
Phelps Waterfowl
How To Do Things. com
Live Ducks
Extra Weekend Day!
Memorial Day is not only a day to remember those who have served so valiantly for our freedom, it is a wonderful gift to have an extra day on the weekend. It seems we are never caught up in the spring. There is always gardening, weeding, and the animals to take care of.
Today Vet2Be and Dad posted flags throughout our neighborhood. It is a fundraiser that the Boy Scouts do to earn money for camp. They post flags in yards on 6 holidays throughout the year. Memorial Day is one of them.
Dad had time to till the garden, again. There is still planting to be done now that the hard frost is past. Over the next week we will be planting the corn, pumpkins, squash, potatoes, and watermelon. It will be time to keep the chickens away from the garden so they won't eat the corn seeds. We hate keeping them in their pen, but we also don't like them to eat all the corn seeds!
It is also a day to weed the flower beds. A job I dread! I got the flower bed weeded where the flag is. It looks much nicer now. Unfortunately, this is the smallest flower bed, I've still got 4 more to go. Looks like I'll be busy weeding tomorrow, too!
Today Vet2Be and Dad posted flags throughout our neighborhood. It is a fundraiser that the Boy Scouts do to earn money for camp. They post flags in yards on 6 holidays throughout the year. Memorial Day is one of them.
Dad had time to till the garden, again. There is still planting to be done now that the hard frost is past. Over the next week we will be planting the corn, pumpkins, squash, potatoes, and watermelon. It will be time to keep the chickens away from the garden so they won't eat the corn seeds. We hate keeping them in their pen, but we also don't like them to eat all the corn seeds!
It is also a day to weed the flower beds. A job I dread! I got the flower bed weeded where the flag is. It looks much nicer now. Unfortunately, this is the smallest flower bed, I've still got 4 more to go. Looks like I'll be busy weeding tomorrow, too!
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