Step in the right direction

I am happy to say we went through the steps to be approved for a Pet Finder
rescue account.

You can find the animals we are helping place here:

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/WV164.html


I currently have 5 Arabians listed as a courtesy.

Life: Renewing here on the farm

This little gal was born this afternoon, just two days after we had to put Phoenix, the rescue mare, down.

Kind of symbolic since we were so very sure this doe wasn't bred to kid until 4 weeks from now. I suppose our little Nigerian was busy at an awfully young, young age because we put Missy, the doe, in with our Pygmy buck for kids in October, and
there is no way this doeling could belong to him.

Either way, that is the cycle of things and life on a farm. It is a process of renewal.
Things pass away, new life is born. . .it is all very heart wrenching and touch at the same time.

This is Missy's 3rd kidding. She gave us a little grey buckling in Spring of 2009,
Twin Kinder kids in January 2010 and now this little doeling Nigerian cross. I believe
she will end up giving us twins as she still appears to be carrying another.

This little girl will be for sale to an approved home only,

if we decide to not retain her.

She will be $150 and should milk well since

her sire is a Nigerian from milking lines,

and her dam has an amazing udder for a Pygmy.

There is a waiting list, so I imagine she is be reserved quickly, at any rate.

She is gone, it is over, but it is not finished

This evening at 7pm, we put down Phoenix, our rescue mare.

She is now, for the first time, probably since she was a foal,

without pain. That is something to breathe a sign of relief for,

truly, it is.

I want to thank my Uncle, Tony, and Sam Maynard of Maynard
Construction here in Lavalette for their help!

She is a dirty mess here today, but she laid down so much, keeping her clean

wasn't possible.

It is better on the other side, little mare,

I assure you, it must be.

The mare is gone. I will say, it was very peaceful, John says. He gave her a high dose of Bute to allow her to walk out a bit into the pasture, and he gave her treats the whole way, something I'd not given her before due to her starvation and hooves, and she grazed some, and it was really peaceful and she had enough Bute, that she seemed to feel okay on the walk - though he said it was a pitiful walk.

I hope I've learned something from her case, and I hope I've shared her story online enough that it moves some people to action to try to help horses in such need.

http://www.deviantart.com/ by plutoplusone.com

I want to take this time to let people know that there are many other horses like her out there.

If you breed horses or enjoy them by having personal riding horses, please understand you should feel obligated to do rescue when you can afford to.

I feel it is only the right thing to do. Give something back to the creatures that give you so much.

Right now, the horse market is beyond down. Horses aren't selling and the few that do go for a pittance, by and large. There are no slaughter facilities in America anymore, but this simply means the horses are shipped into Mexico and Canada. It is an inhumane trip and there is much less regulation over the borders US. The auction pens are full of horses and kill buyers standing by to happily bid and take the unwanted to a cruel death.

Horses are so cheap now, anyone can "get themselves" one, two or three. That is what happened with this mare. The people who had her could not feed themselves, and yet they felt they should get 'em a horse. 10 years ago, when horse prices were higher, neglect and abuse was somewhat less amuck.

Please, if you have the facilities, take in a rescue horse once you know how to rehab one, how to refeed one. If you love horses and can't afford to take in a rescue or do not have room, consider donating to a rescue to help them continue to help the unwanted because, I assure you, they are everywhere.

Life on the Farm must proceed

The boys, the older two, one being my husband and the other our older son, decided
to take a trail ride today.

First they went out with my son on his pony and my husband on our stallion, JC.
That all went very well, by and large.

JC seemed scared of the river. Acorn, the little gelding, at the rip age of 20, was able to show JC, the young and brave stallion, how to trod on through the water and convince him it would not swallow him up alive. Down through the river they then went.
On the way back, Acorn had to demonstrate once again that the river is safe to walk through, and JC was able to meander on through.

(The above was after JC's ride, and his saddlepad was riding off!)

When they returned, my husband swapped out our stallion for our Quarter Horse mare, Liz, and off they went again. Aparently, both Liz and JC need a lot of work on "Whoa" and enjoy a full gallop all the way out and back, but my husband is a normal young man who finds this a great pleasure. Acorn, though he should behave a bit elderly at 20 years old, also enjoys a good gallop.

It was during the gallop home that Acorn could not be sure whether he wants to run, eat or eat and run. . . so he tried the later. This required him to abruptly put his head down and my poor 9 year old went over his head and crashed.

He is no worse for the wear save a few scratches and a stiff jaw, was wearing a helmet (thank God) and got back on and rode the pony home. Thus is the danger of riding even well trained, 20 year old ponies!

That was the adventure for the day, for them. I stayed home with the little ones.

All over the Place

Can I just take a moment and share with everyone that I have no idea what to do.
I always know what to do, and now I am bereft of any direction.

Phoenix, the rescue, is supposed to be put down tomorrow evening at or about 7pm.

We had a gracious volunteer, Sam Maynard of Maynard Construction here in Lavalette,
come and dig the grave today. He offered kindly to come back tomorrow and bury her once she is put down.

Now, maybe I am just getting cold feet and this is still the right choice, but maybe there is a chance she will recover and be okay and basically, eventually pain-free and live happily. . .

Maybe she just needs time or maybe she simply is tired and wants to be done. 'Tis the trouble with animals. . . they cannot tell us.

I had friends visit yesterday, and she was perky, nickering to them, came over for some pats, and that is what made me really reconsider. If she can feel okay enough to do that, is she really through?

Oh, maybe she is just used to so much pain that she copes as best she can and gets what love and affection she knows we offer and deals.

Here is a photo of her leg tonight. I haven't bothered cleaning it or wrapping it the last little bit because we knew we were putting her down, and it is painful for us to mess with it, so why torment her to no end with it?

You know, I began this journey by writing, "Horse Rescue is not fun, but someone must do it. . ." and perhaps my husband is right and I need to "Cowboy Up" now that it really and truly has become a tragedy, but I can't seem to find the ability to do so.

I need to make a decision soon and make peace with it. Who knows what that will be.

 * * *

Okay, I've come back to this post from this evening to add that I was able to email with and hear back from a large rescue that deal specifically with rescues with serious hoof issues.

They were able to put things in perpective with this mare in a way that makes me feel at peace with putting this mare down. I am not happy about it, but I feel much more confident in the decision now.

A Threat to Real Milk and Cheese in MO

Read the blog below:

http://www.truth-farmer.blogspot.com/

I know the folks of Morningland Dairy

 http://www.morninglanddairy.com/

through online forums, and the way they are
being used as a target because of raw cheese
and milk is outrageous!

Read that blog, visit Morningland Dairy's site
and email aginfo@mda.mo.gov at the USDA
and tell her you are outraged at how Morningland is being treated.

Below is a text you can modify written by another upset homesteader I know.
Adjust the letter to suit you and email to the above address:

"To Whom It May Concern:




I am writing to express my extreme shock and displeasure with the way a confiscated cheese in California has somehow forced a family dairy in Missouri to shut down their business and is demanding the dairy destroy six-month's worth of good, wholesome dairy product -- which the government refuses to allow them to batch test.



Morningland Dairy in Mountain View, Missouri, has operated for thirty years without one incident of someone becoming ill from their cheese.



How, then, can it be that a sample of cheese taken clear across the country in California, where it sat for over four months in an un-iced cooler,and sat for another fifty-five days before it was tested, with absolutely NO knowledge of how it was handled during those fifty-five days, forces the closure of a dairy in Missouri?



And how can it be that, despite the fact that over one-hundred swabs taken from the Missouri dairy all tested negative for pathogens, the FDA and Missouri Milk Board insist that close to half a million dollars worth of product must be destroyed rather than be tested?



I'd also like to respectfully ask why the laws in the state of seizure (California) were not followed, to wit: Confiscated food is to be tested IMMEDIATELY, and the producer of that food product is supposed to receive an identical sample to test independently. This did NOT happen.



Please, tell me why Morningland Dairy must be shut down when it is patently obvious that their good, healthy food is not at all contaminated. Why are you looking to them as the source of pathogen based on a questionable sample taken clear across the country?



I have to wonder if something like this happened to a mega-producer like Kraft, would they be treated so abominably, with no recourse whatsoever to defend their innocence?



There are many people questioning what is going on here, and we deserve honest, straightforward answers.



I look forward to your timely response in this matter.



Sincerely,

__________________  "
 
 
I am tired, as I am sure you are, of the government standing up for the Big Guy and
crushing the little guy left and right, time and time again.

I'll give her a name

Because living like this is not truly being Alive

Our vet confirmed that her chance of survival and recovery is totally hopeless today.
Phoenix. . . I really knew that was the appropriate name for the rescue mare from the beginning, and now I see she is not supposed to get the name upon recovery here, but she will receive the name for the new life she will have in the "beyond,"

Even as God says that a sparrow does not fall that he is not with it in Matthew 10:29, surely not a horse goes out of this world that he is not aware of, that he does not care for, that he has not made new provisions for beyond the earth.

So the mare will be Phoenix. She will be slightly plump, shiny and be able to run to and fro in the next life, will she not?

In the story of the Phoenix, upon the death of the Phoenix, a new bird always rises from the ashes.

So it will be with our Phoenix, I believe

(When she first arrived)

Last week - haunting face that tells an awful story :(

Happily ever after isn't always external, I have learned

 

Phoenix in Theory

- just a photo I found

online, but it reminds me of how I feel she

should hae been on earth had she been properly

love and cared for

* * *

And this photo shows how I wish I could have

gotten her, show how I wish she could have

been when I posted an update on her someday

* * *

But regardless, it shows

how I believe she will go onto be once

she is out of pain here.

We are still arranging for a humane euthanasia and burial for her,

so once we do put her down, we will post a blog, too.

At this point, it is just a tribute post and an update about

what we know must now take place.

A Sad Day and ignorant mistakes

Had to put down our poor little Llama, Keisha, tonight.

She contracted the menengial worm, and once effected,

they almost never recover.

She was down. We had her stalled and treated with banamine, ivomectin

plus, bo-se and we kept her drenched with electrolytes and water,

but we had no way to get her up into a sling 

(though that just gave a slight chance she might improve),

and hercondition just kept declining over the past 4-5 days.

She had stopped eating 2 days ago, and this evening, 

she was too pitiful for me to justify tryinf to continue to

treat something untreatable.

 

We had an Alpaca get the menengial worm in the past,
and we had a vet at our last place put him down with medication,
and it was AWFUL.

They are very hard, it seems, to stick intravenously, (http://www.serenityacresllamas.com/injections.htm)

... it was SO sad and took so long - the vet stuck him over and over,
and she could never hit a vein. It was so horrible to watch. Eventually,
she was so upset over having to stick him, she did a heart prick,
and it was heart breaking to see.  I remember it so clearly.

 It was not humane.

I've seen dogs put down, and it has always been peaceful.
This instance above was nothing like that.

I swore I'd never put another alpaca or llama like that, so with Keisha,
the llama, I felt a quick, painless bullet would be the best thing when
I recalled what happened with Rufus, the alpaca, and how I wished
over and over I'd just opted for a bullet.

The vet who put the Alpaca down did tell me ahead of time that the
best option was a correctly placed shot , and she offered to go that
route when she saw him, but I declined - thinking the IV meds the
 best choice, thinking how peaceful it was for dogs. . .I was wrong
then, but I was wrong tonight, too :(

The llama, Keisha, was out of it as it was, and remembering
poor Rufus(which ttraumatized me to no end) with the vet euthanizing
. . . I felt so sure it would be the best for her to have John,
who I felt had a lot of experience with firearms, simply put her
down. . .well, all I can say is it WAS NOT what I expected.

No words :(

I'm so sorry to have made such a horrific error in judgement.
I'm sorry I assumed someone could do something he could not do correctly.
I am sorry - I thought it was the best thing.

I was wrong.

Nothing I can do about it now. I thought I learned something from
 Rufus being put down, but now, I do not know at all . . .anything more than
 I am not qualified to own llamas and alpacas. I will have no more. I did
what I thought was the right thing for her - to give her the quickest and
most pain free way out I could. . .and was wrong.

Anyone who knows me is aware I try my best to be as kind to animals
as possible. I spend money I do not really have to see those in my care
are given treatment when needed and go above and beyond. I just did
not find large animals euthanzasia to seem humane when I saw it first hand
and thought this was a better way.  :( I believe sometimes that is the case.
It was not this time.
She wasn't the nicest llama, but I like her very well :'(

Remembering

It is 9/11, and this quote from the Talmud seems very fitting,

"There are stars who's light only reaches the earth long after they have fallen appart. There are people who's remembrance gives light in this world, long after they have passed away. This light shines in our darkest nights on the road we must follow."

For those who gave everything to save others on that day, especially. . .because they had a choice, and they took such a high road.

* * *

That quote also reminds me to tell the story of our farm's name and the loss that inspired it since 9/11 is something of a time for reflection and to remember for so many people.

Lucas is no longer my last name, and it is certainly not my husband's.

Lucas is my maiden name; however, I did not choose to name our farm in order to glorify myself.

Lucas Farm was in chosen to honor my brothers, sister and father. Donald Davis "Tiny" Lucas (my father), Angel Ruth Lucas (my sister), Quentin Davis Lucas (youngest brother) and Benjamin Aaron Lucas (middle brother) all died in the last 3 1/2 years.

My sister and brothers were lost to me in a fire in Huntington, WV that lacked the brave firefighters found on September 11, 2001 in New York City.

My father followed them in his sleep at the age of 85 in June of 2009.

I also gave my middle son the name of "Lucas" in honor of my siblings; however, my father was still alive when he was born. After my father died, I had my third son, and I gave him the middle name of "Davis" in honor of my father.

Few quotes signify how I feel about them as well as this quote from the Talmud:

“There are stars who's light only reaches the earth long after they have fallen appart. There are people who's remembrance gives light in this world, long after they have passed away. This light shines in our darkest nights on the road we must follow.”

PLEASE read the whole story about them here on my Farm's site:

http://lucasfarmwv.com/Name.aspx

A positive update on the rescue mare

The mare somehow unwrapped her whole leg yesterday.

She must have done it the past night because it looked much dryer, and
frankly, it looked MUCH better. She was walking better and seemed happier.

I wasn't sure and still feel a bit uncertain, but I am leaving it upwrapped in that
area for now and seeing what takes place.

You can see above - the swelling in the leg is greatly reduced from how bad it was. You can see before photos on another blog on her. The one leg is closer to the camera than the other, so that makes it harder to tell than in person.

Here is the prolapse. First photos of it, I believe, but believe me, it looks so much better. . .long way to go still, but it looks better.

The wrap above it is for the old laceration that is healing well. It has a tendency when dry to start to form proud flesh, so it must stay wrapped for now. It looks like it is tight and making the area below swell, but it is actually VERY LOOSE. The swollen look is just from the prolapse you see.

No other hooves look like this. The abscesses are healing in the others. They seemed nearly healed in this one.

Maybe things do look "darkest before the dawn" in such cases as this

Looking a bit happier, No?

A short Soapbox rant on Homesteading

Day in and day out, I - along with most people who wish to live in a homestead type of environment - encounter the "secular" families or individuals who look at me and pose various questions about why we do what we do, live how we live or lift up ideals of living that are foreign to them.


Various people explain to me the reasons living as modern and secularly as possible is the only way that works (I always wish, as I am sure you do, to ask how it is that a lifestyle so very old and successful can be found wanting juxtaposed to the recent and modern way of life they think they prefer) and is the only way to live a fulfilled life.

I often get the questions about the animals. . . Why? What for? What good are they?
Folks who ask this. . . if the economy goes where I suspect it will, do not beg milk, eggs or meat of us ;) I will ask you some of those questions above.

Regardless, inside I do a mental eye roll and move on, most of the time. Tonight, I would like to briefly and quickly address why we do what we do and what we do not like about the alternative.

Homesteading or methods of living found at the heart of a homesteading life are not new, they are aged and weathered methods of living that have stood the tests of time and continued to prove sustainable.

The ideals surrounding a homesteading are not those that also chase wealth, affluence, notoriety, secularism, fads, titles, bigger and better or likewise. The ideals circle around family, sustainable living, often around God, a higher purpose, nature, a quest of historic knowledges and morality.

The homesteader finds being able to actually live happily is not intertwined with money, succes in the a secular manner or prestige. What matters is found at home and being able to surround your home with as much of what you have produced, raised and nurtured as possible.

Sending children out to a "village" to raise them is not only often considered absurd by those with homesteading ideals, but it is rarely something these people will partake in. Raising and caring for your children yourself is expected and enjoyed.

Living to work in a job away from the farm might be necessary, but it is not desired.

Building a career outside of a homestead could be seen to prevent the building of a life
within the homestead.

Buying all or most food sources day in and day out from mass production is not acceptable on moral, health and even the most basic life standards. Humane living is always the only choice. One must try to get as close to it as possible. Humane living is as beneficial for the human being as it is for the creatures that move the machine on.

This isn't to say the we would want to lock ourselves away on the farm or have achieved any of the ideals above (we aim for it, however). It isn't to say we hope to do nothing of outside importance, but as our founding father, George Washington, a true farmer/homesteader extraordinaire said,



"I know of no pursuit in which more real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture, its breed of useful animals, and other branches of a husbandman's cares."

- George Washington


When we forget this truth, I fear we will have truly lost any sense of really living.



President Washington also said:

"I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world"

- George Washington

No matter what path you choose to lead or espouse to heights of great importance, those of far greater knowledge than we can assume to have, those who came before us felt that,

"The farmers, therefore, are the founders of human civilization."

- Daniel Webster

A Windy day on the Farm blew in thoughts on Jersey Heifers and Farm Fresh Eggs

It was a lovely day. I must stress that: LOVELY!

The temperature was fantastic, it was overcast and it rained. I adore the rain,
and the horses loved it today after just an unbearable week of heat!

It was one of those nice and windy storms fulls of vastly spaced, huge raindrops; the
kind of rain you can walk in and barely get wet.

Just before the storm, we were out and about around the barn.

Stella, down from her hillside, enjoyed some interaction with Christian.
She is the most friendly, loving heifer I've encountered.

She will hopefully be bred AI with sexed semen in the next 3 months. She is nearly 14 months old now.

She is a small heifer, even as far as Jerseys go. This suits us fine because we had originally wanted minis, but they are out of our price range.

The nuns from the Holy Annunciation Monastery in PA, where we purchased Stella,

came to delivery 2 mini Donkeys last week, and they were thrilled with Stella's condition and size. She is truly lovely Jersey!

  * * *

To remind those who are local:

We have FRESH EGGS FOR SALE

Our hens are healthy and lovely. They are well cared for, get fresh veggies and grass and have a huge coop and a large outdoor run. They get out to free range sometimes, but to keep local hawks from picking them off, they are in their run and coop more often than not.

You can be sure, the taste of these eggs is SUPERIOR to any store bought eggs, and they are much safer. Studies show caged hens (cages so small the hens cannot move, and they never see the outdoors) have salmonella positive result 23.4% of the time. The rate drops to only 4% of Organic flock and free range flock is 3%.
Below is the conditions of the hens laying the STORE eggs:

LINK to photo credits

Juxtapose that image with our hens and rooster from today below:

Our eggs are $2.00 a dozen

I expect to raise this price soon to $3, but if you

become a customer now, you can lock in this price and

be sure to have REAL eggs from humanely raised hens!

* * *

Next on the "Let's talk about everything" agenda. . .

I am thinking about fall breeding in regards to our goats:

We decided to NOT breed our Arab mare this summer because

of the low demand for even quality horses right now, and I

did not feel right adding to the very poor market right now; however,

Livestock is still selling fairly well, so the question is whether to breed

all of the goats or pick and choose.

I believe we will only breed 4 does/doelings. See how those sell.

We have a waiting list as it is. I'm afraid of being overrun with

bucklings in the spring and having to make tough

choices about pets homes, breeding homes and left over bucklings

being used for meat. . . breed less does, have less chances of being

overrun with bucklings.

Of course, I still do not know who to breed the doelings we had

born here to. . .Our junior bucks seem unmoved by the RUT season.

That leaves us with a few non-producing members of the doe herd, but I am

okay with this.

   * * *

The Donkies are here, and how cute are they?

Justice and Jeremino: WELCOME to the farm!

Rescue Updates:

I'll start with the rescue mare. . .which I suppose I need to start calling something.
Her condition has been and remains so poor, I think it makes it hard to give her a name.

These photos are from today.
She has taken to standing as little as possible. She can get up and down, and she does.
She gets up to eat her pelleted feed 2x daily and drinks around 10 gallons of water every 24 hour period; however, most of the day she lays and eats hay.

She does this hay eating quite happily, at least. As long as she is eating, drinking and able to get up and down, I am going to let her be. I cannot put a horse down that is willing to try to live this hard.

Her weight gain seems stalled, so maybe we are dealing with some ulcers, which would be expected, really.

(photos taken with a wide angle lens, and that makes her head seem smaller than it actually is)

Some people have mentioned the eyes telling you when it is time to put the suffering to an end, and truly, this mare's eyes tell a tale that is sadder than anything I've seen in the eyes of another rescue, but she is fighting, so I will continue to help her try to overcome the suffering and healing process and actually "live."

We can still use and do need sponsors for this mare's care. PLEASE consider, if you have it to spare, helping with the financial end of this mare's recovery.

Thanks to HSUS's Summer Wyatt, David S. and fostor "mom" Laura W. of Ona for helping to rescue and caring for this stallion out of Lincoln county. This horse was picked up by Laura yesterday with the help of the Sheriff's Department (the owner was arrested)

This stallion is beautiful! He just needs gelded, groceries and

some recoup time with hoof trims and correction!

Stay tuned for updates on both.