Posted on 08/01/2025 6:03:57 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Interesting. We exclusively used oat straw for our goat bedding for 25 years. The goats never tried to eat it, but it is really soft and absorbent bedding compared with wheat straw. We used all that bedding and manure on our garden all those years. Our “girls” were always relaxed and mellow and chewed their cud frequently. They ate the best 2nd cutting alfalfa we could find year round and increased grain when in milk. Thanks for the info.
I always read that all straw was nothing but cellulose
Evidently, all straw is not equal - I had no idea about oat straw until today.
My big worry about Henry eating all that straw was that he’d block himself up & colic. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.
Addendum to this straw discussion. (You may already know this!)
A bale or two of Barley Straw added to your pond will assist in algae control and help keep it clear.
Barley-straw-to-clear-up-pond-water
snip...."So, how does it work? As barley straw decomposes in your pond, it releases natural chemicals called lignins and tannins. These compounds inhibit the growth of new algae cells, effectively nipping the problem in the bud. It's important to note that barley straw doesn't actually kill existing algae. Instead, it prevents new algae from forming, allowing the current algae to naturally die off over time."
"One of the biggest advantages of using barley straw is that it's completely safe for fish, plants, and other pond wildlife. Unlike harsh chemical treatments, barley straw won't harm your pond's delicate ecosystem. It's an all-natural, eco-friendly solution that's easy to implement and maintain." ...snip
My niece had a little Nigerian Dwarf buck show up at her place about 2 years ago. Cute as could be, loaded with ticks, & scared. She managed to get him into the barn & a stall with food & water, then set out finding his owners, which happened fairly quickly.
He was so cute, she decided to get Nigerian Dwarf goats for her girls - a male (wether) & female. Last fall, she bought 2 pregnant Nubians & they had twins & triplets this spring, all does.
My other niece is getting the wether as a pet for her boys (& probably a honeysuckle eater) in about 2 weeks. I hope he’s not too lonely by himself. They have a steer, but he’ll be going to ‘the spa’ in about a week. If he seems lonely, I’m sure she’ll arrange a friend. I don’t know why he’s changing homes ... to be investigated!
"On July 31, 2025, the World Meteorological Organization certified a new lightning record. It’s for the world’s longest lightning flash, an incredible 829 km (515 miles) in a notorious storm hotspot in the United States. The flash happened in 2017. Watch in the player above or on YouTube."
Youtube world’s longest lightning flash
So, if there is any chance of lighting within 500 miles you may not be in danger, but you do have an excuse to put away your tools and go inside for the day. ("Sorry honey, weatherman says thunderstorms within 400 miles, time to come inside!")
WOW! That was some flash! With all of our rain this season, we haven’t really had any thunder & lightening shows - they’ve all just been drenching soakers, which is better, I guess.
After an hour of CHOPPING, everything is in my big white enamel pot, coming to a boil. Yep. I managed to squeak out a double batch of V-8 Juice! I scavenged every tomato I had on hand (I kept two nice slicers just for me!) and used two 28oz. cans of whole, peeled tomatoes to make the total I needed. So, I cheated a little, but just a LITTLE! I also swiped a few carrots that were going to go to Ithaca - but unless he’s sneaking into the house at night, he doesn’t know what was in the fridge. ;)
Now that I think about it, I know I have a dozen or so jars of stewed tomatoes which could also be incorporated into V-8 if necessary. But that means cleaning out the pantry under the stairs. Am I mentally ready for that? LOL!
I have decided on ONE more batch of Bread and Butter Pickles and I am then going to unceremoniously YANK those cucumber plants and re-plant with ‘Good Mother Stollard’ drying beans in their place. Enough has been MORE than enough this season!
Dilly Beans are on deck this upcoming week. I decided to do the V-8 today to lift my spirits. Man, that is some yummy stuff! :)
10 Hours of Relaxing Rain Sounds
Its the Midwest. I do not recall many all day rainstorms, cloudy, yes, all day winter snow, yes. This year I remember 2 or 3 summer days of all on and off rain. It was odd.
A happy day for canners!!
I just picked my first batch of RED jalapeños! The plants are still loaded with green ones so fingers crossed I can get another 2 - 3 batches for Jalapeño Pepper Jelly!! It takes 3/4 of a pound (about 12 medium) per batch.
Last time I made any was year before last & the JPJ lovers were begging me for it to no avail last year (I was moving, no garden). This year, I have been getting jelly jars returned from former giftees .... big ‘hint’ I think :-)
The jalapeños are Jalafuegos & I have never grown them before. Fuego is Spanish for ‘fire’ ... jelly might be a little extra spicy this year!
I clean the peppers of seeds & membranes, chop them up & put them in the food processor with a 2 cups of vinegar (amount called for in jelly recipe), then pulse a couple of times until the pepper bits are the size I like to see in the jelly. The mixture then goes into a quart canning jar & I keep them in the fridge.
Once I have 2-4 jars, it’s canning time. I don’t like dragging my canning pot & equipment out any more than I have to, so if I can do several batches in an afternoon, it works for me. The vinegar holds the peppers from spoiling & all I have to do is dump a jar in the pot, heat it up & go from there with Sure Jell & sugar. I love the ‘pop’ of those jelly jars sealing! :-)
So abut how many lbs of tomatoes a year do you suppose you process into different things?
They say goats don’t do well with no other goats around.
That’s what I’m concerned about. They’re herd animals & get depressed if alone. I’m guessing she’s going to get another goat or two from folks she knows to go along with the Nigerian Dwarf. I’ll be talking to her this coming weekend & will check out the situation.
Yes they are herd animals and competition eaters too. Have at least two the same size. We had Saanens, a Swiss breed. They are gentle and mild. The 25 years we had goats we were also in the county goat barn with many other breeds for a week and I did 5 years as goat superintendent. Kids are always attracted to the floppy ears the nubians have . BUT that is the one breed I would not recommend. They are high strung, hyperactive and bawl a LOT. Hard to handle when they are full grown too especially for hoof trimming, etc. Nigerian dwarf is a better choice.
Competition eating is a good thing. One can get lonely and it not induced to eat as much, that rumen needs to keep working.
We had a couple of them and I'd be fine without every hearing that Nubian scream again.
Over all those years we only had two nubians that were good. Two sisters that raised two wethers, worked with them a lot and showed them every year. They were HUGE though and at their home were pastured with a couple of horses. Only two I ever saw behave well. I had to open up the barn in the morning each day during fair week, about 70 goats inside. As soon as I opened it the nubians started screaming.
“I don’t like dragging my canning pot & equipment out any more than I have to...”
Exactly! That’s why I try to concentrate it to August and September - then All The Fruits come in, in September/October.
I told Beau tonight that our Kitchen and Dining Room currently look like a Superfund Site, LOL!
I have absolutely no idea.
I need 16 cups (liquid measure) of tomatoes to make a double batch of V-8 Juice. If I’m bothering to make ONE batch, I’m making TWO!
All of my recipes call for ‘cups’ of this or that. No actual ‘weight’ of things, other than for making pickles...which always ask for measures in ‘weight.’
Why recipes between various foodstuffs vary so much? I do not know.
I used a few of my ‘Bonnie Brand’ Jalapenos in the V-8, today. But I will still have plenty more for Poppers. :)
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