Farm Friends

As things come together around here, we've finally arrived to the point of actually beginning able to bring in animals for our developing farm.  I say "finally" rather tongue-and-cheek because after all we've only been here four or so months!  Been a little busy you might say, but have covered lots of territory.  Quite the accomplishment to feel ready for our furry friends!

We've just finished the exterior house painting, only lacking the garage and a few odd-n-ends while Joe is outfitting a stall in the barn for the hens.  We hope to add them to our collection in a few weeks, but first on the arrival is our hopefully loyal but very cute farm guard dogs!  Ta da!  Yes, we're very pleased to present our two Great Pyrenees puppies (7 weeks old) Samson and Judah!!!  Precious pups bred to protect flocks, be faithful to family and great with children!  Course they get HUGE approximately 120 lbs full grown...but we wanted a dog that would uh, "get-er-dun"... if you know what I mean. 

The man with the litter had ten pups and we were able to see the parents.  They had been born in a barn with sheep, already getting acquainted with their flock.  We're very anxious to get the hens so that the puppies can grow with them while developing their protective instincts.  Course being outdoor animals and receiving no real health treatment from the owner left them a little wormy and full of fleas...yuck!  Which also meant that he had not vaccinated them either, which was one of my criteria for dogs.  I wanted them unvaccinated so that they could be treated holistically from the very beginning. 

I'm using diatomaceous earth (food grade) for worm treatment found at our local Tractor Supply store.  It's a neat product that can be used in many ways including human consumption for detox and parasites.  DE is made from phytoplankton or one celled organisms in the ocean.  The microscopic sharp edges of the diatom shreds the "skin" of the parasite and the dust dehydrates the rest.  So essentially the pest dies from dehydration.  It works via physical mechanisms and not chemical so it's non-toxic.  Can be used for fleas too, orally and by rubbing the dust into the fur.  Kills other bugs and can be used safely around the house with children.  Cheap too...$12 for 20lbs.  It has to be Codex food grade though, not pool DE as it is made with chemicals.  I've been mixing the DE with plain yogurt twice a day and so far they love it!  Haven't seen any wormies in the poop after the first day but will treat for three weeks just to make sure larvae are gone too.  http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/diatomaceous_earth.html

Fleas are a tough one for most pet owners, but repellent begins from the inside out.  I refuse to use poison collars and products like Frontline and Advatage which are not much better.  Solutions you can add to food/water that contain garlic, herbs and vinegar all make the host's body less yummy to fleas and ticks.  After bathing them in an organic shampoo I rinsed them with a raw apple cider vinegar and eucalyptus spray that also helps deflect bugs.  In another day or so I will dust them with the DE and continue with the solutions orally.  Nothing is 100% for a full-time outdoor pet, who romps through fields during the summer, but keeping them under control will hopefully make them much healthier.  I'll post in the future the results of this endeavor.

My next challenge is to revamp their diets.  So much has changed nutritionally for animals since I last had dogs...learning curve...HUGE.  The new rage seems to be the SARF and BARF diets.  No joke...meaning...SARF, species appropriate raw food and BARF, bones and raw food...hmmm mouth watering!  My goal is to feed them mostly home prepared food especially as we grow and slaughter our own, but for now it will probably be a mix of home prepared and dry.  Tonight they enjoyed raw ground beef with pureed carrots and green pepper mixed with a spoonful of coconut oil.  Talk about scarfing!  We'll just have to see how long the chef makes it on this plan!!  :)