thinking of selling out

darbyfamily · #1 08/18/08, 12:42 PM

I think we just have too much on our plate these days... school starts soon (homeschooling), swimming, home ec classes, church classes on wednesdays and then all of the animal chores... I'll have 7 kids in school this year and my load will increase dramatically because of some changes in curriculum too.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in a Cow/calf pair please let me know

or give them my email..

allthedarbys@sbcglobal.net

MamaTiger · #2 08/18/08, 03:59 PM

Sorry to hear this

It is a *lot* of work though to have animals. For us, we feel the responsibility is good for our dc and it requires diligence, both character qualities we feel to be very important. But I understand your decision.

Oh, and you know me elsewhere under a different name lol

Sabrina67 · #3 08/18/08, 09:53 PM

SO sorry to hear it. I totally understand though. We have 7 kids and it is a handful.
We started a new curriculum too and it has been a huge adjustment..for me and my ds. We had done SOS on computer and started Abeka this year. Much more work .
Good luck on everything. I hope you still post here ,I really enjoy hearing from you .

copperhead46 · #4 08/18/08, 10:02 PM

Have you talked to Cameron?? He ask me about another heifer, he might be interested.
P.J.
ps.........are your girls long or short legged ??

darbyfamily · #5 08/18/08, 10:03 PM

Sabrina.. thats what we'd done last year.. my older four all were on SOS and required minimal input from me... this year, several new curriculum plans, I think I'll like it, but its going to be a lot more work for me than last year, plus a kindergartener this year to add to the older 6.

Dh doesnt want me to rush into anything at all, so we're going to spend a couple of weeks trying to woo her back to friendly.

its so strange really, when we got her she'd never been milked and I'd never milked anything. ... within about a week, we were milking and doing really well. Now, I've given her two wks with the calf to settle in... wow is she ever protective. And she just will not let me even THINK about milking her. I get close and she starts acting funny and is ready with a kick if I even reach in her direction.

Anyway, we figured we just need to start babying her and giving her cubes and gaining her trust back... and then we'll start slow and work on milking.

I know this is not the approach that some of ya'll might take, and I appreciate your difference of opinion, but we kinda handle our animals with our gut instinct, and this is how we feel we need to go with her.

Right now we're all in a bit of shock... our great pyrenees was attacked and killed by something in our neighbors back acre. Dh thinks bobcat or cougar, because a coyote would have cleaned him off right then and there. This thing killed him in one spot... large amounts of blood, then dragged him over into some brush about 65 ft away and left him under some limbs.

We're all sick about it, we loved him dearly and will never find a Dog as good as him. I've cried most of the night about it.

Im hoping mama cow will not let anything near her calf, as we dont have a place to move them to really... but, we dont have the brush and tall grass in our back acre that the neighbor has, so maybe with no place to hide, it wont bother our yard directly?

thequeensblessing · #6 08/18/08, 10:11 PM

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about your beloved Pyr. I can't imagine how devestated DH and I would both be if something like that happened to either Dudley or Janie. We'd be crushed!
I imagine whatever did it was quite large. Pyrs are known to fight off large predators, larger than themselves.
*hugs*

Sabrina67 · #7 08/18/08, 10:17 PM

So sorry about your dog. That is so hard especially with kids. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family.
I also work slowly with our animals, Maybe because I am unsure too. I think you are doing good to listen to your instinct. You know your animal better than anyone else. Just be careful , a mother cow can really be protective.
Our Donkey just had a baby and boy she is too ! At first you couldn't get within a mile of the baby.
Good luck with teh homeschooling. After SOS this seems really hard.lol MUCH more work for me. My ds was a little intimidated on the first day. I told him it would get better as we both got used to the new routine. I am sure SOS is good I just felt it was a little vague at times. Which makes this seem intense..LOL
Again Good luck

Sabrina

6ncounting · #8 08/18/08, 11:07 PM

oh Jen, I'm so sorry about your dog.

Are you really selling the cows? I may know someone interested, how much are you asking for Spring and summer?

Dirtslinger · #9 08/18/08, 11:30 PM

I'm positive it wasn't a bobcat- not even possible. 'Maybe' a cougar.

65284 · #10 08/19/08, 03:56 PM

Sorry about your dog, they really are family members aren't they? I agree it wasn't a coyote, and not a bobcat, no way either of those drags a big Pyr that far. The dragging and covering with sticks sounds like a cougar or a bear.

Wags · #11 08/19/08, 10:20 PM

Sorry to hear about your dog. I agree it would have to have been something along the lines of a cougar or bear.

Are the kids responsible enough to take on an increased load of chores? I feed 7 goats, a flock of chickens, a donkey and two heifers. If I'm not milking or trying to tame the heifers it takes me 15-20 minutes twice a day to do chores. And that is with the "help" of a overly enthusiastic 4 year old.

Perhaps it is time to review your chore routine to see if you can streamline it a bit more.

darbyfamily · #12 08/20/08, 07:56 AM

we're going to try to work it out and see how the next month or so goes..

the kids do many of the animal chores just not the milking. Maybe Im suffering from end of summer lazies?

hoping once we find our groove with school and all that things will work more efficiently.

michiganfarmer · #13 08/20/08, 10:16 AM

that would be to bad. you have worked awfull hard getting that cow going.

Happy Palace · #14 08/21/08, 03:34 PM

I'm sorry about your Pyr. I'd be devistated. I hope things work out for you. I've enjoyed reading about your adventures, especially with the cows. Hang in there with the curriculum change. I tried something new last year that ended up not working, but you don't know until you try. Sending hugs from Ohio.

Madsaw · #15 08/21/08, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darbyfamily

.

Right now we're all in a bit of shock... our great pyrenees was attacked and killed by something in our neighbors back acre. Dh thinks bobcat or cougar, because a coyote would have cleaned him off right then and there. This thing killed him in one spot... large amounts of blood, then dragged him over into some brush about 65 ft away and left him under some limbs.

Sound like a pack of coyotes. Female yote lures dogs away from teh building to where other lay in wait. Then they attack. Very common here in wisconsin. Listen at nigths to see if you hear packs running and howling in your area. If so try to look up a trapper in the area to clean them out.
Bob

darbyfamily · #16 08/21/08, 09:03 PM

we do know there have been coyotes here... our place backs up to 160 acres of soybean fields... there are no houses for a mile or more past our place either west or south...

our neighbor hears them at night, though honestly I never have.

Dh is getting a 22 rifle and a 22 hand gun to have here at the house.. actually my dad is bringing them up from Oklahoma. I just hate the idea of anything bigger than a pellet gun in our house though

with 8 kids. We already have a trigger lock for one of them and will get one for the other.