Doing the switch

As we have said before the excitement of our new fodder system has us thrilled.  The more we research the nutritional value of fodder and see how simple it is you wonder why we did not do this sooner.  We have started feeding the animals our fresh stock every morning along with their normal grain.  Each day we are cutting back on the store bought grain.  The pigs took to the fodder right away.  Chickens and rabbits the same way.  The goats love their grain so it is something they have to be weaned into.  The goats will eat all the store bought grain first and then throughout the day they will go back for the fodder.  They do eat it, just after the grain.  So again we will be starting to cut down on the store bought grain and increasing the fodder for the goats until they have a diet of all fodder and no store bought grain.  We will still give the animals hay.

Here are some nutritional value comparisons:
Barley                                                                             Barley Grass (Fodder)
Vitamins B,C & E                                                           Vitamins A,B,C,E & K
Calcium, Iron, Magnesium,Pantothenic Acid                     Calcium, Chlorophyll, Iron,Lecithin, Magnesium,
Phosphorus                                                                    Pantothenic Acid
Amino Acids                                                                   Amino Acids, Trace Elements, Phosphorus,
                                                                                      Potassium
Protein: 15%                                                                  Protein: up to 30%

to have an increase of up to 30% protein never mind the added vitamins and minerals.  Wow. For the cost of feeding the animals we have calculated it to be an average of .29 cents an animal a day to feed the fodder.  You feed one pound of fodder per every one hundred pounds of animal.

  I am not sure what we have been spending on the store bought grain but I know it is a lot more than that.  We are sure we could get the cost down on the cost of barley we just have not found the right source yet.  Also we are putting thought into growing our own barley.  Savings could be endless.  I would like to say this system takes some work.  You have to put some time in the morning to put your grain together for the next day and your daily feed.  But not to much more than you do normally.  You do have to water the fodder once or twice a day.  That may depend on your humidity levels in your home.  I have found covering the containers with plastic helps with humidity.  As we get the hang of the system we will continue to blog and share so we may help others that want to try it.  So far we would highly recommend this for any farmer big or small to try.  For a small investment you can see if it will work for you.  Really you have nothing to loose.  Everything to gain.

First day of Spring, Yay a Snow Day!

Overnight we were blessed yet again with more of the wonderful white stuff.  Today being the #firstdayofspring here in Maine it just seems to fit.  I new this was coming.  My body has a way of warning me when we will be getting snow.  When I woke this morning I did not want to get up I hurt so bad.  I was hoping school would be cancelled.  Then the text came.  I have it set up where we all get a text if school is cancelled.  It comes about 5:30am.  It is a great system.  Oh great I said I don't have to move.  Then you wonder how much is out there for them to cancel school.  Russell, on the other hand, has to get up and go even earlier when we have snow.  Not only does he have the stuff around here to get shoveled out but his work requires him to do snow removal for all the cars on the lot.  All the sales staff have to go in early on a snow day and they have to move every car.  That is not an easy job when your dealing with hundreds of cars.  You have to take all the snow off of them.  Warm them and then move them so they can plow the lot.  So the next time you buy a car remember your salesman works hard for their money.  Its not the easiest job out there.  Long hours and a lot of stress.  Most of the sales staff in a dealership don't make money unless they are selling cars.  So days when they are clearing lots of snow and no one is out buying a car they are working for free.  They have many days like that.  It is not a job for everyone.  Russell has been doing it for over seventeen years and it has its ups and downs.  I have always said he deserves a job behind a desk with less stress and regular hours.  It has never worked out that way.  In today's world you have to make a living and if selling cars is what you know how to do then that's what you do.  He likes Toyota and sticks with it.  I know if a better opportunity came along for less stress and good money he would make a move.  Money is the answer to all your problems.  If only we could live without it.

  We try to live on less but boy its hard.
So today I would say its about another ten inches of snow.  I want to say the last for the year but if I do I will jinks us.  Now it seems like the snow will never melt.  We have so much work that needs to be done around the farm and in order for it to be done the snow needs to be gone.  It's just a waiting game now.  The snow just makes everything harder.  Farming would be a lot easier if the weather would just be somewhat nicer.  Well we are not going to change mother nature so we have to work with her.  This year was our first winter and was a lesson learned for next year.  We know the changes we will make.  Working hard in the spring, summer and fall so you are prepared for a long winter. It is a must living in Maine.  I think we did quite well for our first winter.  Being the ages we are and limited income we have to think of the best way to approach everything.  There is always a few ways things can get done.  The end result for us must be the most economical and easiest on our bodies.  We are not spring chickens.  Again I speak of we as in Russell cause he is the one doing the work.  So I will keep chanting my chant of hopes that spring brings us April showers and then our May flowers.  First melt away snow just go go go.  Until then stay warm by the fire. 

Deal with the Devil

As I sit here today it has been one of those mornings.  I have many days like this.  No rhyme or reason it is something I signed on for about 14 years ago.  I often say it was the day I signed my deal with the devil.  Of course not realizing what I was doing at the time, but as we often do we want out of a situation.  We don't think of what could be some of the side effects we just go with it.  Those who don't know me, well even those who do, might be confused at this point.  Wondering what the heck am I talking about.  What could I have done that would have caused me to talk like this.  What could have happened to me to change my life that I would talk about the devil.  Think of your own life and what makes you the most unhappy.  What would you do to change it.  Almost anything you could, right?  Well I was not happy with myself.  With the way I felt physically and emotionally fourteen years ago.  I had just had a baby.  I was extremely overweight, they called it obese.  I was in pain everyday with my back.  My knees would act up out of the blue.  With my back and joint problems and being obese I was given the option of weight loss surgery.  Wow a light bulb went off in my head.  A solution to my life long problem of swinging diets.  Weight loss and gain.  The thought of less weight on my back and knees, no pain.  It seemed like heaven.  Like a dream come true.  Where do I sign.  I was so excited.  So after my son who is now almost 15 years old I went under the knife for Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass Surgery.  I was the tenth or so person to have it done in Boston.  It had to be safe right.  It had to be OK I was having it done in Boston the best place to have things done.  WRONG!
For years I have wanted to tell my story but really until the last few years I have gone miss diagnosed.  Today I a finally getting the proper treatment for what went wrong all those years ago.  Even back to before the Gastric Bypass.  Don't get me wrong on many things I will say.  I love Doctors and have great respect for them but the medical field is the process of elimination.  Which leaves room for many mistakes and improper diagnosis.  It was not till I became a Paramedic myself years ago that I was able to begin helping myself and piecing things together.  I am not a doctor and I have not found all the answers for myself but because of my persistence I was able to get some answers.
For years before my gastric bypass I was in pain daily in my back and hips.  My knees would swell out of the blue.  I did not fall or injure them.   I would go to the doctors and or the emergency room and be told to stay off my feet and be given a muscle relaxer.  I took so much Ibuprofen I gave myself ulcers.  It was at the point I was unable to take ibuprofen because of the stomach issues.  I would go on for years with the same complaints and have multiple mri's and xrays.  But always dismissed as just weak bones and degenerative disc disease.  Of course the same time being told losing weight would help me also.
Then in Hollywood the stars were having this "Gastric Bypass" and with great result.  Of course you had to qualify.  Your BMI had to be at a certain percent.  I met that percent.  I just had a baby.  You have to have other qualifying illness.  I did, the disc disease.  So my doctor gave me the referral to Boston the best place to have it done.  The best part was they were starting to do a less invasive bypass.  The laparoscopic bypass only required six small port incisions to do the operation instead of the open big scare.  Easy.  A two day stay in the hospital.  Less than it was when you have a baby.  Wow I can do that.  I can have my stomach taken out and never be fat again.  Who wouldn't want that.
They don't make it that easy.  Don't get me wrong.  They make you go for many appointments first.  You have to go through a sociological exam.  They have to make sure you will not over eat after the procedure is done.  They make you understand this is a life long change you will never be able to eat a full meal again.  They tell you it is baby steps.  They really make sure your ready for a life change of loosing weight.  They let you know you may need extra vitamins.  They tell you to join a support group for gastric bypass patients. They don't tell you what I am going to tell you!
From day one I had complications.  I was sent home from the hospital sipping one once cups of liquid every few hours.  Every time I did it made me sick.  I was back in the hospital three days later with an infection in one of the port incisions.  They had to cut it open again and pack it with gauze.  I was sent home finally after a day or two.  A nurse had to come to my home two times a day to change the gauze.  That happened for about two months until it closed.  I still could not eat solids from day one.  Every time I tried I would get sick and vomit.  They brought me in and did a scope down my throat and tried to dilate the opening they made,  Nope didn't work.  I soon realized I was not able to digest any meat.  So I gave it up.  Till this day I have not eaten meat.  That was not the worst part.
It was about seven months after the bypass and I woke up one morning feeling nauseous.  I started vomiting and couldn't stop.  It went on for about 15 hours before I went to the ER.  They ran test and the next thing I know I was in for emergency surgery.  I had a small bowel obstruction.  They had to remove part of my intestine.  I was told by my surgeon that a staple was left behind on my gastric bypass and tissue had caused what they called banding and it wrapped around my intestine and it caused a blockage.  I was in the hospital that time for about three weeks.  I was pretty sick.  Not to mention I was down to 120 lbs at that point and I am 5' 10'' tall.  Not to good.  I was way to skinny but I couldn't eat.  I wanted to.  This was not what I signed up for.  I felt like I was dieing.  My hair was falling out.  They had to put in a drain in my old stomach.  The surgeon said if he didn't put one in when he opened me up it looked like it was going to explode.  They took out the drain about two months later.
I did heal from the surgery.  I was able to find ways to gain some weight back.  Still not eating meat but I was able to eat foods that would digest fast.  Soft foods.  But that caused another problem.  I know today what that was but for years I didn't.  I would eat then all of a sudden I would get weak, sweaty, tired and an increased hunger.  So I would eat again.  Sometimes I would feel like I wanted to pass out.  Even confused.  This went on for years.  I would tell my doctors.  They ran test.  Checked my diabetes levels.  They would tell me everything was fine.  This went on for years.  Up and down.  Finally when I became a paramedic I put two and two together and started checking my sugar when it was happening.  Well go figure I was hypoglycemic.  My sugar was as low as 29 sometimes.  I was able to walk and talk at that range.  So I would report it to my doctor.  Well they did more A1C test. That came out fine.  Well of course it would.  That test an average.  What was going on with me is far from average.  So for years the frustration went on.  Finally I was able to get one of my doctors to call the Josilin Diabetic Clinic in Boston and OMG they have done all kinds of studies on people that have had gastric bypass and there is a condition (side effect) or complication from the bypass that causes Hypoglycemia.  By golly.  I am not crazy.  What is happening is when I eat and the food leaves (digest) I get an insulin rush.  My body produces to much insulin and causes me to become hypoglycemic.  Food and alcohol triggers it.  It can be deadly.  It can cause car accidents.  My blood sugar can drop many times in one day.  Often it gets dangerously low before I even know it.  Then it takes me a while to recover.  I live an up and down everyday.  Food is the devil to me.  If I don't eat it wont drop.  Go figure.  Its not what we are taught in medic school.  We should because there are gastric bypass's done everyday.  People are dying because of hypoglycemia.  It might because their blood sugar drooped and they were driving and they caused and accident and killed themselves or others or they went to sleep and they had low blood sugar and have been undiagnosed.  Post Gastric Bypass Hypoglycemia needs to be taught or explained to all medical providers.
I know the medical field still are not informed of this condition because I recently moved to Maine and tried to establish myself with a new doctor and was trying to explain this condition to him and he told me he never heard of such a condition.  That I might have to go back to Boston because he didn't think a endocrinologist around here would know what I was talking about.  Are you kidding me.  He is no longer my doctor.  You would think this would be enough for me to be done ranting but nope.
I could write a book on this and maybe someday I will.  I am not sure if I could ever answer the question if I could go back in time and change things would I.  I have gone through so much.  Good and Bad.  I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason but boy I really think my reason might be to inform that person that might be on the edge of getting a gastric bypass.  I want people to make informed decisions in life.  Really know what you are getting into.  Maybe if I new what my real diagnosis was with my bones and joints I would have gotten some help with that first instead of blaming my weight.  Maybe that is where I should have started in this whole blog.  A few years ago I was given what I believe to be my finally proper diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis.  Up until this point I suffered years of joint pain and swelling that went unexplained.  If I was given this diagnosis in my twenties and started treatment then I would be in better shape than I am now.  But it is not to late for me.  I have a great Rheumatologist, started treatment and it has helped.  My swelling has gone down.  I take injections every other week and it seems to be controlling the disease to a point from the ankylosing part (means vertebrae can fuse together).  For those who don't know what Ankylosing Spondylitis is, an inflammatory disease that can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse together.  The disease can affect your hips, knees and other joints similar to rheumatoid arthritis.  It can run in families.  My brother has been diagnosed with the disease also.  He was diagnosed years before me and I never mentioned it to my doctors because I always thought it was just something men had.  The fact is it is more common in men but women can have it to.  When I stated family history to one of my doctors it put up a red flag and that was the first time I went to see a Rheumatologist and it changed my life.  So please try to always give a good family history it may save you years of trouble.  I have been lucky and the medicine that I take is prolonging the ankylosing process.  I still live everyday with pain.  Some days seems unbearable but I have developed a high threshold for pain over the years.  Pain management is still a work in progress.  Living in cold, wet climate does not help.
Seems like I might be pretty broken up for my age.  Funny part is I try to hide it most of the time.  Most of the time I am so tired it is hard to function.  What makes me so tired?  Maybe the pain, or the hypoglycemia but most likely it is the iron deficiency I suffer.  Yes another side effect/complication or drastic change in your life you will deal with after a gastric bypass is the inability for your body to absorb nutrition from what you do eat.  OK I will admit my diet lacks what is needed and I still to this day have days when my stomach will reject food.  So malnutrition has a lot to do with it but it is not just me.  I have read stories of others that are severely anemic also.  It is not as simple as to take an iron supplement.  My body does not keep it.  The only way for me to maintain a supply of iron is for me to get regular iron infusions.  Along with chronic fatigue a big side effect from being anemic is the urge to chew ice.  It is not just an urge with me it is something beyond my control.  I know for a fact it has everything to do with the iron deficiency.  After I get the iron infusions the urge goes away.  When I start to become deficient the urge comes back slowly at first.  Then the urge is so bad that I cant get enough ice.  I am freezing cold but I just have to have ice.  It is just crazy.  It has hurt my teeth so bad.  So if you are chewing ice or crave it bad see your doctor and have your iron checked.  I bet its low.
I could go on about how this operation has changed my life.  I like the weight that I am and some days I wish I had bigger boobs or had more muscle.  I live everyday with a constant struggle of my blood sugar, chronic fatigue and stomach and  pain issues.  Food has become my enemy.  When people look at me they say, I wish I was you, your so skinny.  No you don't.  Be happy with who you are and if your not find out the real reason why.  Don't try and opt out for some quick fix it might not turn out the way you plan.  A deal with the devil always has a price.

When Spring is here...

It seems like words that come out of our mouths so often.  When spring comes we will do this.  When spring comes we will do that.  The list is going to be never ending.  The picture above was from last spring and boy to look at it makes you long for the day.  Today we look at the same landscape and see a few feet of snow.  Can be depressing to say the least.  We have to keep looking back at our pictures from last year to keep our hopes of a green lawn in our future.  We know it will come but right now it seems like it has been forever ago.  Winter is pretty, don't get me wrong, but at this point I say it has been long enough and bring on the spring.  We are ready.  We have a roof to fix.  A house to side.  Some paddocks to build.  Hopefully a barn to build.  And so much more.  All of course if we can afford it.  We will have to do it slow and Russell has to be able to do the work himself.  So some of the list may not even be possible but it all needs to be done. So while we wait lets all just think spring, think spring, think spring.

Growing Excitment

Our Fodder System is working beyond our expectations.  This is day three and we are so amazed on the progress.  

It is just so exciting to be able to grow your own organic food for your animals.  To increase the nutritional value and to save money while doing it is amazing.  I have now found a local source of Barley seeds that will be a great savings.  Our local  http://www.johnnyseeds.com/t-stores.aspx they have a great supply of Barley seed on hand and I pick up my first 50 lb bag of it tomorrow.  So far the rye and sunflower seeds have been doing great.  The wheat seeds have not sprouted yet.  So I will do more research on them.  They might just take longer to sprout.
We are confident that on day six or seven we will be giving our livestock their first hearty helping of fresh fodder.  We just cant wait for the benefits.  We have modified the shelving because the one we started out with was going to be too small with the amount we need to grow.  But we had another larger shelf in a loft area that I borrowed for this trial period.  If all works well we will purchase the Fodder System its own shelf.  For this trial I do not want to spend any extra money until I know it is proven to work.  We are confident at this time it will and the process is so easy everyone who raises animals should be doing it.

Fodder Food

We are always trying to find  more nutritious ways to feed our animals.  Feeding animals better food for them and trying to make it cost effective would be an added benefit.  We have had the thoughts of a fodder system in our heads for quite some time.  The whole process of hydroponics is amazing.  When you look into it the cost can be expensive.  I am sure in the long run it does pay for itself.  But of course it makes the wheels in our heads turn.  Just like everything else in life there has to be more than one way.  An expensive way and a way of doing it yourself.  So with some research and now some experimenting we are off and running.
Yesterday, I will say we started our Fodder System.  No we didn't spend money buying all the expensive equipment from the farm stores or online.  We used what we have around the house.  Just like most other farming projects I am sure you have everything you need right here at home.  The only thing we did have to buy was some seed. 

After doing research I have found that barley seed is the best fodder to feed.  To get barley seed you have to order it online.  I have not been able to find a source for it around my home, so far.  I will not give up.  So while I wait for the barley to come in.  I will get the whole process going with what I was able to find at the local farm store.  Rye seed is something that is readily available.  Also wheat is something you should be able to find if you look hard enough.  I have also incorporated some Black Oil Sunflower seeds.  I think this should make a great, healthy mix of fodder.  I will be feeding this to my pigs, goats, chickens and bunnies.  From my research the fodder can be 90% of their diet.  The goats will still need some hay, they say they will not need as much.  The pigs I will still feed hay as well and maybe some dairy.  The chickens will get some added calcium and grit.  I have to do some more research on the bunnies on what other supplements they will need.  I will find out before they are switched to a fodder diet.
So yesterday I took a pan and soaked an equal amount of rye and wheat seeds.  I think I put in about 2 cups each.  Then I added 1 cup of the black oil sunflower seeds.  I added 2 tsp of bleach to the water. They say the bleach will kill off any bacteria in the seeds.  I have also read you could use peroxide if you did not want to use the bleach.  This will keep mold down also.  I let this sit overnight.  Eight hours of soaking is long enough.  This should be my starter mix of my fodder in 7 days I should be able to start feeding fodder to the animals.

I placed the seeds today in pans or Tupperware containers I had around the house.  

Before I put the seeds in the containers I drilled holes in one end so the water would drain.  I have the fodder system on a wire shelf I had in my kitchen.  Yes I did have some pots and pans on it but I found other places for them.  So I have each pan set up at a slant with the holes I drilled at the bottom part so it will drain well and water will not sit in the containers when I water a few times a day.  If you do it this way you only have to water from the top of the shelf and the water will drip all the way down to the bottom trays.  The bottom tray is an empty tray to collect the leftover water.  This will need to be emptied often.
After I filled my first trays now I have to get a new batch of seeds ready to soak for tomorrows fodder tray.  Everyday you will need to fill a new tray with seeds to keep your fodder system working for your farm.  You will have to figure out how much fodder you will need for your animals.  They say 1 pound of fodder for every 100 pound of animals.  Seems pretty easy to calculate.  My pigs are about 100lbs a piece and I have 3 of them so I will feed them 3 lbs of fodder.  My goats are 60 lbs each and again we have 3 of them.  Because we are trying to breed them I might just feed them the full pound each but they could have less.  At first I will ease them into the fodder.  I will start with small amounts and gradually get them up to the full fodder feeding amount.
The fodder takes 6-7 days to get to the point from seed to feeding stage.  From what I have read day 6 has the most nutritional value for the animals.  After day 7 the nutritional value goes down.  I find this all so interesting and if it works out I just cant see why everyone doesn't do it.  I will keep a day by day journal of how it is going and post.
We look forward to the benefits of a fodder system for our livestock.  We look forward to the savings it will bring our family.  Just one more FYI by switching to a fodder feed you increase your protein value from 15% to at least 30% for your animals.  Just think what that will do for there growing.  To feed your animals an organic food that gives them 30% protein WOW.  I want to eat it.  I would stop being anemic I bet.

March Snow Storm

As we sit here in the dark the fire keeps us toasty warm. The power shut off about 8pm. The snow still falling not sure when it will stop. It's a wet snow. I'm sure the reason for the power outage. To look outside it's like a wonderful winter wonderland. So pretty. Just as long as your loved ones are home safe and dry. The family is sitting by the fire playing some games. It is kind of nice to loose power. Gives a family time to shut off and use the power of conversation.

School let the children come home early this afternoon. It gave them some great time to play outside. 

Not sure if you can see them in the picture. They are playing in the front of the pigs. I love watching them play together. 

When they were done they had time to play with the pigs. Russell is trying to hug them. They just think he has food. 

It's now 9:30pm power came back on just in time for bed. Good night!