3 Months Away

Spent the afternoon working my ranch.  I accomplished the ranch chores after we got home from morning service and a quick lunch.  Checked on all the animals, and then went for a walkabout into the Southern Area.  

I got as far as where my previous goat herd had cleared, 3 years ago.  Yeah, went past the boulders and down to the corner dip.  Saw some wild pig signs and deer signs as well.  Water buckets are still there, all tipped over.  My old hunting spot is overgrown again.  I haven't been there in awhile.  You can barely see my old trail.  But it's still there.  Even my ranch dog Duchess was running around her old stomping grounds.  We even stood on the spot where I shot that wild pig in the head as it charged at Duchess.  Who was running towards me. 

I remember naming each paddock after it was established.  There were several young coconut saplings that I've planted to show the boundaries of each paddock.  Could not find a single one during my walkabout. Wild pigs probably decimated those young coconut trees soon after we stopped grazing in the area.  We'll have to plant new ones as we move further South to reestablish the paddocks.  

The clearing operations are on schedule.  The goat herd is on the east side of area, moving South.  Gera, our karabao is on the west side moving south.  Both have stopped today, and on hold.  I had to rotate the doe herd back to the house to maintain the grass.  The buck herd moved into the ranch proper to do the same, on maintenance.  Gera was moved to the NE border to clear the area there. 

Once an area is cleared.  I come in and fell trees and shrubs that I don't need.  Soon, I'll be felling the bigger taller trees that I plan to use for fence  posts.  Getting the sun to hit the ground through the canopy is the priority.  I need solar energy to grow grass and legumes for the livestock.  I don't want to cut down all the trees, just enough for the sun to get through and the grass to take hold.  

Larraine's Chicken Flock is doing well.  Before we started clearing the ranch, they were scattered all over the jungle into small micro-flocks.  Since we've cleared, many of them have returned to the main ranch area and formed into one huge flock of 20+ birds.  Who could blame them.  Free food, 7 times a week, troughs full of drinking water, guard dogs all around.  As long as it's free and secured, who wouldn't want to come back.  3 hens with their brood of chicks scouting for bugs in the newly cleared areas.  Several roosters all strutting their stuff trying to be the top cock in the ranch.  Yet, the Guinea Roosters put them in check.  What a sight!  

It'll be approximately 3 months by the time we get to the Corner Dip. 

Enjoying Guahan's 69th Liberation Day at the Ranch.

Guam Liberation 1944.

 
Today is Guahan's 69th Liberation Day.  American Forces retook the island from Imperial Japanese Forces during World War II.  We celebrate that event every year.  Most of us have not forgetten the stories that our elders went through during the war.  The torture, slavery, food rationing, and killings of our people.  The assimilation of our people into the Japanese culture through their education programs.  

Our history was one of the main reasons why I voluntarily joined the US Army years ago.  To give back, what was given to my people, then when I volunteered, it was 42 years ago (69 years ago today)...FREEDOM.  

BIBA LIBERASION!  BIBA GUAHAN!


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Instead of heading down to Hagatna, our capital, to watch the parade, I decided to work the ranch after Sunday morning service.  I could have put off the chores but I did not.  After a quick lunch of bbq flavored stew...yeah...it was nasty...so I drowned it in ketchup to mask the bbq flavor.  I went into the ranch.  I checked on all the livestock; untangled the goats, checked on my RIR/WLH cross Rooster, checked on the kids and rams, and serviced my chainsaw and got it ready to cut down some trees.  


I brought Gera, our karabao, a 10 lb flake of alfalfa hay.  Went around again and filled up all the water containers.  Then I went and started felling some trees.  My goal was to get the sun rays to penetrate the canopy of the trees.  I'm following Polyface Farms methods and trying them out again on the ranch after a couple of years break.  I'm combining the Polyface method with Permaculture method and not traditional farming where you clear the whole acreage. 

I started cutting trees that were growing at angles to the ground.  Then lots of dead trees that were still standing.  A whole lot of them came down this afternoon.  With the trunks and branches I made some sanctuary hideaways for the chickens to lay their eggs under.  I'm able to walk straight away to the herd from anywhere on the ranch without have to take detours and climb over any obstacles.  I was able to fell most of the trees I wanted today.  I'm not done yet.

I've identified trees that I'll use to harvest timber for fence posts and rails.  Next week, I'll cut those trees down, stack the timber to dry out, then cut them down to post size.  I'll try to take pictures to show my progress.  Years ago, we didn't have to put up a fence line.  Today due to many two-legged predators, "Predatorcus", ranchers and farmers have to protect their investments.  A fence is the first line of defense and determent.  

Gera's draft training is coming a long.  He already knows, in Chamorro, the following words: Come, Keep Still, Go Back, and Pull.  He's good and complies with my commands.  I'm teaching him Down, in Chamorro.  But I'm mixing up the commands to other languages.  That'll throw off anyone observing to closely.  

I'm debating whether to make him a yoke or harness for pulling loads.  Need to do more research on that area.  



Keep Smiling 

No Wonder, there were no eggs!

 

For a couple of years, I've kept this pair of Guinea Fowl in the fly pen to breed.  Year after year, nothing.  One day, last week the Guinea Rooster managed to get out of the pen.  He didn't go far, he adopted a hen and her chicks, stayed close to protect them from the other chicken flock in the ranch, and roosted nearby.  

The other day, I let the female guinea out.  The rooster wasn't staying close to the pen like he should be.  So my train of thought was let the guinea hen out to fokai the chicken hen.  That was the plan...let her out to go after the other hen.  



After lunch, while I was tending to Gera, my karabao.  I noticed the two guineas fighting in the distance under some trees.  This was not a typical pecking order type fight.  But an all out fight like two game birds would do in the cockpit. 

Why in the world would the Guinea Rooster want to fight his breeding partner?  

I was watching them fight for a couple of minutes.  Should things get ugly, then I would go over and break up the fight.  

As I was observing, I noticed both birds seemed to move alike.  They even shrilled the same.  The hen fought back like a rooster.  Normally, the hen would turn and run, whenever confronted by an Alpha Rooster.  

Then it dawned on me, the hen was actually a rooster, only with a shorter helmet.  All these years, trying to breed the two...only realizing that both are Guinea Roosters.  I've never heard them do that squeaky call that only the hens make.  

No Wonder, there's no eggs!  


Definitely going to order Guinea Keets to replenish my Guinea Flock.  


Keep Smiling! 

BCS 725 Tractor

I acquired a two wheeled tractor, a BCS 725, made in Italy, last weekend.  It's still in good condition, needs some service and elbow grease to get it back to ranch presentation.  Nothing that a piece of sand paper and paint can't take care of.

It's a pretty awesome machine for the small backyard rancher or homestead.  It'll do good on the ranch here. The engine is from Kohler and is rated at 8 HP.  It came with several attachements:

• Cutter Bar (sickle bar)
• Plough (plow)
• Chipper/Shredder
• Dozer Blade
• Adjustable Ridger
• Rotary Hoe (tiller)
• Small Utility Dump Trailer

This new equipment will greatly aide in the expansion and maintenance of my ranch.  Check out the video below from BCS America.  





No, I will not need a snow thrower here on the island.  But, I will get me the following implements in a year or two:

• Hay Baler
• Wood Splitter
• Large Utility Trailer
• Sulky
• Power Sweeper

 Maybe after 3 years, an upgrade to the 800 series.  But first off, let's see what the 725 will do on Matua Ranch. 



Keep Smiling. 

It should be routine by now...Not.

Someone once said, that farming/ranching was easy.  He wasn't talking to me, but to some young ladies at at an agriculture seminar at the cooperative extension service.  I quietly said to myself, whatever!  When I shook his hands earlier, they were soft.  It's amazing what boys will say to get a young lady's attention.  Still laughing at that incident. 


Today, I did my chores.  You would think that after doing this for years, and with a two year break.  That I'd come up with a system to do things easier around the ranch.  Not true.  Each day is different, every animals has a different personality, and the weather doesn't seem to cooperate when you want it to.  So as much as I wanted today to be routine.  It just didn't happen.  Even with the best laid out plans on paper, or in this case, a computer, just doesn't happen when you walk into the ranch to do, The Plan.  I had planned on putting up my new goat pen today. 

As soon as I walked into the ranch this morning.  The lambs needs caring.  The goat herd saw I was paying attention to the rams.  So they started baying to get my attention.  Gera, our karabao, just looked at all the commotion going on.  It was quiet until I showed up.  

Yeah, I know...I know. 

It took awhile to get everyone situated, moved to greener areas, get them water, and make sure they were all okay. Lamb Rams are shedding their coat, attracting flies, and just whiny all the time.  I was told they're quiet.  Whoever said that, doesn't own sheep.  They do eat a lot of grass and greens.  So that outweighs they're constant whining for the moment.  All the goats are okay.  Morena was browsing along the road this morning, had to tell our ranch dog, Duchess to move her back into the ranch proper.  Gera, our karabao seems to always have his tie out lead in a spaghetti mess around a log or tree.  I betcha he is doing it on purpose.  Didn't take long to untangle the mess.  He don't know that I'm good with puzzles.  I used to untangle miles of commo wire when I was in the army.  Don't any of you tell him that.  He might make it harder or do something else to try to annoy me. 

After all that was done.  I went back to the house, cleaned up a bit and headed out to the feed store.  It was already 1130 hours.  Time flies fast when you're doing ranch chores. 

Found out via internet research, after lunch, that they do sell animal feed for sheep on Guahan.  Retailers should know their products.  For months, I've been trying to buy sheep feed to supplement the forage here on island.  Only to find out after months of, "No, we don't sell that".  That they do actually sell livestock feed for sheep.  Come Monday, I'll head out to another feed store after work to get that livestock feed for my lamb rams. 

There was another plan on paper to do this afternoon after siesta.  I was supposed to cut the grass on the trail ways.  Got back into the ranch, and started cleaning: moving tin, pulling up an old water hose, moving water troughs, putting feed into feeders for the loose chickens, untangling karabao again, picking up feeders and putting them in one place, moving junk to one area, and pruning some brush.

By the time I got back to the house.  It was already past 1800 hours.

What a day!


Keep Smiling! 

Prepping the Ranch: Karabao

MR Gera

Less than a month ago, on June 16th, I acquired our first Karabao, Gera.  He's a 3 year old male, still a young bull.  Not yet ready for breeding just yet.  Another year or two, he'll be ready.  

In the mean time, Gera will be clearing property and trained as an Ox.  As a draft animal, he'll be helping us to clear the property, pulling felled logs back to where they'll get cut into firewood.  

I have a lead on another karabao that is for sale, a female.  The current owner made the offer to sell the karacow to me, the same day, I picked up Gera.  Matua Ranch will be able to build up our Karabao herd sooner than I expected. 

Prepping the Ranch: Goat Herd and Sheep Flock

 

MR Fluffy

For the last couple of weeks, I've been heavily investing in the ranch.  I have two more big investments in the next couple of weeks, finalizing in August.  Getting things ready, prioritizing which livestock, items, or supplies, I should get first is not easy at all.  Budgeting my investments is the hardest.  I have ensure that both my households are prioritized first, then the ranch.  Yes, I have a house here on Guahan, and in the Philippines.  

Since last December, I've started investing in livestock, primarily goats.  I wanted to get back to the size of my previous goat herd before I sold off to concentrate on Safety School. 

After acquiring our herd sire, Fluffy, in December 2012, we have grown to 2 additional bucks, 4 does, and 2 buckling kids.  One doe was pregnant when we bought her.  So the two bucklings were a welcome addition to the herd.

In March, we added a pair of sheep rams to our ranch. Our purpose was to see if sheep will do good in limestone forest...which are prevalent in Northern Guahan. The past four months, we observed and learned that the sheep are not finicky grazers.  They'll eat about anything that's in front of them.  However, we noticed that both rams attracted a lot of fly strikes. It was a chore to keep them free of maggots.  Almost had to wash them down daily.  One ram unfortunately got sick from it requiring a doze of Ivermectin to get him back to health.  He is now better and improving daily.  

Working with goats and sheep, I prefer goats overall.