2015 Ranch Update: Losses and Gains.

I've been busy since my last post, last year.  A lot has happened since October, I resigned from the former company due to professional differences.  Was teaching full time for awhile, then went on vacation to the Philippines in December 2014.  

We had some major set backs prior to me leaving on vacation, during my vacation, and upon my return.  We lost Lala, my karabao calf due to heat stress.  She went down the day prior to my departure and died the day I left.  A couple of days later, we lost the Ram.  He was my breeder.  Two of my free range Barred Rock hens went missing, not sure what happened to them.  Upon my return, we lost one capone ram.  My white drake was lost a couple of days after I returned.  Someone had shot him. 

Since I returned, I've been trying to get the rest of the animals healthy, including the dogs.  It's now two months and all the remaining animals are back to their optimum healthy selves and the dogs too.  We acquired some Muscovy ducklings and more Rhode Island Red, Easter Egger, Barred Rock, and Silver Laced Wyandotte Chicks.  We have ordered Buff Orpington and Americana  chicks from Hawaii, due on island in late April. I've ordered 4 more sheep, 1 ram and 3 ewes, from the sheep herder down south and purchasing more goats and another karabao cow. 

Since we moved the karabao herd to the Back Ranch.  They've been doing a lot better.  They've grazed down a lot of the sword grass and jungle.  That's helped me survey the ground a lot better.  It's sad that the family property was destroyed by a relative, over rocks.  The property can be rehabilitated with a lot of green and brown debris inputs.  Most of the loose rocks will be stock piled, and then used to make rock walls along the property border or to divide paddocks for future grazing. 

We have a lot of wildlife on the property.  Deer, wild pig, birds, and the occasional feral boonie dog pack.  I'll be harvesting some deer and wild pig soon.  Feral boonie dogs have the shoot on sight, target of opportunity priority, on the ranch.  I cannot risk transferring the sheep flock and goat herd to the Back Ranch until the feral dogs have been eliminated.  The boonie dogs don't bother the karabaos.  But you could hear them taking down a deer or wild pig deeper into the ranch.  

There are a lot of illegal dump sites on the property.  Haven't started to clean up, just surveying where they are at, as the karabaos eat the grass covering the trash.  I'm going to have to put up a fence and gate to keep people out of the property.  Once I get that done.  Then I'll clean up all the trash and get rid of it properly.  I'll have to inform the other families prior to putting up the fence and gate.  I know who dumped the trash at the deep end of the ranch.  The other trash along the ranch road was from the renters at the two houses at the front of the ranch.  Now that I go in to check the herd daily at random times.  They've stopped coming in.  

One day soon, I'll be ranching with my family here on island.  One day at a time. 


KEEP SMILING!