Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[babylady4]

I have plenty to keep me busy today anyway...... it is the thought that counts! Wish I could go Thursday and catch the speakers!

I should make that last batch of soap...........

 

[Terri O]

Good morning! Oh Jim...that g.hen wanted you to come out and play! Tag that is...back in the pen you go! I guess they are telling you what they think of being penned up hey?

Amy--I hope there are so many pro-raw folks there that they just say "oh go ahead and sell your raw milk then!" Wouldnt that be great...of course the state would have to get in it and charge all kinds of fees and stuff. I am sure that is what the problem is...they cant regulate it and hold those farmers over a barrel so they dont want them to do it. When I was getting milk from my neighbor's family cow I LOVED it. (and I could actually drink it) I just dont see why you cant drink it if you want to!
Kim--I hope the sun starts to shine on you soon...I hate the feeling that you describe. I get in once in a while too...like when I look at all I have to do around here with little to no help! (mostly NONE) But then you just have to make another pot of coffee and work 15 minutes at a time. Set a timer and stop when it rings. You know that FLYlady..."you can do ANYTHING for 15 minutes!" So "jump in where you are" and get moving! {end of my pep talk for the day}
DD21 just woke up...guess I should talk to her since she just got home from school!
TerriOLater

 

[JustJohn]

PP, go ahead and trim nails if it looks like they're causing a problem. I'd go slow so as not to catch the quick. Roos get spurs around a year. The light breed hens can also get spurs; I have 3yr old Polish hens with spurs. I wouldn't worry about the hen that hasn't laid yet. It may take her several weeks to adjust. Sometimes they stop laying for no reason ( I have a bunch of slackers here at the moment.)

Well, we decided to not go down to Baraboo with BL4 for Vernon's trial. I would have had to bring both kiddos as DH wouldn't be here to pick up the oldest from school. Will be watching very closely however!

x2

my production reds had spurs

 

[amberflea]

Quote: I would get a different Vet. Vets can run a IDEXX Snap 4DX test which is a simple blood test with results in 8 minutes that tests for 3 different types of tick diseases plus heartworm. Right not in our area (central WI) Ehrlichiosis is more common than Lyme for TBD.
No reason he shouldn't be able to tell you if Dora has a TBD.
Hopefully the antibiotics help with whatever she has.
amberflea

 

[judge]

Good morning!
Bought a kiddie pool for the ducklings yesterday. They loved it and it was so cute to watch. Moved two chicks out of the porch brooder and into the transition coop outside. The four that were in there are now fully integrated into the flock. I only have the 3 four week olds on the porch now. As soon as I have a shelter for the ducks i am going to move them out to the duck coop. Then no more chickens in the house. YAY!!!
As far as the spurs go, Colt has huge spurs, but so do my chanteclers. The lone ameraucana out there has long yucky toenails. Never thought about trimming them....
As far as the raw milk trial goes, I only recently heard about it. From what I read it wasn't so much that he was selling it, it was that he didn't get the proper licensing to do so? From what I understand he could have kept doing it but since he didn't get the license and was still selling it even though they told him to stop, now he is in big trouble. What I don't get is why there has to be a trial like this is a criminal case or something. Aren't there a lot of other criminals to worry about? Geesh! Then again- I could be wrong about this whole thing, and only am reading part of the story...
I am going to rake up all the hay and poo that the horse and goats have spread around inside the chicken run/fence. I should be able to fill up a few tractor bucket loads. What a waste of hay. Once it is spread out like that they won't eat it.'
Have a good day all

 

[Angiebubs]

Hmm all this talk of spurs-I have a few questions.
My two roos (Orpingtons) are just a year old and they still have like 1-1.5 inch nubs that are still growing..when do the actual razors come out?
And do any of you trim them? I have the 2 roos with 21 hens and over half the hens backs are getting messed up even WITHOUT the spurs. I have saddles on 3 of them and need to order more. But I am wondering if maybe trimming the nails would help?

 

[Bigfamily4me]

Thinking about getting a lamb to grow into a grass eater. Anyone here ever had sheep before? I would house it with my 2 goats.

Tomorrow is a big day. Well not big. But it's an important day. Well, not important to everyone, (but it should be!). Hhhmmmmm, a special day. I think CC will be happy tomorrow happened. I mean who would she pick on if it wasn't for tomorrow?!

 

[babylady4]

Judge, this is the law in WI regarding the sale of 'Raw' milk. Taken directly from the Wi DATCP site.


RAW MILK FAQS

Selling raw milk is illegal in Wisconsin. Because of a few very narrow exceptions and a good deal of misinformation, confusion may exist. Here are the answers to frequently asked questions about raw milk sales in Wisconsin.
Can a dairy farmer legally sell raw milk?

No. The sale or distribution of raw or unpasteurized milk is illegal. The law exempts the “incidental sale” of raw milk directly to a consumer at the dairy farm where the milk is produced, for consumption by that consumer (or the consumer’s family or nonpaying guests). But those sales are also illegal if done as a regular business, or if they involve advertising of any kind.
Can a dairy farmer legally sell dairy products made from raw milk?

No. You must have a dairy plant license to make dairy products that are sold to consumers. Products such as yogurt, butter and cream must be made from pasteurized milk. Cheese must be made from pasteurized milk unless it is properly aged for at least 60 days.
Can dairy farmers consume raw milk from their own farms?

Yes. A licensed milk producer may consume raw milk from his or her own farm, and may serve that raw milk to family members and nonpaying household guests. A licensed milk producer is legally responsible for all dairy farm operations.
What if the licensed milk producer is a corporation or other business entity?

If a dairy farm is licensed to a legal entity other than an individual or married couple, an individual who is a bona fide owner of that business entity may consume raw milk from that dairy farm, and may serve it to family members and nonpaying household guests. However, a person who merely makes a sham investment in order to obtain raw milk is not a bona fide owner.
Does owning a “cow share” or “herd share” qualify as bona fide ownership?

No.
Can dairy farm employees buy raw milk from the dairy farm where they work?

Yes. Employees can buy raw milk for their personal or household consumption, provided that the licensed dairy farm operator declares them as employees for payroll and tax-reporting purposes.

 

[dcba flock]

This raw milk business is so ridiculous! It was such an ordeal for me to get a gallon of it a couple if years ago to make cheese! There are some areas that the old "mind your own business" adage, just needs to be invoked! Yes heaven forbid they can't tax the super wealthy (haha) local farmers whom otherwise are just scraping by getting such a low fair otherwise for their milk and other products! Just IMO!

 

[Amyable]

For Mel and Amy... I've been to Vernons farm and store. Put that in your milk jug and drink it...

Oh I would!! Judge, there is no license in WI that allows the sale of raw milk directly to consumers. 'Incidental' sales are all that are allowed, and that term is up for interpretation depending on who is running DATCP. Vernon wasn't selling to the general public, only members of his private farm club. Yes, he did break a hold order on his milk back in 2010. There was no contamination and no reason for the state to give him a cease and desist, other than the state wants no raw milk sales period. Vernon has said he would get a license to sell raw milk, if there was one. It really comes down to control of the food. Scary.

Culled a hurt guinea this morning, and ended up doing 2 more chickens that were on the 'list'. Went pretty quick, the guinea plucked really easy, much to my surprise. 5 or 6 more birds that need to go...

eta: BL4 totally beat me to it! Good info. Can't sell raw milk in the "Dairy State", is that asinine or what??