In this vlog Victor Justin Rhodes narrates a rainy‑day farm routine that centers on two urgent tasks: (1) constructing a 16‑slot mineral feeder for the cows and (2) treating a sick lamb named Smalls. Victor and helpers (Rebecca, Laurel, and others) administer an herbal dewormer (kelp and vital herbs) on a 15‑minute schedule, then source and inject a high‑level Vitamin B complex to combat parasite‑induced swelling. The team makes supply runs to Tractor Supply and Earth Fare for mineral feeders, B‑complex, apple cider vinegar, and cayenne pepper, discussing dosage calculations (5 mL per 100 lb). Victor references consulting with Heather Dow and a seasoned member‑area expert for sheep care protocols. Interspersed are updates on recent butchering events, a forthcoming learning‑center workshop, the arrival of Cornish‑Cross chicks, and observations of mineral deficiencies in ruminants. The vlog blends hands‑on farm work, animal‑health problem solving, and community collaboration, ending with a hopeful note on Smalls’ recovery.
Chapters
Gonna be a wet one today. No video update this week, we're just gonna do a regular vlog. One, it's raining, and two, I need to build our 16-slot mineral sled for the cows. The minerals are here, the materials are here. That's a good rainy day project. What do you think, Laurel? Laurel's a little antsy. Plus we need to clean up. We're tired. Yesterday was a huge day with the butchering. Thanks for all that That was an amazing group. They were very— we were very encouraged. That was our test. That was a test to see if this is something we wanted to do and move forward with, like a physical learning center. And that group was absolutely amazing and certainly makes us want to do it again. And actually, we are going to do it again in the fall, in about 8 weeks. Did you guys know the chicks are here? Like yesterday, Cornish Cross chicks came. Let's check on the sheep. Smalls, you okay? Come on now. I know it's normal for him to lay down, but it always makes me a little nervous. Are you okay, Smalls? Come on. Come on. He's not all right.
Come on. Come on.
Stand up.
Come on.
Let's stand up. Stand up. Did you bring the herbals down? Let's go get the herbals.
Come here. Come here.
Eating hay and alfalfa. Happy day for the chicks. Everybody seems to do pretty good. That's a relief. All right, we have here 2 cups of kelp and 1/8 of a cup of vital herbs. Mixed together. We're gonna see if Smalls will eat that. And we're also putting Smalls back on the Intense Dewormer, the herbal dewormer. It's one every 15 minutes. We got one more now and then one more for an hour, and then we do it, uh, every hour for 3 hours, and then every 3 hours for 3 days. So back, back at ground one with Smalls. Let's just see if he'll eat some of this. We'll put it in his mineral feeder. It's very good that they're eating that kelp and vital. Well, it's still raining. It's 12 o'clock. We, we've talked with Heather Dow. She's consulting us, coaching us through the sheep care. Gonna do it. We, we're on another hour. Of every 15 minutes. So we got 2 more, and then we're gonna go in town, get more mineral feeders. We got our 16 minerals, so we're gonna put them in here and see if that doesn't help too. The last time I went in there, Smalls was a little more feisty, a little more resistant. You want them to— but I like to see them try to, you know, not just submit. I like to see some energy. It's a good sign. Smalls, he's gonna hunker in the corner, but you are chewing cud. See the swelling right there too? This just happened. That's an indication of parasites. They can use a B complex, and so we've put in a word for— to our vet, and, uh, it's answering service. So we'll see. I guess they call that in and we'll go get that.
Give it to him.
All right, we're at the farm store, guys. Let's do this. Well, this place didn't have it. That was the closest one. Looked online, there are 4 in Tractor Supply, but we need 5, and Tractor Supply is pretty far away. But we're gonna take what we can get, I guess. I'm gonna get these things. Asheville's probably twice as far, but they do have them in Asheville. So looks like we're going to Asheville and ordering now. We'll just go pick it up. We're at Tractor Supply. Hopefully they set my feeders to the side, and we're gonna see if they have B complex here. We might have to get it from our vet, and then we're gonna see if we have— what else? Vitamin B complex. Call the house. Hey, they're actually right next to each other. I think it's called Dervet High Level Vitamin B Complex.
Okay, I can get that. So yeah, bring that vitamin B complex. Get me some pen and paper and hurry home because I'm talking to the lady right now. She said you can get a vitamin B complex at a farm store, and I told her you were at Tractor Supply. Do we have a way to inject this?
It looks like you have to do a shot.
I have some syringes from— what's your name?
It looks like you might need a needle. Do you have that? Okay. All right, bye-bye. All right, good news, they had the mineral feeders. We've got to hurry. Smalls is laying down again. Rebecca has done the drench. Let's get these— this complex in them. All right, we're at Earth Fare. Hopefully get some apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper for the Wrench. Cayenne. Now all we got to do is get home and get this B-complex in them.
5 milliliters per 100 pounds. So, should we do—
They're about 70. 3.
Should we do 3 milliliters?
Yeah, which is what— just what that is.
So we'll just do one of these.
Okay, we have somebody in our member area with decades of experience with sheep, uh, not counting Heather. Now we're getting the herbal info from Heather, but how to apply this B vitamin, we reached out to our member area. You feel like you're ready? Nothing like a sick lamb to give you a crash course. And caring for sheep. Sluggishness that he's experiencing now is a sign that he needs the— is it vitamin B? It's a B complex, but is that basically vitamin B? All right, Biggie.
Smalls.
Yeah, bigger Biggie, whatever we call him, he's, he's just fine.
He's a champ. Did the vet call back, by the way? I feel pretty comfortable comfortable with this because I used to raise dogs. I used to raise Saint Bernard dogs, and we would give them their shots. Never done a lamb before though. Are you gonna do the shooting or me?
No, you're gonna do it.
Okay, so you might be the one straddling the lamb. Should we stand up or just let it lay down? I feel like it's along this. You ready, Becky?
Yeah.
Do you want to straddle him? He might jump up when I shoot him. Here, I'll straddle him. Just down. Ready? Yes.
Okay, did it.
He got— he got right up when we put that Alfalfa in there, didn't he, Becky?
Yes.
How long will it take for that B vitamin to kick in?
I don't—
it's pretty quick because it's like very musculative.
We do that every 6 hours, so we'll be like down here at 9:30. You babying him a little bit, Becky?
Well, he was eating it all.
We would totally get him outside too, but it's raining. Well, it's not raining, but the grass is wet. It's good. The competition's good, Becky. It keeps him— it keeps him motivated.
He's looking a lot better, actually.
Keeps him moving around.
He's fighting for it.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. He may not even want to eat right now, but he's doing it for the sake of competition.
Yeah, he's cute.
Well, there's a good part of our day. Although it is almost 4 o'clock and we're just eating lunch. 16 different minerals. We have our minerals ready to go though. I realized the feeders were in the car, which is gone now on an errand. Well, it's 5:30. We've got our trays, our mineral feeders. We've got our chalkboard marker. You need me to dose them? Yeah, he's up and about. I won't be able to— he's drinking, he's eating.
Who knew the earth was so colorful?
They're grazing.
But now he's getting magnesium.
A lot of magnesium.
Look at that.
Oh my goodness, a lot of magnesium.
They're all, they're just smelling them.
Oh, look at Vigors. He's like, which one should I get?
Cutting to the core of the problem, guys. Yes. Mineral deficient.
The Elliott Homestead is the one who blogged about it first, and so their cow, they were having problems with their cow coming into heat.
Pretty sure it was—
yeah, or she wasn't settling in her pregnancy one. It had something to do with, with getting pregnant again. Either she wasn't settling or she wasn't cycling, whatever it was. And they found this and they did it, and it, and it helped their cow. Um, and so I was researching it for Violet, and then I saw, oh, sheep and goats, and I thought, well, we have sheep. And so I got— it's basically the same program for both the cow and the sheep because they're ruminants. So yeah, we got one kit, one 15-mineral kit, and we're gonna— Justin's gonna build a mineral feeder sooner than later, and we're gonna give that out to the cows and hopefully get their problems fixed.
Hey, we just did the second and last for the day, the B complex injection. He's up and about. They've been eating, drinking. Still seems a little sickly. I won't be surprised if he's gone in the morning. I won't be surprised if he's here. I mean, we've been working our tail off. Beck, have we ever worked so hard on an animal? I mean, how many times do we visit the sheep today? 24?
Yeah, I mean, a lot of it's just because it was acute and we needed to check on them. I went down there a lot just to keep and just look at them.
