Jenna is poor...
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+ f
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+ l
What is the quote...a fool and their money soon part?
I wrote this in a reply but think it warrants a post of its own.
In response to the screenshot:
"I make the money I need to cover my bills, and it is when a lot of horrible things happen at once I fall behind. "
Case in point. She makes the money to cover her bills yet has never not been behind. She spends her mortgage and Bill.money on playing and toys.
a lot of horrible things happen at once = I spend all my time and money on toys and playing
So let's revisit that statement
I make the money I need to cover my bills, and it is when I spend all my time and money on toys and playing I fall behind.
That is more like it...
What Jenna says is not true.
This post is using her as an example as there are con artists and manipulative people everywhere.
Charity and helping those in need is absolutely necessary for those in positions that require it. I've given and received and it is a lifesaving cycle.
Please do not let yourselves be fooled by fools.
Does that mean you may doubt a genuine situation? Perhaps...but due diligence will confirm their need.
No learning curve at all with her. No attempt to stop spending, just pleas for more money to spend aimed at people who work regular jobs. I'm amazing it's still going on.
ReplyDeleteD.
*amazed*
DeleteOh, poor, poor Jenna has to get a root canal. Like she is the first. Sorry, no sympathy here. I have had a lot of dental work over the years. Some covered by insurance, but a lot not. And I mean a lot. I paid out of pocket just like everyone else.
ReplyDeleteThis is life, Jenna. Root canals happen. Trucks break down. Roofs leak. Pets get sick. We get sick. Welcome to adulthood.
You need to budget for these things. Not beg and whine or act surprised when they happen, like they shouldn't happen to you.
Time to grow up.
I wish that person didn't put ideas in her head - the last thing I'd want is for my tax dollars to support an educated, able bodied person who refuses to look for work.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know, when I didn't have the money for a root canal and crown, I just had to have the damn thing pulled. Yeah, it was kinda far in the front, but well, I didn't have a blog to beg money from and all. Sucks to be me I guess. Pulling was a WHOLE hecka lot cheaper and the couple root canal/crowns I did have insurance for and all, half have failed after 15-20 years anyway. She is just so whacked...
ReplyDeleteAll I can think of is Kristen Wiig 'Help me. I'm poor'
ReplyDeleteseems like shes getting more defensive everyday and the blogging is getting less and less. Wonder what is really going on that she doesnt have the balls to share. And if she has no savings and is going to go into the red by buying a pocket watch hhmmm where is she going to get $1300 for a root canal? I think the train is coming off the tracks. But like she suggested the other day I unfollowed her on facebook because every post was making my blood pressure rise and I took her blog off my reading list and my suggested blogs for the same reason. So many things are making me see red $300 for a lamb does she even have a breeding program I dont know much about livestock but who the hell is the dad? Is everyone just in bred? I dont remember her bringing in different rams every season like she does the goats? She used to admit she didnt know what she was doing now she pretends to be the queen of everything its so freaking boring. ITs either I lead the perfect life and you jerks are sitting at a desk or its omg I am out of money the world is against me. What about when she said she couldnt pull the tooth because she is a public figure. HOld back the PUKE!
ReplyDeleteSo she's vain? I am very not surprised by this. She mismanages her money, or at least makes it appear that way, and cries for help weekly. She's such a fake.
DeleteShe really said the public figure part?
DeleteIf someone saw a comment where she said she was a public person, they should take a screen shot and send it to Meredith. They are always threatening to sue for liable, but that is nonsense. I still think she believes she's the Lena Dunham or Kim Kardashian of the homesteading set. Everything she does is conceit.
DeleteI absolutely cannot believe that she put up a blog on raising sheep. She has inadvertently killed more sheep, than she has produced. She has 2 ewes who can be bred, and I honestly beleve the only reason she sitll is in sheep is for the attention the lambs get for her. She has no business teaching ANYTHING about sheep/lambing, period. Really, everything she does is for attention- EVERYTHING- including feighing being poor. She is not poor, not at all. She needs to wash up, get up and go get a job.
ReplyDeleteShe wants to live like an 18th century Highlander. My guess is they had many missing teeth by her age. At least it would make her look more "authentic".
ReplyDeleteI think JW is learning what it's like when reality bumps up against "living like fiction". I thinks she is genuinely surprised when things "happen" to her. Fictional heroines don't get root canals. They are supposed to ride across the moors on their Fell Pony with a hawk on their fist. Never anything as mundane as a root canal for heavens sake!
ReplyDeleteAnd she put a price tag on it for a reason. Of course she doesn't want to pay for it. I think she would like to beg outright, but she knows she will get a lot of backlash, so she hints, hints, hints.
Poor Jenna. She would really like to buy another pony. And now that dream is dashed because of all things, a root canal is happening to her!
Jenna honey, this is only the beginning. No, you cannot afford another pony. In fact, you cannot afford a lot of things, including your house since you are always behind on your mortgage.
I think Jenna should be a guest on Suze Orman's segment of "Can I Afford It". I can hear Suze now replying, "deeee - niiiiiedddd"!
Here is her reply to getting the tooth pulled!
ReplyDeleteJenna Woginrich I'll pay for it. I can't have a front tooth pulled. teeth are for the rest of your life and as an author/public speaker i don't really think the toothless thing is a good career move
She admits that when she " left the 9-5 world", (euphemism for quitting her job), that she went from dental maintenance to "damage control". So she willingly decided to forego good dental care - and hoped for the best, apparently, instead of planning for the worst, (or even the likely.) It's quitting her job that was not a "good career move".
DeleteIt's a slippery slope when you go to damage control instead of dental maintenance. It would be much more prudent to pay for a yearly cleaning than to wait until something happens.
DeleteEven with proper brushing and flossing, you still get tartar buildup. And there is always the possibility of cavities, and as she found out, a root canal.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. There is a reason many people lost teeth in their twenties before the advent of dentistry.
IF she is so worried about her appearance, why doesn't she keep her, and her place neat?
ReplyDeleteI think one of Jenna's biggest issues or bothersome things is that she shares intimate information about her life and then gets angry when people don't agree or voice thoughts and wisdom about those things. I guess she just needs to shut up about stuff she doesn't want common knowledge or discussed. However, that means no sob stories and calls for donations and such. I would never want to pay money to a doctor that was always whining about his practice and how he doesn't have this or that or is behind on bills and such... why in the world would I want to solicit advice and information on homesteading from someone that so publicly whines about her failures.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand that she wants to share the good with the bad. I read a lot of blogs and write one myself. I do like to hear about some of the pitfalls of a new venture. But after awhile, you sure don't want to hear only the misadventures of poor planning, execution and development of those ventures.
I just had to laugh out loud when she was talking about "lambing season" and all. what two pet ewes? One already did everything before she even knew what was happening. She makes it sound like she has a lambing shed with a 100 pregnant ewes and such. It's hilarious to watch, especially those who have a clue. She has just found a nitch of desperate, wanna bes who see her for the descriptions she paints over and over and over again of herself and her life.
Im a long time reader and I just shake my head and wonder. She is the poster child of what NOT to do in homesteading. She is in burnout mode. It's a shame. And her angry nasty responses to legitimate questions and concerns are very telling. I feel bad for her, I honestly do.
-MH
Of course she'll pay. She's got the money and pretty much has no choice. She's a public figure, after all. (Lmao)
ReplyDeleteI don't understand her gall in putting herself forward as an expert in anything. And then trying to make as much money as she can off it. Personally, I play video games and broadcast live on the Internet sometimes. I'm no expert and have no delusions about being able to make any money off any of my hobbies. Because they're hobbies. I have a wide variety of interests and some of them I share via casual sales or blogging. I would never put myself forward as an expert. Experienced, maybe. But, not an expert.
On her lambing blog of Mar 4, she didn't mention Split Ear who, 6 days ago, Jenna said would be "lambing as soon as today", and was exhibiting all the signs:
ReplyDeletepacing, pawing ground, separating herself from other sheep, falling into trance of contractions. So what happened? Someone posted on the vlog, asking her, but she hasn't answered yet. I don't have Facebook so maybe she mentions her there? Meanwhile, tweeting strangers is so important she broke her 9-9 no social media rule -- again.
Ewes in late gestation can pace and paw for days or weeks, not because their in labor, but because they are restless. The real sign is a whitish mucus discharge from her vulva, sunk in at the loin and a low hanging belly cause the lambs have dropped down ready to move into the birth canal. But the JW shepherd doesn't know all that after how many years?
DeleteHer sheep are better off going it alone because if she isn't ready with supplies for a normal birth she sure as hell isn't ready for any kind of lambing difficulties, especially those that require a vet. We all know how that would end.
Not surprising she broke that 9-9 rule after what, a week or so. That's the pattern. She starts--the diet, the yoga, the running, the meditation, the whatever, and in a week or so you never hear about it until she talks about getting back to it a few months later. It's just grasping at something to write about.
ReplyDeleteMH -- I agree with your pitfalls comment. I too read about active homesteaders who try something new and have challenges, but along with that is a planned out, thought out, executed, sensible resolution to the problem. That's the difference. They had a problem, identified it, solved it and learned from it, making changes to their operation so it didn't happen again. JW just keeps making the same mistakes over and over again, never learning how to resolve those mistakes.
I agree too, her lambing vlog was a joke. What shepherd in their right mind takes a newborn away from it's mother so she can make a cutsie-boo video. NONE! They would never risk having the lamb rejected by the ewe and become a bottle baby. But, when your playing at farming those things are not considered. In the JW world having a lamb (or a rooster) running around the house is the coolest thing ever.
If she had a flock of 100 she'd have a nervous breakdown. It's not so cute when you have 6-10 ewes in various stages of labor all at the same time and you spend most of the night just walking around observing, then helping when you need to. And, God help you if two or three ewes need lambs pulled at the same time. She's not efficient enough for that. Nor does she have the equipment for that. I can't believe she had to run to the store to buy heat lamps and extension cords. Is that like an annual expense? Where's her lambing box with equip and supplies. I guess you can do that when you only have pets, but a real sheep operation takes planning and forethought. Something she never displays.
I remember walking into our barn one morning only to find two ewes with breach lambs and 40 minutes to get DD to school. Ya know how fast you can pull lambs, wipe them off and get them nursing? pretty damn fast when you have to get the kid to school.
If she's going to present herself as a shepherd it'd be nice if she used the right terminology. Classic telltale sign of people who don't have a clue...not using livestock terms. That's what we call "big hat no cattle".
~jm
Dental insurance is something of a joke anyway. I have dental insurance, but it is more like a "prepaid" plan. Sure my cleanings are "free" but I pay for them with my premiums. If I need something like a filling or crown, my insurance only pays a small percentage.
ReplyDeleteStill it is worth it for me because at my age more things happen.
If I were in my 30's, I might forgo the insurance and just pay for twice yearly cleanings. My son did not take my advice on this. He now has periodontal disease and is going to pay a heck of a lot more for treatment than he would have for maintenance.
will someone please post this on her facebook.....
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msn.com/en-us/money/smallbusiness/5-things-to-consider-before-leaving-your-9-to-5/ar-BBi27sg
Good advice in general, but with JW, you might as well just scream into the wind.
DeleteThis country could provide health insurance to everyone at no cost. But it never will, because the attitudes of the small minds shown here exist everywhere, unfortunately. You complain that Jenna might get government-paid dental care (root canal). Why aren’t your complaints directed against General Electric? GE got $3.2 billion corporate welfare, while earning worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, of which $5.1 billion of the total came from the USA.
ReplyDeleteStop wasting time with Jenna and do something positive for America. (No, I am not a fan of Jenna)
"General Electric, the nation’s largest corporation, had a very good year in 2010. The company reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States. Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion." FYI: "tax benefit" = corporate welfare.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/business/economy/25tax.html
Physicians for a National Health Program:
"Upgrading the nation’s Medicare program and expanding it to cover people of all ages would yield over a half-trillion dollars in efficiency savings in its first year of operation, enough to pay for high-quality, comprehensive health benefits for all residents of the United States at a lower cost to most individuals, families and businesses."
http://pnhp.org/blog/2013/07/31/friedman-analysis-of-hr-676-medicare-for-all-would-save-billions/
H.R. 676 (114th): Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr676
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr676/text
Prognosis: 0% chance of being enacted; because idiot Americans are (fill in the blank) (complaining about Jenna W.)
H.R. 676 (113th): Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr676
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr676/text
If this blog went after corporate welfare, I am relatively sure it would not make a dent in the problem. But seeking to bring to light the fraud, animal neglect, and fake "I'm so poor they are foreclosing on my house" stories on CAF is a worthy and noble endeavor that I believe can make a difference. Because of this blog, anyone seeking to donate to CAF can find the truth about it on the internet, if they just look before writing that check. Is stopping corporate welfare important? Yes. But so is this. Many hard-working people have sent a lot of money to this woman, and the money has NOT gone where she said it would, nor has it improved the lives of the animals who live there.
DeleteD.
Anon 6:50 am, that is one HUGE example of the fallacy of relative privation. This is not an either or affair--EITHER a we can commit to expose the truth about CAF OR we can commit to pursuing political change on a national level. Good news, we can do BOTH! This, however, is the space for the former. Not so much for the latter.
DeleteAmen to both anon 11:47 and 3:46!
DeleteYes
ReplyDeleteAnd here's the beg
ReplyDeleteAlso: In the next five days I need to make a mortgage payment and I am saving up for a root canal. So, if you are interested in supporting the farm please know that Season Passes are still on sale! Come to ANY workshop for an entire year, for $250 a person or $400 a couple. This sale is to help raise funds for the mortgage and the root canal! So you are literally saving face!
Yes, I think she does not want to come out and beg outright, probably because of this blog. So there's the hint, hint, hint. Many of her readers live far away from her, so they'll probably feel sorry for her and just donate.
ReplyDeleteThey probably have medical expenses and mortgages to pay too. I just don't get why they will willingly work to pay their expenses, but feel that JW is above working a real job.
I can't believe she is entertaining the idea of buying another horse. If she has to scrape every month to pay for basic expenses, there is no way she can afford another horse.
ReplyDeleteWhat bugs me is how she is having a sale to raise money for her mortgage... And a root canal. Now, to be honest, I can understand the root canal surprise cost. Been there, got the tshirt. But the mortgage? If you can't pay your mortgage regularly, which she obviously can't, that should be a huge red flag and kinda ticks me off. I have to work hard to keep a roof over myself and my daughters. I never beg for it though or offer my services cheap all the time to get such a basic need paid for. How many people fall for her crap and are struggling as well, and feel bad. How many hard working wanna be rural dreamers are working to help her and pushing their own dreams aside? Quite a few I imagine because of her type of reader. Poodles are not the ones to read her drivel. It's poor sops that want what they think she has and are helping to live vicariously through her and her dream... Which is just a big con act. Grrr... How irritating!
ReplyDeleteYes Yes yes
ReplyDeleteHas anyone tried reporting her farm so it can be investigated for neglect/abuse? http://www.spcauny.org/ The upstate NY SPCA would probably be a good place to start, they would likely know who to contact regarding farm animals. Especially since she is making a living (ostensibly) on selling them for food/stock.
DeleteI guess what bothers me the most is that there appears to be no end to the begging. Also, why doesn't the bank foreclose on her. Having been a person with limited income who always paid mortgage and bills before anything for myself...I don't get why the bank hasn't cut her off. I also question the cost of the root canal...I live in a more expensive place than she does and here a root canal and crown is closer to $900. I agree with above comment about many of us struggle without asking anything of others and I hate that she takes advantage of those who dream, by lies about homesteading as well as taking their financial support. She needs to be shut down.
ReplyDeleteYeah, same here... I attended one of her wool workshops ages ago (held to fund the purchase of her wood stove), and it was a nice day, but even back then things didn't totally live up to what had been promised. On her blog, it feels like we're not seeing a woman who is finding her stride, learning from her mistakes and making a go of things, but rather someone just kind of floundering around and indulging in internet drama. Which is a shame because she honestly does have a talent for writing, I've really enjoyed some of her stuff... but at this point, the persona is overshadowing the talent, and not in a good way. I absolutely try to keep in mind that we're not getting the whole story, just seeing what she chooses to publish, and unlike a lot of others, try to avoid the childish snark and self-righteous judgement; but finally I quit following her stuff because it just felt like one long advertisement/plea for support. It's tough being self-employed and tackling a venture like she has, for sure... but you're never going to be successful if you alienate (and/or bilk) the very audience you're trying to get support from.
Deletehttp://albany.craigslist.org/grd/4921537419.html
ReplyDeleteIs that normal to sell your farm animals on craigslist? I steer clear of dogs on craigslist, but I don't know about the farming world. I guess her readership isn't big enough anymore to sell her animals to.
DeleteYes, it is normal to sell farm animals on Craigslist and even Facebook. I use both, regularly. Hardly anyone uses actual ads in print form (like newspapers) anymore. It's a good way to get the word out to people near and far, and it's free.
DeleteWait....here's what she said on February 27, 2015 at 11:42 AM:
Delete"As for such a plan, that is certainly something I am doing now with my accountant and bookkeeping. An example would be these two ram lambs. I used to sell them for $175 a lamb if someone wanted a breeding ram. Now I know I can't afford to sell them for that. They would sell for $300 as breeding stock or I can keep them to raise as meat animals. That way the feed and cost works out to be worth it - with fleeces I can tan and sell as well for $175."
So she used to sell them for $175 and can't afford that so she sells them for $150 instead??? Another "plan" shot to hell before it even started.
Oh for eff's sake. Her mismanagement cost her one of the lambs last night--THIS is why you don't try to PRE-SELL DAY-OLD ANIMALS. I've said this before here, but no true shepherd ever takes money up-front for an animal that either doesn't exist yet or was just born. You take payment when the buyer shows up to pick up their (healthy/live) animal, and not before. Her business practices are just plain unethical.
DeleteMy guess is the bank doesn't want to have to deal with a foreclosure and will tolerate chronically late payments as long as they keep coming. There are late fees associated with late payments, so the bank is making money.
ReplyDeleteSomeone let me know if I'm wrong about this.
Anon 4:22 - you are on the right track. I live in Michigan and have seen too many foreclosures the past 10 years. Banks don't like to foreclose - they don't like to see the house sitting empty and be a tempting target for vandals and scrappers. They would rather the house be occupied and accept late payments. But it depends on the area you live in. Some areas of Michigan are hot again, some are still very depressed. If JW lived in a hot (or at least hotter) property market, the bank would more readily foreclose, knowing that they had viable buyers, and could unload the property fast. If you follow Jon Katz's blog, he still can't sell his first Bedlam Farm, and judging by the pictures, that is a much nicer property. From JW's blog, we don't really know what the status of her mortgage is. If she's in a slow housing market, the bank might not be in any hurry to move.
ReplyDeletePlus, its a USDA loan. The government does not move fast on anything..........which I am sure JW knows which is why she plays this game of spending money on wants before needs.
DeleteJW might also live in a REAP (Rural Economic Area Partnership) zone (based on a random check of some addresses),REAP zones are economically distressed areas. The 2014 Farm Bill extended the REAP zones through 2018. REAP zones are eligible for special government assistance programs. The USDA loan might be administered through a regular mortgage company or bank, but either way, there's probably no hurry to foreclose if there are no buyers. Zillow lists hundreds of foreclosed homes in Washington county, New York.
DeleteRight. Why risk vandalism and squatters when you can get payments plus late fees?
DeleteI would like to tell Jenna not to be surprised by the $1300 dental bill, but to expect things like that. And this is just the beginning. It will only escalate.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in my 20s and 30s, I had very few medical expenses. They began to increase in my 40s, escalate in my 50s and now that I'm in my 60's, I don't even want to think about it.
And I take very good care of myself. Eat healthy, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight. Brush, floss and have regular hygiene visits. But age and genetics take their toll. Medical costs are skyrocketing.
She needs to budget for these things as well as home repair and maintenance. Forget the extra horse. Get a job for heaven's sake like any sensible person would do.
Anyone see her most recent post? She is refusing to call a vet again, even though no milk is coming out of one of the sheep's teats. Many suggested on Facebook she try to stick a needle up the teat to clear any possible blockage. She says she "doesn't feel comfortable" doing that. If you aren't comfortable taking care of your breeding herd, then why do you even own animals?
ReplyDeleteSTICK A NEEDLE?????????????????? GOOD GOD. The ewe probably has mastitis, either that or a plugged teat- which can happen because before lambs are born, the teats are normally blocked by a waxy substance, which is the way the body keeps bacteria from entering the body through the teat. To remove a plug you have to milk it out, just as a lamb would do. If it is mastitis, the milk will be an off color and the bag will be hard. If the lambs try to drink that, they can become very sick. Sticking a needle up the teat will cause major damage and pain, and is NOT done
ReplyDeleteDITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DeleteNO NEEDLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She either didn't open the teat, the lambs can't suck hard enough to dislodge the plug or the ewe has mastitis.
They do make a plastic teat opener. It looks like a large gage needle, but has a round blunt tip. It's made for dairy animals. This is the only thing I'd use. But, first I'd see if it's just the wax plug.
MAN if you're gonna raise livestock learn what the hell you're doing and have the guts to do the hard stuff by this stage. Or, call the vet so ya don't lose 3 animals, bottle babies are worth breeding cause they don;t improve your flock.
Honestly. And anyone dreams and wishes to live like JW does? Without enough money for even basic roofing over her head (she is ALWAYS behind on that damn mortgage, her credit must be shot to heck...) and can't get her horse out of his pasture because it's been snowed and iced in for months... and now she has babies that she'd rather bottlefeed (expensive) then to get a vet out for a suffering ewe? Just unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI am aghast at her latest post. She needs to milk that ewe to get her cleared. But it is her 6th or 7th year lambing so what's the point in putting in some cost when she can have 2 cutesy bottle babies? This is her logic?! I can't even...I'm just... it's unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteGoodness. Sheep have ONE udder. One udder, two sides, two teats. It is good practice to strip out each teat after a ewe lambs, so you know there is good colostrum for the lambs.
ReplyDeleteWhy would she need a vet out to do this? It is free for her to tie the ewe up and check out her udder. Try milking both sides and see if there's milk. Totally free. Of course, it would mean Jenna would actually have to do some work.
Because she probably can't handle her sheep.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI am physically ill over her latest post, talking about losing one of the lambs (and the other one being touch and go) and then writing a long ramble about how essentially it's not her responsibility to do anything for her animals if it would cost her money. And she completely ignored the issue of the ewe's teat--never makes any mention of checking her herself for mastitis or for a plugged duct. She is the worst excuse for a shepherd I have ever seen. Real shepherds aren't calling the emergency vet at all hours either (because yes, it's $$$)--because the real shepherds have learned how to care for their own damn sheep in all but the worst cases!! She demonstrates no skill in that area, yet she talks in the post about how much she's learned about sheep over the last four years. Just unbelievable.
DeleteIf that's all she's learned over what 6 or 7 years of raising sheep then she is learning impaired. Or, just lazy.
DeleteBy this time most sheep raising people I know have learned to do almost everything re: sheep including stitching them up from a coyote or dog attack, fix a prolapes, broken leg, lance an abcess, regular maintenance like shearing, vaccinating, worming etc. They may not do a "C" section or other big surgery like that but they can do most everything else.And, they would at least have a vet check for this ewe which in our area is less than $100 if they couldn't figure out if it really was mastitis. Well worth it if you can save the ewe
And, although I don't totally disagree that we as shepherds have to think hard about when and how much money to spend to save a ewe this was a fairly easy situation to resolve if she had just done a few simple and easy things like strip the teats to make sure the milk could flow. That's a very elementary routine lambing task, like dipping the embilical cord in iodine and getting the lambs to nurse.
It's one thing to say "let nature take its course", but quite another to ignore a problem because your'e too lazy or stupid to deal with it. From what I've read ALL of this was preventable if proper actions were taken. The fact that she chooses not to us lambing jugs is beyond me. Those few days of bonding with the ewe is also the shepherds time to keep a close watch over everyone and have them in a confined area should assistance be necessary. It's by no means like a stay at the Ritz.
It boggles the mind why anyone would want to be like her much less pay her to teach them how she does things because most of what she does is a monumental waste of money, time, and lives. When you lose a lamb you lose a years worth of time and feed and have nothing to show for it. And, because she bought a non-wool breed she doesn't even have that to fall back on.
On the up side though, it did give her something to blog about, grabbing more attention, people feeling sorry for her and possibly money. I never made it past the second paragraph because the way she tries to wax poetic and make it sound all flowery made my stomach turn.
Thank you, I agree.. its been very hard to read, I know that with normal standard ewe and lamb care that the issues could have been fixed, and there would not be one dead lamb, one now weak lamb and one pugged teat and possible health issues with a proven ewe.
Deletesad, so sad
Obviously, the vet that lives next door or down the road, whatever, close, has given her the heave oh and is no longer a friend or whatever. Remember the vet neighbor???? Did she move? Probably just doesn't answer the phone or door anymore.
DeleteThis just makes me sick. No lambing jugs, no stripping teats to assume milk flow? We call it sheep rodeo with ours, sure it's hard to get ahold of them right after lambing but we do, dang it, and if each teat is not free flowing, we milk until we get it so or that lamb gets supplemental feeding immediately. We have a herd of Shetlands, anywhere from eight to twelves ewes lambing a year and are not a big deal operation. We have never lost a ewe, a lamb, nothing. Only had to assist one ewe in three years. And we are newly rural, first time homesteaders, and just girls. Only one bottle baby! Only after three days of working HARD with momma to get her accept that baby. Not 50% losses like someone....
This just burns my biscuits. People actually pay her money to learn from her???? Amazing.
Most people don;t pay to learn from her they pay so they can live vicariously through her. Check out the comment from the 60-year old lady who wanted to live rurally but never did. She now relies on Jenna to fulfill her dream. How sad. I'd be happier with a houseplant than using Jenna's cluster of a life as a replacement for my dreams.
DeleteThe most telling statement of her whole post about the dead lamb is in the comment section. She is not going to cull the ewe with one teat because she is so much healthier than last year when she was being malnourished. Brilliant. No sheep person in their right mind would continue with that ewe unless she had consistently produced champion lambs and even then they would select the best of twins and let the ewe raise one and graft the other lamb onto another ewe. But, she wouldn't know that because she is not a real farmer, shepherd, or homesteader. She is a pet owner, and a bad one at that.
ReplyDeleteYep. It's always hard to get a sense from the vague details she offers in her posts, but it seems like she's down to 2-3 ewes (or at least 2-3 that are healthy/young enough to conceive), so I imagine her unwillingness to cull stems from the fact that her flock has already dwindled considerably. And she doesn't seem to be able to keep many lambs alive, so I think it's been years since a replacement ewe lamb survived to maturity at CAF. But the really nutty thing about not culling the ewe with one teat is that if she lambs again next year it'll be the same story all over again. One of the definitions of insanity is repeating the same actions over and over while expecting a different result.
DeletePretty much fuming right now. She is just LAZY, pure and simple. There is absolutely no reason why she should have lost that lamb. Oh, now she knows how to tell the difference in a thriving lamb vs. a starving lamb? But she didnt' last night? Too bad, because a lamb died because of her inaction.
ReplyDeleteTrue, you cannot always afford to call the vet out for every little thing. BUT, like the poster above said, FARMERS learn to do much of the treatment themselves. Hell, if you only have a couple of ewes, you still even learn to do most of the treatment yourselves.
If you only have a handful of sheep, the LEAST you can do for your lambs is make sure the teats are stripped and the lamb knows where to find the teat. Honestly, even farmers with dozens of sheep take the minute or two to do this.
Her cavalier attitude about it all is what kills me. Like she doesn't give a flying crap about whether her animals live or die. Can't afford a vet? Not a problem if you get off your lazy ass to do something instead of just sit idly by and let your animals die.
People who get upset with her when animals die aren't all crazy animal rights activists who think every single animal should be saved. Many of us are farmers and livestock owners ourselves, and would NEVER dream of neglecting our animals that way, even if they aren't prize-winners.
She is lazy and neglectful and making excuses. Anyone who supports this behavior is totally and utterly clueless.
Beat me to it. Plus she is lazy and neglectful.
DeleteJenna, seriously now. You have had sheep how long? Have you learned nothing? Really? Let's see: Lambs look thin, mother has one side only functioning. Shepherd: Gets ahold of ewe, checks bag for mastitis. If bag hard, and ewe has fever, pulls lambs, and gets mother on appropriate antibiotics. Jenna: Opines on her blog (money train) about what do I do? How do I deal? Then, shares later than she has decided to bottle feed the lambs. Finds one dead. Brings the other into the house. States mother is not worth a vet call, but good enough to breed again. Oh yeah... that bag will miraculously heal itself. Jenna, how can you manage to lose so many animals, when you only start out with a handful? Ask yourself that. Seriously. And there is no learning curve it appears, you just stay flat lined at: dead or waiting to die. And, we do share when we lose animals, but for most of us, it is not the majority that kick the bucket- like you.
ReplyDeleteWhat shocks me is that people still defend her, and bash Meredith. And clearly, the last post proves that she does read this blog every day. I also love how she can't resist making snarky comments about people who "go to the grocery store for more bacon." I think real farmers are grateful for people who buy their food .
ReplyDeleteApparently a 50% loss in production is acceptable to JW. No REAL farmer would stand for that. That's what makes her a poser not a player.
ReplyDeleteAyrshire Farms piglet mortality was similar or worse when I began...and they are the "shining example everyone should follow".
DeleteShe had those lambs listed for sale on Craigslist, with the offer to raise them past weaning. Dollars to donuts, some unfortunate soul put up their good money for the lambs. So then JW, with cash in hand, does not feel she needs to put out any time, effort, or money take care of the lambs. "They're sold! I have more money in my feral little paw! Why bother?"
ReplyDeleteAnd when dead, she has another drama to blog about that will jerk the tears and donations from her unsuspecting readers.
Absolutely shameless.
She said the vet portion so.people would send money not because they are offering. Obviously she would not use it on the animals. Feral little paw? Aren't you a poet ;)
DeleteAt our homestead farm, we call vet visits, personal education time. If we encounter something we can't deal with, and we are getting better all the time, we call the vet. And she teaches us how to deal with it in the future. It's education. It's not just "how much does this animal cost" it's future education and learning and hopefully a saved animal! Sure, with livestock you have dead stock. Sure. But simple easy stuff like making sure newborns have a big fully belly before leaving them to fend in the wild with their already deficient mom? No jugs, nothing? That's just borderline inhumane. What would Joel do???? Hmmmmm....
ReplyDeleteShe's a deadstock farmer.
DeleteRather telling in that post that she spends 4 short paragraphs glossing over the lamb/ewe situation, then 6 lengthy paragraphs defending herself.
ReplyDeleteHmm...which does she care about more? Her animals, or her readers' perception of herself?
I'd say guilty conscience but I'm not sure she has one.
Delete"I would rather keep living the life of my dreams than appease angry people on the internet. I am still here with my own life to lead after they close their browser windows and go to the grocery store to buy more bacon."
ReplyDeleteThat statement screams self-righteous, ignorant, insulting, clueless...I could go on and on. What a disgusting attitude. Truly sickening. How could anyone look at the situation she calls her existence and consider it a life of one's dreams?
Calling a vet is not a luxury, as she tries to paint it. It's a responsibility! If you are committing your life to raising animals, you are committing to providing the care they need to live healthy lives. Who cares how old the sheep is. It deserves proper vet care, especially if it involved a non-functioning teat and JW is supposedly trying to raise healthy rams (and I think mentioned she'd already sold one?). God she sickens me.
Soooo, how is buying bacon from the store different from buying a ham sandwich?
DeleteRolling my eyes at the hypocracy of her statement
Hold the phone folks, appearantly (we) Jenna's criticizers are city people who don't know what the hell their talking about.
ReplyDeleteI for one must thank the Jenna fan for pointing that out because all these years I was under the grave misconception that I had raised sheep for 30 years, a flock that topped out at 50 ewes and 5 stud rams, showed all over the western US, won numerous championships, sold at national sales, exported rams into Mexico for their flock improvement program and guided my DD to a dozen supreme champion wins, 6 at our county fair, garnering close to $75,000 in prize money in her 10 year show career.
Thank you for setting me straight. I can now lift the veil of dillusion and go back to living my citified poodle existence.
What a bonehead. I bet there is decades more experience and knowledge on this site then Jenna or her clan could ever hope to gain. It's just further evidence that her crowd hasn't a clue because they clearly can't decipher from the comments made here the depth of knowledge.
I doubt any of them would know what a good animal looks like. Anything can breed, but it takes know how to decide which one's should breed. That's the difference between experienced livestock people and dabbling pet owners.
Good grief.
I love you and this comment, Anon 9:57 pm.
DeleteMe too.
DeleteHear, hear!
DeleteHUH????
ReplyDeleteWHAT???
"If I was raising sheep as my main source of income or even a sizable portion of it I would not keep the ewe. But since she is only one of two proven breeding animals and her offspring, even if they are bottle babies, may provide ewes for this farm that are healthy and raised well - it is worth it to me to keep her."
In case you haven't noticed Jenna your lambs are ram lambs. And, they don't have off spring.
PRICELESS
OMG does she plan to breed her other ewe to a bottle baby??? as a way to get her longed for ewe lambs??
WOW. Laughable.
She had a tiny glimmer of self-awareness in the comment she made following that one, where she acknowledged that breeding bum lambs probably wasn't the best idea for improving her herd. But it's obvious her first consideration is not for her flock, it's for her image. Poor sheep. I hope she never gets a ewe lamb out of the remaining breeding ewes and they die peacefully of old age, putting her right out of the sheep business.
DeleteMost decent sheep breeders would have replaced a 6 or 7 year old ewe by now. Unless of course it had consistently produced high quality replacement ewes.
DeleteAdditionally, most breeders worth their weight keep production records so they can plan what to do. If a ram is producing more ram lambs than ewe lambs then they would breed to another ram that has a history of producing ewes. A real breeding program is NOT a haphazard coupling of the sexes.
She probably doesn't know that the ram's sperm determines the sex of the offspring and the ewe determines how many, hence the flushing and feeding well so the ewe produces high quality eggs that have a better chance of being fertilized.
I agree...her flock is not her first or highest consideration.
If she kept production records it would be down in black and white just how many lambs die each year.
DeleteImproving her flick through breeding would be like trying to get a pound mutt into the AKC.
DeleteSometimes the best way to better your flock is to sell off and start over.
You know what? I am a city person who buys bacon at the store. I am the very person she looks down on. You know what else? EVEN I would be capable or walking outside and putting my eyes on a baby animal to see if it seemed ok or not. EVEN I would walk outside often enough in a 2 day period to see if the baby was the same, heading downhill or getting better. EVEN I would at least call a friend who knows about these things to see what they think. Also, I would NEVER ask random internet people whether I should bottle feed or not meanwhile offering sheep/lamp classes for $100+. Watching another living being closely and seeing if it looks off is something my 5 year old could do. My 5 year old wouldn't know what to do to help, but she would go find someone who could help. EVEN MY 5 year old would never not checking on a weak animal. Just saying the lamb might not be getting enough food, then SUDDENLY its dead??? Um, no, it starved to death slowly over a few days. Why could JW not see it?
ReplyDeleteYes Yes yes. These are the SAME frustrations I have with Ayrshire farm.
DeleteLet's also take a minute to analyze another effed up priority she has. She takes a maybe sick old rooster (that does what for her, financially?) and keeps it in the house all winter like a kitten. However, her money-making sheep are cared for with little more than a shoulder shrug. WHAT THE EFF IS WRONG WITH YOU JENNA?????????
ReplyDeletehaha. I hadn't even thought of that, but what a good point.
DeleteWonder if she's introduced the rooster to Italics yet... wrong wrong wrong. That entire operation is SO wrong.
Delete