Farm Happenings

WOW!  It is hard to believe that it is July already!  It seems that so much has already happened this year, but there is so much left to do and the year is half over already.  I guess what they say about time going faster and faster as we age is really true.............although I wouldn't know because I am remaining "nearly 40" and, No, I will not tell how near or on which side.  :)

Last year we dealt with the extreme heat and drought.  Hay for the winter was very scarce and very expensive.  This year the heat hasn't been quite as bad (yet), but we are dealing with drought conditions again which has had us stressing about our winter supply of hay for the girls (and boys).  Last week, out of the blue, we received a phone call which resulted in our winter hay supply being delivered.  It is never cheap, but we now have our winter hay supply and that is such a relief.  :)

Well, as of Sunday, Maggie has joined the other "ladies" that are in retirement here at the farm.  We had already decided to retire Maggie after this milking season, and the last week or so she has not really been wanting to go up on the milk stand.  We finally relented on Sunday and let her begin her retirement early.  As of tonight, she was wanting back on the milk stand.  LOL  It is time for her to have a rest.  She has served us well and has taught us SO much.  Maggie is one of our original girls and there are so many stories and happenings of this sweet girl over the years.  We look forward to many more years with our dear friend, but from this point forward she no longer has to work.........although I'm not sure that she has ever considered her duties here as work (she is kind of spoiled).

Below is a picture of Maggie as a 2 year old.

This is Maggie in 2011 just after she had her babies.

The following girls are also in retirement on the farm.

Patty

Thunder

This picture was taken the spring before the dog attack.  You can read about the dog attack on our Livestock Guardian Dog page.

Stormie

A Bit Of Everything

It has been a couple of months since we did a blog about the farm.  We have been very busy, but it just hasn't seemed like there was anything very exciting to talk about.  NOW there IS!

The young chickens are starting to lay!!!!!

We kept telling everyone that we should have more eggs in July sometime, and I am sure that many of you were beginning to doubt it, but here is the proof!  :)

The young chickens (pullets) layed their first two eggs on Friday and have so far layed three more.  :)  Typically, the first eggs that a chicken lays are much smaller than "normal".  Below are some pictures and comparisons for you to see.

 

5 little eggs in Daddy's hand.  He could probably hold a full dozen in one hand.

 

In this picture, we are comparing the five little pullet eggs to the normal eggs that we have.

 

Another comparison is size.  I think you could probably line up a full dozen around one of our normal eggs.

  

One of our regular eggs (we sell these as large, but they are so big that we can't even weigh them......our egg scale doesn't go that high) and one of the pullet eggs (that is so small that its weight won't register on the scale either).

 

This is just a random picture of the milking girls when I went out into the pasture.  They always make a stampede toward me.   Chrys normally feeds the yearlings and the bucks so when ever they see him, they start hollering and carrying on for his attention.  I have really enjoyed that since they mostly ignore me when they see me.  Well, the last couple of days I have been the one to feed them and guess what........Now they want "my" attention EVERY time they see me!

 

This is Zanna.  We got her just before Christmas at the same time that we got Alvin.  Zanna is quite a mess.  Her favorite thing to do is to reach through her fence and pull your hair.  Our granddaughters don't like to go near her fence for that reason and I have to admit that I am not to fond of it either.  She has the hair pulling thing down to a science and it hurts pretty good.

 

An lastly is my ever faithful companion, Cammi.  It doesn't matter where I go, she is always nearby and patiently waiting on me..........unless she sees a bird, but even then she won't be gone long.

Do You Have The Goat Cheese?

On Tuesday I had to deliver some goat cheese to Crystal Bridges, in Bentonville, Arkansas, for an event that they were having on Wednesday.  Needless to say everything that could go wrong that morning certainly did and I was leaving here later than I had planned and of course I had to stop and get fuel before I could head on out.  Soooo........the truck is fueled and I have a HUGE Mountain Dew and a bag chips to provide energy and stamina for the journey.  THEN...........just as I am pulling onto the highway at 1:40 pm Melody, the chef, calls and calmly asks when I will be there.  I state that I am leaving as we speak and I should be there in two hours.  Melody tells me that she needs me there by 3:30 pm because their director was going to the television station to promote the event and that he wanted our cheese on that plate for the news plug.  (No pressure there!).  After hanging up with her I briefly thought about a statement that Chrys and Daddy have made several times (in reference to the truck I was driving), which is....This truck is very stable on the curves due to the wide wheel base.  I decided to take them at their word and practically flew to Bentonville.

After one small wrong turn, I pulled into the entrance at 3:20 pm. In just a short distance there was a security tent.  I stopped there and asked where I was suppose to go to make a delivery.  The officer immediately asked if I was the one with the goat cheese.  I confirmed that I was and he promptly directed me on where to go.  After going just a short distance, there was another security officer that stopped me and asked me if I was the lady with the goat cheese.  I stated that I was and he directed me on to a  building just a short distance away.  Upon arriving at the building there was yet another security officer there and he asked if I was the Mrs. with the goat cheese.  I replied with an affirmative answer and he directed me on to the loading dock where there was a staff person waiting to quickly take the cheese from me (and I assume rush it to the kitchen so that it could be plated and make its television debut).

Now the stress was lifting and I was making my way back the way I had come to exit the grounds.  When I arrived at the security tent, the officer was speaking with someone else and wouldn't let me leave.  Thinking that I was going the wrong way or something I was looking around for another way to exit.  I am sure that he just held me up for a short time, but it seemed like forever.  Finally another officer came up to the truck and I rolled the window down and asked if I was going the right way.  He stated that I was in fact going the right way, but that the director had radioed down and didn't want them to let me leave until they told me that the our cheese was going to be on the news that night.

Relieved to have made the delivery to Crystal Bridges, I had a few moments to reflect as I drove on to Crepes Paulette to make a delivery of cheese samples for them to try in the crepes they are making for the Artosphere Festival.  My reflection was that what had just occurred was similar, at least in my mind, as handing off the Olympic Torch or possibly even delivering a heart for transplant (I did have the little red ice chests  :)  )

In all reality, I know that this was no where near as important as the scenarios that I had just created in my mind, BUT it sure did a LOT for this goat farmer girl as I drove home, especially after the morning that I had just had.  As I drove home I also thought briefly that I was sure glad that I wasn't driving my dirty ol' pick up truck with the goat cage in the back..........or maybe it would have been better if I was.  LOL

Have a GREAT weekend Friends!

Alvin

A couple of weeks ago, I had promised Alvin his very own photo shoot.  We did that and since he wanted to be right in my face the entire time, this is the best picture that we have.  :)

On Wednesday we moved Alvin to the big boy pen.  The other bucks are in the back pasture with the breeding girls (which hopefully means that we will have winter milk this year) so at least he didn't have to deal with the pushy big boys yet, but Alvin let me know quite clearly that he is NOT a "GOAT" and he absolutely does not understand why we are treating him like he is.  We went ahead and put a couple of the older girls with him so that he would have some company, and although he is adjusting he is still somewhat less than impressed.

Hopefully we will be able to use Alvin some as a herd sire this next breeding season, if he is big enough.  Definitely he will be ready for the following year.

 Alvin at 3 months.

More Babies & the Garden

WOW!  We went a FULL week without having any babies at all!  BUT at approximately 6:30 am yesterday Splash presented us with a single buckling.  THEN, at about 2:00 pm Rosie delivered twins (1 boy and 1 girl) and finally, at 2:30 pm Helga presented us with a single buckling.  I have been expecting Chino to kid any day for the last two weeks.  In fact, I went out to check her just before typing this so that if she had, I could include pictures of her baby(s).

 

Splash's buckling

 

Rosie's twins.

 

Helga's buckling.

Finally, a couple of pictures of the gardens.

 

Here is one of the broccoli gardens.  The broccoli is now over a foot tall and I can taste that sweet tender broccoli already.  If you look at the top left of the picture (very closely) you can see a hint of the other broccoli garden.  Oh........and please excuse the weeds.  The rains was great for the veggies but unfortunately it was also good for the weeks.

 

And last but not least,  a picture of the snow peas.  Growing, but not as well as we would like.

Ginko and Starla Babies

Well, at about 4:30 this morning beautiful Ginko delivered twin doelings.  

Ginko has such a great personality.  I hope her girls are just like her.  :)

 

Not to be outdone, at approximately 10:30 am, Miss Starla delivered two nice big buck kids.  I was sure hoping for a doeling out of Starla, but I guess you can't win them all.  : /

I think there are about 8 more does left to kid out.  I would really like for them to do it either today or wait until Sunday since I have to be gone on Saturday.

Taboo's Babies

At about 4:00 this morning Taboo presented us with not one, but TWO gorgeous little doelings.  :)

Now, I know that she was bred to a Nubian and that any color combination is possible with Nubians, however since the sire is also black and the majority of his kids have been black, I would never in a million years  have expected for Taboo to have two blonde girls.  :)  I think I am in love already.