Sunday, September 9, 2012
Bottle Babies
We bought bottle baby calves yesterday. They are bulls born at a local dairy. So cute and sweet. Here are some pictures. Our farm grows!
How NOT to chase a goat
If I were to chase a goat.....ahem, hypothetically of course.... I would not do it with a broom waving over my head, yelling like a banshee. In the experience I've gained lately, this technique has proven unsuccessful. In fact, goats tend to run faster when pursued by crazy women. However, I do find the broom highly effective when used properly. For example, one crazy woman holds a goat with a rope around the neck, and the other crazy woman occasionally swats the goat in the behind with a broom.
Ok, so this is not a hypothetical situation. This is real life. My mom and I (I love that woman, what a trooper) really did chase, cajole, beg, plead, push, pull and struggle with a very excited buck for a couple of days. There are gratefully no pictures of any of these events. At one point, dragging the buck up the hill to the barn, he turned on me. I believe he had amorous intentions. Regretfully I did not return his affections. I received a sore hand, and he received a swollen eye.Why is this all so familiar to me?
Other than this excitement, we are really enjoying our goats. My hands were very sore for a week. Now I can milk relatively fast without pain. And, miracle of miracles, that buck is behaving, like a little lamb. We must have come to an understanding.
So here's our system. We wake up and get some grain ready for milking the goats. The grain is like candy for them. The happiness factor they get from grain helps the milk let down, and makes my job easier. We go up to the barn and let the goats out of their stall. This is tricky. It's a sprint down the hill several hundred feet without any fences to an enclosed pasture. Good will is the only thing that keeps those goaties from running a muck all over the property at this point. Usually we can get two goats into the pasture, and we convince the remaining doe to jump onto the milking stand.
Zy made me this stand. It's a work of art, and I love him desperately for it. Who needs diamonds when you have a milking stand like this. Reclaimed wood, turquoise slats, poetry! My heart swoons. When their head is between the supports, we lock the stantion so they can't back up. I sit down next to them and start to milk. I squirt a little out first and check it out for anything ugly that could indicate illness. Please don't ask what that looks like, I'm mostly just looking for anything different. If I see something I think is yucky, the chickens get the milk. Then I start to squirt, squirt into my mason jar. My goats each give about a quart a day. It's pitiful for goats. No self-respecting dairy goat owner would spend as much energy as I do for so little milk. But I believe their production will go up in time, and with the next kids they have. That's my hope at least. It takes about 8 minutes to get all the milk out, and when they're empty, they feel empty. I know that should be obvious, but it wasn't for me. After milking, we fight them back to the pasture, and grab the next doe.
At night, we reverse the process. We milk, then bring the doe to the barn. I found that if I bring the does up alone, that randy buck cannot wait to get back to the barn to see his ladies. He fairly drags me up the hill to the barn now.
And so, the answer to how not to chase a goat. Don't chase them, let them come to you after they calm down. Although, it is mighty fun to swing a broom once in awhile.
And, it's fun to swing from a rope swing in the barn.
Ok, so this is not a hypothetical situation. This is real life. My mom and I (I love that woman, what a trooper) really did chase, cajole, beg, plead, push, pull and struggle with a very excited buck for a couple of days. There are gratefully no pictures of any of these events. At one point, dragging the buck up the hill to the barn, he turned on me. I believe he had amorous intentions. Regretfully I did not return his affections. I received a sore hand, and he received a swollen eye.Why is this all so familiar to me?
Other than this excitement, we are really enjoying our goats. My hands were very sore for a week. Now I can milk relatively fast without pain. And, miracle of miracles, that buck is behaving, like a little lamb. We must have come to an understanding.
So here's our system. We wake up and get some grain ready for milking the goats. The grain is like candy for them. The happiness factor they get from grain helps the milk let down, and makes my job easier. We go up to the barn and let the goats out of their stall. This is tricky. It's a sprint down the hill several hundred feet without any fences to an enclosed pasture. Good will is the only thing that keeps those goaties from running a muck all over the property at this point. Usually we can get two goats into the pasture, and we convince the remaining doe to jump onto the milking stand.
Zy made me this stand. It's a work of art, and I love him desperately for it. Who needs diamonds when you have a milking stand like this. Reclaimed wood, turquoise slats, poetry! My heart swoons. When their head is between the supports, we lock the stantion so they can't back up. I sit down next to them and start to milk. I squirt a little out first and check it out for anything ugly that could indicate illness. Please don't ask what that looks like, I'm mostly just looking for anything different. If I see something I think is yucky, the chickens get the milk. Then I start to squirt, squirt into my mason jar. My goats each give about a quart a day. It's pitiful for goats. No self-respecting dairy goat owner would spend as much energy as I do for so little milk. But I believe their production will go up in time, and with the next kids they have. That's my hope at least. It takes about 8 minutes to get all the milk out, and when they're empty, they feel empty. I know that should be obvious, but it wasn't for me. After milking, we fight them back to the pasture, and grab the next doe.
At night, we reverse the process. We milk, then bring the doe to the barn. I found that if I bring the does up alone, that randy buck cannot wait to get back to the barn to see his ladies. He fairly drags me up the hill to the barn now.
And so, the answer to how not to chase a goat. Don't chase them, let them come to you after they calm down. Although, it is mighty fun to swing a broom once in awhile.
And, it's fun to swing from a rope swing in the barn.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Goats!
Our little farm welcomed three dairy goats yesterday. Two alpine does, and one cross-breed buck. All three are very sweet. We started milking this morning. I have to say, I was a little nervous. But, they are terrific little does. We made breakfast rice with their milk this morning. Yum-Yum!
Check out our smooth transport system.
That's right. The same little trailer that got us here, slightly modified. I have to admit, it's pretty crazy, even for us.
From left to right Betsy (black doe, named by Arella), Clairabelle (brown doe, named by Suvi), and Mr. Miggins (buck named by Tess).
They are all super friendly. The dogs love them. The goats are still afraid of the dogs. While they are not used to being hand-milked, they did great this morning. Once they figure out the routine, I think we'll get along great.
Oh and about the teaser....we do not have our cow yet. But we picked out our favorite, and are really looking forward to welcoming her home. Hopefully more updates on that soon.
Check out our smooth transport system.
That's right. The same little trailer that got us here, slightly modified. I have to admit, it's pretty crazy, even for us.
Introducing!!
They are all super friendly. The dogs love them. The goats are still afraid of the dogs. While they are not used to being hand-milked, they did great this morning. Once they figure out the routine, I think we'll get along great.
Oh and about the teaser....we do not have our cow yet. But we picked out our favorite, and are really looking forward to welcoming her home. Hopefully more updates on that soon.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Chicken Slum Lord
We now have ten happy little hens. Well, there is some debate in the family about how happy they are. Apparently, chickens require space to sit, get comfortable, knit their egg warmers, lay an egg.
We built a fantastic coop. A coop to end all coops, (by my standard). It is a two story wonder, with room to grow. AND we didn't use any recycled materials. All new stuff! We didn't drag a single piece out of the rotting pile in the barn. I suggested rotting wood at every turn, but no, it's all new construction. Stick built, not a mobile home (more on that later). And yet, I've been labelled, a chicken slum lord.
Zy would like each chicken to have her own room. Every time he sees chickens on a cartoon, like Chicken Run, they each have their own little space. She should be able to move in, unpack her boxes, and put up a few pictures. Why should she feel like she's always in transit? With no permanent home? Squatting at her sister's house for a month? No. Not our chickens.
So I'm happy to report that our chickens are safely in their new home. Safe but not secure. We have plans, dear hens, to spruce up your home and give you the decency that you deserve. You'll have privacy, a view, lace curtains if that's your fondest desire.
In the meantime, this is what the coop looks like. And by the way....that monster is heavy. We strapped it to ourselves and hauled it up the hill to the barn. Let me reinforce this point. UP THE HILL to the barn. I don't know many slum lords who would go to that much trouble, take that Mr. Chicken-lib.
This is what the chickens were living in temporarily. Squatters.
And a sneak peak of our barn, with a lovely chicken condo inside.
And our lovely assistants, hauling hay. We could not have made it up the hill without those girls. They are powerful!
And here's more insight into the process.
PS. We have officially moved in and settled. Everyone in our family has their own space, and there are pictures on the walls.
We built a fantastic coop. A coop to end all coops, (by my standard). It is a two story wonder, with room to grow. AND we didn't use any recycled materials. All new stuff! We didn't drag a single piece out of the rotting pile in the barn. I suggested rotting wood at every turn, but no, it's all new construction. Stick built, not a mobile home (more on that later). And yet, I've been labelled, a chicken slum lord.
Zy would like each chicken to have her own room. Every time he sees chickens on a cartoon, like Chicken Run, they each have their own little space. She should be able to move in, unpack her boxes, and put up a few pictures. Why should she feel like she's always in transit? With no permanent home? Squatting at her sister's house for a month? No. Not our chickens.
So I'm happy to report that our chickens are safely in their new home. Safe but not secure. We have plans, dear hens, to spruce up your home and give you the decency that you deserve. You'll have privacy, a view, lace curtains if that's your fondest desire.
In the meantime, this is what the coop looks like. And by the way....that monster is heavy. We strapped it to ourselves and hauled it up the hill to the barn. Let me reinforce this point. UP THE HILL to the barn. I don't know many slum lords who would go to that much trouble, take that Mr. Chicken-lib.
This is what the chickens were living in temporarily. Squatters.
And a sneak peak of our barn, with a lovely chicken condo inside.
And our lovely assistants, hauling hay. We could not have made it up the hill without those girls. They are powerful!
And here's more insight into the process.
All of those boxes behind Zy are empty!!
This little camera-girl is about to get mowed over!
PS. We have officially moved in and settled. Everyone in our family has their own space, and there are pictures on the walls.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Saturday
We did a little of everything today.
We dug a fall veggie garden.
We moved rocks out of the fall veggie garden.
Arella was stung by a yellow jacket. It hurt like crazy, but she was mostly concerned that she had accidentally crushed its wings when she brushed it off. She's amazing. Love her! (she was also curious why I was taking a picture of it - "I'm documenting life's experiences")
I spy with my little eye......
Do you see Suvi and Tess coming back from a hike? They are tiny little spots in the path through the pasture.
And then....awesomeness supreme. We played in the creek. This time with a camera to prove how heavenly it is.
And I found a deep hole to jump in...with many a hoot and holler. Wow. It was cold!
We rounded off the day with a trip to the library, and appetizers at a delish Mexican restaurant. Awesomeness supreme, or supremo.
We dug a fall veggie garden.
I spy with my little eye......
And then....awesomeness supreme. We played in the creek. This time with a camera to prove how heavenly it is.
And I found a deep hole to jump in...with many a hoot and holler. Wow. It was cold!
We rounded off the day with a trip to the library, and appetizers at a delish Mexican restaurant. Awesomeness supreme, or supremo.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Just when we thought it couldn't get any better...
we found the creek. This creek is heaven on earth: shallow, lined with rocks, a daring fish here or there, banked on all sides by blackberry bushes. The rocks were just the right size for the kids to move and create waterfalls, and dams, and pools to catch water skeeters.
And the pools are perfect for toddler boys to throw rocks into. Some rocks splashed, some plunked, some narrowly missed me. But all those rocks made that boy laugh. Hard. Every single time.
We left soaking wet, tired from moving rocks, and excited to come back and explore around the bend. See? Heaven.
Also, we've been painting.
We've been painting everything we can get our hands on. If the winters are going to be grey, we are going to be surrounded by color.
And the pools are perfect for toddler boys to throw rocks into. Some rocks splashed, some plunked, some narrowly missed me. But all those rocks made that boy laugh. Hard. Every single time.
We left soaking wet, tired from moving rocks, and excited to come back and explore around the bend. See? Heaven.
Also, we've been painting.
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