Happy 10th birthday, Gabe!

Happy 10th birthday, Gabe!

Originally uploaded by edgwickfarm

My baby is ten years old, double digits!

Saturday morning barn report

According to the newspaper, the snow storm that hit yesterday was the biggest one yet this winter.  It didn’t seem like it to me.  We ended up with 8 to 10 inches of light puffy snow.

I walked into a disaster area in the barn this morning.  Sex crazed Henry had broken down the door to his pen, letting Bianci loose with him.  Surpisingly he didn’t get into the grain, although Bianci did trample the hay bales a bit.  What he did do is try to break into the doe pen from the door area, scattering the bags of bedding piled nearby, and break through their window area, putting a big hole in the chicken wire with his horns and trampling all of the stuff piled in front the window, which included a bag of lime.  What a mess!  I have a couple hours clean-up to fit into an already overscheduled day!

Three gallons of milk.  Filtered it and cultured it with chevre culture.  Three duck eggs that I added to the last broody hen.  Now I have three broody hens, each on nine eggs.  No chicken eggs, although I got three at the end of yesterday.  I have decided to put my egg customers on hold.  I barely have enough eggs for the family.

Henry bred Elizabeth and Josephine first thing.  I had thought he bred Elizabeth last month but I guess not.  I cannot wait for this heat cycle to pass because Henry is completely nuts.

Friday morning barn report

Snow overnight and snow showers all day brought on a snow day so all the kids are home today.  Two and three quarters gallons of milk.  Four duck eggs, no chicken eggs.  Everyone outside in the shed and the snow if they care to venture out.  The baby goats have to be acclimated to the weather because they will be housed outside with a shelter where they are going.

Wednesday morning barn report

Temperatures in the teens this morning as I walked Samat 5:30 am in the bright light of the full moon.  There were no skunks outside the back door this morning but he still lunged out the door in anticipation.  This morning I held him more firmly.  That dog is taking advantage of my half-awake state!

The house smells less strongly although certain family members are still put out, acting as if I set the skunk on Sam on purpose to ruin their lives.  Oh well.

The five does milked well, three gallons and two cups (without Celia who is now dried off).  I filtered and cultured that warm milk  and set it aside for 24 hourswith chevre.

A third hen turned broody and kicked the black silkie off her duck eggs so I tucked this morning’s Indian Runner eggs under the silkie.  I brought in the big duck egg from the brown duck and fed it to Sam.  No chicken eggs this morning.

When I went to the barn at the end of the day yesterday, all of the baby goats were out as well as Elizabeth and Lucy.  I had turned off the electric because of the bad weather last week and they figured it out last night.  This morning, I checked and repaired the fence and fired it up.  Everyone went out side.  It’s cold but sunny now.

I am about out of hay again and am nagging my hay guy by voicemail and text to bring me the last 31 bales he owes me.  I have at least another month of hay so I probably need to buy another hundred.  Once the baby goats go, I’ll roll that profit right over to my hay guy.  Yesterday afternoon, I brought Gabe and his playdate out in my truck to gather pine boughs that has broken in last week’s ice storm.  Boy, the goats loved those.  I need to make time to get another truck load today.

I am alone in the house for the first time in five or six weeks.  I have a mound of financial work that I have to tackle.  Much of what happens over the next few years will depend upon this work so I need to take advantage of the peace and quiet to focus on this task.

Tuesday morning…SKUNKED!

This morning at 5:30 am as I took Sam out for his walk, we were greeted by a rather large skunk.  Sam yanked the leash out of my hand and pursued it across the yard.  He came back with a gash on his snout, his eyes swelled shut and gagging.  He had been sprayed full force in his face, not more than ten feet from our back door.

I tied him to the back porch and got eight quarts of heritage tomatoe sauce out of the root cellar.  I soaked him with the sauce, rinsed him with a couple of buckets of warm water and then dragged him into the downstairs bathroom (which has a tub) and gave him a thorough washing with soap.  Sam stinks, I stink, the house stinks and we probably will for a week or more.  Emma is particularly unhappy about this.

Three gallons and one quart of milk.  Celia’s udder was loose so I did not milk her for a second day.

No chicken eggs although I got five yesterday afternoon.  Broody hens still sitting on duck eggs. 

I am putting off cheesemaking until the smell diminishes.

Monday morning barn report

Warm wet weather.  It is fifty seven degrees right now.  It rained all night although it is clearing now.  The snow will be completely gone within a couple of hours.  I can see a patch of very green chives outside my window.

Two and a half gallons of milk this morning.  I did not milk Celia at all.  I kept everyone in because it was raining at 6 am.  The babies in their pen, Celia and Elizabeth together, Henry in with Bambi, Lucy, Penelope, Josephine and Sophia who are all in heat and Bianci by herself.

Four duck eggs and no chicken eggs.

With all the extra milk, it is time to experiment with some new cheese recipes.  This morning, using the recipe and instructions from Fiasco Farm, I made feta from the fresh milk.  It is now hanging in the root cellar.  Tomorrow I harden it and then brine it to age for four weeks.  So I won’t really know how it comes out until near the end of March.  The beginning part was easy.  I had to stay near to the kitchen for four hours but I did alot of house chores in between.  I may start several batches this week to hone my skills.

I am making a grain run this morning.  When I get back, I’ll put everyone outside if the weather has held.

I am going to Florida for Easter weekend with the children and my father to visit my brother and his family.  Stella and Adam will be taking care of the farm for me.  It has been a long time since I have had a vacation like this.

Sunday morning barn report

It being Sunday morning, I lingered in bed, checking e-mails and blogs and watching the sky streak pink as the sun came up.  It was nineteen degrees when I took Sam out for his walk, crisp and cold and bright. 

The goats gave me three gallons of milk that I immediately cultured with chevre starter.  (I have a couple gallons draining in the root cellar that need to be processed.) 

One chicken egg that went back to house and three ducks eggs that I tucked under the broody silkie.  I am hoping for ducklings in March. 

Henry has been sex crazed because I suspect five of the does are in heat.  Yesterday morning he was trying to mount Bianci the donkey and when I went into the pen, me.  He chased the girls around all day yesterday, moaning and crying in frustration.  This morning Bambi stood for him.  That means the next round of baby goats (after the ones due in April and/or May) will be midJuly. 

I am going to have to separate Henry starting in the summer so I can hold off breeding until mid to late fall.  I have to determine where to build a buck shed.  I have been tempted to pick up a purebred nubian buckling as I have seen several nice ones for sale at reasonable prices.  I need to hold off until I have my five year plan in place.  Eventually I will need to expand the milking herd but I need to decide whether I want to stay with pure nubians or cross with saanans for a nice mix.  There is plenty of time for planning and thinking and letting some things settle in my life.

Happy Birthday Amity!

Roaring with Auntie Amity

Originally uploaded by edgwickfarm

It is my dear sister’s 31st birthday. We are bookends in the family, I am the oldest and she is the youngest. We are both farmers at heart, although we grew up on on different farms and have very different focuses.

Bird order

After much thinking and procrastination, I placed my bird order with McMurray Hatchery. 

During the week of March 31st, I have 25 speckled sussex female chicks and 10 cornish cross males arriving via U.S. Mail.  Also included for two of my friends are 15 buff orpington female chicks and 3 rhode island red, 3 new hampshire red and 3 speckled sussex, all femaile chicks.  I just hope we will be able to tell them apart to divy them up!  I had considered and decided against another 25 female laying chicks to sell as pullets.  I have had at least five people calling me looking to buy laying hens so I figure there is a market.  But I decided it would be too much to take on with the tukey experiment.

During the week of April 21st, I have 15 straight run narragansett turkey poults arriving by U.S. Mail.  This was the minimum order required and a bit more than I wanted to start my experiment with.  I figure I’ll keep a breeding pair or more and put five in my freezer and try to sell the rest at Thanksgiving time.

Thursday morning barn report

Icy and cold but brilliantly sunny.  Children had a two hour delay for school that threw my morning routine off.  Three gallons and one quart milk.  Five chicken eggs, four duck eggs.

The baby goats ate all the hay out of their hay feeder for the first time and polished off two pounds of sweet feed.  They are clearly eating well on their own.

Everyone went outside but the goats refuse to step out of the shed onto the icy snow.  The chickens have no problem with it.