Breeding Season

It is looking like we will be having late January/early February babies in 2017.  From what I can tell, I think everyone went into heat either last week or this week.  The girls sure kept that poor buck busy!!

Uh OH!!! It is THAT time of year!

Sigh!  It is THAT time of year when my buck (the first goat in the picture) starts peeing on himself.  I know that sounds gross AND it is!!!  He does this about 25 times a day (I am not exaggerating!!).  And this goes on until late November/early December.  By that time, he is REALLY "ripe."

He does that to "attract" the female goats.  Personally, flowers and dining at the fancy restaurant work for me!!

Babies!

Had 4 baby chicks hatch this weekend!  I let 3 of the hens in one of the chicken houses set on eggs.  Usually 75% of the eggs aren't any good.  I always pleasantly surprised when I find baby chicks.  This brings our total of baby chicks hatched this summer up to 8.

Butternut Squash

A baby Butternut squash!  My first!!  Did you know these make the best pumpkin pies?  Many years ago when my son was in Kindergarten, the class went on a field trip to a local pumpkin farm.  The farmer told me if I wanted to make the best pumpkin pie, do not use pumpkins, but use a butternut squash.  So I did that year and have been doing it ever since.  It is so simple.  You cook the squash like you normally do.  When it has cooled down, scoop all the insides out (minus the seeds!) and process it either in a blender or your food processor - Viola!!  And use this in place of the pumpkin puree in your recipe!  No one will know the difference.

Sprouted Onions - What to do?

I am sure you have found your onions have "sprouted."    Of course, your first thought is "oh darn" and you throw it out because the onion is now no good.  I did the same thing until now.  I was reading somewhere on the Internet that you can plant these!!!  So I figured what the heck.  Let's give this a try. 

Dig a hole deep and wide enough to fit the onion.

 Cover it with dirt so just the top of the "sprout" is showing.

Add some water and wait to see what happens.  Stay tune!!

What a strange year this has been

I don't think I have ever remember a year quite like this year, at least, one so eventful.  Goats drowning in water troughs followed by another goat delivering 3 stillborn babies, a month of "monsoons" in July, followed by an air conditioner and the power steering in my truck both dying at the same time, a recent storm damaging our house . . .

and on and on and on.  Plus the emotions of an only child being deployed on the other side of the world.

BUT, somehow God gets you through this, don't know how HE does it but He does.  Yes, the rains pretty much wiped out my gardens, but I have a lot of friends at the farmer's markets that keep me supplied in wonderful vegetables from their gardens.  As for the goat I lost this winter . . . well, a customer who bought one of my dairy baby goats about a year ago, brought her back because she has decided not to raise goats anymore.  Noelle (the goat) will make up for the one I lost. 

As for the damage to the house, it could have been a lot worse!!  BUT, we didn't lose power and the damage is very minimal.  The carpenter we thought we had hired bailed on us.  So we are going to do it ourselves. 

Amazingly, for some reason, my products are in high demand!!  New opportunites have opened up.  You can't convince me that God didn't have a hand in this.

AND, my son has decided not to re-enlist and will be coming home this year!!  Needless to say, I am a VERY excited Navy Mom. 

It is going to be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out.  Stay tuned!

Baby Chicks

The last couple of weeks I have had two hens setting on nests with about a dozen eggs in each nest.  So far, we have hatched out 8 baby chicks.   Seven of the chicks were hatched about a week and a half ago.

 

Well, last week, baby chick #8 was hatched.  He/she was about a week or so younger than the other chicks.

I have had this situation before.  The older chicks will peck at it briefly to let it know the "pecking" order but eventually leave it alone. 

Unfortunately, that didn't happen in this case.  I found the poor chick in a corner the next morning almost pecked to death.  I immediately took it out of the pen and placed it in a pen by itself.  It died later that afternoon.  I was so upset as this has never happened before. 

I have learned my lesson.  Found another baby chick yesterday morning.  He/she is now in a separate box where the others can't hurt it.

Life on a farm!!