Catching Up

I apologize blog readers for taking so long to get a new post written. It's been a busy time here at Sweet Garden Farm, but things have quieted just a bit this week, so there's time to catch up. With that said, here goes:

Senior Does - Tigger is milking very well, I'm pleased. She's giving better than three pounds a day in her third month of lactation. Una, on the other hand is giving just over a cup a day. I should be getting another doe for milk in a week or two. Once my new doe arrives I should have close to a gallon a day between her and Tigger and be ready for some serious hard cheese making. Once she arrives I plan to dry off Una. I also do not plan to breed Una again. She does not produce enough milk to make her worth milking, and she has delivery problems. Unless something changes, I plan to just let her live her life here in comfort as a pet.

Doelings - Petals and Blossom continue to grow and thrive. They get one bottle a day now, in the late afternoon. They are eating hay and alfalfa pellets very well, and picking at grain. They were recently moved into the main barnyard with Tigger and Una. They do have their own little area with their shelter, hay rack, food, and water. Tigger and Una can't get into the little pen because the doorway is too small. I have a gate for entry. Tig and Una have shown the little ones that they are very much in charge, but Petals and Blossom (especially Blossom) have learned to scuttle out of the way when necessary.

Laying Hens - The layers are not producing the number of eggs I was hoping for. They are about 22 months old and have never properly molted, so I wonder if that could be the problem. I did use artificial light this past winter to keep the egg production going, which worked, but it probably confused their natural rhythm for molting. Some of them appear to be "partially molting." They have missing feathers on the necks and some on their backs. I'm getting 3-4 eggs a day from my 8 hens. My "guard rooster" is doing a great job fending off predators. Or, at least, I assume so. I haven't lost any hens since he arrived. He's a very, very nice rooster. He lets me collect eggs and walk amongst the hens without being threatening to me at all.

New Layers - We have a batch of 25 Rhode Island Red chicks in the brooder right now. They were one week old yesterday. They will be our new layer flock. I should have enough eggs in the Spring for ourselves and a few dozen a week to sell.

Meat Chickens - Our meat chickens are growing well. They are five weeks old, so in about a week or so we will start butchering the largest ones. We did lose one chick the first week. He couldn't stand very well and was obviously not going to make it, so we helped him along. Then, while moving the rolling cage one got his leg broken, so we butchered and ate him last week. On Sunday we noticed that one had been injured, we think during the thunderstorm. His crop was split open, his thigh skin was broken, and a wing was damaged. So Eddie butchered him on Sunday. We are letting him age until tomorrow when we will put him whole on the grill.

The first one we ate had the right flavor, but did seem a little firmer fleshed than the chickens from the grocery store. We are not sure if that is because we didn't age it, or because they naturally get more exercise when raised in this manner.

There's more to say, but wouldn't want to bore everyone, and I can't seem to get pictures to upload, so let me work on that and post again. I still need to update on the garden and cheesemaking...