Well, dear blog readers, again it's been months since I last posted. Things get so very busy here once the does start kidding that it really is impossible to keep up with this blog.
But, Fall is about to arrive and things are slowing just a bit, so it's time for an update.
As always, the most up-to-date information about the goats is on my website.
There were many changes to the herd over the past year. I have three senior does, five juniors, and two young bucks now. I expect those numbers will be stable until the Spring when the new kids start arriving.
The three seniors and hopefully four of the juniors will be bred this Fall to kid in the Spring. I plan to retain several does and perhaps a couple of bucks, but there certainly will be kids available for sale. Contact me for more information.
We have two new pigs here that we plan to slaughter in a couple of months. They are both full bred Large Blacks. We raised and butchered 50 Freedom Ranger broiler chickens this year. And, we have 23 Rhode Island Red layer chickens who continue to provide us and customers with fresh free range eggs.
I'm looking forward this Fall to breeding season for the goats as this is the first time I've had my own bucks. It's been fun planning the breedings. You can check out the plans (can always change until the deed is done) on my kidding schedule on the website.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Treble Kids!
Treble kidded this past Saturday, March 19 with buck/doe twins. The kidding was pretty uneventful. The buckling was first, of course, and his head was a little big, so I helped him out, but the doeling slid out easily after the buckling.
They are taking their bottles well and starting to bounce around. They are in the house now for my convenience, but they'll move out to the barn in a couple of weeks. Pictures can be found here.
Next up is Blossom, a first freshener who probably will have a single or twins and then Melody who is HUGE. I expect a minimum of three kids from Mel, very possibly more.
And I have a buckling and doeling arriving from Massachusetts the second week of April. It's going to be a busy few weeks. The best places to find up-to-date information on kiddings are the Kidding Schedule page and For Sale page on the website.
More soon!
They are taking their bottles well and starting to bounce around. They are in the house now for my convenience, but they'll move out to the barn in a couple of weeks. Pictures can be found here.
Next up is Blossom, a first freshener who probably will have a single or twins and then Melody who is HUGE. I expect a minimum of three kids from Mel, very possibly more.
And I have a buckling and doeling arriving from Massachusetts the second week of April. It's going to be a busy few weeks. The best places to find up-to-date information on kiddings are the Kidding Schedule page and For Sale page on the website.
More soon!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Waiting, waiting...
This time of year the time just crawls as I count down the days (hours, minutes) until kidding begins. Tiny Town Treble is due first on March 21, so still seven weeks to go. She doesn't look pregnant at all, so I'm sure hoping she is. There's no reason to think she isn't as I haven't seen any signs of heat and I know she was bred back in October. I don't expect any more than twins. She seems just a tad thin to me, so I've begun supplementing her with a small amount of alfalfa and grain. Once she hits four weeks before kidding I'll begin increasing the ration up to close to where I think she'll need to be for milk production.
Sweet Garden Blossom is the next doe due on March 31. Blossom has looked pregnant since she was about six weeks old! She has incredible rumen capacity, which I hope will bode well for future milk production, but it's hard to tell what's kids, and what's stomach! Blossom is maturing beautifully with plenty of size and a grand, regal bearing. I continue to be confident of her potential, both in the show ring and in the milk pail.
Tiny Town Blue Suede Shoes is due on April 1. "Melody" looks very pregnant, about ready to pop in fact. I'm expecting triplets at the very least, very possibly more.
Tiny Town BP Sweet Muzette is due on April 15. She's maturing beautifully, but shows no signs of impending motherhood. It really is too soon for her. It's hard to tell with all of the hair, but she has a very level topline and is very smoothly blended. If her udder lives up to expectations she'll be a force to reckon with in the show ring.
The final kidding here will be Tiny Town Sweet Serenade, due May 12. I'm glad it's so far away as Sara is growing slowly and needs a good bit more size for my liking for a safe birth. She has three and a half months more, so all should be good. I have begun to supplement her diet with some alfalfa and grain to help, watching carefully to be sure she doesn't get over-conditioned. Fat first fresheners are a recipe for disaster!
Melody is now herd queen, the other four don't seem to have a clear hierarchy, although Blossom seems terrified of Treble. I'm not sure what happened there! Muzette and little Sara can hold their own with anyone except Melody.
I'm expecting 8-12 kids. I anticipate that all of the males will be sold as wethers, but I won't make a final decision until I see udders and the kids themselves. I plan to keep two doelings, so should have several for sale, depending on my buck to doe ratio! I have not done well the past two years, my totals for the two years combined: Does 3 -- Bucks 8. I'm certainly due a doe year. I'll be doing the doe dance as kidding draws nearer.
Sweet Garden Blossom is the next doe due on March 31. Blossom has looked pregnant since she was about six weeks old! She has incredible rumen capacity, which I hope will bode well for future milk production, but it's hard to tell what's kids, and what's stomach! Blossom is maturing beautifully with plenty of size and a grand, regal bearing. I continue to be confident of her potential, both in the show ring and in the milk pail.
Tiny Town Blue Suede Shoes is due on April 1. "Melody" looks very pregnant, about ready to pop in fact. I'm expecting triplets at the very least, very possibly more.
Tiny Town BP Sweet Muzette is due on April 15. She's maturing beautifully, but shows no signs of impending motherhood. It really is too soon for her. It's hard to tell with all of the hair, but she has a very level topline and is very smoothly blended. If her udder lives up to expectations she'll be a force to reckon with in the show ring.
The final kidding here will be Tiny Town Sweet Serenade, due May 12. I'm glad it's so far away as Sara is growing slowly and needs a good bit more size for my liking for a safe birth. She has three and a half months more, so all should be good. I have begun to supplement her diet with some alfalfa and grain to help, watching carefully to be sure she doesn't get over-conditioned. Fat first fresheners are a recipe for disaster!
Melody is now herd queen, the other four don't seem to have a clear hierarchy, although Blossom seems terrified of Treble. I'm not sure what happened there! Muzette and little Sara can hold their own with anyone except Melody.
I'm expecting 8-12 kids. I anticipate that all of the males will be sold as wethers, but I won't make a final decision until I see udders and the kids themselves. I plan to keep two doelings, so should have several for sale, depending on my buck to doe ratio! I have not done well the past two years, my totals for the two years combined: Does 3 -- Bucks 8. I'm certainly due a doe year. I'll be doing the doe dance as kidding draws nearer.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Eggs for Sale
We are officially in the egg business. My plan is to post a sign on the goatyard fence whenever I am home and have eggs to sell. Since I only have 24 hens I won't have an unending supply, so I thought this would be a good plan. So, if you are in the area, stop by for some farm fresh, organic, free range eggs.
Today's Menu
Breakfast: Home Cured Bacon, Egg and Goat Cheese Omelet, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Grilled Grassfed Hamburgers, Glazed Turnips and Carrots
Evening Snack: Hardboiled Eggs dipped in mayonnaise, apple and peanut butter
Ingredients from today's menu courtesy of Sweet Garden Farm: bacon, eggs, goat cheese, gogurt, turnips, and carrots. The blueberries were hand picked about five miles from the farm. The grassfed beef is from Potomac, Maryland. Now if I could just get some apple trees and peanut plants I'd really be local!! :)
Today's Menu
Breakfast: Home Cured Bacon, Egg and Goat Cheese Omelet, Gogurt with Blueberries
Main Meal: Grilled Grassfed Hamburgers, Glazed Turnips and Carrots
Evening Snack: Hardboiled Eggs dipped in mayonnaise, apple and peanut butter
Ingredients from today's menu courtesy of Sweet Garden Farm: bacon, eggs, goat cheese, gogurt, turnips, and carrots. The blueberries were hand picked about five miles from the farm. The grassfed beef is from Potomac, Maryland. Now if I could just get some apple trees and peanut plants I'd really be local!! :)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
November 2010 Update
Just a general update of all that is going on:
Goats - I continue to move towards a show herd. I now own the following goats:
Tiny Town Blue Suede Shoes (Melody) - a terrific milker and a proven producer of show quality kids.
Tiny Town Treble - a solid milker with show potential in her own right.
Sweet Garden Blossom - maturing beautifully: deep, wide, and long. I expect big things from her next year.
Tiny Town BP Sweet Muzette - A flashy blue-eyed doeling with potential for excellent milk production and outstanding conformation.
Tiny Town Sweet Serenade (Sara) - A beautiful white doeling with royalty in her blood. Hopefully this precious girl will live up to her pedigree.
I've posted a kidding schedule here: http://www.sweetgardengoats.com/Kidding_Schedule.html. Reservations will be accepted. No deposit is required.
Melody and Blossom have both been bred to NC Promisedland Peeping Tom.
Treble has been bred to Tiny Town Sunny Surprise.
Muzette has been bred to NC Promisedland SIA Samuria.
Sara will be bred to NC Promisedland SIA Samuria in a couple of weeks.
Tigger is still here, but will be returned to Tiny Town Goats in a couple of weeks. That will complete my plans for this year. Then I will just have to wait for all of the girls to kid next year and see what the stork brings!
I have also placed a deposit on a buckling and doeling from Rosasharn Farm in Massachusetts. Those additions should put me in good stead, along with my current does, to move forward towards a show herd with solid milk production.
Pigs - The pigs have grown and grown and grown, and now they are ready for the slaughterhouse:
Tomorrow evening we are taking them up to Mt. Airy Locker for slaughter. We'll bring them back down here, hopefully Wednesday, to butcher them ourselves. I'll have to report back later on flavor and how the processing went.
Broiler Chickens - we ended up processing about 75 broilers. They are all (except for the ones we've already eaten) in the freezer. We've been extremely happy with the chickens.
Layer Hens - the twenty-five Rhode Island Reds that we purchased in the Summer began laying a couple of weeks ago. I don't expect a lot of eggs until Spring, but I did collect eight eggs today. They are still mostly small eggs, with an occasional larger one.
Garden - The greenhouse is up. I have six squares producing lettuce, cabbage, Spring onions, Swiss Chard, and spinach. The root cellar holds turnips, kohlrabi, beets, and carrots. So, we're set for the winter.
And that's my November 2010 update... Hopefully I'll have more time this winter for blogging, but Spring will come and along with that a heavy show schedule, milking, cheesemaking, gardening, and normal life responsibilities. It's all good...
Goats - I continue to move towards a show herd. I now own the following goats:
Tiny Town Blue Suede Shoes (Melody) - a terrific milker and a proven producer of show quality kids.
Tiny Town Treble - a solid milker with show potential in her own right.
Sweet Garden Blossom - maturing beautifully: deep, wide, and long. I expect big things from her next year.
Tiny Town BP Sweet Muzette - A flashy blue-eyed doeling with potential for excellent milk production and outstanding conformation.
Tiny Town Sweet Serenade (Sara) - A beautiful white doeling with royalty in her blood. Hopefully this precious girl will live up to her pedigree.
I've posted a kidding schedule here: http://www.sweetgardengoats.com/Kidding_Schedule.html. Reservations will be accepted. No deposit is required.
Melody and Blossom have both been bred to NC Promisedland Peeping Tom.
Treble has been bred to Tiny Town Sunny Surprise.
Muzette has been bred to NC Promisedland SIA Samuria.
Sara will be bred to NC Promisedland SIA Samuria in a couple of weeks.
Tigger is still here, but will be returned to Tiny Town Goats in a couple of weeks. That will complete my plans for this year. Then I will just have to wait for all of the girls to kid next year and see what the stork brings!
I have also placed a deposit on a buckling and doeling from Rosasharn Farm in Massachusetts. Those additions should put me in good stead, along with my current does, to move forward towards a show herd with solid milk production.
Pigs - The pigs have grown and grown and grown, and now they are ready for the slaughterhouse:
Broiler Chickens - we ended up processing about 75 broilers. They are all (except for the ones we've already eaten) in the freezer. We've been extremely happy with the chickens.
Layer Hens - the twenty-five Rhode Island Reds that we purchased in the Summer began laying a couple of weeks ago. I don't expect a lot of eggs until Spring, but I did collect eight eggs today. They are still mostly small eggs, with an occasional larger one.
Garden - The greenhouse is up. I have six squares producing lettuce, cabbage, Spring onions, Swiss Chard, and spinach. The root cellar holds turnips, kohlrabi, beets, and carrots. So, we're set for the winter.
And that's my November 2010 update... Hopefully I'll have more time this winter for blogging, but Spring will come and along with that a heavy show schedule, milking, cheesemaking, gardening, and normal life responsibilities. It's all good...
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