Posts Tagged ‘chickens’

It could only happen to me

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

It could only happen to me…

The day started out on prescribed schedule: feed/water animals, milk, feed/water boys, do devotions, start school. School had been moved to the office where I sat labeling product for my show this weekend. Sam was in the midst of Language Arts. So far so good. Nathan had gone once to water the white turkeys and broilers. I sent him out again to open the back of the greenhouse for the broilers – I thought I hadn’t done that. Well . . . this is where the “it could only happen to me” day gets really going . . . .

He came running in and told me that the weasel that’s been coming every other day and taking a chicken or two out of the hay barn was after a turkey . . . OK, how’s the turkey??? Nathan claims that he hit the weasel with a machete! Now the machete is for the tall weeds that we can’t get with the scythe or the mower . . . I never knew that a person should have one handy for a weasel. He said he dealt it a mortal wound and it fled down the hill.

Back to the turkey . . . not going to make it Nathan said and was asking for permission to put it out of it’s misery (if it lasted that long). Well, here goes science class is all I could think. . . We went back in time and well, Nathan used the chopping block efficiently as good as his hero Almonzo or “his” father-in-law Charles Ingalls ever would have. So I guess that was history. Then we skinned it and my sink is full of chilling turkey. . . Cooking class???  I’m glad they’d already done their math – I’m not sure how I could have remotely  have thought that  could have been included as school completed. LOL.

I bet changes in schedule like that never happen to you!!! And I was planning on doing 7 more sets of goat hooves today – I think not!

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Summer Updates

Thursday, August 13th, 2009
We’re cleaning, weeding and getting ready for breeding season with the goats. We hope to have 7 milkers in about 6-8 months.  A few of our chickens have had babies -  and one turkey hen is suspiciously missing . . . after 1 month I’m sure we’ll have lots of new additions to tell you about!

We’ve made lots of soaps this week in anticipation of the craft season starting – I think everyone has finally figured out what my sister Claudia knew all the time: the Shea butter soap is Sensational!! The new Sandalwood shaving soap is curing! I have mint and rosemary soaking in Olive Oil right now to make Rosemary/Mint soap later today. What a pleasant mixture!

As we get ready to start our CSA – we have ideas pouring in from those of you who are desperate for good, clean, truly local food. Keep it up – we need to know what you’d like to see in produce from here and how involved you want to be in the farm. We’re collecting recipes to include with every share day – we’ve gotten some fabulous ones!

Did you see the ABC news report about the 12 most pesticide-ridden fruits/veggies? Peaches tops the list – we hope to offer you pesticide-free peaches next year. All it takes is the weather cooperating as we will not contaminate our fruit or veggies. Makes me a little crazy to see all the news about what’s supposed to be “food”.

Have you seen the Food Inc. movie??? Joel Salatin, my hero! What a role model! From homeschooling to raising chickens – we’ve learned so much from this man.  The movie is coming out to purchase soon and we will have a few copies to share around. This is not a scare tactic movie but reveals a lot about what kinds of food are subsidized and why it’s so much more expensive to buy REAL food. This is just an eye-opener that I think every American needs to see.

We are getting ready to build raised beds. We hope to use the almost the entire front yard, a new bed in between the greenhouse and the goats and along the back of the greenhouse behind the goat yards . . . should triple our garden space. With well over 20 families signing up for the CSA and some working here -  it should be a growing season to remember.  We are scheduling work parties and cherish your help – all of the beds must be done or mostly done by the end of September. This way they can “cook” over winter and be ready to be planted as soon as the ground is ready in Spring.

There are a few things that will be planted right away before winter: spinach, more strawberries, the garlics, etc. Most of the rest of the herbs, rhubarb and such will just need to be covered and protected.

Oh, and the porch needs to be transformed to windows/sliders to make a wonderful meeting place for those coming to visit the farm. Lots to do – but what an awesome time of growing and learning and doing!

Keep the ideas pouring in -  now to go find out if my lost boy is out in the pasture asleep on his goat Whisper . . .

Marilyn, aka the Goatwoman

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Happy Anniversary to Us

Friday, October 31st, 2008
Happy Anniversary to us – we’ve been in KY 8 years today, October 31st – and married 22 years this month.

Well, it’s a blustery, cold day here on the farm . . .a great day to stay in, snuggled by the fire reading. Alas, the animals need warm water, hay and grain to produce that health-giving, moisturizing goat milk. So we will bundle, feed/water/milk and install the winter water heaters . . . goats like warm, clean water.

We have a lot less pastured eggs these days . . . I don’t think the ladies are liking this less-than-warm weather. Where we were getting 4 dozen eggs a day – we’re now down to about 9 eggs. We have put a light in the sleeping area for the temporary housing. The hurricane in KY/OH destroyed the tunnel greenhouse where the hens were to over-winter on 2-3 foot of bedding material. We have a lot of work to do in a short time to put up a wooden wall/doorway and seal it from predators – all for those wonderful brown eggs to come.

We got our new chicks from Mount Healthy Hatchery last week and they are in their black rubber 110 gallon fish tanks – converted to brooding areas. We have two set up in the “barn”. Our garage makes a very temperate barn for us until the new one is done in the front area. (We can’t wait to sit in our living room or front porch and watch the goats frolic on the front hill).

We also started the breeding cycle. We had one milking doe sold pending breeding. Well, she decided to change our busy Sunday morning schedule to her own advantage. We will now be getting Daisy to her new home in Grant County soon. . .

We are waiting to breed the rest of the ladies until November. We usually breed closer to October – but our grandkids are coming in April and want to be a part of the miracle of new life. So we’ll breed a little later than usual. We have one lady named Hope that is already bred and will be giving lots of milk by the time the rest of the ladies have their new kids.

We have a new hay storage area and are working on putting another 100 bales in it – thanks Pat! Without his hard, never-ending honey-do list, we couldn’t have the many animals we have.

We also have been attending local craft fairs for the season. We will be introducing whole new areas to the wonder of goat milk products and honey/beeswax products. We try to educate and not just sell products when we go – it’s working. We have a lot of repeat business! Fresh, homemade, local, healthy – we stress all of this when we go.

Have to get to school and making some homemade goat cheeses – we have some requests for some special “presents”. My mom cannot have any cow’s milk products so we ship lots of cheeses to Arizona when it’s cool enough to do so.

Have a blessed day,  the Goat Woman
aka Marilyn

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