Animals
PS....
Three days later we have....
little baby radish plants.
(Yay!)
- The Pleasures Of Recycling
A damp, gloomy, drizzly day this close to Christmas is definitely just what I needed!And yesterday was just that. Farm chores, taking recyclables to the recycling center, and picking up our weeklypastured milk order from the local coffee shopwere my...
- Recycling The Christmas Tree
"O Christmas tree,O Christmas tree,How tasty are thy branches..." I was going to tell you that this is what I heard from the goat pen,but the truth is...all I hear is munching! What's even better than Ritz crackers? Why, a discarded Christmas tree...
- Smoochie's Fascination
For the past several days, when I am out for the morning feed, I have noticed that Smoochie (one of our fainting goat bucks) has been blubbering at the fence beside the chicken yard. "Blubbering" is a mating ritual for male goats. When they are desirous...
- The Ultimate Recycling Project
Here on the farm, we are committed to recycling as much as we possibly can. We compost whatever kitchen scraps we have (that the chickens won't eat). We compost our manure and leaves. We try to find a use for everything. This winter we had several...
- For The Birds
Yesterday afternoon, we headed out to the barn to feed the horses and goats. Jack continued on up the hill to the chicken house and yard. Usually, on our late afternoon rounds, the chickens are let out to run around the farm a bit. Even though they have...
Animals
Winter Survival the Sustainable Way
Sustainability is something we strive for here on the farm.
We want to leave this land a little better than we found it...
that is, we want to keep our footprint as small and as lightweight as possible.
As a way of achieving that goal, we try not to waste a thing.
We recycle just about everything.
Our manure is used on our hayfields and gardens as mulch and fertilizer.
Our kitchen scraps are fed to the chickens.
Nothing goes to waste.
Unfortunately our goats are picky eaters.
They sift through the hay picking out only what they want
and let the rest fall on the ground.
Try as we may, we cannot get them to eat the hay on the ground.
(As many of you know... hay is a precious commodity!)
Luckily, the chickens like to pick through these droppings for tasty treats.
Chickens, you may also know, are NOT picky eaters!
Once the chickens are through eating their share,
we clean up the rest of the hay and it becomes the footing for the chicken yards.
Chickens will very quickly decimate their yard and completely clean it of every
blade of grass and weed until that yard becomes a barren dust bowl.
Covering this space with hay keeps mud to a minimum and provides a soft footing
for the chickens (not to mention better traction in ice and snow for me).
You might have noticed that our Christmas tree is in the goat pen.
Pine trees are a favorite amongst the goats.
They clean off every last needle and strip the bark before they are finished.
After the tree is stripped, they use it for a scratching post.
I have often thought that our horses would make good roommates for the goats...
in that they eat every last piece of hay they can find on the ground.
Nothing wasted in the horse lot!
Oh, and in case you were wondering....
This winter's fashion forecast is:
Fur...
lots and lots of thick wooly fur.
Everyone around the farm is wearing it!
No faux furs around here!!
I often get the question of how our animals survive the cold winter....
Fur coats!
And extra portions of hay.
PS....
Three days later we have....
little baby radish plants.
(Yay!)
- The Pleasures Of Recycling
A damp, gloomy, drizzly day this close to Christmas is definitely just what I needed!And yesterday was just that. Farm chores, taking recyclables to the recycling center, and picking up our weeklypastured milk order from the local coffee shopwere my...
- Recycling The Christmas Tree
"O Christmas tree,O Christmas tree,How tasty are thy branches..." I was going to tell you that this is what I heard from the goat pen,but the truth is...all I hear is munching! What's even better than Ritz crackers? Why, a discarded Christmas tree...
- Smoochie's Fascination
For the past several days, when I am out for the morning feed, I have noticed that Smoochie (one of our fainting goat bucks) has been blubbering at the fence beside the chicken yard. "Blubbering" is a mating ritual for male goats. When they are desirous...
- The Ultimate Recycling Project
Here on the farm, we are committed to recycling as much as we possibly can. We compost whatever kitchen scraps we have (that the chickens won't eat). We compost our manure and leaves. We try to find a use for everything. This winter we had several...
- For The Birds
Yesterday afternoon, we headed out to the barn to feed the horses and goats. Jack continued on up the hill to the chicken house and yard. Usually, on our late afternoon rounds, the chickens are let out to run around the farm a bit. Even though they have...