Adeline's Boy

If it hadn't been for another storm brewing and a call to warn me, these two would likely still be outside. When I found them, the little guy was slipping in the mucus from his birth and making a nice little mud patch.  The flies had found him also. A problem in warm weather. Never in February!

Adeline did me a favor and had her buckling by the gate. A favor you ask? 

Well, this is the first time our goats have kidded this late in spring, and the browse and hay are very tall. Just as a precaution, I walked through the field and around the sheds in case there was another kid laying somewhere else. None was found.

Here's the little guy working his way to his feet as he looks for Mom's teat.

With fresh hay and grain, what do we eat - paper from the floor.  Well its clean for now. 

Already trying to get out and make trouble!

First Cutting

With some dry air and warm sun, I imagine the farms nearby are gearing up for their first cutting of hay.

In our case, with rotational grazing, we just let the goats have at it. 

The machinery alone makes it too costly for us to bale hay as we don't need that much to get through the winter(To compare - one horse needs as much as 15 goats). 

During the Summer and Fall the goats have absolutely no interest in it anyway. 

Why would they when they come in with round bellies every night after getting lost in this.

And get lost they do. 

The kids actually cry to find their mothers because they loose sight of them.  The screeching is pathetic sometimes.

But you have to laugh, because they are RIGHT THERE - in the hay.

Meanwhile, the nanny is so absorbed in her munching, it takes a while to register.

"Whose kids are making that racket? Oh! OOPS!"

Well, at least we are confident no one will starve to death!

Blooms

Time To Say Goodbye - Hello 4-H!

Last week-end was weigh in and sign ups for the Westmoreland Fair. A couple weeks before that was the same for the Derry Ag Fair.

John Clark and Elizabeth came to the farm and chose the two brother wethers out of Twee's triplets to go together to their new home, and they will show them in Derry in July.

Kayla came back for a third year and scooped up Britches, and also Anakin, to show at the Westmoreland Fair. Anakin's twin Angus will be shown there by Hattie.

Zola's twins will be shown by Philip. I am cheering for all the people kids and goat kids to do well at showing and at the auctions.

In the past month or so, our herd was up to 25 or 26 goats and kids.  Weaning was a noisy and painful process in April. Today, after seven kids going to 4-H homes, three going to start a new herd for future 4-H kids, and one sold to a chef (Sorry - the truth!), we are down to a most manageable fifteen. Of course, we have two goats waiting to kid yet, so our numbers will go back up as the farm has its first summer babies this year.
And speaking of babies...

We sold Ariel and Abi, who are both due in the next two to six weeks, to a local family who have a lovely farm just north of town. They have two young boys that will have the joy of kids born on their farm, and all the fun of seeing them grow.

Belle, our triplet doe, also went with them, and by next year they will have a nice little herd to breed on their own.

I happened to find my way there today, and here is their home. What a lovely sight for the passers by!

Cultural Diversity Skips the Nest

Just a short and late follow up to the blue egg in the chicken coop. 

I'm afraid the dream for a robin born in the barn under the tutelage of eight hens was short lived. On the third morning, the egg was fractured, though still in the nest between hens eggs. By evening, most of the evidence was gone. 

Accident? Sabotage? One can only guess.

Only Time Will Tell

Last night I thought perhaps we had a pullet egg, but no, that egg was definitely blue, and way too small.

The barn swallows are back, rowdy, and nesting like mad. But they have white speckled eggs. This sure looks like a robin egg. I'm leaving it in the nest to see if another shows up and also to see if the hens hatch it.

Oh! Yes. That is a golf ball. It is to remind the hens where to lay. Otherwise we find eggs all over the barn.

We have spanned the seasons this week. 

My garden was all tilled and ready for planting when the snow storm came. It looks like I am growing a fine crop of the white stuff.

The week remained cold and raw, but the week-end began to bring back Spring and so we took the whole herd up to the field below the pond for some maintenance. 

 Boots was in deep.

 Anakin really gets into his work eating the roses.

This is great goat browse.

 All bellies are round this week.