I'm still here!

If any of you has ever had a bottle baby goat and an unfenced yard, you will understand my absence! I spend most of every day outside with the baby so my yard, garden, and coop are in tip top shape. My house on the other hand is another story! I adore this goat, but it's like having a newborn he just wants me to be outside with him ALL THE TIME. He's becoming more daring and trying to go across the street :/ So the pen has got to become a priority!
Friday was a wild night! I went out to feed the baby goat around 11pm, heard noises in the coop went to check it out and saw an anaconda stretched out on the ramp heading straight through the chicken door. Okay it was only four feet long but I don't like snakes and lose my mind when one is around. I ran in circles, hyperventilating, and not holding the flashlight very well, by some miracle the hubs kills it. WHEW!!! No birds were harmed in all the chaos.
Saturday was processing day for the meat birds. The first two took forever, by the last five we got into a groove and got it done. The total process took about eight hours from set up to freezer. The hubs informed me this was worth taking photos of for the blog, which I agree but when you wrist deep in chicken guts the last thing you want to do is touch your camera :p Chicken count 12!
Sunday was clean up the shop/barn day. My dad dropped off a power washer and we got to scrubbing! The shop/barn is clean and only houses one goat and two baby chickens now. The chicken tractor that used to house the meat birds is spic and span and houses my banty roosters (Freckle and Speckle), and the three Rhode Island Reds. The two buff orpingtons (Henny and Penny) moved into the big coop with the hens, not without a little drama but things are getting better.
Monday we set up our pool and had a cookout. Fun day!
Tuesday encountered another snake, hubs was at work, I lost my whits, the snake lives.
My next post will have pictures, pictures, and more pictures!

Oh my word!!!

This last weekend we fed our neighbors koi fish while they were on vacation. So to repay us they brought us two pullets! HA! I guess we are the kind of people that appreciate livestock as presents lol!!! Chicken count 19!!!!
And now for the latest chicken news....................................................
The meat birds are driving me absolutely nuts! They have demolished one raised bed, half of another one, and knocked over my dill I had planted in a container! Out of seven, five are roosters and FYI they mature very quickly so they started crowing at 10 weeks old! The last few days they have started attempting to have their way with my big girls. That is really freaking out my little one. I was trying to wait until the first weekend in June to send them to freezer camp but it looks like we will be busy this weekend!!!
Our little goat stood in the coop the other day and freaked out my big girls. In the maylay Squirty ripped off half her comb. We had to perform a combectomy because it was flopping around and bugging her. So now she looks like a unicorn with one little nub on top. On the upside she had to spend the night away from the flock (because of the blood) so she is no longer broody.
Thelma and Louise are both crowing this week. They are now called Freckle and Speckle.
Still waiting for my Rhode Island Reds to crow and when they do they will be going bye bye.
My two buff orpingtons are starting to mingle with the bigs.
And my new little chicks are just adorable. I will post pics soon because I need help figuring out their breed.
In other news.................................................................
Our little goat has won my heart these last few days. He is a handful but he is the sweetest little guy and super fun to watch.
I have tons of big green tomatoes in the garden, can't wait until they are ripe.  JUICY, DELICIOUS, REAL TOMATOES YUM!

Just do it!

Wow!!! What a day! So as I said in my last post I was going to a goat care presentation today. Well I wish I would have listened better because my youngest won a bottle baby in the raffle. This little guy is such a doll but from what I have read/heard bucks get nasty! And this little guy had fleas, you bing it and they supposedly don't get fleas, well THEY DO. So now I can add giving a goat a bath to my list of things I have done in my life! So just like Squirty this little guy got a bath and blow dry in mama's lap! This last week I rebottled my wine, started a new batch of strawberry wine, crocheted a really cute mesh bag, learned Shady Grove on my dulcimer, and of course got a baby goat!!! What'd y'all do this week?

What's up?



Since last week, I have harvested mulberries and started a batch of homemade wine ☺ Made goat cheese which I now crave daily ☺ Made goats milk soap ☺ Made butter  ☺ Crocheted yet another dishcloth ☺ Tucked the bunnies under some trees to protect them from the heat ☺ Did some gardening and I think that's it!

We had to put chicken wire around the garden, the chickens have been driving me nuts running through it every day. The meat birds are now on finishing feed so the countdown to freezer camp begins! In my garden I already have pea pods, tiny peppers and green tomatoes! Can't wait for harvest time!

I am researching dairy goats and going to a goat care presention next weekend. Hopefully we will learn alot and start building a shelter and fence. Any advise on goats would be greatly appreciated☺

Happy Mother's Day Mommy's! Enjoy your weekend!

Jam ☺

I got the recipe off the internet, there is no pectin which I guess is a preservative? This is just 100% organic berries, sugar, and fresh squeezed lemon. I don't think it will have much of a shelf life but I am sure my crew will gobble it up before it goes bad ☺

Guess what I did today!

If you guessed went to a u-pick-em berry farm, you are correct! Lesson learned today get there before that other lady whose bucket is overflowing LOL!!! I have never made jam so that's my plan for some of these berries. The bonus of the day was pulling up to the farms driveway and seeing they had goats milk for sale. So today I got to taste goats milk and it was pretty good. I bought a gallon and have plans to make soap and cheese this weekend. I ♥ learning new things!!!! FYI I am in the process of convincing the hubs that we need a dairy goat so wish me luck ☺