Spring!

Well you could have fooled me. It was 11 degrees this morning as the sun was coming up. The elk herd was moving through looking for food. It has snowed the last two days. Although we need the moisture to reduce wildfire danger later. AND that is why spring is my least favorite season!

More early kids

Snowdrop and her brother were born on January 12.

Snow Babies are doing well. Next kids are due the first week of April.

Unseasonable kids

When I opened Arlo's new barn on Sunday morning (Jan 3), everyone ran out and THEN I heard a tiny baby voice!  Total surprise - didn't realize anyone in this area was that pregnant. So I gathered up the dry fluffy baby and wandered around trying to find the mother. No one was claiming him, they were all stuffing their faces. Finally noticed a little discharge from Helen and then she fessed up and claimed him.  Mother and son are doing fine.
Thosetwolittle bucks were busy when they did their escaping in August....
Beatrix is also due in the next couple of week.


Will have to keep a closer eye on everyone for a couple weeks! Hoping no other surprises. The scheduled kids are due in April.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Farm Update

I was at my neighbor, Doug's house at 7:00 this morning. He lives a mile further up the road from us. We were loading his 4 goats into the car to bring to my house. His place is under attack by bears - a mother and 3 cubs. Luckily they only got his 4 turkeys and 12 laying hens, not any goats. But they have been there a couple of times and tore off the roof to his chicken pen and broke through a window. His remaining layers and a hen turkey are now also residing here as well.
The damage the bears did are making me rethink the security of my barns. The main difference is that Doug's property is in the trees and backs up against a mountain park. So he is at the interface with bear country. This is where we are luck, being in a meadow.
Hope the bears go into hibernation soon!

Garlic

Not a bad garlic harvest considering it was all volunteer. Had too much happening last fall when I should have planted my garlic.

Catching up with the farm

As always there are about a hundred projects to work on during the summer on the farm. I pretty much spend the summer working on things to get ready for winter. It is the goal to have everything more efficiently setup, so that winter chores are easier.
Here are some of the projects completed.

  Real gate to the 3 stall chicken house.

 

Real gate to another chicken house.

 Remodeled chicken house to make it a two story condo. Roosts are up above. Food, water and nesting boxes are on the lower level. Still need to add better hinges to the door.

Real gate to the goat pen. Previously I've just had pieces of fencing panels wired to a post. These gates are on hinges, with a kick plate on the bottom to keep them at least sort of above the snow.

Inside of the new goat barn. It needs some cracks filled in and paint on the outside, but otherwise it is ready fro winter.