Blessedfarmgirl's Journal

[blessedfarmgirl]

I was just too lazy to go find a pair of socks so I could put my boots on.

 

[Baymule]

I raise sheep, but conformation is conformation. They look good to me.

I had a ram lamb about a year ago that just had “it”. He looked so good, that my neighbor cattle man, who knew nothing about sheep, admired him.

Livestock people know good when they see it!

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

Thanks. I was hoping they were decent.
I am hoping to add a LaMancha or Nubian in the future as well as a ND buck. Cows are not in the game plan (trucks and trailers are expensive) anytime soon, so I want some higher producing goats as well as my NDs. The main reason I chose NDs is their temperament, though I guess there can be nasty-tempered ND's as well, reading Rachel's journal, Lol. My two friendly does are as sweet as butter to me, and surprisingly docile. No desire to jump fences, knock over fences or climb fences. Also no butting or biting me. Super easy to milk stand train. They are also quiet, like, waaaay quieter than our sheep, and I heard Nubians were loud. (One of our sheep, nicknamed Marian the Librarian for some reason, thinks it is her especial duty to baa her extremely loud, annoying baa every. single. time. we. pass. Her daughter is taking after her. They also baa whenever they see cats. Crazy sheep.)
So I'm going to do quiet, sweet dwarfs for now and add a bigger goat if we need more milk, or don't like the richness. I need to work on fences this winter. Hopefully this batch of kids will help pay for more netting.
My quads are turning into little puppies with hooves, chewing on my clothes and climbing all over me like bottle babies. I guess the two days of forced syringe feeding helped get them tame, because the bucklings from my other doe who kidded normally are skittish. One of the skittish bucklings has blue eyes, though, so I'm pleased about that. Blue eyes sell well around here. I'm getting them disbudded, the vet wants to wait until they are three weeks. I was skeptical, since i heard 1-2 weeks was best, but apparently that's his practice. Worst thing that can happen is they'll have scurs, which will hopefully not be my problem, and I can always go to someone else next time. I need to sell all six, though one doeling has quite stolen my heart. I'll have to get some pics of her, she is gorgeous. I'm going to register her, and maybe some of the bucklings if anyone is interested in a stud, otherwise they are going to pet homes as wethers. One bad thing about dwarves is that they don't have much meat, so it's not as worthwhile to keep the wethers for processing.

 

[farmerjan]

If you like the newest little doe, sell the smaller skittish one of the older 3 does... No sense in keeping one you aren't in love with....

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

I wish. But I can't really do that right now. I bought her in the spring as a bred doe, so I don't think I would be able to get what I paid for her now that we are in fall and she is open. I do want to breed her and see how her udder freshens. Her lineage is fantastic, her dam and her sire's dam had 3 and 4 milk stars, so I'm hoping to make up for her personality with MILK.

 

[Baymule]

Or maybe get a daughter out of her with a better personality.

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

We had rain last night! Desperately needed rain. And we finally have a break in the Texas heat, whew. It's going to be in the blessed 80's and low nineties for the next week or two, hopefully for the rest of the summer/fall.
I'm trying hard to sell my kunekune piglets. It's not going so well. I have 12 to get rid of, and they are hungry little beasts! Hopefully I can sell of most of them and the rest will just have to be bacon next year.
The cooler weather has made our hens happy, and they are swamping us in eggs. I'll have to take some to church tomorrow so we don't waste any. The dogs get a raw egg every day in their food now. I also want to try water glassing. I've never done it before, and I don't know exactly how it works. I'll have to watch some Youtube videos to learn so I can preserve our eggs for this winter.

 

[canesisters]

I have 3 half gallon jars FULL of water glassed eggs..... I'm scared to eat them
Maybe we can encourage each other

 

[SageHill]

You can freeze them to use in baking when the chickens stop laying. Around here they stop so I had to buy eggs for Christmas baking - but not anymore! I use a silicone cupcake pan 1 egg / cup, freeze, pop them out and then vacuum seal. Some say to break up the yolk, and that's probably a good idea, but I haven't done that (LOL one less step).

 

[blessedfarmgirl]

I may try that. Our hens egg production peaked last winter because we had fall chicks, but this year they are spring pullets. I don't know how well they'll lay through the winter. I'll find out I guess. Our few hens left from last year are moulting, looking awful and not laying. Except my faithful green egger, Paisley. She has laid and egg almost every day ever since she started. I'm definitely getting more Starlight green eggers next spring.