Hillaire gets back to his roots

[Hillaire]

yeah I failed to get a good pic everything was going on and I was like a kid in a candy store lol. From what I'm told she isn't as filled out body condition wise as last year she is a little light on the hind end but her udder is great... the people with the lamanchas are known for taping teats to get an edge I guess... which is obvious when you look at all their goats... I mean if every goat you have (and they brought at least 10) is spewing milk out every step they take I mean... come on lol... but either way she did ok...

 

[Devonviolet]

the people with the lamanchas are known for taping teats to get an edge I guess... which is obvious when you look at all their goats... I mean if every goat you have (and they brought at least 10) is spewing milk out every step they take I mean... come on lol... but either way she did ok...

That may be. But, I must say, my two girls are LaManchas. I separate the kids at night, and in the morning they squirt milk when they are running to their milk stand to eat breakfast while I milk them.

 

[Hillaire]

this is true, however apparently they are known for taping... either way I don't like it lol... your red lamancha must be a good producer, she has a pretty full bag, that's after the kid or kids being off for one night?

 

[Devonviolet]

this is true, however apparently they are known for taping... either way I don't like it lol... your red lamancha must be a good producer, she has a pretty full bag, that's after the kid or kids being off for one night?

I agree. Taping, to get a bigger udder, for show, isn't right.

I get about 1\2 gallon of milk, from each girl, once a day. I'm told (by their breeder), that when their kids are weaned, they will most likely give me 1 gallon each, if I milk once a day.

I'm not sure if I will milk once or twice a day, yet. Right now, I am learning how to make cheese, and trying to figure out what to do with all the left over whey, and skim milk (left over when I use my cream separator).

My red doe is Ruby. She does give me right at 1/2 gallon, or more. Her left side is a bit smaller, most likely because both, of her twins prefer that side. Once they are weaned, that side should fill out and give me even more milk.

 

[Hillaire]

black bear sighting in the back of the house near the duck and chicken coops. Fiance heard her duck who was in the coop going crazy saw the bear and scared it off down the hill... this happened at 11pm and of course it happens the night I am working till midnight... I took the 12 gauge filled with turkey load and walked through the woods with my headlamp when I got home to scare it off if it was still near which it wasn't. she said it was bigger than the bear that was in a video my friend took the other day and that bear in the video was a decent sized boar... Guess I'll have to do some scouting to make sure it was only passing through.

 

[CntryBoy777]

Yeh, I can imagine that keeping them on the move is a good thing.....it may be time for some electric back-up though. Sure glad we don't have those to deal with here...we did in Florida.

 

[Hillaire]

yeah I am eventually going to get a few more premier1 chargers and some poultry netting for the chickens and a charger and a strand running for the duck run. Today was my last day of work so now I have almost a full week off before I start my new job. I finally uploaded a youtube vid with the goats. Look it up Hillaire Farming

 

[Pastor Dave]

First of all welcome to BYH! I hail from the Hoosier state of Indiana. Good looking goats!

Looking at those hills in the background, looks like you're in a nice area except for the bears. The DNR tells us we do not have any. Ohio River to the South apparently keeps them from entering that way, and the Michigan line North of us keeps them up there, I guess. Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the bears that. Last summer, one was observed to the South, and a different siting to the North. Someone must have forgot bears know how to swim, and that they don't read the state line signs. I guess they can walk across bridges too. Lol

I read the survey you filled out with question abt hobby or occupational farming. Always bothers me a little that what I do is a hobby because it doesn't fully sustain my needs/daily work habits. I think there is maybe a definition in the middle that fits me and several on here more. What I do on a daily basis to take care of my meat rabbits, and maintaining my hay field is partial-sustainable farming. It is not my occupation, but it is part of my life. A hobby can be put on a shelf, or closed up in a shop and returned to at a better time, and my operations can't. It doesn't reflect on your answer, just my pet peeve abt labeling hobby farming.

Again, welcome to BYH!

 

[Devonviolet]

Always bothers me a little that what I do is a hobby because it doesn't fully sustain my needs/daily work habits. I think there is maybe a definition in the middle that fits me and several on here more. What I do on a daily basis to take care of my meat rabbits, and maintaining my hay field is partial-sustainable farming. It is not my occupation, but it is part of my life. A hobby can be put on a shelf, or closed up in a shop and returned to at a better time, and my operations can't. It doesn't reflect on your answer, just my pet peeve abt labeling hobby farming.

I feel the same way, Pastor Dave! I think a better term would be "HOMESTEADING"!

 

[Hillaire]

I agree, but there are 2 sides to that coin. If I say I am a farmer then the big time farmers or heck even someone with 20 dairy cows or what have you would be like "pfftt 50ish chickens 8 ducks and 2 goats is hardly a farm." and if I say we're homesteaders, homesteaders will be like "pfftt you don't make everything from scratch." I agree there is a divide, but hey, I'm a farmer I was raised on a dairy farm (holsteins) it's in my blood so I do it. Eventually I will have a dairy herd and once that happens, yeah I'll be fine with saying "I'm a farmer"