Promise Acre: Our Journey

[Pearce Pastures]

Road trip to Texas! There are some birds down there I want Plus, seriously SNOW!! I woke up all ambitious to go outside and get some yard work going . So let's go!

 

[promiseacres]

So still waiting on Treya (EDD was March 19...but could of been bred after that...) am thinking that not knowing due dates is easier as woke up Jan 11 there's a lamb! then Feb. 5 Smoke was actaully pushing when I caught her lambing....oh well she'll have it when she has it. I thought it was so cute someone mentioned their goat "talking" to their belly when almost ready to go, well today I saw Treya get up then give her belly several GOOD kicks! OUCH, bet she thought after she did that ha ha.

So on another thread someone wanted to know the story behind my farm name. Well back in 2002 we bought our first "farm" (all 3 acres of it :LOL) and I HAD to have a farm name, afterall I had a QH and a appy mare right? That fall and the following spring I saw many many rainbows over our farm. So I took the cue from that and our little farm became Promise Acres in rememberence of God's Promise to Noah. It just "fit" and I won't ever give it up

 

[promiseacres]

no lamb, but her udder is the biggest I've seen of any of my girls so maybe soon. :/ Yesterday I got the chicks into the regular coop, so far so good. :bun DH is supposed to till the garden after he gets home today which is good and bad... feeling overwhelemed with spring projects which includes starting some my own garden plants. But thursday i found some 6' & 8' chainlink panels on CL for a good price so they should help with the fence projects for the kids and sheep and any temporary places we want a fence or pen.


hope everyone is enjoying their spring.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Spring is so fun and busy. Seems like there is a new project every day, right? So have you figured out how many hens and how many roos?

 

[Four Winds Ranch]

Lol! I am in the same boat!!!!
I have a ewe, Sheila, that I THOUGHT was supposed to lamb on March the 21, but, like yours, all she got so far is a huge belly, and supper full udder!!!
Maybe we will have a race on which of our ewes will go first!!!!

 

[promiseacres]

Monday around 10:30 pm went out to check Treya and she had very recently had twin boys! No color but....oh well I do plan on butchering some for our use anyways.

They are both doing great! I can't complain too much about my 3 ewes who lambed for me this Spring/Winter, 4 healthy lambs and all on their own. I am now debating on direction of my flock though. As I do want to get more reg. Painted Deserts since that is how my ram is getting registered (and I have at least 1 other breeder very interested in a ram lamb out of him). My ewe smoke has enough color to reg and Brownie the Barbados type also might pass the photo inspections. Treya even though she has 3 horns IDK she could go with the Multi Horn. And Barbie though she as Beautiful horns, but really is too wooly IMO :/ but she is the only one that threw a painted lamb. I am going to get an older Reg ewe from another breeder end of May also. Which will put me at 5 adult ewes, 2 ewe lambs (1 painted, 1 solid), 4 ram lambs (2 painted, 2 not) and 1 Ram. Definately need to move at least 1 ram lamb, and debating on the solid ewes. I guess if nothing else I can take the ones I decide to sell to an exotic breed auction in May. So hard to decide whom and how.

Here is Barbie and Jr, (doesn't he look great size wise?)

This past weekend we got the compost on the garden and the garden tilled and I started my plants starts inside. Broccol and cauliflower is sprouting already! Of course with the manure pile getting large we decide a larger bin made out of wood is in order so marked where it's going...but it's yet another project! This weekend we are hopefully going to plant potatoes, carrots and peas, make decisions on the yard fencing, maybe start the garden shed? IDK it's so hard to decide what to get done first. Probably will have to take a trip to Menards too.

I also officially weaned Miss Bell (she's 9 mos mini donkey) she's hanging with some of sheep/lambs poor thing is pacing and calling to Mom but it is what it is. She's doing great with the sheep (hoping she bonds and will be a protector) and let us pet and love on her, so it's definatly a good thing b/c when around Mom she just would run! Now I can start on halter training without someone to help catch the little burger. Am debating on where to put Izzy (mama donkey) She is VERY food aggressive so want to move her away from the mares I think b/c she doesn't need as much as my bred mare does. I'm afraid to put her in with the ewes and lambs til everyone is off grain, but am thinking of seeing how she and RP (ram) get along b/c hes just on hay/mineral right now and I think she'd do fine that way.

My horse/donkey goals this year include finish training Nautilus to drive and continue leadline training with Rayne, possibly starting driving with her too. I have a couple different people who said I could come ride their horses so have let go of getting another riding horse at this time. Grass is finally greening up so will be happy in 2-3 weeks to stop feeding hay, though thankfully we have plenty still. Oh and speaking of hay have a lead on a hay field to cut (actual hay vs the field we did last year)! So need to see about that and DH needs to get his Ford 3000 rebuilt!

Chicks are doing great, I am pretty sure 2-3 roos BUT I'm really not sure....LOL

 

[Pearce Pastures]

Congratulations!

 

[promiseacres]

Quick update, Izzy is hanging out with RP doing well. She's a little too food agressive to be in with the ewes and lambs so far so good. For some reason she respects those horns. Bell is doing well with the ewes and lambs. All the equines got their hooves trimmed Tuesday! Everyone behaved for the most part....Belle kicked me with her rear hoof while I had a hold her front leg flexible brat. She got a tying training session so was very tired and well behaved by the time she got the farrier did hers. So far happy with the donkeys, and now they "doing" 2 of their jobs (guarding and cleaning up hay left by the sheep). Cart training will come later. I like to start at 3 years so Little Belle can grow up more.

I am pretty sure I only got 2 Roo's from Pearce....may be getting some hen's butchered so I can get my heriatage breed. Still undecided, my 3 favorites is Salmon Favorelle (which I have a couple of leads on ), Speckled Sussex or Delawares.

On the Sheep front got 2 pending sales on ram lambs, 1 for breeding (JR) and 1 for a FFA/market lamb. That leaves me with 1 boy to butcher and 1 to decide keep/butcher. Very happy so far with my sheepies.

 

[promiseacres]

Ugh buyer backed out on JR! I hate when they say Yes I will get him, then back out after you mark them sale pending. They wanted me to hold him w/o a deposit for who knows how long.... so since the catch pen is up he's going in there so no oops as he is definatly thinking he can breed. Sunday I noticed Smoke had a "bad" eye puss, swelling originally thinking an ulcer from another ewe's horn, but after I caught (via tackle) her realized that the horn above her eye is growing into her skull so wondering if that is the problem. Going to get her horn trimmed, got her on antibiotics and pain meds. Had help yesterday pm to get her lamb Mya caught and discovered she has 4 horns, (so does Smoke I discovered). And now I have someone interested in Mya Excited to try to get some painted ewes to breed to RP.

Looks like I need to put the more chickens on the back burner right now, money is extra tight and Josh's work is wanting to dock is pay b/c of an insurance mistake they made over 2 yrs ago so we "OWE" them for it.. On that front I have a job interview with the 4H/extension office on May 1 for a PT position, it's good BUT not sure I want to go back to work...we both agree they will have to pay me enough to bring home some $ AND pay for all the extras it'll bring like childcare, gas, ect and all the other jobs I've interviewed for since moving haven't come close to that figure. If the roof did not need replaced it wouldn't be SOO tight but it is so we'll get thru . Oh and every time I respond to a CL ad for chicks no replies? So I guess God is pointing me to wait....

Need to get into the garden but it's been raining raining raining....I keep telling myself this isn't bad after last years drought but we live on a mucky swampy area so we didn't do TOO bad with the drought....at least we the pastures are growing well. Hopefully sooner than later the critters can have their GRASS! but we're still ok on hay.

 

[Pearce Pastures]

So annoying about the buyer. I have had a few like that who want me to hold onto the animal for them. Not happening.

Hope your sheep's eye is okay.