SA Farm's journal

[SA Farm]

Yep. I’m pretty much 100% introverted. I’ve been accused of being borderline agoraphobic. I’m okay with that

Thanks! I will keep y’all updated here and there about the little bun in my oven, for sure!

My hatch went well! 20/24. The ones that didn’t hatch had fully developed, but hadn’t even internally pipped. Quitters, sadly. I sold a few extras of the hatch to keep our numbers down a bit, so DH has 9 BCMs to raise and I have 5 SS. Hoping to have a few girls to keep as I only have a pair at the moment.
Tonight I went out and got some more hatching eggs. Some more BCM to have unrelated ones, some more SS because I cannot resist them no matter how hard I try and some Cochins.
Last year we kept one each of a bunch of different heritage chickens so I could find out what I liked best. Of them all, the SS (of course!) and the Cochins were my favourite - despite the Cochins actually having the most issues. I had a feather picker and one mysteriously died. That said, they are beautiful birds and very sweet natured. Not as sweet as my Specks, but close enough I might not keep them to breed but rather just raise to sell, though. We’ll see. If any of them have any issues like last year, I won’t be keeping them. I won’t have a heritage breed that isn’t hardy. A few issues the first year could either be a fluke or bad breeding, so I’m giving the breed another chance.
I very seriously considered trying Legbars or having Ameraucanas again, but I think there are enough breeders in my area that more would be redundant. Ameraucanas were fairly new and very hard to find when I started up with them years ago, but now they and EEs are everywhere!
Besides, I’m trying to keep my numbers down. Maybe if I say that often enough, I’ll actually do it

 

[Bruce]

but I’m being paranoid about getting sick since I’m about 22 weeks into my first pregnancy

Congratulations!!!

I can be quite (too) talkative with people I know but most weeks I only leave the property a couple of times to go grocery shopping or pick up something else I need at home. Thus the "quarantine" isn't as hard on me as it is on some. I can't even imagine how people who live in small apartments must feel, probably like they are in the closest thing to jail but without the bars and guards. Sure hope the internet doesn't go out!

 

[thistlebloom]

Congratulations on your soon to come baby!

 

[SA Farm]

Thanks! I’m pretty excited about having my first human kid! Tomorrow is my ultrasound and I’ll hopefully get to find out gender.

Animals are doing well, though my turkeys STILL aren’t laying....not sure what that’s about, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. If they don’t start soon, I’m not sure what I can do about it. Maybe they’re just waiting for nicer weather I don’t remember ever having trouble with having them lay, but maybe I’ve never really been as in a hurry? I’m sure it’s just spring fever on my part! Gotta be more patient, I guess.
My geese finally laid their first egg inside - even in the nest box - which was nice. My set up is a little annoying, so I have to go through the turkey pen, into a low area to get to the geese pen to pick up their eggs. Hoping to rectify that this year for sure!
Sheepies were out while I did chores, enjoying the few tiny bits of new grass coming up. I felt them up and still don’t know about Woolfie...if she is bred, she’ll be due much later. Foxy, on the other hand, I have suspected to be bred for some time now and found today that she’s got a little handful of an udder started In a goat, I’d expect her to have another few weeks to bag up, but not sure how big a sheep udder is supposed to be? Certainly fuller than what she’s got, I’d think. I really wish I’d seen Ramchop in action so I’d have a better idea of due dates rather than playing the when-are-you-gonna-pop or are-you-even-bred guessing game
I’ll be keeping a closer eye on her now and am thinking about taking some scissors to her dreadlocks to clean her up a bit. Too early to shear them completely yet and don’t want to put her through the stress of our first shearing and lambing too close together. Not sure if I’m more worried about her or me!
Please, God, let her be a great little natural first-timer so I don’t have to bottle feed or anything like that
Let the official waiting game begin

In other news, I filled up my incubator with those bought hatching eggs and -ahem- may or may not have topped it up with some of my own...including a few goose eggs to check fertility.
It’s not an addiction if you’re a farmer!
Pic is from before I sold some

 

[SA Farm]

Nothing really new on the farm front...just wanted to let y’all know:

I’m having a boy!!!!
I knew it! My mom and DH called it as well. So intuitive. I had an early dream that it would be a boy and it’s always exciting when those come true

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Who hooo.....congratulations

 

[thistlebloom]

Yay! That's so exciting! I never wanted to know, I like surprises, but sonograms way back then were not as detailed as they are now. The saying I heard all the time was if you carry them high they're boys, and if you carry low they're girls. I carried both of mine high and yep, they are definitely boys, haha. Of course I never had a girl so had nothing to compare to.

And I still can't read even the new improved sonograms, because, pardon me, but it appears to me you are having a faucet. I'm sure I'm wrong though.

 

[SA Farm]

My little faucet He’s in profile with his head on the left if that helps? His fist is right above his mouth making it kinda look like he’s blowing bubbles lol
I didn’t want to know gender, really, but DH did, so I was fine with finding out for him. Might as well while we’re there, right? Thankfully everything is normal and placed well so I don’t have to do another one. I’m not a big fan of x-rays - unless absolutely necessary - and personally don’t think they should be as quick to be done on babies as they are. The tech was shocked that I hadn’t already had a dating one (Based on the date she gave me, my guesstimate was only 3 days off - take that! Lol) Besides that, due dates are always taken with a grain of salt. My mom was 9 days late with her first, so, meh.
He’ll come out when he’s ready. Probably wait for bad weather or a major stor—oh, wait, that’s livestock, not people

 

[Bruce]

He’s in profile with his head on the left if that helps? His fist is right above his mouth making it kinda look like he’s blowing bubbles lol

If you say so. I agree with:

And I still can't read even the new improved sonograms, because, pardon me, but it appears to me you are having a faucet.

That is what it looked like to me as well. As useful as faucets are, I'm glad you aren't having one!

 

[SA Farm]

Beautiful day today, so it’s no surprise that the forecast is calling for rain for practically the rest of the week
Caught my lovey Galadriel on the nest today! Such a good girl. She has two eggs there now all neatly covered If the eggs in the bator are fertile, I’ll let her keep them and hopefully set. Perhaps Arwen will join her later.

DH worked on moving more of the compost pile into the garden while I sat out with the girls.
Woolfie coming over for her chin scratches.


Foxy enjoys a more full body massage. I think I found the right spot

Love her sheepie shadow here lol