SA Farm's journal

[SA Farm]

Still no lamb(s) I think Foxy wants me pulling my hair out first - or she’s waiting for me to give up lol. She’s got a bit more bag, but that’s the only change so far. I really thought she’d go this week, but I guess sheep play peekaboo with their ligs a lot longer than goats do. It’s as interesting as it is frustrating. I may need to get a marking harness for the fall so I don’t have to be guessing for so long! We’ll see. After all, what’s life without a little mystery?
So, wait on I will. I showed my Dad the pic of her udder from last week and he was impressed by the size and as surprised as I am that she hasn’t lambed. I swear if Foxy bags up much more, she’ll have a bigger udder than Granny ever did! (My ND goat from back in the day.)

I candled the goose eggs tonight. I was surprised to find that Arwen is the more aggressive broody. She was trying to steal eggs from Galadriel’s side and wouldn’t budge from the nest until I physically removed her! I’m not sure if I should be worried or impressed Turns out Arwen did lay an egg in there that I didn’t pull in time, but it should be close enough to the others. If not, I’ll bring it in to finish in a bator. Out of the 10 eggs they are on only two were infertile, so they have 8 to share. Their earlier three I’m incubating are due next week, so that’ll be my next hatch.

Sold all of my extra chicks. My older ones will be moving to larger digs tomorrow as they’ve outgrown their current brooder. The littles that hatched Monday can stay inside a bit longer....a few more days at least. I don’t want them out until I think they’ll survive a power outage...just in case...and we’re still getting negative temps.
I need to candle the batch of turkey and chicken eggs I started last week and will be firing up my second incubator to set the next batch on Monday. Turkeys are laying really well now, so I have 2 dozen to go in already! I may have to advertise hatching eggs as I don’t know if I’ll have enough room to keep up! Especially if I continue to set chicken eggs
My math for possible grow-outs is starting to scare me, but I won’t be keeping them all, so I don’t mind (is 24 chicks too many? Is there such a thing? Certainly not in previous years!) Most of the chicken grow outs will end up in the freezer or sold since I’m only planning to have a dozen keepers total - including roosters.
If every single turkey egg hatches that I’ll be setting and I don’t sell any...that’s the scary number...especially with all the sales shut down from Covid. I’m hoping I can sell the majority of them privately or that things will clear up so the fall sales will happen. I’ll winter a few for spring sales, raise a few for the freezer, and I’m definitely going to stop incubating so that my last hatch will be due the end of June. I might advertise hatching eggs or let my hens brood, but no more hatching for me for the year after that - be busy getting ready to brood my own little one

 

[Bruce]

Wouldn't an over wintered turkey be GIGANTIC by next spring?

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm glad you explained who Granny was!
How's your little faucet doing? Is he practicing his Kung Foo Fighting kicks yet?

 

[SA Farm]

Wouldn't an over wintered turkey be GIGANTIC by next spring?

Not mine. They’re heritage, not broad-breasted, so for less than a year old they would only be 10-25lbs or so. More on the light side as I prefer to keep extra hens. I usually sell them for breeding stock in the spring.

How's your little faucet doing? Is he practicing his Kung Foo Fighting kicks yet?

He’s doing great - definitely kicking away! The other day at my midwife appointment, she was trying to find his heartbeat and he kicked the little wand thing lol. Today my cat was lying across my belly and baby was kicking him repeatedly Good baby - you show that cat who’s boss!

 

[Bruce]

Not mine. They’re heritage, not broad-breasted, so for less than a year old they would only be 10-25lbs or so.

I have no idea why anyone would want a turkey any bigger than that. When we get a turkey for Thanksgiving I always get the smallest available, usually between 12 and 14 pounds.

 

[SA Farm]

My goose eggs decided to start hatching early. Due for lockdown tomorrow, but when I went to turn them, I was greeted with a muffled peep! So, into lockdown they went. External pip on one, internal on the other, and the third looks like a quitter.
Two dozen turkey eggs and a dozen chicken eggs put in. Candled last week’s group and my turkeys have 100% fertility! All 24 from the last two weeks are developing My chicken fertility is up from 3/11 first time around to 9/11 this time. Much better. Hopefully the dozen I just put in will be even better!
I did my second shearing today. Took forever and I’m pretty sure I need to clean my shears and possibly sharpen them after dealing with Woolfie’s super thick wool!
Before:

After:

Her butt looks a little high in both pics...I know there’s a high spot in her wool from my less than professional job, but even in her fully woolly pic she looks a bit extra high/rounded there
My shorn girls

I think I did a better job on Woolfie. DH says I take waaaay too long though. Certainly takes me more than a few minutes...more like an hour plus! I did use scissors around her legs and head after taking off a bit of skin. No worse than Foxy and only one this time, so I’m getting better!
Is it just me or does Foxy look extra round now that Woolfie is showing her true size?

 

[thistlebloom]

I think you did a great job! I also think an hour is not unreasonable. That's a lot of work. I've only done it once with hand shears, and yes, nicked her in the armpit. As to Woolfies conformation, well, some gals are just endowed that way.

 

[Baymule]

I am impressed with Your hatching poultry skills, plus the variety! Good for you! Chicken math extends to all poultry, closely followed by the rest of farm animals. LOL

And soon you will be hatching out your own little farm helper. Might want to check on the “chicken math” for that Blessed event. LOL LOL

 

[SA Farm]

I think you did a great job! I also think an hour is not unreasonable. That's a lot of work. I've only done it once with hand shears, and yes, nicked her in the armpit. As to Woolfies conformation, well, some gals are just endowed that way.

Thanks! It’s all good. I like big butts and I cannot lie? Or perhaps she’s all about that bass? Lol

I am impressed with Your hatching poultry skills, plus the variety! Good for you! Chicken math extends to all poultry, closely followed by the rest of farm animals. LOL

And soon you will be hatching out your own little farm helper. Might want to check on the “chicken math” for that Blessed event. LOL LOL

Thanks! Right? Chicken math should just be called farm math!
I’m really trying to keep my numbers manageable! I’ve cut back to not having ducks anymore which already helps a lot and summer chores tend to be light enough. DH and I have close family we can call on to help out when we need it, thankfully! I might plan to have a cousin waiting in the wings to farm sit for us the first week after baby’s born to start with.
A lot is still up in the air, of course. Even all my “plans” for what to keep and not keep are flexible as far as that goes. They’ll probably end up more along the lines of dreams and wishful thinking once baby’s here!

One of my 3 incubator goose eggs was a quitter, so I have one little boy (For those who don’t know - Pilgrim geese are auto-sexed so gender can be determined by colouring at hatch) hatched out and I’m waiting to see if the other one plans to join. They aren’t officially due for another couple of days, so I’ll give it some time. It was internally pipped at lockdown, so I really hope it makes it
I have turkey hatching eggs going out tonight or tomorrow which is good. I don’t think I have enough room until May 4 unless I want to hand turn. Doable, but not ideal
Though I think my Sweetgrass wants to go broody...if so I’m probably going to save her up some eggs and let her. If she’s successful, I’ll be able to sell all my incubated poults and she can do the brooding for me like I’m doing with my geese
Mid-May we’ll be picking up our ram for the year. I’m hoping he’ll be as nice tempered as his breeder is saying. If so, I’m hoping to keep him for a few years or until we need new bloodlines. Even then, if he’s super awesome, I might keep him anyway

 

[SA Farm]

Consort (SG turkey) definitely wants to brood. I set her up today with 6 eggs. I might let her have tomorrow’s eggs as well, but no more after that. Her eggs are all marked, so I just have to wear heavy gloves to take any unmarked away from her
No lambing yet...of course lol
Indoor chicks are almost two weeks old and will be moving out to the brooder shed tomorrow.
My second gosling hatched and is a girl. We had a visitor mess with my incubator, though, so jury’s out at the moment on her chances of survival.
Incubator is shut down and will be cleaned today or tomorrow. I don’t have anything else due until early May.