SA Farm's journal

[SA Farm]

Sorry I haven't been on for so long. I've been reeling from some predator problems and the subsequent losses. Safe to say I've been rather bummed lately.
We got some replacement stock for the birds we lost. We set up a live trap and moved Koda's kennel out back so she can keep the predators away. So far so good on that front.
On a more positive note, my hatches have done well and we finally got some new goat fencing up. My other Speckled Sussex hen went broody on her own eggs/nest that she made, so I have that to look forward to. Same as the other Pekin duck.
Not feeling overly chatty, so I'll just post some fun pictures now

 

[happy acres]

Sorry for your losses! That really is a bummer! Glad other things are working out better for you.

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Oh, I'm so sorry. I totally understand how that feels.

Love the goat photo; looks like s/he's smiling. : )

 

[SA Farm]

Things are going better now. Got the goats out pretty much full time finally and now that I'm done with hatching, my basement is getting a bit cleaner. Just have a few more birds to grow up and move out, then I can do an over-haul on the whole mess!
The rabbits are having a good break and I've been doing alright with selling some and have been buying a few as well for my own future breeding stock. Slowly selling off my mixes for pure New Zealands, but I'm having trouble finding reds and I really want at least one At least I've got some blacks and steels now to add to my whites
I still haven't found out what's been killing my birds, but my precautions seem to be doing the trick, so fingers crossed, whatever it was doesn't come back!
On Sunday we went out for the day, and, as usual the weather forecast was wrong. But this time I paid for it dearly since I didn't bring any sunscreen on our excursion and am currently agonizingly burned. I haven't had a sunburn this bad since I got stranded in the middle of a lake on a boat whose fuel pump broke. We were stuck there for a good 3-4 hours in full water-reflected sun
I rarely burn as I tan quite easily and spend a lot of time outdoors, so I'm not impressed! This emoticon not only expresses my angst at being burned, it also matches my red face
Between the aloe gel, the oil mix my mom made, and some goat milk moisturizer, I'm not in as much pain as I could be and am even hopeful that I won't peel in too many places. I'm sure my nose and left shoulder will peel regardless though
Here's a few pics of Chance and Miracle. They're growing like weeds and I think they're going to be really nice does when they grow up a bit. Love these little girls It's funny that Miracle used to be my favorite, but now it's Chance. That happened with my last twin doelings as well. The one I really liked when she was a baby turned out to be the one I had an easier time parting with than her sister. Weird, right?

 

[SA Farm]

We've had a lot of rain lately, so with that and the heat, it's been soo humid! Blech.
I sold one of my mix does today. One more to go and I'll be down to pure NZs! Yay! Also have a whole passel of kits to find homes for. If not, they'll be going to freezer camp
I do have 5 does between the ages of 3-4 months that I refuse to eat. They're really pretty and I think they'll make fantastic breeding stock. I really liked the mixes, so I'll miss them They weren't pure, but they were good breeders and had nice large litters for me. But, I've wanted NZ Reds forever, so it's a rather bittersweet change for me.
My birds are growing well and I think I'll have some nice stock for next year. I like having a variety, but small numbers. For chickens, I think I'll end up with 5 BR, 5-6 SS, and I still don't know on the Am since there's looking like a good number of hens in the mix and I'm planning to replace my rooster.
With turkeys, I really don't know what I'll end up with. I'm hoping for at least a quad of mixes and a trio of BR, but we'll see.
End of July and I'm already starting to think about who to winter and who to sell

 

[SA Farm]

Things are going well I've been concentrating on the rabbitry portion of the farm lately as everybody else is just busy growing and eating their way through the summer
This is my favorite summer of all time. It cools down every night and only gets hot in the afternoons. We had two days of heat/humidity and then right back to nice and cool
Right now I have my 3 goats in their 10x10 dog kennel and we've been moving it every 3 days or so. I find it absolutely amazing how quickly and efficiently they clear it out since the field is mostly brush and weeds and they love it! I took pictures:
Before (July 21) --------------- After (July 24)

Impressive, right? The goaties are nice and plump from all that good eating!
We plan to remove most of the twigs left behind and seed the field with a nice grass mix for next year Fortunately we have enough acreage to be able to cycle them quite nicely, so the parts we seed probably won't be touched until it's well established, then I may just leave it for hay....hmmm....well, we'll see how it goes.

 

[MsDeb]

Just discovered the journals and am reading my way through. I have to say I'm just amazed with all your critters. I'm still just trying to figure out goats. And we're moving around an 8x8 pen daily. Goats do amazing yard work!

 

[SA Farm]

Just discovered the journals and am reading my way through. I have to say I'm just amazed with all your critters. I'm still just trying to figure out goats. And we're moving around an 8x8 pen daily. Goats do amazing yard work!

Thanks I love the challenge and the constant learning curve that comes with so many varieties!
I have to read my own journal through myself occasionally, just to remember what's been going on I am cursed with a terrible memory, so anything I don't do on a near daily basis is usually forgotten...
What can I say, I live in the moment

So, reading it through again, I realize that I haven't updated on Koda!
She's my girl, crazy and fun-loving. She's got some basics, but she's a farm dog now, so I probably won't get around to doing agility with her unfortunately
She has turned into a beautiful Dog

 

[MsDeb]

I have to read my own journal through myself occasionally, just to remember what's been going on I am cursed with a terrible memory, so anything I don't do on a near daily basis is usually forgotten...
What can I say, I live in the moment
View attachment 4465

Yep, that's why I have to start journaling also. (And Koda is beautiful!)

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Koda is so pretty!! I want to train my dog for agility; she just loves the jumps and she's so very active, too. How's Cheeki doing?