SA Farm's journal

[SA Farm]

Turkeys are cleaned out completely and are spending their days out in the sunshine since Friday.

Brooder shed has a shelf with hinges so I can lock it up out of the way when I need or want to. I should be pulling chicks out to go out there, but I’m slacking off right now. I need to mix their honey/ACV water and fill their feeder first anyway. The chicks are due today, but had some hatch already on Saturday, so that group needs to come out today. 7/13 hatched as of early this morning. I also ran out and picked up some partly incubated duck eggs from someone who had set a staggered hatch of chicks and ducks, then changed their minds about wanting ducks, so I took them. They’ll be due in just a little less than two weeks. With them and another dozen Cochin eggs set, I’m full up until either next week or turning on the third incubator lol. Holding off on that until my turkeys start laying or my EE eggs become fertile.

The other day, baby was playing with one of my sheep leads so I proved my immaturity by putting it on his stuffed lamb. He then used it to pull the lamb to him, so he’s got the idea

That’s about it for any real happenings around here. Baby is sleeping in this morning. Not sure if it’s because of the time change or because he’s growing again
He can move backwards and shift himself around in a circle, but isn’t crawling quite yet. I’m so happy, but nervous about his advancing mobility lol
Less work in some ways...way more in other ways

 

[Baymule]

It can only keep getting better. Soon you will have a helper!

 

[Bruce]

but nervous about his advancing mobility

Time for baby latches on the cabinets!

 

[NEWCOMER]

@SA Farm

Cute puppy! Maybe for a name Sweetie? Or Annabelle? Ooh! Penelope!! I loved how you incoperated the smile

 

[SA Farm]

@SA Farm

Cute puppy! Maybe for a name Sweetie? Or Annabelle? Ooh! Penelope!! I loved how you incoperated the smile

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a puppy lol. My only dog right now is DH’s 11 year old beagle, Wiley. Not currently planning to get another dog until he’s gone.
My journal is fairly short but spans a number of years

 

[NEWCOMER]

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a puppy lol. My only dog right now is DH’s 11 year old beagle, Wiley. Not currently planning to get another dog until he’s gone.
My journal is fairly short but spans a number of years

Whoops!

 

[SA Farm]

It’s a cool, blustery day today. I got chores done, but not doing extras today.
Yesterday DH and I went out and got some work done though. Guess who finally started building me a sheep stand?
He says he needs to pick up a few things tomorrow before he can do more on it, but he’s got a few pieces of wood put together lol. It’s going to have removable sides, a ramp, and a drawer that can be opened from either side for my supplies. It’s not far enough along for pics, but I’m obviously pretty excited about it I want to get my sheep sheared! It’s nice out and only getting nicer, but it won’t stay dry much longer
While he was doing that, I skirted another of the fleeces I bought. That’s three skirted and two washed out of four. I’ve also begun picking through and have a grocery bag full of fluff waiting to be carded and dyed.

My hatch ended with a total of 8. The last one needed help because it hatched so late and has a strange bump on its head...I’m hoping it’s just a bit of swelling, but we’ll see.
I’ve been a little disappointed with my Cochin fertility. I’m assuming it’s just because they’re so fluffy, but I now understand why the breeder I got them from had 2 roosters to 4 hens. I have 1:3 and getting only 3-4/7 fertile. May just be early days, but it prevents me from selling as hatching eggs. I don’t sell hatching eggs unless I’ve had excellent to 100% fertility with them myself. I put my first full dozen in on Monday, so that will be a little more telling, I hope
Before the slacker hatched, so just the 7 here fresh out of the incubator.

 

[Baymule]

Bummer on the hatching rate. Maybe it will get better as the days warm up.

 

[SA Farm]

Bummer on the hatching rate. Maybe it will get better as the days warm up.

I’m hoping so

So we went to get our supplies yesterday. Baby and I stayed in the van and sent DH in. I asked him about the hardware for the sheep stand once we were back on the road since I’d mostly only seen him load lumber and he had completely forgotten about it!
At least we have what we need to put the old pheasant run (soon to be second turkey pen) together for Mac and Lady

 

[SA Farm]

Spent a few hours cutting down bushes in and around the old pheasant run the last few days. I left some of the bigger ones to save my hands the work. Asked DH to teach me how to use the chainsaw, so hoping that’ll happen soon. I’ve only ever used the regular saws and that just seems like way too much work anymore

Baby cut his second tooth and had a bit of a fever, so we had a rough couple of nights of him being super fussy. Unfortunately that translated into me not having a ton of energy, so less got done than planned. We did pick up the rest of the supplies we need for the sheep stand and DH did a bit more work on it, but there’s a long way to go. We’re expecting a week of rain starting tomorrow, so looks like it’ll be awhile yet.


Foxy and Kit are definitely bred and have begun to bag up. Woolfie’s udder seems a little softer, but I’m not sure on her yet. Too much wool to tell.


Foxy is starting to roo her fleece. I don’t know what I’m going to do with that girl. In Jan and Feb, her fleece looks great, but as soon as March hits...it becomes insanely matted! I don’t want to shear that early, so I’m wondering if she’s just going to be producing a compost fleece I am considering shearing her in the fall and blanketing her, but we’ll see.

On the downside, I got bit by a mosquito already last night! On the upside, there’s a bit of grass coming up and we’re ever closer to lambs! Though if last year was any indication, we’ve still got about six weeks to go!