Squirrelgirl88 - Double G Farm

[Squirrelgirl88]

OK, so I'll start with the questions....

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?

Central Ohio - we have three seasons, SNOW, MUD , DROUGHT

2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?

3 members - Husband, myself and my adult daughter with Downs Syndrome.

3. How would you define your farm?

Hobby Farm

4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?

Rescue Animals

5. Have you ever built a house, barn , or other types of building? Do you want to?

NO - we bought a home with three outbuildings.

6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?

Nope

7. Who or what inspired you to be a farmer/rancher, hobby farmer?

Wanted to raise chickens and maybe another animal or two when we discovered dairy goats

8 Is it a hobby or an occupation?

hobby

9. In what areas are you knowledgeable and in what areas would you like to learn more?

I garden and grow lots of flowers. I am a pretty good cook, and I've read everything I can get my hands on about Goats and Chickens - still learning!

10. In what types of farming will you never choose to do?

large scale farming of any kind

11. Are you interested in providing more of your own food supply?

YES

12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?

I read ALOT

13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?

Nope

14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?

Yes, I can paint, I also play with fabric paint, wreath making, ceramics, embroidery and cross stitch.

15. Can you legally have all forms of livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?

Not all forms. We only have two acres.

16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?

Nope

17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?

Yes - I planted everything this year! Onions were too small Carrotts were pretty pitiful, But the baby watermelon was a hit!

18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?

Nope

19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City farm? Country?

Two acres - within City Limits

20. Are you a Novice, Technician, degreed?

Novice

21. What is your farm specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?

I would say the gardening thing is working the best, but the animals are looking pretty good too!

22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?

Herbalism

23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?

Nope

24. Are you interested in herbal animal medicine?

YES

25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?

Wow - Hubby would say deep in the mountians of Montana. I like civilzation a little more than that. So maybe a ranch in Montana with all of the modern conveniences. ( i like running water and heat!

26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?

No

27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?

Kaptain Karma - can instantly hand out what they deserve to whomever deserves it!

28. Are your family or friends also interested in animals?

Yes, but they are all glad the animals live at my house!

29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?

We already use our own eggs and will have goats milk next year

30. What was your best animal experience? Worst?

I've rescued MANY animals over the years, but rehoming a neglected horse last year was the most rewarding.

31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?

Hubby deer hunts.

32. What skills do you have that help you be more a self sufficient farm?

Gardening, canning, preserving etc.

33. Do you process your own meat? Can or preserve?

No, we have the meat done professionally, I do can things and make jams and jellies.

34. Do you use alternative energy sources on your farm? Would you like to?

Wish we could!

35 What is on your to do list?

We are restoring an old blacksmith shop that was already on the property. Half of it has become the stables for the goats and chickens. We need new doors, and the goats are going to get some "playground equipment".

36. Have you ever lived completely off what you produce? Would you like to?

No - I can't. I would have to become a vegetarian. I like my red meat, but I don't want to look it in the eyes before I eat it.

37. In what do you trust?

I trust in the love of a dog, the innocent honesty of a child, and that there are angels amoung us.

38. Do you make and fix things yourself to save money?

Hubby fixes things, I fetch the tools.

39. Has the experience with animals changed your attitude or habits?

We used to travel on weekends, county fairs, wineries, orchards, long drives. HA - now, it's up at 6:30 to let the chickens out and home before 7:30 to secure the barns for the night. We are suddenly alot older than we used to be.

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

OK - questions aside. We purchased an old farm house last year with two acres and three outbuildings. One of the buildings was an old blacksmith shop that hubby decided to restore. We talked about getting chickens and a relative gave us one rooster and one hen - she had too many roosters. When the chickens next door figured out we had a rooster, the four of them promptly moved into our barn and refused to go home. Chicken slumber party gone bad. We offered to pay the neighbor for the chickens, but he said just keep them.

We also have one lab mix (Holly) that was rescued from the pound, and one beagle mix (Stinky Dog), also a rescue. The house came with a calico cat. (previous owner was a cat hoarder) So I feed her and she keeps the mice away. Stinky Dog got his name from the skunk smell he brought home with him and the flatulance problem that stayed. He can clear a room!

In addition to the rooster and the runaway chickens, we purchased two Nigerian Dwarf does (Lily and Lucy) this spring. I believe the goats' sole purpose in life is to give me a heart attack. So far, they have walked directly into a fire, jumped over their four foot stall, climbed a ladder to get into chicken feed, and generally just made me a nervous wreck. OK, I was a wreck before, now I'm just nervous too.

Back to the chickens. the rooster (Rocket) hates me. I mean HATES ME. He chases, flogs, attacks and generally lurks around corners waiting for me. He does this to NO ONE else. I'm just too soft to put him in a pot. He also chases the baby goats. But------in his defense, he is the perfect rooster. he finds food for the ladies, protects them from the hawks that circle over, and keeps them all rounded up - we let them free range within a one acre fenced area. So as a Rooster he's great, as a pet - terrible.

My adult daughter lives with us as she has Downs Syndrome. She thinks the goats are cute, but she is NOT a farm girl. No poo on the boots for her. Once, the goats chased her to get a bag of potato chips she was carrying. She threw two chips on the ground to distract them and ran for the house. She won't go in the pen with them anymore. At least, not with food in her hand.

We plan on breeding for ADGA registered Nigerian Dwarf goats next spring, and then the milking fiasco begins. I work full time outside the home, so my mornings are going to get that much busier. Hubby does all he can to help, but there is no way he'll be able to hand milk Dwarf goats with his hands.

Outside the house, we run the local Whitetails Unlimited chapter that supports whitetail hunting. Our chapter donates all the funds to the local food pantry to pay for the processing of donated deer. Our state allows 6 deer per hunter. Hubby also is the local FHFH (Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry) coordinator. Last year our donations fed 3,000 people in our county. THAT is rewarding.

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

Rocket and some of his ladies.

Lucy

Lily

 

[marlowmanor]

Gorgeous rooster and pretty goats. Lucy looks like our BlackJack she even has the little bit of white on the tail that he has! But he is a pygmy/ND cross, and will soon be a wether.

 

[77Herford]

Looks like your Rooster could have some Favorelle in him.

 

[daisychick]

My oldest rooster (I have 8 total right now :/ ) Anyway, the old one hates me!! My kids and everyone else can walk right in the coop. If I do, he actually runs as fast as he can from outside, through the pop door and tries to chase me out the main coop door. I can't get him to stop no matter what. I just deal with him for now, but I do have one of his sons that is just about ready to take over. And then old guy is going to hit the road!

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

Looks like your Rooster could have some Favorelle in him.

He doesn't seem to be a "pure" anything. He has some feathers that look like Golden Duck Wing, and some that remind me of Morans. He sure is pretty, and knows it too!

He crows from 6am to 7pm. Luckily, the neighbors all love him and actually tell us they love hearing him in the morning (most grew up on a farm).

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

Quiet day today. Ran some errands, grocery etc. Walked out the barn tonight to get everyone in, twisted my bad ankle and fell to the ground. Not very graceful. scraped knee, bruised hip, of course landed on the shoulder that I broke a few years ago. The only good news was that the rooster was close and didn't take advantage of the situation and flog me while I was down. I also managed not to land in any poo.

So now that I feel like total goof, I'm off to band-aid my knee and try and wash the grass stain from my jeans.

 

[jodief100]

The animals are cute! I had a little banty rooster that was the same way. Fortunately all he could do was attack my ankles.

 

[Squirrelgirl88]

Little less rain today. The goaties actually got out in the sunshine for a little while. Checked all of the chickens tonight - they've had bumble foot, and we're making sure all are healing well. They don't like be handled and grumpy rooster gets a little uptight when you mess with his ladies.

I noticed that suddenly the goat's horns look like they are an inch longer overnight. They had started peeling a few months ago and I started them on Kop Sel from Fir Meadow and I'm amazed at the difference. The horns stopped peeling at the new growth, their coats and tails are fluffing out again, and Lucy - the black goat - has lost the rust colored patches in her fur.

Going to TSC tomorrow and get oyster shell for the chickens, goat chow and a new feeder for the goats. They are starting to fight over the food even though it's in seperate sections of the same feeder. I'm going to seperate them even further apart for feeding before someone gets hurt. You'd think they were starving!

I need to weigh them again before they get too heavy for me to lift on the scale. They will be six months old this week, and I'm curious at what they are up to. I've heard/read horror stories about breeding too early, so I'm thinking that we will wait until March to borrow the buck. They will be 1 year old on March 31st. I'm afraid to breed them too soon.

I also need to get a "first aid" kit set up for the barn. I know there are medications and things I should have on hand, but I've never purchased. TSC is very close, and open every day, but I know if I don't have stuff on hand I'll regret it later. The breeder suggested I have everything for drenching and treating bloat and scours. I guess TSC gets my paycheck this week!