Whadd'ya think of this place?

Well what a fun filled day we had today! Sasha our new baby born just yesturday went out and discovered the property today! She got to hang out with the herd today, and play on the rocks out in the paddock. Mom was a bit skeptical letting Sasha out in the garden with Grandma today -- but she lived.

The other goats don't really know what to think of little Sasha. We sure do believe that Smokey knows Sasha is his daughter. Smokey usually butts the kids and ''pushes 'em around" but not Sasha!

I am glad to finally see that Sally is beginning to look productive -- oppose to a big hay eating machine. I was loosing hope with my goats as far as being able to milk them! I had just remembered how I was wishing I would be able to do the milking demonstration for goats at the county fair this year. I CAN NOW!!!

Sally being a first freshener probably isn't going to give the best impression on dairy goats at the fair! They will see me trying to milk her with her itsy witsy teats! Her sister has huge teats and a decent bag - BUT NO KIDS! She has made the precocious (bleh, I cannot spell it!) udder.

The other young animals here on the farm are adjusting well. When we stopped by the old house today to do some cleaning before the closing we picked up the last duckling that hatched. We've got seven ducklings! Out of 9 eggs in the incubator, losing only two of them is good news! And literally they were "lost", because fertility was great!

The ducklings played with uncle Jeff today! Jeff had three ducks on his lap, and four of them chirping, running, and panicking all around him!

I am still receiving that pressure to get rid of the ducks. I offered the little 'project' to my sister tonight, YAY giddy giddy! But when it is time to get up in the morning to feed them, she wont want them anymore! No surprise, it figures!

Anyways, the ducks are happily living in the garden house in their little brooder. It looks so cozy as they all huddle up in he corner to go to sleep! They are so full of energy all the time! Where they get it is beyond me!

I am happy to say everyone is happy, healthy, and warm here in Vermont. Thanks for reading, and PLEASE keep following!

~Paul

SURPRISE!!

I came home to quite a surprise today. The goats have been getting out a lot lately - so when I was heading out today I made the decision to leave them in their shed until I got home. I took off to do some errands with my stepfather. We arrived back home at around 1:00 pm.

I came inside and nibbled on a chocolate chip cookie that my grandma had just got done baking. I then hustled out the door remembering my choice to leave them in for the morning. There was the usual 10 eyes staring at me as well as another pair in the corner.

Sally had decided she wanted to have a kid this morning - considering it is the fourth of july she must have figured she might be partying too much this weekend to give birth. We had always guessed that she may have been pregg, but assumed not because I haven't caught a heat in either of the does and I have been watching VERY closely.


Sally and Sasha are having some quality time together -- the highlight of the whole situation for my brother is that we will have some goat milk this year, he loves goat milk!


~Paul

Peep Peep Peep!

The twenty-eight days of turning eggs, regulating temperatures, and burning my fingers during power outages seems to have finally paid off! I made a little investment into an incubator. My Pekin hens have been laying eggs everyday -- and we can only eat so many of them! The intention was to incubate them.

On day one two of my eggs hatched out, day two one more hatched out. The tired little embryos took a break on day three and three more hatched out on day four. Only one duckling died during hatching, one egg died during incubation and the last one has pipped and should pop out by morning. If all goes well for the last egg we will have had a 99.9% fertility rate and a 99% hatch rate!

The Pekins here are odd Pekins! They are setters and exceptional layers! The fact that they set on there eggs amaze many, I guess they don't have a very good rep of setting on there eggs! I have a good line of the ducks going too bad a recent suggestion by my parents was to get rid of them!! I was told it would leave more room for them the dairy goat hobby to grow.... We will see what will happen as far as that goes! The manager of the local TSC (also a friend) had offered to take them for me. She has a flock of Khaki Campbells, Mallards, and Runners -- and not Pekins. She also has draft horses and bantam chickens.

Our eggs are sometimes available on eBay as mountainpridefarm and on Ovabid as mountain-pride. They usually sell for $10.00 a dozen. My hens are setting right now so no more will be available until the end of the season.

~Paul