I'm Back

Wow, the holidays have kicked my behind!

Wish I had more of this homemade eggnog for the recap (so much better than the guar gum garbage they try to pass off as eggnog. The raw eggs haven't killed me yet).

Anyhoo...we'd planned to butcher chickens after Christmas. On Saturday, Dec 22, I checked out the 10-day forecast and it was miserable. Rain, rain, more rain followed by wind and bitter cold. I decided that if I didn't want these birds to get sick and die and if I didn't want to butcher in 40 degrees with a 15 mph north wind, I'd better get them done. So we butchered them all the Sunday before Christmas.

I feel terrible that the change in plans meant some people didn't get the birds they'd ordered but I was not sad to have them gone over Christmas.

We had a really nice time with family get-togethers Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day.

The handmade goat milk soaps were a hit! Didn't my mom do a great job helping to package them?

Cole's little silkies started laying. It's confirmed, they are all 3 hens so I've ordered him a rooster on Backyard Chickens. He's coming from West Virginia and the seller is throwing in an extra for free. That makes 4 roos at Hammock Haven- my neighbors are going to love me.

No, this is not mine! My dear friend got a Mini-Jersey cow. She was on a milking schedule of 4:30 am and 3 pm. I would be an abysmal failure at that! My sweet little goaties put up with my 9 am & 5 pm routine. Morning person, I am not!

Speaking of goats, we visited my adorable little Alpines. The breeder is sending the pregnancy test in on Jan 15. I can't wait to get them but need some bred goats!!!

Friday afternoon, hubby took the kids to his folks' for the weekend. I was looking forward to a weekend of R&R but when I got up to milk Saturday morning, Kat was back in heat. Ugh, I couldn't believe it. At least Onyx didn't cycle this month.

Hubby had our truck and my farm hands and I needed to get the buck! Another wonderful friend let me borrow her husband and son to unhook the trailer from Hubby's work truck and load the goat gofer in the back. Thank God for good friends!

Buddy the Buck is going to spend a month here this time. If yesterday's escapades didn't get her bred, we are running out of time as January is probably the last time she will cycle this year. Keep your fingers crossed!

And finally, I found a clutch of green eggs in the muck (did I mention it's been wet). I assumed that my Easter Eggers had finally started laying again and cursed them for their taste in nests. I removed the nasty eggs, threw them against a tree and blocked off where they were laying. 

I found another egg in the run on Friday and yet another in the muck last night. That's when it occurred to me. These are duck eggs not waterlogged chicken eggs! Poor Clay, I destroyed her nest. This morning, I took a bag of hay the goats had spread around the ground and made a nice dry nest where I'd found the first eggs.

That's about it around here. I'm going to putter at taking down Christmas decorations this afternoon. I hope you all had a great holiday!

Elf Antics

Our elf, Connor, has been up to some crazy things this season.

That's my shoe as a sleigh and the boys' guitar cord as reins.

Then there was the day he took all our stockings down and hung our underpants intead. I won't post a picture of that one.

Last night must have been poker night. He probably needed a rest after tumbling down the stairs in a roll of toilet paper the night before. I forgot to snap a picture of that one. Naughty elf!

Home Grown

I love it when I sit down to dinner and realize that the bulk of the meal was raised right here. Saturday night, we had panko breaded chicken cutlets (my chicken) with creamy poblano cilantro sauce (my goat cream, peppers and cilantro), sweet potatoes (yup), and broccoli (picked 30 minutes before we ate it).

Hammock Haven contributions to tonight's dinner include the broccoli, eggplant, and garlic.

Hubby was hard at work on the barn this weekend.

He got the stalls finished and siding on the rest of the loft eave. This is my view from the milking stand. Buddy thought he needed a turn too!

I Brought Home a Buck

I have been a ball of stress over getting my goats bred. January is the last possible time to get them bred for the year and it's coming upon us fast! As you remember, Onyx didn't get pregnant on her date and Kat miscarried. The left me with only one out of three bred.

That may not seem like a huge deal, but I assure you it is! Goats who are not freshened will not produce the volume of milk that they should into next year and I won't have the kids to sell. I have well over $1000 in the animals themselves (not counting feed, housing, vet, stud fees etc) and I really need to recoup some of that money. Not getting them bred would have an 18 month consequence!

I was hoping to bring Onyx to be bred again this month, but Thanksgiving got in the way. Then she ended up cycling later than expected so Thanksgiving wouldn't have gotten in the way after all, but Christmas would! Instead of adding the stress of two 4-hour round trips over the holidays, I decided to bite the bullet and breed her with my friend Dave's Nigerian Dwarf Buck for MiniManchas this year.

This is Buddy and he is a ball of stink, but a really sweet boy! He's enough to make me think I can handle a buck around here. I sure hope all the MiniManchas sell well, I'm going to have a bunch of them! We are keeping Buddy here at Hammock Haven until Kat gets bred again too. She should go in heat next week. In the meantime, he loves, love, loves Onyx!

Amanda, the breeder of my little Alpines, thinks one of the girls is bred. She's still waiting on the other. If all goes as plans, I'm looking at 6+ MiniManchas and 4 Alpine kids this spring!

Onyx Cracks Me Up!

Excuse the terrible picture quality here. I took these with my phone from the milking stand in the barn while milking Trixie.

Onyx just cracks me up. She's been trouble, but she's just too sweet not to love. My son said, "Aww, isn't she adorable!?".

 

Hawk Attack

It's hard to see in this picture, but there is a hawk in the middle of the big oak. A hawk that tried to take off with one of my barred rock hens. Fortunately, she put up a struggle so the hawk couldn't get her off the ground. She doesn't appear to be injured.

The chickens are all huddled up in a barn stall, but this hawk is determined. He swooped in from the other direction taking aim at the open end of the barn. I yelled at it and it aborted its mission, taking an upward trajectory at the last possible moment to clear the barn roof.

I stayed outside a bit longer until the crows picked up on the hawk's existence and began harassing it away.  I especially worry for Cole's little silkies. They are so small and in their downy white fluffiness they practically beg predators to carry them off.

Holy Moley!

The armadillos have dug holes around the base of all my new blueberries!

The last few days have been cold and dreary. I wanted nothing more than to burrow into my favorite corner of the sofa and soak up the warmth of the wood stove.

The sun has finally decided to make an appearance again today so I have no excuse not to go repair the damage.

Have Truck, Will Travel

For free firewood.

 

Soured Goat Milk Makes Great Pancakes!

Growing up, I remember my Depression Era grandmother not wasting anything- including milk that had gone past date. We have all smelled pasteurized milk that has spoiled, it doesn't really sour, it putrefies.

Raw milk acts differently.

Last week, I milked late in the afternoon right before we ran out the door to some kid activity. I usually strain and put warm milk in the freezer for 90 minutes, but there was just no time. I strained it and stuck it in the fridge.

The next day, I noticed that it smelled a little soured. Not spoiled, just not what you'd want to drink fresh.

Then I had houseguests, and life just happened, and that little quart jar labeled "Cook" got pushed to the back of the fridge. I got it out this morning and did a tentative sniff test. It smelled the same as it had a week ago. A little like buttermilk.

Buttermilk of course reminds me of pancakes so I whipped some up. They're wonderful. Freshly ground flour, farm fresh eggs, Hammock Haven honey, North Georgia apples and soured goat milk.

Bon Appetite!

Orlando Tries to Force Homeowner to Dig Up Garden

Here's one reason I don't live in a neighborhood. Maybe his is not the most conventional front yard, but it's cared for, which is more than you can say for most yards I see.

So much for the Victory Garden. You better not try to feed yourself off your own land because beans aren't as pretty as St. Augustine.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/College-Park-man-fights-to-keep-vegetable-garden-in-front-yard/-/1637132/17319262/-/14pb6cjz/-/index.html

By the way....my veggie garden is in my front yard too (so is my barn)!

Is this Who We've Become?

I've lost faith in the people of this country. I know I said yesterday that I wasn't writing a political blog here, but I can't fathom how the majority of the people in America could have strayed so far from the values upon which we were founded.

As I was milking my goats this morning, the following things kept running through my head.


You Didn't Build That

"There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me -- because they want to give something back. They know they didn’t -- look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something -- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. (Applause.)
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help."
Obama

When did Americans start believing that our success, our ability to achieve something, comes from the government not God?
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Declaration of Independence


Payback Time

“After we win this election, it’s our turn. Payback time. Everyone not with us is against us and they better be ready because we don’t forget. The ones who helped us will be rewarded, the ones who opposed us will get what they deserve. There is going to be hell to pay. Congress won’t be a problem for us this time. No election to worry about after this is over and we have two judges ready to go.” Valerie Jarrett- Sr. Obama Advisor

Payback for what? For exercising our right as Americans to vote for whomever we choose? For standing up for our values and beliefs?

"The ones who helped us will be rewarded" - Is it up to the government now to pass out spoils?


Necessarily Skyrocket

"Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." -- Barack Obama, January 17, 2008, San Francisco Chronicle

Before Obama, we had $1.80/gal gas and heard over and over what a problem that was. Now we are paying almost $4 and the media is silent and apparently people like it because they just asked for more.

We said no to a pipeline and have shut down drilling in the Gulf while sending billions to Brazil so they can drill there instead of us!

It's not just the cost to fill your tank either. Just wait until the coal industry is well and truly shut down.

EPA Crackdown on Coal

"On the eve of the 2012 election, more than 50 of President Obama's EPA staffers are crashing to finish new greenhouse gas emission standards. The rules would make the construction of new coal-fired power plants nearly impossible."

And yet coal counties in Ohio and PA went blue. Even if values are out the window, what happened to self-preservation? 

I'm out of time for now but I'll leave with a list of other things that are bothering me. Maybe I'll get some pictures of fuzzy animals on here later. I think we could all use a pick-me-up.

• Benghazi- We have 4 Americans dead.
• Hurricane Sandy- Have you seen pictures from Staten Island? The response has been no better than Katrina, yet the media is silent.
• ObamaCare- Is here to stay and we still don't know what's in it! I just saw last week that there is a tax on all real estate transactions! That will really help the housing market.
• Devaluing the dollar- Just saw this morning that the dollar is down against the yen this morning. The Obama reelection is opening the flood gates of quantitative easing.
• Gay Marriage- It is God's place to judge, not mine, but the Bible clearly lays out marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
• Fast and Furious- Gun running to Mexican Drug cartels
• Now this- http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/07/us-arms-treaty-un-idUSBRE8A627J20121107 Should have known the 2nd ammendment would be high on the hit list.

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.  Judges 17:6

Pesto Recipe

Several people asked for the pesto recipe I used. Here you go!

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves (I usually cook these for 15 sec in the microwave)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Method

1 Combine the basil and pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.

Election Day

Today is a crucial moment for the future of our country. I have written a political blog before and do not intend to delve deeply into politics in this blog, however, silence in the face of evil is itself evil.

We have a big choice to make today. It boils down to a choice between personal freedom and intrusive government.

As you go to the polls today, please ask yourself some questions:

Who knows what's best for your kids? Mom and Dad or the government?

Who should decide what you eat, whether it be Big Gulps or raw milk?

Who should decide what you do with your land?

Do you like $4/ gal gasoline?

Do you like to be dependent on the middle east for our energy?

Do you think the coal industry should be shut down?

I could go on....

Bottom line is, another 4 years of Obama will be another 4 years of chipping  gouging away at our personal freedoms, our entrepreneurial spirits and our pocket books. Do I know what kind of president Romney will be? No. But I know I don't want more of what we've got now.

I'm off to vote!

It's Butcher Time!

Hi everyone. The birds are getting fat!

Butcher Day will be this Saturday, November 10. As always, you are welcome to come earlier in the day to see how it's done, or come when everything is cleaned up and on ice- your choice. Pick up will be after 3pm, but we will do our best to get your birds to you earlier if you come to watch.

We have 23 chickens total with 15 pre-sold. I have 6 more to pre-sell (I like to leave a couple extras for unexpected occurrences like evil raccoons or broken wings from the plucker).

Contact me ASAP to reserve yours. I will be sending out an email tomorrow (as long as I'm not stuck in line to vote all day) with pick up directions and to sell the rest.

Thanks!
Kristin

Presto! It's Pesto!

My basil plants seem to flourish in late October/November and every year I plan to harvent them to dry them or make pesto. Every year I run out of time and all that yummy basil freezes. Until this year!

With the help of my niece, I harvested 8 cups of basil leaves and make 4 batches of pesto for the freezer. There's enough basil out there to do another 2 or 3 batches too.

We went trick-or-treating with some friends last week. Cole wanted to be a sack of chicken feed. It was the best costume of the night.....and free!

Sad Day

I think Kat had a miscarriage yesterday. Her tail was all bloody. She is acting normal and eating well. At least there is time in the season to breed her again, but that means more goat dates!

I'm taking Trixie for a sleep-over tonight. She went into estrus yesterday afternoon.  Pray she gets bred.

Chicks and Cold Fronts

I really need a better brooder set up for these meaty chicks. We had a cold front blow in with 30 mph north winds and temps in the 40's. I have the chicks in a wire bottom cage now to try to stop smothering, but have still lost 4 to it!

I think this will be the last batch of meaties I do for the year. They'll be ready in mid-December. Then I'll take a break for Christmas and maybe even wait until after spring kidding to start up again. I may start earlier if I can work out a better brooder.

This apparent trash pile is actually the tent I have set up in the barn to protect the birdies from the wind and cold.

This morning, I asked one of my boys to help get them a bigger waterer. They're drinking what they have dry 3x/day. He was struggling with getting it in the brooder. Three times, I told him just to leave it and I'd get it when I finished milking. Well, he decided that come hell or high water, he was going to get that drinker in there.

High water- he poured half the gallon all over my poor, freezing, fuzzy chicks.

Here's me with the hair dryer trying to fluff them back out. I'll have to go refill the water later since by the time he was done, there was only 2 inches left in it. Kids....

New Goats

Because I'm crazy!

I have been having such a time this fall getting my LaMancha, Onyx bred. The closest LaMancha buck is 2 hours away. So when I saw an ad for 2 Alpine does only 30 minutes away from a breeder who will always have a buck, something just snapped in me.

First I tried to talk a friend into buying them. She declined but I just couldn't let them go. I started doing research on Alpines. Looks like they'll produce more milk than my Lamanchas but with lower butterfat. The Lamancha milk is like drinking half and half this fall so mixed together we should have creamy deliciousness and lots of it!

The new gals are about 7 months old. I am buying them bred. My goodness, I'm going to have a lot of kids come spring!

I bought the black one (the color is called Sundgau apparently) and the light tan one. Goats with ears how weird (and cute)!

We are butchering chickens today. I need to go get everything set up. Only 11 survived of this batch....terrible.

I bought another batch from Town Line Hatchery in MI. They are the best looking chicks I've received yet and got here so much faster than the chicks from Ideal. It was the same price for 50 as it was for 30 so guess what I did..... Looks like we'll be having a BIG butcher day.

I Really Hate Raccoons

Another dead, legless chick in a tractor this morning.....

I Hate Raccoons

This bugger killed some of my big meaty birds earlier this week so it was time to break out the trap. This batch of Cornish X has been an epic failure. I have 11 of 30 birds left. What a waste of time and money. At least caught the bandit but I'm sure there are dozens ready to take his place.

On My Soap Box

After researching recipes, I decided to try my hand at making soap. I made a list of the oils I needed and struck out to town. The oils weren't a problem- we have a local health food store that had everything I wanted with the exception of the palm oil. It was the lye I couldn't find.

The recipes all said that lye could be found at the supermarket by drain cleaners. So I checked three stores. Finally, frustrated, I asked where the lye was and was told that most stores no longer carry because people were making meth out of it!

So now, we honest folks can't buy a decongestant that works without standing in line and signing over our first-born (ironically, it's harder to buy Sudafed than it is to vote), and we can't enjoy good, clean, soapmaking fun!

All this regulation has reduced the availability of American Made Meth, so now it's mostly imported from Mexico. I'm sure all the Americans living along the border appreciate that one.... And let us not forget the drug cartels- Al Qaeda connection.

Alright, I'm off my soap box now, time for some pictures of the soap. My friend Annette came through with the lye for this batch and I've ordered more online. This is a lavender goat milk soap. I think it came out well for my first attempt. I couldn't find very many goat milk recipes online. I'd appreciate any recipes my readers would be willing to share!

Here is everything weighed out and the lye mixed with water. The hard oils are on the stove melting.

 

All mixed together and in my makeshift soda can box mold.

I probably could have cut these more evenly... I should have made the mold a little bigger so the soap wasn't quite so thick. Live and learn. I've ordered molds with a goat on them for next batch. That should solve this issue.

The Barn and Other Updates

I'm back! My laptop keyboard died for the 4th time and this time Dell had me ship the whole thing into their "depot" for repair. Hopefully it's fixed for good this time because the warranty is up in 120 days! Eek.

The work has continued around here. Much progress has been made on the barn. Unfortunately, I still don't have a gate to the milking area so we're still milking on the driveway.

The siding is up on this side now too and the stalls are built. We just need gates!

I took Onyx to be bred on Wednesday. It was a 2 hour trip each way which still has me wanting to do something different for next year. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any lamancha breeders any closer. Cross your fingers that it worked so I don't have to drive her back up for another date.

This is Justice. He was a pretty boy. The breeder ordered him all the way from Oregon!

Not an Ugly Duckling Afterall

 

You may remember from one of my first posts that we ended up with a stowaway duck that we named Clyde. He was a fuzzy yellow little thing and I assumed he was a Pekin.

As he grew and his feathers came in, he turned a mottled brown and white. I thought he was just an ugly Pekin.

Yesterday, I was online searching for goodness-knows-what-about-fowl when I saw a picture of an Indian Runner Duck. Right away, I recognized Clyde!

Pictured next to Clyde is his mallard girlfriend, Clay. We couldn't let him be alone, now could we?

Arsenic in Rice

http://www.boston.com/dailydose/2012/09/19/arsenic-rice-some-brands-contain-more-than-others-but-should-you-avoid/p500QCfWPn88hkHhChkV2N/story.html

Can we not trust anything that we don't grow ourselves?! One article suspected that some of the inorganic arsenic comes from fertilizing fields with chicken manure because some commercial chicken feed contains arsenic.

Marginally Better Milk Maid

When we were visiting with Dave yesterday, he asked if I was hand milking Kat out each day. Apparently, the hand pump doesn't work so well this time of year. What would I do without a mentor!?

When I got home that night I milked the does until the hand pump quit, then got out the bucket. What you see above is what I got from Kat after after the pump gave out. He thinks by doing this, I'll be able to build supply back up some (if I don't give myself carpel tunnel first).

I am by no means fast at hand milking, but I am becoming more proficient.

P.S. Did I mention how bad Kat still smells after being perfumed with Eau Du Buck? If I get a buck, he's going to have to live far from the house!

A Long Day for Kat

We took Kat to my friend Dave's farm to breed her with his Dwarf Nigerian buck, Buddy. She's a little worse for wear.

Glass Gem

Wow, just look at this corn. To think, most of the corn grown now is some GMO experimental bastardization of what corn could be. Here's the story about Glass Gem.

This morning, I am shelling dried pole bean seed. It's a seed from Jeff's grandfather that he called "Rattlesnake Beans". It is shocking to learn how many varieties have disappeared in the last hundred  years.

It is also scary that seed can be patented. Farmers whose fields are infected by GMO seed are found guilty of owning the seed they didn't want and didn't plant! What a world.....

CIDR Trouble

This is a CIDR. It is a hormone suppository that goes in a doe's you-know-what to bring her into heat. Inserting it isn't my favorite thing to do. Inserting it three times into the same doe is really, really not my favorite thing to do.

Somehow, each of the past two nights, Onxy (or one of her sisters) has pulled Onyx's CIDR out. This time, I cut the little knob off the end of the string in hopes they won't be able to grab ahold of it. She is wise to me now and bucks like a bronco whenever I get near her read end. I really don't want to have to do this to her again until next year!

Learning to Say "No"

I have a hard time saying no. I hate to let people down, so I tend to take on things I know I can't do well. Which ends up letting them down in the future, and ends up stressing me out in the present.

Several times a week, I deal with the ramifications of saying yes when I want to say no. Sometimes it's little stuff like "Sure, I'll sell you a half gallon of milk" even though it means I don't get to make cheese for my family. Sometimes they are bigger obligations, like the time I agreed to run the nursery at church even though I don't have the time, I am not good with kids and can't organize my way out of a paper bag. I'm dealing with one of those biggies now...

Each time, my family takes the brunt of my inability to say no. Thank you to my wonderful sister for this devotional:  http://www.proverbs31.org/devotions/people-pleasing-2012-09/ Please take the time to read it and please don't take it personally if I have to tell you no.

Updates

It is finally starting to feel like fall around here. The nights are getting cooler and the days are lovely. We made a lot of progress on the barn over the last two weeks. With the help of both our dads, we got the loft built. Our next step is to build a block knee-wall at the top end to deflect water. We have the block, we just need to find someone to build it for us.

 

I picked the first ripe fig off my fig tree. It was small, but delicious!

 

I inserted a CIDR in Onyx to get her ready to breed next month. She wasn't too pleased with me. Inserting a hormone inplant in a goat's you-know-what is on my list of things I never thought I'd do.

 

The boys and I went to give Rudy the Watertower Rooster some food and water. All the was left of him was a pile of feathers. Poor Rudy.

 



Patience is a Virtue

...when it comes to cheese and mead. I made this goat gouda on April 15, 2012. We finally cut into it last night and wow, it was good! Nice texture, pleasant sharpness, good salt balance.

The only thing wrong with it at all was that the wax developed holes on a couple of edges which allowed some other molds to begin growing on the rind. It was easy to cut off and didn't affect the taste at all, but it doesn't look pretty if I were to sell it.

Water Tower Rooster

Someone decided to dump off their rooster. I'm betting it was a townie with backyard chickens who ended up with a rooster instead of a hen. I feel bad for the feathered fella. There are much better things to do with an unwanted roo than to dump him in the country for the coons and coyotes. Here are a few ideas:

1. Craigslist him. I've sold 3 roosters on Craigslist for $10 each.
2. Put an ad in the local feed stores giving away "free rooster". Someone will want him!
3. Man up and eat him yourself. What kind of life do you think he'll have scrounging for all his own food while trying not to get hit by a car or eaten by wild critters? Better to "dispatch" him quickly.

I am all for backyard chickens, but understand, sometimes roosters happen. Please have a better plan than dumping them on the side of the road.

Bad Chicky Mama

I messed up with the meaty chicks last night. They have been living in a rubbermaid bin under a grow light in the garage.

Before dinner, I gave them fresh litter, food and water. When I put the waterer back in, I failed to notice that there was a bit of an indentation in the litter where the water had been before. The stinkers piled up in that hole and smothered themselves. I lost 6 chicks. That's 9 down on this batch. I am really disappointed.

Just placed an order for 30 more directly from the hatchery. At least that way, if I lose any in the first 4 days, they'll reimburse me.

Honey Extractor

I was starting to wonder if UPS was going to make it, but they finally arrived with our honey extractor about 7:00 pm.

Look at all that packing paper! It looks like Hurricane Isaac stormed my foyer. Unfortunately, with the rain coming in the next couple days, I may not get to extract this week. Just more time for the bees to make honey, I suppose.

Low on Leche

In a perfect world, I would have all the milk everyone wanted and plenty for us to make yogurt, and cheeses, sour cream and kefir. Unfortunately, nature doesn't always cooperate.

Kat is drying up and is only giving about a pint a day now. Trixie is still a milk machine and Onyx is a first timer, so I can't expect too much from her, but she is holding her own with almost a quart (and that's from just one teat, good girl!). I will have much more milk after they freshen in the spring, but until then, I need to be freezing some milk for my family so I won't have to buy it *shudder*.

My friend Dave and his family came on Saturday and we implanted a CIDR in Kat to have her ready to breed in two weeks. That means kids around February 9!!! Love this handy goat gestation calendar I just found.

We are going to breed Onyx in October and Trixie in November so with a little luck, I'll always have someone milking. You can't milk a goat for the last 2 months of gestation because the kids need the energy to grow. I don't see our supply going up again until spring.

I am very, very sorry that I can't provide for all the families who have come to enjoy our milk. We may increase the herd to 4 goats next year. We are still learning. Thanks for growing with us.

Round Three