WINTER 2014

We must of got 3 more inches of snow as Ruth and I were snug in the big barn doing chores, and it is still coming down hard and fast. What a winter, I am so ready for spring!! All the critters are fed, watered and happy for now. I  have a lot of milk so I am making more Cheddar and some yogurt.  Still looking for a natural sweet fruit flavoring to add to the yogurt. This girl likes sweet.

off to the barn

Happy Tuesday-

Always waiting on Ruth to be ready for chores, my 4 year granddaughter. She is very good at chores time. Sings and dances in the barn and play catch with her doe Justice. Today we have friends coming to help us.
Lucky us!  We will see if Play-doe decides to kid today. Weather here in Western NY is not looking bad today they say a small storm tomorrow. Off we go...

Udder report

Goats 2014:

Play doe's udder is growing I think she will kid this week. Excited for our first kids!


There are a few more does with growing udders;
Princess, Cloudy Day, Lee lee, Gale, Saten, Lydia, and Charlee to name a few.

Making Cheddar today as we have some extra milk. Cheddar is nice the shelve like can be up to 10
years or more.

This is our new bull Ollie

2014

adding to my new blog is impossible google will not allow it. Struggling daily with technology. So I will just switch to adding to this blog. I wanted to get a blog to encourage others to farm, follow your dream and never give up. I love what I do the farming end of it. Love creating cheese with my milk and love eating and tasting all the products.  Testing the laws and doing what some tell me can not be done. Got married young and made it work check, Homeschooled my children check, fostered many lovely kids check,  adopted two beautiful daughters, became a farmer check, selling raw milk following the laws check, opening a creamery working on that :).  Almost everything is in place new floor, floor drain, wall painted, shelving, new fridge delivered, Tim is still working on water and electric. Equipment can be picked up on the 15th. Long ride but excited to get my creamery.

Thinking my first goat Play-doe will kid this week, there is another 8 I feel will kid in the next few weeks. With pasture breeding it sure can be a surprise.  No easier with the cows We were using stricly AI with some cows never getting bred. Finally bought a young bull Ollie (picture below) and after a few tries I think he has bred Doty and Nesha. We had been trying AI on Nesha since May. So excited to think that she finally settled. The big swiss Emily was in heat last week called the AI guy for her as she is a bit tall for Ollie. Fingers cross and we will have lots of milk next fall for raw milk share holders and cheese making.

All those babies!

Such a fun time of the year with all the baby goats. We have lamancha little ears and Nubians big ears. We have lots of babies. This year all the does (girls) are flashy marked and colored. The bucks(boys) are all the plain Jane's. Yippee for us! Now milking 9 does, selling one milker tomorrow. With 5 more does to kid from next week till May. I have bucks for sale now and will be shipped to auction week before Easter. They sure required a lot of work and drinking all the extra milk. Little piggies.. I will Post pictures soon..

One thing I love about farming is you never know what kind of day it will be, or is that what I hate about farm. Cow gets stuck between to big rocks and can't get out. Goats sneak threw a weak spot in the fence and go in the road. Babies are born, it has been a couple very exciting days!