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[Mini Horses]

@Mini Horses how many does will you have kidding?

Probably 14. Between now & May. Yeah, a lot. But kids sell and some of the adults will be milk trained after kidding and sold. I plan to cut back by at least 6 does. Some kept are regular milkers, a couple are for replacements, some to sell. This would be a good year for a lot of bucklings. LOL They ALL sell....buys winter hay. I do have a few milk buyers....soaps, animal feeding, etc. A few others want to do a "herd share" but, not there for me right now. My chickens love the excess milk -- I clabber some for them. Since I have the full sized dairy breeds I get a lot of milk. Most of my does give 1.5-2 gal per day. Since I want to add Boer this year, I am considering buying young kids and using excess milk for them -- with a milk bar! -- grow out and keep best for breeding, sell others for meat. Notice "considering"... LOL

On day 2 of 6 when I get to stay home. I'm enjoying the slower pace! Working things in a more pleasurable way.

Coffee good and welcome today -- first full day of "official" winter. Frost & fog this AM with 26 temps. Going to 50, they say. Sun is trying to peek through and it will be great once it completes arriving. It will sure make barn prep nicer. Moved some animals yesterday -- now I can leave a few gates open to work the barn. Easier than open/close/shoo. It's more than a one day job. There are 11 stalls to use, as needed. Normally only 4-6 at a time in use.


That's my chore -- right after feeding & opening coops. Hey, older hens have begun to get back into lay -- younger ones have been &/or have started. Yeah! Happy customers with egg sales...and happy wallet with feed bill.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

ince I have the full sized dairy breeds I get a lot of milk. Most of my does give 1.5-2 gal per day. Since I want to add Boer this year, I am considering buying young kids and using excess milk for them -- with a milk bar! -- grow out and keep best for breeding, sell others for meat. Notice "considering"... LOL

Great idea - do it, do it, do it!

 

[baymule]

Going to be sunny and in the 50’s today. We are going to scrape up rock off the side of the driveway where it was spread too wide by a bulldozer. Then we’ll spread it on another part of the driveway that needs more rocks. BJ has a bunch of busted bags of rock in the back of his truck, so we’ll spread that too.

 

[baymule]

It’s going to be 70 degrees Christmas Day!

 

[FarmerJamie]

Last tray of pineapple cookies are in the oven. Make 4 different batches, plus roasted pecans

 

[farmerjan]

@baymule I think that tilling the cleanout from the sheep and chickens is only going to get more weeds going. Spread it where you want it, cover with the plastic to "solarize" and overheat it to kill the sprouting weeds, then plant right through the litter. Let the worms break it down from the bottom and incorporate it into the soil. I have only ever tilled once a year in the beginning of the planting season because I am dealing with some hard sod and weed ground. As soon as it is tilled, it gets covered with any and everything for mulch. The weeds are so much easier to pull out of the "mulch" covering. I lay any cardboard I collect right in the garden area where I am going to use it. Usually try to lay it in rows so that I can plant a fairly straight row and have the cardboard as the walkway inbetween. The tape does peel right off after getting wet. The cardboard can get moved around or just dug through with a trowel. Just keep adding on top of it around the plants. I also like the possibility of raised beds in the future for me. But I have the chickens in the garden over the winter, moving their portable coop around and they do a bang up job of cleaning/stripping the weeds and junk. I found that the best and most weed free garden I had was when I let the pigs have it for the winter one year. They tilled it up and then ate everything they found. I had to till it in the spring to get it leveled out, but then it grew stuff and the weeds were minimal with the mulch. But I like to get out in the garden and pull what weeds there are. And by doing it often and early on, they don't get a foothold.
I know you have struggled with the weeds, but I also think that you just don't like to get out there and pull them so they get ahead of you really quick. It is so easy to put it off then get overwhelmed and behind. Been there done that before.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

@baymule I think that tilling the cleanout from the sheep and chickens is only going to get more weeds going. Spread it where you want it, cover with the plastic to "solarize" and overheat it to kill the sprouting weeds, then plant right through the litter. Let the worms break it down from the bottom and incorporate it into the soil. I have only ever tilled once a year in the beginning of the planting season because I am dealing with some hard sod and weed ground. As soon as it is tilled, it gets covered with any and everything for mulch. The weeds are so much easier to pull out of the "mulch" covering. I lay any cardboard I collect right in the garden area where I am going to use it. Usually try to lay it in rows so that I can plant a fairly straight row and have the cardboard as the walkway inbetween. The tape does peel right off after getting wet. The cardboard can get moved around or just dug through with a trowel. Just keep adding on top of it around the plants. I also like the possibility of raised beds in the future for me. But I have the chickens in the garden over the winter, moving their portable coop around and they do a bang up job of cleaning/stripping the weeds and junk. I found that the best and most weed free garden I had was when I let the pigs have it for the winter one year. They tilled it up and then ate everything they found. I had to till it in the spring to get it leveled out, but then it grew stuff and the weeds were minimal with the mulch. But I like to get out in the garden and pull what weeds there are. And by doing it often and early on, they don't get a foothold.
I know you have struggled with the weeds, but I also think that you just don't like to get out there and pull them so they get ahead of you really quick. It is so easy to put it off then get overwhelmed and behind. Been there done that before.

Excellent advice. I'd love to see photos of your garden and coop set up. I'm planning to build a coop in the middle of north side of the garden next season with rotational run/garden bed on either side. Currently scouring the net for photos of ideas for management of coop/runs/building barriers to keep chickens out of the raised beds, etc.

 

[farmerjan]

Since I don't have a smart phone, or a digital camera, pictures aren't in the radar right now. My old flip phone is supposed to become obsolete here so may have to upgrade. But I hate giving it up because it goes in the back pocket and I can sit on it even in the tractor and not have anything get broken. It is small and I like that too. My son had some issues with nhis phone and plan (I am on his plan) and we went to the Verizon store a couple weeks ago. They have a small smartphone about the size of my flip phone (closed) and I was looking at it. Salesman not very interested in promoting it. Couldn't put it in my back pocket and sit on it, but I liked the size. I guess I need to do some looking and maybe join the modern world.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

So... no pics, then... I'm guessing? I'm horrid about taking pics, and can't for the life of me figure out how to post them! But, I'm open to all advice, sharing of experience about managing chickens in the garden, how much manure is too much, and best means of achieving the benefit of insect management without sacrificing the greens to the beaks.

 

[baymule]

Since I don't have a smart phone, or a digital camera, pictures aren't in the radar right now. My old flip phone is supposed to become obsolete here so may have to upgrade. But I hate giving it up because it goes in the back pocket and I can sit on it even in the tractor and not have anything get broken. It is small and I like that too. My son had some issues with nhis phone and plan (I am on his plan) and we went to the Verizon store a couple weeks ago. They have a small smartphone about the size of my flip phone (closed) and I was looking at it. Salesman not very interested in promoting it. Couldn't put it in my back pocket and sit on it, but I liked the size. I guess I need to do some looking and maybe join the modern world.

I have an Apple I-Phone, it fits in my front pocket. I take pictures with it, then post them from the phone. I had a Sanyo Droid, but find the I-Phone easier to use.

Morning y'all. Coffee is ready, breakfast is link sausage from Wilbur, fried eggs and toast with home made wild plum jam. Woke up at 2:00 AM, coyotes were howling, I walked out on the porch to listen. I got up 3 more times, the dogs are quiet when the coyotes light up. Finally got up at 4:20. BJ made coffee while I made breakfast. Got a load of clothes washing, got to go get feed today.​