I’m watching a little button buck graze his way between the strip of woods that runs between our property and the neighbors this morning. He’s frequently out during the day when the rest of the herd is in hiding, but I’ve also seen several does starting to come out in the late morning here and there. I’m really glad that we have an 8′ fence around our garden, because the deer are just multiplying like mad, and we’d lose all of our vegetables to them were it not for that perimeter guard!
The chickens are all doing fine; everyone in the coop is content, and the Rocks here in the house have even calmed down. Since we separated those troublemakers out of the coop, it’s really interesting to see the changes. When I do my last check on them at night, they are all wound down and laying or roosting peacefully together. This is a first – when the Rocks were still in the coop, it was constant chaos! Handi-hen has a friend, another Welsummer hen who is her frequent companion, and overall she has been accepted back into the flock. She’s moving around pretty well, too, in spite of the gimpy leg.
The Rocks needed their water suspended higher in the brooder cage, because they were just filling it up with pine shavings. They seemed quite happy with the modification we made last night, and dipped their beaks into the fresh water eagerly. They are growing much more rapidly than the other chickens, and perhaps this is characteristic of the breed. But the question has passed through our minds whether we mistakenly got Cornish Cross Broilers. We’d honestly be fine if that were the case, because these birds are destined for the freezer regardless, but if they are broilers, we want to get them the appropriate feed. I’m going to be posting up a photo of them on Backyard Chickens to see if anyone can make a positive ID.
I spoke with a goat breeder last night who I think we will be purchasing two doe kids from in the coming weeks. They are LaMancha crosses with Toggenberg and Alpines – and as such, should be good milkers. Their mothers are giving about a gallon a day. We are attending the MDGS Spring Goat Day at MSU this Saturday and hope to learn even more and connect with other goat owners and breeders here in the state.
Finally, I need to create some flyers and business cards for my website development business. I was speaking with the manager of our Tractor Supply last night and she has a bulletin board where I can post those up. I really need to start promoting and advertising so that I can grow my business along with everything else we have growing here on the farm! If you are in need of a website or know someone who is, please get in touch!
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